SURVEY NAMES TOP CARS.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Daily News Staff Writer When it comes to making the perfect car, foreign manufacturers came closer to the mark this year than their domestic counterparts, concludes a study to be released today. Audi captured the top spot followed by two models each from Lexus and Mercedes-Benz in the Automobile Club of Southern California's annual target car report. Points are based on how well a model performs during tests by the club's engineering staff of what members say are a car's 12 most important features. ``These particular cars are the ones that meet the criteria that more people said they wanted in a car, and these manufacturers are coming closer to the mark for what we would call the ideal car,'' spokesman Jeffrey Spring said. Those include braking, ride quality, visibility for passengers, crashworthiness Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact. This is commonly tested when investigating the safety of vehicles. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved, different criteria are used to determine the , handling, luggage carrying capability, fuel economy and acceleration. The 1998 Audi A4 Avant Quattro finished first with 69.9 points. The car, which cost $36,830, impressed testers with its handling, all-wheel drive traction and safety features. But they also found the rear seat to be small and the radio and cruise control See adaptive cruise control. buttons awkward to use. Rounding out the top five were the Lexus GS The Lexus GS is a series of mid-size luxury sports sedans / executive cars sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. The first GS, based on the platform and running gear of the Toyota Crown, was introduced in 1991 in Japan and two years later in the United States, Europe and 400, priced at $48,161; the Mercedes-Benz E320 station wagon, priced at $54,150; the Lexus LS The Lexus LS is a full-size luxury sedan that serves as the flagship of Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. Since Lexus' 1989 debut, four generations of the V8-powered, rear-wheel drive Lexus LS have been produced. 400, priced at $55,022; and the Mercedes-Benz CLK CLK Clock CLK Clerk CLK CDC2-Like Kinase CLK Corel RAVE (file extension) CLK Chep Lap Kok (Hong Kong airport) CLK Ceska Lekarska Komora (Chech) 320 priced at $45,310. The top-scoring truck, with 76.8 points, was the Dodge Ram
The Ram is a full-size pickup truck from Chrysler LLC's Dodge brand. The name was first used in 1981 on the redesigned Ram and Power Ram, though it came from the hood ornament used on 1500 4x4 Quad Cab SLT SLT Salut (French) SLT Sri Lanka Telecom SLT Senior Leadership Team SLT Something Like That SLT Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty SLT South Lake Tahoe (California) SLT Single Line Telephone , which cost $31,565. The car with the lowest cost per point was the Suzuki Esteem GL, with 54.2 points and a $12,929 price tag. About 4 million California residents belong to the Auto Club. The report will be available next week for $7.50 a copy. Ken McEldowney, executive director of San Francisco-based Consumer Action, said such studies have a positive impact. ``Consumers, with their spending decisions, can affect the marketplace and reward the companies producing the cars that are closest to the target,'' he said, adding such reports can also pressure makers of underperformers to improve. |
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