2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Test Drive

The imperturbable Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe provides a 'waftable' ride, even with a heavy right foot.
MSRP: $362,000

With the top down, driving the all-new 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe feels like your own private ticker-tape parade.

It’s impossible sometimes to refrain from waving to people as you go by, whether or not they wave first (they often do). Even with nobody around, it’s hard to keep a grin off your face.

A day of test-driving the Drophead Coupe recently, on the steep, narrow curves of Tuscany, plus some good company, produced sore grinning muscles.

The car stays remarkably flat in the curves, which is amazing considering its size. Its gross vehicle weight, the weight of the loaded vehicle including passengers, is 6,724 pounds, about the same as a Range Rover SUV. And there’s a long, long hood in front of you.

But the Drophead Coupe shrugged off even erratic driving — like if you hit the brakes and swoop to the side of the road to check the map, or suddenly back up the autostrada on-ramp, or encounter a phalanx of cyclists over the next rise. (In Italian driving, it pays to expect the unexpected.) It was impossible to upset the car.

Rolls-Royce calls that quality “waftability,” particularly when it comes to engines, said Bob Austin, communications manager for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, responsible for marketing, advertising and public relations. That is, the Rolls-Royce customer “wafts” from point A to point B quietly, without having to trouble themselves.

In the Drophead Coupe, a 6.75-liter V12 does the wafting. The powerful engine was so quiet that even in a silent, dusty parking lot in the countryside, more than one test-driver tried to start an engine that was already running.

The dictionary defines waft as, “to move or go lightly on, or as if on, a buoyant medium.”

That’s a good description of how the Drophead Coupe feels driving down the road, especially from the passenger seat or in the back. But it’s no land yacht — despite options purposely modeled after yachts, like a teakwood deck to cover the convertible top when it’s down.

From the driver’s seat, the car’s poise and control emerge, and it loses that initial, floaty feel. Enter a curve with what feels like a bit too much speed, and your gut says the car will lean excessively. Through the curve, your eyes tell you it’s almost flat. The disconnect takes some getting used to, but after a few times, your confidence grows.

U.S. sales of the Drophead Coupe begin in September. Dealers already have orders for almost two years' worth of production, at a rate of about 200 cars a year.

Some of those orders are duplicates from one individual placing orders at multiple dealerships, in hopes of getting a car sooner. And some are brokers who will resell the cars. In short, enough money can find a car faster than two years from now, but it will certainly be more than the $412,000 suggested retail price (including the $3,000 gas-guzzler tax and $2,000 delivery charge).

Highs
* Effortless acceleration
* The fabric top
* Exclusivity

Lows
* Sticker shock
* Rear seat not exactly Spartan, but lacks "wow" gadgets or features
* Completely a matter of personal taste, but ride and handling are a bit cushy

Exterior
The all-new Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is basically the convertible model of the Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan.

That’s the shorthand version, which really doesn’t do it justice. Rolls-Royce CEO Ian Robertson points out, convincingly, that the convertible is “not simply the sedan with the roof cut off.”

Sure, the two models share controls and electronics, and much of the all-aluminum skeleton underneath.

Both models also have so-called “suicide” doors, which are doors hinged at the rear. The rear doors of the Phantom sedan are suicide doors. So are the only two doors on the Drophead Coupe. The doors lock from the inside as soon as the car is in “drive,” so they can’t accidentally be opened.

The doors also have a power-closing feature. For instance, the driver can press a button to close the passenger-side door, without having to reach all the way across to pull it closed.

That’s a good thing, say, if your passenger gets out to direct traffic, leaving his door open, and you have to close it, before you can back up into a busy intersection, facing the wrong way on a one-way street. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

And of course the two cars share one of the most recognizable brands of all time, symbolized by the “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament on top of the gleaming, silver-plated grille.

Despite the similar doors, the Phantom sedan and Drophead Coupe don’t share a single body panel. Even the famous front grille is a little different. The sedan’s grille is more upright and prominent. It is a jut-jawed look that Robertson described as “formal.” That formality was critical to re-establish the brand’s British bona fides, Robertson said, when German parent BMW AG relaunched Rolls-Royce four years ago.

It would be a bit much to call the convertible “informal,” but the grille on the Drophead Coupe juts out less and has rounder edges. The convertible is rounder than the sedan overall. The Drophead Coupe is also lower, and almost 10 inches shorter.

The differences, and the strong family resemblance, are apparent when the cars are parked side by side.

The top is the most obvious difference. Unlike several smaller models from competing luxury brands, Rolls-Royce opted for a fabric top for the Drophead Coupe, not a folding hardtop. The fabric top takes up less room when it’s down than a folding hardtop. It weighs less, and provides more room for passengers, internal hardware and cargo.

