Another Look

Timing

2006-09-23T17:31:00.000-04:00

I was just reading about Bill Clinton's full-blooded response to an attempted Chris Wallace ambush on Fox News. Apparently, Clinton went on and they were supposed to talk about his global initiative. Wallace ambushed him with the tired why didn't you get Bin Laden crap (try asking Bush that, Chris).

Clinton, according to the story I read, fought back full bore, finger pointing and all. Wallace tried interrupting him and Clinton said you asked the question, you get the answer. Afterwards, Clinton said Dems should all be fighting back. When are the Dems going to listen?

This is about the power to keep America free, at a time when Time just revealed (according to On the Media) a plan, possibly aimed for October, for military action against Iran.

I think Hugo Chavez is an elected dictator, an idiot and an asshole, but it's still scary to see how many at the UN defied protocol to applaud his egregious crap, to see how hated we are.

And all because we stand for freedom.

Right?

Right.

The morals that they worship will be gone

2006-09-22T14:50:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the New York Times Opinionator for pointing the way to this scary piece by Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman explaining why the United States of America may be on the verge of becoming the first country to make violating the Geneva Convention law. One is tempted to simply dismiss as business as usual the fact that Bush/Cheney et al have either steamrollered or snookered Warner, McCain and Graham. But one has to at least give them credit for trying to stop this disgrace to morality that is our White House, especially given the damage this may have done to McCain's presidential hopes. The question is, as the question so often seems to be, where are the Democrats?

Ironic that The Who's on tour again, considering one of that iconic British rock band's best known songs is "Won't get fooled again."

Lyrics:
We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

Four legs good, two legs better

2006-09-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

Despite the shifting rationales of the invasion of Iraq, one would have hoped that there was some essential element of America that would remain untarnished, that Bush/Cheney/Lieberman would realize the soul of America, that dream built on freedom and equality and justice for all, would not tolerate open torture, and that's why they kept it hidden for so long.

Would that it were so. Now, even the increasingly conservative Washington Post editorial page is disturbed by the prospect of a President who comes to Congress "lobbying for torture."

This is not America. I hope.

A few brave people in Congress and out, many of whom, unlike Bush/Cheney/Lieberman/Rumsfeld, served with distinction in the armed forces, are bravely standing for the America our Founding Fathers sought to create. They stand firmly opposed to those who proudly, like Cheney, embrace the dark side.

This is a war we are supposedly fighting for freedom, for democracy, to free a country and a world from those who who do unspeakable acts. Like torture prisoners. Yet if the White House is the face of America, what rings truest is the conclusion of George Orwell's Animal Farm: "No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

Had George Bush been reading Animal Farm instead of My Pet Goat on 9/11, perhaps the world would have no reason, as General Powell put it, for "beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism."

How lazy is the press?

2006-09-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

We already know from the run-up to Iraq that the media aren't likely to bite the hands that feed them leaked tidbits by actually questioning anything shoveled to them. But one would think that given the interest in the Connecticut Senate race and the big deal being made by the Me-Berman camp over a letter from Ned Lamont, the Democrat running for US Senate, supposedly praising Holy Joe for his sanctimonious public lashing of Bill Clinton, AP or the Times would actually have taken the time to examine the source material.

But we know Joe is their favorite right-winger, soundly rejected by Democrats though he was in his last two campaigns, one for President and the other the last senatorial primary. And we know that neither criticism nor questioning of Me-Berman is something either Joe or the MSM would tolerate.

Perhaps when they're done worshipping at the altar of Joe, the MSM might want to address this letter by Scott Kimmich of Wilton in the Sept. 15 issue of The Hour in Norwalk. It puts a whole new spin on Joe's cheap political trick, but as with Iraq, exposing that would require the MSMs exposing its own complicity in the all-spin zone.

Lamont chastised, not praised, Lieberman in letter

To the Editor:

The Associated Press headline in The Sunday Hour misrepresents what Ned Lamont actually wrote to Joe Lieberman eight years ago during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Ned didn't "laud" Joe's moral outrage, instead he chastised Joe's selecting Bill Clinton for censure.

Was the Lieberman campaign trying to set Ned up? At a press luncheon with Ned in Washington last week, reporters concentrated on his reaction to the Lewinsky affair. Within days, The New York Times published a story about the eight-year-old letter that the Lieberman campaign just happened to have at its fingertips. Yet, what Ned actually wrote was far different from the reporters' rhetoric.

Ned's letter begins, "I reluctantly supported the moral outrage you expressed ... I was reluctant because I thought it might make matters worse; I was reluctant because nobody expressed moral outrage over how Reagan treated his kids or Gingrich lied about supporting term limits (in other words, it was selective outrage); I was reluctant because the Starr inquisition is much more threatening to our civil liberties and national interest than Clinton's behavior."

Instead of being laudatory, Ned's letter actually chides Joe for singling out Clinton instead of Reagan or Gingrich.

The letter also deplores how Starr's exposure of the sordid affair "streamed into my home via every medium available, saying that "mature adults would have handled this privately, not turned it into a political crusade and legal entanglement with no end in sight."

Ned ends his letter by asking Joe to "stand up and use your moral authority to put an end to this snowballing mess ... and let's move on. It's time for you to make up your mind and speak your mind as you did so eloquently last Thursday."

Clearly, Ned was urging Joe to halt the political circus, not praising him. Ned was using the same words then as he uses in his current campaign.

Scott Kimmich
Wilton

Lacking foresight

2006-09-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

Brigadier General Mark Scheid was one of the early planners of the Iraq invasion. According to this interview Brig. Gen. Scheid, who is about to retire, gave his hometown Daily Press in Virginia, Sec. Def. Rumsfeld said "he would fire the next person" who talked about the need for a post-war plan.

Everyone's heard the old adage that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Call this an object lesson.

Waterboarding, anyone?

2006-09-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

Interesting response below in that Bush claimed it was the abusive tactics that led to our getting intelligence from high-value targets. Once again, it seems our uniformed brass are refusing to lie. This is from the transcript of the 9/6 DOD briefing on DOD and Army new interrogation standards for regular Geneva Convention-covered enemy forces and for enemy combatants. Will all the people who have been so eager to give up civil liberty to "protect the homeland" realize this was just another power grab by a power mad group of paranoids? Or do we still believe the hype? I say we reserve waterboarding for the people in DC who can tell us where the almost $400 billion we spent in Iraq went, or why we went there in the first place. After all that, the credibility of our deterrent capacity is nil as a result, as Iran and North Korea have shown. Wonder if Cheney/Lieberman are taking time from their Iran invasion plans to listen this time to the people who actually have worn a uniform?

They're here today to brief you on two documents that the department is releasing today. The first is the Defense Department directive for detainee programs, and the second is the Army field manual for human intelligence collector operations.

SPEAKERS: CULLY STIMSON, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR DETAINEE AFFAIRS

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN KIMMONS (USA), ARMY DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR INTELLIGENCE

QUESTION: General and Mr. Stimson, some of the tactics that were used, in particular in Guantanamo Bay, that were considered by investigators to be abusive when used together are now prohibited, for example, the use of nudity, hooding, that sort of thing.
In looking at those particular tactics and now not being able to use them, does that limit the ability of interrogators to get information that could be very useful? In particular on one detainee in Guantanamo Bay, some of those tactics that are now prohibited were deemed to be very effective in getting to that information.
Also, are there going to be safeguards to prevent whether it be interrogators or commanders from interpreting the tactics that are approved in ways that could be abusive, as some of those tactics were derived from standard interrogation tactics?

KIMMONS: Let me answer the first question. That is a good question. I think -- I am absolutely convinced -- the answer to your first question is no. No good intelligence is going to come from abusive practices. I think history tells us that. I think the empirical evidence of the last five years, hard years, tell us that.
Moreover, any piece of intelligence which is obtained under duress, through the use of abusive techniques, would be of questionable credibility, and additionally it would do more harm than good when it inevitably became known that abusive practices were used. And we can't afford to go there.
Some of our most significant successes on the battlefield have been -- in fact, I would say all of them, almost categorically all of them, have accrued from expert interrogators using mixtures of authorized humane interrogation practices in clever ways, that you would hope Americans would use them, to push the envelope within the bookends of legal, moral and ethical, now as further refined by this field manual.
We don't need abusive practices in there. Nothing good will come from them.

STIMSON: And let me add another piece to that. Obviously, because of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, the Army Field Manual now is in effect law, the law of the land.
I can tell you, I'm not an interrogation expert. I'm just a lawyer who happened to end up in a policy job. But as a prosecutor in my former life, and when I spend time in Guantanamo talking to the interrogators there, they'll tell you that the intelligence they get from detainees is best derived through a period of rapport-building, long-term rapport-building; an interrogation plan that is proper, vetted, worked through all the channels that General Kimmons is talking about, and then building rapport with that particular detainee.
So it's not like Sipowicz from the TV show where they take them in the back room. You're not going to get trustworthy information, as I under it, from detainees. It's through a methodical, comprehensive, vetted, legal and now transparent, in terms of techniques, set of laydown that allows the interrogator to get the type of information that they need.

September 11

2006-09-11T10:22:00.000-04:00

"You do what God has called you to do." - Father Mychal F. Judge, Victim 0001, World Trade Center
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

When doves cry

2006-09-09T10:14:00.000-04:00

Isn't this amazing? It's an invitation (see it large enough to be readable here) from the Republican candidate for Superintendent of Education in South Carolina to a $1,000 fundraiser - shooting doves! Wait, it get's better - on 9/11!
I guess if we've shot the Constitution to shit under the Cheney/Lieberman administration, why not doves? As Cheney/Lieberman have repeatedly pointed out, they're treasonous anyway.

The government we deserve

2006-09-06T13:22:00.000-04:00

A newly released CNN poll says 43% of Americans believe Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Steep learning curve.

Small dreams

2006-09-05T12:48:00.000-04:00

I'm not a fan of Rahm Emanuel, who's apparently become a shining star in the Democratic pantheon without actually winning anything. But as the lead face in the Democrat's effort to retake the House, his views are important. That's why the evident disappointment in this Jonathan Weisman Washington Post review of his new book, The Plan: Big Ideas for America, should get Democrats thinking. This is not, Weisman concludes, a book of big ideas. Nor is it, one can infer, a party that welcomes them. The party of Rahm Emanuel is the party that's still afraid of Lieberman. As Emanuel said in the New York Times recently of the Connecticut Senate race (TimesSelect subscription required), Explain to me how two Democrats running can be bad.

On one level, that's true, but regarding a man who chose to defy democracy and the wishes of the Democratic voters as a true Democrat says much about what is wrong with the party, and why despite the abysmal Bush/Cheney/Lieberman track record of the past six years, we still have to be worried about November. It shouldn't be surprising that the leadership of a party that has cared little for our Constitutional rights at home, that caved when the issue was a war of choice abroad, all in the name of retaining power, should now be so craven as to ignore democracy and party rules at home in a headlong rush to appease what they think Lieberman could be - the vote deciding who rules the next Senate. But if this is the Democratic Party, we have to go to war with, it is not a Democratic Party worth going to war for. This is not the Democratic Party that was willing to wage any battle, pay any price for freedom.

What we need is to recreate a Democratic Party that knows in its heart the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men."

What we need is not the Emanuels, but the Bobby Kennedys, the kind of leader of whom a brother could rightly and righteously say, "My brother need not be idolized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."

Looking at the spineless tacticians that have replaced the heroes who used to lead the Democratic Party, it may be hard to envision our focus group-dependent national leadership ever again being so worthy of support. But I look at the everyday Democrats who came out in such numbers to vote for Lamont and think of the George Bernard Shaw quote with which Sen. Ted Kennedy concluded his eulogy for yet another brother sacrificed to the American dream: "Some men see things as they are and say 'Why?' - I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not?' "

Betrayals notwithstanding, the dream is still worth fighting for.

2006 Lincoln Mark LT: If you like it big

2006-08-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

The good news about the 2006 Lincoln Mark LT pick-up truck is that it exceeded my expectations. The bad news is that those expectations were based on Lincoln’s previous brief but spectacularly unsuccessful foray into full-size luxury pick-up-truck-dom, the late, unlamented Lincoln Blackwood.

That truck looked good, and if looking good were more important than being good, would have done well in the marketplace. As it was, the only thing that kept the Blackwood from being a bigger disaster than New Coke was that people at least cared about Coke.

Looking at the Mark LT, it’s evident that Ford learned something from the Blackwood calamity. Unlike the all show and no go Blackwood, the Mark LT is a real pick-up truck, really usable, based on Ford’s bread and butter, the F-150.

The impetus behind the Blackwood was clear. Lincoln dealers could use some of the cash that’s long been flowing into the pockets of Ford dealers selling the F-150, but buyers looking for a full-size pick-up with a luxury brand name had no choice but to move to the SUV-based Cadillac EXT. So, following the Blackwood’s flameout, Lincoln execs evidently had no choice but to rush this F-150 variant into production. I use “rushed” advisedly, because while not a failure, the Mark LT seemed to me much like a term paper put off and written during an all-nighter by a bleary-eyed student. It has its good points, but there are simple errors that a professor might circle with a nasty remark about carelessness noted in large letters.

Case in point: Lincoln says, “The Lincoln Mark LT is designed for customers who want equal amount of luxury and truck capability.” In that case, why is the driver’s power seat only half power? You can move it backwards and forwards or up and down, but the back must be adjusted manually. That’s not my definition of luxury.

Or take a look at the pick-up bed. If you want truck capability, including the ability to transport all kinds of stuff in back, that bed has to have a protective liner. My LT did not, and the scratches in the shiny black paint gave testimony to what happens when that liner is missing. I don’t know if the 2007 model will be different, but a liner was not listed as an available option in the press packet Ford gave me.

However, in the LT’s favor is that competition is lacking and this Lincoln is not priced outrageously in this marketplace. As uber-pick-up’s go, the LT is more likely to draw looks than the almost ubiquitous EXT (around here anyway) and comparably equipped, the price premium over the basic Ford product seems to be somewhere in the three- to four-thousand dollar range.

Who’d buy it? Don’t ask me. I can’t figure out who the people buying EXTs are either? Lincoln says the LT’s target customers are men in their mid-40’s to mid-50’s, but “great interest is expected among younger buyers who view their vehicle as a status symbol and spend their money on vehicles, vehicle accessories and sound systems.”

It sounds to me that Ford is hoping (wishing?) that the bling fairy that made its Navigator a status symbol with the hip hop generation will wave its magic wand again and the LT will ride a wave of music video-derived popularity up the sales charts. Of course, MTV rarely plays music any more and Snoop got the 300C, but like I said, what do I know? Lincoln Mercury President Darryl Hazel said, “This Mark LT is for customers who appreciate recognition and look for new ways to express their personal style. The Mark LT is their reward and it tells everyone that one self-assured person has arrived.”

Make that one self-assured person who likes chrome. I’d describe the LT’s look as exuberant. I’m sure there are others who would come up with another, less flattering word. But I actually like that. I think a part of Lincoln’s appeal is that big American brashness the brand exudes, and with Cadillac having gone sleek, angular Euro-chic, there could be a place for that brashness.
And all that chrome.

“Chrome provides the unifying sophisticated theme for the Mark LT with a hefty chrome band that wraps around the vehicle.” That’s the way Lincoln describes the LT’s exterior design, and your reaction to that sentence probably foreshadows your reaction to the LT. If hearing “chrome provides the unifying sophisticated theme” either leaves you rolling on the floor laughing or writhing in pain and desperate for a Garrison Keilor fix to heal you, this is probably not the vehicle for you. This Lincoln is straight ahead bold and dominating, it’s shock and awe, with us or against us. The LT does not traffic in irony.

From the Lincoln star anchoring the trademark waterfall grille in front to the chrome-enhanced rolled tip of the tail pipe, the LT has the coverage of its convictions. I could go on about the various Lincoln styling cues, but the overwhelming impression is that this is a big truck that looks big and intimidating and if that’s what you’re looking for that’s what it’s got and if it’s not what you want then go next door this is America and you’ve got choices and thank God for that.

Inside the LT is interesting, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It took me a while to get comfortable in the driver’s seat, but once I finally got it right, I had no problems. The LT has four full-size doors, and seats three in the back row. I wasn’t thrilled about the rear seats, never could get them comfortable for me, but space is good.

If you are using this as a family vehicle, remember the fact that it’s a real truck with high ground clearance so you’ll never get stuck in a storm on the wilds of Martha’s Vineyard means that getting up into the LT, even with the platform running boards, may not be the easiest thing for Grandma.

The interior cabin features what Lincoln calls “a modern design interpretation of the brand’s heritage with luxury enhancements such as real ebony wood accents, soft Nudo leather seating surfaces and an indulgent level of standard equipment.” I got very different reactions to the interior. Some people loved it, others found it cheesy. I kinda liked it myself.

The cabin was quiet. Your reaction to the ride may well depend on your expectations. Even though the ride seemed softer than the F-150’s, it was still a truck, still transmitted road imperfections, and as a high rider, certainly not a vehicle I’d associate with wild abandon in corners. For a truck, the handling was good and the ride comfortable, but you do need to remember this is still a truck.

My LT was the four-wheel-drive version, and though the 5.4-liter Triton V8’s engine puts out a measly (by comparison to the EXT) 300 horsepower, it felt powerful and certainly gave me all the power I wanted. Towing capacity is 8,600 lbs. (add 300 lbs. for the two-wheel-drive version). With the 4-speed automatic (room for improvement here) in my Mark LT, EPA mileage ratings are 14 highway, 18 city. You can fill the 30-gallon tank with regular unleaded.

The price for my LT was $47,110, including the $795 destination charge, up from the $42,700 base. Options included the platform running boards (a $250 must), side plates ($160), power moonroof ($995), 18-inch chrome (what did you expect?) wheels, a reverse sensing system and a few other items. Front air bags were standard, but side airbags were not listed in the available options.

If you wanted to spend more, you could add a rear seat entertainment system. If you planned on hauling large items, a bed extender is available to add to the capacity of the five and a half foot bed. Standard, by the way, is Tailgate Assist, making it easy to use the bed for Fourth of July tailgate picnics.

Lieberman's winding road?

2006-08-21T16:52:00.000-04:00

As Joe Me-Berman continues his dance with the GOP devil, most of us have been concerned, no, make that wishing and hoping that his closest political allies, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, would make him Secretary of Defense and save him from humiliation if he were far behind in the polls near November, or were he to lose to Lamont. Again. But Eric Alterman has a truly scary take on Lieberman's road to SecDef. At first, I was willing to toss this aside as yet another conspiracy theory, but then I started to think...

Upside down universe

2006-08-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

So let's see: Pat Buchanan says the only reason Lieberman is running is ego and that he will lose in November. Ultraconservative former Congressman/current talk show host Joe Scarborough headlines his latest post "Is Bush an idiot?" and answers in the affirmative. New polls show Lamont has closed the gap with Lieberman to 11 points (massive movement, and his people better be out there spinning it right, they've done a crappy job so far and allowed Lieberman to define the debate). George F. Will in yesterday's column says Kerry was right about terrorism. Chris Shays won't pick between civil war or democracy as the outcome in Iraq and signals a call for troop withdrawal with a timetable certain (subscription required)...Everyone seems to recognize the bankruptcy of the Cheney/Lieberman administration except the national Democrats who are still hedging their bets despite the coordinated Lieberman/Cheney spitting in the party's face.When will these people get out of the Beltway and realize if the American people see Democrats don't have the guts to fight for their own party against Cheney/Lieberman, how can we ever trust them to fight for our country against terrorists?

Maybe Nader was right after all. No, he wasn't. Whatever their other problems, at least we know Republicans stand for something.

2006 Volvo S40 T5 AWD: Running with the big dogs

2006-01-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

I love being wrong.

It’s not that I’m a masochist. It’s just that it happens so rarely, I revel in the novelty of it all. Like a solar eclipse, it would become bothersome were it to be a regular occurrence, but because of its infrequency, it is quite an attraction. So let me now say those words unlikely to be repeated – or necessary – for a generation or more:

I was wrong.

The last time I drove the Volvo S40, shortly after the second generation of the smallest Volvo on US shores came out, I wasn’t impressed. Actually, I was downright cranky. I did not then think the S40 could become what Volvo needed: a bona fide contender in the entry level luxury Euro sport sedan category.

Thank God I’m such a wonderful individual I always keep an open mind, because the sound you hear is my mind changing. (No, not that sound. That’s a whoopee cushion. I hope.)

The 2006 Volvo S40 T5 AWD sedan very definitely establishes Volvo as a competitor in this marketplace. Even better, it comes in at a price that will save more than a few dollars over much of its competition.

The S40 comes in a variety of trim and performance levels, starting with the base S40 2.4i, which has a MSRP of $23,755. The T5 starts at $26,615 and my T5 AWD (all-wheel-drive) begins at $28,390. Destination for any of them is $695, and Volvo estimates that you can actually get the S40 up to just over $40,000. I’m not sure what incredibly extravagant options you’d need to get the price up that high, because my well-equipped S40 came in at $33,720 including destination.

The only obviously missing options on mine were a navigation system and a moonroof, but for the price, I got a boatload of features, everything from heated seats to spoilers and headlamp washers.

But you come to expect all that in this class. What I wasn’t sure of going in was the performance. You expect Volvos to be safe and sturdy and take a Scandinavian, Garrison Keilor-like stab at styling, but sports handling hasn’t been synonymous with Volvo for a long time.

Old time Volvo lovers, rejoice! The S40 demonstrates that when the Swedes want to have fun, they know how.

The 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder inline turbocharged engine is just the start, and quite a start it is. The S40 only weighs 3,447 pounds, and the 218 horses and 236 lb.-ft of torque the engine puts out is enough to get you zooming from place to place, or, more likely, trying to hit all the curvy detours in between. A revelation is the 6-speed manual transmission that controls the power. I liked the clutch and loved the transmission. Had I been blindfolded, no-one could have convinced me this was a Volvo transmission.

The transmission throw was relatively short and very crisp. In a long commute up Route 7, made almost unbearably longer by road construction and rush hour traffic, the virtues of this transmission in a commuter became apparent. Shifts were second nature, requiring little effort, and unlike in many high performance sports sedans, never became burdensome.

But get on the open road and Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde. The same stick that was so easy to shift suddenly tried to glue itself to my hands, forcing me to fly with it through first, then second, third, fourth, fifth, ah…sixth. Actually, the whole car transformed from this reliable, undemanding commuter to all-out sports sedan.

Thankfully, I did not need to explain to any of those nice state troopers why I was grinning maniacally and shifting like a race car driver. But I’m sure if I’d let them use the S40 as a pursuit vehicle, they would have understood.

I detected very little turbo lag in this engine, and an overwhelming desire to devour pavement at great speeds. Making sure the tires stayed connected to the road were the independent strut suspension in front and multilink independent with coil springs in the rear, tuned to be sporty enough to give the road feel crucial to making driving a sports car fun, but not too stiff as to be uncomfortable.

S-curves were candy to the S40, it ate them all up and kept begging for more. The only downside was I was unable to get the tires to squeal. The all wheel drive and traction control kept the tires firmly planted and gripping at all times. But the buzz you felt moving off the line more than made up for it. Accelerating at cruising speed also was no problem. There was lots of torque available all through the curve. It was a beautiful thing.

As would be expected, the high performance T5 AWD is the thirstiest of the S40 family, with EPA estimated mileage of 20 city/29 highway with the six-speed manual. You will be pulling up to the premium pump, by the way.

In case, I haven’t made myself clear, this was one fun car to drive. And for those concerned with safety, stopping was just as spectacular. Braking is, as one would expect from a car company devoted to safety, superb.

The safety features are…hey, it’s a Volvo. Of course it’s as safe as you get. Safety features are too numerous to mention, but rest assured Volvo’s Intelligent Vehicle Architecture combines passive and active safety measures to ensure world-class protection. In the front structure alone, for example, four different grades of steel are used to provide maximum safety.

As for looks, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. The external design of the S40 is what I’d call interesting. It does have lines and curves and is clearly a Volvo and is certainly not unpleasant, but my reaction to it varied from day to day. To my eye, it seemed a little squeezed, almost stocky.

Inside is different. This sedan is anchored visually by Volvo’s gorgeous ultra-slim center console. For those who’ve never seen it, think one of those sleek Bang & Olufsen stereos, but with all the controls where they should be. This is a car you sit in and immediately know where everything is. Volvo very successfully designed the instruments and controls to be eminently readable and intuitively usable. The dash is clean, the design and layout more than just neat, it’s elegant, and that brushed aluminum console which forms a gracious Brancusi-“Bird-in-Space”-like curve down the center of the dash is a museum quality design statement.

