I have found what I believe to be is the perfect blend of sports and utility. And no, it’s not a sport utility vehicle. It’s the Audi S4 Avant. For those of you not aware, Avant is Audi’s term for station wagon. Not exactly sure what it means, but it was introduced several years ago when the term ‘station wagon’ was a bad thing.

Audis seem to keep popping up on my “I wish I owned one of these” list. The last one was the amazing RS4, and now this one.

Basically, Audi has taken a 340-horsepower all-wheel drive sport sedan and put an enclosed cargo space on the back.

The V8 has a powerful growl that sounds good at any RPM. The 6-speed manual can be shifted incredibly quickly. And the Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system combined with a very stiff chassis makes this wagon handle as well as, if not better than, many sports cars.

And the best part is you don’t have to make any sacrifices in utility. You can carry two adults in the back seat in relative comfort, and there’s plenty of cargo space in the back.

Price is around $50k, but for that you get two cars – a very impressive sports car as well as a versatile station wagon.
--Perry Stern 

When the Jaguar XK's first generation came out, it harkened back to the days when the company built cars like the XKE, with the long hood and elegant lines. And while the car did look good, it was still a touring car more than sports car, and it seemed to age quickly.

 

I think that's why this new 2007 XK Coupe seems like such a jump from the past generation. Now I will admit, when I first saw this car at the auto show in Detroit, I didn't like it. I thought the grilled looked like it came from a Ford Taurus, and the proportions weren't quite right. However, when I had a dark blue convertible delivered to test out a few weeks ago, I completely changed my mind. For some reason in the natural light, it all comes together. The car looks fast just sitting there, with wide rear fenders, dual exhaust and wide tires.

 

The coupe I'm driving is silver, and it still looks much better than it did at that auto show. I was surprised at the reaction to this car in my driveway. Lots of teens and adults stopping to see it, there were even a few instances were drivers stopped to take a look. I heard one person say that it looks a lot like an Aston Martin. While the front has grown on me, I think it looks best from the rear. 

 

Performance of the XK has moved up a notch as well. The standard 300-hp V8 has an excellent sound, and definitely gets you moving. Acceleration is relatively strong, especially when the 6-speed automatic transmission is put in 'sport' mode, which keeps the revs high for better performance. Of course, fuel economy suffers in this mode. The automatic is the only choice available, however there are paddles on the steering column for those who like to pretend its a manual.

 

The interior of the new XK is much improved over the outgoing generation. Tasteful use of wood and leather adorn the interior, and seats, which can be adjusted multiple ways, are quite comfortable. The rear seat is more decorative than useful, however my 8 year old daughter was able to squeeze in.

 

The large video screen that is used for accessing Audio, Nav, Climate, Phone, etc... is actually rather intuitive. There is a button for 'Home', which displays the climate control settings as well as the audio selection. Only complaint is that the touch screen did not work all that well. I found I had to hit buttons several times before it would register.

 

This is not an inexpensive car, starting around $75k for the coupe, but it does feel like you're getting your money's worth. For those looking for a bit more performance, the 420-hp XKR will be arriving later this year.

--Perry Stern

 

I had never been given the opportunity to spend more than just a few minutes in the latest Dodge Viper – until now. The only time I had driven this 500+ horsepower beast was on a track at Chrysler’s proving ground in Chelsea, MI. At that time I was blown away by the handling, the power, and the major improvements over the previous generation Viper.

 Now that I’ve used the Viper for my daily commute to and from work, I’m not as enamored with the car as I was that day in Michigan.

 It wasn’t very hot yesterday – temp was in the high 70s – and I had the top down. When I got in the car, I found that the previous driver had put the air condition on full with high fan. I found out why in about 10 minutes of stop and go driving.

 The big V10 engine under the hood of the Viper generates an amazing amount of heat. The very hot exhaust is routed through the door sills to the side outlets. After ten minutes I felt like was sitting in an oven. The doors were hot, the floor was hot, the seat was hot and I could see waves of heat coming from the vents in the hood. I called a friend who I knew had spent some time in a Viper to ask if it was normal, as I was fully expecting the car to burst into flames at any moment – he assured me that it’s just the way the Viper is.

 The other issue in stop and go driving is the fact that clutch is quite heavy, and the pedals are very close together. The engine takes up a lot of room, so the pedals are all off to the left. This is not as big of an issue when you’re not constantly braking and shifting.

 Yes, driving the Dodge Viper in rush hour traffic really turned me off. But now that I've had a few days of non-rush hour driving, I've really grown to like this beast.

 First off, the Viper really looks good. Bright red, of course, with shiny chrome wheels. Large exhaust pipes are visible on the sides below the doors, which helps carry the performance styling, but as I have pointed out earlier, cause the cabin to heat up uncontrollably. You also have to be careful getting in and out when they are hot, especially if you're wearing shorts.

 But driving it has become quite enjoyable. The shifter is in just the right position, and shifts can be made pretty quickly. While the clutch is heavy when you have to repeatedly press it in traffic, it does engage predictably and is easy to shift smoothly.

 Steering on the freeway takes two hands - with the wide front wheels, they tend to weave when the road surface is uneven. But on a smooth surface, handling is impressive. Entrance ramps can be taken at twice the suggested speed with ease. However, my daughter, who was riding along with me on a particularly fast ramp, was convinced we were riding on two wheels. Too many cartoons, I guess.

