Again it’s time to weed the contenders from the pretenders and choose the Best Buys from among the vehicles now in showrooms.
But first the *’s
– Best Buy doesn’t mean lowest price. If that were the case, this column would be Best Price. That’s not to say that some of the vehicles noted below aren’t values for the dollar, nor is it to say that the base prices of some vehicles chosen aren’t out of the reach of most consumers.
But ride, handling and performance take precedence over price, along with some intangibles, such as the fact that some of the Best Buys are simply fun to drive so price be damned.
* Best Buys are only those vehicles you can purchase now or in the next few days. The 2001 Chrysler mini-vans (Cartalk, Jan. 16) coming out this fall are better than the 2000 models thanks to new engines, suspensions and clever gimmicks such as hatch lids that automatically stop and retract if they strike an object, such as your head. But since they don’t come out until this fall, they don’t qualify until next year.
And the 2001 Ford Escape (Cartalk, June 18), the compact sport-ute that won’t be out until late summer or early fall, won’t be eligible until next year, as well, though it has the room, comfort, performance, styling and fuel economy that should put it on the list next year.
And the Chevrolet Corvette, any one built since the 1997 model year when civility was put first, won’t be on the list only because as any reader of this column knows it is a perennial Best Buy and an industry benchmark.
* No–repeat, no–consideration was given to country of origin or vehicle ancestry, though you’ll probably note that no South Korean vehicle is listed because Kia and Hyundai need a couple more years of focus on quality, and Daewoo needs General Motors to buy it to provide it with sorely needed 21st Century engines and transmissions.
Here are the choices in alphabetical order by model year. Readers should feel free to argue, grouse, rage and, in general, fret over the picks.
– 2000 Audi TT Quattro coupe.
Styling that’s a work of art, and performance that’s best in its class thanks to the addition of the all-wheel-drive Quattro system. Gives you one of the best-looking and best-acting vehicles on the market, a coupe with pinpoint accuracy that immediately goes in the direction you point it for optimum mobility and maneuverability on a variety of road surfaces in all kinds of weather. Quick takeoffs, crisp corners and turns, all-wheel stability, excellent vertical and lateral control. Function and fun.
Audi added the Quattro TT coupe (Cartalk, Dec. 5) as a companion to its front-wheel-drive TT coupe for the 2000 model year, both powered by a 1.8-liter, 180-horsepower, 20-valve, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a smooth-shifting, short-throw 5-speed manual transmission.
For 2001 an even more potent 225-h.p. rendition of the 1.8-liter 4, plus a choice of 6-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic with clutchless manual shifting will be offered.
Base price: $30,000-$32,000.
– 2000 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe.
The goal when bringing out the redesigned Suburban and Tahoe full-size sport-utility vehicles for 2000 was big but not bulky. Mission accomplished.
The new Suburban and Tahoe (Cartalk, Oct. 3), many industry observers insist, have been more responsible for Ford reducing production of its behemoth Excursion than have higher gas prices.
The first remake of the pair in way too many years. Both strongly resemble the full-size Chevy Silverado pickup, which provided the platform.
Tahoe offers a 4.8-liter, 275-h.p. or 5.3-liter, 285-h.p. V-8; Suburban the 5.3-liter and a 6-liter, 300-h.p. V-8 to replace the old 5.7-liter, 255-h.p. V-8.
Suburban/Tahoe ride on a 1 1/2-inch shorter wheelbase but have 2-inch wider front and rear tracking to allow a shorter turning radius and to reduce the complaint that big SUVs may hold up to nine people and their gear but are too bulky to maneuver. Wider tracking also improves road holding, while suspensions are tuned for more sedan- than truck-like ride and handling.
Nice touches include a couple of new features–sunroofs and one-piece hatch lids. And new on Tahoe is an optional third seat. Both also offer Autotrac push-button four-wheel-drive.
Base price: Suburban $28,627, Tahoe $27,845.
