Since time has healed the wounds from the slings and arrows directed at this scribe by readers who took issue with the 2004 Best Buys, we decided to give it a go with the latest models.
The ground rules are simple.
Best Buys are vehicles that are the most fun to get in and drive, which means they also are the ones that usually offer the best overall ride, handling and performance.
Price doesn’t matter because a vehicle shouldn’t be rewarded or penalized because it’s the cheapest or most expensive.
Neither was attention paid to the fastest/slowest, biggest/smallest or country of origin.
The rebates du jour weren’t considered, either, because they change so quickly.
Last word before the picks of the litter-the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford GT are no-brainer choices year after year. ‘Vette because it’s an icon that gets progressively better; GT because it’s the new exotic sports car rendition of the former Ford racing icon with blinding speed on the track yet absurdly civil manners on the road.
And Best Buys are only those vehicles now on sale, so the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky will have to wait till next year.
2005 FORD MUSTANG
Base price: $24,370 (GT manual)
Engine: 4.6-liter, 300-h.p., V-8
Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway
Our choice for Car of the Year because it’s such a dramatic improvement over all its predecessors. Still high-speed performance, but the Ford crown jewel now is more civilized. While previous generations wiggled and wobbled, squeaked and rattled, this one doesn’t. Marvelous up-to-date rendition of 1960s fastback.
Still the power, but with improved ride, handling, cornering and braking, plus a more spacious cabin. The V-8 GT is the best in terms of performance with its sports-tuned suspension and 17-inch radial tires that allow for tight cornering without body lean, or, worse, feeling as if you’re balancing on the sidewalls. Steering is much more precise, without the excessive wheel play that sometimes made Mustang too much of an adventure. Stiffer chassis eliminates the “Mustang swim,” that unexpected side-to-side shimmy or float.
Wheelbase extended by 6 inches, overall length by 4 inches and width by just less than an inch, larger dimensions that contribute to better stability and ride balance while delivering occupant room and comfort. Gotta-have car.
2006 HONDA RIDGELINE
Base price: $31,490 (RTL)
Engine: 3.5-liter, 255-h.p., V-6
Fuel economy: 16 m.p.g. city/21 m.p.g. highway
Honda’s first truck for the U.S., a midsize pickup derived from the Acura MD-X/Honda Pilot SUVs. Though slow to get with the truck program, Honda used the time wisely to add neat features such as a lockable trunk, a compartment under the cargo floor big enough to hold a 72-quart cooler or three sets of golf clubs. The tailgate folds down or swings open. And with its short 5-foot bed, Ridgeline is easy to park or garage.
Ridgeline operates in front-wheel-drive for optimum fuel economy until the system detects wheel slippage and engages all four wheels for maximum traction, stability and control. It has surprisingly quick movement from the light or down the merger ramp.
2005 TOYOTA AVALON
Base price: $30,800 (XLS)
Engine: 3.5-liter, 280-h.p., 24-valve V-6
Fuel economy: 22 m.p.g. city/31 m.p.g. highway
Prius and Camry get all the attention, but this is the nicest vehicle in Toyota’s lineup. Redesigned and larger for better road stance, improved ride and handling and exceptional room in back. And, thankfully, the instrument panel has been moved back in front of driver where it belongs from the center of the dash. New engine means it sprints rather than jogs, power it had been lacking. At the same time, mileage has improved. New Touring edition with sports-tuned suspension and 17-inch radials for optimum handling and precise steering response added to lineup to attract younger, performance-oriented buyers. Lots of neat features, such as vehicle stability control with traction control as well as Dynamic Laser Cruise Control that detects slower vehicles ahead and reduces your speed to prevent contact.