Leave it to Rolls-Royce, the multilayer fabric top includes a layer of cashmere. That’s not just for snob appeal. According to Rolls-Royce spokesman Jon Stanley, the cashmere layer is effective at deadening sound.

Even with the top down, normal conversation is easy at all but the fastest highway speeds. With the top up, the cabin noise falls to near-sedan levels, unless the noise outside is exceptionally loud.

Interior
Quiet is a Rolls-Royce hallmark, even in a convertible. The highly polished chrome fixtures and controls push in or pull out silently. Nearly everything metal is chromed, even the rails on the floor that the front seats ride on.

“Warning” signals like the fasten-seatbelt alarm are a pleasant, major-chord chime like one of those “perfect-pitch” wind chimes. Instead of being caught in wrongdoing, it sounds like you won a prize. “Bling! Here’s your diploma!”

Items that open and close, like the glove box, are spring-loaded so that they unwind leisurely and silently. This has the unintended consequence of making them hard to close sometimes, because the same coil that unwound so majestically is now fighting in the other direction. “Just slam it,” said one glove box veteran. “But you only have to slam it once.”

The seating surfaces are, of course, creamy leather, along with most of the interior that isn’t wood or chrome. The woven floor mats are made of natural, rope-like fiber as opposed to the usual Rolls-Royce wool floor mats. The mats in a convertible are liable to get wet, and wool could eventually get smelly.

The leather is not specially treated to shed water, but within reason it can get a little wet without lasting harm, said Clive Woolmer, manager, bespoke (i.e. custom-built) business for Rolls-Royce. “You don’t want to get it soaked, but we don’t think a Rolls-Royce owner should have to pull over the instant there’s the first drop of rain,” he said.

While the overall impression of the cabin is awe-inspiring, the controls unfortunately show some of parent company BMW’s influence. Rolls-Royce has its version of the frustrating BMW iDrive, a single knob that controls many functions, which toggles among communications and navigation, sound system, entertainment, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, etc.

Some of the most-used functions, such as the temperature controls, have separate, dedicated buttons on the dash, so they can be adjusted without resorting to the iDrive knob. In fact, unlike BMW, Rolls-Royce gives owners the option of stowing the knob out of sight when not in use.

The other controls, such as the window switches, the vents and the seat controls, are easy enough to learn. Located under a leather cover with a chrome hinge in the center console, the seat control is a little tricky. First you push a button that corresponds to the part of the seat you want to move, then you use a little chrome joystick to actually move it.

Lowering the top is simplicity itself. Lifting and holding a single chrome button lowers the windows, pops the top in the front, raises the hard tonneau cover “lid” in the rear, folds the top back, replaces the tonneau cover, and raises the windows. In less than 30 seconds, you get the melodious “all done” chime. Pushing the button down and holding it reverses the process. This will be familiar to anyone who has operated a fully automatic top since Mercedes-Benz introduced the previous-generation SL Roadster in 1990.

One of the options Rolls-Royce expects most customers to order is a teakwood tonneau cover, made of solid slats of teak, not a veneer. The highly rot-resistant teak was chosen purposely to imitate fine yachts, Woolmer said.

The rear seat is just about, but not quite, as sinfully roomy and comfortable as the front. Legroom is much better than other coupes, but not breathtaking. There is a small outboard cubbyhole for each rear passenger, about the size of a bottle of water, plus a cigarette lighter and an ashtray each, plus map pockets in the front seat backs.

Sitting in the rear is not a hardship by any means, but it is not a rear-seat extravaganza, with items like a center console with a champagne cooler. You would expect extras like that in a car that is intended to be chauffeur-driven (and you could probably custom-order them in the Drophead Coupe). But it seems that most of the time, the Drophead Coupe customer is expected to be in the front.

Having said that, the ease of rear-seat entry and exit is one rationale behind the rear-hinged, “suicide” doors, said Rolls-Royce spokesman Jon Stanley.

“It was important to us that the rear-seat passenger can descend gracefully, without ever having that awkward moment when you’re half-in, half-out, with your legs spread,” he said. (Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, pay attention!) “Our customers are often called upon to make an entrance, possibly at an airport, or in front of an embassy, places like that,” Stanley said.

Naturally, us press wags wasted no time trying it out. Stanley had it exactly right. With the suicide door, plus adequate foot room on the floor, even a tall rear-seat passenger with size-13 feet can stand more or less upright (completely upright, with the top down), lean on the partially open door, and gracefully step ashore.

