world automotive gallery: February 2011

Aston Martin Rapide

Gaydon, 15th April 2009. The Aston Martin Rapide has moved into the final stages of its development programme, on course for a public debut in late 2009, with the first customer cars due to be delivered in early 2010.

The much anticipated One-77 is Aston Martin’s definitive sports car, one that epitomises everything Aston Martin from technology, the hand-craftsmanship of the hand rolled aluminium panels to the attention to detail. A culmination of all the marque’s know-how, the One-77 delivers effortless beauty guaranteed to stir the senses with performance potential eclipsing any previous Aston Martin.

The Innovative Commuter Concept Car; ‘Cygnet’ by Aston Martin

Aston Martin has developed a new luxury commuter concept; the ‘Cygnet’ which will offer customers a distinctive, intelligent and exclusive solution for urban travel in style and luxury.

The Aston Martin Cygnet Concept is a bold step towards a new form of transportation; the luxury commuter car, a form of personal transportation that sees the company's core values engage with a new environment.

Aston Martins have always been deceptive exotics. The word "exotic car" conjures images of svelte Italian sports cars wailing sonorously along the high banks of race tracks and burbling through high-dollar neighborhoods.

Acura debuted an all-new V-6 model for its TSX sports sedan line-up at the Chicago Auto Show today. Scheduled to go on sale this summer, the 2010 TSX V-6 will be equipped with a powerful 3.5-liter engine, exclusive suspension tuning, larger diameter wheels and additional enhancements.

Transformations are nothing new, especially when it comes to cars. To keep things fresh, every nameplate has to reinvent itself every so often, with only a few exceptions. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise that Acura had transformed its high-tech but low-profile TL for 2009.

You have to start somewhere. For luxury marques that usually means offering at least one automobile that is affordable enough to lure first-time luxury buyers into the brand.

We have known a few people over the years who probably desired and could certainly afford luxury in their new-car purchases, but abhorred the thought of being seen as ostentatious; something they felt was inherent in owning a BMW 7-Series or a Mercedes S-Class or even a full-sized Cadillac (going way back).

Prior to the Acura TL’s complete redesign for the 2009 model year, we were unabashed fans of the mid-sized sports sedan.

There are a passel of near-luxury and luxury crossovers out there. Anybody with $30,000 to $50,000 to spend should have no problem settling on the ideal candidate.

From a distance, the MDX is stylish but it doesn’t call attention to itself. That’s just the way that Honda & Acura vehicles turn out. The theory goes like this…Honda & Acura buyers are very loyal and tend to buy the vehicles because of their quality and value, and styling is a secondary consideration.

If you were unencumbered by traditional realms of aesthetics, what would you design? Phillip Johnson imagined a glass house, Frank Lloyd Wright waded through Falling Water, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe brought Germany’s famed Bauhaus stateside.

The 2011 Acura RDX caught our attention in a big way. We had not driven an RDX since its first model year in 2007 and forgot just how enjoyable it is. If you have lost sight of the Acura — now in its fifth year of production — while shopping such products as the BMW X3 or Infiniti EX35 you might find it advantageous to take a test drive.

I’ve yet to be disappointed by a Volvo and the first drive of the all new S60 once more drives home my impression of the brand – premium performance at family level pricing. In other words, Volvo provides a great deal of value for the dollar.

Safe. A Volvo must be safe. It doesn’t matter if the subject of the safety wand is a big sedan, compact wagon, or mid-size crossover like the XC60.

It's a good thing the MINI Cooper came along, as far as the Volkswagen Golf is concerned. For years, the Golf soldiered along as a subcompact that cost a bit more than most others, and offered
excellent driving dynamics and a bit of European cachet for the price walk.

Here’s the top-of-the-line version of the sixth generation of what used to be a Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit with a trunk grafted on. But no longer, or to be specific, almost three inches longer than the last (read fifth-) generation Jetta. This one’s built in Puebla, Mexico with its own sheetmetal nose to tail.

Minivan sales are going to rebound.
That’s not our prediction or a proclamation by automotive experts although sales of the people movers have been on the upswing. That’s the prediction of the Japanese Big Three (and Chrysler Group). They are voting with their pocketbooks, betting billions of dollars on the once-healthy segment returning to a semblance of its former glory.

