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What the 9-5 offers is a low 30's price (or cheap lease) for leather, heated seats, and FWD. To get the same winter performance in a 5 Series or E Class you have to go AWD and that puts you into the mid to high 50's. Again, like Mack Trucks, this is a regional car whose appeal and value proposition only makes sense the further north you are of the George Washington Bridge.
And the only competition there is the Acura TL, Lexus ES, base Volvo S80, Lincoln MKZ, Buick Lucerne, Honda Accord, Nissan Maxima, Volkswagen Passat and Toyota Avalon. What ever will buyers in five or so states do without the 9-5?
I was waondering if you are still there----not a word from you in days
Not just Jose, but Howard disappeared again. And what about Dewey? Very looooong time since we've heard from our Canadian friend.
And, I personally hope Laurasdada is doing OK. There must be a limit to how much Zaino a person can apply, or how many boy scout functions he can attend.
BTW, are you noticing those gas prices? Still high...
How are you doing lately?
TM
I was wondering why we had such radio silence this week, not even high gas prices stir up car emotions anymore. Although the new issue of Autoweek had a drawing of the new XJ Jag and it looks pretty nice.
Regards,
Jose
Regards,
OW
Regards,
Jose
No more luxury doughnut runs for some officers in our town facing a pending layoff this summer. :surprise:
Regards,
OW
Nine coats. After that, the law of diminishing returns becomes a factor.
"La señora vicepresidenta del gobierno, Ms Elena Salgado, has announced today that the Spanish Government has approved a rise of petrol of 0.29 cents of Euro (€) per liter." This will lead regular unleaded gas up to € 1.03 per liter, and low sulphur diesel up to € 0.98 per liter. (Please, don't look for conversion tables: a gallon has 3.78533 liters.) Ms Salgado has not tried to disguise the news: the reason for rising the petrol prices (and tobacco) is just to compensate low tax income due to crisis.
Regards,
Jose
Both having representatives near my place in Spain I could arrange hearings at any time.
Yet from the reviews I've read and the room in which I wish to set the speakers I am leaning towards Joseph Audio's — quality, not room-intrusive body volume and no excruciating need of back space for uncompromised sound quality. JA speakers will be accompanied by the amp and turntable you suggested. But there is no Joseph Audio's dealer over here. I have written to JA in the USA; they could easily send a pair to my home. Most probably I would order eventually the speakers to them.
YET, to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary my wife and I are planning a fortnight tour through South Africa this summer, and may be we are going for ten days to Chicago next Autumn. Both journeys taking advantage of scientific business trips, but staying much more days than necessary to do the job. AND, to have everything matched, we are renovating the facade of our home. THUS, I have postponed the music decision until later this year!!!
Regards,
Jose
Any time, my friend
The sight of rows of black Lincoln Town Cars filling the streets and curbs of Manhattan may soon be gone. With the city passing new emissions and fuel economy laws for its taxi fleets, the trusty Town Car does not come close to meeting the new regulations.
New cars that enter service starting January 1, 2009 must achieve at least 25 mpg in the city; in 2010, the figure jumps to 30 mpg. The problem for luxury taxi businesses is that there is no full-size sedan that comes close to meeting the requirements. Even the Lexus LS460h hybrid sedan returns an EPA city rating of 20 mpg.
For nearly thirty years, the Town Car has been the staple for "black car" operators in New York City. The cars mixed a spacious interior and luxury with dependability. Drivers said that a Lincoln Town Car could routinely last for 250,000 miles with regular maintenance.
Options for these businesses at this point include the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids. Both of these crossovers get 34 miles per gallon in city conditions and both are available for under $40,000 - roughly the cost of the Town Car when new. Some worry about the luxury and capacity of these two models, but all know that a change from the typical Town Car is needed.
What does this do to the luxury limousine industry??? Stretch Prius anyone?? :confuse:
Regards,
OW
It's not really a Detroit issue or a powertrain issue. As the article said the LS hybrid can't do it, and the upcoming M-B S400 hybrid can't do it either. The A8 3.0TDi might be able to manage a 25mpg EPA rating, but Audi would never sell that here. Efficient powertrains aren't the problem. These cars need to lose weight.