Remarkably for a convertible, there were no squeaks or rattles, even over rougher roads. One reason is that the front roof pillar is a single, continuous metal arch that starts at the lowest part of the frame, by the feet of the front-seat occupants, wraps around the windshield, and reaches all the way down to the “sill” on the opposite side. This helps make the aluminum frame stiff, to resist the bending and twisting that produce squeaks and rattles.

Performance
A six-speed automatic transmission is standard equipment. So are antilock brakes with emergency brake assist. This automatically applies maximum braking pressure if the driver steps on the brake fast enough, and/or hard enough, to indicate an emergency stop. Research shows that drivers tend not to step hard enough, and/or to let up too soon in panic stops.

We already discussed in the intro of this story the “waftability” or uncanny poise the Drophead Coupe exhibits while taking sharp turns and gliding over rough roads. Part of this is due to the sophisticated suspension.

The Drophead Coupe has a front double-wishbone suspension and a multilink rear suspension. The front suspension looks sort of like two turkey wishbones joined together, hence the name. The rear suspension absorbs jolts from nearly any direction, because of the way the multiple links can flex and support one another, while still keeping the wheel perpendicular to the road for optimum traction.

The overall effect is to provide relatively flat cornering and steady behavior. Other big cars would also “squat” to the rear more on acceleration, or “dive” forward more, on braking.

Run-flat tires are standard. Run-flat tires allow a driver with a flat to keep going at a reduced speed, to reach a safe place to pull off the road, or if they’re lucky enough to have one relatively near, to reach a facility where the tire can be repaired, or more likely, replaced.

Years ago, one of the ways Rolls-Royce cultivated its own mystique was to refuse to quantify the power its engines produced with an official horsepower rating. The answer to the horsepower question was always a vague term, like “more than adequate,” or “ample.”

That quaint practice has been passé for a decade or so. Therefore we know, without having to test it ourselves, that the V12 engine in the Drophead Coupe produces 453 hp and even more torque, a maximum of 531 pound-feet, at only 5,300 rpm — that is, without stepping on the gas real hard. Torque is the twisting power that produces standing-start acceleration.

When you do step on the gas real hard, like to pull onto the high-speed Italian autostrada, you may revert to the old terms: “Wow! It really is ‘ample.’”
(C)Forbes

10 cars worth waiting for

There are new and redesigned cars coming out all the time. But these look so enticing you should consider holding off on other purchases until you've had a chance to check them out.

Working with Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com and Karl Brauer of Edmunds.com, we've selected 10 that might well be worth the wait.

Mid-sized sedan
Chevrolet Malibu
Expected release: Fall 2007
The new Chevrolet Malibu, introduced in January at the Detroit Auto Show, has nothing to do with any Chevrolet Malibu you may have rented in the past. If you're looking at a mid-sized car and you don't have to move now, you'd do well to hang on and check out the Malibu when it becomes available.
This car is bigger, much nicer looking inside and out, and it will drive much better, too. (We know this because we've driven the Saturn Aura, which shares its engineering.)

Outside, the new Malibu looks substantial and attractive. The interior features a sweeping twin-cockpit design inspired by 1950s Corvettes.

General Motors has finally realized that, while people will happily buy boring sedans from Toyota, they will not buy them from GM. So GM has worked hard to improve the quality as well as the emotional appeal of its cars and trucks. The improved designs give you a reason to look and improved quality gives you no reason to turn away.

Available engines will be a 3.6-liter V-6 and a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Optional features will include a panoramic sunroof that stretches over both front and back seats.

Large luxury crossover
Buick Enclave
Expected release: On sale
The Enclave will be the third GM vehicle based on the company's new three-row crossover SUV platform. To GM's credit, though, these three don't look like rebadged versions of the same vehicle.
The Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia are available now. Both are strong performers. The Enclave promises more luxury, nicer amenities and an even quieter ride. Outside, it features sweeping, muscular lines with Buick's trademark fender vents. Inside, the feeling is casual but classy.

It will be powered by a 275-horsepower V6 engine connected to a six-speed automatic transmission.

"I'd suggest that it's a less expensive Audi Q7," said Edmunds.com's Karl Brauer.

Full-sized truck
Toyota Tundra
Expected release: On sale
Toyota's been successful in small trucks for a long time. But big trucks are a different thing altogether. This is traditional American territory.
New entries into this market, especially ones with Japanese names tacked onto their tailgates, face a tough audience. But Toyota comes to market with a truck that, by the numbers, is just as big and tough as anyone's along with a reputation for reliability.

