LUXURIOUS TWEAKS HELP CARMAKERS REV INTEREST : TEST DRIVE.Byline: Jeffrey J. Taras The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Based on the wide range of new vehicles and the excitement that some of them have generated, it could be a great year for shoppers. The upper end of the market is particularly robust, with a number of refined and refurbished models. Today, we look at some of the brightest spots in the luxury line ($30,000 and up): AUDI AUDI [not an acronym] Latin form of a German auto manufacturer's founder's name, meaning 'listen' AUDI Amiga Audio in AUDI Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt A8 Type of vehicle: Full-size luxury sedan. Price range: $58,000 to $62,000. After falling to the depths in the American market, Audi has staged an impressive comeback, with sales up 44 percent in 1995 and 60 percent so far this year - in a stagnant luxury-car market. Having benefited from the strong reception for its A4 compact, Volkswagen's premium division now hopes to steal attention from the Mercedes S-Class and BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. 7-Series. The A8 is the first production car to wear an aluminum skin on an aluminum-alloy skeleton, making the frame 40 percent lighter than a comparable steel unit body. The V8-powered car is quite rigid and responsive, too, with low levels of noise, vibration and harshness. Features like Quattro all-wheel drive and side air bags - front and rear - further set the A8 apart. CADILLAC CATERA The Cadillac Catera was a mid-sized automobile that was largely a rebadged version of the Opel Omega MV6 made in Rüsselsheim, Germany. It was marketed in North America and other markets worldwide as an entry-level Cadillac. Type of vehicle: Midsize luxury sedan. Price: $30,000 to $34,000. In the early 1980s, Cadillac promoted its Cimarron compact with the slogan, ``a new kind of Cadillac for a new kind of Cadillac owner.'' Although the Cimarron was a huge disappointment (buyers saw right through the thin disguise of a Chevy Cavalier), Cadillac has high hopes that it can yet win over baby boomers See generation X. with the Catera. Aimed at import owners, and especially women, the Catera is based on the Opel Omega
The Opel Omega was an executive car produced by the German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2003. Replacing the Opel Rekord, it was voted European Car of the Year for 1987. MX6 sport sedan from General Motors' German subsidiary. The Catera is priced to compete with the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 328i, Mercedes C280 and Lexus ES The Lexus ES series is a family of mid-size luxury sedans produced by the Lexus division of Toyota since 1989. Now in its fifth generation, the series has been consistently built on the Toyota Camry platform with a V6 engine, automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive. 300. It's heavier than most of its rivals, though, so its performance - it comes with a three-liter V(CT) - seems restrained in comparison. JAGUAR XK8 Type of vehicle: Luxury coupe/convertible. Price range: $65,400 to $75,000. Few recent cars have incited the kind of lust that Jaguar's new coupe and convertible are attracting. The company's first new sports car in 21 years exudes sex appeal, but it also serves as a link to great vintage Jaguar's like the E-type. Beneath the XK8's curvaceous cur·va·ceous adj. Having the curves of a full or voluptuous figure. cur·va  ceous·ly adv. skin beats the athletic heart ath·let·ic heartn. Enlargement of the heart observed in some athletes. of a V8 (the first-ever designed by Jaguar), a five-speed automatic transmission (despite the sports car image, no manual transmission is offered) and independent front and rear suspensions that allow taut, athletic handling without jostling the passengers. VOLVO C70 Type of vehicle: Midsize coupe. Price range: $38,000. Not since 1972, when the last P1800 coupe was sold in the United States, has a Volvo landed from Sweden so trim, so stylish. Designed to enhance the company's image, this 1998 model, to go on sale in late spring, promises to combine Volvo's reputation of safety with performance, style and room for four. A convertible is also in the works. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Jaguar makes its debut into the V8 market with its sporty new XK8, which is priced between $65,400 and $75,000. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion