Tuesday, August 30, 2011

2011 Lincoln Town Car Review




The 2011 Lincoln Town Car. The end of the line, the end of an era.
The end of the year clearance sales are on. 2011s are leaving the lot to make room for the 2012s.

Except for the Lincoln Town Car. When the last one is gone, that's it. There will be no more. It's been years since Ford bothered to put one in the press fleet in TireKicker's hometown, so we arranged with Fiesta Lincoln in Mesa, Arizona to drive one for a week.

The last Lincoln Town Car is a big deal because it's not just the end of a body style or a nameplate, but of a type of automobile. The Town Car is what American sedans were from World War II onward...big, comfortable, rear-wheel-drive, V8-powered machines that sat six adults in great comfort.




2011 Lincoln Town Car interior
The 2011 Lincoln Town Car interior. You may have had smaller apartments.




See that armrest in the picture above? Fold it up, and you'll find a seat belt. There's no center console. The gear selector is sticking out of the steering column. 3 in the front, 3 in the back...and even given contemporary American bodily dimensions (within reason), nobody's crowded. There's 21 cubic feet of space in the trunk for all your things.

It's more comfortable than a large SUV, certainly has a better ride and arguably better handling, and it definitely gets better mileage (the EPA says 16 city/24 highway, and we saw 22.5 on a long stretch of urban freeway, with our weeklong city street/freeway mix never dropping below 19).

Our tester? Basic as it comes. The Signature model. $47,225. 4.6 liter single overhead cam flexible fuel V8, automatic transmission, halogen headlamps, heated power windows with memory, heated 8-way power front seats with lumbar, leather seating surfaces, leather and wood steering wheel with audio, cruise and climate controls, a dual-zone climate system, an AM/FM/6-CD changer premium audio system,  power adjustable pedals, rear park assist, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, traction contol and a security alarm. All that packaged with a 4 year/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, a 6 year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty and 24 hour roadside assistance.

Complete enough that ours had only one option...whitewall tires ($125). Yes, whitewall tires. You can still get them. And, apparently, reasonably.

All told, with $945 for destination and delivery charges, the Town Car rang in at $48,295. And you know what? We loved it. It's the ultimate road trip car (I rented dozens, if not hundreds over the years as a traveling TV news reporter), and it's perfectly fine in city traffic as well. There is, in fact, nothing wrong with it that couldn't be fixed with some cosmetic and convenience updates, and driving the Town Car, I kept coming up with arguments why it should be saved.
But the Town Car got stuck with the label of "old peoples' car", and in an acutely image-conscious society thus was doomed to declining sales as its owner base aged, gave up drivers' licenses and, well, began dying off. Demand stayed strong in the limousine and executive sedan market, where the combined virtues of room, relative economy and near-bulletproof reliability (300,000 to 400,000 miles is not uncommon for a Town Car) are highly prized.






The 2011 Lincoln Town Car. Off into the sunset.

Why don't civilian drivers who buy large (in some cases, huge) vehicles prize those qualities, too? Room for 6, more than respectable gas mileage, decent cargo space, epic safety ratings and legendary durability and reliability with a starting price under $50,000 would probably be a big draw...on paper..for a lot of buyers in their 40s and 50s.

Until you say the words "Lincoln Town Car".

So we walk away from something that works in favor of more stylish things that don't quite work as well. Our fault and our loss for that. There are a lot of people for whom a Lincoln Town Car would be just about perfect. If you have an open mind, Cars.com says there are 746 new Town Cars on dealer lots in the USA as I type this. That's 28 fewer than there were when I began writing this review a little less than an hour ago. 26.64 more hours like that and they're all gone.

1994 Acura Legend Coupe (TireKicker Time Machine)

Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe. Not your typical 18-year old car.

Confession: I've been neglecting the TireKicker Time Machine feature. Partly because it's 17 million degrees in Phoenix this summer but also because I'm looking for the exceptional.

Turns out I found it in the summer of 2009...and just needed reminding.

The picture above is of a 1994 Acura Legend 6-Speed Coupe belonging to a young man named Tyson Hugie. And it's a recent photo.

Tyson Hugie, Michael Hagerty and Tyson's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe in 2009.
That's us, a little over two years ago, meeting for the first time when I was doing a story for television on people who keep their cars for 100,000  200,000 miles or more. Tyson more than qualified...his Legend had 378,000 miles..and was not only running...but virtually flawless. That was our only meeting. We've stayed in sporadic touch by e-mail since.

Rear view of Tyson Hugie's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe.
Tyson's a huge believer in maintenance. Anything that breaks gets fixed fast, and there's so much attention to upkeep that nothing much breaks.

And if you think he keeps it nice by not driving it much...remember that mileage? 378,000 two summers ago? Here's the odometer from this past weekend:

Tyson's 1994 Acura Legend Coupe odometer reading as of this weekend.