For its part, Toyota boasts engines that include a 260-horsepower V6 and a 271-horsepower V8. The truck's biggest powerplant is a 381-horsepower 5.7-liter aluminum block V8 that comes with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Small luxury SUVs
Land Rover LR2
Expected release: On sale
Land Rover has a deep history building bush-beating safari machines. These days Land Rover is known to most Americans as a suburban black-top crawler, but the ability to tramp off into the deep, dark forest is still key to the brand
That's why the new LR2 will have Terrain Response technology. It allows you to use a single knob to set the SUV for a variety of different conditions. It will also have Gradient Release Control to help drivers manage a steep grade in the unlikely event they encounter one.

The LR2 will be powered by a 230-horsepower, 3.2-liter in-line 6-cylinder engine. It will have a six-speed automatic transmission.

Land Rover's one weak point - but it's a big one - is reliability. Parent company Ford's Lincoln and Mercury brands finished near the top of the most recent J.D. Power vehicle dependability rankings. (Mercury was second only to Lexus.) But Land Rover finished last by a canyon-sized margin.

"People who have them love them," said Jack Nerad of Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, "but you've got to put up with stuff".

Luxury sedan
Cadillac CTS
Expected release: September 2007
The new CTS has rounder lines and a classier look than the current version. It also has a two-inch wider track than the current CTS. It keeps the prominent vertical headlights and LED taillights with the sharp, blade-like center brake light.
The wider track was required because of a new all-wheel-drive option. That wider stance also allowed designers to give the vehicle a more muscular stance with a lower roofline without compromising headroom.

The CTS's front seats are built on a thin shell that, GM says, provides as much comfort and support as thicker seat while allowing more legroom for rear-seat passengers. Among the options will be a panoramic sunroof covering both front and back seats.

Large luxury sedan
Lexus LS600h L
Expected release: On sale
Toyota added a hybrid system to their Lexus LS sedan to give it the power of a V12 while improving fuel economy. The LS600h L will be priced at about $100,000, the same neighborhood as competing BMW and Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans. (BMW and Mercedes do not make hybrid cars, so by "competing" we're talking about high-end luxury cars
The Lexus LS600h gets a bigger engine than the non-hybrid version, as well. The hybrid's electric motor runs along with 5.0-liter V8 engine. Combined, the gasoline engine and electric motor produce a total of about 430 horsepower. The regular, non-hybrid LS has a 4.6-liter V8 that produces a maximum 380 horsepower.

The Lexus LS600h will also have an Advanced Pre-collision System designed to detect other vehicles or pedestrians in the car's path. It uses two small cameras in the front bumper and another that watches the driver's face. If the system detects that the driver is not watching the road for more than a few seconds when a crash seems about to happen, an alarm sounds, seatbelts tighten and the car's steering and brakes are primed for immediate, quick response.

Compact car
Mitsubishi Lancer
Expected release: On sale
The new Lancer's engine will be a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder unit producing up to 152 horsepower. The standard transmission will be a 5-speed manual. A continuously-variable automatic transmission, Mitsubishi's first, will be optional. Cars equipped with the CVT will also have a six-step manual shift mode.
The Lancer's new "shark nosed" look was inspired by jet fighters.

The body is 50 percent more rigid which allows for a sportier suspension tuning while, at the same time, providing for a smoother ride. The engine is also placed farther back in the car to improve balance and handling.

Luxury convertible
BMW 3-series convertible
Expected release: On sale
The body remains the same, but BMW offers, for the first time, a hard convertible top. Hard-top convertibles have become increasingly popular because they offer the top-down fun of a convertible with the quietness and security of a hard roof when the top is up.
The 3-series' three-piece steel top will open or close in about 20 seconds, the company says. When the roof is up, the "Hofmeister kink," a traditional BMW design cue, is still there around the rear side windows.

The car is expected to cost a little over $40,000.

Entry luxury sedan
Mercedes-Benz C-class
Expected release: August 2007
The new C-class follows the recent redesign of the brand's flagship S-class, giving the car a sharper-edged look. It's also slightly larger, inside and out than the current version.
The C-class will have the active suspension system that Mercedes is now calling "Agility Control." It automatically adjusts the suspension to suit the driver's behavior as well as road conditions. A system with driver-selectable settings will be available later in 2007.

As with the current C-class, the new version will be available in Sport and Luxury versions. In addition to different engine and transmission choices, each version will have a different grille. Luxury versions will get the traditional stand-up hood ornament while sport versions will have the three-pointed star in the center of the grill.

The C-class will have an improved COMAND system for entertainment and navigation similar to the one now used in the company's S-class sedans.

Hybrid sedan
Nissan Altima Hybrid
Expected release: On sale
For its first hybrid vehicle, Nissan licensed technology from Toyota. But the new Altima offers buyers interested in a hybrid car an alternative to Toyota's own Camry hybrid or General Motors' Saturn Aura, with its "mild hybrid" system, due out in the Spring of 2007.
The Altima hybrid will be powered by the same 158-horsepower 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine as the base non-hybrid Altima but with assistance from a 40-horsepower electric motor. It will have a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Prices will start at $24,400
(C)CNN

Automakers new rules

Automakers scramble to catch up with changes in consumer behavior. Fortune's Alex Taylor reports how they're dealing with seismic shifts in the business.