 But the best part of this car is when you have space in front of you and can just open the throttle. The sound of that V10 engine is not what I would call pleasing like that of a HEMI V8 in the Magnum SRT8. Its best described as a ferocious roar, the kind of sound that scares little children. But accompanying that sound is the most amazing acceleration. It takes your breath away, and as you shift through the gears, the power just keeps on coming, as does the smile on your face. Dodge claims 60 mph comes up in under 4 seconds, and I have no reason to doubt that.

 Sure, the Viper has its drawbacks, and as I mentioned before, would not be the best of daily drivers. But the Viper provides a lot of performance for $85,000, and if I could avoid driving it in traffic, I could easily get used to having it around.
--Perry Stern

Just had the opportunity to take a 350 mile drive in a Toyota Camry Hybrid and came away quite impressed. Where the Prius is ideal for those making the statement "look at me, i drive a hybrid", the Camry Hybrid looks almost identical to a regular Camry, with the exception of a small Hybrid Synergy Drive badge on the rear fender. The only other difference I noticed was that the trunk is a bit smaller, making room for the battery pack.

 

Toyota has geared this version of its hybrid system for both power and fuel economy performance, and it covered both admirably. Using an efficient gas engine and a powerful electric motor, the Camry Hybrid produces 187 horsepower. This is teamed with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

 

We packed the car for the weekend getaway, and even with somewhat compressed trunk space, we fit a suitcase, large duffel bag and a few other bags with room to spare. Three of us had plenty of room, and while the seats were not the most comfortable in the world, they didn't cause any pain after several ours on the road.

 

Our route had a mix of city and highway driving, but the bulk of it was on the highway, with our speed averaging for the entire trip around 60 mph, so some of the driving was at 70 or higher. With this full size sedan with a decent load, we averaged 38 mpg. Typically when I drive a hybrid, I change my driving style to eek out more mpg, but this time I just drove it like I would any other car, and as I've said before, I tend to have a lead foot. If I had really tried, I probably could have broken 40 mpg. I think this is pretty impressive for a big sedan.

 

In a couple instances we had to pass on a two lane road. I was really surprised how quick the Camry Hybrid accellerated, taking advantage of the CVT to keep the power in the peak torque.

 

The price is about $3,000 more than a Camry LE V6, so based on price alone, it would take about 5 years to make up the difference in price based on $3 per gallon.

 

But I was still impressed.

--Perry Stern

 

The FJ Cruiser is Toyota’s all-new retro-styled off-roader. I’ve had the opportunity in the past to take the FJ off-road, and found it to be extremely capable. However, this was my first chance to see how it takes on day to day driving.

 

The bold styling of the new FJ Cruiser is a big attention getter. Available in a number of bright colors, my tester was painted Voodoo Blue. It seems that everything about this vehicle is big: it’s got big tires, large grille, oversized mirrors trimmed with running lights (carry over from the original concept) – even the door handles are super sized. And one-upping all of the competition, the FJ Cruiser has three front windshield wipers, where all others just have two.

 

This big theme carries over to the interior, where knobs were designed to be operable while wearing gloves. Unfortunately, the back seat is not as large as everything else. Rear seat passengers are a bit cramped, and given the small rear windows, it’s also somewhat claustrophobic back there. Access to the rear seat is easy with rear-hinged access doors unless you’re parked in a narrow parking spot, in which case it’s almost impossible to access the rear seat. Cargo space is plentiful, and rear seats can be folded flat to extend the space.

 

The FJ Cruiser has plenty of power from its 239-hp V6, and it rides rather smooth on the pavement. Handling is not bad for a big SUV, however it is not terribly maneuverable in parking lots. The FJ needs almost 42 feet to turn around compared to a Hummer H3 that can make the same maneuver in five fewer feet. Visibility is also an issue – there is not much window between the back door and the rear of the vehicle. A very large blind spot.

 

Overall, Toyota has built the FJ Cruiser with the purpose of handling severe off-roading. And while a higher percentage of FJs will leave the pavement (intentionally) than most other SUVs, it’s still likely that most will never leave the road.

--Perry Stern

It may not be as exciting as the Honda Fit, but the Yaris is a good, solid small car.  Inside is surprisingly roomy, with comfortable, supportive seats. Rear seat passengers have impressive legroom, and the trunk provides considerably cargo space. Styling is clean but nothing exciting, and that is not unusual for Toyota sedans. Like the Scions, the gauges are in the center of the dashboard. I know that this make it easier to sell the car in right or left hand drive markets, but I find it annoying.

 

With only 106 horsepower, Yaris won’t be winning any races, but it feels peppy and can hold its own on the freeway. Handling is decent, and ABS is available. Dual front airbags are standard, and Yaris can be equipped with side airbags and airbag curtains.

 

Of course, one of the biggest draws of the Yaris in today’s market is its fuel economy. Rated in the mid 30s in the city, near 40 in the highway. The other draw is the base price – Yaris starts at just over $10,000. Our tester was the Yaris S 4-door sedan. S adds a better audio system as well as additional front and rear under-bumper spoilers. Well loaded with all the safety equipment, our Yaris was priced around $17.000. Still a good deal for everything that you get.

--Perry Stern