(Image Source: AutoBlog)

Ford's 2008 Taurus, the Five Hundred's replacement that debuted at this week's Chicago Auto Show, is easily the namesake's sharpest design ever. For those who recall the recently discontinued, bulbous Taurus, the model in question epitomized "The Blandness" that afflicted all too many US households and rental car fleets everywhere in the lower 48.

Taurus and surface tension? Who'd have thunk it?

The latest Taurus showcases just how far Ford has come to terms with the words "style" and "form". Taking strong notes from features found on the Edge Sport Ute, the new Taurus puts to good use that trademark thick-barred chrome grille, and those exacting lines that give the sedan structure and tension.

A further and truly forward bit of design > the windshield. Notice how the front windscreen usurps much of the metal space normally reserved for the A-pillar to create as wide a viewing box as possible.

We can still see the structural support beams behind the glass, however. This demonstrates that the Taurus' design is twice as safety conscious as most every other design out there - it provides the safety cage that's required but while simultaneously minimizing the "blind spot" effect that plague most contemporary sedans.

Well done Ford!