on the move

Monday, August 8, 2011 For Advertising Information Contact Your Local Cars.Com On-The-Move Sales Team at 599-2329

Study: New, redesigned autos more appealingLOS ANGELES — Although

the reliability of new and rede-signed automobiles fell, con-sumers generally found them more appealing, according to an annual survey.

New launches and revamped models paid off for carmak-ers across the board as they appealed more to consumers than carryover vehicles, the 2011 J. D. Power & Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout study found.

While kinks in the new launches hurt reliability rat-ings — many got lower scores in last month’s J.D. Power reliability study — the fresh looks of and new technologies in those same models were found to be highly appealing to consumers. The appeal sur-vey measured what consumers liked and disliked most about their vehicles during their first three months of ownership.

New technologies, such as Ford’s MyFord Touch touch-screen system, resulted in automakers getting poor reli-ability scores, but consumers were attracted by them.

“People want the experi-ence they have outside their car to be echoed inside their car,” said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of auto information company Edmunds.com. “Peo-ple want the functionality, but you shouldn’t make it work like a smartphone.”

New model launches are “where a manufacturer real-ly has an opportunity to rede-sign a vehicle or launch an all-new vehicle, something that resonates well, something that creates great buzz,” said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive research for J.D. Power.

Leading the way in appeal were Dodge and BMW, each winning in three categories.

It was a boost for Dodge, which was cited as the least reliable nameplate in last month’s J.D. Power quality study. The redesigned Dur-ango and Charger models had the highest scores for appeal in their respective segments, while the Charger had the biggest improvement in its score.

“We put a lot of effort into 16 new cars, and this is where we really get an opportuni-ty to see how much the peo-ple who bought the new cars liked them,” said Doug Betts, Chrysler Group senior vice president of quality.

Keeping pace with its per-formance in 2010, BMW, with its redesigned X3 and 5 Series, earned the third spot in over-all nameplate appeal behind Porsche and Jaguar. Dodge fin-ished 26th out of 32 brands.

“Two of their redesigned models — you have the 5 Series and the X3 — pretty much hit their marks, and consumers are delighted with their vehi-cles,” Festekjian said. “BMW owners like several aspects of their vehicles.”

Porsche also kept a streak going, being named the top nameplate for the seventh year

in a row. “Porsche across the board,

with all of its vehicles, does really well, and a lot of that is due to exterior styling,” Fes-tekjian said.

In 2010, domestic vehicles beat out imports in appeal for the first time since 1997, but that was not the case in 2011. European and Asian manufac-turers improved the appeal of their vehicles.

But the industry as a whole reached new heights, earning its highest score in the his-tory of the study: a 781 in a 1,000-point scale, up from 778 in 2010.

By Salvador RodriguezLos Angeles Times

Chrysler

The 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 is one of four high-performance models Chrysler Group is reintroducing to establish its new stand-alone SRT brand.

The 2011 BMW X3 xDrive35i is the unabashed sports car of the luxury compact SUV segment. Don Kelsen/

los Angeles Times

New technologies, such as Ford’s MyFord Touch touch-screen sys-tem, resulted in automakers get-ting poor reli-ability scores, but consumers were attracted by them.

/ Monday, August 8, 2011 Tallahassee Democrat / OnTheMOve

Infiniti combines fuel economy, luxury in M HybridShuddering in anticipation

of increasing federal fuel economy standards, luxury car manufacturers that tra-ditionally paid little attention to gas consumption are final-ly paying heed. Take Nissan’s up-market marque, Infiniti, which for 2012 introduced its first-ever hybrid, the M.

Few green-leaning peo-ple of means want to swap their prime rib for soy pat-ties, so it follows that Infiniti would design its hybrid lux-ury sport sedan for drivers who want better fuel econo-my and performance too.

Let the less financial-ly endowed downsize with Nissan’s low-budget Versa. Moneyed folk still want to revel in climate-controlled leather seats and a vehicle with enough power to keep lesser cars in rear view.

Starting at $54,595 after destination charge, the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid costs $6,000 more than the V-6 version of Infiniti’s M37 — the car the M Hybrid is based upon. In hybrid form, the mid-size sport sedan is the first car to achieve 360 horsepower and a fuel economy rating of 32 miles per gallon on the high-way from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The M Hybrid is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, a 50-kilowatt electric motor and a 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithi-um ion battery. The M Hybrid is the first car on the mar-ket to employ a one-motor parallel hybrid with a dou-ble clutch that feeds pow-er directly to a seven-speed automatic transmission for better accelerator-pedal response. It gets 30 percent better fuel economy than the gas-powered M37.