As if all this weren’t enough, guess what’s new for ’06 on the T5? Oh, c’mon, guess! Fine, I’ll tell you: new, improved cupholders.

Be still, my heart!

How much more could anyone want? Smooth, fast, stylish, safe and with good cupholders – many of us have spent half our lives looking for Swedes like that. A test drive in the 2006 Volvo S40 T5 AWD may well be enough to make Absolut (or Ann-Margaret, for you older folk) your second favorite Swedish import.

2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara AWD: Compact price with style and performance

2006-01-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Many, many years ago, when I had hair, I drove a Suzuki compact SUV. It’s been a long time, but the memory lingers on. I couldn’t wait till it was time to give back that vehicle, and even now, when I saw the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara on my schedule, that memory came flooding back and I wondered what the best excuse for not accepting it would be.

Unfortunately, “the dog ate my schedule” just didn’t cut it, and so I prepared to be inflicted with one of those weeks that remind you being an auto reviewer isn’t all fun and games. Fortunately, I kept an open mind.

It was a completely unexpected and pleasant surprise to drive the all-new Grand Vitara. After a week in this new compact SUV, I was actually looking forward to seeing what else Suzuki would be coming up with. Given the vast improvement this Grand Vitara is over the previous model, Toyota and Honda and Ford had better start looking over their shoulder in Suzuki’s direction.

This is not to say the Grand Vitara is perfect, but it is that great combination of pricing and performance that adds up to a good value. Whatever its other faults, the Grand Vitara has always been a capable off-road vehicle, but now it’s also much better on road, and much closer to entry level luxury with a plain old entry level price.

The new Grand Vitara is a four-door compact SUV much like a RAV-4 or a CR-V, but without the annoying letters. It seats four very comfortably – five could cram without much discomfort – with good luggage space. It holds 24.4 cu. ft. with the rear seat up, 68.9 with the split seats down. The one really weird thing about the Vitara is that the side-opening rear door opens on what I think is the wrong side for American driving. It opens on the left, swinging open to the right, so if you’re parked as most of us do with the driver’s side (the car’s left side) nearest to the street, you have to walk around to the street side to load the back and you’re blocked by the tailgate from loading it from the sidewalk.

Let’s turn to the price, because that’s easy to quantify. Grand Vitaras will run you somewhere between the high teens and the low mid-20s. The top end of the range would include stuff you would expect to find on luxury vehicles, like the Smart Pass entry and start system, which dispenses with the need to take your key out – and we know what a pain that can be if you’ve got gloves on or somehow dropped the keys in the bottom of a bottomless pocketbook like my wife’s – in order to open or close the doors or start the car.

My test vehicle was the 2006 Grand Vitara 4WD with premium package (the luxury package is the next step up). Base price was an affordable $22,099, and the price as tested was, get this, $22,099. That comes with a 2.7-liter V6 (most compact SUVs use a 4-cylinder), 5-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel-drive, electronic stability program with traction control, and antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution.

Creature comforts and safety features included front and rear curtain airbags, front passenger side airbags, climate control, a 6-disc CD system with subwoofer that’s XM satellite radio ready and plays your MP3s among other things, cruise control, tilt steering with remote stereo controls, fog lamps, roof rails, power windows, locks and mirrors and remote keyless entry.

Also included in the deal was roadside assistance and Suzuki’s 100,000 mile, no deductible, fully transferable warranty. Oh yeah, you get a full tank of gas too.

All this, as I said, cost just $22,099.

But cost is only part of the equation. As I mentioned, the Suzuki was always a competent offroader, and for those looking to go off-road without ending up out of wallet, the Grand Vitara delivers. With an approach angle of 29 degrees, departure angle of 27 degrees and ground clearance of 7.9 inches in a unibody chassis on a ladder frame, the Grand Vitara should be able to handle most trails with ease and still provide a comfortable on-road ride.

On road, the Vitara did reasonably well. EPA mileage figures of 19 city/23 highway aren’t anything to write home about, even with that 24-valve V6. Towing capacity is 3,000 pounds, sufficient for a small boat or trailer carrying all that stuff away to college.

The engine surprised me. For the most part, acceleration was good, though I wasn’t fond of the transmission change points. For a V6, the engine was louder than I would have liked and seemed to strain much more than I would have expected. I couldn’t tell if the engine was actually straining or just sounded like it. Horsepower is 185 at 6,000 rpm and torque is 184 at 4,500 rpm, which should be more than adequate for a relatively light SUV, but it didn’t seem like it. My guess would be that the torque distribution isn’t optimized in the midrange, but I didn’t get a chance to look at the torque curve, so that’s just a guess.

Handling is good, not sports car quality, but everything’s fine if you stay within the limits. The ride is smooth and stable, close to carlike given the off-road capabilities of the Grand Vitara.

I know I keep mentioning the price, but that is a big part of the attraction of the Grand Vitara. The sticker is so low that one expects Suzuki to have cut corners somewhere, but they didn’t. Exterior styling of the Grand Vitara is very good, smooth and sleek and friendly while retaining just enough of that hint of machismo so you know this is a SUV. For some reason, it struck me as very California, with the kind of beauty that wouldn’t be out of place on Venice Beach. There’s no comparison between this and previous versions.

The interior lives up to the expectations the exterior promises. Fit and finish were excellent in my test car; controls were well-laid out and easy to use. Granted, as with any car in this price range, there is more plastic than carbon fiber or brushed aluminum, but Suzuki has managed to make it look good.

Overall, Suzuki has done a great job with the new 2006 Grand Vitara. Anyone who wants a compact SUV with luxury features, a great warranty and on- and off-road performance at a fabulous price should be sure to put this on the shopping list.

2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD ASR7: Safety First

2006-01-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Sen. Joe Lieberman and a TV camera – some relationships are so passionate and burn so brightly they live on long after the lovers are gone. Others – George W. Bush and books, for example – just never seem to work. The ingredients are there, but no sparks fly.

The latter comes closer to describing my relationship to the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD SUV. I drove the XC90 when it first came out, and though I liked and respected it, it didn’t grab me. I couldn’t understand it then, because in general I love Volvos, and this was a vehicle that had all the expected Volvo attributes – well-designed, safe, flexible and attractive. But there was no passion. I wanted to be just friends.

Perhaps it was a matter of power, I thought. The original XC90 had the V6, which was adequate I guess, but about as exciting as a fiber-filled diet cookie. I asked for the V8, hoping that perhaps more power would ignite the flames of desire. After all, the billions of people driving the XC90 on Fairfield County streets can’t all be wrong.

After a week in the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD, I’m sure they’re not, but I’m still not singing “I wanna come over.” I’ve become resigned to being good friends with the XC90, but no trips up Brokeback Mountain for us. Falling in love is just not going to happen.

Like and respect – that’s a different story, and one worth telling. After all, without the passion, you get to focus on what really binds you. No, there is no great literature written about platonic relationships, but you also don’t hear about people killing themselves because a friend left, and many friendships long outlast the passionate flings. You go to Paris once with lovers, you go to Starbucks every few days with friends, which may explain the popularity of what the New York Times once called the “Starbucks Utility Vehicle.”

Part of your relationship with longtime friends involves knowing things about them lovers don’t, which gives you the info necessary to set them up with others who would be a good match. That’s why I still feel good about my relationship with the XC90 – I know lots of friends I’d like to set it up with.

I was actually talking to someone yesterday – a typical young, upscale suburbanite – whose wife was looking for a new family car and who was falling in love with the XC90. There’s someone for everyone, and for many people, the XC90 will be a perfect fit.

Let’s start with the obvious – the engine. At 4,610 lbs., the XC90 is not a lightweight, and I thought the V6, while a nice enough engine, just didn’t provide the power needed to compete in the luxury SUV segment. That, by the way, is where you’ll find this Volvo firmly ensconced. My test car came in at $49,480 (cost of the XC90 ranges from mid 30s to high 50s), and did not include necessities like a satellite radio and navigation system, rear video system or a personal masseuse, but back to the engine.

This may be a Volvo, but the engine is Japanese (17% of the parts come from Sweden, 23% from Japan, including the engine and transmission) and is much better matched to the XC90. This 8-cylinder is a 4.4-liter, throaty alloy engine with 32-valves and continuously variable intake and exhaust valve timing (CVVT) pushing out 311 horsepower at 5,850 RPM and 325 lb.-ft at 3,900 RPM. All this basically means is that you have more than enough power to go from 0 to 60 when you’re getting on 95, or from 55 to 75 to avoid that truck that just swooped into your lane. Top speed is 130 mph. The new 6-speed Geartronic automatic transmission does a good job of managing that power and getting you there.

EPA estimated gas mileage is 15 city/21 highway (premium fuel), not great but decent for a 7-passenger vehicle and smack in the middle of its class. Better news is that this, the most powerful engine in Volvo’s history, is relatively environmentally friendly. It is the first V8 to meet the stringent Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) II standards.

So there are no more power problems and the engine sounds good, removing one of my big complaints about the 6-cylinder version. That’s a definite plus for this version. I’m still not thrilled about the handling. This is a car-based SUV, so the ride is very forgiving and comfortable, but it is more luxury than sports. It seems softer and less interested in throwing itself into corners than in cruising down the straight and narrow.

While that explains my lack of desire, it also helps explain the popularity of the XC90. This is a handling characteristic that makes it a great, comfortable, undemanding commuter vehicle. If you’ve got a family of five stuck back there and you have to referee the fights, you probably are not particularly concerned about the slalom times (that’s how you measure handling, btw).

What you will be concerned with is what Volvo is famous for – safety. The XC90 won’t let you down. There are few vehicles I’d rather be on the road in.

Safety has always been Volvo’s passion, and the engineers clearly got the green light from the marketers to make this as safe a vehicle as they could. It starts with the basics, like All Wheel Drive. This is standard on the V8 version of the XC90, coming with what Volvo calls “Instant Traction.”

Volvo has a long, detailed and extremely boring explanation of what this does, but this is the highlight: “Prior to Instant Traction, if the AWD system sensed that the front wheels were losing traction, one-seventh of a wheel rotation occurred before it began redirecting torque to the wheels with traction. That rotation could influence performance under certain conditions.”

This has changed, as you probably already knew, because “Instant Traction adds a one-way pre-charging valve to the AWD system that maintains a torque load of 59 foot-pounds, which is available instantly.”

I think what they’re trying to say is you really never need worry about your wheels slipping in the snow. Fortunately, they’re much better engineers than they are writers.

All XC90 models are equipped with Roll Stability Control (RSC), Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) with side airbags and inflatable curtains for all three rows. Also on the list of safety acronyms are ROPS (Rollover Protection System) with a boron steel reinforced roof that’s tougher than even my skull, and WHIPS, the Whiplash Protection System. I’m sure you’re not surprised. Safety is Volvo’s middle name (Actually, Volvo has no middle name. Volvo is Latin for “I roll.” Rock on, Swedish dudes!).

SUV and pickup test results just released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (those insurance guys love safe cars so they don’t have to pay out big bucks) had the Volvo XC90 as one of the few models to earn top ratings for whiplash protection systems. Only 6 of 44 vehicles tested offered effective protection against whiplash. Volvo’s was among the best. Somewhere, a personal injury lawyer is crying.

Volvo dealers aren’t, however. I may not have bought one, but lots of people did, as you can tell from the Starbucks parking lot. In December, perhaps coincidentally one of those months where the need for a safe car is obvious, the XC90 had record sales in 2005.

Inside, the XC90’s Scandinavian influences are obvious. Styling, both internal and external, is clean and neat, although I am struck by the nagging thought that at this price point, the dash looks less minimalist than just plain bare. Materials are top quality and fit and finish excellent. Controls are easy to use and well laid out.

I’m still on the fence about the seating for seven. It does eliminate an awful lot of cargo space, but given the flexibility of the seating and storage arrangements and the possibility that if someone doesn’t get the XC90, they may go for something bigger and much more polluting, I’ll live with it. The seats themselves are Volvo comfortable and supportive.

There really isn’t much not to like about this Volvo. If, like me, you demand driving excitement and, unlike me, can ignore the handling bias to the luxury side of things, there’s just about nothing not to like.

Mos def, if you have a family and need size, safety and good handling, be sure to test drive the 2006 Volvo XC90 V8 AWD. Let me know if you fall in love. It’s always nice when you set somebody up and it all works out.

2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 HSE: Empires could be built on this

2006-01-09T12:39:00.000-05:00

Every far-flung empire needs good transportation technology. Without the Roman Empire’s advanced road network, its soldiers would no more have been able to invade Gaul – becoming the first to hear the famous French “We surrender” slogan – than I would have of being able to get anywhere up Route 7 at rush hour.

Modern empires are no different. Planes, trains and automobiles have been essential to everything from the German blitzkrieg to the invasion of Iraq. The armed forces of many empires became identified with a particular mode or vessel of transportation, creating icons that marketers were only too happy to exploit.

For Americans, World War II and Korea meant the Jeep. Japan’s growing economic empire made the Toyota Land Cruiser a familiar face on unpaved trails in many a Third World country. For those of us who grew up in what used to be the British Empire, there was only one four by four worthy of the name: the Land Rover.

While Americans were more familiar – and awed – by the upscale Range Rover, the Queen’s soldiers and her subjects spent much more time and had more respect for the working class member of the family, which is what the Land Rover was. It carried soldiers and policemen across inhospitable terrain in places adventure travelers only now are starting to visit.

They’re probably using Toyotas now.

That’s not a commentary on the abilities of the Land Rover, which in its new LR3 V8 HSE edition is still able to take on any comers, but on its price and its market.

The 2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 HSE replaces the old Discovery, but that hardly says enough about what, even in a year when many very good and near great automobiles were released, stand out as one of the best. More details on that later, but it’s enough to say that if Ford can keep the quality and reliability high, this Land Rover will be the first in a long time that should have the competition quaking in its boots.

But first, the bad news. Unless you’re one of those looking fondly on the huge Bush tax cuts, this may not be the car for you. This is no longer a working class vehicle. My top-of-the-line 2005 model came in at a hefty $53,245 (including $665 delivery), with a base price of $49,330. The pricing has changed some for the 2006 model year, as has the standard equipment. The 2006 LR3 V8 HSE has a MSRP of $53,700 (including a $715 destination charge). More affordable is the regular V8 SE at $45,700, or the V6 starting at $39,000.

The good news is that if this is your kind of neighborhood, the LR3 is a bargain. Land Rovers may not yet spring to mind as a value proposition, but once you see all the LR3 offers, they will. But back to the bad news.

The LR3 is not a cheap date. In addition to the chunk of change you need to get acquainted with it in the first place, your wallet will get a good workout keeping it on the road. EPA estimated mileage is 14 city, 18 highway, and EPA estimates tend to be a trifle optimistic. That’s premium gas, in case you’re wondering. And why shouldn’t it be? Everything else about this vehicle is premium.

My test LR3 was Zambezi Silver outside and black leather inside and gorgeous everywhere you looked. I really like the styling of this vehicle. It is proof that form following function can still look fresh and beautiful. Not for this Land Rover the million twists and curves; this is a rectangle, designed to provide as much space as possible for the people and cargo inside, as unadorned as fine Shaker furniture, and as attractive.

It only gets better inside.

Looking up, one first sees, depending on where one sits, the power and tilt sliding sunroof or the fixed alpine roof, letting the sun shine in. The HSE now comes with the third row seating standard (it was an option on mine), allowing for space for 7, though at the cost of drastically reduced cargo space. What’s special about the HSE, as opposed to so many SUVs where the third row is only useful for small children, is that adults can sit comfortably back there for extended periods. That third row is also raised so passengers back there get a good view out the front windshield. Second row seats also benefit from stadium seating.

I, being selfish, was most concerned about the front seats. No need to worry here. These were among the most comfortable, supportive seats I’ve ever been in outside a sports car. Sure, they’re that soft, buttery leather and can be adjusted a million ways till Monday, but the important thing is that if you fix them once, you don’t have to. There was no fidgeting or changing positions. These were seats that fit like gloves, and I don’t mean OJ’s.

Land Rover, at heart, is still about the driving experience, and on or off road, this Land Rover is supremely competent. It starts with tires specially developed for Land Rover – in the case of the HSE, big 19-inchers. This is powered by a 4.4-liter, alloy V8 engine developing 300 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 315 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm and controlled by a six-speed “intelligent shift” ZF automatic, which allows the driver full control over the gear shift, should the driver want it.

The Jaguar-derived V8 puts out sufficient power and torque even for this heavy (5,426 to 5,796 lbs.) SUV. According to Land Rover, with the V8, you get 0-60 times of 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 121 mph. Interestingly, the weight of the car makes the much less powerful V6 (216 horses, 269 lb.-ft of torque) almost identical performance to the V8 at the pump, with a 14 city, 19 highway estimated fuel consumption.

The drive system is, as expected, permanent four-wheel-drive with traction control and “Terrain Response.” As Land Rover explains it, “By selecting one of the five terrain programs, Terrain Response automatically selects the most appropriate settings for the vehicle’s advanced electronic controls and traction aids – including ride height, engine torque response, hill descent control, electronic traction control and transmission setting. The five programs are for general driving, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand and rock crawl.”

Towing capacity is 7,700 lbs. in low range, but the really important news is that the LR3 has 11 standard and one optional cupholders, with a total capacity of 37 pints. Don’t ask me how they measured it, and don’t ask me pints of what.

The LR3 being a complete luxury car, all the luxury and safety features one would expect are there, and they work well. From the voice-controlled navigation system to the two-piece aluminum tailgate, everything worked as well as it looked. The 550-watt, 14-speaker, 6-CD Harmon Kardon sound system worked perhaps too well for these aging ears, but the teenage princess loved it.

That’s perhaps the greatest prize of all. The teenage princess, who once turned down a ride in a BMW M3 because she didn’t like the color and has long insisted that a Porsche Boxster S is her designated - and the only suitable - graduation present actually was moved to enthusiasm by the 2006 Land Rover LR3 V8 HSE. She would, she proclaimed, accept the LR3 instead.

If Land Rover knew how rare such praise from the teenage princess was, they’d forget mentioning the 20-plus awards the LR3 earned from the US press and focus on her approval instead.

I can’t imagine the Land Rover finding an audience that would be harder to please. If the build quality holds up, I can’t imagine any audience that would not be pleased by the 2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 HSE.

2006 Mercedes-Benz C350: Starting the year off right

2006-01-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Should auld acquaintance* be forgot and never brought to mind? In the auto business, the answer is definitely yes. This, Bruce Springsteen songs and a few classic cars notwithstanding, is an industry about tomorrow. Neither Wall Street nor Main Street cares what fabulous cars you built yesterday. Just ask Studebaker. All that matters is what you’re building today and how much you can sell them for tomorrow.

Still, like Springsteen, every journalist hack considers him or herself an artist of some sort, with art as experience transformed to wisdom, informed by the past as it informs the future. We guard that past jealously, because those accumulated experiences are all that differentiate us, and our opinions, from your loaded Uncle Larry who considers himself an expert on everything after a few cheap beers.

Truth is, no matter how bad you are at something to begin with, if you do it enough, sooner or later you stumble upon some truths. Experience really is the greatest teacher. I’m sure it does help to have some talent and to start with some knowledge of your field, but I wouldn’t know.

As for my experience, there are cars that I remember all my life, though some have changed, some forever, not for better, some have gone, but some remain (man, this should be a song).

I remember probably a decade ago when Mercedes-Benz was redefining itself in the American market. It was going from that stuffy giant best personified by the blocky S-class at the time to a fun brand that said excitement and performance and not just staid safety, and ran ads making fun of itself. Looking back, that was one of the most successful brand transformations in a long time. Mercedes has managed to retain much of its aura of exclusivity while becoming a mass-market brand, the Louis Vuitton of cars.

But back in those days, who knew? Then I drove the AMG version of the 190’s successor, the C-class, through the Litchfield hills. It was magic, a very sporty, very different kind of Benz, and the start of a long love affair. True confession here: The car I own is an E-class, so there may be a pro-Mercedes bias.

Still sin auld lang syne, we twa – Mercedes and I – hae run about the braes, and pou'd the gowans fine, but we've wander'd monie a weary fit, sin auld lang syne, and I wondered if the latest iteration of the C-class could stand up to the memory of the old.

It wasn’t necessarily a fair fight. Last time, it was the AMG version of the C, which is now the C55 AMG. This version was a lot less expensive, the C350 sport.

To explain, much has changed over the last model year for the entry level Benz. Gone are the value leader coupe and the young suburban favorite wagon. Now the C-class will only be available as a sedan. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that gone too should be the perception that these Mercedes models cannot compete with BMW in sportiness. New engines and more horsepower are rewriting the terms of this debate. In addition to the flagship 5.5-liter V8 of the AMG version, performance galore is available in the 3.5-liter V6 powering the 2006 Mercedes-Benz C350 sports sedan. The Double Overhead Cam, 24-valve V6 pushes out 268 horses and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, making for a 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds.

The cost of the new C350 is actually less than that of the C320 it replaces. Mine came in well-optioned at a bit over $43K. Power is up by about 25% while fuel efficiency is about 12% better, at an EPA estimated 20 city/28 highway on premium fuel.

There’s at least one set of numbers missing from that story, however. The torque curve is a measure of the smoothness of the power distribution, and here the numbers don’t lie. Maximum torque is just about flat from about 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. Approximately 87% of the torque is already available at 1,500 rpm. What that means is that the power is smoothly distributed over the practical driving range. The real benefit is that whenever you want to, whether it’s avoiding a kid running out into the street after a ball or avoiding a tractor trailer that decided to occupy your space on the highway, just step on the gas and the power you need is there.

One thing we probably learned looking at the world over the past year is that power is nice, but you must be able to control it. My test C350 was the rear-wheel-drive version with the 6-speed manual (all-wheel-drive is also available, as is a 5-speed and a 7-speed automatic).

I almost screamed out loud when I first put that transmission through its paces. I wanted to jump on Oprah’s couch so the world would know how much in love with this shifter I was. It’s a short-throw stick that’s smoother than Bill Clinton in a roomful of interns. I kept shifting gears just because I could, running the car through its paces just to feel how smoothly the engine’s power was flowing to the 17-inch wheels. It’s almost like the anesthesia I had at my last operation. There, you felt that tingle and knew you were going to another place. Here, you touch that shifter and your whole body starts tingling, because you know where you’re going feels so good it would be illegal were Pat Robertson president.

Those big tires and the Mercedes sports suspension kept the C350 glued to the road. Hard as I tried to shake its composure, I couldn’t. The ride was definitely sporty, but not so stiff as to be uncomfortable. You felt connected to the road in that Zen-like bliss that can only be interrupted by a stop sign.

That’s when the brakes kick in, reminding you this is a Mercedes, and as much fun as it is, it’s never going to forget about safety. This is Mercedes, and it comes with all the standard safety features one would expect from a leader in the field. But the best way to deal with an accident is to avoid one, and the performance of both the engine and the brakes on the C350 Sport certainly help. Steering is excellent, and that’s all I’ll say about it here. I could spend much more time waxing rhapsodically about it, but that would mean you’d get down to the dealership that much later.

Outside, the C350 looks much like the model it replaces – sexy in a Brooks Brother-ish, executive suite kind of way, masculine but not louty. Inside, improved styling means the C-class now offers a more distinguished look, with instruments and the minimalist looking black-on-white gauges easy to use and understand. Seating for four is comfortable, though the back seats may not be where you’ll want to stash Shaq on that cross-country trip.

Overall, the C350 is a sports sedan that makes Mercedes a contender again for anyone in the market for a great-handling, upscale vehicle. The 2006 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport sedan provides the kind of experience that may well drive you to smiling, if not grinning foolishly, at absolute strangers, and wishing even the most annoying person in your office a Happy New Year.

Me, I’m smiling at the memory, and since I’m not driving, there's a hand my trusty fiere, and gie's a hand o thine, and we'll tak a right guid-willie waught, for auld lang syne.

Happy New Year.

*-Auld Lang Syne translation (from www. hogmanay.net)

auld lang syne - times gone by
braes – hills
fiere - friend
fit – foot
gowans – daisies
guid-willie waught - goodwill drink
monie – many
pou'd – pulled
twa - two

2006 Audi A3 2.0 T Auto DSG: Small really can be great

2006-01-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

This, our last column of 2005, is as good a time as any to look back on some things that brought a few moments of light to what, from New Orleans to Baghdad, has not been a very good year.

