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Things
we can truly count on sometimes can seem fewer than the fingers
on one hand. Our neighbor's help when we need support from
a friend. A guaranteed airplane seat when we finally have
a boarding pass in hand. In the halo extension of everyday
comfort zones, we simply must recall one stalwart partner
as we journey on down the road. What could be more dependable
than our mainstay sedan.
In
keeping with the trust issue, we can't imagine a more reliant
traveling companion than Subaru's fully redesigned Legacy
2.5i sedan. It's a road gobbling tourer with the guts to
venture beyond where sensibility tells us we should go (off
to work in the middle of a snowstorm), and the confidence
to depend on it to get us back safely to square one. A tad
longer than previous generations, it adds to its road-hugging,
all-wheel-drive authority with a stiffer, high strength
unitized body structure, more aluminum for less weight,
and advanced assembly techniques that blend it into a whole.
A
revised 2.5 liter 4-banger, pours out 168 horsepower, in
familiar sidewise "boxer" configuration (think
of sparring partners jabbing their fists at each other).
Its sporty, low-forward appearance, sitting solidly on 17-inch
alloy wheels -- go-anywhere attitude clearly evident --
gives new meaning to the term wedgy. Make that wedgy with
an edge.
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Chrysler
300 C
There's not a hint of modesty in Chrysler's "Great
American car" designation for its new 300C sedan.
Actually, we can't blame them. With buyers practically
standing in line as these new, classically-inspired
autos come down off the delivery trucks, it's obvious
there's a lot of rear-drive performance heritage behind
the interest as well. And Chrysler delivers. A powerful-looking,
trendy appearance is the heart of this neo classic.
A reborn and perfected legendary Hemi engine of a
half-century ago, is the soul.
Honda
Accord Hybrid
"Hybrid" might sound like the aftermath
of celestial alien abductions. But in automotive terms,
it's the mating of out-of-this-world technology advancements
that delivers a dual-personality vehicle with electric
motor drive and gasoline engine power. With the best
of both systems, Honda's hybrid-powered Accord sedan
delivers the stingy 30/37 mileage of a four-cylinder
Civic compact with the performance of a gutsy 240-hp
V-6. A key to its success? Electric motor assist when
more power is needed, cylinder deactivation when it
can lope along at speed.
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