In the auto business, where new cars take 36 months or more to move from a designer's inspiration to the dealer showroom, changes can take years to reveal themselves.

At least they used to. These days, seismic events seem to rock the industry on a daily basis. Take the impact of private equity. Now that Cerberus has taken over Chrysler, and financiers are sharpening their pencils for Jaguar and Land Rover, a few far-seeing analysts expect greater innovation and faster decision-making to ripple through the rest of the industry.

Equally big changes are shaping consumer behavior. Recent conversations with import automakers on the West Coast, as well as some surprising announcements by General Motors, suggest that some current business practices are rapidly becoming obsolete. Here are just a few of the new rules.

Toyota is tops. Now everybody pile on.
Long ago, Toyota brand passenger cars passed the Ford and Chevy nameplates to become the number one seller. Now Toyota is poised to become number one in car and truck sales combined. How does "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Toyota" roll off your tongue?

What's the price of leadership? People taking potshots at your backside. As soon as Toyota rolled out customer cash and zero percent financing on its new Tundra pickup, a competitor leaked the news to journalists.

Others tried a subtler approach. GM went public what it called "full-size pickup facts" that seemed carefully selected to portray its Chevy and GMC in the best light. So instead of talking about their sales this year, which have improved only modestly despite the rollout of new models, GM chose to herald big improvements from 2003 to 2007 in "Brand image" (up 17 percent) and from 2004 to 2007 in Average Transaction Price (up $2,600 per unit). That's like a baseball player ignoring his lousy batting average and bragging about his sacrifice bunts.

Automakers are radically reshaping the way they approach advertising.
Marketer Jim Farley, who recently took over as head of Lexus, made his name at the Scion division by eschewing print and television advertising in favor of the Internet and other less traditional methods that he hoped would build stronger relationships with potential consumers.

Now General Motors confesses that it is shifting more of its ad dollars into online advertising too. The reason, according to marketing boss Mark LaNeve, is that the Web is more effective in combating the lagging perceptions that continue to dog GM: poor fuel economy, bad quality and high prices.

LaNeve likes the way that digital ads can direct consumers to thousands of pages of information about products, prices and the competition. He sees an even bigger payoff from the potential of immediacy. Since consumers turn to the Web when they are getting serious about buying a new car, advertising there allows GM to get more involved in the shopping process.

The hybrid revolution gathers speed - and Toyota's Prius is way out front.
While Honda announced that it is discontinuing the gasoline-electric version of the Accord because of slow sales, the Toyota Prius continues to defy gravity. Once considered a novelty, the Prius is selling more strongly now than at any time in its seven-year history. Its volume is running at twice the rate of a year ago and Toyota now expects that Prius will outsell every single domestic passenger car nameplate except for the Chevy Impala.

Why the diverging fortunes? Honda was selling added performance in the Accord hybrid, which didn't resonate with consumers the way that better fuel economy does. Besides, the hybrid Accord looked like every other Accord, meaning consumers couldn't get credit for being "green" when they parked it in front of their homes. The Prius, by comparison, can't be confused with anything else.

Celebrities interfere with car sales
Those with long memories can remember Dinah Shore pitching Chevrolets in the 50s and Ricardo Montalban rhapsodizing about Corinthian leather in the Chrysler Cordoba of the 1970s.

Now GM has decided that Tiger Woods, one of the world's best known athletes - and best paid endorsers - is getting in the way of Buick sales. GM is nudging Woods away from pitching Buicks and getting him to appear in ads for OnStar, its telematic service, instead.

LaNeve says the presence of Woods "detracts from the product message." He adds: "We don't want a celebrity at the core of any brand." He didn't mention whether he blames Woods for the fact that that sales of Buick cars are down 21 percent this year.

I guess that means Paris Hilton won't be inking a deal to endorse Hummers anytime soon.
(C)By Alex Taylor III, Fortune senior editor

TOP-10 Great Vehicles for Road Trips

There's a car or truck suited for road trips of every type. Here we highlight 10 great road-trippers along with tips for optimum driving safety and enjoyment.

Skyrocketing fuel costs, be damned — vacationers are expected to open their maps and take to the road in record numbers in the weeks ahead, though many may scale back their spending in other ways to offset the budget-busting cost of a fill-up.