Actual results, of course, vary. There are four differ-ent drive modes in the M Hybrid — Standard, Snow, Sport and Eco. Being a bit of a green jeans, I spent my first day or so in Eco mode, which was surprisingly responsive despite the car’s design to reduce throttle sensitivity

when driving in that mode. Flooring it, however, my

right foot engaged in a wres-tling match with the accelera-tor pedal. When I pressed the pedal to the floor too hard, it actually pushed back. Part of the technology package on the test car I was driving is what’s called an eco-pedal, which works as a training mecha-nism for the lead-footed. In the best of circumstances, i.e., feather-footed driving, the Eco mode yields as much as a 10 percent fuel economy gain.

The M Hybrid drives as a pure electric vehicle as much as half the time. It can travel as a pure elec-tric up to a speed of 62 mph when accelerating and up to 85 mph when coasting. That’s enormously signifi-cant. Many hybrids get bet-ter fuel economy in the city because of a lower top speed in pure electric mode. The M Hybrid, with its higher top electric speed, enables it to get 32 mpg on the highway versus 27 mpg in the city.

In an ideal world, the fre-

quent transitions between the gas-powered engine and electric motor would be seam-less, but that isn’t always the case with the M Hybrid. I was often startled by the shim-my of the gas engine as it took over the car’s propul-sion, especially at low speeds and when idling.

On a lesser car, that shim-my would be a deal break-er, but there’s a lot of deep thinking to the details of the M Hybrid.

Aesthetically, the M

Hybrid’s exterior design is quite va-va-voom. It’s cur-vaceous yet athletic.

It’s also welcoming. Lit-erally. Approaching the car at night, the presence of the key fob triggers an illumina-tion of the door handles. And once the door is opened, the car lights the way through startup, washing the door frame in light as the driver settles in, then illuminating the ignition button.

There is a single trim lev-el for the M hybrid, though

several upgrades are avail-able. The test car was outfit-ted with technology, deluxe touring, premium and 18-inch wheel packages, which add-ed $10,800 to the car’s price altogether.

For those who appreciate artistry and elegance, the deluxe touring package is espe-cially worth the money. I was particularly enamored with the Japanese white ash wood trim, which made its debut on the 2011 M37. Finished with silver dust, the inlaid wood in the center stack and dash has an alluring metallic spar-kle unlike any I’ve seen on a wood surface, either inside a car or in furniture.

The M Hybrid’s option-al Forest Air system is an intriguing take on ventilation, alternating the vents through which the air flows to mimic a natural breeze, while twin speakers in the shoulders of the driver’s and front passen-ger seats upped the amplifica-tion and surround sound of the car’s premium Bose audio.

Most of the tech package is

overkill, including the lane-departure and forward-colli-sion warning systems, which beep whenever the car sens-es it’s in danger. For drivers awake at the wheel, the beeps will be as welcome as a nag-ging spouse. All the beeping just made me feel like a bad driver, especially when I was carrying passengers.

I took the M Hybrid to San Diego for a long weekend with a fellow mom. Together, we were carrying three kids and three major pieces of luggage, all of which fit comfortably in the back seat and trunk. Overall, I found the ride qual-ity comfortable, but the road noise was ever-so-slightly more than I would have liked for a car at this price point.

Still, the M Hybrid hits a sweet spot, marrying enough luxury trimmings to satis-fy the hedonistic with great off-the-line performance and fuel economy that won’t make luxury-oriented greenies cringe.

By Susan CarpenterLos Angeles Times

Photos by MCt

Infiniti’s M Hybrid is the first car to achieve 360 horsepower and a fuel economy rating of 32 miles per gallon on the highway from the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s a hybrid luxury sport sedan for drivers who want better fuel economy and performance too.

2012 INFINITI M HYBRIDn Base price: $54,595 (including destination charge)n Price as tested: $65,395 n Powertrain: Sequen-tial multi-port fuel injec-tion, DOHC, 3.5-liter, V-6, four valves per cylinder, Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid System with 50-kilowatt electric motor and 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, seven-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode n Curb weight: 4,129 pounds n Overall length: 194.7 inches n Wheelbase: 114.2 inches n 0 to 60: 5.4 seconds n EPA fuel economy estimate: 27 mpg city/32 mpg highway n Final thoughts: Luxu-rious performance with-out the mpg guilt

OnTheMOve / Tallahassee Democrat Monday, August 8, 2011 /

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For some drivers, gas mileage ratings don’t add upLOS ANGELES — The

government will require new cars and trucks to meet a fleetwide average fuel econ-omy standard of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Fat chance. Many motorists know they

can’t expect to get the mile-age they see on the window sticker if they drive too fast or don’t keep the car in opti-mal condition. But what most of them don’t know is even if they do drive like highway saints, they still won’t get the Environmental Protection Agency-rated results.

Under rules announced Friday, tough new mileage standards will be phased in starting in 2017. But critics say those mileage ratings are notoriously unreliable, even under optimal conditions.

That’s because the mile-age tests are conducted with professional drivers inside of laboratories using better-performing fuel and with air conditioning turned off for most of the ride.