A multi-functional vehicle excelling at carrying people and stuff, the Toyota Sienna fills the roles of family wagon, job-jar-errand transport and versatile cargo hauler, all for as little as $26,000.

I have to admit, I didn't think that they were going to pull it off.

This is the 2010 Suzuki SX4 Sportback, which looks like a compact crossover SUV, based on the Suzuki SX4 Sport sedan, just like the Honda CR-V(based on a Civic), Hyundai Tuscon/Kia Sportage (based on a Hyundai Elantra), Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe (based on a Toyota Corolla) and Mitsubishi Outlander (based on a Lancer).

We were taken back three years ago that Suzuki was selling a small, practical vehicle called the SX4 in sedan and hatchback formats with all-wheel drive, a host of options including keyless start, and a long-term warranty for less than 16 grand. We thought, “Amazing.”

It was Thanksgiving week and necessary to transport a lot food, cooked and uncooked, over bumpy roads, through the woods, over rough bridges, and along twisty roads. Fortunately, it was a 2011 Subaru Outback that had been made available for a test drive.

The name alone gives you an indication of how this vehicle can be utilized. All Subaru cars are All-Wheel-Drive, and that four-wheel drive ability is really useful. It allows the Subaru Outback to really go out into the outback areas and do almost any type off-roading except the extreme style reserved for Jeep, Land Rover, and Hummer.

The Outback is now in its fourth generation, but in 2010, it was re-designed. Apparently, the design engineers at Subaru got it right this time. They increased the back seat, upgraded some of the interior, and stayed with the basics – capability, utility, drivability. The initial Outback models were simply a spin-off of the Legacy station wagon. Wagons are not very popular with certain age groups. But now, the Outback, with its redesign, is competing directly against the Honda Accord Crosstour and the Toyota Venza and outselling them in most instances.

Out test model was a beautiful Cypress Green Pearl. We did not drive it down into the Lousiana bayous, but we did take it into the East Texas Piney Woods. The cypress green color blended nicely with the abundant pine trees. There are three trim levels available: Base, Premium, and Limited. Our test model was the Limited, which included a lot more comfort and convenience features, but the price was also slightly higher.

The Subaru Outback is powered by either a four cylinder engine or a 3.6 liter 6-cylinder. The 6 cylinder definitely had a lot of get-up-and-go and never even hiccoughed. I am sure, however, that the four cylinder engine would do the job necessary in almost any situation, however. The 6 cylinder engine was matched with a five speed automatic transmission that operated smoothly and efficiently. The Outback provided good steering and handling, and turned easily along the winding East Texas back roads. It bounced along the uneven dirt roads without much driver disturbance.

The Subaru Outback is an SUV, but also a Crossover, based on a car platform. The redesign was introduced at the 2009 New York Auto Show and I was impressed then, but I really like the improvements and upgrades in this latest model. It is a fairly heavy sedan style, although it is an SUV. The body is made with high tensile steel and that gives it top ratings in crash tests.

The base MSRP of the Outback Limited with the 6 cylinder engine is $31,495. Pricing for the Outback begins about $23 to $24 thousand. There are a lot of options and packages available and with a few of these added on, the bottom sticker price on the test model came to $33,724. EPA mileage ratings were 18 cities and 25 highway.

If you are thinking about a small SUV that is versatile and can go almost anywhere and do almost anything try this one. You might be very surprised at the capability of this vehicle.

Subaru Tribeca - Surefooted and solid

TriBeCa – it’s actually the name of a well-known neighborhood in Lower Manhattan made popular by actors like Robert DeNiro, and means "Triangle below Canal Street."
But in 2006, Subaru decided the mid-size SUV neighborhood needed a new resident, and introduced its first big one, also called Tribeca.

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive cars will be scooting around the streets of a few select United States cities by October of this year. If this sounds like a band wagon you would like to jump on, don't get your hopes up. Only 250 of the 1,500 Smart EDs that Daimler AG put into production in November of last year will find their way to the U.S. market. And those will be sold exclusively in a handful of cities such as Portland, Ore., Orlando and Washington, D.C. This initial launch will be followed by a much broader roll out in 2012.

