AutoWeek articles from July 2002

AutoWeek archives from July 2002

ROAD TEST DATA.
July 1, 2002... STANDING-START ACCELERATION 0-30 mph: 2.49 sec 0-40 mph: 3.89 sec 0-50 mph: 5.49 sec 0-60 mph: 7.32 sec 0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 7.77 sec 0-80 mph: 12.74 sec 0-quarter-mile: 88.4 mph, 15.72 sec ROLLING...

PRICING.
July 1, 2002... Base: $17,995 As tested: $17,995 IntelliChoice target price: $16,870 Rebates: None Destination charge: $490 What owners paid; average:$17,995 to $20,533; $19,062 Options as tested: None Other major options:...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2002... Thrill ride follow-up Eleven years ago, when I completed graduate school and started my first real job, I quit reading articles about Lamborghinis and Ferraris because I realized that, barring the purchase of a winning lottery ticket, I...

Subaru Impreza WRX.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 1, 2002... There are two routes I can take to get home in the evening,'' writes one staffer. ``Both are equally expedient, but one has more turns. That's the way I go when I'm driving the WRX.'' Our third quarter in the Super Sube saw us seeking out...

America's Best - Part 1 of 2.(favorite automobiles)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... America's Best Sports Sedan BMW M5 Built: Dingolfing, Germany engine: 5.0-liter V8, 394 hp, 368 lb-ft drivetrain: rwd, six-speed manual weight: 4024 lbs price: $70,545 2001 U.S. sales: 2358 The M5 remains the benchmark for sports...

FACTS.
July 1, 2002... MANUFACTURER'S DATA Ford Motor Co. The American Road Dearborn MI 48121 Customer assistance: (800) 392-3673 Internet address: www.ford.com Country of origin: Mexico Number of dealers: 600 (est. SVT dealers) ...

Put Accord in oven. Bake. Serve.(new Honda Accord design)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Honda is doing its best to keep news about its next Accord under wraps, but the tightest net couldn't prevent snooping spy shooters from catching the seventh-generation car's sharp new image. Due on the market this fall immediately after...

America's Best; AutoWeek readers name the star cars.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... What are the best cars sold in America? We've asked AutoWeek subscribers that question every year since 1989, and published the results in the issue nearest the Fourth of July by way of celebrating the automobile's place in this freedom-loving...

FORD SVT FOCUS.
July 1, 2002... LIKES * Handling * Flexible power * Exhaust note * Brakes DISLIKES * Recalls * Sluggish throttle

GZ-20 Goodyear Blimp; It's full of hot air, but everyone loves Goodyear's advertising gimmick.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Mercedes-Benz has the Maybach Zeppelin. Cadillac grooves to Led Zeppelin. Even Mick and the Stones have a yellow blimp. Airships may be suddenly in vogue, but not at Goodyear. Goodyear's Southern California airship base in Carson will be...

S7th Heaven; But can heaven wait any longer for a Saleen S7 street car?(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 1, 2002... * Yes, it's a great supercar, how could you expect anything else from the very same chassis, heck, almost the very same car that won the 2001 ALMS GTS championship and a host of other real race titles? No, it's not as smooth, supple and...

Bargain Beauty; SVT Focus is one of the best cars out there-at any price.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 1, 2002... If you test drive just one car this year, make it the Ford SVT Focus. Drive it on the freeway, around the block and through an autocross course, if you can. Accelerate hard, brake harder. Take off-ramps at double the posted ``suggested''...

Life with Cars.(racing Karts (Midget cars))(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... He says ``later, later,'' but my senses say ``no.'' He's waving his arms, pointing at a spot on the ground, gesturing at me then pointing at the spot again. I can't do it. Finally, he gives up and walks away. Then he's back, carrying...

The Race Report.(2002 NASCAR Winston Cup winner Ricky Rudd)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... NASCAR Winston Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350K Round 16 of 36 Sonoma, California It was one weird day in the wine country. One by one they stepped up to take their shots at winning the Dodge/Save Mart 350K at Sears Point, but no one...