Before we get all snide and snarky, let’s take just one minute to be utterly serious, and offer a prayer of hope for those who have been the victims of natural disasters – of famine in Niger, drought in the Amazon, earthquakes in Pakistan and Kashmir, hurricanes in Louisiana and so much more. Let us offer a prayer of remembrance for those who need not have been victims but were – of genocide in Sudan, of terrorism and war in London, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and beyond, of hunger and neglect here at home.

Let us offer a prayer for our troops in harm’s way, not because we agree with those who sent them there, but because they are ours. Let us pray for their souls, and ours – all humanity’s – that we may someday remember the meaning of the season, and live in peace.

This year, we have found solace where we could, whether it be behind the wheel of some fine new machine or in front of the fireplace listening to Sonny Rollins blow. There have definitely been some bright spots this annus horribilis.

John Legend was one. The Ivy League-educated crooner destroyed stereotypes and hearts with equal alacrity, ripping his way up the charts with the best single of the year: Ordinary People. The album on which this came, Get Lifted, did just that, lifting both your spirits and the chance she’d be looking at you with love, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, as you turned the lights down low.

My pick for best album of the year came from across the pond. One of my favorite whipping boys, Coldplay, finally delivered. Their album X&Y is an astounding example of why a man’s reach must exceed his grasp. The results show this is what heaven is for. By about the fourth track, Fix You, you’ve discovered a new musical geometry, and Chris Martin is its axis.

Best television show? I’ve got three. On Showtime, Weeds was funnier than a bong full of prime Columbian, or whatever they smoke these days, and you didn’t get the munchies afterwards – fabulous, given my weight problem. HBO’s Rome started off very slowly, then built into the dramatic spectacle only HBO seems capable of. As Caesar lay dying in the Senate, “sic semper tyrannis” seemed so simplistic, the kind of black and white thinking that the shallow resort to in times of trouble, bloodshed its inevitable end.

Blood was shed, in glorious color on my 50” Panasonic HD, on Fox’s House. You’re right, this is not a new show this year, but I only started watching it this year and this column, like the rest of the world, is all about me. So’s House. About him, I mean. Seeing this drug-addicted, misanthropic, totally self-centered genius actually cure people each week made me realize there’s hope for everyone, and if I get sick, boy, do I want him. It was also nice to know there’s someone else as self-absorbed as I am.

As for real doctors, my two favorites right now are Marvin Den and Kirk Zachary in Norwalk. One took the time out from dealing with the insurance companies to push me to go get an undesired colonoscopy at Norwalk Hospital because whatever med society does these things had changed the age at which blacks should get their baseline colonoscopy to 45. The other brought me much relief when, after my second colonoscopy of the latter half of 2005, he was able to tell me this time all the new biopsies came up negative. As a thank you to them, please allow me to urge you to get your ass in gear, literally. The prep work is, er, moving, but the procedure is easy as, ah, pie, and the life you save may be the only one you’ll get.

What happens next has always been one of mankind’s biggest questions. As Don Rumsfeld will tell you, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence, which is why the afterlife remains the greatest known unknown. Mary Roach confronted the evidence or lack of it for the afterlife in the hilarious Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. I’m not sure how much science was involved in this, but it was the best read of my year.

My favorite news story of the year was the revelation that Vice President Dick Cheney is Santa Claus. Many of us in the business have long suspected this. A fat, white guy with a cholesterol problem who’s rumored to exist but never seen during the year, a guy with a fake laugh who shows up on Christmas Eve all over the world making warrantless intrusions into homes everywhere – the signs were all there. But when The New York Times revealed and the White House confirmed that under an heretofore secret program he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, well, that’s as good as saying here’s Santa. I could tell you more of what I’ve heard, but I hear he’s making a list and checking it twice…

I’ve had the good fortune to drive many very good cars this year, and one of the best was the 2006 Audi A3 2.0 T Auto DSG, a car much more compact than its name.

German luxury carmakers (VW aside) have long struggled to bring their smaller, less expensive cars into the US market. BMW’s 318ti was an abject failure in the American marketplace for reasons having nothing to do with its performance. The Mercedes C230 coupe brought much scorn on the boys with the three-pointed star for bringing out a Mercedes with cloth seats. Now it’s Audi’s turn to try, and they’ve done something different. They’ve decided to go with the smaller, but leave the less expensive part out of the equation.

The A3 is a great little car with a big car price. My A3, very well-equipped to be sure, came in at $34,610 – not an inconsiderable price for a compact wagon considering this did not have the famed Quattro all-wheel-drive and had the base, but fun, 2-liter engine. Granted, you can get an A3 starting at $24,740 (plus $720 destination), but Audi lovers, and I am one, know that options always kill you on Audis. My test A3 started off at base price of $26,140 plus the destination.

Also available is the new 3.2-liter V6, kicking out 250 horses with Quattro for a base of $33,980. The good news there is the destination charge remains the same.

So why would one even consider the A3 at this price? Good question, and one I would have struggled with were the darn thing not such flat-out fun to drive. I ended up deciding it should best be compared with the TT sports coupe, but with a lot more space for people and groceries. When you look at it that way, the price seems downright reasonable.

My A3’s 2.0-liter double overhead cam turbocharged four-cylinder pushed out 200 horses, transmitted to the ground through some fat, and phat, 17” wheels. The FrontTrak front wheel drive system puts the lie to the Eurosnobs who claim front wheel drive sports cars are an oxymoron. My only disappointment with my test A3 was that it came with the optional 6-speed automatic. This Direct Shift Gearbox did allow you to shift manually, but I’m too old to prefer the paddles to the stick off the track, and I would have loved the full control of the six-speed manual. Still, while this thing looked like a wagon, it handled like another 3-series from another German manufacturer, this one with three letters.

I do have to praise the Direct Shift Gearbox, for those who like this sort of thing. Gear changes were fast and smooth. For those more used to iPods than LPs, this could be the transmission of choice. Audi did a fabulous job making this transmission worthy of the car.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which is replacing the venerable 1.8-liter turbo that has powered many an A4, kicks out more than enough power for the A3. My concern with an engine this strong with the artificial boost on a front-wheel-drive car was the possibility of torque steer – that’s when there’s so much power going to the front wheels that they can’t really do their other job: be the driving wheels. That’s when the driver feels the wheels take on a life of their own, pulling the car where they, not the driver, want it to go.

While the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence, absent was any evidence of torque steer in the A3. The car went where you pointed it.

I’m running out of space to list the A3’s many temptations, but Audi fans already know Audi interiors set the standards for design and finish, and the A3 does not disappoint. One option I loved was the open sky system, which turned almost the entire top of the car into a sunroof. Comfort and style were all premium Audi. So are the looks. Avant fans looking for something smaller will be pleased.

This is a wagon, which implies some precious cargo, and safety is paramount. A whole list of safety features is standard, which may be why the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety named the A3 a “Top Safety Pick.” With all its safety and luxury features, this is a car that lacks little. The four circles rate five stars.

In the back, you can pack all those holiday presents for your trip over the hills and through the woods. Have a great time, and, at the risk of offending Bill O’Reilly, Happy Holidays!

2005 Porsche Boxster: One vote for endless summer

2006-01-09T12:29:00.000-05:00

All that snow and sleet and Christmas carols and newspapers fat with ads depicting happy people with no money left can mean only one thing: ’Tis the season to be tipping.

This, as you’ve long figured out, is no ordinary auto column. No, we aspire to be your lifestyle guide, your constant consultant, your serious source of truth, justice and the American way. We’ve heard your pleas this holiday season. We know you need to know how much to tip, and we have the answers for you.

Actually, the answers came from The Emily Post Institute by way of MSNBC.com, but given that the alternative was actually doing the work and looking it up ourselves, we’ll take this instead.

Here are some of the important people in your life and how much to tip them: The mailman supposedly can’t accept cash, but any gift up to $20 is OK. May we suggest an American Express gift card. It isn’t actually cash, you know, and you wouldn’t want those racy catalogs accidentally delivered to your neighbors now, would you.

With campaign finance and ethics reform, hot tubs no longer cut it for our politicians, but a brown paper bag filled with small bills - that’s a ticket that gets my vote.

As for your nanny, she deserves a week’s to a month’s salary, they say. That’s a broad range, but I guess you need to figure out how much you like your kid.

Your fitness trainer should get the cost of one session. The alternative is to, like me, ignore the concept of fitness entirely. The money you save can buy an awful lot of fatty, salty foods. After all, who wants to die healthy? That’s such a waste.

What about your newspaper deliverer? Well, Emily Post suggests $10 to $30, depending, I would think, on where your newspaper usually ends up. I would suggest whoever delivers your copy of the Hour deserves at least $50. Just take it out of what you’d give the other guys. They won’t mind.

That should take care of most of the people on your tip list, but you’re right, there is one glaring omission. What does one tip the auto columnist?

The rule of thumb is one does not tip “professionals,” and though anyone who’s read any of these columns would probably choke on that description of this auto columnist, etiquette demands it. One may, however – and by “may” I mean “should” – give a gift to said professional reflecting the high regard in which he or she is held (by himself, if no one else).

May I suggest the 2005 Porsche Boxster.

I’m not a greedy person, I’m not even holding out for the Boxster S, which starts at $53,100. I’m willing to settle for the old garden variety Boxster, which is a mere $43,800 with Porsche Stability Management and those beautiful 17” wheels. (Are you listening, Mr. Valiante?)

I remember my first Boxster. This was when Porsche had just introduced the model eight years ago, and no-one really knew what to expect. I came out of a 911 C4 into the Boxster and the difference was stark.

That model 911 was the last of the real German driving models. You had to be a man to step on the clutch, and a real driver to drive it. The replacement for that is a lot more American, a feeling reflected in the comments of a senior Mercedes engineer when we first saw the new 911 in Phoenix: “There goes a Boxster with a top.”

While the heart of Porsche will always be the 911, the Boxster has opened a new avenue for the legendary Stuttgart brand. That first Boxster was so much easier to drive than the then companion 911, with a much lighter clutch and more forgiving steering. It was, were such sacrilege ever to be uttered in Stuttgart, an American Porsche.

Since then, Porsche has become a lot more American, and sold lots more cars here. After all, what could be more American than an SUV? In the meantime, the Boxster became a victim of its own success. The mid-engine, two-seat roadster not only opened doors for Porsche, it opened up a brand new market for mid-priced performance roadsters, a market rapidly invaded by the likes of BMW’s Z3 and the Mercedes SLK.

Now, eight years later, Porsche no longer needed to reinvent the category, but they did need to freshen up a design that had lasted an eternity in this competitive segment. By and large they have succeeded.

First things first: Forget about looks. The important thing is how does the Boxster handle?

Let’s get real here. Why do you think I’m asking for one as a Christmas present from the publisher?

The new Boxster is simply sublime. This is as close to as perfectly balanced car as you will find in or near this price range. This is a car that calls out for open roads and warm weather, but is willing to handle the challenge of any road and weather and does so with aplomb.

The 2.7-liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine that powers the rear wheels of the Boxster pours out 240 horses and 199 lb.-ft. of torque. With that engine, the basic Boxster goes 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds and tops out at 159 miles per hour. If you need more power, the “S” version comes with a 280 horsepower, 3.2-liter six, taking you to 60 from a standing start in 5.2 seconds and topping out at 167 miles per hour.

Of course, you probably won’t be doing that on Route 7, but I’m sure it’s good to know that if terrorists are about to attack and you have to take Jack Bauer all over the country in 24 hours to save us, you’ll have no problem.

The new Boxster borrows heavily from the 911 architecture, sharing about 55% of its parts with the 2005 911. It is still a very different car from the heavier 911, and different as well from the Boxster it succeeds.

That may not be the easiest thing in the world to tell at first glance. While about 80% of the second generation Boxster parts were not in the first generation model, Porsche chose evolutionary rather than revolutionary styling changes. With the Boxster, it works. An already graceful design has been made even more stylish by some subtle tweaking of the details. For example, wheels and tires are larger, while inside is roomier. The coefficient of drag has been reduced from 0.31 to 0.29. The manual gearboxes (five- or six-speed available) feature shorter throws, and Porsche said it’s also improved the Tiptronic. The stance is wider than the previous model’s, improving cornering as well as adding to the more masculine look of the new Boxster.

Price, though, is actually lower when one considers the addition of items like a trip computer and HomeLink, not to mention the stability management system.

What is larger are the brakes, 11.73” in diameter and .94” thick, cross-drilled for better cooling. Also increased is the braking assist you get. The brake power assist has been boosted a significant 18%. The frame itself is 9% stiffer than the previous version for a tighter ride.

The new Boxsters are the first roadsters to go into production with head airbags. You also get a convertible top that may be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 31 mph.

None of this would matter if the new Boxster didn’t handle like a Porsche, but it does, and that means the fun quotient is almost as high as the engineering competence. The Boxster’s handling invites one to take a long trip to Stew’s – by way of California, perhaps – just so you can hear that engine and feel those tires grip and know what true driving is all about. Unlike some of its competitors, Porsche has not engineered that sheer joy of driving out of its cars. The computer doesn’t rule, you do. Boy, do you.

Now for the downsides. Fuel economy is much improved, but you do still have to use premium unleaded and you’ll get an EPA estimated 20 mpg city, 28 highway. The really bad news is the one thing this has in common with the first generation Boxster.

That’s a slight exaggeration. Things have improved even here. The first Boxster I drove had cupholders popping out from right by the vents. They were these flimsy little afterthoughts that had already been broken, even though I was only the second or third journalist in the car. By those standards, the new cupholders are better. By almost any other standards, they suck.

But I’m willing to put up with them. Heck, I’m willing to give up coffee for the 2005 Porsche Boxster. I sure am glad I have a generous publisher who reads my column every week.

Please sir, may I have one, Mr. Valiante?

Pretty please?

With sugar on top!

On the road: 2005 Dodge Durango Limited, 2005 Lexus GX470, 2005 Toyota 4Runner

2006-01-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

The first big snowstorm of the season reminded many of us why people drive SUVs. When it comes to getting around in a few inches of snow, SUVs do provide a certain comfort level as a result of both their size and their all-wheel-drive capabilities. So this is a good time to take a quick look at three of these people movers. Before we do however, there are a few points SUV drivers should keep in mind.

When the ground around is slippery and the snow is gently falling is no time to be calling if you’re behind the wheel. Many SUVs were not designed to minimize damage to either other cars or pedestrians. If your cell phone call is so important that you have to take it, please be so considerate as to drive into a wall instead of one of our cars. That way, when you head to the afterlife, you won’t need to explain to the gatekeeper why you killed someone else because of distracted driving.

· In general, all-wheel-drive helps you grip the road much better when you’re going in a straight line. It does almost nothing to help you get round that icy corner, and even less to help you stop before you hit that car filled with small children at the stop light. If you’re not bright enough to figure out for yourself why all-wheel-drive is not a reason to speed carelessly in bad weather, please see our enjoying the afterlife suggestion above.

How do I put this one nicely? Listen, you inconsiderate moron, the elderly lady in front of you is scared out of her wits but has to make it to her doctor’s appointment. You may be only nineteen and never had a broken bone or spun out on the highway, but she has. Quit tailgating her. The only place you’ll get any faster doing that is hell.

Our sermon for the day now concluded, let’s move on to the cars.

2005 Dodge Durango Limited

Not to annoy my friends at Jeep, but I still think the Dodge Durango is the best looking 7-seater Chrysler makes. The Durango was also one of the first SUVs designed with the safety of other cars in mind, so that if the Durango meets a small car and both attempt to occupy the same space, at least the smaller car won’t slide beneath the Durango’s bumper and be crushed, a common problem with many SUVs. The small car will just slide into the Durango’s bumper and be crushed. Just kidding, folks. The thing is many safety measures that activate in a collision have their effectiveness nullified if one car slides under the other, so the lower Durango bumpers could mean the person in that small car walks away shaken, but alive.

Another bit of good news about the Durango is that your Dodge dealer will probably deal. The bad news is that this is a result of the effects of gas prices on sales of large SUVs. My two-wheel-drive Durango with the 4.7-liter V-8 Magnum and a 5-speed automatic transmission used 14 miles per gallon in the city, 19 on the highway, according to the EPA. The Durango is also now available with the larger Hemi engine, for those who want to floor it on the way to the station. Base prices range from about $27K for the two-wheel-drive version with the 3.7-liter V6 engine to $36,855 for the all-wheel-drive Limited version. My two-wheel-drive Limited came in at $36,780, including $3,480 in options like a navigation system and rear seat video system. Kelley Blue Book suggests you should pay at least $1,500 under sticker.

The interior is clean and workmanlike, a Dodge trademark. The fanciness of the Chrysler interior is traded in here for neat, efficient styling that does the job without pretense. Handling is better than expected, with a tight turning circle and a smooth ride. The outside is pure Dodge, big and bold.

If you’ve got a large family, the Durango offers comfortable seating for seven with substantial cargo space even with all the seats taken. This is a big SUV, but it’s still smaller than much of its full-size competition.

2005 Lexus GX470

The gas mileage for this Lexus is only slightly better than that of the larger Durango. EPA estimates are 15 city, 19 highway from the 4.7-liter, 270 horsepower 32-valve V8 with full time four-wheel-drive and the 5-speed electronic automatic transmission. Base price on mine was an affordable $45,775, but options including the navigation and upgraded audio system, rear seat entertainment system, sport package, third row seat with rear air conditioner and a rear spoiler helped push the out the door cost to $55,698. Again according to Kelley Blue Book, buyers are actually paying about four grand under MSRP for this vehicle.

What do you get for all this? A Lexus, and that’s a lot. This was a car that I was prepared not to like, but on a long trip into the Berkshires, it won me over. I’m sure if I wanted to take it offroad, it would have done well there too, but all I wanted was a spacious luxury sedan equivalent and this job the Lexus filled admirably.

Handling and performance were both top of the class, and comfort was exceptional. Just about every goodie you could ever want was included. I hesitate to mention the navigation system because there really is nothing I could say about it that hasn’t been said already, but it is such a well-designed voice-activated system that I have to at least mention it. Much the same could be said of almost everything else to do with this car.

The only exception would be the third row seating. There is a limit to how many rows of seats can be jammed in to a vehicle, and this is it. While occasional seating of eight is fine, I really don’t see this as normal usage, not least because you lose all your cargo room.

But even then, given that this is a midsize SUV, the additional flexibility is welcome. There is a reason Lexus ranked number one in the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Customer Retention Study, climbing

3.5 percentage from 2004. This is a great product, built almost without compromise, guaranteed to increase your appreciation of the relentless pursuit of perfection.

2005 Toyota 4Runner 4-Door SR5 4x4

Call it evolution. Call it intelligent design. Call it 20 grand less than the Lexus GX470.

That Lexus, believe it or not, is based on the 4Runner platform, but you’d never know it. The difference is more than price. The Lexus is the princess in her private jet, the Toyota a working man taking care of his family. That doesn’t make either better than the other, but they are aimed at different markets, with the amenities to match.

What’s similar is build quality. Both these vehicles are well put together, but the Toyota is, as expected, much plainer and devoid of many of the electronic geegaws that add to the Lexus. The suspension is tuned differently, so the ride is not as luxury-comfortable as the Lexus, but still well within what one would expect in this price range. That price range, by the way, was $32,156 for mine. That included third row seats (same concerns as with the Lexus apply – no cargo space when they’re being used), curtain and side airbags, roof rack and cross bar and more. All this, along with the $565 destination charge, raised the sticker up from the $29,770 MSRP.

For that base price you do get four-wheel-drive, a 4-liter V6 engine with 5-speed automatic transmission, vehicle stability control and traction control, antilock brakes, auto air conditioning, AM/FM/CD player and much more, so you’re not getting a stripped down unit.

Like the Lexus, the Toyota proved itself competent at just about everything, perhaps the reason that in its fourth generation, it is still one of the top selling SUVs. The 4Runner makes a virtue of its plain style, inviting you to take it offroad or batter it without having to worry how it will look in the country club parking lot. My V6 provided enough power (a V8 is also available) at a cost of 17 mpg city, 21 highway according to the EPA.

If you’re going to spring for the Lexus, be my guest. If that’s out of your price range, know the 2005 Toyota 4Runner stacks up very well in that midsize sport ute market. Whatever you do, drive carefully, and watch out for the other guy.

2006 Mazda3 S Touring:Entry level zoom-zoom

2005-12-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

Mazda is the car company that’s paying its Japanese employees to walk to work rather than drive, so one would expect them to, as the Apple ads used to put it, think different. Mazda has never disappointed, with an array of quirky cars with interesting styling – in other words, personality.

Personality, however, is not as easy to achieve when one has to keep the price low. Granted Mazda has always delivered cars that felt like they cost a lot more than the sticker, but a car that costs less than $20 grand, can serve as reliable transportation that you won’t be ashamed to be seen in, and that still has the soul of a sports car is rare indeed. Except on the lots at Mazda dealerships. There you will find the 2006 Mazda Mazda3 S Touring sedan. Unless some smart buyer just snatched the last one up.

If you’re in the market for what some would call an economy car, go get yourself some luxury and sportiness instead and try the Mazda3 S. This is an economy sedan that defies the image of boring, underpowered, barely adequate transportation that its price point might dredge up. For a mere $19,065 on my well-equipped Mazda3 S, I found myself in a car that’s as much fun to throw around corners as many far more acclaimed and far pricier sports sedans.

The Mazda3 is Mazda’s entry level compact car, replacing the Protégé, and you could get it for less than I did by skipping the 2.3 liter Double Overhead Cam 16-valve VVT inline 4-cylinder engine in favor of the base 2.0 liter, but why miss out on the fun. My upmarket S Touring edition with the 2.3 liter engine came in at a base price of $17,615. That included all the basics like air conditioning with a pollen filter, cruise control, power windows and doors, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, a Sirius satellite radio, a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system, advanced dual front airbags and side impact airbags and curtains, antilock brakes with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), anti-theft engine immobilizer, remote keyless entry and much more, including fun.

All this comes in a body that can only be termed stylish – fun and aggressive without being overbearing, all swoopy lines and well-turned angles. The interior, apart from the glow of the electroluminescent instruments (Mazda likes the otherworldly orange look, and so would aliens attracted to the lights of Vegas) is pleasant with controls that are well laid out and intuitive.

Seats are comfortable, with more than enough space for four. According to Mazda, “the interior is longer, wider and taller than any other in its class, offering the most front and rear shoulder room among compact sedans and one of the best in its class for knee room.”

Fit and finish were excellent in the sedan I had. You can tell a lot about what went into a car just by looking at the layout of the dashboard, and the Mazda3’s dash said that lots of thought was just the start. Sure, the Mazda3 looks great outside, but you have to look on that dash every day you drive it, and with this car, that’s no sacrifice. The instruments look good, they feel good, they’re well-designed – again, much more expensive than the sticker is the impression the dash gives you. The cabin is quiet and refined. Build quality, overall, is superb.

There’s lots of storage space. The glove compartment, for example, can hold a laptop computer or 16 DVDs, Mazda claims. I didn’t verify the details, but it did look big. There are the usual cupholders and storage nooks. The trunk could hold a body or two, and the rear seats fold sixty-forty, in case the body you need to dispose of belongs to someone who spent too much time at the deli.

Speaking of the sticker again, by the way, the price I quoted on my test vehicle came after the addition of a power moonroof and in-dash 6-CD changer ($890 total) and delivery charge of $560.

Nor is there a price to pay at the pump. With my slick 5-speed manual transmission, which shares the same short throw as the five-speeds in the MX-5 and the RX-8 sports cars, EPA estimated mileage is 26 city, 32 highway. As if that weren’t enough, the engine is also rated as a PZEV – Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle.

But what about the Zoom-Zoom, you may ask? Rest assured, it is there.

With the five speed manual and the very responsive variable valve engine, the power you need is always there when you need it. Handling is superb, a Mazda hallmark, with tight cornering, good steering response and minimal torque steer. The ride is comfortable but sporty, with the suspension clearly tuned for roadholding, which means it’s stiffer than one normally gets in an economy car. The brakes worked well, although I will tell you they were tested less than I would have expected. Because of the handling characteristics of the Mazda3, one feels so secure in its abilities that one does not hesitate to power out of a situation where in a lesser car, one might choose to stomp hard on the brakes and pray loudly. The chassis feels stiff and strong. The engine puts out 160 horses at 6,500 rpm, with 150 lb.-ft. of torque available at 4,500 rpm.