Harold T. Holmes thought the Chevrolet Equinox he bought recently would get the promised 32 mpg, yet when the retiree from Colum-bus, Ohio, began driving the small SUV, he got 26 to 27 mpg at best. And that’s even with conservative driving

habits such as anticipating red lights and avoiding sud-den stops.

“It is all funny math and it is very frustrating when you invest $30,000 in a car and it doesn’t get anywhere near what they are adver-tising,” said Holmes, who can “squeeze mileage from a rock,” in the words of his wife, Judy Wharton.

When it comes to fuel econ-omy, drivers such as Holm-es are finding the numbers don’t add up. And that’s why some say the debate over new fuel-economy requirements seems hollow.

Critics say the problems with the mileage tests con-ducted by the EPA start with testers who never break a speed limit and operate cars with far more precision than typical drivers. Vehicles are tested inside laboratories on machines called dynamom-eters rather than on outdoor test tracks.

The tests also don’t account for jack-rabbit starts and quick stops. The highway speed portion of the test averages only 48.3 miles per hour and tops out at 60. Few drivers go less than 60 mph in open highway traffic. The test lasts about 95 minutes, but the car’s air conditioning is on for just 10 minutes.

Cars the EPA tests run on indolene, a form of gaso-

line used specifically for the tests to avoid variations. But people filling vehicles at the corner gas station often buy fuel that is mixed with 10 percent ethanol, which has one-third less energy than gasoline.

The test procedure was mandated by Congress after the Arab oil embargo in 1973 as part of an effort to increase fuel efficiency.

Some additional tests were added later solely for the EPA to come up with more accurate window sticker rat-ings.

But even the window stick-ers don’t reflect real-life driv-ing conditions, according to the Sierra Club, which today will call for overhauling the way the EPA tests mileage.

“When it comes to how we set fuel efficiency standards, we are in a world of fantasy numbers that are divorced from reality,” the environ-mental group said.

Certainly drivers are find-ing that’s the case. “Excessive fuel consumption” was among the most frequent complaints in this year’s J.D. Power and Associates initial quality sur-vey of new vehicles.

Although they use mileage ratings prominently in adver-tising, automakers place any blame on the EPA.

“The government sets the test for those window stick-ers. We have nothing to do with what the outcome is,” said Michael Albano, a Chev-rolet spokesman.

For the most part, the EPA relies on automakers to con-duct their own tests, based on the standards, and report the results. The agency physical-ly tests about 15 percent of the models on the market.

The EPA said in a state-ment that “fuel economy for each individual vehicle will vary since no test can ever account for all driving styles, maintenance prac-tices, and road and weather conditions.”

“Unfortunately, there is no perfect test — drivers will get higher or lower mileage,” the agency said. On its web-site, the agency warns driv-

ers that the tests are use-ful for comparing models but that the rating “may not accurately predict the aver-age MPG you will get.”

High gas prices are making the issue bigger for consum-ers because “customers are more aware of fuel economy than they were in the past,” said Mike O’Brien, Hyundai’s vice president of corporate and product planning.

As gas prices started to climb toward $4 a gallon in late 2010 and stayed high, many buyers made fuel effi-ciency their top priority when deciding which model to pur-chase. Sales of fuel-efficient cars and crossovers captured 22 percent of U.S. auto sales in the second quarter of this year, the third-highest rate in the last five years, accord-ing to auto information firm R.L. Polk & Co.

But as they started to put miles on their new cars, driv-ers found their fuel economy didn’t match the EPA rating advertised by automakers.

And as fuel efficiency increased, mileage varia-tions that once went unno-ticed became more appar-ent. A 10 percent variation in a truck or SUV that is list-ed at 15 miles to the gallon amounts to just 1.5 miles. But that same variation in a vehicle listed at 35 mpg is 3.5 miles.

It’s more than just drivers finding that the mileage data and ratings don’t add up.

Consumer Reports tested the four-cylinder version of the Ford Fusion and came up with 24 mpg in combined driving, including just 15 mpg in city driving but an impressive 38 mpg on the highway. According to the EPA, the vehicle gets 25 mpg in combined driving — close to what the magazine found — but it rates the Fusion much higher for city driving at 22 mpg and much lower on the highway at 30 mpg.

The difference between what drivers expect based on car window stickers and their actual mileage may be worse than they realize.

Technicians at auto infor-mation company Edmunds.com tested the results report-ed by the electronic fuel economy gauges in vehicles. Edmunds.com found that the gauges reported 5.5 percent better fuel economy on aver-age than what the autos actu-ally experienced. One gauge was 19 percent higher than the actual result.

“If you really want to know what your mileage is, you have to record what’s on your odometer and the number of gallons you buy at each stop and do the math,” said Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com.

By Jerry HirschLos Angeles Times

US auto industry uneasy after posting weak July salesDETROIT — Auto sales

rose only slightly in July as skittish consumers pulled back on car buying and threatened to derail the indus-try’s fragile recovery.