Television July 5-7.(auto racing schedule)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Friday, July 5 Formula One practice from Silverstone, England, 7 a.m., Speed Channel (L) CART qualifying from Toronto, 2 p.m., Speed Channel (L) NASCAR Winston Cup qualifying from Daytona, Fla., 3:30 p.m., Speed Channel (SD) ...

America's Best - Part 2 of 2.(automobile ratings)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... America's Best People Mover Honda Odyssey built: Alliston, Ontario engine: 3.5-liter V6, 240 hp, 242 lb-ft drivetrain: fwd, five-speed automatic weight: 4299 lbs price: $24,710 2001 U.S. sales: 131,041 This category combined...

Future.(industry events)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Sept. 1 Italian Concours d'Elegance Seattle This 11th annual show at Pier 62/63 features over 100 cars, motorcycles, scooters and karts. Call (206) 623-2119 or visit www.italianconcours.com for details. Sept. 6-8 U.S....

Fast Poll.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Click away. Web-savvy petrol junkies recommend their favorite sites You've got to go to www.beaterz.com because it showcases the weird, wacky and downright distasteful things people do to their cars. It is wickedly sarcastic, particularly...

Third Quarter.(car maintenance)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Miles driven: 7168 * Fuel mileage: 22.96 mpg * Maintenance: 15,000-mile service ($205.80)

...But Wait, There's More.(auto industry briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Heroes Revisited Bill, rest in peace We were saddened to read of the passing of Bill Blass, the designer who gave autodom-and brand marketing-so much on such grand scale. To quote the Lincoln Continental Mark V sales brochure, it was...

Results: Sears Point.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Sears Point 2.0-mile road course June 23 1. Ricky Rudd, Ford, 110 laps at 81.007 mph avg. speed; 2. Tony Stewart, Pontiac, 110; 3. Terry Labonte, Chevrolet, 110; 4. Kurt Busch, Ford, 110; 5. Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 110; 6. Elliott...

On the muscle ; It's what comes after Viper that drives new Chrysler performance group.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Overshadowed by the sprawling DaimlerChrysler headquarters complex in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the one-story building housing the Chrysler Group's Performance Vehicle Operations doesn't look like much. But it is here, where treadbare Neon...

A year after its creation, GM Performance Division gathering momentum.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Mark Reuss' group (AW, Aug. 6, 2001), now officially known as the GM Performance Division, is on the move-upward. General Motors' new performance group is gathering momentum inside the corporation and picking up several hot performance car and...

Competition.(car racing)
July 1, 2002... Dyson dominates the Glen * The Dyson Racing Team dominated the Rolex Sports Car Series' 6 Hours of the Glen. The team's pair of Ford-powered Riley & Scotts started the race on the front row and led the entire 187-lap event, giving the team...

Late Racing News.(car racing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... IRL gets Pro Series going * We can officially now say the Indy Racing League has its Infiniti Pro Series up and running after a handful of teams tested cars June 20 at Michigan International Speedway, June 22 at Gateway International...

Chevrolet TrailBlazer LTZ.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 1, 2002... We want to like our long-term TrailBlazer. We do. Six months and nearly 20K on its odometer and still it's as cushy and cruise-worthy as day one. A tad floaty at low speeds, wobbly when it's really windy, but quiet and stable above 45 mph....

Second Quarter.
July 1, 2002... * Miles driven: 7843 * Fuel mileage: 17.24 mpg * Maintenance: Oil and filter change ($21.65); oil and filter change ($25.55); replace headlight bulb ($14.22); replace driver door weather strip, driver-side mirror and torque converter...

Have Helmet, Will Travel; From Le Mans to NASCAR, Ron Fellows will drive it.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... We live in an age of specialization. If you're good at one thing, goes modern thinking, you're probably not so good at anything else. Nowhere is that more true than in motorsports: The days when real race drivers were expected to be able to...

Results: Nurburgring.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Nurburgring 3.196-mile road course June 23 1. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 60 laps at 121.006 mph avg. speed; 2. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 60; 3. Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren-Mercedes, 60; 4. Ralf Schumacher, Williams-BMW, 60; 5....

