Driving enthusiasts received a treat for 1989 when Ford brought out the Taurus SHO. Sporting a 220-horsepower, 24-valve, 3.0-liter Yamaha engine, along with a sport suspension package, the SHO (Super High Output) gave certain car companies a run for their Deutchmarks. The interior continued the serious, performance-oriented theme of the car with a 140-mph speedometer, an 8,000-rpm tach with a 7,000-rpm redline, aggressive side bolsters on the front bucket seats and a console from which sprouted only a five-speed manual gearshift, as no automatic tranny was available for the SHO.

Performance figures proved that this SHO had plenty of go; zero-to-60 mph took only around seven seconds and the car had no problem pegging the needle on the speedo. Four-wheel disc brakes were fitted and handling was competent as well, with a firmer ride indicating the SHO's sporting demeanor. There was no Sable equivalent to the Taurus SHO.

Along with the introduction of the high-performance SHO, 1989 also saw the extinction of the low-performance (a manual transmission alone does not a sporty car make) MT-5. Slight revisions to the grilles, headlights and taillights summed up the changes for the rest of the Taurus family as well as the Sable.