“High gas prices won’t deter Americans from traveling,” predicts Sandra Hughes, travel vice president for the American Automobile Association (AAA). “Families will travel closer to home, they will travel for fewer days and will save money by staying in less-expensive hotels and eating in cheaper restaurants. But they will continue to take vacations and plan getaways,” she says.


The AAA forecasts that 84 percent of all travelers will reach their destinations by car this summer, which is an increase of about 1.8 percent over 2006. Based on the association’s projections, more than 115 million Americans will hit the highways during the summer's three main holidays, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

Family Vacations: Toyota Sienna

A minivan is without question the ideal family-vacation vehicle. Among the current crop of seven-passenger people movers, we picked the Sienna by virtue of its wide range of available road-trip trappings, including several features its closest competitor, the Honda Odyssey, lacks. We think the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country holds promise, but have yet to test it and so we cannot recommend it here.


The Sienna can be fitted with a full-time all-wheel-drive system and run-flat tires for added safety, along with adaptive cruise control to conveniently maintain a set speed and distance from the traffic ahead. The Sienna also offers iPod audio-system connectivity so you — or the kids — can bring an entire library of tunes along for the ride.






Trip for Two: BMW 650i

Being an empty nester is all about personal indulgence. The kids have grown up and moved on, and it's time to ditch the SUV or minivan for something more expressive and entertaining to drive. The sensuous 650i coupe is ideal for a quick getaway to escape life's tensions and rekindle passions. Its generous size makes it comfortable for long trips.




Exploring the limits of the 650i's 360-hp 4.8-liter engine adds excitement to any trip. An Active Roll Stabilization system ensures optimum comfort over bumps and potholes while cruising in a straight-line, but tightens up the suspension through turns for exhilarating handling. A coddling interior includes supremely comfortable seats and a standard navigation system with real-time traffic information.





College Road Trip: Scion xB

The college years are all about exploration, and what better way to reach a divey roadhouse in search of that undiscovered band than in the 2008 xB? While it retains the prior generation's boxy profile, the eminently affordable and practical xB takes on a more-muscular and menacing appearance. It also has a longer wheelbase and larger wheels and tires for enhanced handling.



The newly redesigned xB includes a more-powerful engine (158 hp) than the outgoing model's that should still prove fuel-efficient. It can be mated to a new four-speed sequential-shift automatic. The xB has many safety features, a roomy interior and a generous assortment of standard equipment, including a premium audio system with full iPod integration.







Camping: Land Rover LR3

If you've never outgrown your desire to play in the dirt, the midsize LR3 can blaze the roughest trails, allow you to commune with nature and still transport you back to civilization with panache. Land Rover's innovative Terrain Response system automatically picks the most appropriate settings for various vehicle systems and traction aids according to five driver-selectable modes.


Not long ago, Land Rovers would've been our last choice for a road trip, as they were terribly uncomfortable on paved roads over long distances. But the LR3 is pleasing even off the trail, and its cavernous interior will swallow lots of gear and still let passengers stretch out. The base LR3 includes a 216-hp V6 engine, while the top versions pack a potent 300-hp V8.






Fuel Economy: Toyota Prius

With the Prius, it could be your bladder and not the gas tank that dictates the frequency of pit stops on your journey. The hybrid gas/electric-powered Prius is frugal enough with fuel to make the 540-mile trip from Chicago to Memphis on a single tank of gas, with enough left over to tour the town.





The Toyota Prius marries a small gasoline engine to an electric motor/generator and a self-charging battery pack to garner an EPA-rated 48 mpg city/45 mpg highway. Its futuristic profile affords a roomy interior for four adults to ride in comfort over a long haul.







Towing: GMC Yukon Denali

While steep fuel prices may have dampened demand for full-size SUVs, they remain purposeful purchases for those who need to tow a boat to the lake or a trailer to a campsite. The Yukon Denali effortlessly serves those needs with a 380-hp 6.2-liter V8 that boasts 417 pound-feet of torque for a top towing capacity of 7,900 pounds.




The Denali version of the Yukon is as plush as its Cadillac Escalade twin, but not as pricey. It's laden with luxury items like leather seating, dual-zone A/C and standard XM satellite radio. Practical luxury features to help the driver include a power liftgate, rain-sensing wipers, remote start and rear parking assist.

Moving the Kids: Lincoln Mark LT

A large and luxurious four-door pickup truck isn't for everyone. But if you're transporting the kids to college and want to do so in high style, the Mark LT is among the best. The new-for-2007 long-wheelbase version includes a class-leading 6.5-foot cargo bed that's large enough to hold a dorm room's worth of Ikea accoutrements.