News.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
July 1, 2002... VW R32 for U.S.? Officially, Volkswagen is saying it won't bring its hot new Golf R32 to these shores. But that doesn't explain why VW chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder deliberately made sure American automotive journalists got a chance to...

Car Board.(sport-utility vehicles)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 1, 2002... ``In Freedom we're born and in Freedom we'll live. Our purses are ready... Not as slaves, but as Freemen our money we'll give.'' In 1768, the writer of The Liberty Song protested taxes. Today, we sing freedom of the purse. * Jeep LIBERTY...

The News; July 1, 2002.
July 1, 2002... Arriving ``fashionably late'' can be smart-it gives you a chance to size up earlier arrivals from a safe vantage before making an entrance. Maybe that's what General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are up to with their newfound corporate support of...

VIEWS AND REVIEWS.(car owners' opinions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... OWNERS AFTER 10 MONTHS AND 25,000 MILES IN A Focus ZX3, I know firsthand Ford has built an amazing road car. I have total confidence in the SVT engineering team to make the car even better. Remarkable! This is a true sports car under the...

Competition This Week; July 1, 2002.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Ferrari's Austrian shenanigans (AW, May 20)-making Rubens Barrichello slow so his teammate could take the win-throws open to debate the Nurburgring Formula One results. Barrichello won over Michael Schumacher in Germany, but was it because...

Letters.
July 8, 2002... Celebrating the convertible Regarding your June 24 article celebrating convertibles, truer words could not have been written about the Miata's pure driving experience. I bought mine in '91 for $12,500 and drove it until '99, when I totaled...

Baby Bimmer.(BMW's CS1 concept to be marketed at 5-door hatchback)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... When BMW showed its CS1 concept in Geneva in March (AW, March 18), the automotive world immediately recognized it for what it really was: the 1 Series prototype. Though the concept was a convertible, the real deal will come to market in 2004...

Truckin' good times.(trucks from GMC, Buick and Chevrolet)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)(Statistical Data Included)
July 8, 2002... Chevrolet returns to its Super Sport roots, with a truck. Buick finally gets a V8, in a truck. GMC gets an open top-you guessed it-in a truck. We're starting to see a pattern here, and we're not sure we like it-no matter what automakers...

Late Racing News.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Switching engines? * Niki Lauda, the CEO of Ford's Premier Performance Division, confirmed discussions had taken place with Eddie Jordan's F1 team about a 2003 extension of Ford-owned Cosworth's engine supply program. It appears Jordan...

Television July 12-14.(auto racing)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Friday, July 12 Two Guys Garage, 12:30 a.m., Speed Channel (T) RPM 2Night, 1 a.m., ESPN2 (T) Totally NASCAR, 1 a.m., Fox Sports Net (T) Totally NASCAR, 6 a.m., Fox Sports Net (T) MotorWeek, 7 a.m., Speed Channel (T) ...

1939 DeSoto "Hayes" Coupe; Welcome to the club.(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... The rumble seat was pretty much passe by the late 1930s; rear-seat passengers wanted to ride indoors. Automobile manufacturers accommodated the changing tastes by lengthening the passenger compartments of their two- and three-passenger coupes...

Future.(auto racing calendar)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Sept. 9-14 Colorado Grand Vail, Colo. This 14th annual rally for pre-1961 sports and racing cars covers more than 1000 miles of road. Call (970) 926-7810 for more information or visit www.coloradogrand.org. Sept. 13-22 ...

Fast Poll.(Letter to the Editor)
July 8, 2002... Readers to GM: Keep Caddy on track GM should continue to race at Le Mans and expand the program to include all of the ALMS. Cadillac is engaged in one of the most aggressive re-branding exercises in its history... Not too many years ago...

Z-licious; We finally get seat time in Nissan's 350Z-and it makes us want more.(automobile)(Evaluation)
July 8, 2002... The three-year tease by Nissan is over. Since the company first hinted it might build a new Z car, we've been anticipating our first turn at the wheel much like Cinderella eyed the ball. Our pulse quickened with each new design study, and when...