“The new s Touring and s Grand Touring models offer the value a compact-car buyer demands and the luxury appointments they would expect from a car costing thousands more,” said David Dildy, MAZDA3 vehicle line manager for Mazda North American Operations. Well, he has to say that, it’s his job, but after driving the 2006 Mazda Mazda3 S Touring sedan, I do have to tell you, he’s right.

2006 Hummer H3: Don't put Baby in a corner

2005-12-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

Size is relative. At 6’ 1” and 305 pounds, left defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy is the smallest of the nine men who make up the feared Front Four of the New York Giants defense, if you measure by height. Measure by weight and 6’4”, 268-lb right defensive end Eric Moore is the puniest, by far. Next to a pair of defensive tackles like 6’4”, 325-lb. Fred Robbins or 6’6”, 315-lb Kenderick Allen, either man would look underfed. But next to a 6-ft tall auto columnist who’s forgotten what muscle feels like…let’s just say I know who you’d want on your side in a bar fight.

Remember this when you hear the 2006 Hummer H3 described as a “baby Hummer.” This newest bundle of joy from GM’s youngest division may look puny next to its siblings, but it’s still a Hummer, and that means that small as it looks, it is actually a mid-sized SUV, derived from GM’s Chevy Colorado truck platform.

Small as it may look, however, it is also indisputably a Hummer. The styling cues are all there – the macho faux-military/industrial touches, the squared-off corners, the barely usable gun slits for windows, the louvered front. Yet there is something much more cuddly about this Hummer, something that says more “take me home” than “stay away from me, girlie-man.” Compared to its siblings, the H3 may still look like a bad boy, but this is a bad boy you know you can tame and take home to mother. She’ll get used to the leather and chains.

The barely civilized Hummer H1 was much like Patton wearing khakis instead of camo. Unless your daily commute happened to be along the road to Baghdad Airport, it probably would be a little too much for you. The H2 was like a bodybuilder turned politician in a tuxedo – it looked great, but didn’t quite fit. The muscles still bulged and there were hints that ’roid rage was just around the corner. The H3, on the other hand, is the warrior finally and firmly settled into blue jeans. It can still do almost anything it used to, but it looks forward to coming home instead of going away. If the H1 and H2 were just for the boys, the H3 is tentatively, very tentatively, in touch with its feminine side. This is a Hummer that’s less scary than a Dick Cheney smile.

Yes, I know you’re about ready to reach for your keyboard and send me some hate mail. In the spirit of the season, please don’t. Send me Scotch instead. Glenfiddich 18 if you will.

Whenever I write about an SUV, I know to expect mail from those who think these lumbering beasts should not despoil the face of the planet. Like the Democrats of the last decade or the Republicans now, the writers know they’re right, and will brook no arguments to the contrary. SUVs are largely huge, gas-guzzling, environment-destroying, completely unnecessary objects of disdain that should all be melted down and turned into plowshares or Priuses. To which all I can say is this:

Yo, dudes, chill!

Don’t shoot me, I’m just the piano player. If you’d like a sermon, there are lots on TV Sunday mornings. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to review cars, cars that people drive, cars that people buy, and while every now and then I’ll slip in a reminder that the fate of the planet may well depend on your next shopping trip, my first job is to tell you what I think about how the cars I drive perform. As cars, not as statements. I’m saving the rest for my book.

In the meantime, consumers are voting with their pocketbooks, and while sales of the bigger Hummers, like those of most large SUVs, have plunged precipitously as gas prices have risen, the H3 is doing a yeoman’s job of trying to save the Hummer brand. Taking a specialty item like the original Humvee mass market is no small feat, especially when the times suddenly conspire against you. The original H1 was a symbol of our stunning success in Desert Storm and basked in that glow. As the bodies pile up now in Iraq even higher than the ever-changing justifications for a war as poorly run as any in our recent history, so too the oversized power and might and master of the universe hubris of the H1 and its successor, the H2, seem woefully out of step with the new Zeitgeist.

Brought to market as an outsize representation of the American dream, it was Hummer’s destiny to see projected on it all that people felt was best and worst about SUVs, and about a nation where relatively cheap fuel – unless you count the cost in the lives – meant fuel economy and environmental impact were very secondary considerations to size and strength. For a while, that was good for Hummer.

Times have changed.

As we downsize our ambitions abroad and our fuel bill at home grows, GM’s and Hummer’s good fortune it is to have the downsized H3 on its lots. This is the first Hummer that comes with a reasonable fuel economy rating, and inside, this is easily the best looking, most comfortable Hummer ever. And that’s not just damning with faint praise. With the H3, Hummer finally has a vehicle capable of competing with the Grand Cherokees and Explorers, and at a very good price.

Let’s talk gas mileage first. The H3 comes with the Vortec 3.5-liter, double overhead cam inline 5-cylinder engine. If you’re looking for the mightiest powerplant on the planet, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for a respectable engine that will give you decent fuel economy, if not great towing capacity, welcome.

My H3 came with the optional four-speed automatic transmission, and EPA mileage estimates are 16 city and 19 highway, using regular gas. With the 5-speed standard transmission, mileage goes up to 20 highway. No, these are not Honda Civic numbers, but they’re adequate for a midsize SUV. The downside is that the 200 horses and 225 lb-ft. of torque mean the maximum towing capacity is a relatively low 4,500 pounds. Acceleration was good overall, although the engine didn’t seem quite as powerful as others in its class. There are always trade-offs, but the H3’s handling overall was surprisingly good, a good compromise between responsive and docile.

The biggest surprise for the H3 though was inside. No, visibility out those windows isn’t any better, but the interior seemed much more luxury vehicle than heavy off-roader. Fit and finish were very good, proving GM can do it when it wants to. The design was elegant, with controls easy to reach, to use and to understand. Overall, if you’re used to GM’s old practice of sticking the same cheap-looking plastic on every dashboard, you’ll be thrilled by the look of the H3. Seating for four was comfortable, in a cabin that was very spacious but much warmer than a H1’s.

Despite the comfort and convenience, the H3 has not forgotten its roots. Come the invasion by the UN, you’ll be able to take this deep into the forest and evade the black helicopters. As GM explains, “Among its off-road capabilities, the H3 can ford 16 inches of water at 20 mph or 24-inch streams at a 5-mph pace, climb 16-inch vertical steps and rocks, make its way through deep sand and race over sandy surfaces.”

There was a lot more to that, but you get the drift. Like the Staple Singers, the H3 will take you there. Wherever “there” is.

Oh, did I say the biggest surprise about the H3 was the inside? I lied. The biggest surprise on my H3 WAS on the inside, but only because they’d already removed the sticker. My H3, all-wheel-drive, naturally, with OnStar, traction control, dual front airbags, auto headlamp control, fogs, tire pressure monitor, air conditioning, cruise control and a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD player all standard came in with a base price of $28,935.

My dolled up H3 added leather heated power seats, a 7-speaker Monsoon sound system, Homelink, the previously mentioned automatic transmission with stability control, an off-road suspension package including an electronically controlled full locking rear differential and specially tuned shocks, a chrome appearance package designed to dazzle your enemies should they dare look at you in the sunshine, a huge power sunroof, XM satellite radio, trailer hitch and wiring harness, brush guard and running boards all for $38,785, including the $565 destination charge.

All in all, the baby Hummer has turned out to be the sales giant of the family for good reason. The 2006 Hummer H3 is a comfortable, well-priced, competent and definitely distinctive mid-size SUV. Who says an old soldier can’t change.

2005 Scion xA: Affordable quality

2005-12-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

The teenage princess called the 2005 Scion xA 5-door a clown car, and with good reason. Remember back before PETA when you went to the circus and watched all the clowns stuff themselves into a VW Bug or the equivalent? We did pretty much the same thing, except that in lieu of clowns, we stuffed the entire contents of her dorm room into the back of the Scion. She owes me ten bucks on the deal too, having been silly enough to bet that I wouldn’t be able to get everything inside the deceptively small-looking Scion.

I just wished I’d gotten her mother to put some money down as well. A few of those bets and I’d have enough to buy the Scion.

By now, everyone knows the Scion story, but I’ll repeat it anyway. Scion is Toyota’s attempt to infiltrate the youth market by creating vehicles that have the reliability and equipment the spoilt little brats have come to expect at a price they can afford once they’ve gotten out of college and have to stop sponging off Mom and Dad.

I can’t believe I even got that sentence out. They never stop sponging off Mom and Dad. That reminds me, I have to call my mother now…

Anyway, given that they’re not going to stop sponging off you, the next best thing is to reduce the bleeding from your wallet, and that the Scion does well. My Spectra Blue Mica Scion xA was a limited edition Release Series 2.0 (the techie numbering clearly screamed “youth” to the Toyota marketers). That meant it was individually numbered and had shiny chrome number plates and individually numbered xA Release Series badging. It also had said Spectra Blue Mica exterior paint with color-tuned (whatever that means) dark charcoal fabric, sports grille, a rear spoiler, fog lights, a blue interior LED light kit and Release Series carpeted floor mats with cargo mats. All that added a hefty $1,035 to the price. The only other option on my car was a $650 package, which included driver and front passenger seat bolster side impact airbags and overhead front and rear side curtain airbags. Add in a $515 delivery, processing and handling fee and the cost of my 2005 Scion xA 5-door Release Series 2.0 was a whopping $15,530.

Even a reporter can afford that! And they throw in a full tank of gas, now worth almost $14,306.87 in some states!

Hyperbole aside, the Scion is clearly a great deal. It seats four comfortably with seatbelts for five, if you want to try stuffing the clowns in. The rear seats split 60/40, have adjustable headrests like the front seats, and fold down easily for all that cargo space.

The Scion may not be trade bait for Mercedes S-class owners, but for what it is, it is perfectly adequate, and that’s perfect. Toyota didn’t try to make more of the Scion than they needed to, didn’t try to add flash at the expense of substance to seduce the unwary. No, what they did is build a very good entry level car at a great price, and people have been flocking to the showrooms to buy them.

If you listen to the teenage princess, it’s not the looks. She’s not quite captivated by the Scion. Actually, the nicest word she had for it was ugly. But it is interesting, and that’s how Toyota has successfully marketed it.

Good marketing, however, is useless without a good product, and that’s where the interior of the Scion shines. Again, it is a car that knows what it is and what it has to do, and doesn’t strain itself reaching beyond that. The 1.5-liter 4-cylinder, 16-valve double overhead cam engine won’t make you long for the speedway at Indy, but it gets you up to 80, I mean 55, on the Merritt with ease, and gets you off the line when the light changes. The four-speed automatic transmission does its job, governing the power to the 15” wheels. The front suspension is supposedly sport tuned independent MacPherson struts, with a torsion beam rear suspension - no James Bond cornering, but it does the job.

That $13,330 base price gets you comfortable sport fabric (that means cloth, not leather) front bucket seats, driver and front passenger dual stage airbags, air conditioning, tilt steering, power door locks and windows and a first aid kit, among other things. Adding to the fabulous quotient is the standard 160-watt Pioneer AM/FM/CD player with 6-speakers, prewired for satellite. The instruments are all well laid out. The speedometer/tachometer cluster is center mounted, but instead of being some shuzzy distraction (yes, I made up one of those words), it works, somehow falling perfectly into the driver’s line of sight.

For the most part, you can avert your eyes when you see gas stations. I drove the Scion xA for a week, and despite the fact the cheapest regular gas I could find was about $3.20 a gallon, I spent a mere $27 on gasoline. I liked that. At those prices, the kids can afford to drive back home and ask you for money.

The EPA mileage estimate for the Scion xA is 31 city, 38 highway. It comes with a 36-month/36,000-mile comprehensive warranty, plus 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage and a 5-year body panel corrosion perforation warranty.

Overall, the Scion xA is a comfortable car to drive, with enough space for both passengers and cargo. You can walk out of the showroom with one for $15,000, and given Toyota’s quality reputation, know you won’t be spending much on repairs in the years to come. The Scion may not be the first thing a Porsche-loving princess thinks of, but it may well be the first car she buys.

2005 Corvette Z51: America at its best

2005-12-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

I’m not quite sure when it happened, when we reached what Malcolm Gladwell calls the tipping point, when we began to accept American goods as inferior and American technology as bloated and unreliable.

That certainly wasn’t how we felt after World War II, when the country that had saved the world basically ruled the free world. We had confidence then, and courage, and sent soldiers to college, rebuilt Western Europe and had no doubt we were the future, Khrushchev’s banging shoe notwithstanding.

Even after Kennedy won the Presidency with his mythical missile gap, we still dared to pay any price, bear any burden for freedom. We were not afraid, for example, to go to the moon, not because it was easy, but because it was hard.

But slowly, that confidence ebbed, that can-do spirit diminished. Perhaps it began with our failure in Vietnam, when we realized that despite all our power, we could not remake the world anew. Slowly, Sony went from an object of derision as a maker of cheap, cheap-sounding transistor radios to an object of desire for its exquisite machines. Japan’s cars followed, with Honda and Toyota becoming synonymous with quality, while, as with electronics companies, American auto companies increasingly looked like aged dinosaurs, unable to compete on aught but price.

NASA raised our spirits to the moon, then we watched in abject humiliation as incredibly expensive and over-budget space shuttles first proved near useless, then worse. When NASA tried to send a ship to Mars, it crashed and burned because somehow people had screwed up English and metric measurements. When NASA tried to grab stardust, sending a ship out to scoop a comet and back to Earth, it plummeted to its death because somehow someone had put a switch in upside down. Therein lies a metaphor.

Now the country that kicked Iraq out of Kuwait can’t secure the victory there; the nation that always responds to disasters elsewhere watches in horror as a hurricane turns New Orleans into some Third World backwater. When Afghanistan offers you aid, you’re in trouble.

And all the while, we watch this on our Asian-made televisions in homes to which we drove in our Asian or German cars. Like the government in a disaster, American automotive technology couldn’t be trusted anymore.

But, as historian Arthur Schlesinger pointed out a while back, history runs in cycles. Motorola may no longer be known as the maker of TV sets, but they make the best cell phones in the business. Boeing, long bashed by Airbus and its government subsidies, has suddenly returned to its accustomed place in aviation. And Coca-Cola’s only real competition is Pepsi.

So too with automobiles. The American consumer may still need some convincing, as witness the employee discount programs needed to lure them into the showrooms of domestic car makers, but they’ll get it. Given the innovativeness now being shown with consistency by American car makers, and given the much improved quality of American cars, the pendulum will swing back our way. Our time is once again coming.

Cars like the 2005 Chevy Corvette are leading the way. This is a technological tour de force that happens to be an incredible driving experience. Like almost nothing save the Mustang and the Jeep, the Corvette has long been an American icon. This 2005 model with the Z51 package says to a waiting world: Eat my dust!

Start with the looks. This sixth-generation Corvette is five inches shorter than the 2004 version, but has just as much usable space. That length and its taut, sculpted lines, as well as the corner jewel headlights, give the Vette a sophisticated appearance that while it never loses that air of muscular menace adds unmistakable beauty.

Put it this way, if you wanted to pick a car for James Bond to drive, the Vette would be a perfect choice.

Inside, the Corvette surprises again. Handling is the expected supercar quality, but comfort is luxury sedan style. Seats are supportive, so that when you check the head’s-up display projected on the windshield for how many g’s you’re pulling – yes, it tells you that and I had a blast throwing the Vette into corners as hard as I could to make that accelerometer climb as high as possible – you do it bolstered by great wings that hold you in place. That head’s-up display also included a tachometer and speedometer, so you never really had to look on the dash, but when you did, you weren’t too upset. The instruments and controls really are well laid out and easy to use, but not quite up to the rest of this Corvette.

This Corvette is easily the best ever made, but after a few minutes on the road, that’s not how you’ll measure it. You’ll start comparing it to the European supercars that are far more expensive both to buy and to own. It’s almost impossible to believe that, equipped with its removable roof panel for open air motoring, the Corvette comes in at $43,710. My car also had many options, adding many airbags, displays, heated seats, premium sound a lot more as part of the $4,360 preferred equipment group. The Z51 performance package was only $1,695, and included larger cross-drilled brake rotors and performance tuned tires, stabilizer bars, springs, shocks and gear ratios. With OnStar and XM, my silver metallic Corvette topped out at $51,585.

That was a bargain, considering that in a week I got at least a hundred grand worth of fun out of the Vette. The standard 6-liter sequential V8, well, I’m tearing up just thinking of how good that sounded, and how it felt even better. The six-speed manual transmission was a joy to shift, but my favorite was trying to break the grip of those big tires (18” front, 19” rear) in curves. I was never able to, but would gladly spend the rest of my life trying.

A sad few may think of Corvettes only as a car in which to pick up members of the opposite sex. Drivers know the truth, and drivers who’ve driven the 2005 Corvette with the Z51 package – and here that’s me – can testify that with this iteration of its flagship sportster, Chevrolet has produced a car that takes a back seat to none. Its 400 not-quite-tamed horses comfortably take you on a journey you never want to end. The V8 will take you places from which your license will never return if a cop sees you (providing he’s in an F-16 and can catch you), and probably quite reliably, given its design. Fit and finish are as fine as you would expect in a top line luxury car. Even gas won’t be too bad, with EPA estimated mileage of 18 city, 28 highway.

And the ride, oh lord, the ride… America’s back!

2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon: That's big

2005-12-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

On the down side, this not being the New York Times, my editors do not allow me to simply make up entire columns, or even portions of one. They won’t even let me use anonymous quotes from unidentified sources, preferring to stick with old-fashioned concepts like “facts.” This explains why I have not yet won my Pulitzer.

On the upside, I don’t have to worry about going to jail, at least not until they start imprisoning people for crimes against the English language. Jail isn’t my idea of fun. For one thing, I’m too pretty. For another, unless you’re Diana Ross in Greenwich, they won’t let you order in your own food.

But, just as with Judith Miller and the New York Times, questions about my sources seem to be especially popular with readers. Which dealers, they ask, give you these cars, and don’t you then owe them something? That’s usually followed by, “Can I have your job?”

The answers to the latter question and the latter half of the first question are the same: No. But that doesn’t mean the question isn’t important (the first one, at least) and deserving of an answer.

Let’s debunk a popular myth first. The Hour Newspapers does NOT buy me a new car every week. I know readers, especially Hour employees, may find this hard to believe, but the publisher has refused to give me the expense account I need.

So how do I get cars? The old-fashioned way – I hotwire them. Oops, there’s that prospect of jail again.

Seriously though, most established auto columnists get their cars from the auto companies themselves. Ford or GM or DaimlerChrysler or Toyota or any other automaker isn’t going to give a car to just anyone for a week, but if you know the secret handshake and have the special decoder ring, they deliver cars to you each week so you can tell the world about them. Without the handshake and the ring, you have to convince them by virtue of having clips and an affiliation with some reputable publication – or The Hour – that you really do have enough of a readership to justify their sending expensive pieces of machinery to your driveway and saying go have fun for a week.

Why do they do this? Because they want you to buy their cars, and everyone knows free media (that’s what those old-fashioned newspaper people call “news”) is more valuable than paid media (normally called “advertising,” or “The Apprentice”). People tend to trust what they read in the “news,” even when it’s in the New York Times, so car companies are willing to send me their latest symbol of upward mobility in the hope that I’ll have something nice to say about it and you’ll spend your hard-earned dollars buying it.

The fact that it’s a car company sending you the car makes it so much easier if you have to say something bad about it. It’s not like having to report that your next door neighbor was caught stealing Dan Malloy posters. You’re dealing with huge, faceless corporations, not an auto dealer you may run into at the next Rotary meeting. This is much less personal, and even for heartless reporters, less anxiety-inducing.

But, you may ask, don’t car companies exert control by virtue of their advertising budget? Don’t they want you to write only nice things? The real world answer is that they could try, but usually choose not to. The few times they’ve thrown a snit, as with pulling ads from the LA Times, the result has been so counterproductive as to remind them why the wall between advertising and editorial serves both sides.

Frankly, I’m not going to be able to convince you to look at a car unless you think I’m giving you my unbiased opinion. Now I could tell you that my personal integrity would guarantee you no less, but one look at the New York Times (sorry, but don’t you just love bashing Mr. Perfect when he’s down) tells you that personal integrity could crumble when attacked by the right weapon.

No, your best guarantee of an accurate, unbiased review is that that’s what the car companies want you to have, because otherwise, all the money they spent getting the car to me and having me bash it into immovable objects would have been wasted. Of course they’d like that accurate, unbiased review to be filled with nice things about their cars, but if they’re not, that’s just a cost of doing business.

If I’ve done this right, you should now understand not just how we get cars, but why this column is at least as trustworthy as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, if not as funny. Now on to the car of the week:

2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon

At $43,410 fully loaded, the Dodge Ram Power Wagon isn’t cheap. With my gas mileage barely making it into double figures, this truck doesn’t promise to be cheap to operate either. But if what you’re looking for is a mixture of on- and off-road capability, towing capacity, comfort and a 5.7-liter V8 Hemi to take you as far as that tank will let you go with best-in-class acceleration, this is a truck you should consider.

Normally this kind of gas mileage would rule out a vehicle for everyday use, but the Power Wagon is an extremely specialized vehicle, even for a 4x4. I’m no truck maven, but one look at that front electric winch with its 12,000-lb. front electric winch and 33”-tires, the largest tires on any production truck (hint: get the running boards) and you know this is a truck built for business.

The Power Wagon has a running height of 14.5 inches, and an approach angle of 35 degrees; the departure angle is 26.5 degrees and the breakover angle is 25.5 degrees. This gives the Dodge Ram Power Wagon significant clearance for navigating a variety of off-road trails, especially when tackling severe inclines and declines.

“The Dodge Ram Power Wagon is built for extreme off-road conditions, but will attract a wide variety of buyers,” said Darryl Jackson, Vice President, Dodge Marketing. “In addition to extreme off-roaders, Dodge Ram Power Wagon will be used in agricultural and forestry applications, and by enthusiasts in extreme recreational situations or on their daily drive route."

Those who are much more knowledgeable about trucks than I am love the Dodge Ram Power Wagon. Four Wheeler Magazine named it its 2005 Pick-Up Truck of the Year.

The Hemi gives you 345 horses and 375 lb-ft. of torque, handled by a 5-speed automatic. The truck is fast, with an extremely firm suspension, but the fact that it’s filled with luxuries like a navigation system, premium sound, all leather and much more is much more about making the ride to the worksite comfortable than about giving in and becoming a yuppie (remember that term) pick-up truck. This is a working truck, and one that’s especially useful if work takes you off-road. My regular cab (it is also available as a Quad cab) had an 8-foot cargo box capable of holding about 75 cubic feet of stuff. Cargo width is about five and a half feet, with the tailgate opening being just over five feet. Towing capacity is about 11,000 pounds.

Dodge gave the Ram Power Wagon enough safety features to match its horsepower. Included are a side curtain air bag system and power adjustable pedals , a standard anti-lock braking system (ABS), pretensioning and constant-force seat belt retractors, the largest brakes in its class and 17-inch wheels. Also standard are next-generation multistage driver and front-passenger air bags. The passenger side air bag may be turned off on regular cab Dodge Ram Power Wagons to accommodate child seats. The all-new 2005 Dodge Ram Power Wagon also includes standard Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) child seat anchorage system. The LATCH system works in conjunction with the standard child seat tether anchors to make it easier to attach child seats.

The Power Wagon is based on the Ram 2500 SLT 4x4, which starts at $29,750 if your pocketbook won’t stretch to cover the Power Wagon, or if your needs aren’t extreme. But as it did with the 300C, Chrysler has once again come up with a vehicle worthy of a distinguished name. After 25 years, once again astride the land is a Dodge Ram Power Wagon, and once again, it is as capable an off-road production pick-up as you will find.

Quick Spins: 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6, 2006 Chrysler 300C

2005-12-28T15:48:00.000-05:00

As September ends and autumn’s splendor unfolds before us in turning leaves and morning chill, an auto reviewer’s fancy normally turns to the next group of cars to be rolled out, bearing the appellation of a calendar year still months away. But unlike Costco, Stop & Shop and Linens and Things, all of which have earned the undying wrath of this reviewer for their massive displays of Christmas merchandise long before the Harvest moon shed light on the autumnal equinox, we choose to look back, not ahead, and savor some of what brought us joy, a commodity all too fleeting in this year of pain and sorrow.