Two of my favorite places to visit in New Haven, CT are Claire’s Corner Copia at Yale and Canadian-import, Tim Hortons doughnut shop. I love Claire’s vegan salad with soy chipotle chicken, avocado, organic egg, and balsamic vinaigrette. Afterwards, there’s nothing better than a half-dozen cherry Timbit doughnut holes. If I could combine the spicy no-guilt flavor of Claire’s with moist cherry Timbits, and set it to wheels, it would look something like the Smart ForTwo BRABUS.

Scion is Toyota’s brand that was introduced to lure in younger buyers, mainly Gen-Y. Instead, most of the models like the xB (a.k.a., “The Box”) and xD have cruised to driveways of about as many empty-nesters as pre-nesters.

Scion, the young-at-heart arm of Toyota has just introduced a new version of their tC. The tC is their very popular 2 door hatch coupe. I describe it as a high quality yet simple machine with superb reliability. The fact that it’s also stylish and fun to drive adds to the appeal.

In hindsight, I really don’t know what I expected the first time I slipped into the refreshened-for-2006 Saab 9-5 sedan. I guess I expected a bigger version of the 9-3 sport sedan,

We always find ourselves waxing a bit nostalgic when we drive Saabs, lately. The brand has done a good job of rebuilding the quirky Swedish charm that made it a success in the 1970s and 1980s. They may not look like it from the outside, but your average Saab could be considered a part of the “retro” trend in auto styling.

As an auto writer, I am often asked to name my favorite car. While I have had many favorites over the years, I can name my current top ride with absolute certainty …

there is no cooler car to cruise any street than in the brand new Extended Wheelbase Rolls Royce Phantom! Make no mistake; this is 20 enormous feet of the smoothest, most sophisticated, most elegant, most gorgeous, most best of everything automobile I have ever experienced!

While I’ve driven top models from Bentley, Bugatti, BMW, Jaguar, Ferrari, Mercedes, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche and other ultra-luxury brands, this was my first new Rolls ride. It turned out to be an absolutely marvelous five-day motoring marathon through my hometown streets.

My time with the Rolls was unlike any other press car evaluation I have experienced in my 20 years as an auto writer. For starters, the Rolls was personally delivered to me by Mr. Wayne Kung who arrived nattily attired in suit and tie. As Rolls Royce Product Communications Manager, part of his job is to deliver Phantom test cars to a very select number of auto journalists from across the nation for their personal evaluation. Why me? He said that I had been selected because an unnamed Rolls executive liked my writing style and that I had a reputation in the industry for writing fair and balanced features. Gosh, it sounds like in someone’s eyes, I’ve become the Bill O’Reilly of auto writers. Whatever the case, I was grateful for my entry into Wayne’s world.

Since only about 500 new Rolls models are brought into this country each year, the company has no dedicated press fleet. Wayne said that the Phantom I would be driving is currently for sale for at $473,970. In fact, I was told that two customers were very interested in buying this very car, so I was to use the utmost care when behind-the-wheel. It gave a whole new meaning to entering the no-spin zone. And yes, if I broke it, I would need an immediate bailout as I’d be suffering my own personal financial disaster!

Wayne told me that one of the perspective customers was from California were the Phantom I would be driving had just been displayed at the internationally famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This is sort of an Olympics for multi-millionaire rare car collectors, where this year’s entries came from 27 states and 12 countries. Included were exotic cars from as far away as Hong Kong, Monaco, Germany and Brazil. With many entries valued at over a million dollars each, the combined value of all the collectable cars at the show ran way over $100 million. Included in that star-studded cast was Tonight Show host Jay Leno’s one-of-a-kind five-ton 1953 Chrysler “tank car” powered by a twin-turbo 1,600-hp M47 Patton Tank engine.

The extreme opposite of Leno’s tank car, the extended wheelbase navy-blue Phantom I would be driving has plenty of impressive credentials in its own right. It is powered by a massive 6.75 V-12 engine that pumps out 453 hp. Weighing-in at just less than three tons, this ultra luxury heavyweight can still turn in a 0-60 mph time of a quite respectable 5.7 seconds. Estimated EPA mileage is 13 city/19 highway.