With the economy weak, popular cars in short supply and dealers offering very few discounts, carmakers endured a third straight month of dis-appointing sales. Just over 1 million new cars and trucks

were sold in the month, up 1 percent from last July and flat with June.

Sales started strong this year but have slowed as the economy faltered and Japan’s earthquake left Toyota and Honda dealers short of pop-ular models. Unemployment rose to 9.2 percent earlier this summer, the highest level this year, and consumer con-fidence is shaky.

“We’re still not back on the track of recovery yet,” said Jeff Schuster, executive

director of global forecast-ing at J.D. Power and Associ-ates. “There’s definitely some weakness kind of looming out there.”

Adding to buyers’ wor-ries in July was the govern-ment debate over the debt ceiling.

“Uncertainty, in our busi-ness, is always bad for con-sumers,” GM Vice President of Sales Don Johnson said.

Both Ford and GM have scaled back their annual forecast for the year, say-

ing U.S. sales are likely to be closer to 13 million instead of the 13.5 million they had hoped for.

Consulting firm AlixPart-ners estimates that unemploy-ment and underemployment could cost the auto industry up to 1.5 million in lost sales this year, and believes sales will fall short 13 million. But John Hoffecker, head of the automotive practice at the firm, says that’s still a healthy recovery from 2010, when sales totaled 11.6 million.

He said automakers need to accept that the recovery could take longer than they anticipated and shouldn’t pan-ic and resort to discounts to sell more cars.

The month wasn’t a total loss. Sales of small cars such as the Kia Optima and Chev-rolet Cruze rose sharply, as did sales of new, more fuel-efficient SUVs like the Ford Explorer. But truck sales were down, hurt by continu-ing weakness in construc-tion.

Detroit’s automakers fared well, thanks to their lineups of new, fuel-efficient cars.

Sales rose 8 percent at General Motors Co., led by the compact Cruze, which gets 30 mpg. Ford Motor Co.’s sales rose 6 percent, thanks to small cars like the Fiesta, which saw sales rise 58 per-cent. Chrysler Group said its sales rose 20 percent over last July, helped by new products like the Jeep Grand Chero-kee, which saw sales jump 76 percent.

By Dee-Ann Durbin and Tom KrisherThe Associated Press

“If you real-ly want to know what your mile-age is, you have to record what’s on your odometer and the number of gallons you buy at each stop and do the math.” DAn EDmunDsdirector of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com

OnTheMOve / Tallahassee Democrat Monday, August 8, 2011 /

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APRas lowas0.9% on select2011HondaCivic, Accord,&Pilotmodels.0.9%APR available on New 2011 Accord, Civic (excluding Hybrid and NGV models), and Pilot for 24-36 months. 1.9% APR available up to 60 months. Buyer must

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$18,9801-866-938-4982

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‘07 TOYOTASequoia

$18,9801-866-938-4982

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‘10 MAZDA Mazda6

$18,4891-866-938-4982

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‘08 HONDA CivicCpe

$17,4581-866-938-4982

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‘09 ACURA TSX

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‘08 FORD Explorer

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‘08 HONDA CR-V

$20,770866-527-5191

Proctor Subaru

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‘08 HONDA CR-V

$20,8701-866-938-4982

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3.5L V6, A/C, AlloyWheels, Split FoldingRear Seat, ABS, TiltWheel, CD Player, AM/FMRadio.

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$19,9871-866-938-4982

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‘10 HYUNDAISanta Fe

$19,9801-866-938-4982

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3.5L V6, A/C, AlloyWheels, 4DR SDN AWD,Auto, ABS, Tilt Wheel, CDPlayer.

‘06 INFINITI G35Sedan

$19,9801-866-938-4982

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$19,4801-866-938-4982

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V6 Cylinder, A/C, AlloyWheels, ABS, Tilt Wheel,CD Player.

‘08 INFINITI G37Coupe

$30,9801-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

3.5L V6, A/C, ABS, TiltWheel, CD Player, AM/FMRadio, PW, PL, LeatherSeats.

‘07 INFINITI G35Sedan

$23,900866-527-5191

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4 Cylinder, A/C, AlloyWheels, Split FoldingRear Seat, ABS, TiltWheel.

‘10 SUBARULegacy

$23,490866-527-5191

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5.4L V8, A/C, Split FoldingRear Seat, 2WD 4DRLimited, ABS, Rear AirConditioning.

‘08 FORDExpedition

$29,9751-866-938-4982

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‘08 HONDARidgeline

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‘08 LEXUS IS 250

$24,4501-866-938-4982

Proctor Honda

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‘11 HYUNDAISonata

$21,9511-866-938-4982

Proctor Honda

4 Cylinder, A/C, SplitFolding Rear Seat, 2WD5DR Auto LX, ABS, TiltWheel.

‘10 HONDAElement

$20,9871-866-938-4982

Proctor Honda

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‘10 ACURA MDX

$37,9901-866-938-4963

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3.0L I6, A/C, AlloyWheels, Split FoldingRear Seat, AWD 4DR,ABS, Tilt Wheel.