The Mark LT's cabin is posh, swathed in wood and leather trim. It comfortably seats two parents and up to three future valedictorians. A 300-hp 5.4-liter V8 engine assures strong acceleration, even with a full load of passengers and cargo, while a smooth-riding suspension soaks up pavement imperfections with ease. An ample assortment of upscale amenities belies its working-class roots (it's based on the Ford F-150 pickup).

Tailgating: Honda Element

Perfect for hitting the road to catch three baseball games over the course of a long weekend — in separate cities — the Element was literally designed with tailgating in mind. Offered in front- and all-wheel-drive versions, its boxy shape affords a spacious interior with rear-hinged back doors for easy access.

Limousine-like rear legroom makes a long ride comfortable, though there's only room for four occupants altogether. That's because the backseat is split in the middle and folds to the sides for added cargo space. Accessories include a cabana tent and poles that attach to the rear of the vehicle, a tailgate seat back, and legs for the spare-tire cover to be used as a table. Best of all, if you spill anything, the Element's rubber floors can simply be hosed off.

Convertible: Jaguar XK

This is a competitive category — albeit a small one. We settled on the Jaguar XK Convertible for its unique blend of luxury, style and athleticism. It rides almost as comfortably as a luxury sedan, yet has superb handling for spirited driving thanks to be being light and rigid as well as having a deftly engineered suspension. The XK Convertible's sonorous 300-hp 4.2-liter V8 engine is strong and the six-speed automatic precise.

The XK Convertible's interior is lavish and comfortable for two. It remains calm and quiet even with the top down on the highway, which is essential for long drives. The multilayer fabric top requires only the push of a button to quickly deploy. Once in place, it completely insulates for sound and the elements. The backseat and trunk will accommodate all the luggage a couple will need.

Overall: Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec

The midsize E320 Bluetec is ideal for a party of four on a long journey; a fifth can fit if necessary. Typical of a diesel engine, its 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 is about 30 percent more fuel-efficient than a comparable gasoline engine. Yet it bears none of the vices of past diesels: namely poor acceleration and stinky exhaust smoke. Its 208-hp and 400 pound-feet of torque allow strong acceleration, which can be crucial for highway driving.

The E320 Bluetec offers all of the luxury and comfort Mercedes-Benz is known for with class-leading fuel economy: 23 mpg city/32 mpg highway. That may seem low because the EPA just implemented more-stringent fuel-economy tests that dropped ratings for all vehicles. Compare the E320 to other midsize luxury sedans at www.fueleconomy.gov to see just how efficient it is.
by Jim Gorzelany

Supercharged 2007 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Packs A Powerful Punch

• Ford F-150 supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission delivers 450 horsepower and 500 pounds-feet of torque.


• Ford responds to customer demand bringing F-150 performance concept to market in eight months.


• Ford-Harley co-branding partnership flourishes – with 60,000 pickups sold since 1999.


• DEARBORN, Mich., May 23, 2007 – America's best-selling, most capable full-size pickup now delivers the horsepower to make it one of the most powerful half-ton pickups on the market. The 450 horsepower supercharged Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson™ Super Crew 4x2 hits the road this summer.

Born from tremendous customer reaction to the F-150 performance truck concept that was on display at the November 2006 SEMA show, the supercharged F-150 Harley-Davidson™ packs the extra power punch that Ford truck enthusiasts have been demanding.

"Ford is the truck leader because we pay attention to what our customers want and move quickly to meet their needs," said Ben Poore, Ford Truck group marketing manager. "They told us they wanted a performance equipped truck so we worked with Saleen to bring the supercharged F-150 Harley-Davidson™ to market in rapid fashion."

The supercharged F-150 Harley Davidson™ is available in ebony black or dark amethyst with plenty of gleaming chrome, 22-inch oversized wheels and tires and a custom scalloped stripe that runs along the beltline that creates a glued-to-the-ground appearance. "Harley-Davidson" script runs along the bedside in three-dimensional chrome letters. Blacked-out headlamps and a unique chrome billet grille give it a distinctive, bold front-end.

Among other highlights:

• The SALEEN supercharger option is available through Ford dealers for $6500 MSRP. Base F-150 Harley-Davidson™ pricing starts at $37,210 MSRP including $925 destination and delivery.


• The twin-screw supercharger is the same style as the one in the Shelby GT-500.
  A dual-stage water-to-air intercooler increases the supercharger's efficiency and adds performance by cooling the intake air.


• The volume from the exhaust is cranked up into a sustained growl.


• An available gauge pod with boost (PSI) and air-charge temperature (ACT) gauges monitors the system's performance.

The 2007 F-150 Harley-Davidson™ truck is the ninth model to emerge from a Ford/Harley-Davidson™ partnership that began in 1999. The co-branding of the two storied 104-year-old companies has proven to be a successful formula with total sales of Ford F-Series Harley-Davidsons™ of nearly 60,000 units.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 280,000 employees and more than 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Aston Martin and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.