It’s also a great way to catch up on my backlog of cars to be reviewed, but that’s much less poetic.

In any event, our look back on the auto year begins this week with two cars we reviewed in a previous iteration within the year previous. Both have come out with new, improved models that really are new and improved. If you didn’t listen to us the first time we told you about them, we’re giving you a second chance.

Don’t blow it.

2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6

The sleek, boat-tailed baby of Chrysler’s performance fleet had already made a good impression the first time around. Based on the last version of the Mercedes SLK roadster, the Crossfire offered an American take on a relatively affordable two-seater. While the Crossfire was no all-out sports car, it came close enough while maintaining an easy drivability in Summer Street rush hour traffic to make it a more than competitive alternative to its European cousins. The design pushed it over the top, all swoops and curves and that rounded rear that evoked America’s Art Deco past while hurtling Chrysler back into a future as a world class automaker.

Perhaps the weakest point was the engine. With 215 horses coming from the 3.2 liter V-6, power was fine for the most part, but the car still looked faster than it was. Now promise has become performance. Chrysler’s Street Racing and Technology team (SRT, did you notice?) has worked its magic, and this hand-built, intercooled, supercharged 3.2 liter V-6 (that’s the 6 in SRT-6) rumbles up to a massive 330 horsepower . According to Chrysler, this first Chrysler to sport the SRT badge goes from 0 to 60 in the low five seconds (Chrysler also says it does the sprint in “about five seconds”), 0 to 100 to 0 in under 16 seconds, and brakes from 60 to 0 in approximately 115 ft.

Yahoo!

All this power is managed by an upgraded five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick. As an aged purist, I would have preferred a fully manual option, but I have no complaints about the automatic’s performance.

The new version also comes with SRT-tuned suspension, benchmark braking system and race-bred exterior and interior refinements.

“The Crossfire SRT6 has proven itself on and off the track as one of the most pleasingly balanced performance vehicles ever produced by SRT,” said Jeff Bell, Vice President – Chrysler, Chrysler Group. “From its awesome supercharged V-6 engine — the only forced-induction powerplant offered by SRT — to its race-bred chassis, benchmark braking system and performance-oriented exterior and interior refinements, the 2006 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 offers all-around performance in a unique package for the Chrysler brand.”

My Crossfire was, alas, the coupe (I love convertibles), but that scarcely mattered as its performance lived up to that balance the Chrysler big guys speak of. Handling and the newly-tuned suspension are clearly more aggressive than in the original Crossfire. The ride also seemed sportier and stiffer, but not uncomfortably so. Chrysler said understeer is also reduced as compared with the original Crossfire, but my memory isn’t good enough to verify that.

Inside, subtle SRT-6 embroidered headrests top supportive racing-inspired seats. The interior, like that of the original Crossfire, is classic without being boring, but the most important thing for me was that 200 mph speedometer. Being a law-abiding citizen with at least half a brain left and no track access while I had the Crossfire SRT-6, I couldn’t test the high end of that speedometer. Given the driving characteristics of the German-built Crossfire SRT-6, I have no doubt it will handle quite well at the upper end of its range. That, by the way, is an electronically limited top speed of 158 mph.

The Crossfire runs on premium gas with an EPA mileage rating of 17/25 city/highway. It starts in the mid-40’s for the coupe, about $50K for the roadster, competitive with fellow Teutonic two-seaters like the Porsche Boxster S.

In addition to the SRT-6 badging, this Crossfire also features a chin spoiler and a fixed rear spoiler that actually adds to the beauty of an already attractive design. It encapsulates what the engineers and designers at Chrysler have done with the 2005 Crossfire SRT-6 coupe – taken a good thing and made it better.

2006 Chrysler 300C

Yes, it’s still got the hemi, and it still has the street cred. The Chrysler 300C is a runaway hit by any measure, and deservedly so. Introduced in Spring 2004 as a 2005 model, the 300C instantly became known for its combination of menacing styling, interior space and luxury and rear-wheel-drive performance at a fabulous price. If ever a car were underpriced, the 300C was it, and consumers knew it. For anyone who loved driving but also loved to take their family along, this spacious sedan proved that if your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme.

I’m tearing up thinking how many dreams came true at Chrysler dealerships. Given the way the 300C tore off the lot, some of those dreams belonged to the dealers, the salespeople and the accountants. But who cares. The 300C was a definite win-win.

As before, the 300C is good old rear-wheel-drive, although an all-wheel-drive option is available. The engine is the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine, with cylinder deactivation for fuel economy, mated to the five-speed transmission, silky smooth and with all the power any Soprano would need to cart a whole bunch of golf bags, or anything else, in the roomy trunk and drop them off on some farm far, far away - long before anyone noticed. Even Ralphie Cifaretto could get ahead in the 300C.

Immaculate interior and exterior styling, superb handling, a comfortable yet responsive ride and that great price earned the 300C our Car of the Year award last year, and we’ve had no second thoughts.

“The beautiful styling and incredible performance of the Chrysler 300 created a package unlike any other in the marketplace,” said Jeff Bell, Vice President – Chrysler. “We are honored and proud of the recognition we have received for the Chrysler 300 and we plan to continue to delight our customers for the 2006 model year.”

Some younger customers will no doubt be delighted by the new DVD entertainment system. Back seat monitors allow the youngsters to thrill themselves playing video games, watching DVDs, listening to CDs, MP3s, Sirius satellite or just plain old radio. Mom or Dad behind the wheel will be thrilled to be able to concentrate on the driving enjoyment the 2006 300C offers.

EPA mileage is 17/25 with rear wheel drive, 17/24 with all-wheel drive. The 300C prefers mid-grade unleaded, but will accept regular.

The 2006 Chrysler 300C sedan refines the formula of the 2005 model, offering great value in an elegantly styled, luxurious, high-performance large car.

2006 Acura MDX: Queen of suburbia

2005-12-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

A quick look around the parking lot of any suburban mall reveals the obvious: the Acura MDX has replaced the Lexus RX as the new Jeep, that is, the transportation of choice for a certain type of attractive suburban mother too restrained for a Suburban, for whom a car is just too little, and a minivan, too…too.

It’s easy to see why. Like most Hondas and Acuras, the 2005 Acura MDX 5-Door Touring R&N is exquisitely tasteful, both in looks and in handling. My test model with its steel blue metallic exterior and ebony interior merited no second look, a plus for a certain segment of the population. At the supermarket or at the country club, you will fit in almost unnoticed in the MDX.

If you detect a certain barely-disguised edge in these remarks, you’d be half right. The MDX evokes emotions varying between grudging admiration and overwhelming ennui. Like the Acura RL, this is a superbly designed vehicle that is a standout in its class, but somehow never manages to inspire what its incredibly exciting stablemate, the TL, does so easily: sheer joy in driving.

Still, having just clocked hours of driving each day for the past few days ferrying the princess back and forth to visit various colleges – hated Williams, loved Amherst, on the fence about Connecticut College – the MDX’s forte – an overwhelming competence – is not so easily overlooked. Again like most Hondas and Acuras, this is a vehicle on which you can depend, day and night, in all kinds of weather. You may not feel the urge to throw it into corners, but neither do you dread pulling out of the garage, nor are you ever concerned that you won’t make it back.

In between, the journey most resembles an extended vacation taken at a string of big chain hotels. Nothing surprises, but that is why we stay at chains. We know the rooms won’t be too small, the bed too lumpy, the décor too garish. We know the phones will work, we’ll have Internet access and the front desk clerk will smile. There’s an awful lot to be said for that. Excitement and astonishment may be good on that special vacation, but no weary road warrior wants an exploding volcano in her living room.

That’s kind of what it’s like with the Acura MDX: you know what you came for and that’s what you’ll get. At $44,345 for my fully equipped test car, the MDX may be a little rich for the Motel 6 crowd, and not exclusive enough for those who prefer the Ritz, but for the vast majority in the middle, it’s priced and it performs just right. Just check the parking lots and see the votes for the MDX.

Since we’re stretching the hotel analogy way past any reasonable limits, let’s touch on that price again. Remember those days when you’d go to a hotel, your room bill would be x dollars, but make a phone call, look at the minibar, or even take too deep a breath of the hotel’s air and suddenly your bill had ballooned way past any resemblance to what you’d originally expected? Buying a car has been like that for too long.

You’d go to the lot, test-drive the car, look at the sticker, figured what you could afford and decide to buy. But then came the extras. There’d be so much for a radio you could actually hear, non-plastic seats cost extra, the windshield would be a slight add-on charge and an engine was an extra-cost option. You’d leave the dealership, whether or not you’d bought the car, feeling used, abused and distrusting of the entire experience. No wonder you put off buying the next car.

One hopes the automakers’ experiment with fixed pricing (the employee discount program) has opened their eyes. We don’t go haggling at Costco, and we don’t have to triple check our bills at Tiffany. We shouldn’t have to do that when we buy a car. A pleasant buying experience means more repeat buyers.

But until we’re sure Detroit gets the message, we’ll sing Acura’s praises. The only extra on the MDX’s invoice was the $570 destination charge (Why do we need a destination charge anyway? We’re already there!). Anyway, that $570 brought the price up to the previously mentioned $44,345. That includes everything from the all-wheel-drive system, to three rows of seats (the third row for very little people), multiple safety systems, a navigation system with excellent voice recognition and a rearview camera, a DVD rear entertainment system with a 7” display and wireless headsets, moonroof, super sound system, auto headlights, fogs, 17” wheels, rain-sensing wipers, power everything, OnStar and XM. All this is included in standard equipment, giving you one number to be concerned with and probably lowering the cost overall.

Now I know some people will say I should have a choice, I should be able to pick what I want and leave the rest. Well, you’re entitled to be misguided, and you can do that if you want to, but I love Acura’s all-in-one pricing.

As for the MDX itself, how does it rate as a vehicle? To repeat myself, competence, not excitement is the key here. Probably the only obvious downside to the MDX is that it only comes with a 3.5-liter, 24-valve V6. There is no 8-cylinder engine available as with others in its class. But at a time when gas prices are hovering around $3 per gallon and our brave servicepeople are dying daily in the Middle East to ensure the continued availability of oil, we should probably be happy about that. Fuel economy is a relatively good for its class 17 city/23 highway according to the EPA, and the engine is, like many Honda engines, peppy and satisfying if not overwhelmingly powerful.

The engine, like the smooth 5-speed automatic transmission, is Japanese. The MDX is assembled in Ontario, Canada, and 65% of its parts are U.S. or Canadian. The size is all North American. This is a vehicle designed for the expansive American market, and by expansive, I mean fat.

Sitting in the MDX brings back no memories of early Civics. These seats are well-engineered to accommodate the American rear, providing comfort and support to a variety of physiques. Again, as with most Honda-designed cars, controls are so intuitive, you get behind the wheel and can figure out almost anything without ever having to refer to the manual. Visibility is top of the line, though after a little practice, you’ll enjoy using the rear view camera as you back up to see how close you can come to the car behind you without touching. The front two rows of seats are easily accessible, though the third row should be considered for emergencies and small children. Cargo space, helped by easily folded seats, is plentiful. Passenger safety is tops as rated by crash test results.

Handling and ride comfort are very good for an SUV. The MDX is, after all, a car-based vehicle and largely handles like one. It is not an off-roader, but its 8-inch ground clearance allows it to handle most obstacles.

We do hope Acura does a major design refresh soon. The MDX did supplant the RX as the RX supplanted the Jeep after Lexus and Jeep stayed too long with a design that then grew long in the tooth. The MDX’s design seems much less fresh than it used to, but overall, unless you need offroad capability or Porsche-like excitement, the MDX still gets a strong yes.

2006 Lincoln Zephyr: A fresh breeze

2005-12-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

Someone at Ford must have a wicked sense of humor. Given that so many of Detroit’s recent troubles have a link with the East – consumers preferring cars from Far East countries like Japan or Korea; and rising oil prices from the Middle East, partially fueled by increasing demand from China, killing SUV sales – basing the invited media for an important new product launch at the deluxe Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manhattan seems almost in your face. But that’s not the attitude at Ford these days, and they think that’s not the feeling in the country either. So they told members of the press invited to last week’s press unveil of a brand new product with a very old name: the Lincoln Zephyr.

“We think this is the right time to not be in everyone’s face,” said Lincoln Mercury President Al Giambetti, “to not be so bold.” To a nation wearied by six years of Texan bravado and braggadocio, Lincoln Mercury, a company whose face was once the very bold and very big Navigator, is offering a quiet alternative, a very East Coast “understated elegance.” Instead of massive testosterone and horsepower, the Lincoln executives offered the assembled members of the press formerly foreign words like “fuel efficiency,” “value” and “build quality.”

This talk, this tone, was centered on a very special vehicle for the new Lincoln Mercury: The Lincoln Zephyr. The Zephyr may not be a huge seller in terms of numbers – Lincoln’s Marcus Oliveira said they were projecting sales of about 30,000 Zephyrs – but it is of prime importance for the future of the once distinguished Lincoln Mercury name.

“It is time for Lincoln to get ready for its future,” Mr. Giambetti said. “The Zephyr gives them (car buyers) an opportunity to get into the luxury segment…this vehicle gives us an opportunity to play where we haven’t played before.

“This should bring in a lot of new customers to the Lincoln brand.”

The foundation on which these hopes are being placed is the first entry-level luxury sedan offered by Lincoln in a long time. The Lincoln Zephyr is a midsize, five-passenger sedan, front wheel-drive, with a six-speed automatic transmission and for now, the 221-horsepower, 3-liter Duratec V6 powering the 17” wheels.

The Zephyr name itself reflects the division’s aspirations for the automobile. The original Zephyr was introduced in 1936 at a starting price of $1,400, while the Lincoln Model K cost $4,200. This broadened the market for luxury sedans, and while the new Zephyr is not opening its own market, it does offer what Oliveira called a “value proposition in a luxury application” that Lincoln thinks is likely “to attract a new generation of buyers.”

Let’s translate all that, shall we. You’re probably sitting there laughing at the thought of Lincoln attracting a new generation of buyers, or any generation not currently or soon to be resident in a cemetery, so let’s deal with that first. Lincoln expects to sell this car to thirty-somethings. It’s doable.

It wasn’t very long ago that Lincoln was selling lots of Navigators and Cadillac was the dying brand. I remember the tales of woe back then, some written by this very scribe. Things change fast given a few hot products, and Lincoln intends to introduce at least five new models over four years to keep momentum going.

You do need something to get you started, to get yourself in the mindspace of active buyers. Zephyr Brand Manager Gary Barham said many focus groups hours went into finding out what it would take to get the desired customers to try a Lincoln, and beyond a good car, a good deal (my interpretation, not his) was what it would take.

By that I don’t mean 50% off sales, but the kind of easily understood pricing and good value that would make consumers relaxed and comfortable with what they were getting. To that end, Lincoln priced the Zephyr at $29,660 (including $695 destination) to start, topping off fully loaded at $35,240. Standard equipment includes anti-lock brakes, traction assist, side airbags and side air curtains, gorgeous wood trim, six-disc CD stereo system, dual climate control, leather seats (power front and driver memory) and more. There are only six options, including a 14-speaker, 600-watt THX-II Certified audio system, DVD navigation, HID headlamps, chrome (replacing aluminum) wheels, cooled seats and a power moonroof. The one I had lacked only the moonroof and came in at $33,145, including destination. Seems like a good deal to me.

Lincoln seeks to represent “American Luxury.” I can’t resist pointing out, with just a tiny smirk, that for American car consumers, entry-level luxury means buying Japanese. The Acura TL, Infiniti G35 and Lexus ES 330 are among the main perceived competition for the Zephyr. Still smirking, I’ll point out that Lincoln’s bid to beat them is being built atop the Mazda 6 platform.

Of course, that’s not as strange as it may seem. In order to keep costs low in a viciously competitive market, most car companies try to leverage their platform investment by building as many models as possible on the same platform. After all, Acura, Infiniti and Lexus models have much in common with their Honda, Nissan and Toyota stablemates.

No, given a good basic platform, which the Mazda 6 assuredly is, the question is what you do with it. Lincoln has chosen to reject the bold styling that brought success to Chrysler’s 300C or Cadillac’s entire car line in favor of something far less edgy. The Lincoln bloodlines are clearly there, but this is a sedan designed for those who’d never dream of slipping into the front seat of that Town Car. It is not, however, a car for those who think end zone celebrations are the highlight of the football game. As the Lincoln executives repeatedly reminded us, understated elegance is Lincoln’s game.

Please bear in mind that all my impressions are based on a three-hour drive, half of which was spent as a passenger, so they are basically first impressions. The good news for Lincoln is that those first impressions are mostly good.

Interior design is clean and elegant, highlighted in my test car by gorgeous polished maple wood accents. Instruments were clear and understandable, controls easy to use. The navigation system deserves special mention. The touch-screen DVD-based system responded quickly, was intuitive and had some little touches, like automatic centering, that really were fresh and helpful.

The seats, at least in front where I rode, were well-designed and comfortable, as attested to by the fact that both I and my co-driver felt the need to close our eyes and drift off when we were in the passenger seat. For those familiar with the Mazda 6 platform, welcome news is that Lincoln stretched the interior to provide noticeably more leg room. Fit and finish seemed good.

Lincoln put an awful lot of attention into keeping the car quiet, and they succeeded. Everything from the mirror design to extra insulation in the passenger compartment to thicker glass comes together keep out all the noise the monster sound system hasn’t already scared away.

Steering was remarkably precise for a front-wheel-drive model, with superb centering. Handling was comfortable, but with enough road feel to keep you connected to the pavement. This is not a stiff, high-performance suspension, but it certainly is a long way from the floaty ride that once was synonymous with Lincoln.

The engine did not thrill me. It’s the same 3.0 liter Duratec V6 that I thought left the Ford Five Hundred underpowered, and despite having 300 fewer pounds to pull, it still seemed not enough. The route on which we tested the Zephyr stretched from Manhattan through back country Greenwich into Westport, then down through the back roads of New Canaan and Stamford before heading back on the highway into midtown. That gave us ample opportunity to assess the driving characteristics of the Lincoln, and while they were pleasant enough, I think the addition of a stronger engine will do much to turn this into a world-class car. I would expect to see Ford’s upcoming 3.5-Liter V6, which should provide up to 300 horses, occupying the engine bay soon. I’d be thrilled if they also stiffened the suspension and put out a sports version of the Zephyr.

On the other hand, Giambetti pointed out that gas mileage was a concern for Lincoln (20 city/28 highway), and they thought they could keep the fun in driving without overwhelming horsepower. In addition, the Zephyr is rated Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle in California.

In the near future, there will be an all-wheel-drive version – now simply the price of entry into this market segment. For now, the Zephyr has great pricing with a luxurious interior among its many positive attributes. I think Giambetti was right when he said, “Zephyr will give us an opportunity, so stay tuned…we’ll have more to offer with the Lincoln brand.”

2005 Honda Civic Hybrid: Good for the soul

2005-12-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

There are those people who feel doing good is its own reward. Not me. On that rare occasion when I do good, I not only want it to be tax-deductible, I want the entire world to know about it.

In my worldview, everything is all about me. The rest of the universe exists to revolve around me and reflect my glory. No hiding my light under a bushel for this baby, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Sad to say, this is why the 2005 Honda Civic 4-door Hybrid fails me miserably. This is a hybrid that embraces self-effacing virtue, and who wants that? What I want is a hybrid that says, hey, look at me, I’m saving the environment, aren’t I wonderful. I want a hybrid people will notice, primarily because then they’ll notice me. I want a hybrid that stands out more than a Hummer. Let’s get real: Do you think all those Hollywood folk who climb out of their private jets into Toyota Priuses are doing it because they really care about the environment? How much fuel do you think those jets burn anyway? How much pollution are they spewing? No, like me, they want to be conspicuously virtuous, and that the Civic Hybrid is not.

The Civic Hybrid looks much like any other Civic, primarily because, with the exception of some reduced trunk space and a smaller gas engine, it is much like every other Civic. A discreet little hybrid emblem on the back below the Civic badge is all that tells you this is an Advanced Technology/Partial Zero Emissions vehicle, saving the environment and saving you gas at the same time.

By the way, let me be upfront here and tell you all about the gas situation. According to the sticker on my test Civic Hybrid, the 1.3-liter, SOHC, 8-valve, 4-cylinder engine with Integrated Motor Assist’s hemi-beating (just kidding) 93 horsepower will cost you, when mated with the superb Continuously Variably Transmission (CVT), peanuts at the pump. Well, not actually peanuts, but the EPA estimates mileage per gallon of 47 in the city, 48 on the highway.

Not to seem too distrustful of anything coming out of Washington these days, but you’re more likely to find weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad than get that kind of mileage on Summer Street. My combined mileage was 35 miles per gallon over about 600 miles of driving. That was with the air conditioning going constantly, and Consumer Reports says it got 36 miles per gallon from the Civic Hybrid, so the numbers can be tweaked a little. In any event, though, take the EPA numbers with a huge grain of salt.

This, to be sure, has nothing to do with the Civic itself, but with the nature of hybrids and the way the EPA tests mileage. Any hybrid will probably not perform as well as one would expect given the sticker.

While we’re on the subject, performance should not be foremost on your mind if you’re planning to buy the Civic Hybrid. Unlike its sister Accord Hybrid or the Lexus 400RH, which use the hybrid engines to add power and performance in excess of that offered by their straight gas powered siblings, the Civic Hybrid is all about saving gas.

Handling is much the same as the regular Civic – that is decent but no longer overwhelmingly top of the class (the Civic gets redone for 2006). Acceleration is…hey, I did say you weren’t buying this for the performance, but you’ll get to 60 eventually. The thing I love most about the Civic Hybrid was the dash. It must be that little boy in me. I loved its eerie blue glow and how it showed the battery getting charged or discharged.

OK folks, time for the engineering lesson. The Civic Hybrid is not what I myself call a true hybrid. I reserve that term for cars like the Prius and the Ford Escape that can run solely on battery power. The Civic Hybrid doesn’t do this, relying instead on the electric motor to help the gasoline engine. The bottom line though is much the same – a much cleaner running car with improved gas mileage.

As Honda describes it, “The Civic Hybrid uses Honda's innovative Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology, employing a 1.3-liter i-DSI 4-cylinder gasoline engine coupled with a high output electric motor to provide excellent performance and fuel efficiency. The system's compact nickel-metal hydride battery module is automatically recharged during braking and deceleration. The hybrid system provides up to 93 horsepower and 116 lb-ft of torque with the electric motor ‘assist.’ Fuel economy is improved by up to 30 percent compared to other Civic sedans. All this is achieved by the hybrid powertrain while still meeting the stringent AT-PZEV standard.”

That means it’s all good.

I really did have fun playing with the engine, watching the gauge and figuring out how to charge, or run down, the battery. For those of you with more maturity, this could wear thin quickly, but not for me.

The car itself is, as I’ve alluded to often, pretty much the same as other Civics otherwise. That means it’s an intelligently designed car, one easy to feel comfortable in, that should give you years of worry-free ownership. The Advanced Technology/Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle version sold here starts at $20,050 for the 5-speed manual, $21,050 for the CVT. Destination and handling will add $515 to the sticker. Given that it runs on regular fuel, the occasional visit to the gas station shouldn’t be much of a hardship.

The Civic Hybrid was also named one of the top four “Greenest Vehicles for 2005” by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy – more reason to feel virtuous, if inconspicuously so.

I hate “inconspicuous.” Maybe Honda should paint each Civic Hybrid green and put flashing lights on it, just so self-centered people like myself will know it’s cool. Let me illustrate what’s bugging me. I pulled up to Connecticut Coffee in Wilton in the Civic Hybrid, right next to a Prius driven by actor Joe Pantoliano. Joey Pants was sitting in front of the store, explaining to some guy all about the Prius. The guy didn’t even cast a sideways glance at the Civic Hybrid. I’d pulled in nose first, so to him, it was just another Civic.

I know I should be satisfied with that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that by driving the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, I’m helping to create a better world for my grandchildren, helping to make sure no one’s child has to go to war to protect our oil supplies, helping to recreate a planet where clean air can once again be taken for granted. I know it shouldn’t matter - that in fact it adds to the mitzvah – that no one knows I’m doing such good deeds. But who am I, Mother Teresa? I want some flash for the Civic Hybrid.

But that’s never been Honda’s way. They’d rather make good, understated cars you can rely on. So for those of us with the need to show off, the 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid sedan proves you can’t always get what you want. But you do get what you need.