– 2000 Jaguar S-Type sedan. Thanks to being in the Ford Motor Co. fold and having a key to its treasury, Jaguar is slowly, but most assuredly, building a reputation for very distinctive vehicles with pleasant personalities that are far more reliable, durable and dependable than they were before the folks from Dearborn, Mich., bought them out.
One of the treasures resulting from the Jaguar/Ford marriage is the S-Type sedan (Cartalk, May 23, 1999), which has a sibling in the market, the Lincoln LS sedan, and is slated to have even more soon, including the 2002 Ford Thunderbird, which also will be built off the same platform, and reportedly the 2003 Ford Mustang.
The S-Type has a split personality depending on choice of 3-liter, 240-h.p. V-6 or 4-liter, 281-h.p. V-8 engines with 5-speed automatic transmissions. V-6 and V-8 are smooth and quiet, but the V-8 will move you from the line more quickly.
Regardless of engine choice, a sport package offers computer active technology suspension (CATS) and 17-inch wheels and tires (16-inch is standard in both cars). The $1,100 option, available with either engine, is advised for optimum ride and handling. To keep the S-Type and Lincoln LS separate, the LS doesn’t get CATS.
Voice-activated phone/audio system/climate controls are unnecessary options, but lots of fun (“climate control–72 degrees, CD play disc one, track two”) to play with.
Price $42,400 V-6 to $48,000 V-8.
– 2000 Lexus RX300.
The best designed, best performing sedan/sport-ute hybrid soon will get some rivals, such as the Buick Rendezvous in 2002, which resembles the RX300.
Combines the best traits of car and SUV with mini-van cargo capacity thrown in for good measure. Four-wheel-drive and lots of room for the family, just like in a sport-ute, but with the ride, handling and performance of a luxury sedan. Built off Camry sedan platform.
A more genteel sport-ute, a more stylish mini-van, a more spacious car, a less cumbersome truck. The RX300 (Cartalk, Feb. 27) defines not only hybrid, but multipurpose as well.
Choice of FWD or full-time AWD. Traction control optional with FWD.
The RX300 has been around only since 1999, yet in that short time has become the top-selling nameplate in the Lexus lineup. More than 73,000 were sold last year.
It’s so popular that Toyota will add its own lower-priced ($30,000, perhaps less) version called Highlander next spring.
Price range: $32,000 to $35,000.
– 2000 Toyota Camry Solara convertible.
Only 6,000 will be built this year, so act fast. The first midsize drop-top from Toyota (Cartalk, April 2) takes on the current convertible king, the Chrysler Sebring.
Two versions, SE with 2.2-liter, 135-h.p. 4-cylinder and top-of-the-line SLE with a 3-liter, 200-h.p., 24-valve V-6, the choice for quiet yet energetic performance and very good mileage (19 m.p.g. city/27 m.p.g. highway).
Power soft top is thickly lined so you don’t suffer wind noise. Structure is so solid you don’t have to put up with any squeaks or rattles. And top isn’t so typically low slung that you rub against it when up. Also, rear seat is designed for two adults to travel comfortably.
While the power-top hardware robs some trunk space, there’s still enough to carry your golf clubs.
Above average ride and handling, and, of course, the pleasure of open-air motoring.
The SE starts at $25,068, the SLE at $30,488.
– 2000 Toyota Echo.
Yet another jewel in the Toyota crown. New small, high-mileage, low-cost vehicle (Cartalk, Oct. 24) aimed at budget buyers, especially youth.
Cabin the size of a family sedan despite small exterior dimensions (93.4-inch wheelbase/163.3-inch length, versus 97-inch wheelbase/174-inch length for Corolla). Head, leg and arm room is spacious front and rear.
While a small 1.5-liter, 108-h.p. 4-cylinder teamed with 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic provides outstanding mileage (31 m.p.g. city/38 m.p.g. highway automatic, 34/41 with manual), the engine also is alert and lively and surprisingly peppy. Quick for an economy car.
Lives up to billing as “simple yet functional, affordable car,” and provides consumers with mileage the industry is promoting from gas/electric or diesel/electric or whatever hybrids with much less room and comfort.
