Motorweek; 2706

What's in a name. Well Ford is about to find out because the Taurus is back. We'll take this more powerful family friendly bull by the horns next on the motor. Hi I'm Pat Goss E-85 goes this time on Goss's garage. Hi I'm Dave dorso And this week we ride pure Italian excitement. And try for a serious speed in the first lady's business plan series. So come drive with us. Motorway TV's original automotive magazine. Brought to you by cars dotcom. Let's say you are looking for a car. Cars dotcom can help research locate even contact the dealer. Cars dotcom find the right car for you. Some guys like to relax in a leather recliner but to others. There's nothing better than cardboard on concrete

Valvoline 100 years on it. And by Dunlop tires the search for true performance is part of our heritage. Dunlop is proud to present the Dunlop drivers Cup where amateurs from around the world compete head to head in the on and off road competitions. Information at Dunlop tires. Dotcom. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. If there's one thing American car buyers understand it's brand loyalty they appreciate has stick to it attitude when it comes to diehard nameplates. So it didn't bode well in consumer's eyes when Ford let its Taurus Sudan languish and surrendered to the competition by recognizing its era. Ford has now resurrected the bull with a bigger stronger charge but will former fans forgive and welcome this bull back into the rain. It looks like a marriage made in Motown a slow selling yet well-executed

car the Ford 500 rechristened with a well-regarded name. The result is the 2008 Ford Taurus but reviving this once top selling car line requires more than just a transfer of bad. This new book benefits for both significant engineering changes and a strong family car qualities that we already admired in the 500. Naturally a new name or a new old name deserves a new face. So the new Taurus Where's today's signature Ford three bar grill as well as a deeper front facia with larger air intakes and new fog lamps a new hood with sharp accent lines draws the eye across a tall arrow Greenhaus to a revamped rear end with new tail lights and chrome exhaust Tibs wheel sizes are 17 inches for the FCL and 18 inches for the limited. The new styling surrounds the same solid Volvo architecture as the 500. It's been beefed up to improve crash protection even more with standard front side impact and head curtain airbags Plus available electronic stability control.

The new Taurus has top safety ratings the charas also gets a needed power boost. The 500 is lethargic 203 horsepower 3 liter V-6 has been in large to 3.5 leaders with variable intake valve timing. The latest twin can protect V-6 delivers a much healthier 263 horsepower a 30 percent increase at 249 pound feet of torque. The engine is shared with a Ford Edge crossover as is the new six speed automatic transmission. The Optional all wheel drive in our test car also carries over from the 500 but the continuously variable transmission that equipt all wheel drive five hundreds is gone. But even with a larger engine and a geared tranny the Taurus has slightly better government fuel economy ratings 18 city 28 highway for front drive and 17 city 24 highway 4 are all wheel drive tester. We manage 20 and mixed driving on regular energy impact scores are fifty point six barrels of oil per year for the front driver

and 18 barrels for all wheel drive. Even with the extra weight of all wheel drive are Tarrasch charge to 60 and point five seconds the quarter mile ended in 16 seconds at 90 miles per hour while really no quicker than its predecessor on the clock. It feels much stronger with more pulled down low and a smoother power delivery overall. The six speed gearbox is sharp with ratios that make good use of the engines output their drive train improvements are most evident on the highway. We're pushing the pedal to pass does not produce a harsh high RPM buzz of last year and does get you out into traffic quicker. Right. Quality is also improved with less chatter over big bumps and lower noise levels in the cabin. Handling is not what this platform is designed for. But the Taurus does quite well by large car standards all wheel drive standard electronic traction control give tours better than average grip. Our only real objection is in the performance of the standard

ABS equipped brakes a 130 foot average from 60 to zero is on the cusp of what we think is long. The tires do slide in the tail grows very light thanks to a choppy anti-lock pulsing and abrupt rear to front weight transfer. On the accommodation side the Torahs 500 platform has always been known for a roommate Errey cabin for 0 8 it still offers class leading space but with more available features it's also quite handsome. Though the nice woodgrain trim in our car could use a slightly tighter available electronics now includes CD audio with an iPod Jack Sirius Satellite Radio vord sync voice activated communications a DVD video system and satellite navigation. The front seats are wide and comfortable and the very versatile folding passenger seat returns while the rear offers more than ample space for three full sized adults and a 60 40 split seat back. Trunk space is also impressive and

class largest at twenty one point two cubic feet. However Ford has kept the pricing of their new ball fairly compact. Taurus starts out at twenty three thousand nine hundred ninety five dollars for the front drive FCL and tops out at twenty nine thousand four hundred forty five dollars for the loaded Ltd the Mercury Sable similarly transformed Montego is priced a few hundred bucks higher. By adding a respected name plate to an already strong design. Ford is not only revive the Taurus brand for 2008 but a far better car. While the new Taurus may never again be America's best selling car. It gives family buyers a fresh and choice that stands tall and apart from its rivals. And that's no bull. Coming out to wheel in the Italian style. Time now for our regular pitstop at Goss's garage where Pat fuel's us up on the latest car care advice.