Of course, Rolls Royce owners aren’t too terribly concerned about how fast their car goes or how much gas it consumes. To Rolls owners, the devil is in the details of what it takes to create pure perfection on wheels. As company founder Sir Henry Royce once said, “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”

Even with its monster V-12 engine, the Phantom had the quietest interior of any car I have ever encountered at highway speeds, or any speed, for that matter. And it is by far the smoothest ride I have ever encountered … a royal magic carpet ride. It took skilled craftsmen 460 hours to hand-build this beauty -- and that doesn’t include engine or structural body-building time. The body can spend up to seven days in the paint shop alone, receiving five coats of paint and clear lacquer, or seven coats for a two-tone paint scheme. Customers can choose from 15 standard colors or 45,000 different hues. After painting, each car is hand polished for five hours to give a finish of unrivalled depth and sheen.

Inside the cabin, the word “plush” doesn’t even come close to describing the luscious interior. Over 18 hides are used in the extended wheelbase Phantom and each one come from specially selected herds of cattle that are hand checked for any imperfections. Only bull hides are used so there are no unsightly stretch marks from fat cows to mar the exquisite seat surfaces. Over 450 leather sections are used in the car and each is cut with the help of a precision laser and stitched by hand. Even the leather-covered owner’s manual was from the same hides as used in the car. Up to 43 book-matched genuine wood trim parts are fitted into the each Phantom. Each wood part is made with up to 28 layers, interspersed with aluminum sheets to ensure strength in case of an impact. In fact, to conserve on weight, the extended wheelbase Phantom uses the largest space-frame chassis in the automotive world.

The rear passenger doors are engineered like no others I have encountered. Hinged at the back, they swing outwards from the B-pillar much like the famous 60s-era Lincoln limousine that President Kennedy was riding in on that fateful day in Dallas. These truly unique coach doors are designed to allow rear passengers to enter and exit the car gracefully, and can be closed with the touch of a button.

Teflon-coated umbrellas with carbon fiber shafts that are cleverly stored James Bond-style inside each rear passenger door are a nice touch, but a bit pricy at $500 a piece. And don’t even think of calling it a backseat – in Rolls Royce parlance, it is a “rear lounge seat that is curved at the outer edges, creating a social space where people can turn towards each other with greater ease.”

After explaining these and some other finer points of the Rolls, Wayne offered to take me to lunch at a restaurant of my choosing.

Where would you decide to go if the choice was yours? I chose to invite my boss along to join in the fun. When Wayne offered me the keys to begin our trip downtown, I deferred: “This will be my only time I get to ride in the back, the way a car of this stature is meant to be experienced.” In short order, I found myself being chauffeured into the city and I didn’t even have to bother with directions. I just said, “501 North Calvert Street, please” and my chauffer for the day dutifully entered the address into the Phantom’s navigation system.

During our trip downtown, Wayne pointed out that with a flick of a switch, the winged hood-ornament figurine could be magically lowered into the hood for safe keeping when parking in the hood. With the flick of another switch, the roof liner above my head was transformed into a starry galaxy featuring hundreds of little white LED lights that could be custom designed into any constellation of the customer’s choice. And if I didn’t care for stars in my eyes, the starry array could be configured into a corporate logo. The Sun, the moon, the stars … my own logo, hey, what could be better!

Bottom Line: It simply doesn’t get any better! As the newly crowned head of Rolls Royce bylines, riding in the seat of ultimate luxury really did make me feel like a king, even if my reign only lasted a few days. No matter where I drove, people noticed. Not only did heads turn, but whole bodies stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide-open. Even while driving on the Beltway, a car pulled up next to me and a girl in the front passenger seat leaned out to take a photo of the Phantom with her camera phone. People of all ages, from all walks of life, truly appreciated this modern motoring marvel. Now that my fabulous Phantom experience is just a Fleet Street memory, here’s my take: Price of a Rolls Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantom: $473,970. Being able to chauffeur my family and friends around a la Miss Daisy: priceless.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo - the Porsche of SUV's

We launched out the pit lane at the Savannah Harbor race course as rain began to spit from the languid Southern sky.

Let’s get to the crux of the matter — the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder is strictly for serious driving enthusiasts, for the people who spend considerable weekend time at the race track.

After driving more than 100 cars, trucks and sport utilities a year for four decades, it’s hard to find something new, something that stands out as very different.

El Paso is a long drive from East Texas. It was the week after Christmas and my wife and I wanted to see our son and his wife. He is stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss.

As the Texas Public Relations department says, “It’s a whole ‘nother country.” After driving from the tall, beautiful pine trees of East Texas, past the oil fields of Midland & Odessa, and into the desert area of west Texas, I fully understand that statement.
We were fortunate to have a new, 2011 Nissan Frontier for our test drive vehicle.