2006 Pontiac Torrent: GM opens the crossover floodgates

2005-12-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

Politically minded types may be forgiven for thinking a Torrent was what nearly swept through Stamford Government Center when news of Dan Malloy’s surprisingly close win emerged, but car types know this is GM’s latest bid for victory in the increasingly important crossover sports utility segment.

As gas prices rise and sports utility vehicle sales plunge, crossover vehicles – the ones that look like SUVs but are actually car-based – have grown in both importance and sales. Once disdainfully dismissed as station wagons in disguise, these autos, like the Lexus RX-330 and the Honda Pilot, are the new darlings of automakers and drivers alike, with the carlike handling and SUV seating seemingly what consumers now favor in the post-SUV world.

Detroit has noticed, and this is actually one of the few market segments in which domestic automakers are taking market share from their Asian competitors. The Pontiac Torrent is one of GM’s newest weapons in this fight, and early sales numbers show solid market acceptance of this vehicle.

If you’re familiar with the Chevrolet Equinox, a crossover I liked for its price, handling and amenities, then you already know the 2006 Pontiac Torrent, and many of the arguments for buying one. Like its near-identical sibling, the five-passenger Torrent comes well equipped for its $24,300 price, with air conditioning, power windows and doors, a 6-speaker CD system, dual stage front airbags, fog lamps and more among the standard equipment. My Pontiac Torrent was the all-wheel-drive version (it’s also available in front-wheel-drive), and for $27,240, added cruise control, side impact and head curtain airbags, OnStar and more to the basic package. Destination charge was an additional $590.

Like the Equinox, the Torrent is a clean design, not really edgy, but flattering nonetheless. The trademark Pontiac grille is one of the differences that leads to a more masculine look for the Torrent, but side by side, the family resemblance is unmistakable.

Inside, the Torrent’s design is even cleaner, and with its chrome accents, slightly more attractive than the Equinox’s. Seats in front are good, not great – they could be a little more supportive – but the seats in rear stand out. As Pontiac points out, “The multi-adjustable rear seat…can provide segment-leading legroom for rear-seat passengers when moved rearward or increase the length of the cargo area by nearly a foot when moved forward. The rear seat also reclines, providing more comfort. Also, the Torrent has the widest rear door openings in its segment, making entry and exit of both people and cargo easier.”

My rear-seat passengers were very favorably impressed. Both front- and rear-seat passengers liked the roominess of this cabin. This is a light, airy cabin, well-designed to suit the comforts of the passengers. There are lots of integrated storage areas, and cupholders galore. There are three 12-volt power outlets standard, so your Blackberry, your laptop and your iPod can all be charged at the same time.

The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, and the front passenger seat also folds flat, allowing for an extended cargo area.

Pontiac says the competitors to its Torrent are the Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda Tribute, Kia Sorento, and Toyota RAV-4. This may be true in price, and they all may be classed as compact sports utility vehicles, but the available interior space in the Torrent means it’s actually almost as spacious as the mid-size SUVs, a definite selling point for those looking for great value.

Let’s turn to performance. Crossover vehicles tend to look like full-fledged SUVs with the comfortable ride and handling of a car. For the most part, they are not, looks notwithstanding, designed to go off-road. The Torrent is no exception.

Pontiac claims: “And while customers will likely spend more time on the road than off, the Torrent nevertheless is a full-function SUV with all-weather capabilities providing excellent traction. Both the front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models provide almost eight inches (203 mm) of ground clearance and feature short front and rear overhangs for favorable off-road approach and departure angles. The on-demand automatic all-wheel drive system has no buttons to push. It engages automatically when wheel slip is detected.”

I claim I should be one of People’s 50 most beautiful people.

Neither claim should be taken without a few grains of salt.

Not that it matters. So long as my wife and my editor think I’m half as good looking as I think I am, who cares what the rest of the world says? And if the Torrent is going to get you safely through the snows of Fairfield County, who cares what it can or cannot do off-road. How many people in Stamford buy an SUV planning to take it through the wilderness?

No, the Torrent is not a full-fledged SUV, no matter what the Pontiac literature says. An easy way to tell is to look at the ground clearance. The Torrent has 7.9 inches of ground clearance. The 2006 Subaru Outbacks have 8.4 to 8.7 inches of ground clearance. Big deal! Most people buy SUVs for the space, of which the Torrent offers plenty, and the handling in bad weather, where Pontiac’s all-wheel-drive automatically switches on when needed. Towing capacity, if you’re interested, is 3,500 pounds.

The one potential downside for Pontiac is that the Torrent doesn’t offer what I’d consider driving excitement, at least not the full experience. John Larson, Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager said, “With the Torrent, we’re applying the character of Pontiac performance to a different type of vehicle. It has the responsive driving traits that drivers would expect in a performance sedan combined with the capabilities of an SUV.”

It’s time to reach for those grains of salt again. The engine, a 3.4-liter V-6 mated to a 5-speed transmission, is actually quite peppy, feeling much more sporty than its 185-horsepower rating might indicate. The ride is comfortable, but the steering could use some tightening. Handling is, on the whole, adequate, but if Pontiac wants to distinguish this from the Equinox and make it really exciting to drive, it might consider stiffening the suspension and holding the steering closer to center.

Reality, however, would suggest that few people buy something like the Torrent for its sporty handling, and for most commuters, I think the Torrent is tuned just fine.

At the pump, the Torrent takes regular gas, which it uses at a rate of 18 city, 23 highway. The front-wheel-drive-version goes a mile per gallon farther in each category.

The 2006 Pontiac Torrent AWD is a well-priced, well-designed spacious new choice for the average American family looking for a crossover vehicle. If it succeeds in getting a few people out of the larger behemoths and saving a few gallons of gasoline, both GM and America will be well-served.

2007 Lincoln Aviator goes crossover

2005-10-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

The new 2006 Lincoln Zephyr (far left) may have been the star of the show at Lincoln’s recent press unveil of its entry level luxury sedan, but the 2007 Lincoln Aviator (right in picture) may be Ford’s ticket to the hot crossover market. The radically new version of the Aviator will be shown at auto shows starting early next year. A first look reveals a substantially sleeker, more upscale and attractive design for the Aviator. LEDs run straight across the back, creating a signature look, but aside from the stunning curvaceous styling from a company that’s been big on straight lines and sharp angles, the biggest surprise may be the new grille, a revival of the egg crate Lincoln grille and a departure from the vertical bars characterizing current Lincolns. Lincoln executives say a “cockpit-forward design” means more usable interior space. The new Aviator will also feature raised “Command Seating” and a huge sunroof.

Quick spin: 2005 Mercury Montego sedan; 2005 Chevy Super Sports Roadster

2005-10-13T15:44:00.000-04:00

Now we have time!

With temperatures outside dropping lower than A-Rod’s postseason batting average with men on base, about all we have left to comfort us is the knowledge that the Yankees did win one more game this year than the Red Sox - that and the lame auto column you’re about to read. So for your sake, I hope you’re a Yankee fan. I’d hate to know this column is all you have to look forward to.

If you’re a Red Sox fan, all I can say is this season proved what the t-shirt says: There was no curse (front)/The Red Sox just sucked for 85 years (back).

Still, I feel your pain. After all, we’ve got A-Rod. Did you watch his at-bats? A-Rod at the plate looked just like George W. Bush reading My Pet Goat on 9/11. If A-Rod left less of a mark on the postseason, W would nominate him for the Supreme Court. I didn’t think A-Rod could look so scared if Ted Kennedy offered to take him for a drive.

The highlight of the series for me was Tim McCarver’s statement during Game 5 quoting Joe Torre as saying A-Rod was “anxious” at the plate. That is probably the nicest way ever of calling the highest paid player on a team a gutless choke artist.

Alright, enough whining! I’m beginning to sound like a certain Yankee owner. Let’s, as they said in Life of Brian, look at the bright side of life.

Of course, in Life of Brian, they followed that song up with “What bright side, we’re…crucified.” That song was also the unofficial theme of HMS Sheffield, sunk by an French-built Exocet missile fired by the Argentinians during the Falklands war. So maybe it’s not the most auspicious song to invoke.

Especially not right now for domestic automakers. Early reports are that sales have plunged, cannibalized by the employee discount programs that shifted purchases from the fall to earlier in the year. All that advertising devoted to the program didn’t help in the long run, focusing as it did on price instead of product. Fortunately, the Big Three have me to not only point out the errors of their ways, but to help them correct it. Gosh, with my incredible genius and ability to make right what everyone else did wrong, I’m surprised I’m not president.

Maybe if I just learned to say “nukular.”

But in the meantime, let me do my bit for the domestic auto industry by touching on two very different cars I drove over the past year, but two worth looking at, one from Ford, the other from GM.

2005 Mercury Montego

The Mercury Montego is admittedly too easy to overlook. Ford’s overly conservative styling did not clue in car buyers to just how new and how well-designed the Montego and its Ford Five Hundred stablemate are. I haven’t seen very many of these on the roads, which is a crying shame. Especially now as gas prices shoot up faster than the Yankee payroll, a car like the Montego - which is essentially transportation redesigned for the post-SUV era - really deserves a good look from consumers.

The Montego was Mercury’s first all-new premium sedan in almost 20 years, and it is the start of what Ford hopes will be a brand revival. Truth to tell, the Mercury brand has suffered from corporate neglect, and not too many carbuyers seem to know what it stands for. Now that Ford is refocusing on it, maybe its identity will be sharpened, and buyers will consider a worthy product like the Montego.

My Montego had the same major failing as the Ford Five Hundred I’d previously driven – the lack of a big V8. The three-liter V6 puts out a maximum of 203 horses with 207 lb. ft. of torque. The front-wheel-drive version comes with a 6-speed automatic, but my all-wheel-drive model came with a smooth continuously variable transmission (CVT) which maximizes power use and helps keep the ride comfortable.

While I would personally want a big V8, I also understand that this is a family sedan, and what a family sedan it is. The power, if not overwhelming, is sufficient, and handling is more than adequate. Outside styling could be called subdued if you like it, bland if you don’t, but the inside shows an awful lot of caring. Fit and finish are good, and the clean lines of the cabin seem more European than American.

Other positives in the Montego include class leading interior size. If you were one of those people who loved big sedans, you’ll find all the space that’s gone missing over the years back in the Montego. The elevated seating position gives you near SUV views of the road ahead while maintaining the best characteristics, including comfort, of a near luxury sedan.

Then there’s the all wheel drive, which in our climate is a definite plus for safety. Mileage is a reasonable 20 city/27 highway. All this is available in a very reasonably priced package. It may not be the most exciting ride there is, but if you’re looking to spend thirty grand or less and have a family to transport, definitely test drive the Mercury Montego. You’ll have a comfortable, safe, roomy ride and enough cash in your pocket to afford the gas.

2005 Chevy Super Sports Roadster

If the Mercury blends into the crowd, the Chevy SSR is its polar opposite. It’s impossible not to get noticed in this thing.

I’ve driven just about every new car that’s come out when they were new, and even now, a year after I first drove the Chevy SSR, just about nothing I can think of has gotten me more positive reaction. What else could you be sitting in at a stoplight when a woman making a left turn into the road stops dead in the middle to say what a gorgeous car the SSR is. In the SSR, compliments like this are routine.

The SSR is a two-door, two-seater roadster with a retractable hard roof, essentially a hardtop convertible with a closed pickup truck bed attached. It’s hard to describe the why of a SSR, but it is so much fun you don’t really care. Practicality is for boring people. With the SSR, you get near-Corvette quality fun and can still slip a stiff like A-Rod in the back, with plenty of space left over for his $252 million.

Styling is simply gorgeous, as I observed when I first wrote about the SSR. The basso profundo grace notes of the engine encourage you to put the power retractable hardtop down – an easy one-button operation – even when it’s raining just so you can listen to it roar. Handling is superb, definitely sports car, not pick-up truck, and acceleration and torque leave no room for disappointment.

This comes despite the fact this is a 5,000 lb. machine. The reason for that is the major improvement GM made in the year since I drove the first SSR. GM added a version of the legendary small block V8 best known for powering the Corvette. This 6-liter V8 engine pushes out 390 horses and 405 lb. ft. of torque, albeit at the price of EPA estimated mileage of 13 city, 20 highway – again, definitely high performance sports car territory. The six-speed manual on my

test car was a most enjoyable option; standard transmission is a 4-speed automatic.

With the new engine, the SSR performs as well as it looks, though you will always be tempted to drive slowly so you can be looked at. Worth noting is the price you pay at the dealer for the privilege. My SSR started at $42,555 and ended up at $49,890 after all the options were loaded on.

Yes, that is close to Corvette territory, but this holds a lot more cargo and turns even more heads than its low-slung sibling. In the end, it’s a matter of choice, and what a choice it is.

Code Adam

2005-10-11T10:20:00.000-04:00

The New York Police Department has issued this urgent advisory.

Missing: Alex E. Rodriquez, 30, 6’ 3”, 225 lbs., $252 million, .133, 0 RBI. The NYPD says that if you see the missing infielder, you need have no fear about approaching him. He may be armed with a bat, but come October, he loses the ability to use it. The Department of Homeland Security has denied rumors A-Rod’s mojo may have been abducted by Osama Bin Laden. A new Bin Laden tape released to Al-Jazeera scoffed at the possibility. “A-Rod’s no Jeter,” said Bin Laden. “He’s no Bernie Williams, Allah be praised. If we wanted to hurt New York again, we’d take Robinson Cano.”

Karl Rove has denied leaking to Judith Miller of the New York Times a comparison of A-Rod’s record and George W. Bush’s. He has also denied saying that at least now we can see George W. Bush wasn’t the worst thing to come from the Texas Rangers.

Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers has called A-Rod “the smartest postseason disappearing baseball player I know.”

In related news, Tim McCarver’s statement during Game 5 quoting Joe Torre as saying A-Rod was “anxious” at the plate has been deemed the nicest way of calling the highest paid player on a team a gutless choke artist by the Public Relations Society of America. Team owner George Steinbrenner has issued a statement saying he had nothing to do with the acquisition of A-Rod.

American idiots

2005-09-25T20:46:00.000-04:00

At least 100,000 people turned out in DC to protest the war, a war that's now scaring even those who really hated Saddam, like the Saudis. The counterprotest, which even organizers expected to draw only 20,000, instead drew a mere 400 according to news reports. Methinks I hear a lame duck squawking. Now if John Kerry only had Cindy Sheehan's guts, and was willing to ask the chickenhawks in the White House, not to mention wannabe chickenhawks like Clinton and Lieberman, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

In case you're wondering why we should bring our troops home from Bush's folly now, the Iraq war is over. Iran won.

As for Clinton, she's rapidly overtaking Lieberman as the Democrat most likely to pander to the far right. Heck, it may not even be a race any more.

At times, the New York Times, like all of us at times, makes mistakes, sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right, sometimes from the heart, sometimes from the pocketbook, as with its decision to start charging cash for its op-ed columnists and thus reducing the intellectual currency that the paper receives from their unfettered description. But even with the paper's inexplicable and unforgivable defense of Iraq war pusher Judith Miller, who was allowed to publish front page stories for the paper of record seemingly ghostwritten by Cheney/Bush and because of whom said paper is now indelibly stained with blood, every now and then one is forced to recognize why the Times is still the newspaper of record, and still, unlike Hillary Clinton, has not placed its conscience in Bill Frist's blind trust. Big ups to the Times for two stories, one Saturday and one Sunday, leading to the best videos on the web. Watch them - to the end - and if you're Jeb Bush (or Barbara) weep:

www.theblacklantern.com (I ain't saying Bush is a gold digger...)

smashface.com/vlog (Summer has come and passed/the innocent can never last...)

Then wake me up when Bush's term ends.

2005 Volkswagen new Jetta 2.5 sedan: Japanese personality, German heart

2005-09-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

Volkswagen has a huge problem with the 2005 new Jetta 2.5. Fortunately, it isn’t the 2005 new Jetta 2.5 that’s the problem.

Not the car, I mean. The problem is the name. Notice it’s not the “new 2005 Jetta,” but the “2005 new Jetta,” meant to distinguish this all-new sedan from the previous Jetta, which is still available new at some dealers and just called the “2005 Jetta,” not the “2005 old Jetta,” as VW should call it to be consistent. I’m just going to call it the 2005 Jetta 2.5, but be sure to ask for the “2005 new Jetta” when you go to the dealers. You don’t want to get stuck with an old new “2005 Jetta” when you test-drive VW’s mass-market leader.

Confused? You should be. It would have been so much easier for VW to call this the 2006 Jetta. But you know those crazy Germans – anything to confuse the Americans. On the other hand, they make good cars, and the 2005 new Jetta 2.5 – the fifth-generation Jetta - is another in a line of sedans that should find favor here in the States.

As a point of interest, the 2005 new Jetta 2.5 (sorry, just can’t stop myself from doing that – it’s so silly, I feel like I’m in a Monty Python skit) is actually made in Mexico, with 34% of the parts coming from Germany, 20% from Mexico, 8% from the US, and the engine from Japan. This is a brave new world we live in.

The Jetta itself is the European sedan engineered for American tastes, not surprising considering VW’s American sales depend heavily on the Jetta. The Jetta used to be cool, great ads, great car, a very Euro driving experience at an affordable price. The new Jetta seeks to recapture the cool that had been fading from its getting-long-in-the-tooth predecessor. After 25 years and more than 2.2 million vehicles sold in North America, Volkswagen has sent the new Jetta sallying forth into the marketplace under the flag of “All grown up. Sort of.”

This implies a new level of maturity and comfort in the Jetta without any loss of its fun-to-drive characteristics. The question is can Volkswagen pull it off.

The new Jetta replaces the old one’s 2.0-liter, 115-horsepower power plant with a 2.5-liter 150-horsepower inline 5-cylinder topping out with 170 lb.-ft. of torque at a relatively low 3,750 rpm. The 4-speed automatic is gone, replaced by a 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic (5-speed manual is a listed option). It’s listed as a compact, seating 5 with 16 cu. ft. of cargo volume. EPA mileage is 22 city/30 highway, and it runs on regular. Top speed is an electronically limited 130 mph, and VW estimates 0-60 in 9.1 seconds. It feels faster.

That’s one of those things about VW’s: They always feel faster than the numbers and handle better than the price. The new Jetta is no exception. It may be made with parts from all over the world, but it still handles largely like a Volkswagen, sending the message: Drivers wanted.

As you can infer, handling is very good – precise, firm and on-center. The new Jetta feels less demanding than its more Teutonic predecessors, but no less capable. This is still a driver’s car, and the fun’s still there.

The passengers, though, get to share in the fun. The new Jetta is larger and more comfortable than the old. Fit and finish were very good, instruments rationally conceived and well laid out, seats comfortable and supportive. Construction quality should ensure a long, creak-free life for the new Jetta, which recorded double-digit increases in torsional and dynamic rigidity. The new Jetta balances sportiness and comfort, with a quiet cockpit added to the list of pluses.

Safety, as you know if you watch TV or read a newspaper or magazine, is a strong point of the new Jetta. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested the Jetta early at VW’s request, and said, “The 2005 Volkswagen new Jetta earned good ratings in both frontal offset and side impact crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Plus the Jetta is the first vehicle to earn the top rating of good in every individual measurement category (injury measures, head protection, and structural design) of the Institute’s side impact test. This car is designated a "best pick" for side crash protection, and it's a good performer for frontal crash protection. The performance of the Jetta in these tests plus its acceptable rating for seat/head restraint design in rear impact tests make it the top-rated car overall in the inexpensive midsize class.”

“The new Jetta was the first vehicle to ace our side impact test,” said Institute president Brian O'Neill. “It's the best performer among midsize inexpensive cars. Its structural performance was better than the second- and third-best models, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. This new Jetta design shows what manufacturers can do to improve occupant protection in serious side impacts when cars are hit by taller and heavier SUVs and pickup trucks.”

So the Jetta provides the traditional Volkswagen virtues of German engineering and handling, is larger and more refined, and still very well priced (more on that later). What about the cool?

Who knows what leads to the birth of the cool? Who knows if VW will need cool to sell the new Jetta? It shouldn’t. This new Jetta stands alone without any need for pretensions, or pretentiousness. Which may be a good thing.

My fellow auto writer Rob Schweitzer had the Jetta before I did. He has some claim to knowledge of Volkswagen cool by virtue of both owning a Passat and having VIP seats to Coldplay at the Hartford Civic Center. His complaint about the Jetta: It’s too Japanese.

That’s good news for those who want this iteration of the Jetta to be more reliable than previous versions, but not necessarily good news for those who aspire to cool. The Jetta’s front design bears a close familial resemblance to that of the new Audi A4, but in rear, it’s less distinctive, and the lines of the new Jetta are more Japanese Zen and less angular Germanic. But, as Rob well, knows, looks aren’t everything.

Money matters as well, and the pricing of the new Jetta is outstanding. The “Value Edition” begins at $17,900, and my test car came in at $24,040. That’s after adding $3,035 for a sunroof, 16” wheels, premium sound and the 6-speed Tiptronic, and includes the $615 destination charge. Standard equipment included all the safety features, dual-zone climate control, in-dash 6-CD changer, cruise control, trip computer and a bunch more. In other words, this is a well-equipped sedan for the price.

With the 2005 new Jetta 2.5, Volkswagen has served notice that it intends to be a strong competitor in the compact sedan marketplace. The combination of handling, pricing and performance the new Jetta 2.5 offers will make it hard to beat.

2005 Nissan Quest SE: A journey to the new

2005-09-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

Like Paul on the road to Damascus, I had my personal conversion on the road to Maine. It was nothing quite as momentous as that of the early Christian apostle, but I’ll tell you about it anyway.

Long road trips, unless the road is Washington to Baghdad, give you time for reappraisal. The monotony of our arterial highways almost forces our thoughts inwards, our bodies focused on the road as our minds go floating on a tidal wave, drifting into outer space. It was somewhere around New Hampshire and the 14^th listen that I decided I’d changed my mind – the new Coldplay CD was worthy, not just some overly mannered wannabe rock milestone.

That it may still be, but, as the reviewer on CBS Sunday Morning (as good a show as there is on television) commented, on the CD X and Y, Coldplay dares to try to be great. I agree. I like that. And if they don’t always succeed, there can be honor in failure when your goals are lofty. In the immortal slogan of Britain’s elite SAS, “Who dares, wins.”

At a time when we have grown so uncomfortable with thinking great thoughts, building great things, taking great risks, at a time when the Harvard MBA mentality of segment and conquer, be satisfied with incremental change, tinker with the edges, be risk averse, permeates the national psyche so completely it’s expressed in everything from radio programming to car design, it’s nice to see someone with the balls to want to be big. It’s invigorating to see someone lay it on the line as completely as Chris Martin and Coldplay does.

Much respect.

Too bad they’re Brits. That sense of daring is what America used to stand for. It went a long way towards building this country and inspiring the world. Now America’s signature is an overgrowth of warning labels. Yes, hot coffee can burn you, and if you spill it in your lap while you drive, shouldn’t you have the decency to shut up about your stupidity rather than running out to find a lawyer and make money off it? Auto reviewers aren’t perfect and neither are doctors. Don’t like it? Sue God. So there!

By now, you’re probably driven to distraction, wondering when will the meds kick in and this idiot start writing an auto review? Don’t worry; this is all part of the plan. We’re getting to the review and then you’ll see the connection. Or not! I’m not really sure how this is working. Ever since Tom Cruise talked me off my meds I’ve been a little distracted. But where were we? Oh yeah, my ever-changing mind!

Rethinking one’s initial impressions can be a good thing. Perhaps those weren’t flowers the Iraqis greeted us with. Perhaps being married to Halle Berry isn’t all a bed of roses. Perhaps my near $40K 2005 Nissan Quest SE minivan wasn’t the godawful garish design nightmare it seemed at first glance.

I can vouch for one of those. Kinda. My 2005 Nissan Quest SE did turn heads. The first time I looked in it, my head turned like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. The experience is hard to explain to someone who wasn’t there. I remember being in a faded Catskills resort a couple years ago for a convention. They had a wing called Futurama, which apparently was based on the early 50s idea of a plastic-dominated future and had not been upgraded since. That was the same feeling I got on my first look at the SE.

The huge, curved dash stands out. Mine came in this textured orange leather stuff that looked like nothing so much as a chunk of a giant basketball fallen to earth. This is the essence of the Quest SE. It just looks different – all ostentatious curves and Tomorrowland feel.