About Harley-Davidson™
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight street, custom and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel and general merchandise. As a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport motorcycles in addition to motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson/Buell dealers and customers.

Jaguar's new XKR: Brit meets brawn

Columnist Sue Callaway returns to Jaguar - for a sneak peek at a car she helped launch.

From a journalist's perch, it's deliciously easy to critique the auto industry. Even when presented with technological high-water marks, a writer is often measured, according to other car reviewers, by the ability to find flaws.

Although it's important to report problems, that approach misses the big picture: how difficult it is, given everything from legislative restrictions to endless budget cuts, to make a world-class vehicle today.

I got that inside view back in 2000, when I joined Ford. In my first job I headed straight to Britain, where I was director of marketing for Ford's luxury brands - Jaguar-, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Volvo. Now, reality is that the Midlands, the British brands' home base, is even drabber than Detroit, but at least there was history to whiff - and a dedicated group of Brits trying really, really hard to make beautiful, luxurious, emotional automobiles.

I eventually became general manager of Jaguar North America, and the 2008 Jaguar XKR is the last car I worked closely on. It's also the vehicle that must secure Jaguar's future in the short term.

On the business side, Ford just sold Aston Martin for a cash infusion, and with Jaguar bleeding money (the marque has struggled with profitability for the 18 years Ford has owned it), it only makes sense that new CEO Alan Mulally may well consider selling it too.

On the product side, the XK and particularly the high-performance XKR need to attain pinnacle status and distract the world from lesser Jaguars such as the failing entry-level X-Type.

When I left, design director Ian Callum was doing battle on a few key issues. Many executives and dealers wanted a retractable hard top. Callum was willing to fall on his sword for a soft top - and eventually he won. "A hard top would have forced the rear of the car to be a foot wider - there would have been nothing sexy or sporty about that," he says.

Callum also struggled mightily to move the car's lines into the 21st century, which many traditionalists resisted. His biggest challenge: designing around legislated safety restrictions such as the height of the "H-point," where the windshield meets the roofline; and the front overhang and hood height, which are now constrained by pedestrian-protection parameters (I say, look before you cross).

Other debates raged on: Could Jaguar afford an all-aluminum car? Could Jag squeeze enough power out of its 4.2-liter V-8 to remain competitive? Would buyers appreciate the car's E-Type-inspired cues?

Fast-forward four years, and here I am, stepping into a car I knew so well but hadn't seen finished. Experiencing the new XKR in the flesh was a jolt: Callum has done nothing short of put it through a sex change. Where the old XKR was an elegant female - feline, voluptuous - the new XKR is all male. Aggression smolders through the shrink-wrapped body panels; it is the automotive equivalent of a bodybuilder wearing a wet T-shirt. It works. Jaguar's heritage is as a racing and sports car company, so the taut lines are a direct nod to history.

Inside, optional blond wood or aluminum trim feel thoroughly modern. The seats are well bolstered; the carpet is thick. And so is the tire smoke you can create with one good push on the throttle - in most any gear.

What else? Steering-wheel-mounted paddles for shifting (I nearly wept with joy to see that the old J-Gate had finally gone the way of the dinosaur). An excellent and intuitive touchscreen navigation system. Clean, clear gauges. A ride that is invitingly plush yet performance-oriented.

On the road, the XKR's supersmooth supercharger whines into the higher rpms, competing with the throaty exhaust - a symphony of motoring sounds. The car is boldly eager to go fast. But I wish the compromise between luxury and sportiness did not come at the cost of a precise drive-feel. A pure sports car gives you a visceral and direct connection to the road, gearbox, steering, tires, brakes. The XKR is quick but spares you some of that data. If you're a purist, you'll miss it. But most Jaguar buyers will prefer the buttery ride.

There are a few other niggles. I miss the sound the old XK's turn signal made - a very British tick-tock. It had the ring of expensive high heels on a parquet floor. I wish the leather felt more expensive. I wish the gauges still glowed Jaguar-green.

All in all, my former colleagues should be proud. The XKR has moved light-years forward from the last generation. It introduces a fresh design language for the brand. (Critics who think the horizontal bar in the XK's grille looks like a Ford Taurus had better get their history books out - it's pure E-Type; Jag's American owner shamelessly purloined the detail.) It is lighter (yes, all aluminum), stiffer, and quicker than the old car.

Will it fix Jag's ills? No. But it's a hell of a start. Keep 'em coming, Callum. Next, could you please work on a latter-day XJ13?
By Sue Zesiger Callaway, Fortune