It proved to be a good road vehicle for the long trip across Texas as well as a useful addition at our farm before we left. The Nissan Frontier is almost a rarity. Small pickups are becoming more difficult to find in the marketplace. Former “small” has metamorphosed into a regular size pickup. Regular size pickups are almost the same size that heavy-duty model used to be. If you can find a small pickup, it probably is not able to serious hauling and heavy work. Worse yet, if it is able to do all that heavy-duty work as a small pickup, then it probably won’t be capable on road trips. That’s the uniqueness of the new 2011 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X. It can perform in all settings so well that it really does deserve a very serious look by pickup truck shoppers.

Approaching the military base, we were driving through the mountains and tackling steep climbs and steeper descents. To our left, we could see across the narrow Rio Grande river and into Mexico. The speed limit along this stretch is 80 mpg and the little Frontier chugged along without even a sputter. It handled so well.
The Frontier is small enough to be very maneuverable in heavy traffic, yet it can carry or tow heavy cargo. The traffic in El Paso was much thicker and challenging than rush-hour in the DFW area, but it was nimble and could change lanes very easy. The four-wheel drive model is rated to tow up to 6100 lbs. Prior to our road trip to El Paso, I hooked up a 16 foot flatbed and brought several large round bales of hay back for my animals. There wasn’t even a hiccough on the job. The standard power is a V-6 engine that produces 261 horsepower and is matched with a five speed automatic transmission. Instead of a typical belt, Nissan uses a very quiet timing chain that is very durable and saves on maintenance costs over the long run.

Nissan has added a two speed transfer case on the four-wheel drive model and that really gives this little pickup serious off-road capability. There is a rotary dial on the instrument panel that allows the driver to easily switch between 2 and 4 wheel drive. The PRO-4X model includes off-road wheels, off-road tires, and Bilstein off-road shock absorbers. Skid plates have been added under the PRO-4X model that help protect the chassis components as well. This model also includes standard hill descent control and hill-start-assist control.
Our test drive model was a beautiful dark gray Extended Cab model called “Night Amor”. It probably would have been helpful to have a full-size crew cab to carry a lot of our son’s left-behind-at-home stuff to him. After he graduated from the University of Oklahoma, he “forgot” about all of his “stuff” left at home, much like every other 20-something male in his generation. My wife noted that having a lot of his items still left at home means we have to make another trip at another time.

The standard Frontier pickup has a fuel efficiency of about 19 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. The PRO 4X edition is a four-wheel-drive model that averaged about 19-20 mpg on our trip. That is the down side. During the road trip, it was necessary to stop often, or so it seemed. Fuel prices were higher over the holiday period. There were long stretches without availability of services in the western area of Texas. The plus side is that if we had encountered bad weather, snow, or ice, I had the knowledge and feeling of security that this little pickup would help me out during an emergency. Having four-wheel drive during the winter months can certainly be an advantage.

Base MSRP for the standard model Frontier pickup is $26,170. The base price for the PRO-4X four-wheel drive model is $29,060. Options are available such as heated seats, heated mirrors, and a moon-roof. Our test drive model included two 12-volt DC power outlets, which were handy for us to charge our cell phones and use a portable GPS unit. There are numerous pocket and door storage holding areas. The Extended Cab model did not provide very much space for cargo, and is really tight for adults or even large children.
I really liked the new Nissan Frontier PRO-4X. It really is a capable and useful small pickup. I probably would have added a few extra items and increased the gas mileage. (Actually, I would increase the mileage ratings a lot!) It was difficult to adjust the seats and/or foot pedals for the long trip. An adjustable steering wheel or adjustable pedals would have helped tremendously. As it is, it certainly deserves a look-over. If you are in the market for a small pickup, check it out a Nissan dealership. Small pickups are a premium item in today’s market, but Nissan might just have success with this new Frontier.

Mitsubishi Outlander GT - Actually some Sport in this SUV

What a difference a year makes… or does it?
When I tested the 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander crossover SUV, it had just received a facelift to give it the Lancer/EVO jet fighter face. It was also the new range-topping model, called the GT, which got some different trim and a few other items to spice up its looks and content.

There used to be a cat in my old neighborhood that looked like every other one except for one thing – a lot less tail than the other kitties.