Audi is currently testing a prototype S5 that weighs less than 3000lbs, powered by a 230hp 4-cylinder. They say its 8 seconds a lap faster around the Nurburgring than the current V8 S5. This is what needs to happen - lightweight cars, small engines.
TM
Absolutely. Simplify and add lightness. A BMW or Audi should be light, and powered by a turbo 4 in Audi's case or small displacement straight 6 in BMW's case. Lithium-on-silicon or lithium-sulfur batteries and hybrid drive systems would allow for 40mpg cars that are actually fun, imagine that!
I agree the weight is the main issue. There is a market for a nice Town Car hybrid. Thing is, there isn't one at the moment. Huge baggage get lost in the cavernous trunk and the ride is very nice.
New York hybrid limo operator OzoCar, which runs a fleet of Priuses and Lexus Rx400h hybrids, and Executive Transportation Group, which runs 17 metropolitan New York black car fleets, plan this fall to roll out franchised hybrid-car limo services in six to eight more US cities.
Roger Hamelin, owner of Prospect Limo Service LLC in Prospect, Conn., who operates a fleet of five cars he drives for weddings, proms, and airport service and night-on-the-town runs to Boston and New York, said he'd be leery of offering service in a Prius.
"I wouldn't do that because of the luggage space," Hamelin said.
Looking over the Mariner, Hamelin said he liked what he saw, but admitted, "I'm hoping they'd be able to come in sooner or later with a Town Car hybrid version. That's the real standard in this business, and people want to be green. People like being able to say, 'I'm using a green car for my limo.' "
Hybrid limo stretches mileage
34 m.p.g. Mercury is drawing long looks at livery convention
Regards,
OW
While pricing is unknown for the Rapide, it will come with a 6.0-liter V12 generating 470 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque paired with a responsive Touchtronic gearbox. Performance figures have not been released, but we expect the Rapide to post numbers that are in between the two Porsche Panamera V8 models. Those cars go 0-60 mph in either 4 seconds or 4.8 seconds, depending on which engine is chosen.
REALLY nice! Too bad my luch box doesn't fit in the boot!
Regards,
Jose
It is easier to give to a beautiful lady, and a witty one at that
How true is that beatiful & soft witted ladies have got an evolutionary advantage specially in modern societies!
The day before yesterday I witnessed how elegantly one of these ladies took out of my shoulder a male traffic officer not only by nicely smiling at him but also by saying the appropriate words with the correct intonation. Not too soft, just au point. I kept saying to myself: >.
The lady was my daughter, and I am grateful to her because she avoided me other ticket when I went to pick up her at the airport.
Regards,
Jose
24 Hours du Mans finished this year with a Peugeot winning (all three Audi teams abandoned through the race):
#9 Peugeot 908 Hdi — Marc Gené (Spain) / D. Brabham (GB) / A. Wurz (Austria)
(Marc Gené is currently 3rd. pilot of F1 Ferrari racing team.)
And, for Corvette fans:
Corvette Racing (USA — J. O'Connell (USA) / J. Magnussen (DNK) / A. García (SPA)) was first in LMGT1 class (15th altogether).
Regards,
Jose
The old LS was an unappreciated gem that could hold its own against the BMWs & MBs of the late 90s/early 2000s. Even if the MKS is better than comparably priced offerings from Lexus - I'm not sure that it is - that's not good enough. The Germans are the top dogs in the luxury market, & Lincoln's goal should be to run with them.
That's rather arguable. The MKS is sized like an LS460, but it can't match the power, or any of the luxury, and the MKS's V6 is no more efficient than the LS's V8. The LS doesn't look like much, but I've seen the MKS in person, and it just looks like a big blob. The styling is about as generic as you can possibly get. The interior simply does not look or feel like a premium product. The LS's interior design is uninteresting, but the materials quality is there. The biggest problem with the MKS is that the Taurus is the same car, the interior is basically the same quality, and the Ford version is the much better looking of the two.