Car Board.(cars and trucks under development)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Sure, you've heard of the Fourth of July. But what about the Fourth's lesser hailed sibling, the Eighth of July? Here are some equally obscure siblings. * Mitsubishi GALANT GTZ Price: $24,712 Engine: 3.0-liter V6, 195 hp, 205...

Offside Undo.(computers in cars)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... ``Touch that dial and lose fingers at your elbow!'' Okay, probably not something social services cares to hear directed at my kid, but how else is he to learn the visceral pleasure of an engine's snarl? Perhaps it's because my boys...

...But Wait, There's More.
July 8, 2002... Press Release We Never Quite Finished When Soccer Moms meet Deliverance ``Napier Enterprises is proud to introduce the latest addition to our camping accessories family, the Sportz SUV*MINIVAN Tent. The Sportz SUV*MINIVAN Tent... wraps...

News.(auto industry)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... `Enzo' it is It's official: Ferrari will name its coming $450,000 exoticar ``Enzo,'' in honor of the company's founder. Known alternately as FX, F60 (in keeping with the F40 and F50 progression) and F140 at its recent Tokyo showing (AW,...

The News; July 8, 2002.
July 8, 2002... What in the wide, wide world of sports are vehicle designers up to now? First, Ford runs off to London and throws up a six-story design house in Soho (Headliner, page 4), then GMC creates a power-sliding rear truck roof (page 9), and then BMW...

The Race Report.(auto racing)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Gil de Ferran was standing in the infield after Saturday night's dominating Indy Racing League run at Richmond International Raceway when a sound blared over the loudspeakers. It was the replay of the radio man's frantic call of the last two...

Staying Put?; Sam Hornish Jr. will stay in the IRL, but maybe not for long.(Indy Racing League champion may sign NASCAR contract)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... No one is saying Sam Hornish Jr. is the next Tony Stewart, although he's on Stewart's path. Hornish, an Indy Racing League champion like Stewart, is expected to sign a NASCAR contract sometime this month. Details have not yet been finalized,...

Competition This Week; July 8, 2002.(auto racing)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... If off-track news has been a little quiet lately, on-track activity has been hectic. The Pikes Peak Hill Climb ran for the 80th time and-you guessed it-Rod Millen's mountain record remains intact. The IRL contingent ran under the lights at...

Results: Chicago Motor Speedway.(automobile race)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Chicago Motor Speedway 1.029-mile oval June 30 1. Cristiano da Matta, Lola-Toyota, 250 laps at 121.524 mph avg. speed; 2. Bruno Junqueira, Lola-Toyota, 250; 3. Dario Franchitti, Lola-Honda, 250; 4. Toranosuke Takagi,...

Results: Mid-Ohio.(automobile race)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Mid-Ohio 2.258-mile road course June 30 1. Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro, Audi R8, 111 laps at 90.956 mph avg. speed; 2. Rinaldo Capello/Tom Kristensen, Audi R8, 111; 3. Jan Magnussen/David Brabham, Panoz LMP01, 111; 4. Bryan...

CART Struggles to Stay in Chicago; But so far, the options are limited.(Chicago Motor Speedway)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Of all the stops on the CART schedule, Chicago Motor Speedway must be the most unloved. A one-mile paper-clip oval, slow and awkward, the facility is crammed into an unattractive horse-racing track in Cicero, a gritty industrial suburb miles...

Competition.(auto racing)
July 8, 2002... Bernstein closes the gap * With the riverboat gambling casinos on the Mississippi River only a few miles away, the sixth NHRA Sears Craftsman Nationals at Gateway International Raceway just outside St. Louis would have cost any high-roller...

Audi Again; Despite hiccups, Le Mans winners keep rolling.(American Le Mans Series weekend)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Perhaps the biggest surprise during the American Le Mans Series weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was the normally infallible Audi factory team stumbled. Less surprising was the result: Another 1-2 for the Joest-prepared R8s with drivers...

Results: Richmond International Speedway.(auto racing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 8, 2002... Richmond International Raceway 0.750-mile oval June 29 1. Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Chevrolet, 250 laps at 154.077 avg. speed; 2. Gil de Ferran, Dallara-Chevrolet, 250; 3. Felipe Giaffone, G Force-Chevrolet, 250; 4. Tomas...