‘08 BMW X5

$37,9901-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

5.3L V8, A/C, AlloyWheels, Split FoldingRear Seat, ABS, Rear AirConditioning.

‘07 CHEVROLETTahoe

$27,9901-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

Straight 6 Cylinder,A/C, Alloy Wheels, SplitFolding Rear Seat.

‘08 VOLVO XC90

$25,9861-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

3.5L V6, A/C, AlloyWheels, Split FoldingRear Seat, 4DR AWD,ABS, Tilt Wheel, CDPlayer.

‘05 INFINITI FX35

$19,9911-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

V6 Cylinder, A/C, AlloyWheels, 4DR SDN 2.6L,ABS, Tilt Wheel.

‘05 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class

$16,9901-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

3.4L V6, Cass., AM/FMRadio, PS.

‘02 TOYOTATacoma

$13,9901-866-938-4963

Proctor Acura

OnTheMOve / Tallahassee Democrat Monday, August 8, 2011 / Page 7


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‘10 FORD Mustang

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‘08 FORD F-150

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‘09 TOYOTA RAV4

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‘06 JEEP Wrangler

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‘09 NISSAN Versa

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‘08 FORD F-150

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‘10 MERCURYGrand Marquis

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‘07 HONDA CR-V

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‘09 TOYOTA RAV4

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‘09 NISSAN Rogue

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Cadillac’s Black Diamond is on the cutting edgeYou’ll probably never need

a 200-mph station wagon, but if you do, isn’t it nice to know the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond is also a good value, comfortable and has plenty of room for people and cargo?

The Black Diamond edi-tion adds sculpted Recaro high-performance seats and visual glitz to the CTS-V wag-on’s superb drivetrain and chassis.

That’s right, your image of station wagons as stodgy sub-urban drones is just sooo 20th century. The few station wag-ons on the road today are styl-ish luxury models, loaded with power and technology.

The CTS-V wagon cranks the power to almost cartoonish levels with a 556-horsepower supercharged V8.

Dolled up in Black Diamond cosmetics and with running gear upgraded to handle the power and keep the shiny side up, the CTS-V is an exciting package, despite its high fuel consumption and the lack of some relatively common fea-tures.

Ask yourself this: What’s it worth to have a car that com-bines the practicality of a sta-tion wagon, the comfort and features of a luxury sedan and 4.0-second zero-to-60 mph acceleration?

It’s worth exactly the stick-er price of a 2011 Cadillac

CTS-V station wagon, which starts at $62,360.

Every CTS-V wagon comes with a brutally powerful 556-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine and a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

I tested a well-equipped CTS-V with the Black Dia-mond appearance package that cost $68,615, including a $1,300 federal gas-guzzler tax. All prices exclude desti-nation charges.

The CTS-V is by far the most powerful station wag-on you can buy. It competes with other luxury and perfor-mance models like the Audi A6 Avant 3.0T Quattro wag-on, BMW 550i GT hatchback, Lincoln MKT crossover wag-on and Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic wagon.

All the CTS-V’s running gear is upgraded to handle the extra power. The engine uses an Eaton supercharger to compress air, effectively giving it the output of a big-ger powerplant.

Superchargers are com-pressors that are driven by

a mechanical connection to the engine.

Turbochargers, which also compress intake air, are driv-en by the engine’s exhaust gas.

Superchargers boost pow-er virtually instantly, while turbos often suffer a delay as the exhaust gas builds up and begins spinning the turbines that compress the air going into the cylinders.

The downside to super-chargers is that they draw some power directly from the engine. That may increase fuel consumption more than a turbo.

Superchargers and turbo-chargers both help engines generate more torque at low-er rpm.

None of the competitors can match the CTS-V wag-on’s horsepower, torque or 4.0-second 0-60 time. The 550i GT comes closest, at 5.4 seconds.

All the competitors get bet-ter fuel economy than the CTS-V’s EPA rating of 14 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway and 16 in combined driving. All the vehicles except the MKT use premium fuel.

The CTS-V wagon is qui-et and comfortable at high speeds. It absorbs bumps well, despite its 19-inch wheels and low-profile Michelin PS2 per-formance tires.

The adaptive magneto-rheo-logical ride control monitors the vehicle every millisec-ond for maximum comfort and control.

Brembo brakes — with special yellow calipers on the Black Diamond CTS-V I tested — provide excellent stopping power and feel.

The CTS-V comes with a lot

of advanced goodies standard, including the adaptive shocks, an excellent Bose stereo, a navigation system, touch-screen controls and compat-ibility with Bluetooth hands-free phones.

It lacks a few features you can get on less-expensive cars, including a blind-spot alert, Bluetooth audio, adap-tive cruise control and more sophisticated voice recogni-tion.