As drivers we all have to do our part to help reduce emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. And one way to do that of course is with flex fuel vehicles but for some of you who are trying to do your part you're being taken. There are people out there that are selling kits especially on the Internet that say these kits will convert your non flex fuel vehicle into a flex fuel vehicle and they'll do it very economically. Well don't believe it. Our friends at General Motors have supplied us with the things that are different on a flex fuel vehicle and they are on a non flex fuel. All right. Beginning right at the beginning where you put the fuel in all of this stuff is different. The hoses are different the wiring connections are different there's a flame arrestor in there there's an anti-siphon valve for all kinds of things that have to be changed to make this system work. But it gets worse. The fuel pump. This

capsule assembly the fuel gauge. All of these things inside the tank are different so you have to change that. Even the tank itself if it happens to be steel and product called Turn metal you're going to have problems if you use E-85 then under the hood of the car while the fuel rail itself that distributes the fuel to the fuel injectors it has to be stainless steel. The injectors have to be changed. They have to be bigger and they have to be made of a different material than the computer that controls the injectors. That has to be different has to be able to operate and control things relative to gasoline or E-85. Well how does it know. Well it knows by this fuel identifier that has to be installed in the system. It tells the computer which program to use based on the fuel that's moving through it. So oh wait a minute if you think that's all.

Ah lots more coming up. See. Buried way deep in the engine clear down in here. Ralph's in an exhaust valves and valve seats we see valves here we see valve seats and see them in the cylinder head. They are different. They're made of a metal that doesn't a road when you use ethanol. So you're looking at a major operation right there the cylinder heads have to be replaced. Now all of this makes it absolutely impractical to convert a non flex fuel vehicle into a flex fuel vehicle. Save your money drive more gently and you will be doing your part. And if you have a question or comment right to me the address is Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland. 2 1 1 1 7. Anyone who knows today's motorcycle's knows how specialized they have become can easily recognize each time.

For instance the aerodynamic bodywork the low handlebars the high seat instantly tell you that this is a modern sportbike but Dave is about to show us that some motorcycle designers refuse to ride the same old road and bring us modern machines that change the rules even as they break them. Ducati is a company that has always followed its own path and in the process has built some of the most amazing sport bikes in motorcycling history. But this new hyper Mozart is something completely different and takes the sport bike in a whole new direction. After all the hyper motored eleven hundred are hyper motored 11 how did s test bike hardly look like sport bikes what they look like as their name implies are super Mozart's super motor racing is a fast growing form of motorcycle competition that takes place on tracks that are part pavement and park dirt.

Most super supermoto cars are modified dirt bikes with four to five hundred CC single cylinder engines making 50 60 horsepower but that's not enough. If you want a truly hyper motor so Ducati gave it a real sport bike engine a 1078 CC air cooled fuel injected V-twin that makes 90 horsepower and 76 pound feet of torque. And that's before you add our test bikes. Optional Terman Yoani performance exhaust and upgraded engine control unit. Also following Ducati sportbike tradition is a rigid steel trellis frame with an aluminum single sided swing arm. But our models are fully adjustable 50 millimeter mariachi forks with six point five inches of travel are pure competition grade dirt bike as is the fully adjustable Hollonds rear shock with almost 6 inches of travel. Everything turned sport bike again with lightweight 17 inch Sparkasse many wheels and sticky Z-R rated street tires and huge radial mount dual disc front brakes borrowed from

Ducati 10 98 superbike. It's a crazy mix but it's a blast to ride. Like most recent Ducati V-twins the engine is very refined and low rends but hit 4000 rpm and it feels like there's a lot going on here. This twin revs as fast fastest some 4 cylinders so you have to be quick with a sharp six speed gearbox. Hit the corners in those high wide handlebars give you plenty of leverage. But the Ducati is dirt bike tall so you still need lots of body English for quick direction changes. The hyper motor is capable of lean angles that will quickly have the foot pegs scraping pavement and sticks to the riders chosen line like glue. But give it a touch too much throttle out of a corner and it will shake its head like a dirt bike. To remind you that you've reached the limit. Nothing speed on the other hand is drama free thanks to the front brakes monstrous power and precise feel. Out on the street. The long travel suspension soaks up pavement and potholes. The conventional sport bikes and not the upright riding position wide thickly

