© theother press e¢ Opinions

 
 

Munir Amlani
Op Columnist

The Best of the Best on the Road

 
 

August 2003

 

 

Best American car: Cadillac CTS ($40,000 to
$46,000), featured in Matrix Reloaded, has a very
striking appearance, coupled with a very powerful
3.2 litre engine which produces 220 horsepower.
New owners rate this car as very exhilarating and
fun, and seasoned owners, although the car is rela-
tively new, report no major problems or cause for
concern.

 

 

 

Best mini-van ever: yeah right! Hahahal...

Best entry level luxury car: Mercedes-Benz C230
Kompressor Sport Coupe (Starts at $34,450). It’s a
love-it-or-hate-it shape. Those who love it appreci-
ate the gorgeous interior, the 189 horsepower
engine and many other luxury features, including
the 3-pointed star on the front grill. Those who
hate the shape, cannot see past it. I will be doing a
detailed review on this and other entry-level luxury
cars later in the year, so keep reading.

 

 

 

 

Best SUV-truck: Chevrolet Avalanche ($38,000 to
$43,000). It’s not a truck; it’s an SUV-truck. It’s
built on a unitized frame structure, like cars and
SUVs, but it has a flat-bed in the back. The rear
seats drop to allow larger cargo to pass through into
the passenger compartment, like in most sedans.
The ride is much smoother and more refined than
most trucks, yet it’s every bit as mean and rugged
under the skin as it looks on the outside.

 

Best in-between sized class car: Volkswagen Jetta
($24,000 to $38,000). It just looks good! I have no
other convincing, logical reason to justify recom-
mending this car, except that it looks so good! It’s
good in every other way too: it’s not too big and not
too small. It's roomy, reliable, powerful, fuel effi-
cient, and easy to park. But most of all, it looks so

good!

 

 

 

 

Best economy car: Mazda Protégé-5 ($20,000 to
$24,000). Although this car is quite popular, I still
think it’s under-appreciated. It is simply gorgeous,
and meant to appeal to those who appreciate the
utility of an SUV, but not the expense since they
never go off-road. 130 horsepower, 136 Ib-ft of
torque, and very easy on your gas budget, as well as
on your eyes.

Most weirdest looking what-the-heck-just-drove-
by-be vehicle: Honda Element ($24,000 to
$30,000). Look at it. Then we'll talk.

 

 

 

Best car with a built-in vase holder: Volkswagen
New Beetle ($23,000 to $31,000). If they were
jellybeans, I'd eat them. For now, though, I'll just
admire the flowers inside. I mean, how cute can you
get?!

 

 

 

 

Best new car under $16,196: Suzuki Aerio
($16,195 to $23,000) Okay, I agree that it looks
too feminine. And no, I wouldn't be caught dead
behind the wheel of this one. But, guys, I have to
give it credit for the 145 horsepower engine under

the hood.

Best promotional slogan: “Zoom-zoom!” for Mazda

 

 

 

Coolest celebrity in car commercials: Tiger Woods
for Buick Coolest celebrity doing the lamest car
commercials: Wayne Gretzski for Ford.

 

 

 

 

Best compact V6 sport-coupe: Hyundai Tiburon
Tuscani ($20,000 to $27,000). The Tuscani is the
$27,000 top-of-the-line model, but take a closer
look at what you get for it! A 2.7 litre, 170 horse-
power (torque: 181 ft-lb), V6 engine, 6-speed man-
ual transmission, every power and convenience fea-
ture you could dream of, traction control, antilock
brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, power
sunroof, premium audio system, and tons more.
Let me just say: Wow! The Tuscan is available only
in Tuscani Yellow.

Best car that nobody buys: Nissan Maxima
($35,000 to $43,000). Gorgeous, powerful, with
room to spare. In case you missed the last issue of
the Other Press, I wrote a detailed review on this car
as compared to an Infiniti G35. Check it out at
www.otherpress.ca.

 

 

 

 

 

Best used car under $2,000: 1989 Honda Accord or
Honda Prelude or Acura Integra. All three were
made by Honda, and all had similar mechanical
features, but were very different in feel and utility.
After fourteen years, most of them have around
250,000 km on them, but they still run well. Have
your mechanic check the car out before you go out
and buy one, but if you are in the market, consider
these three for sure. (Accord shown)

Best used car that no-one ever heard of, even when
it was brand new: Subaru SVX (1992 originally
$28,000 USD, now $7,000 CDN). I hold this car
in just as high regard as the Acura Legend Coupe,
its direct rival. This car was too ahead of its time for
its own good. It had features such as window-
inside-window, all-wheel-drive, and a bullet-proof
gas tank. It didn’t, however, have the best name.
The world just wasn’t ready for a Luxury Subaru.

 

 

 

Best wolf in sheep’s clothing: 1992 Chevy Cavalier
($5,000). Doesn't look like a very “impressive” car,
but a V6 growls under the soft fur of this sheep’s
hood. An American V6 means medium horsepow-
er, but tons of torque. It comes in a convertible too!

 

 

 

 

Best used car under $10,000: 1992 Acura Legend
Coupe. The sedan is nice, but the coupe wildly pas-
sionate. Sexually confident people rejoice, this car
still gets action after all of these years! Design
specifically for the North American crowd, intend-
ed for males, this car was ahead of its time when it
was new, and still look young today. The V6 is
powerful, the transmission is smooth and precise.
What more could you ask for in a $10,000 car?

 

 

 

The best car, period. Lexus LS-430 ($85,000). At
that price, I consider this car a bargain. There is
nothing ordinary about this car. Everything, from
its retractable hard-top to its lustrous wood interior
and neo-classic design, is of monumental luxury.
This car will be featured in a detailed article in an
upcoming issue, so keep reading the Other Press.

 

 

 

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