Drawback: No power windows, even as an option. And no power seats or power mirrors. And only 14-inch radial tires. Tally all the options, and you are at about $13,000. Chances are you aren’t going to find a car as roomy, comfortable, peppy and fuel efficient as this one for $13,000.
Base price of $9,995 for the two-door coupe and $10,295 for the four-door sedan.
– 2000 Volkswagen Beetle.
The success of this revival of the Bug (Cartalk, Jan. 23) has contributed to the success of the Chrysler PT Cruiser.
In addition to the 2-liter, 115-h.p. 4-cylinder gas and 1.9-liter, 90-h.p. 4-cylinder diesel engines, VW added a 1.8-liter, 150-h.p., 5-valve, turbocharged 4-cylinder gas engine for 2000.
A fun car made even more so with the turbocharged engine.
Some drawbacks remain, however, such as an economy car suspension, less than roomy rear seat and lack of 16-inch radials that would upgrade its ability to hold to the pavement.
But still one of a handful of vehicles on the road today that can be enjoyed just by motoring around the countryside while onlookers smile or offer an admiring thumbs-up when you pass.
Sales of 83,000 Beetles was the reason VW topped the 300,000-unit sales mark in the U.S. last year for the first time since 1974. Supply is catching up with demand.
In the 2002 model year, Beetle adds a convertible companion, which will again attract the throngs that flocked to it in 1998.
Base price of $16,850.
– 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Its appeal caught even DaimlerChrysler by surprise, and it’s fair to say that while about 130,000 to 150,000 will be sold in Cruiser’s first year, the automaker could have sold two to three times that if it had planned to build that many.
Styling of the ’30s-’40s retro machine (Cartalk, March 19) is the primary reason consumers are heading to Chrysler showrooms in droves, and limited supplies is the main reason some dealers are demanding ransoms for one. Last report: a suburban dealer asking (demanding?) $32,000 for a “Special Edition” PT and asking (demanding?) customers buy a Cruiser to test drive one.
Cruiser comes in base, Touring and Limited versions, but most are going out the door as Limiteds.
Superb looks make up for modest performance (called Cruiser, not Missile) from the 2.4-liter, 150-h.p. 4-cylinder borrowed from the Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Cirrus. Keep in mind that Chrysler has developed a concept version called the GT Cruiser with a turbocharged 2.4-liter that develops 200-h.p. Be patient for an engine upgrade. No need for one now when there are 10 buyers in line for every one Cruiser built.
Some talk that D/C might add Cruiser output at its Neon plant in Belvidere to help relieve shortages.
A 6 percent price increase is coming next month.
Base price: $15,450 for base, $16,590 for Touring and $18,620 for Limited.
– 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac.
A four-door sport-utility vehicle with a small pickup bed rather than an enclosed cargo hold. And it’s selling like gangbusters.
Next month, Ford increases production on Explorer Sport Trac (Cartalk, April 16) for the third time this year–to a rate of 120,000 units annually from an original forecast of 60,000 per annum.
Epitome of a multipurpose vehicle–a four-door Explorer sport-ute and a four-door Ranger pickup in one package. No longer the need to make 48 monthly payments on two vehicles when you get the best of each in one.
The best idea Ford has come up with in years. A benchmark for multipurpose hybrids, a machine with a four-door cabin and two rows of seats to haul the family and a short (four-foot) truck bed for those times when you need to haul stuff that won’t fit in the cabin or would mess it up.
A choice of 4×2 or 4×4 versions, and either rides and handles mostly like a car. Nice touch is that the cargo bed is made of durable, sheet-molded composite plastic to keep it free of the dents and dings you get with a metal box. And quieter, too, because a metal box amplifies road noise.
As noted, Ford this fall brings out the Escape sport-ute, which is a little smaller than the Explorer. Ford officials have said a Sport Trac version of that vehicle is under consideration, too.
A hard, two-piece, foldable/lockable tonneau cover will be an option on the Sport Trac by late summer or early fall.
Base price on the 4×2 is $22,500, on the 4×4 $25,270.
