Luxe Summer Rides

June 1st, 2018

By Don Armstrong

Cadillac CT6

Cadillac CT6
Meet the new flagship from Cadillac, the CT6 Sedan. Despite is lackluster name, the car is a masterpiece in the luxury market.

Its exterior design is both modern and conservative with vertical lighting fore and aft. Minimal chrome bits adorn vent openings up front while quad, chrome tipped exhaust tips flank the lower rear valance. A high beltline pays tribute to Cadillac’s enormous era.

The interior is purely Cadillac, American luxury can’t get any better. A slight rise in the upper leather dash covering marks its digital instrument cluster below. The centrally located touch screen is wide, easy to use and understand. A finger-touch pad control can be found just ahead of the shifter on the center console. Seating surfaces are top notch leather, firm yet comfortable with adjustments for every body type.

A highlight of the CT6 is its semi-autonomous driving feature called SuperCruise that allows you to let the car drive itself when highway conditions permit. For this reporter, it was a strange feeling releasing the wheel and letting the car do its thing. It worked amazingly well.

Power options include a 4-cylinder or one of two V-6 engines.

Pricing starts at an astonishingly low $54,490.

Audi S5

Audi S5
If you’re a lone commuter, perhaps a German Coupe would be a good fit. May we suggest the Audi S5?

Conservative exterior styling is the key note for the S5. Personally, we like the sleeper look this car exudes with its relatively straight lines, big, open-mouth grille and run-of-the-mill taillights. The quad exhaust tips can be a slight tipoff that something may be lurking under the hood.

The 3.0-liter V-6 delivers 354-horsepower to its full-time all-wheel drive system through an 8-speed automatic transmission. We thought it was a V-8 at first. Yes, its 369 lb.-ft. of torque hits you that hard.

The interior brings a lot to the table. Like the exterior, design is conservative – nothing swoopy here. But, the S5 has the latest techno-stuff to keep you as occupied as you want to be. Seating is comfortable but legroom for adults in the back could be an issue on long trips.

Like the Cadillac CT6, the S5 has a similar semi-autonomous driving feature available but engagement is accomplished a little differently than the American way.

There at two trim levels, the Premium Plus and Prestige, with pricing beginning at $54,600.

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Beauty and the Beast

May 1st, 2018

By Don Armstrong

Each year, we get to drive dozens of new vehicles. However, it isn’t often we get excited enough to boast about a couple of all-new rides. This month we drive two, SUV’s that we think you’ll get excited about too after your test drives.

The 2018 Buick Enclave Avenir tows a boat Wednesday, July 19, 2017 in Milford, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for Buick)

Buick Enclave Avenir
Used to be, Buick was a “near” luxury brand. No longer. The completely redesigned Enclave Avenir can now be considered full-on luxury and a “Beauty” to behold.

We recently drove the “Avenir,” an all-new trim name for top-of-the-line features that now place this Buick in direct competition with Lexus and Infiniti.

The Avenir includes an exclusive three-dimensional mesh grille paired with chrome wings inspired by Buick concept cars, as well as 20-inch wheels. Five premium exterior colors are available along with a Chestnut interior with Ebony piping on the seats and contrasting stitching. Avenir floor-mats; a wood-accented steering wheel and Avenir-scripted sill plates are just a few items you’ll want to point out to your now jealous next-door neighbors.
A smooth 3.6L V-6 engine delivers 310-horsepower to 2 or all-wheels. An imperceptible nine-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models.

A premium suspension system with continuously variable real-time damping is also available.

Starting price for the Enclave is $40,970. Add several thousand dollars for models sporting the Avenir emblem.

BMW X3 M40i
The venerable X3 has become one of BMW’s most popular models with seating for 5 and a mastery of ride quality and handling. The all-new M40i adds the “Beast” factor to an already capable factory do-all.

When we say “all-new” we mean from the ground up, but you’d be hard pressed to see any noticeable deviations from the outgoing model. Side-by-side though, the ’18 model is larger than the old, which translates into more interior room.

We love inline 6-cylinder engines and BMW makes one of the best. Add TwinPower turbocharging to its 3.0-liters and you’ll have 355-horses that get to a full gallop faster that you can say, “giddyap.”

Its 8-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission with Launch Control is a delight in either full-automatic mode or paddle-shifted intervention. The full-time all-wheel drive system is the only one available, as it should be.

BMW is typically at the cutting edge of in-car connectivity but in the X3, Apple Car Play is in, and Android Auto is out.

The X3 M40i starts at $64,045.

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Different Shapes of Family Haulers

January 1st, 2018

By Don Armstrong

Whether you’re on a budget, or have a preferential shape or style, every manufacturer offers a variety of vehicles with hopes of winning your approval. This month, we look at the two most popular styles in the Bay Area, a minivan and a crossover.

Lexus NX 200 T
Known for quality workmanship and service that has set the new benchmark, Lexus offers a compact SUV that is perhaps the most stylized of all, the NX 200 T.

From its oversized, spindle-shaped grille and scalloped sides to edgy lighting fore and aft, the NX turns heads wherever it goes.

The outside-the-box design continues on the interior with its unique approach to controlling the infotainment system. The screen is set too far back on the dash for the driver to facilitate finger-touch control so a joystick-like pad is placed atop the center console, forward of the shifter, to move the invisible cursor with your finger. A slight vibration on your finger tip and a highlighted option on the screen’s menu indicates where you are. A press of the pad will select the desired function.

Cargo space behind the second-row seats is smaller than its competitors but you’ll have to decide its importance.

Our 200 T version of the NX includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that produces 235 horsepower.

Starts at $35,285.

Honda Odyssey
Will you ever use your SUV for true off-roading? Our guess is, probably not. So, why buy something that you’ll only use some of its capability? The minivan remains the ultimate people hauler and Honda has an all-new version of its reliable Odyssey.

Now in its fifth iteration, the Honda Odyssey is a solid contender in the minivan class. Its attractive, conservative shape will appeal to everyone. The hallmark of the minivan, of course, is its sliding, second-row passenger doors. And, yes, the popular, on-board vacuum system returns

New this year is a second row of seats that slide fore and aft, making it easier to get back to the third row of fold-in-the-floor seating. Honda also has a rear cabin camera system that allows mom to monitor the goings-on behind her without having to stop the vehicle and referee the misbehavior.

Thank you, Honda, for keeping the 3.5-liter V-6 engine that is now married to a nine or ten-speed automatic transmission. Plenty of horsepower for luggage, 6-kids and mom and dad.

Start planning the summer vacation starting at $30,965.

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