No Fire, Many Sparks; Pikes Peak Hill Climb soldiers on.(2002 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb)
July 8, 2002... This year, it was the fires. With 10 wildfires burning across the state of Colorado, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was again engulfed in controversy. Last year, the death of driver Chandler Bruning during qualifying cast a shadow over...

Escape Roads.(Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary, other news)(Brief Article)
July 8, 2002... Hog heaven * Harley-Davidson will see its 100th anniversary in 2003, but that doesn't mean it can't start celebrating this summer (a la Corvette). The party kicks off July 19-21 in Atlanta, the first stop of what The Motor Company is...

News.(BMW Z4; Chrysler PT Turbo)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Z4 rumblings BMW is confirming reports (AW, May 27) that the Z4 will replace its U.S.-built Z3. Z4 debuts at the Paris motor show in September and goes on sale stateside shortly thereafter. As its new name suggests, BMW's 3...

The News; July 15, 2002.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Are Wall Street brokers buying Maybach futures-or at least putting money down to get in line for a car-after Mercedes brought one to New York via the QE2 (Headliner, page 6)? Or are they busy estimating how much that public relations splash...

Luxury liner; Maybach 62 spares no extravagance in Wall Street debut.(Mercedes-Benz markets new car)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... It's real. We've seen it move under its own power, caressed its soft Nappa leather with our fingertips, explored its massaging, ventilated rear bucket seats that recline like first-class airliner easy chairs. The Maybach 62 made its world...

Television July 19-21.(automobile racing calendar)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Friday, July 19 Two Guys Garage, 12:30 a.m., Speed Channel (T) RPM 2Night, 1 a.m., ESPN2 (T) Totally NASCAR, 1 a.m., Fox Sports Net (T) Car Crazy, 1 a.m., Speed Channel (T) USAR Hooters Pro Cup from Jefferson, Ga., 1:30...

Results: Kansas Speedway.(automobile race)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... 1.5-mile tri-oval July 7 1. Airton Dare, Dallara-Chevrolet, 200 laps at 178.527 mph avg. speed; 2. Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Chevrolet, 200; 3. Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevrolet, 200; 4. Felipe Giaffone, G Force-Chevrolet, 200; 5....

Results: Silverstone.(automobile race)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... 3.194-mile road course July 7 1. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 60 laps at 125.298 mph avg. speed; 2. Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 60; 3. Juan Montoya, Williams-BMW, 60; 4. Jacques Villeneuve, BAR-Honda, 59; 5. Olivier Panis, BAR-Honda,...

Late Racing News.(team management news)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Grosfeld out * Investor James Grosfeld's resignation from CART's board of directors has prompted more speculation about CART's ownership and management structure. Grosfeld quit the week before the Toronto race, as CART stock was selling...

Competition.(auto racing results)
July 15, 2002... George sticks with Helio * Well, Helio Castroneves' 2002 Indianapolis 500 win is finally official, at least in the eyes of Indy Racing League president Tony George. He ruled the Team Penske driver, by all the evidence in Team Green's...

...But Wait, There's More.(auto racing)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Not a member of the 'Over the Hill Gang' Ramana Lagemann, one of the Subaru Rally Team USA drivers, spun while practicing for the recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, coming perilously close to tumbling 1000 feet down the...

Future.(upcoming automobile shows)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Sept. 14-15 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance Malvern, Penn. Cadillac and Aston Martin will be honored this year, with benefits going to the Leukemia Society of America and the Willistown Conservation Trust. For details, call (215)...

A8 update.(changes to Audi A8)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... By this time next year, Audi's 2004 flagship A8 will be appearing on our nation's highways, sporting more power, a sixth gear and a one-piece aluminum spaceframe. Due to debut at the Paris motor show this fall, the next A8's 4.2-liter V8...

Letters.
July 15, 2002... We're the melting pot Here it is, July 1, and I just get my new issue of AutoWeek adorned with an American flag motif. ``America's Best,'' it shouts. A quick spin of the pages showed me a full 70 percent of the cars in your feature were...

VIEWS AND REVIEWS.(Porsche GT2)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... OWNERS I own a lot of cars and, frankly, the GT2 is a race car for the streets. It's not built to run on a wet street in Chicago, but I love it. Very responsive. It's got the old problem of oversteer and you better not make any mistakes in...

Meet the New Boss; Porsche GT2 rules the drag strip.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 15, 2002... It's the fastest thing we've ever tested. The quickest, too. The Porsche GT2 eclipsed our previous 0-to-60-mph record, set by the 911 Turbo at 3.94 seconds, with a blistering 3.67-second run to 60 mph. It flew through the quarter-mile in...

Results: Daytona International Speedway.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... 2.5-mile oval July 6 1. Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 160 laps at 135.952 mph avg. speed; 2. Rusty Wallace, Ford, 160; 3. Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 160; 4. Jimmy Spencer, Dodge, 160; 5. Mark Martin, Ford, 160; 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.,...

Competition This Week; July 15, 2002.(race results)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Tons of racing action this weekend; unfortunately, most of it was pretty predictable. Unless you're a Ferrari fan or a Michael Schumacher fan, Formula One is becoming really, really dull. Yes, Schumacher won again. The CART race in Toronto...

Jack's Year; Midway through the Cup season, Jack Roush is lucky to be alive and his cars are on the comeback trail.(NASCAR personality)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... The unmistakable fingerprints of Jack Roush are all over the first half of this NASCAR season. That's in marked contrast to the 2001 midpoint, when Roush Racing was mediocre at best. And just think, the man overseeing the comeback should be...

Quick Changes; About the only thing you can count on in CART is that it will be different tomorrow.(Championship Auto Racing Teams)
July 15, 2002... As midseason approaches, Christopher Pook and his new administration sit firmly entrenched at Championship Auto Racing Teams. But CART remains CART, and the most loyal fan realizes this race series' future is anything but assured. Pook...

Pretty Predictable; Team Penske is making it look easy.(Indy Racing League)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... Last year, in what was then a peaceful moment in the Indy Racing League paddock, race team owner Tom Kelley issued a warning to any competitor listening. ``Be careful what you wish for.'' Kelley was talking that day about the league-shaking...

1984 Renault Fuego Turbo; Renault's ``halo'' car.(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
July 15, 2002... The Renault Fuego is one of those cars that we've just about forgotten, yet when we see one the words ``oh yeah...'' tumble out in a flicker of recognition. That's not surprising since Renault cast the car as the sexy flagship of its early...

Heading Off-Road; VW hopes Touareg takes this German automaker to places it's never been before.
July 15, 2002... ``Different is good'' has been Volkswagen's unofficial mission statement for decades. From the company that built and sold millions of Beetles for most of a half century, who's to argue? But being different doesn't always mean going in an...

FACTS.
July 15, 2002... MANUFACTURER'S DATA Porsche Cars North America 980 Hammond Drive Suite 1000 Atlanta GA 30328 Customer assistance: (800) 545-8039 Internet address: www.porsche.com Country of origin: Germany Number of dealers: 195...

PRICING.
July 15, 2002... Base: $180,665 As tested: $183,380 (includes $2,600 gas-guzzler tax) IntelliChoice target price: $180,665 Rebates: None Destination charge: $765 What owners paid; average:$180,665 to $185,000; $182,832 Options as...

ROAD TEST DATA.
July 15, 2002... STANDING-START ACCELERATION 0-30 mph: 1.42 sec 0-40 mph: 2.30 sec 0-50 mph: 2.95 sec 0-60 mph: 3.67 sec 0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 3.85 sec 0-80 mph: 5.97 sec 0-quarter-mile: 118.5 mph, 12.01 sec ROLLING...

Fast Poll.(worst cars)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2002... We gave you America's Best. You gave us the dumbest The dumbest car is the new Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (I own one ). All show, no go. Poor quality, slow, will not turn, floats like a butterfly, stings like a mosquito. Trip Ferguson,...