Annette Dutton

2008 Dodge Challenger - It’s obvious why Chrysler would want to go back to the ’60s and early ’70s - an era when Honda was just a motorcycle maker to most Americans and almost everyone bought American cars. But - automotively, at least - you don’t want to go back. Trust me, I was there.( Annette Dutton articles)

Annette Dutton Bratcher
Annette Dutton The V-6 is strong enough for most situations, particularly if you drive solo, but it loses some steam on the highway. Last year’s 4.7-liter V-8 delivered appreciably more off-the-line grunt. This year’s version has been tweaked to raise output from 235 hp to 305 hp, and the improvement is noticeable.

The horsepower rating on the 2.5-liter 4 is down slightly from 173 for 2008, but the engine was tweaked for more low-end torque and a quicker shot of energy when stepping on the pedal.

Annette Dutton
Fuel economy is rated at 20 m.p.g. city/26 m.p.g. highway without the turbo and 19/24 with.

2008 Jeep Commander - you’re thinking about buying an old-school SUV like the Jeep Commander, I can only hope you’ve vetted the alternatives � crossovers, minivans, wagons � and discounted criteria like gas mileage and space efficiency. Your priorities should include romping about the backwoods and towing 7,000-plus pounds to Grandma’s house.

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Place of assembly: Brampton, Ontario, Canada

But the backside of the SX4 does nothing for me. The dimpled bumper adds some depth, but there’s just a low-loading trunk and lots of space inside (15 cubic feet). I will admit it took me few minutes to figure out how to open the cargo area — I can’t remember the last time I used the car’s ignition key to unlock and open the trunk.

Annette Bratcher Nashville
Annette Bratcher Murfreesboro => Climbing out of the driver’s seat is more of a chore than it should be; in order to swing your left leg out to reach the ground, you have to clear a wide rocker panel that without fail rubs against your pants, even when you’re trying to avoid it. This has always been a problem with the X5, especially in dusty regions and on road-salt-covered winter roads.

It would be nice if the next upgrade had a little less growl and a little more power without need for a turbo that has a thirst for the high-priced stuff. Shedding a few pounds would help, too.( Annette Bratcher Murfreesboro)

Annette Bratcher
The 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport is the first vehicle of any sort to be priced below $16,000 and have a standard navigation system. A week-long test of the system showed it worked just as well as many new fangled systems that cost more than 10 percent of the Suzuki’s full price tag. My test vehicle topped out at $16,585.

This sedan maneuvers smartly through narrow, curvy roads and follows the driver’s lead without much fuss. However, when a curve is especially tight and speed is relatively high, the Fusion does start to lose its confident sure-footedness. When the road gets bumpy, the sedan can transmit quite a few jolts to occupants, but overall the ride quality is one of the Fusion’s strongest attributes. The brakes behave well in demanding driving and are easy to modulate.

About Annette Dutton Bratcher
As is usually the case with luxury cars, even the base engine � a 3.5-liter gasoline V-6 � is plenty powerful, capable of 0-60 times of just 6.5 seconds, according to Mercedes. As the table illustrates, the diesel has less horsepower than the V-6 gas engine but more torque than the V-8 gas engine. Torque is important, and nowhere is that clearer than in the Bluetec’s 0-60 time, which is a mere tenth of a second slower than the E350 gas version.

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