That's right...now closing in on half a million miles. Tyson has driven 113,774 miles in 26 months. That's 4,375 miles a month. Testing two cars a week, I do maybe 2,000...2,400 tops. How's he do it?

He drives places. Interesting, faraway places:


Tyson and the 1994 Acura Legend at the Alaskan border.

There are a lot of interesting adventures and insights wrapped up in getting a car to the 500,000 mile mark...and Tyson tells them best in his own blog devoted to getting there: DriveToFive (Legendary Quest for 500,000 Miles). He'll hit that milestone soon at this rate...so bookmark it now and start enjoying the ride.

Monday, August 29, 2011

2011 Porsche Panamera Review




2011 Porsche Panamera rear view
The 2011 Porsche Panamera. "Controversial" doesn't begin to describe the styling.

The Nissan Juke. The Scion xB. Those are the two cars that have gotten the most negative comments about their styling while we were driving them. And by the most, I mean a 50/50 split on the xB, 60/40 negative/positive on the Juke.

The Porsche Panamera? 100% thumbs down.

Now, this is rare. Normally, when I roll up in a Porsche...any Porsche...even the Cayenne and especially the 911...there's a lot of oohing and aahing and "omigodiwantone" going on.

Not with the Panamera. "Looks like someone dropped a boulder on a 911" was the frequent review.




2011 Porsche Panamera front view
Approach the 2011 Porsche Panamera from the front the first few times. It'll help.

The good news is that, especially from the front, there is some family resemblance to the cars we've come to know and love from Porsche. And, while not blindingly fast, at least not in Panamera 4 all-wheel-drive form like our tester, it still is a very quick big sedan...0-60 in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 159 miles per hour.

That performance is from the 3.6 liter V6, which cooks up 300 horsepower and 295 pounds per foot of torque. With a 7-speed automatic, the Panamera gets an EPA estimated 18 city/26 highway miles per gallon. Which, again, is very good for a big sedan. And it handles very, very well.




2011 Porsche Panamera interior
The four-seat interior of the 2011 Porsche Panamera.
Inside the car, you can't see what the car looks like on the outside, and you are in a very Porsche environment...at least a Porsche environment as defined by the Cayenne SUV. There's room for four, it's all very plush...but the Teutonic simplicity of the marque's best sports cars? No. Of course, you probably couldn't sell a luxury sedan equipped like that, but the Panamera went the exact opposite direction. There are forty-four buttons on the center console alone. Factor in window switches, audio system stuff and the rest, and the count throughout the cabin gets stratospheric.

The list of what comes with the car as standard equipment and what's optional is very long and highly dependent on whether you order the Panamera, Panamera S, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera S Hybrid, Panamera Turbo or Panamera Turbo S, so we'll just let you surf over to Porsche's website to check it out for yourself.

As noted above, ours was the Panamera 4. Base price $79,800. And Porsche's press fleet folks added Basalt Black Metallic paint ($790), a ski bag ($405), auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors ($420), front heated seats ($525), heated steering wheel ($250), 19" Panamera Turbo wheels ($1,950), a Bose surround sound system ($1,440), SiriusXM radio ($750) and Porsche crest front headrests ($285). Bottom line including $975 destination charge: $87,590.

The only thing missing...at least to this Porschephile who's never met a 911 he didn't like? The roar of the engine. Porsche's sixes give off this wonderful wail when you tromp on the accelerator, but the Panamera V6 just gathers up speed silently. I wonder if the faster Panameras (the S hybrid makes 60 in 5.7 seconds with a top speed of 167, the S 5.2 and 175, the 4S 4.8 and 175, the Turbo 4.0 and 188 and the Turbo S 3.6 and 190) have any of that snarl or if it's all speed.  Hopefully Porsche will allow us to find out first-hand.

Again, you have to remember that the Panamera is new territory...Porsche's response to swoopy luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7, Maserati Quattroporte and the Jaguar XJ. And by any objective measure, they've hit the target. 

2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe Review




2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe front view
The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe.


Just about three weeks ago, we sang the praises of the 2011 Infiniti G37 Sedan in a review here at TireKicker. Now it's the Infiniti G37 Coupe's turn.

The DNA is the same, there's just a level of style that the coupe brings (along with 2 more horsepower...a nice round 330).

Base price starts at $37,150, and as usual with Infiniti, you get a very complete car, should you wish to go no further: 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Intelligent Key, pushbutton start, leather-appointed seating, a 7-inch color display, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/mp3/SiriusXM audio system, tilt/telescope steering column, a full complement of air bags, and a 7-speed automatic transmission, which helps reach the EPA mileage estimate of 19 city/27 highway.

Yep, the automatic is standard. If you want the six-speed stick, you need to specify the Sport 6MT trim level, which starts at $43,350, but throws in slicker wheels and standard satellite navigation. There's also an all-wheel-drive level, the G37x, which begins at $40,250.




2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe rear view
Slick, sleek and shapely from the rear: The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe.

