Tag: VehicleVoice

Cadillac DTS owners have rated the ’08 DTS at the top of the Large Luxury Car Segment for the second year in a row. Cadillac knows its Large Sedan customers very well — many are second-, third- and fourth-time buyers. The Reputation of the Cadillac brand and of the DTS attracted customers to the car. Ride and Braking in particular are strong points among owners. The DTS is on-target for Cadillac’s most mature buyers.

Not only did Cadillac as a brand rank No. 1 over all, the new and much-talked-about 2008 Cadillac CTS won the ’08 Vehicle Satisfaction Award in the Aspirational Luxury Car Segment. Owners bought the CTS because it is new, bold and from a espected brand. They praised its aggressive Styling and Fun to Drive dynamics. Owners would like better Cup Holders in the CTS, but there was no denying it has proved itself the segment winner.

When the Mercedes-Benz S-Class beat out tough competitors such as the Lexus LS, Acura RL and Cadillac STS, owners made it clear that they wouldn’t be satisfied with anything else. The S-Class was bought on its Reputation and the Mercedes-Benz’s Brand Reputation. It received high marks from owners in several areas, including Braking, Handling, and Fun to Drive. Even though owners would like better Fuel Economy/Gas Mileage in this large, powerful car, they were very satisfied with its Size and Driver’s Seat Comfort.

If you’ve read our review of the 2008 Smart ForTwo here, you’ll know that we like its chic design, spacious interior (but only for two), and its point and squirt ability in urban environs. And you’ll also know there was plenty we didn’t like about the Smart, including its limited usefulness (only two seats and tiny cargo area), lack of power, and perhaps most seriously, its frustrating and dim-witted transmission.
As good fortune would have it, we were able to arrange for a brief drive of the Mitsubish i, an interesting extension of the basic Smart idea. The tiny Mitsubishi actually does share some DNA with the Smart. Its platform is related to the Smart’s, as is its 3-cylinder engine (but reduced in displacement to – get this – 0.7 liters in order to meet Japanese Kei-class parameters). That means it’s rear-engined and rear-wheel-drive, just like the Smart.

AutoPacific's annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards have been announced. These awards are chosen directly by vehicle owners, with no input from the researchers.

After years of reasonable success in Europe, the Smart ForTwo is finally here in the US. At least on the surface of things, the ForTwo’s arrival couldn’t be better timed. After all, in this era of $4 per gallon (and likely rising) gasoline, a fashion-forward and fuel-efficient commuter makes all the sense in the world.

Smart’s entry to the US market is a venture by Roger Penske, auto dealer extraordinaire. Though Smart is a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, the three-pointed star’s US distributor isn’t directly involved (at least not yet) in the Smart brand’s arrival in the US, though some US Mercedes-Benz dealerships have added Smart showroom areas to their dealerships. Penske knows a thing or two about smart (no pun intended) business decisions, and he obviously saw a place in the market for this chic and efficient little runabout.
So what is the ForTwo? [...]

SUVs are the most satisfying vehicles in AutoPacific's 2008 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

We’re Not Taking a Road Trip, Are You?
Like most of the country, we’re off on Memorial Day. Like many others, most of our vehiclevoice.com contributors will be staying close to home. With the national average at $3.87 on Friday afternoon, AAA tells us that the gas prices are causing about a 1% decline in the number of people traveling by car for the holiday. CNN even made up a new word to describe it: stay-cations. I, for one, hope that silly bit doesn’t take hold in our collective slang.

Memorial day travels…during less expensive times
AAA says the last time there was a decline in Memorial Day travel plans was in 2002, after 9/11, and this bucks a trend of increased travel. At that point, there was also some concern over fuel prices, the economy, and our future, though most [...]

Garmin is providing an integrated navigation system for the new 2009 Suzuki SX4 as standard equipment. The program marks the first time in America that a vehicle under $16,000 will include GPS navigation as a standard feature.

New lighting technology winding its way through the luxury segment; expensive, but long-lasting and really cool for design.