The CTS-V Black Diamond wagon’s interior is comfort-able, useful, luxurious and contemporary.

There’s plenty of passen-ger space, and the cargo com-partment offers 25 cubic feet when the rear seat is in use; 58 when it’s folded.

The power tailgate features two opening heights and is programmable for a third to suit drivers of all heights and garages of all sizes.

The interior materials included black perforated leather seats and optional suede wraps for the steering wheel and shifter.

The optional Black Diamond exterior paint is flecked with glistening highlights, which are matched by subtle spar-kles in the midnight sapele wood-trim package.

Anybody looking for a fast, lovely and practical luxury car will have a hard time top-ping the Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond wagon.

By Mark PhelanDetroit Free Press

Martin KliMeK/Courtesy CadillaC/MCt

The Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond edition is offered on all three body styles — sedan, coupe and wagon — and comes with a host of unique features.

car facts2011 caDILLac cts-V WaGONn Base price: $62,360 (before destination charge)n as tested: $68,615

Optimism growing among auto executives, survey shows

DETROIT — The auto industry is back — and poised for a positive future — accord-ing to a KPMG survey of 100 top automotive executives.

The poll, released last week, found that 73 percent increased revenue last year and 72 percent expect to do so next year, too. Coinciding with that, more than half added personnel since last

year, with an additional 62 percent anticipating hiring people next year.

“I would characterize it as positive news,” said Gary Sil-berg, KPMG’s national auto-motive industry leader. “Not only has revenue grown, but profits have grown and bal-ance sheets have improved significantly. ... Given the dour mood of the rest of the economy, which is not very positive, here you have auto-motive executives saying

they’re going to hire in the next year.”

Of the 13 sectors KPMG surveyed — including aero-space and defense, pharma-ceuticals, banking, technology and building and construction — automotive was the most bullish on hiring.

In addition, close to seven out of 10 auto executives see “significant cash” on their bal-ance sheet and 71 percent are planning for capital spending next year.

Most of that money will be spent on new products or ser-vices (39 percent), acquisi-tion of a business (39 percent), expanding facilities (28 per-cent) and information tech-nology (28 percent).

More than two-thirds reported their companies were having an easier time than last year securing financ-ing. And expect some merg-ers and acquisitions in the next two years.

Of all types of government

regulation that will have a positive or negative impact on the auto industry, 52 per-cent point to the new Corpo-rate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE standards, 50 per-cent to emissions standards and 44 percent to health care reform.

“It’s positive on investment. It’s positive on employment,” Silberg said. “It’s not talk. It’s real. Look at the balance sheet and the Tier 1s. They’re sig-nificantly better. ... In my per-

spective, it’s very reasonable to be optimistic.”

Barriers to growth over the next year include pric-ing pressures (36 percent), energy prices (28 percent), the strength of the U.S. dol-lar (21 percent) and volatile commodity/input prices (18 percent).

KPMG conducted the poll among U.S.-based executives of domestic and foreign auto-makers and auto suppliers in June.

By Zlati MeyerDetroit Free Press

reView


Supplies of Japanese cars slowly rebuildingDALLAS — In the days

after an earthquake and tsu-nami devastated Japan in March, severely damaging many of the country’s auto factories, import dealers feared a long, hot summer of empty lots.

Things never got quite that bad, but now, in peak selling season, inventories at many area Japanese-brand dealerships remain at half or less of normal levels.

Vehicles such as the Toy-ota Prius hybrid, 4Runner SUV and the new Honda Civ-ic can be as hard to find as Ferraris.

Honda and Toyota recent-ly told their dealers that full production at all factories should resume in September, at least two months ahead of original repair schedules.

“That’s some great news,” said Pat Lobb, who owns Pat

Lobb Toyota and Scion in McKinney, Texas, and is a representative on Toyo-ta’s regional dealer coun-cil. “I’ve got 300 vehicles in the (order) pipeline, which is the most I’ve been able to get since March or April.”

Analysts estimate that Jap-anese automakers — includ-ing Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Nissan and Infiniti — have lost at least 200,000 sales in the United States since March, worth about $6 billion.

Some have even lowered their estimates of total U.S. sales this year to reflect those losses, concluding that the manufacturers won’t recoup the losses.

Nonetheless, many of the manufacturers plan aggres-sive sales campaigns this fall in an attempt to reclaim lost business, and signifi-cant incentives are likely to be part of their efforts, analysts say.

“The biggest worry among

Japanese automakers is: Will they be able to get that share back?” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends at TrueCar.com. “Consumers have a lot more choices now, and brand loy-alty industrywide is not as strong as it once was.”

For at least the next two months, supplies of Japa-nese-brand vehicles are likely to be tight and pric-es high.

In addition, used-car pric-es — many of which are at all-time highs — also will stay inflated, partly because of the disaster in Japan.