It didn’t help that one of those curves was in my driver’s seat. The curve of the seat was very convex towards the passenger. It looked interesting. It felt horrible.

I’m particularly sensitive to seat comfort because I have a bad back, but I don’t think such sensitivity is required in order to understand this was one huge failure of form over function. I never did get comfortable on that seat, and would gladly switch it out in a second if I could.

You probably don’t need Karl Rove to leak it to you in order to get the feeling that my initial impression of the 2005 Nissan Quest SE wasn’t exactly positive. I was so happy. At last, I’d found a Nissan I was unhappy with. Misery thrills me so.

That didn’t last. While I’m not thrilled with the Quest, I give Nissan props for daring to dream. They took the traditional minivan and tried to do something different with it, make it more interesting. Again, if it doesn’t achieve greatness, at least it never bores you, and there is an awful lot aside from the seats and the décor to like.

Start with the exterior styling. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and therein lies its attraction. Minivans are very efficient space users, but don’t lend themselves to much design variation. Nissan tried to do something interesting with the basic shape and succeeded. This minivan is a lot edgier than one is used to seeing.

It moves faster too. Minivans are not supposed to move at the speed of sound and the Quest is no exception, but Nissan’s 240 horsepower (with premium fuel, drops to 230 with regular gas, which is all that’s actually required), 3.5-liter V6 provides excellent power, well handled by the 5-speed automatic transmission – shifter located on the dash in another nod to futurism. The performance of this front-wheel-drive minivan fulfills the implied promise of its sporty external design. Payment comes due at the pump. EPA mileage is 18 city, 25 highway.

The long wheelbase allows for the widest sliding door in its segment, meaning easy entry and exit for passengers and cargo. Seats are easy to stow and storage is plentiful.

My Quest SE, coming in at almost $40K, came with everything. You can get one for much less, less than $24K, with the same strong engine, but I love my leather and my great navigation system and satellite radio and premium stereo and all the other stuff my SE came with. The passengers loved the SkyView glass roof panel system that essentially gives each passenger a sunroof. They adored the dual DVD entertainment system that gives each row of seats a DVD screen. Everyone appreciated the power sliding doors and liftgate.

All in all, the 2005 Nissan Quest SE may not be the kind of car you’ll wait for till kingdom come, but its memory stays with you. Its designers reached beyond the ordinary, and where, as with the seats, they fell short, you find it easy to forgive them. It’s hard to explain, but if you could see it, then you’d understand.

2005 Acura RL Sedan: So perfectly...nice

2005-07-20T16:55:00.000-04:00

The 2005 Acura RL sedan is a very nice car. This all-wheel-drive sedan is comfortable, luxurious, easy to drive, forgiving – almost everything you’d want in a luxury sedan.

Yawn!

Still, it should sell very well. Stepford husbands who 40 years ago would have bought Buicks and 10 years ago gone for Lexuses should be thrilled with the RL. It elevates competence to just short of an art form. Aside from making extra dry martinis, there’s almost nothing this Acura won’t do. And you know it probably will never cause trouble. Given its advanced “Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD),” it will always go where you want it to when you want it to. Even better, one touch on a steering wheel button, and, like the perfect Stepford wife, the car shuts up and listens for your next command, always eager to obey. Everything works. Everything looks good.

Yawn!

The RL reminded me of that old science fiction story where mankind entrusts its future to some Benevolent Supercomputer. This BS creates a fantasy world, where all risk is removed, all challenges overcome, everything’s perfect and always will be. It takes some Charlton Heston type to realize that without struggle, life becomes a meaningless series of unending days.

Yawn!

What’s wrong with paradise, you may ask, and well you may. Nothing is a very good answer, and if that’s yours, the RL is the car for you. There are clearly lots of you out there. In May, Acura reported, “Demand for the all-new RL luxury performance sedan continued to grow with sales of 1,404, up 225.7 percent compared to 2004. Year-to-date RL sales of 6,867 surpassed last year's total by 191.8 percent.” I’m not surprised. The RL would make a fabulous commuter. This is the kind of car you can depend on each day to get you going and bring you back home, safely too, given its plethora of advanced safety systems (The 2005 Acura RL earned 5-stars in all three components of the government’s safety tests, the only one of 18 vehicles tested). Its 300-horsepower, 3.5-liter SOHC V6 pushes out all that power, you guessed it, so smoothly you won’t even know it’s there. The SH-AWD, named Best of What's New in the Automotive Technology category of Popular Science Magazine's 2004 Best of What's New list, distributes the optimum amount of torque not only between the front and rear wheels but also between the left and right rear wheels, achieving cornering that’s amazingly predictable, steering that’s neutral and a vehicle that’s as stable as, well, a Stepford wife. I would be willing to bet that in winter, when the SH-AWD focuses on keeping you on the road, not just performance, it will do that so well you will be tempted to hitch up a snowplow and go make some extra cash.

Yawn!

There’s a whole lot more to the RL, and driving back and forth from Boston in Acura’s flagship brought out the best in it. This is as good as a machine gets. There was never a moment when I was not happy to be safely cocooned in the RL. When it was time to give it up, I did it without a second’s hesitation. Never looked back.

My problem with the RL was that it really was as good as a machine gets, but no more. It was so competent, it lacked that edginess of say, the TL, which makes its younger brother more of a handful to drive, but so much more fun. The RL is a Wintel computer as opposed to an Apple – it’s got a great price, runs all the programs, is much less fussy, but nobody loves Windows. Apple, quirks and all, is like the TL – it inspires emotion, devotion even. The RL, well, who falls in love with a toaster?

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Auto reviewers, after all, have the luxury of loving cars. Most people have to buy them and live with them. Auto reviewers can swoon over the kind of car you don’t take home to mother, knowing there’s no commitment involved beyond a week. Car buyers, on the other hand, may not want a superfreak. For them, the RL may provide satisfaction enough.

Maybe even too much! The controls on the RL’s dash lend a certain masculine air to the sedan. The look was quite a surprise for a Honda-designed vehicle, from which I usually expect a certain simple elegance. This had more knobs and buttons than a NASA control room. It was, in a sense, the polar opposite of BMW and its iDrive, with two buttons never enough when just one would do. I counted 15 buttons on the steering wheel alone. The only similarity with the faux simplicity of the iDrive is that the Acura’s multiplicity of controls can drive you just as crazy.

My mother has a friend, a woman of a certain age, who bought one of the first 2005 Acura RLs. She loved the car, but traded it in after just a couple months because, in her words, she felt overwhelmed by it. Looking at what looks like the instrument panel of an F-22 can do that to you.

The other side of that is that the RL comes with just about as many technological advancements as a fighter jet. It starts with the key, or rather the lack of one. Your key need never leave your pocket. With it firmly ensconced someplace safe, you can open the car, start and drive it, then lock it when you’re done. It starts with a keyless switch, and opens and closes with just a touch, all as long as it is receiving the signal from the key. Aside from the unfortunate fact that you can drain the battery by leaving the switch in the on position, then walking away from the car, this is near perfect, and no system will ever completely eliminate human error.

Everything one would expect on a top class luxury sedan is here, from the advanced all-wheel-drive to safety systems that not only protect the passengers in the car, but are designed to minimize danger to the passengers in the other car in the event of a collision. The voice recognition system on the navigation worked wonderfully, and the system as a whole was superb. Paddle shifters on the steering meant one could control the SportShift 5-speed automatic from there if one chose, though I didn’t. Even the active front lighting system helped make driving better. OnStar, a tire pressure monitoring system and a million airbags are among the standard safety systems that add to the ultra luxurious RL cockpit. The only disappointments were the lack of an ultrasonic parking assist system – the rear deck of the RL made seeing how close you were to the front of the car behind you difficult – the lack of a V8, and anemic 18/26 mileage figures.

A personal disappointment for me was Acura’s touted Real Time Traffic System. The XM satellite radio kept me satisfied, but I never got a traffic alert even when I was sitting in a traffic jam. However I’m sure that will improve; being on the leading edge of technology has its own problems.

Being on the leading edge of pricing may be what I found most exciting about the Acura RL. There were no options on my test car. There are no factory options on the RL. The price you see in the ads is real. Everything comes with that base price, a very reasonable $48,900, with a $570 destination charge additional. Acura deserves applause for treating its customers like responsible adults who don’t need to be fleeced into making a decision on the 2005 Acura RL sedan.

The sedan is attractive outside if not distinctive, and I found it to be quiet and comfortable. This was not a sedan that was lacking in much, except that certain unrestrained exuberance some of us like in both cars and friends. But the 2005 Acura RL is always tasteful, always competent, and anyway, even outside Stepford, unrestrained exuberance can sometimes seem so unrefined.

To turn back time

2005-06-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

So Jesse Helms has a new book out. The bigoted old bastard has changed his views on AIDS, he says, since “it had been my feeling that AIDS was a disease largely spread by reckless and voluntary sexual and drug-abusing behavior, and that it would probably be confined to those in high-risk populations. I was wrong.” Guess once he figured out it wasn't just queers and Negroes getting AIDS, he found religion. The part about love thy neighbor he still doesn't get. He's still railing against integration and the "outside agitators" who forced it. Guess Condi Rice won't be invited to give his eulogy. Maybe Joe Biden and his bunch of wimpy so-called Democrats will speak instead. They never seem to find their voice when the GOP bashes their constituencies, but let a real Democrat speak up and they start squealing. They're more comfortable putting judges on the federal bench for a lifetime (site pass required) who say "In the heyday of liberal democracy, all roads lead to slavery." Coming up next (taken from Salon): So you don't have to read it in the New York Times after the debate is over, here's the word on Pryor from a recent piece in Salon: "He once called Roe v. Wade 'the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history'; in 2002 he argued in the Supreme Court, on behalf of Alabama and four other states, for states' execution of mentally retarded inmates; he termed the Voting Rights Act 'an affront to federalism and an expensive burden that has far outlived its usefulness'; and he affirmed in 2003 that extending the civil rights of same-sex couples would logically extend to activities like necrophilia and bestiality."
Looks like Helms won after all.

2006 BMW 530i: The drive is what matters

2005-06-08T15:36:00.000-04:00

Take away the annoying iDrive and the useless cupholders and the 2006 BMW 530i sedan would be, if not the ultimate driving machine, at the very least a damn good ride. But you can’t always get what you want. Not unless the Germans decide that’s what you need.

The Euros have never been big on cupholders. They think, quite sensibly, that when one is piloting a two-ton machine at highway speeds (that’s about 75 in the slow lane on 95), one should be concentrating on keeping said machine away from other such machines with which one shares the highway, given that the laws of physics predict a tragic denouement were two semi-solid objects to attempt to occupy the same space. Especially when such merger would occur at said highway speed. That means distractions like phone calls to one’s real estate agent, application of mascara, or drinking coffee are best not done until one is safely pulled over.

In theory, this is great, and the horrible cupholders in the 530i – two plastic contraptions popping out of the dashboard and capable of holding a cup upright only until the first turn – do tend to discourage drinking of any sort while driving. However, it does seem counterproductive for the driver who will not be deterred from her morning coffee. At the first short stop or sharp turn, said driver may find himself or herself covered in hot liquid. That may take your attention off the road. But so be it. It’ll only happen once.

The iDrive is another matter entirely. This is designed to control just about everything in the car except for the driving (and perhaps the driver). It been the subject of almost as many complaints as BMW’s new styling – and more justifiably – since its introduction. The idea is great – get rid of a million knobs and buttons and integrate them all into one control knob, but to some of the less technically gifted of us, the “i” in iDrive stands for either the idiot who designed it or the idiot savant one has to be to use it. BMW has made it more user-friendly, but I still hate it. The fact that it temporarily “glitched out” on a couple of occasions only made me hate it more.

In the 2006 530i though, it does come with a great new high definition 8.5” screen as part of the optional navigation system upgrade. Splitting the screen between map and controls does add quite a bit to its usability. The navigation itself was accurate and the system reacted quickly.

Wish I could say the same about the parking assist. My 530i’s screen used Star Trek bubbles around the front and rear of the car with varying colors to show how far – or near – one was to an obstacle. It would be a great idea if it worked, but by the time the system went through its boot-up process – it makes starting Windows look fast – and gets its OK to proceed, I was already halfway through the next state. Must have been designed by the iDrive guy.

Some old-line BMW fans think the same guy designed the outside of the new BMWs. The styling, as I previously alluded to, is still the subject of much griping on BMW online bulletin boards. I come down on BMW’s side on this one. The 7-series looked like someone had tried to put Humpty back together again, but with the 5-series, introduced less than two years ago, I think BMW did a good job. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but BMW never was, and whatever else it does, it stirs an emotional response. If I’m paying 50 large for a Bimmer, I’m kinda happy knowing people know it’s a Bimmer.

Now that we’ve whined about the stuff we don’t like, let’s briefly turn to the good stuff –the car itself. The 5-series sedans look and feel great inside. BMW’s materials have gotten exponentially better, and buyers should be pleased with fit and finish as well as quality. BMW’s have always been world-class driving cars. Now the luxury side of the equation is as good as one could want.

Theoretically, the 530i seats five. Unless the middle person in the back seat is Lindsay Lohan, I’d stick with four. But they’ll all be sitting in comfortable, supportive seats with a top of the line sound system – yet another vast improvement for BMW.

The real question, though, is is the 530i the ultimate driving machine? No, but it’s close. That appellation will have to wait till September, when BMW brings out the 8-cylinder version of the 5, probably as the 540i. Until then, however, the 530i is the top of the line.

The 530i is the upgraded version of the 5-series (the base 525i starts at $42,496, the all-wheel-drive 525xi at $44,695, the 530i at $47,195, the 530xi at $49,395 and the 530xi Sports Wagon at $51,795 – and expect to shell out a decent amount more to have them properly equipped) and in the past few years, has faced strong challenges from lower priced sedans. Cars like the rear- and all-wheel-drive Chrysler 300C, the all-wheel-drive Infiniti G35X and even the front-wheel-drive Acura TL arguably provide more value for the money. But they’re not BMWs.

The 5-series has long had a reputation as the best BMW, providing a luxury sports sedan package that’s hard to challenge, not the full-out luxury of the 7-series nor the brash exuberance of the 3, but the perfect compromise. Even without the 6-cylinder version, the 530i shows why that reputation is deserved. Less than two years after the current 5-series was introduced, the 2006 models have been significantly upgraded.

The most important upgrade is the N52 engine, which also appears in the new 3-series. This engine provides increased power and torque, and the tweaked version of the inline 6 in the 530i pushes out 255 horsepower (up from 225) – more than enough to get this relatively light car zooming. A higher redline – 7,000 rpm instead of 6,500 for its predecessor – adds to available power, while a first for BMW 3-stage induction system helps optimize torque and power delivery. All this comes at a respectable cost of 21 mpg city, 29 highway, according to the EPA, with premium fuel filling that tank.

I could go on and on, but all I really need to say is this: The 2006 BMW 530i is all BMW, down to the iDrive and the cupholders. Fortunately for BMW dealers, who are selling even more cars these days, it’s the drive, not the iDrive you will remember.

2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Premium: Find me in da club

2005-06-01T15:53:00.000-04:00

To borrow a phrase from rapper extraordinaire Fitty, I love the new Mustang GT Convertible like a fat kid loves cake.

No subtlety there, or here, either, if here is the 2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Premium. Coming in at just over $30K for my well-equipped test car (base was just under $30K, the V-6 version starts at an extremely affordable just under $25K), this sweet thing is all the bling you need. Like the Chrysler 300C, this is an American icon reimagined and reborn to fulfill its destiny – to be an American idol.

We’re not talking some sellout pop star either – all looks and no soul. The Mustang has it all. It looks good enough to dump your spouse for, but looks are only the beginning. Its throbbing heart is all American bad boy, a 4.6L 3V overhead cam V8 that says to hell with gas prices, let’s fall in love with the road again. Even better, with very respectable for its class 18 highway/23 city mileage using regular gas, it’s not even high maintenance. This is a car everyone can love, from 60s hippies who remember when Iacocca brought out the first Mustang to the younger folk who don’t even know Wild Horses was a Rolling Stones song (the Stones, btw kiddies, are a rock band, kinda like Coldplay, but infinitely better).

Love is not the first emotion the Mustang stirs. Let’s be honest and admit that one look at those gorgeous flowing lines leads to more lust than a politician at a fundraiser. For those of us who thought the Mustang coupe was the perfect redesign — retro enough to capture the spirit the pony car has always embodied, but modern enough to look to tomorrow, not yesterday — the convertible is a revelation. The best could be made even better.

Sure, looks ain’t everything, but the Mustang convertible looks so darn good, they could be. For an old Ford fan grown used to elegant but not exciting J. Mays’ designs like the Ford Five Hundred’s, the raw sexuality of the Mustang convertible’s lines are as stirring as seeing A-Rod hit a homer in a game that counts would be to a diehard Yankee fan. One out of two ain’t bad.

The Mustang always has the power when it counts. Our test car came with a Tremec five-speed standard transmission fully capable of handling the 300 horses the V8 pushed to the pavement through those gorgeous 17-inch Z-rated tires. Knowing you can head from zero to 60 in just over five seconds is no surprise. Actually doing it is something else entirely.

That’s because once you turn the key, the engine comes to life and you’ll probably sit there lost in reverie listening to the throaty roar of the V8. Some engines sound so good you never want to listen to anything else, and this is one of those. Not even the high-powered Shaker 1000 audio system could lure me into doing anything other than listening to the siren song of this heartthrob.

Once you do decide to let that clutch out, the Mustang GT convertible leaves the line even faster than they’re leaving Ford dealers’ lots. And that’s fast. Ford recently announced it was raising Mustang production well beyond what was initially planned, up about 70% more than last year.

“Its performance on the street and in the showrooms is beating everyone’s expectations,” said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president. “Sales are up more than 45% over last year, and V-8 GT and convertible model demand is so strong we haven’t been able to build enough.”

If the looks of longing I kept getting – OK, that the Mustang convertible kept getting – are any indication, build it and they will come.

What they will get will be the best selling sports car in America, one that will finally erase those sad memories of the years when Ford put out barely disguised versions of economy cars like the Mustang II. This Mustang is the real thing, live axle and all.

Inside design is as good as Ford’s been. The pony cues and retro touches add elegance to the aluminum-clad dash, and if there is still some room for improvement, there is precious little for complaint. Ford could get rid of a little more plastic, but complaining about this dash seems churlish, given how vast an improvement it is. The usual safety features are included, and just about the only things I missed were a navigation system and satellite radio. Seats were comfortable and supportive as you would want a sports car’s to be, with that beautiful, three-split-spoke steering wheel anchoring the design and beckoning to the driver at the same time.

The back seats brought no complaints from two teenagers on a two-hour drive. Of course, they were so busy saying what a cool car this was, they wouldn’t have complained had I suggested they do their homework and eat their veggies.

For the driver, two things stand out. Put the right engine in, as the Mustang’s designers did, and any car can go fast. Doing it well is another matter, and that this does. Handling is the first thing that says this is a world-class sports car. The ride is sports-suspension stiff, but that helps the Mustang hold the road like I’d hold Halle Berry if… (just kidding…sure). I found no curve the Mustang didn’t welcome, even at speeds that may not always have been considered prudent in a lesser vehicle. Driving the Mustang is even more fun than looking at it.

The other major point, and this is a stunner if you’ve driven some previous Mustang convertibles, is the body stiffness, or torsional rigidity, as the engineers call it. If you really want to test a convertible, take it over some horrible roads. Find a dirt road, zoom over a railroad track, torture it – that’s the way to find out what a convertible is made of. If the body isn’t stiff, you’ll get shaking and twisting, soon to be followed by squeaks and then screams as you decide you were sold a bill of goods. Not so with the Mustang GT Convertible. Ford says this Mustang convertible has more than twice the torsional stiffness of the previous version. According to Ford, “The 2005 Mustang convertible was designed from the ground up to deliver a more rigid body structure without adding burdensome weight. This was accomplished by engineering it in tandem with the coupe. An added benefit of this process – one that helped meet a goal set for the convertible's exterior design – was that it provided the car with a cohesive, integrated look. It does not look like a coupe that has undergone reconstructive surgery to become a convertible.”

The little things also add up. Slim C-pillars, a relatively wide glass windshield and full quarter-windows give the Mustang good visibility for a convertible with the top up. I drove the Mustang through some pouring rain, and can happily report that not only is wind noise negligible, there was absolutely no leakage. That’s a tribute to the fit and finish of the Ford Mustang GT Convertible Premium.

It’s got style, it’s got class, take it on the road and it kicks ass – what more can you want from a car. Whatever it is, unless you’re the diehard minivan type, you’ll find it in the 2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Premium, a car with the looks to steal your heart, the power to whisk you away, and a price that seems so little to pay.

The GM Diet

2005-05-20T16:22:00.000-04:00

 Danny Hakim reports in today's NY Times that GM execs have finally come to their senses. Faced with an excess of too similar vehicles that not enough people will take off their hands without huge kickbacks, and with Toyota and Honda breathing won the General's neck in the popular pick-up and fullsize truck markets, GM has decided to rationalize its product lines. As I suggested in the post below, the Buick Terraza was an example of filling a slot in the marketplace just so you could say this car line is filling a slot in the marketplace. That wouldn't be a problem if trying to be more than anyone wants weren't so darn expensive. While I won't take full credit, I will note that a little more than a week after the post below first ran as a newspaper column, GM is doing the right thing. From now on, only Chevy and Caddy will carry a full line of vehicles, allowing the other brands to not just save money, but create distinct identities. Looks like GM is finally beginning to realize it cannot ignore that basic law of economics: Never worry about sunk costs. For all the American jobs at stake, we hope GM comes through this stronger than ever. GM's cars are better than they have ever been, and the new J.D. Power reports show consumers are beginning to get the message. Now if the policymakers in Washington would work as hard on healthcare as GM has been doing on its cars, they may be able to address a system that has American cars costing $1,000 more than many foreign competitors just because of healthcare costs, while quality measures show our ultra-expensive, inefficient system is only good for a rank somewhere in the 20s in the world despite those tremendous costs.

2005 Buick Terraza AWD- CXL-1SD: Yes, but why?

2005-05-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

Our long national nightmare is over. Those miserable years spent wandering through the wilderness of unfulfilled desire have finally come to a most satisfying end.

Not enough for me had been the knowledge that democracy was on the march everywhere and freedom was winning. No, sir, I knew the truth. There was one mighty mountain yet to climb, one ocean left to cross before we could truly say, “Mission accomplished!” I had, in a few moments of doubt and pain, despaired of ever seeing it happen in my lifetime, so long had been the wait and so eager the waiter. But I did not falter because I knew we would not fail. I kept hope alive, and now, our time has come. My living will has been altered, unending life support no longer the preferred option. Because now I can go in peace. The moment I have been waiting for has arrived.

Buick has built a minivan!

Wait! What’s that you say? You haven’t been waiting with bated breath for a Buick minivan? I find that hard to believe. Why else would Buick build a minivan were there not a hue and cry rising from the street for it? Just like why else would the Rolling Stones be embarking on yet another world tour (early reports are their contracts now require early bird specials).

If it’s not love, it must be for money, and seeing that it’s far harder to love yet another minivan than even the 16^th million rendition of “Satisfaction,” I’m going to climb out on a limb here and say Buick built the 2005 Terraza AWD CXL-1SD (and don’t ask me what that all means) for the money.

Yes, my head hurts and I’m cranky and I’m taking it out on Buick, but how many gosh darn minivans do we need? Why isn’t a division closer to dying than even its average customer not going out there to build a 300C or a Mustang convertible or, God forbid, something fun like a Mini? Is there such a complete failure of imagination at Buick that a new minivan is what passes for excitement in their water cooler discourses? Which Harvard MBA (and it had to be someone from Harvard – all numbers and no heart) looked at the Buick product lineup, looked at the market, and decided, new minivan, here we come? Why wasn’t he taken out and shot?

For Buick, a proud name in American auto history, to revive itself and not follow in the fatal direction of Oldsmobile, the line needs some excitement, some buzz. The new LaCrosse was half a step in the right direction. It’s a very well built car that can compete with anything the world throws at it, but it needs something to get people out of the Toyota and Honda showrooms to give it a chance. I’m repeating myself, but both Cadillac and Chrysler have shown how to rebuild an aging, boring brand, so why hasn’t Buick taken note? Why in the name of Harley Earl didn’t Buick try to build something that would bring those famed twins, aura and mystique, into the showrooms, and some new and younger car buyers with them?