2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320CDI
Base price: $49,075
Engine: 3.2-liter, 201-h.p., diesel inline 6-cylinder
Fuel economy: 27 m.p.g. city/37 m.p.g. highway
Soaring gas prices affect the well-to-do as well as commoners, so Mercedes offers the diesel-powered E320 CDI sedan. First Mercedes diesel in U.S. since 1999. You don’t suffer the terrible fuel smell or annoying engine ping or lengthy delay waiting for the glow plugs to warm common with diesels of decades past. It boasts so much power you’ll pull away from the light faster in this turbocharged oil-burner than you will in the gas-consuming 3.2-liter V-6 engine in the rest of the E320 line. At the same time, however, you’ll enjoy 27 m.p.g. city/37 highway mileage, versus 19 m.p.g. city/27 highway with a gas-driven E320. How high you go with options depends on how big the inheritance.
2005 CHRYSLER 300C/300C SRT8
300C base price: $32,370
Engine: 5.7-liter, 340-h.p., Hemi V-8
Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/25 highway
300C SRT8 base price: $39,370
Engine: 6.1-liter, 425-h.p. Hemi V-8
Fuel economy: 14 m.p.g. city/20 highway
A couple of home runs. Knock-out design and a knock-out Hemi V-8 that produces 340 h.p. in the 300C and another Hemi with 425 h.p. in the SRT8. About half of buyers are taking the Hemi, rather than the base model that comes without it. The 5.7-liter Hemi has the multiple displacement system that shuts off 4 cylinders when cruising to boost fuel economy.
The rear-wheel-drive 300Cs have all-speed traction control as standard to reduce wheel spin when moving away from the light as well as when striking a patch of snow, ice or water. Electronic stability control is also standard to reduce unnecessary lateral movement as sensors employ the anti-lock brakes (four-wheel, also standard) and/or throttle control to keep the vehicle pointed in the proper direction. All-wheel-drive is an option for even greater stability.
The suspension in the SRT8 is even more performance oriented for optimum handling at aggressive speeds.
2005 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID
Base price: $31,990
Engine: 3-liter, 240-h.p. V-6 with 12-kilowatt, 144-volt, 16-h.p., electric
Fuel economy: 29 m.p.g. city/37 highway
Call it a dual-mode gas/electric because it offers not only battery power to propel it to reduce the load on the gas engine, it also shuts off 3 cylinders when not needed to conserve even more fuel. The switch from 6 to 3 cylinders is seamless. There’s no jolt or sudden loss of power. If a flashing green “eco” light in the instrument panel didn’t alert you to 3-cylinder mode, you’d never notice the magic had taken place. At about 50 m.p.h., the “eco” light flashes on. With a steady foot, you can get to almost 65 m.p.h. in 3-cylinder mode. At stoplights, the gas engine shuts off. Step on the accelerator, it restarts and off you go–quickly, quietly and smoothly. Accord is rated at 29 m.p.g. city/37 highway, nowhere near the 57 m.p.g. city/56 highway of a 1-liter, 3-cylinder Insight, nor close to the 48 m.p.g. city/47 highway of a 1.3-liter, 4-cylinder Civic Hybrid, but still much better than the 21/30 from a conventional 3-liter, V-6 Accord. The hybrid is priced at a $3,300 premium over regular Accord.
2005 DODGE MAGNUM
Base price: $30, 910 (R/T)
Engine: 5.7-liter, 340-h.p. V-8
Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/25 highway
Magnum is the full-size, rear-wheel-drive wagon replacement for the front-wheel-drive Dodge Intrepid sedan. Magnum starts at $22,995 with a 2.7-liter, 190-h.p. 24-valve V-6 but the offering of choice is the top-of-the-line R/T with its 5.7-liter, 340-h.p., Hemi V-8 that starts at $30,910 for exceptional get up and go. Like the 300, Magnum offers AWD as an option.
Spirited yet refined performance with sports suspension and 18-inch all-season radials. Ride is firm without jostling. The muscular Magnum has a split personality. Need power, the Hemi delivers–now. But don’t need power and 4 cylinders shut down at cruising to conserve fuel. Stability control and traction control are standard. Notable features include self-sealing tires, power adjustable brake/gas pedals and a cargo hold organizer that lifts from the floor to provide a series of compartments for groceries. Plenty of cargo room in this hatchback.