– 2001 Ford SuperCrew.
Four doors and two rows of seats for the family plus a pickup bed. Rather than need an Expedition SUV and an F-150 pickup, one SuperCrew (Cartalk, April 30) will do nicely, thank you, in meeting the needs of a family hauler/work machine that will also tow the boat.
Like Sport Trac, a two-fer, a full-time family vehicle that occasionally will be used to haul cargo. Comes with an abbreviated 5 1/2-foot truck bed, and for $195 you can get a bed extender that adds another two feet of capacity.
Thanks to the smaller bed, the task of maneuvering (and fitting) into the garage or the mall parking space is much easier than in a normal-length pickup.
A 4.6-liter, 220-horsepower V-8 is standard, but you can get an optional 5.4-liter, 260-h.p. V-8 to increase towing capability, though you’ll do so at the expense of mileage (13 m.p.g. city/16 m.p.g. highway in 4×4 version, which makes the 25-gallon tank a welcome addition).
Nice touches include four-wheel anti-lock brakes and power adjustable gas/brake pedals that motor to you so you don’t have to motor the seat forward to reach them as standard.
For $1,295 you can add an entertainment center so rear-seat passengers can watch videos or play games on a pull-down screen in the roof.
Base price is $27,670.
– 2001 Pontiac Aztek.
Stop-and-stare styling that results in love–or hate–at first sight. But after years of playing conservative, that’s the risk Pontiac, and General Motors, is willing to take.
Built off the GM mini-van platform, Aztek (Cartalk, June 4) is a four-door, five-passenger sport-utility that borrows the front-end styling of the GMC Terradyne concept truck. Nice bold touch. Bulky rear end is what prompts detractors.
Wide tracking and Grand Prix suspension makes for above-average roadability. One drawback, front-wheel-drive only for now; four-wheel-drive coming after first of next year.
Though exterior styling can be debated, unconventional cabin features are what makes Aztek appealing, such as a center console that’s removable and doubles as portable cooler; optional sliding/removable cargo tray on rear floor that comes with compartments to hold jumper cables, wet swimsuits or weekly groceries; and doors that house removable backpacks.
For the most adventuresome, $200 will buy a nylon tent that converts Aztek into a camper.
Base price $22,000 to $25,000.
HONORABLE MENTION
While the above vehicles stand out from the crowd, a number of others can be considered notable, such as:
– 2000 Buick LeSabre, and most any Buick, for acting like that pitchman bunny. They just keep going and going and going without anything going wrong.
– 2000 Cadillac DeVille, the only vehicle offering Night Vision, an infrared heat imaging system that allows you to “see” objects in the road ahead in the dark, rain, snow or fog.
– Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, which along with the Ford Expedition offer power adjustable brake/gas pedals so that short drivers can reach them without having to have the steering column embedded in their chest.
– 2000 Jaguar XKR convertible for its ability to roll up your socks and clean your glasses with just one hard punch of the accelerator pedal.
– 2000 Lincoln Navigator, the only vehicle with air-conditioned as well as heated seats.
– 2000 Pontiac Grand Am, which combines sporty looks with high mileage and affordable prices.
– 2000 Toyota Avalon for giving older folks a comfy sedan that gets them from point A to point B without a lot of technological hocus-pocus.
– 2000 Toyota MR2, which returns to the original game plan of offering open-top motoring in a stylish, yet affordable two-seater.
– 2000 Volvo S40 for not looking and certainly not acting like a staid Volvo.
– 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder for open-top motoring in a stylish, yet most powerful sport coupe.
WORTH A LOOK
Here are some other vehicles that caught Jim Mateja’s eye.
%% Model Price
’00 Buick LeSabre $26,695
’00 Cadillac DeVille $44,700
’00 Ford Taurus $20,895
’00 Jaguar XKR convertible $81,800
’00 Lincoln Navigator $46,210
’00 Toyota Avalon sedan $29,755
’00 Toyota MR2 $23,098
’00 Volvo S40 $22,900
’01 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder $26,237
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