The MKS is priced at the level of the GS, which is a rather weak target. Still, the GS350 offers more power and more efficiency at the same time. The GS is badly packaged and space is lacking, no argument there. The GS's interior, like most Lexus products of late has far too much plastic and vinyl, but its still definitely a step ahead of the MKS, which I would equate with the Genesis and RL.
I think the MKS is a much better product than the Cadillac DTS, and it's a possible alternative to Genesis buyers, but I don't see Lexus worrying about it too much. What Lincoln should do is make a product to challenge the E-class. That's what people buy more than anything else in the $40-60K class, and with the new one now being more affordable than the 5 thanks to Mercedes' huge price cuts, I think it's going to continue to dominate the segment.
However, if the 2010 Taurus (SHO) is any indicator the new interior will be quite nice.
TM
As things have been slow, I priced a two year extended warranty on the Audi, and it was around seventeen hundred---the bmw was raound two thousand two hundred....As neither model will be new for a year or so, I thought I might get these...Have you or anyone had any experience with buyingan extended warranty? and do you think I need one Tony
It's worth noting that none of the recognized authorities on personal finance recommends extended warranties on appliances or vehicles.
I have been away from my computer for a few days, but one of my friends saw this comment and was amused since this is what I say about Toyota. IMHO they make cars for women and men who don't like cars.
Saab was never intended to be a luxury brand.
This I agree with, Saab was the VW of Sweden, along with Volvo. Volvo, even in the US was not a luxury brand on the onset. The 760 of the 80s might have been close, but it was really Ford trying to make it something it wasn't that led to its sale to Geeley.
They've only ever attempted two luxury cars, the Fiat based 9000 and the Opel Vectra based 9-5. In typical Saab fashion both ran/will run for 13 years, and both weren't any good.
I don't necessarily agree with this either, the 80s Saab 9000 could swallow a couch, offered good driving dynamics, reasonable economy and excellent durability. I don't have experience with the newer generations.
Today, Saab is just a dumping ground for leftover GM platforms, mostly for Europeans who don't want to be seen with the Opel/Vauxhall badge.
True, and a sad end, IMHO.
The keyboard really ruins the Pre for me also. If the keyboard slid out of the side (and it wasn't Sprint only), I would be a lot more interested. Palm says a real SDK is on the way, and they will be porting WebOS to different form factors, unlike the love it or leave it iPhone. If something interesting shows up on the AT&T roster (or at least an unlocked GSM phone for EU markets that I can buy and use on AT&T) then I'll definitely consider it. From what I've seen so far, WebOS does look pretty cool.
No argument from me there. I had the extreme displeasure of driving a Camry SE recently. Just awful. It had the trifecta - uncomfortable seats, incredibly light and numb steering with buckets of on center slop, and interior plastics so cheap even GM wouldn't use them, plus a horrible mouse fur headliner. If that's what Toyota thinks is "sporty", I shudder to think about what the standard Camry is like to drive.
Saab is a bit better than that, but anyone seriously interested in performance or luxury is going to buy German. Even the Passat is more luxurious and much better to drive than anything Saab makes. At the other end, you have cars like the Mazda6 and Nissan Maxima that are still better to drive, are more affordable, and likely to be much more reliable than a Saab.
I just don't see the point.
I have never had an extended warranty, but it seems like most of the info on these forums highly suggest it for the German makes & so, provided I still love the S5 down the road, I was leaning that direction.
But, jimbres presents a good case for the opposite in his reply IMO. Most likely, I'll keep my money until repairs are needed, & take some of the sting out of the costs with my Driver's Edge redemption points (c-card). I tend to keep about the max points available most of the time (5k).
I noticed the other day that your A8 has been upgraded to reccomended by CR with average reliability. I don't read CR very often, but looks like Audi is continuing to improve.
Also noticed Edmunds added my car to their long term fleet & I'm keeping an eye on that. They've encountered steering vibrations that they've sent the car back to Audi to diagnose. I have not had that issue so far & I'm ahead of them in mileage by 2K. But, I don't have the adaptive suspension they do.
TM
Ah that's too bad. How's the VZW coverage there? I am just not a fan of Sprint, though Verizon doesn't have a phone I am remotely interested in. The nice thing about my E90 is that when I leave for vacation in August, I can just leave my AT&T SIM at home and pop in a pre-paid travelers SIM.