2005 ACURA RL
Base price: $48,900
Engine: 3.5-liter, 300-h.p., 24-valve V-6
Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/26 highway
The remake of this sedan is so sophisticated that by the time the salesman explains all the nuances and you finish reading the owner’s manual, it will be time to trade it in. Being loaded with novelties is part of the appeal. Features include an instrument panel that greets you with a printed “Welcome” message when you enter and “Goodbye” when you leave and headlamps that turn up to 20 degrees right or left to better illuminate the way when making a turn. Besides, RL comes with a twist knob on the steering column to start the car. As if all that’s not enough, press a few buttons on the navigation system and the AcuraLink satellite communication system alerts you to construction or an accident ahead. All that and all-wheel-drive, the first AWD car from Acura, that gives it optimum security, balance and agility. Added plus–the noticeable power upgrade from the 3.5-liter, 300-h.p. V-6. Starts at $48,900.
2005 PONTIAC G6
Base price: $23,300 (GT)
Engine: 3.5-liter, 200-h.p. V-6
Fuel economy: 21 m.p.g. city/29 highway
Or perhaps you call it the Oprahmobile. Whatever, it’s the replacement for Grand Am minus the plastic body cladding, which gave the car a sporty demeanor in the 1990s but stood out like liver spots in the new millennium.
Vastly improved ride, handling and off-the-line power than Grand Am, plus more cabin room and trunk space. Quiet operation. More standard equipment and new options, such as glass-panel Panoramic sunroof, power adjustable pedals, remote start, side-curtain air bags and 17-inch wheels. Once its model-by-model roll-out ends this fall, there will be a sedan, coupe or retractable hardtop convertible with V-6 or 4-cylinder engines. Go for the GT sedan with a sports-tuned suspension and 17-inch speed-rated radials that provide sure-footed handling and control even in spirited maneuvering. The car to watch is the retractable hardtop convertible this fall.
2005 FORD FIVE HUNDRED
Base price: $24,145 (SEL AWD)
Engine: 3-liter, 203-h.p. V-6
Fuel economy: 19 m.p.g. city/26 highway
OK, it could use a more powerful V-6 engine, but that will come. For now, the all-new successor to the midsize Taurus sedan offers an awful lot to be happy about. The premium, midsize sedan is 3-inches longer than Taurus and 12-inches shorter than a full-size Crown Victoria, though it has the room of the latter. Five Hundred, assembled in Chicago, offers front- or all-wheel-drive, to win back people who fled cars in favor of sport-utility vehicles. Even with the driver’s seat powered back, rear-seat leg-room is limo-like. While the cabin holds five adults, the trunk holds eight sets of golf clubs. Both rear-seat backs fold flat if you need to carry more.
2005 CADILLAC CTS-V
Base price: $49,300
Engine: 5.7-liter, 400-h.p. V-8
Fuel economy: 15 m.p.g. city/23 highway.
The entry-level CTS helped lead the turnaround at Cadillac, with its cutting-edge styling. The V-Series adds a no-nonsense approach to performance, offering a spirited 400 horses. Cadillac sorely needed to shed its stodgy image to attract younger buyers. CTS is no old folks sedan, and the CTS-V is a serious performance car and not just a luxury sedan dressed to look like one.
2006 DODGE CHARGER
Base price: $29,320 (R/T)
Engine: 5.7-liter, 340-h.p., Hemi V-8
Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/25 highway
Dodge learned a lesson from Pontiac. While the long-awaited Pontiac GTO turned out to so conservatively styled that it disappointed enthusiasts, Charger is a charmer. And Charger comes out with a 5.7-liter, 340-h.p. Hemi that will grow to a 6.1-liter, 425-h.p. Hemi. Road and track performance package moves handling to a higher level and the optional Daytona package takes it up another notch while providing a 10-h.p. boost to the 5.7-liter thanks to a larger exhaust. Price range: $22,995 to $32,495.
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jmateja@tribune.com