After three straight years of weak new-vehicle sales, the used-car market needs more trade-ins. The loss of 200,000 more new-vehicle sales with their potential trades will put even more pressure on the segment, analysts say.

“There simply are not enough used cars com-

ing through the system as trades,” Toprak said.

Still, most dealers say, the situation could be a lot worse. Limited supplies of new vehicles have kept pric-es firm and profit high, and many Japanese-brand deal-ers have relied on lucrative used-car sales and service work to compensate for the drop in new-vehicle sales.

Even i f product ion resumes in September, deal-ers may not get full alloca-tions of all vehicles until November. But dealers say they expect Honda and Toyo-ta to begin aggressively pur-suing lost sales this fall with deals and incentives.

Lobb, one of the largest Toyota dealers in the South-west, has an inventory of about 250 vehicles but wants 1,000 on his lot this fall — in time for any sales push.

“The manufacturers will drive market share like you have never seen before,” pre-

dicted Lobb, an auto indus-try veteran.

At Freeman Toyota in Hurst, Texas, general man-ager Dane Minor says he can plan his business better now that he knows shipments of new vehicles will be arriving in the next few weeks.

“We’ve got a 20-day supply of cars on the ground, and a 45-day supply is optimal,” Minor said. “It’s tight. When cars come off the truck, a lot of times they’re already spoken for.”

Like Lobb, Minor antici-pates much stronger sales in the fourth quarter, aided by incentives. For Toyota deal-ers, a new Camry sedan may provide an added boost.

Sky-high used-car values are also likely to play a sig-nificant role. Their pumped-up values make it easier for consumers to trade for new vehicles.

“We traded for a cus-tomer’s 2-year-old Corol-

la, which had 30,000 miles on it, for $1,000 less than he paid for it new,” Minor said. “He was pretty happy about that.”

Toyota, which provided more details about its recov-ery than Honda or Nissan did, expects its North Amer-ican production to rise to 80 percent of capacity by next month.

Rusty Wallis counts on a similar resurgence at Hon-da. He estimates that his Honda dealership in Dallas has 100 new vehicles in stock — down dramatically from a normal level of 450.

“July was a hard month, and August will be even more difficult,” said Wal-lis, who also owns Rusty Wallis Volkswagen in Gar-land. “We’ll be down to about 20 cars and will look like we’re going out of business. But help is on the way, and I think we’ll finish the fourth quarter real strong.”

By Terry BoxThe Dallas Morning News

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‘10 DODGE GrandCaravan

$16,5951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 3.5LV6, A/C, Bucket Seats,4DR SDN LT, ABS,Tilt-Adjustable Steering

‘10 CHEVROLETImpala

$14,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 3.5LV6, A/C, Bucket Seats,Tilt And TelescopicSteering Wheel, CD, PW,

‘08 DODGECharger

$12,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 3.4LV6, A/C, Bucket Seats,2WD 4DR LS, ABS,Tilt-Adjustable Steering


$12,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! A/C,Bucket Seats, Tilt Wheel,PS.

‘11 CHEVROLETAveo

$13,4951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 3.5LV6, A/C, Bucket Seats,ABS, Tilt And TelescopicSteering Wheel, PW,

‘07 CHRYSLER 300

$13,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 8CYLINDER, A/C, RearBench Seat, ABS, TiltWheel, CD, PS, 6.6L.

‘05 CHEVROLETSilverado 2500HD

$12,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! A/C,Bucket Seats, FWD 4DRLS, ABS.

‘10 CHEVROLETHHR

$12,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! 1.8LI4, A/C, Bucket Seats, tiltWheel, CD, PS.

‘05 TOYOTACorolla

$7,9951-888-810-1201


Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!! A/C,Bucket Seats, PS, 2.2L.

‘05 PONTIACSunfire

$6,9951-888-810-1201


FREE oil changewith tire rotationFRwi

TD-000

0182

392

A/C, Bucket Seats, TiltAnd Telescopic SteeringWheel, PW, PDL, Cruise,PS. Home of the $500.00Price Guarantee!!!

‘11 CHEVROLETMalibu

$17,9841-888-810-1201


Has Stow And Go, 3rdRow Seats! Loaded!Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!!

‘10 CHRYSLERTown & Country

$17,9841-888-810-1201


3.5L V6, A/C, BucketSeats, Tilt- AdjustableSteering Wheel, Cruise.Home of the $500.00Price Guarantee!!!


$16,7951-888-810-1201


5.4L V8, A/C, SupercrewHarley-Davidson, ABS,Tilt Wheel, PW, PDL.Home Of The $500.00Price Guarantee!!!

‘03 FORD F-150

$16,4841-888-810-1201


4 Cylinder, BucketSeats, ABS, Tilt, PW,PDL, PS, 2.0L. Homeof the $500.00 PriceGuarantee!!!

‘10 HYUNDAIElantra

$14,9841-888-810-1201


5.3L V8, A/C, BucketSeats, ABS, CD,PW, PDL. Home ofthe $500.00 PriceGuarantee!!!