Why a minivan?

Yes, I know all about filling holes in a product lineup, but did GM’s top brass ever consider what the guys shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic were thinking? Buick needed a minivan like I need another sleepover at Michael Jackson’s house. What a thriller. Unlike the Terraza.

I’m being a little snotty here. On its own, all the Buick drama aside, the Terraza is a more than acceptable minivan. Buick’s calling it a “crossover sport van” to avoid the dreaded minivan tag, and while the front end does have some SUV-like styling, it’s still a minivan, and not one too many dads will be driving around.

But for soccer moms who put practicality above styling, the Terraza does deliver. My fully loaded version came in at $36,290, including a $715 destination charge, pointing out the territory in which GM hopes to compete. While GM has done quite well in SUVs, upscale minivans have not been a part of the general’s arsenal. Now, with the Terrazza, Buick, and by extension GM, has something with which to lure those soccer moms who would otherwise head into a Chrysler Town & Country or Honda Odyssey. A lofty goal, but I’m not sure why GM thinks Buick is the division to do this. Saturn has its version of the Terraza, the Relay, and Cadillac has the cachet to pull people into their showrooms on the way to or from the country club. Buick has Tiger Woods, and I don’t think that’s enough.

I keep trying not to be harsh on the Terraza, because it really doesn’t deserve a harsh review. It’s just that it does not stand out in that Town & Country/Odyssey marketplace, and it should if people are going to consider a Buick minivan. Sorry, make that a Buick “crossover sport van.” Wouldn’t want to get Mr. Buick mad.

There are many good things about the Terraza. Fit and finish are very good. Controls are well laid out and easy to use. The entire cabin echoes the dash, bespeaking a quiet luxury that anyone used to the GM plastic palaces of a few years ago, OK, a few weeks ago, will find stunning. The interior is pleasing, reassuring and relaxed. The Terraza feels comfortable in its own skin, comforting passengers and driver alike.

Buick, if you’ve seen the LaCrosse commercials, is pushing quiet as a selling point, and though they don’t mention it often in connection with the Terraza, this too is a well-insulated vehicle that keeps road and wind noise out. Engine noise from the 3.5-liter V-6 is hushed, to say the least, and if nothing in its handling or performance will evoke memories of a Ferrari, big deal. It handles as well as most minivans, rides comfortably, and will keep the baby asleep in its car seat and the kids engrossed watching the DVD system.

The AWD in my Terraza stands for all-wheel-drive. You can save a few bucks if you go for front wheel drive, but why. This is one of many safety features standard on the Terraza. Inexplicably missing are side curtain airbags, but one year of OnStar does come standard, and I can’t see living without that afterwards.

My Terraza added to its $33,855 base with options including 17” wheels, XM satellite and MP3/CD-playing premium sound system, heated seats and a remote vehicle starter system. Most of the luxuries, like the DVD entertainment system, power front seats and climate control are standard. There was good space for seven, two in the second row captain’s chairs and three in the third row bench sets, all leather.

The 3.5-liter V6 came with a four-speed automatic transmission. EPA mileage was 17 city, 23 highway.

Driving the 2005 Buick Terraza AWD CXL-1SD is a civilized and civilizing experience. Given GM’s history, this is a quantum leap in the quality of its minivans. Given Buick’s history, we wish them luck.

Lies and the lying liars

2005-05-18T05:51:00.000-04:00

Scott McLellan has some big ones. The face of an administration that repeatedly and boldly (not to mention baldly) lied to the American people about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, about weapons of mass destruction in Cuba, about Social Security, about energy, about government interference in the life of a dying woman, about whether the sun would rise in the morning has now become the poster boy for journalistic veracity. Yes, Newsweek screwed up big time, but let's not forget who created the atmosphere where the Geneva Convention does not apply, where American citizens can be thrown in jail indefinitely without trial just because I say so, where American soldiers are repeatedly accused of violating prisoners' religious beliefs during interrogations, where respect for international law is deemed as "quaint" as an American citizen's right to privacy by its highest authorities. Let's not forget who created an America whose credibility is so shot internationally and whose morality so suspect that, well, anything seems possible. Both Keith Olbermann and Eric Alterman have good postings on this. All I can say is 1984 is lasting an awful long time, and it's so much worse than Orwell said.

UPDATE: After a discussion with unnamed officials in an undisclosed location, Another Look seeks to retract everything that was said above. Scott McLellan is a patriot and a fine one, and government has every right to instruct Newsweek what to write, First Amendment be damned. The Iraqis welcomed us with flowers in their hearts. Perpetual war is peace, killing everyone who doesn't agree with you is pro-life, Sen. Norm Coleman's caps look even better than his credibility and expecting truth from goverment in a time of war is a liberal plot against America. Oh, and while we're at it, evolution is wrong, the sun does revolve around the earth and gays and feminists caused 9/11. Please, Americans, be more like the responsible media. Do not pay any attention to the fact that Pentagon spokesperson Tory Clarke said Defense "Secretary Rumsfeld Secretary Rumsfeld does not recall it being brought before the board at any time” (yes, I know you liberals are snickering that this is the classic non-denial denial) -- "it" being the sale of two nuclear power plants to North Korea by ABB when Rumsfeld was on its board in 2000, waste material from which could be used to make dirty bombs, were there any terrorists doing business with North Korea. May God continue to bless America.

Oh, what a night!

2005-05-17T06:50:00.000-04:00

Talk about bittersweet. The great Bernie Williams comes back with a bang, his 11th career grand slam lifting the once again mighty New York Yankees back above .500 with their ninth straight victory. Bernie may not be what he used to be, but, to use those words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who in the closing stanza of Ulysses said it best:
"Tho much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

The young 'uns will understand someday. For us older folk, there is inspiration here. As Tennyson understood, "...you and I are old;/Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;/Death closes all: but something ere the end,/Some work of noble note, may yet be done,/Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods."

Last night, Ray Romano and his hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond closed all. It left on the same note that sustained it for the past decade - love and family. It was a noble note, filled with grace. Underappreciated for so long, this charming comedy succeeded because of what it was - a slightly distorted mirror in which we could all recognize our own families and the love sustaining us. It was the mirror Cosby (Ray certainly wasn't the all-knowing father, although both sitcom husbands had wives smarter than they and willing and able to puncture their pretensions - much like my own wife) and in so many ways, the same. We'll miss Raymond. We like you, Ray!

We liked Newsweek. For a long time, it has had the best reporting of the newsweeklies. Back when Clinton was in power, they were hated for the Linda Tripp/Monica Lewinsky coverage (with an assist from Matt Drudge, who forced it out of the closet). Christopher Dickey has had some of the most insightful coverage of Iraq. The New York Times, whose coverage has veered from painful sycophancy during the run-up and in the early stages of the war to an overly belligerent nothing's-going-right afterwards could learn from reading his dispatches. Reporting like this on that disaster in the making, John Bolton, made it a must read. Now all that matters less than a piece of incredibly sloppy reporting - a single-sourced, unconfirmed, bound to be inflammatory item - and even worse editing that allowed it to get through. It will be interesting to see what Newsweek reporters have learned. I would hope humility, but not becoming gun shy. In other words, I hope they learn the lesson they've implicitly been trying to share with America about Iraq: Causing people to die based on recklessly bad intelligence is unforgivable, no matter the motivation.

Not that they're asking, but the advice I'd give Newsweek staffers is the same I'd have given to Rumsfeld or Bush. They didn't ask either, but nobody asked Tennyson, yet we listen: "Come, my friends/'Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

Let's just hope this is not a world where we'll really have to pay $49.95 to read the New York Times's op-ed page. If they're going to charge, at least add some more compelling commentary to join Frank Rich's. As the debates over the futures of conservativism and liberalism both heat up, how about infusing the page with some authentic voices from each side? Pat Buchanan and Eric Alterman - now that would be worth the money!

Fox in the henhouse

2005-05-16T06:32:00.000-04:00

Former Coca Cola exec and Bush best buddy, Mexican President Vicente Fox put his foot in it this past week when he said Mexicans were "doing the work that not even blacks want to do there." While Jesse Jackson contorts into positions previously unknown in the Kama Sutra to try to avoid labelling Fox's obviously racist comments racist, journo supreme Richard Prince reminds us of this Reuters story, which says, "Racism against blacks and Indians runs deep in Mexico and other parts of Latin America." In contrast to Jesse, the State Department had it right: "That level of dialogue doesn't merit comment." Fox doesn't get it, as witness his non-apology. What he also doesn't get is the new approach to illegal immigration in the post-9/11 world. What Fox said has been true in a sense for a long time. An unholy combination of liberals and big businesses has long condoned, if not encouraged, illegal immigrants from south of the border. From Wal-Mart to the local landscaper, these immigrants have enabled employers to push salaries down in that race to the bottom. As long as our borders are poorly policed, not only are Al-Qaeda operatives free to stroll across, so too is the economic threat to American workers and our way of life. Why would an employer pay an honest, hard-working American at least minimum wage and overtime and benefits when he can exploit a vulnerable illegal immigrant? Of course I may be completely wrong on this, as Sebastian Mallaby persuasively argues in the Washington Post, or I may be completely right, as union official Mark Erlich argues just as persuasively in the Boston Globe, but either way, let's have the argument. The McCain/Kennedy bill may be a good place to start. Like drug use, we try to choke off the supply elsewhere because the people with the demand vote. That doesn't work for drugs and it doesn't work for illegal immigration. The important part of Kennedy/McCain, if it works is described in this piece from GovExec.com that says: "The Labor Department would take on a new role, enforcing employer sanctions against the hiring of illegal workers. That is currently the province of the Homeland Security Department, which enforces employer sanctions rarely because of opposition from businesses and some in Congress."

You don't say!

More Cos and Effect

2005-05-13T06:35:00.000-04:00

While I think Prof. Eric Dyson does make some valid points in his criticism of Cosby, most notably on the Cos's previous lack of involvement in matters of race, I think if he came down to the trenches, he'd see far less criticism and far more corroboration of the Cos. I work with social workers daily who work with children at their worst. As one sista who's long been involved with our children and a leader in our community said to me yesterday, what some of these kids need is for a parent to take them out to the woodshed and lay the law down. A brotha I work with was pissed off big time recently because one of his teenage charges had been arrested for a major crime. He explained this youngster grew up in the projects, in an environment where hope was as scarce as non-drug dealing BMW drivers. This young man didn't have to grow up in that moral wilderness. The brotha said the parents both had very good jobs, and he'd pleaded with them to take their kids out of that environment. However, the parents chose cheap rent and lots of the best material stuff for their apartment over their children, and now we have another young man with no future. We had a 10 or 11 year old future gangsta at the office a couple days ago, demanding we give him one of the toys we distribute to needy children. His aunt drove him to the office in a new Audi.
We cannot and should not diminish the barriers facing young black men in this society, but we have to stop pretending some of the largest ones are solely the fault of society and that we are blameless. Until we eliminate the pathology that we have allowed to infect us and return to the wisdom of our ancestors, we send our children out into this world of cruelty and opportunity sadly unprepared. That is our failure, and it's time to address it.

Just Be 'Cos

2005-05-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

Today's guest posting on the Bill Cosby/Eric Dyson actually is closer to my own views. It comes to us courtesy of the NABJ forum from Teresa Ridley of NiaOnline(www.niaonline.com), a site seeking to create a direct link and trusted dialogue with African-American women. Here's what she says:

"I would suggest that the class-and-race schism isn't a neat one. First of
all, I know plenty of lower-income Black folks (some of whom live in the
same housing project in which I was raised) who agree with every word
they've heard Cosby make about the behavior of *some* teenagers (and, too
often, their parents). In fact, I've heard more upper-middle-class members
of the Black intelligentsia dis Cosby for being politically incorrect than
I've heard lower- and middle-income Blacks disagree with him

I also think we all realize that behavioral and educational problems can be
found among teenagers of every ethnicity and class. But I see nothing wrong
with focusing on Black teenagers, who face some of the biggest challenges in
terms of education and job success. And those challenges tend to be both
class- and race-specific."

2005 Chevy Cobalt LT: GM finally gets it right

2005-05-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

The ongoing lamentation of auto reviewers is that there are no longer any truly horrible cars being made, so the opportunities to spew venom are few and far between. Yes, some cars are overpriced, others underpowered, some too small, some too large, some just so obnoxious as to not deserve to live, but where are the Yugos of yesteryear? It’s almost worth it to invite French carmakers back into the US market just so we can make fun of Citroens and Renaults (Remember the Renault Alliance?). Think what it would be like to review movies if the most horrible of them at least kept you from falling asleep! How boring would restaurant reviews be if the very worst you could say was that you got lots of food and no food poisoning?

I’m sure you can sympathize with my plight. Fortunately, as a survival measure, smart auto reviewers have developed a workable workaround over the years. Whenever the need to make snide comments became overwhelming, simply call GM and have them send you one of their small cars. I’ve never been disappointed by the Cavalier for example – lawnmower engines, uncomfortable seats, mismatched trim, doors closing with that unmistakable thunk, er, chiiink of cheap tin, trunks refusing to close – the Cavalier was great, a worthy addition to a long line of Chevy small car luminaries, a line that peaked with the Vega, a line we loved to hate.

Or so it was. GM’s been touting its new “American Revolution,” seemingly based on the revolutionary idea that propelled GM in its glory days – make good vehicles at different price points. But who thought they were serious? Sure, GM surprised us when they made world-class luxury cars out of the previously moribund Cadillac brand. Yes, Pontiac’s GTO and Chevy’s SSR, especially now that it’s got the Corvette engine, are as good as it gets. But a small car from Chevy worth driving? No way!

Way! It is my sad duty to report that with the new Chevy Cobalt LT sedan, the good old days are officially over. Unless Chevy resurrects the two-door Blazer, we won’t have Chevy to kick around any more.

So before I tell you more about the Cobalt, I’m asking you to join me in a campaign to save the dignity of the American auto reviewer. Please, please, right now, go to your PC and send an e-mail to Tom Delay and Bill Frist. Demand they pass a law forcing American automakers to once again make cars like the aforementioned Vega, or the Ford Pinto, or almost anything from Chrysler’s Corinthian leather period. Do it before it’s too late, before we dissolve into tears, consumed from the inside out by vitriol we want to spew but can’t. Save us from good cars.

Like this bloody Chevy Cobalt. And while you’re at it, please send some money to our new political action committee – Cash for Auto Reviewers (CAR). Send me an e-mail letting me know how much you’d like to contribute and I’ll have the Rev. Al Sharpton stop by and pick it up. Cash only, please, and remember to sign that video release.

Anyway, on to the almost unbearable task of praising the Chevy Cobalt. Let me at least get one smartass comment in. The Cobalt wouldn’t get noticed in South Beach. By that I mean the styling, while fine for what it is, is no standout. Styling has, I think, been GM’s sole weak spot in its new lineup, and it continues here. GM still seems dedicated to the “least objectionable” concept, trying to avoid turning people off rather than turning buyers on. I don’t think that’s the way for GM to go (as Cadillac proved), but hey, it’s their money.

So that’s the downside. The upside is almost everything else. The Cobalt comes in base, LS and top of the line LT models, and my top of the line LT just barely made it over $20K with the destination charge built in. For this you get a 2.2 liter DOHC engine, automatic transmission with traction control, antilock brakes, lots of airbags, 16-inch wheels, fog lamps, leather seats, cruise control, XM satellite radio and, of course, OnStar. This is to say this is not a stripped down economobile, but a comfortable, well-equipped transporter.

Inside, the Cobalt, based on GM’s Delta architecture, is larger than you would expect were you basing those expectations on the Cavalier. While the instrumentation and décor aren’t up to Cadillac standards, the Cobalt’s dashboard and trim do not give reason to be ashamed. Actually, while it may rank slightly below best in class, the look is far better than GM’s previous attempts in this class. As for function, the instruments are well laid out and easy to use.

Handling is also a little different that one might expect. The Cobalt feels larger than I thought it would, and while that means it’s no barnburner (the Cobalt SS is there for those who have the need for speed), acceleration of this relatively heavy sedan for its class is more than adequate, and the ride’s comfort is on par with that of a larger, more upscale vehicle. The engine feels (again a surprise for old Cavalier hands, given that it’s a carryover) refined, pushing out its 145 horses smoothly and quietly. Steering is solidly middle of the road, not sports car quick (again go with the SS for that), but responsive and compliant. Mileage is estimated by our friends at the EPA as 24 in the city, 32 on the highway.

That thing I mentioned about a Cavalier’s trunk not opening – it really happened. That was never a concern with the Cobalt. Build quality was very high, and both trunk and doors closed with a solid thunk. In this as in all else, the Cobalt is a far superior replacement for the Cavalier.

If that seems like damning with faint praise, it isn’t. It’s simply a way of pointing out how far GM has come in making quality cars at all the points in their lineup. If you had a Cavalier, it’s almost unfair to both cars to compare the old Chevy to its replacement. Think of the Cobalt as a next step instead. It is a far more upscale model than its predecessor, and a pleasant surprise to those of us who haven’t had the highest of expectations of Chevrolet. The 2005 Chevy Cobalt LT sedan is an affordably priced, well equipped, finely engineered compact sedan that takes GM firmly into the top level of this market segment.

Murderer's Row

2005-05-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

Looks like it will be a long, cold summer for Yankee fans. Last plac e is not the accustomed position for the mighty Yankees. This is especially true when the $96 million of US taxpayer money missing in just one corner of Iraq (an audit by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction found that in the South Central Region, based in Hillah, officers “cannot properly account for or support $96.6 million in cash and receipts.”) couldn't even cover half your payroll.

Fortunately, as NBC reported, "Auditors found that $9 billion handed over to Iraqi ministries by (Paul) Bremer’s CPA could not be accounted for. An additional $1.5 billion in Iraqi funds were given to Halliburton in sole source contracts. And the contract to build an accounting system for DFI funds was awarded to a small company run out of a home in California, which wasn’t even a certified public accounting firm." That mean if George has friends in Iraq, the Yankees still have a chance to buy a few good pitchers. Don't laugh, it's possible. According to this exclusive, George W. Bush has spent his life as a George Steinbrenner wannabe, and, as Saddam Hussein himself noted when Bush appointed him President of Iraq, "The US makes me feel like a modern-day Billy Martin!"

The only consolation for those of us who genuflect at Monument Park is that the Red Sox still suck, and nobody cares!

Yankee fans can console themselves with the knowledge that instead of Wells and Schilling, we have a class act like Bernie Williams. We love you, man. Get well soon.

2005 Nissan Altima SE-R: Power for the People

2005-05-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

Who’da thunk it? A dying Japanese car company turns to a French CEO from Renault for help. How else could this story end but with Nissan joining the scrap heap of automobile history?

As Rick said in Casablanca, I was misinformed. Turns out, Louis, this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Given that the prospect of dying does concentrate the mind wonderfully, car companies on the verge of implosion tend to have a creative explosion. Witness the first Ford Taurus or the Chrysler 300C. Necessity being the mother of invention, auto companies that are failing in the marketplace tend to burst out from the gray conformity stifling more successful manufacturers in order to make a splash and attract attention, much like a supernova announces the dying of a star. For the fortunate ones, the darkest hour turns out to be just before the dawn.

Sorry about that last sentence. I’ve just been dying to fit three clichés into one paragraph and had to go for it.

So did Nissan. With notably more success. From the redesigned Maxima to the interesting Quest to the sexy Z, Nissan has made a mockery of the supposed virtues of blandness, re-establishing itself with cars that you may love or hate, but you certainly won’t ignore.

The Nissan Altima SE-R is a fascinating example of how, with the right moves, a product that may seem inherently antithetical to a brand image could be made to fit. The Altima had long been dwarfed in the public perception by its larger, sportier stablemate, the Maxima. It had become the kind of car that young women in their second jobs out of college and able to trade in their Sentras would get. It was reliable. It was comfortable. It was boring.

In 2004, Nissan set out to change that, and with the SE-R, the transformation is complete. Nissan took a midsize commuter and retained the virtues that its previous customers like – comfort and reliability – while adding what new customers want – style and speed.

The SE-R is the sportiest version of the Altima, and, at about $30,000, the most expensive. But what you get for that is an aggressive handler that’s fun to drive, and, with the optional side airbags, as safe as one could want. The virtues of the line – again, comfort, reliability, interior space – get layered onto a car that makes commuting fun both when the road is all backed up and you sit back to listen to satellite radio, and when the open road is before you. The specially tuned 3.5-liter DOHC 6-cylinder engine pushes out a fabulous 260 horses, making this relatively light midsizer fodder for dreams of Lime Rock racing. My transmission was a responsive five-speed automatic with manual mode (a 6-speed manual is also available), and with the performance suspension tuning, back roads became a thing of beauty (I would suggest a radar detector). Handling was right on the money, twisting and turning into curves becoming a calling, not a response. Mileage is estimated at 20 highway, 30 city, smack in the middle of the range for midsize sedans.

The red R on the leather seats signifying this top of the line performance version is superfluous if you happen to be behind the wheel, but, like the rest of the cabin, it looks good. The outside styling is quite attractive for its type, and the inside a cut above previous plastic versions of the Altima.

About the only downsides to the SE-R are the engine and road noise – the car sounds as aggressive as it handles – and the fact that front side and rear head curtain airbags are an option. That airbags are packaged with the traction control system with a total cost of $800. Seems a little chintzy to me for something every buyer should get.

Still, Nissan has gambled and won with the 2005 Altima SE-R. Reviews are one thing; spending your money on a car something else. But people who are plunking down their hard-earned cash clearly agree with this reviewer on the merits of the 2005 Nissan Altima. Numbers just released by Nissan show March was the best ever month for Altima sales. Having driven the enjoyable Nissan Altima SE-R, I find no reason to be shocked.

For 2005, every Altima model features restyled headlamps, taillights, a restyled smooth front end with a distinctive raised hood and new Nissan family. The Altima SE-R adds a new front fascia, headlight bezel coloring, compact fog lights and dark window molding coloring. In the rear, the SE-R stands out with a new rear fascia and spoiler, smoked taillights and large dual exhaust finishers. Also visible are the new side sill spoilers, silver painted front and rear disc brake calipers, with the SE-R logo on the front calipers. SE-R badging is located on the rear of the vehicle. The Altima interior incorporates all of the upgrades for the 2005 model, including a new instrument panel design with fine vision meter illumination, center console, trim finishes, 3-spoke steering wheel, seat material, headliner and added chrome accents and chrome door handles.

The most prominent difference between the SE-R and other 2005 Altima models is the three-pod center-mounted gauge package, similar to that found on the legendary Nissan Z, with volt meter, oil pressure and fuel consumption gauges. Other changes include sport-shaped front seats and headrests with perforated red or gray leather-appointed inserts and matching stitching on the seats, steering wheel and shift knob, dark chrome trim treatment and drilled aluminum pedals. The front seats are also heated, as are the SE-R’s outside mirrors.

Gone, but not forgotten

2005-05-02T09:03:00.000-04:00

Two giants died this past month. While the Bush administration lies in bed cooing to the far right, a scholar who had a great deal to do with breaking the hold of the far right on our educational system and starting the process of desegregation, Kenneth Clark, died.
As the New York Times obituary said, "In 1973, with a backlash to integration mounting, Dr. Clark said in an interview in The New York Times Magazine that "one of the things that disturbs me most is the sophisticated form of intellectual white backlash," citing the writings of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, among others. "In their ivory towers, they have lost all empathy with low-income people and black people. They are seeking to repudiate their own past liberal positions, fighting against their own heritage at the expense of the poor.""

This leads us to wonder what he would think of the Cos. Cosby has been loud about what he sees as the black community's own responsibility for its failings. Professor Michael Eric Dyson has a new book coming out responding to the Cos. He sounds an awful lot like Clark in this MSNBC piece when he says, "It is that general public, especially white social critics and other prophets of black ethical erosion, that has been eager for Cosby’s dispatches from the tortured front of black class war. Cosby’s comments let many of these whites off the hook. If what Cosby says is true, then critics who have said the same, but who courted charges of racism, are vindicated. There’s nothing like a formerly poor black multimillionaire bashing poor blacks to lend credence to the ancient assaults they’ve endured from the dominant culture."

Also leaving us was Dr. Alvin Novick. This Yale physician made his name researching bats and sonar, but his reputation by standing up for the rights of victims of AIDS when few others would. Wonder what he would think of the oppressed becoming the oppressors. Dr. Clark would not be surprised.