Edmunds Inside Line
My selected lengthy quotes:
First off, this latest generation TDI 2.0-liter engine — first seen in the 2006 Audi A3 and VW Touareg in Europe — goes by the name EA189 and is the updated civilian version of the EA188 engine used in the Seat León that races in the World Touring Car Championship. This is the León TDI car that has been regularly beating the tar out of the 2.0-liter BMW 3 Series for WTCC points.
The GTD will always be about one second slower off the line to 60 mph than a GTI , but the hot diesel state of mind is a different plane of existence. There's a jolly rhythm to the surging and slaloming style of driving a diesel at high speed.
The standard 17-by-7-inch wheels with 225/45R17 91W Bridgestone Potenza tires also catch your eye.
Every time we drop our collective butt into the VW's GTI-style seats, satisfaction washes over us. No other hot small car gives off this feeling of high quality before you even start the engine. The quality of the tartan cloth reassures us that it'll be around for as long as you own the car, and the seat support is spot-on for the sporting drive that awaits. Same goes for the sport steering wheel borrowed directly from the GTI.
It feels amazing to cruise the autobahn at 85 mph in 6th gear, as the 2,400 rpm seems to register what feels like zero decibels.
Clever Germans that they are, the VW acoustic nerds have included an electromagnetically actuated sound enhancer for the GTD's exhaust note. Introduced last year for the Audi TT diesel, it is not audible at idle, but once you hit the power band in the meat of the range, the sound is very sweet and not like a stereotypical diesel at all.
A nice incentive for sales of the Jetta diesel here in the U.S. is the introduction of European-style tax credits — a healthy $1,300 signing bonus. Then, with scrappage laws going into effect nationwide pretty soon, there will be up to $4,500 more in incentives for fuel-sipping cars like clean diesels.
We drove all through the green Bavarian Alps on a single tank of diesel fuel.
Regards,
Jose
Thanks for that link. Wow... another reason to rekindle my love for the clean diesel... and with the price of diesel now lower than gasoline, it makes even more sense than ever.
Impressive car. I like it.
TM
Hows everyone here?
I see that you like nokias as well, so do I, Yeah, thats the good thing about E90 and many other nokia cell phones, when traveling just change the sim cars.
Did you see the new N97? Or maybe you're the E series type of guy?
I see you like your i phone a lot Tagman, I use to love I Mac products until I got a 32gb i pod, since then I hate Apple products, no offense to I Mac fans.
The new E also looks a lot smaller in person, nothing special, but thats just my opinion.
I do know for some reason the new E will have sell really well, why? Because some people want a benz no matter its good or bad.
I'm inclined to agree.
In my area, the E350 sedan is hugely popular with real estate brokers - so much so that when I see a well-dressed woman of a certain age behind the wheel of an E-class 4-door, I just assume that she's in that biz.
MotoGP World Championship; Barcelona Racing; Valentino Rossi (ITA) vs. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA)
Enjoy the Italian atmosphere. And, you may look as well at Jorge Lorenzo putting the Barça Flag on his back at the end of the race.
Regards,
Jose
The N97 does look interesting, but I'm pretty disappointed with the processing power. S60 Touch is a lot more resource demanding than S60v3 FP1 or FP2, and because of that the N97 is actually slower and has less usable memory than what I've got now. Not good considering the E90 is two years old.
The Pre and the iPhone 3GS just have loads more horsepower under their hoods compared to the N97, as does the S60 Touch based Samsung Omnia HD, surprisingly enough. I'd be more interested in the Samsung if it used the N97's UI as opposed to the same crappy "TouchWiz" setup they use on their WM phones.
I don't know what it is about that car, but the E always crushes the mid-lux competition, no matter how old or outdated it gets. The latest version is supposed to be much less bland to drive, and it's a lot more affordable than the last one, so I have no doubt that the E will continue to walk away with the segment once again.
Well, another neighbor came to the rescue before a disaster occurred. I was out of town but recently gave her religion....in NJ, always keep the top UP when you get out. This is not L.A.!! :mad:
Regards,
OW