2011 Model Year Design and Technology Changes – Summary

When the British Mini car company was purchased by BMW, the car received the full Teutonic engineering treatment. That meant transforming the iconic car from an ultra-light micro vehicle with sliding side windows and 13 inch wheels to something more substantial, all the while retaining its unique “Mini’ness”.

I couldn’t help imagining what Maxine, the crotchety old crab who looks down from her funny little Shoebox Greetings cards in Hallmark shops, would drive.

The crazy blue-haired hag can whip off quips in three-line blips while clarifying life’s lumps. She drops little gems like, “Taking a scenic route is a great idea if your idea of scenery is the back of a Winnebago doing 20 miles an hour.” I’ve driven the Natchez Trace Parkway and felt the same way. That granny-geezer is a gas!

Maxine would probably pinch a nickel until the buffalo pooped, bled, passed, and degraded into a flit of nasal dust. But, she sometimes shows signs of class. I think she would love the Mercury Milan Hybrid.

It wouldn’t hurt her in the least to get a facelift. Mercury designers had the same thoughts about their dear Milan, although it went in for a minor skin abrasion and not the whole flip-n-tuck. The sedan was already a Euro-style beauty with its satin silver waterfall grille, trapezoidal taillamps, and handsome alloy wheels. For 2010, it receives a bit of a touch up with rounder front clips, bolder chrome grille, chin spoiler, and small round foglamps. Moving fashion forward, there are also new wheels, spoiler, and taillamps, but most of the body remains unchanged. Think more of Sarah Jessica Parker than Joan Rivers.

“I have inner beauty…and I have the video from my colonoscopy to prove it,” says Maxine. Milan Hybrids have their share of inner beauty and video to prove it. A cool LCD screen next to the speedometer “grows leaves” or takes them away to creatively show drivers how they are using energy. Rear sonar, parking cameras, and blind spot warnings employ more technology than three cynics could coddle. The technology is so cool that even Maxine’s dog Floyd would be standing at the door, nearly wetting himself, with keys in teeth. His master will step easy on the throttle to grow the most leaves.

There’s not enough power to get grandma’s bloomers in a wad, but she’ll have all she needs to scoot off to Florida for the winter while managing cash like Uncle Warren (Buffet, of course). Milan Hybrids sprint with a version of the Ford Escape Hybrid’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine, continuously variable transmission, and nickel-metal hydride batteries. Regenerative brakes and a more powerful motor allow the Milan Hybrid to drive up to 47 MPH on electricity alone, limiting gas consumption during city driving. Driven with geriatric slippers, range can touch 700 miles while demanding a gallon of fluids every 41 miles in the city or 36 highway miles. The meter hovered around 30-MPG during my drive that included city commutes and highway sprees. EasyFuel™ capless technology makes it so easy to fill up that even severely arthritic hands can handle it.

Interiors were updated with new-age Ford buttons and dials, available touch-screen controls for the navigation/climate/audio systems, thicker steering wheel, and digital dashboard with large center analog speedometer. Details like the seats and gear selector were enhanced with fancy French stitching to emulate the Milan’s upscale cousins at Lincoln. Hybrid models have a cool energy monitor function in the touch screen that shows what is being burned and replenished in real time – great for those who get giddy over counting their pennies and nickels.

Maxine may have to scale back the sarcasm for the Milan to understand her acid tone, but the car speaks with one of the most sophisticated infotainment systems rolling. Sync™, developed with Microsoft, hears voice-activated commands for the navigation and audio systems. Bluetooth connectivity lets drivers make hands free calls via their cell phone. Worried campers can even call up real time satellite weather to see if the daily bridge game or bell practice can go on as scheduled. All of these features add up to a mid-size entry-luxury car that gives owners a technological edge underneath and behind beautiful skin,
Even if you are looking at the backs of crawling Famlibagos, you’ll be getting fuel economy for Maxine to envy and hypermiling like a Wii game on the Milan’s LCD instrument display. Like Hallmark’s favorite hag, the Milan Hybrid is frugal, but brings joy and laughter by the mile.

Underneath it all, I’m sure she’s a sweetie – just like the Milan Hybrid. While I’d hate to bounce that woman’s scary mug in the morning, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Milan in my driveway. An as tested price of $33,735 makes the Milan a scary sight for the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda Insight, and Nissan Altima Hybrid. Somebody tell Maxine to hop off her shelf and get in the car.