$15,4841-888-810-1201


8 Cylinder, A/C, ABS,Tilt- Adjustable SteeringWheel, PDL, PS, 4.8L.Home of the $500.00Price Guarantee!!!

‘07 CHEVROLETSilverado 1500

$15,7841-888-810-1201


3.8L V6, A/C, BucketSeats, ABS, Tilt-Adjustable SteeringWheel, CD. Homeof the $500.00 Price

‘07 BUICK Lucerne

$15,8841-888-810-1201


4 Cylinder, A/C, BucketSeats, 4DR SDNSXT, ABS. Home ofthe $500.00 PriceGuarantee!!!

‘10 DODGEAvenger

$13,9841-888-810-1201


3.5L V6, A/C, BucketSeats, CD, PW, PDL.Home of the $500.00Price Guarantee!!!


$12,8951-888-810-1201


3.4L V6, A/C, BucketSeats, 2WD 4DRLS, ABS,CD. Homeof the $500.00 PriceGuarantee!!!


$11,8841-888-810-1201


6.0L V8, A/C, ABS,Tilt Wheel, PS. Homeof the $500.00 PriceGuarantee!!!

‘04 GMC Sierra2500

$7,9841-888-810-1201



ABS Brakes, AM/FMRadio, CD Player, PowerDoor Mirrors, PowerWindows, Tilt SteeringWheel.

‘07 KIA Sorento

$16,998229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Anti-Lock Brakes; CruiseControl; Rear WindowDefroster; Power Locks;Power Mirrors; PowerWindows.

‘08 HONDA Fit

$14,895229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS Brakes; AM/FMRadio; Air Conditioning;CD Player; Panic Alarm;Tilt Steering Wheel.

‘07 FORD Escape

$15,988229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS Brakes; CD Player;Reclining 3rd Row Seat;Tilt Steering Wheel.

‘07 DODGE Grand

Caravan

$14,988229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

5 Speed Automatic; ABSbrakes; Tilt SteeringWheel; MP3 Decoder; CDplayer.

‘08 NISSAN Titan

$16,779229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

6 Speed Automatic; ABSbrakes; Tilt SteeringWheel; EmergencyCommunication System.

‘08 SATURN VUE

$15,195229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Anti-Lock Brakes; AirConditioning; AlloyWheels; Cruise Control;Passenger Air Bag; PowerSteering; Tilt Wheel.

‘05 JEEP Wrangler

$16,797229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS Brakes; CD Player;Power Mirrors; PowerWindows; Tilt SteeringWheel.

‘07 GMC Envoy

$15,295229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS Brakes; AM/FMRadio; Tilt SteeringWheel; Split Folding RearSeat.

‘06 FORD F-150

$16,988229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS Brakes; AM/FMRadio; Dual Front ImpactAirbags; Split FoldingRear Seat.

‘03 FORD F-150

$17,988229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

ABS brakes; AM/FMRadio; Air Conditioning;Automatic TemperatureControl; Tilt SteeringWheel.

‘07 SUZUKI XL7

$17,988229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Anti-Lock Brakes;CruiseControl; Power Seats;Power Locks; PowerMirrors; Power Windows.

‘09 CHRYSLER 300

$18,575229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

5 Speed Automatic; 4Cylinder; Cruise Control;Power Locks; PowerMirrors; Power Windows;Tilt Wheel; Sunroof.

‘07 HONDA CR-V

$18,990229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

4 Speed Automatic; 2WDRear; ABS Brakes; CDPlayer; Front Dual ZoneA/C.

‘06 CHEVROLET

Silverado

$18,995229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Anti-Lock Brakes; AirConditioning; CruiseControl; Power Locks;Power Mirrors; Tilt Wheel.

‘10 FORD Fusion

$19,695229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

4 Speed Automatic;Split Folding Rear Seat;Power Door Mirrors;Power Driver Seat; PowerWindows.

‘04 FORD F-150

$19,995229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

4 Speed Automatic; Rear4WD; ABS Brakes; TiltSteering Wheel.

‘08 FORD F-150

$20,276229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Bose Sound System;6 Cylinder Gasoline;Continuously VariableAutomatic.

‘07 NISSAN

Maxima

$20,997229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

6 Cylinder Gasoline; 6Speed Automatic; Front2WD; Premium SoundSystem.

‘08 NISSAN Altima

$21,589229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

Anti-Lock Brakes; CruiseControl; Tilt Wheel; TintedGlass; Sunroof.

‘07 INFINITI G35

$21,874229-246-0860

River Bend Ford

TD-0000182398

RIVER BEND 1709 E. Shotwell St.Bainbridge, GA 39819www.riverbendford.net

“We Look Forwardto Serving You!”

Call Us at:(229) 246-0860!

$$$$$$ BRING IN THISCOUPON TO RECEIVE A

$250 DISCOUNT!

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