Our tester was the second level up, the Journey. It starts at $38,600 and adds a rear-view monitor, heated front seats and outside mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth and a USB connection to the audio system. All worthwhile things for a road-trip car, hence (I guess) the name Journey. Though how they manage that (or why they would want to) when Dodge has a model called Journey I'm not at all clear on.

Doesn't matter. The car drives like a dream. Five minutes at the wheel and you'll want one. And that's just the base coupe. As we said, the Journey adds things that make driving safer and more comfortable. And the Infiniti press fleet people added to that.





2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe interior
The 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe interior.

Not just a little....no, we're talking $8,450 worth of option packages.

There was the Technology Package ($1,200). Intelligent Cruise Control (maintains a set distance between you and the car in front of you...worked well...the first ones on the market 10 years ago didn't), rain-sensing windshield wipers, front pre-crash seat belts, advanced climate control system and brake assist with preview braking.

The Premium Package ($2,900). Power sliding tinted glass moonroof, rear parking sonar system, the Infiniti Studio on Wheels Premium Audio System by Bose, including a 2.0GB Music Box with 800MB storage, memory system for the driver's seat, which also gets power lumbar support, and the tilt/telescoping steering column gets powered. The audio system does sound great. The rest? $2,900 is a lot of money...and it was the most expensive option package.

The Sport Package ($1,900). Upgrade to the 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels with summer performance tires, add solid magnesium paddle shifters, a viscuous limited-slip differential, sport brakes with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear calipers, sport-tuned suspension and steering, a sport front fascia, 12-way driver and 8-way passenger sport seats with manual thigh extenders and aluminum pedals. Since most if not all of that actually goes into the driving experience of a very good sport coupe, I'd have no hesitation saying yes.

The Navigation Package ($1,850). A hard drive navigation system with DVD video playback, 3-D building graphics, Birdview, lane guidance, speed limit advisory, the Zagat Survey restaurant guide, voic recognition and an upgrade of the Music Box from 2.0GB to 9.3 gigs.

As we say when confronted with almost 2 grand for a nav system, "your phone does that".  Okay, maybe not the 3-D graphics and Birdview (which is just an effect that tips the map a bit so it looks like you're looking down on the city or wherever you are)...and not lane guidance or speed limit advisory (watch what lane you're in and read the street signs), but certainly maps and directions...and if you're even one generation behind the current iPhone and Android, there's a $9.99 app for Zagat and your phone probably can hold close to the 9.3 GB of music (the iPhone 4 comes in 16GB and 32GB models). Do you really need to drop $1,850?

And the final option: The Interior Accents Package ($600). High gloss maple interior accents. Looks nice. Purely a matter of taste and whether you think it's worth it.

With $875 for destination charges, our 2011 Infiniti G37 Coupe rang in at $46,975.  Lose the nav package and it's $45,125. Pass on the moonroof, sonar, Bose audio, memory driver's seat with lumbar and the electrified tilt/telescope steering column and it becomes $42,225.  And at that level, it's a wonderful car at a very fair price.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

2013 Ferrari Superamerica Cars Review

2013 Ferrari Superamerica Cars Review and specification http://latestcomputerss.blogspot.com/2011/08/ferrari-575m-maranello-cars-review.html

2013 Ferrari Testarossa Cars Preview

2013 Ferrari Testarossa Cars Preview with cars photo gallery
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2013 Ferrari Mondial Cars Specification

2013 Ferrari Mondial Cars Specification with cars wallpaper gallery http://latestcomputerss.blogspot.com/2011/08/ferrari-575m-maranello-cars-review.html

2013 Ferrari GTO Cars Review

2013 Ferrari GTO Cars Review and wallpaper gallery http://latestcomputerss.blogspot.com/2011/08/2012-ferrari-challenge-stradle-cars.html
2013 Ferrari GTO2013 Ferrari GTOFerrari 288 GTO1999 Ferrari F355 Spider 2499KM-1984 ferrari 288 gto 03 m dodger

2013 Ferrari F430 Spider Cars Wallpapers

2013 Ferrari F430 Spider Cars Wallpapers Gallery and preview http://latestcomputerss.blogspot.com/2011/08/2013-ferrari-f430-cars-review.html
2013 Ferrari F430 Spider2013 Ferrari F430 Spider2013 Ferrari F430 Spider2013 Ferrari F430 Spider2013 Ferrari F430 Spider

2013 Ferrari F430 Cars Review

2013 Ferrari F430 Cars Review and cars wallpaper gallery



Red Ferrari F430



Ferrari F430 Conv



white Ferrari F430 Wallpapers



Ferrari F430 Back Side View Superb



Front Review Ferrari F430

2012 Ferrari F50 Cars Wallpaper

2012 Ferrari F50 Cars Wallpaper and specification http://latestcomputerss.blogspot.com/2011/08/ferrari-360-modena-cars-prices-and.html
2012 Ferrari F502012 Ferrari F502012 Ferrari F502012 Ferrari F502012 Ferrari F50

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