Thursday,Mar 26 2009, 12:38:55 PMWillow Laboratories

But the Mustang isn’t just a straight line machine. Sure, it still has a solid rear axle, a gratifying 5-speed manual tranny and that visceral, neck-jerking kick when you floor it at 4,000 rpms - which lifts the front end like a boat under full throttle - but the suspension improvements have actually made the stock GT respectably adept in the twisties. With the stock, Mustang-specific 18? Pirelli P-Zero Nero all-season tires, turn-in is accurate with a classic hint of understeer, which can easily be remedied to slight oversteer by throttle adjustment. There is some noticeable body roll, but overall, out-of-the-box handling is impressive, and it wouldn’t take much tweaking to make the new Mustang a track star.

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We prefer the A4 1.8T Avant to the A6 Avant because it's a better value. We also prefer its dimensions, but hey, we might change our tune if we were driving kids around more often. Both of Audi's new wagons are a welcome addition to the A4 2.8 Avant that was introduced last year. By bringing out these new models, Audi has soundly pegged the wagon market, offering useful, competent vehicles that are stylish (yes, we think that the A6 looks better as a wagon) and fun-to- drive. Heck, you may even want to call them sporty.

The term "luxury" has undergone a drastic metamorphosis over the last decade with regard to the automobile. Items like air conditioning, electric windows, cruise control, remote keyless entry and even a power-sliding sunroof have become practically standard features on all but the most inexpensive, bare-bones models. For example, Honda's Civic (arguably the benchmark of basic transportation) comes with all of the above features, as well as a power driver's seat and CD player, for less than $16,000. With vehicles like these offering such a powerful combination of luxury and value, true luxury carmakers have been forced to reexamine, redesign and repackage their own models in an effort to capture buyers with cars costing over twice as much as the value-packed Civic.

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willow laboratories news: What hasn’t changed on the 2010 model are the underpinnings of the Mustang. The chassis is nearly the same, with some tweaks in the suspension to reduce body roll and stiffen the ride for a more firm yet not uncomfortable road feel. The 4.6 liter V8 powerplant is the same one found in the 2009 Bullit model, albeit with a new cold air induction system which, according to Ford, boosts pony power from 300 to 315 and torque to 325 lb ft. These numbers are good for very respectable acceleration stats - 5 second flat 0-60 and 13.6 seconds at 104 mph.
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Fortunately for these companies, a large chunk of Americans don't want to drive a compact car, even a nicely loaded one. These buyers have achieved a certain level of success in their lives and a small sedan, while perfectly capable and eminently practical, doesn't make the sort of statement that successful, upwardly mobile Americans want to make. However, these people haven't yet reached CEO status and aren't ready for that S-Class-7-Series-XJR test drive. It's this rapidly growing "near-luxury" segment that automakers hope to capture with their $30,000-$40,000 sedans.

Just as the market segment is growing, so is the number of offerings targeted at this demographic. Our parameters for this comparison test specified sedans priced in the $27,500-$40,000 range when equipped with a six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. After reaching a dead-end when trying to get a Catera from Cadillac, deciding the Oldsmobile Aurora was too dated, and having no chance to obtain the as-yet-unreleased Lincoln LS, we were left with eight combatants. Each of these models is a relatively new design, so none had the disadvantage of using an archaic platform or obsolete technology.

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willow laboratories: After driving the 2009 A4 Avant more or less back to back with the A4 sedan, we found — surprise! — virtually no difference in the way they turned and stopped. The less forward-biased weight distribution that has made the new A4 sedan more responsive to the steering wheel also pays off in this wagon form, allowing for a nice, flat cornering attitude and easy, predictable rotation in tight 2nd-gear corners.

You'll definitely want to check the option box for Audi Drive Select with Audi dynamic steering, which allows you to alter certain drive characteristics including throttle action, transmission calibration and steering response. With this setup, you can dial in aggressive settings for each and take the A4 driving experience into a whole new realm, which all but makes you forget that you're driving a wagon.

This system also incorporates active countersteering and optimized stability control settings, which together add a real measure of safety while upping the threshold of intervention by the stability control — a win-win if there ever was one.

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The austere Bauhaus-inspired lines of the former A4 remain, but tauter surfacing and edgy detailing give the new car a fresh, new appeal. The 2009 Audi A4 also looks expensive, with taut shut lines and neat details like LED running lights. The seriously sexy S-Line styling package adds optional 19-inch wheels, different new bumpers, a more aggressive-looking grille and a unique range of colors.Nowhere is Audi's effort to match the German luxury-car competition more clearly evident than in the A4's shift in size. At 185.2 inches in length and 71.9 inches in width, it has become larger and more respectable by 4.6 inches and 2.2 inches, respectively. Its overall height of 56.1 inches is fractionally lower than before by 0.2 inch.

The eighth-generation Audi A4 also rides on a wheelbase that has increased 6.6 inches in length to 110.6 inches, just 1.5 inches shorter than the wheelbase of the larger and more expensive A6 (itself due to be revised extensively next year).While the previous model eventually blossomed into a car of true desirability for keen drivers, this new one manages to up the ante again with newfound levels of response, body control and fluency. Audi Drive Select, which allows the driver to choose between comfort and sport modes, makes a big contribution here.