DC Car Examiner

There is a lot more than tuning that separates a 7-Series from an MKS.

I would certainly disagree that either of those cars are in any way lacking in materials quality compared to the MKS. Nor do they lack in interior space in any meaningful way. On the ride quality: "The suspension seems firm enough to thump over bumps, yet at the same time is softly sprung, which allows moderate float and wallow on some road surfaces."-Consumer Guide "I was shocked at how bumpy the ride was on rough roads...My test car was an all-wheel-drive version, which can translate to a rougher ride, but I don't believe that was the reason for my experience. Front-wheel drive is standard on the base MKS, which starts at $37,665, while the all-wheel-drive MKS starts at $39,555. What weren't standard were the 19-inch wheels my test car had, which again would contribute to a rougher ride. The standard wheels, though, are 18-inchers, and I'd bet the resulting ride wouldn't be dramatically improved. Other Cars.com reviewers also commented on the rough ride as an MKS negative." -David Thomas, Cars.com "Given this laggardly Lincoln's seaworthy handling, we were surprised to discover that its ride over broken pavement was on the firm side. There's not much impact harshness to speak of, but buyers in search of a pillow-soft suspension will be disappointed. Road noise is a bit intrusive for this segment, which is populated by ultra-quiet models like the Hyundai Genesis and Lexus ES 350."-Edmunds.com "There are plenty of big, overstuffed luxury sedans that mask their weight with well-tuned suspensions. The MKS is not one of them. No, this car feels like a classic Lincoln, softly sprung and under-damped — perfect for smooth, straight highways and not much else. Sure, it'll soak up stray bumps, but hit a few in succession and the MKS feels wobbly and crude."-Edmunds Inside Line It's the car's weight and suspension, not its wheel size, that's the problem. 20-inch wheels exacerbate the problem; they don't create it.

The Infiniti M35 and Hyundai Genesis are two cars that jump immediately to my mind. And other reviewers have not noted exceptional ride comfort even on the base wheels.

That's different, yes. Though there's presumably some catch.

Fairly common promotion where you pay sticker (no rebates) for a pricey car and they give you another either for $1 or for free. Fitzgerald Auto Malls in the DC area sells Veracruzes no-haggle at about $9,500 off sticker. If Antwerpen can clear two slow-selling vehicles off its lot in one go, without giving up much extra discount, the deal works great for them. But consumers can generally get the same price for buying two cars separately.

One of the biggest problems I had with the MKS when I drove one is that it wasn't smooth. With the larger wheels, it was quite stiff over bumps. You can get a lot more power, refinement, and handling in the $40k price range, even with a roomy interior. The interior and styling is suitably upscale, but the driving dynamics were much closer to a mainstream $30,000 Avalon or Azera, and I'd say short of a Lucerne on the comfort front.

The difference between the two cars is much more significant than that. More like going from a 20 to a 50 -- still failing but a considerable improvement in fairly little time. And the trend will likely continue upward.

Continued at: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Car-Exam...e-at-this-price

That's their older design. The difference between that and the more recently tested car is what's showing their rapid progress on the safety front.

They have tags already on them, so they're almost certainly manufacturer vehicles. The Mustang is likely on its way to some reviewer, and the Fiestas could be heading out to the Fiesta Movement winners.

Continued at: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Car-Exam...eres-more-to-it

I did my first test drive of one at a dealership early this month, and they've now got a full inventory.

I've had trouble arranging manufacturer press loans from most automakers, so I just go to the dealership for a test drive. Nothing more than than that, unfortunately. However, after extensive negotiation, I have been able to line up weeklong manufacturer loans from Hyundai / Kia, starting in May. I hope some more will follow.

What's significant is how much they've improved so quickly. They didn't hold the dummy in place well enough, but they solved the issue of the massive structural failure from the previous version. They're well on their way to passing the test.

Hopefully they can do rollover resistance. The NHTSA numeric-based test with a pass-fail dynamic component haven't really meant too much. Nor has the IIHS stability control requirement for the Top Safety Pick award.

It's got poor interior space for what it is. The Journey is a foot and a half longer than the Escape and has one extra cubic foot of cargo space and a surprisingly tight rear seat.

Hyundai didn't just recalibrate the computer on the Edmunds test Genesis. They also did every car already sold and those that are on the way. Edmunds had a complaint and Hyundai fixed it -- that's the best possible outcome of a negative review.

The dimensions generally mean nothing, because the way a seat is shaped determines whether there's usable space. I haven't been in the Fiesta, but Cars.com said the way its designed keeps things feeling more cramped than in competing subcompacts: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/02...a-up-close.html And if you were implying that the Fit isn't roomy, perhaps you should sit inside one. It's an overrated car for sure, but interior space is an inarguable strength.

People like the idea of small fuel-efficient cars much more than they'd be willing to buy them. The Honda Fit has done well, but only because it has an especially roomy interior; the Fiesta does not. Especially considering that several other companies are bringing over subcompacts at the same time, I wouldn't call the Fiesta a key product for Ford.

Continued at: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Car-Exam...y2009m3d22-test That page also has links to a couple dozen other reviews I've done; check out the box of links along the right side of the page.

The four cranks in the car were all at different angles. Two were sticking up (one pronounced -- the one I posted -- one less so, more like the EVOX photo posted), one was pointing sort of down, and one was level. The ones that stick up don't block the elbow but they block the hand and wrist. And the windows were all up at the time. I don't have a problem with crank windows, except when they're so badly done.

Review from a test drive of the S Grand Touring hatchback and around the parking lot in the I Touring sedan: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-DC-Car-Exam...act-sporty-cars Plus photos of the Mazda3 in silver, blue, black, and gray.

I recently test-drove the 2009 Patriot, and while the dash felt less flimsy than the earlier model, it certainly wasn't soft touch. And they haven't touched the door panels, which are still rocks. Also, there was some delightfully thoughtless assembly on the base-model vehicle I drove. The window cranks were installed at different angles, and two were sticking up in the air to block the door armrest when the windows were up.