Edsel’s Mercury Had A Good Run

By all accounts, Edsel Ford, son of cantankerous Henry, was a kind and decent man. His flair for auto design and modern consumer desires contrasted against his father’s dogged determination to give people more black Model Ts.

Under Edsel’s direction, Lincolns became stunningly elegant. In 1939, he unveiled the Mercury 8, a medium-priced entry that took basic Ford mechanicals and dressed them with Lincoln Zephyr styling. A sticker of $916 pit it against Buick, Nash, Hudson, and DeSoto.

Seventy-one years later, Mercury faces a tougher world. On June 2, Ford announced it would discontinue Mercury by this fall. Ford is pursuing a line of global vehicles like the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and Taurus. These cars are upscale, beautiful, and endowed with driving dynamics that were foreign to Americans a generation ago. Lincoln moved slightly down market with the MKX and MKZ, invading Mercury’s space with refined tailoring. Mercury’s demise will open a gap for a Lincoln compact to compete against the Lexus CT200h, Audi A3, and upcoming Mercedes B-Class.

Mercury had a great run. The ’39 Mercury 8 sold 65,884 units in its very first year, proving there was a market for a Ford with more panache. The post-war 1949 models are icons of streetrodders with their sleek bodies, chopped tops, and slammed suspensions. Beautiful Montclairs, powerful Marauders, and generations of Cougars defined Ford’s middle brand. Grand Marquis, Mercury’s longest-running nameplate, was introduced in 1975 and is still a heavyweight of its class. Futuristic Sables defined the ‘80s. Mountaineer SUVs, Mariner crossovers, and Milan Hybrid sedans were all great, but never separated far enough from Mother Ford.

Today, Mercury accounts for 0.8% of Ford’s 16% U.S. market share with sales hovering around 90,000 units annually – fewer than most individual Ford models. Ford moved up in refinement while Lincoln pursued the younger and style-conscious buyers Mercury once attracted. Eliminating Mercury will allow executives to focus all of their energy on global Fords and potentially international Lincolns.

With Mercury and Lincoln, Edsel put Ford solidly on the path of becoming a full-line automaker that is the equal of any. He would have fit right in among the current team at Ford, including his grandson, Chairman Bill Ford, and CEO Alan Mulally. Unlike his father, Edsel had no problem with change when change was required. Mercury served its time, but its time has come. We’ll always have the memories.

Mercedes New CLS - art on wheels

. The CLS brings refined performance to life
. Embodiement of the Mercedes-Benz brand values

It might be the epitome of sophisticated open air transportation for those of discerning tastes. It’s the E-Class of top-down driving excitement. Indeed, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class yet enters another segment. The most popular of all Mercedes nameplates sold in the United States now comes in cabriolet format in addition to the popular sedan and coupe.

Good things can come in small packages.
Sub-compacts like the Fiat 500, MINI and Honda Fit prove that sporty doesn’t need 300-hp and 19-inch wheels.

Looming government mileage standards that have the industry scurrying to adjust their fleet numbers skyward and a stubbornly sluggish economy have combined to fuel the reemergence of the small car in America. While we watch helplessly as the economy inches to some sort of recovery and as we wonder whether the government is moving too far too fast in its aggressive gas consumption mandates, we applaud the return of the so-called B segment vehicle.

The Maserati GranCabrio, the first four-seater convertible in the Trident carmaker’s history, will make its world wide debut on September 15 at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

The CT 200 hybrid is a premium compact car. That’s not too unusual. The thing that gets your attention, however, is that this is a hybrid vehicle. Recently, my wife. Judy and I were in New Orleans for the introduction of the all-new Lexus CT. Actually, the exact designation is the CT 200h, a premium compact hybrid car.

The Lexus CT 200h is the latest hybrid Toyota's luxury brand has tossed into its model mix. No matter on which side of the man-made-global-warming debate you fall, you may well agree that fewer tailpipe emissions belched into the atmosphere are probably preferable to more.

Virtually unchanged for 2010, the Lincoln MKX is the near-luxury interpretation of Ford's Edge. Sure there are some slight standard content differences between the $39,695 MKX and its near twin, the $33,995 Edge Limited; but they are few, and certainly fail to explain the $5,700 price disparity.

Pages