padded seat are all day comfortable but the fuel tank only holds 3.3 gallons. So plan for a long day on the road with regular stops for gas and speeding tickets because you won't see the police or much else in the blurry view of these folding bar and mirrors that are mounted on dirt bike style vanguards with integrated turn signals. The hyper modes are can be added to your motorcycle stable for eleven thousand nine hundred ninety five dollars for the base eleven hundred and fourteen thousand four hundred ninety five dollars for the eleven hundred and. The Ducati hyper Mozart is as exciting and entertaining as a motorcycle can get. It may not be a sport bike in the conventional sense but do conventional sport bikes can provide such a novel motorcycling experience. Or take the modern sport bike in such a unique and interesting direction. That Let's see what Jessica choccy has in store and this week's motor news. New technology is the lifeblood of the auto industry. So whether it's a save time lives or fuel technology is the core of vehicle

evolution but leave it to Volvo and BMW to equip their cars with new technology that is also socially responsible. Volvo's innovative Alko Guard uses the principle of fuel cell technology to help reduce the number of accidents on the road caused by drunk driving. Drivers simply must blow into the small wireless handheld unit before the car can be started. The guard then analyzes the driver's breath measures blood alcohol level and then transmits the results to the car's electronic control system. The unit also displays the results of the breathalyzer as one of three Ltds. If the blood alcohol level is 0.1 or below a green light appears and the car's engine will start signaling the driver is OK to proceed. If the level reaches up to zero point to a yellow light will indicate that the driver should refrain from driving that the engine will still start at this point. And finally if the driver's blood alcohol level exceeds zero point to the red LDV indicate that the driver is unsafe to drive and the engine will not start.

More detailed data regarding the test as shown in the car's information display and results are stored for 30 minutes after the car's engine has shut off. And since the legal limits for measuring blood alcohol vary among markets local guard settings can be adjusted to meet specific standards. This isn't the first time Valvo has explored this type of technology for the past two years a similar system was available through an outside supplier. Volvo will now make their life saving technology an available option on the Volvo as 80 70 and X-C 70 from the start of 2008 with hopes to expand it to the company's smaller models by next summer. Currently Sweden remains the biggest market for the social and safety technology but Volvo will offer the same system throughout Europe and the U.S.. And though the commercial car segment will probably dominate sales. They are easy to use devices available to private car owners as well. Volvo expects to sell 2000 units per year. Also making news in the tech sector is BMW.

Among the first car companies to fully integrate the iPod into their vehicles BMW is now the first to allow iPhone users the same convenience just announced. BMW will expand the iPhone support to all of its U.S. and European lineup. The new technology will be offered in all minis. BMW 1 3 5 and 6 series vehicles as well as the X5 utility. Apple's iPhone connects to the audio system of the vehicle via a cable adapter and is based on a Bluetooth interface allowing drivers more control over both audio and telephone functions. And though this new piece of technology is certainly a matter of convenience for gadget savvy consumers it's hands free capabilities to promote safer driving. And that's it for this week's Motor News. It's been a while since we had a long term road test update on our seven passenger 2007 Sedona minivan. Our Sedona has been recovering from a near miss with a bolt of light. The key protected everyone inside but

not all of its own insides as the power train electronics took a beating but it tells us all is now shipshape. So our Sedona is back on the road. After eight months and nearly 13000 miles. The only other problem was a broken rear wiper blades. Mileage is nineteen point nine miles per hour on regular gas and continues to climb. The Sedona is three point eight leader 250 horsepower V-6 continues to impress as well with ample smooth power for passing and all but the heaviest loads. Our staff loves the long distance comfort folding front console for a walk through convenience and overall versatility. We have four months to go with our key and our only hope is that lightning strike twice. No lightning but we've had lots of experience with warning lights on our BMW X5 sports activity vehicle combined with the I-Drive navigation display screen. When something is amiss our 2007 BMW X5 4.8 you die get your attention

fast. One day it was a tire with a slow leak. The next being low on hydraulic fluid. Fortunately after five months and ten thousand seven hundred miles the only real mechanical problem was in the rear view camera and our X5 saw a lot of roads both paved and unpaved during the summer vacation season all with a level of comfort and performance that only a BMW can deliver the 350 horsepower V-8 never left us wanting for power but a fifteen point five mpg of premium. We would like better economy. Still this is one people mover that can really get you out of harm's way in a hurry. Two more people movers. Big Chevrolet Suburban and a tiny Suzuki Essex. On the next motorway. Long term road test update over the last few years Mercedes-Benz has expanded AMG Luber performance to virtually every passenger vehicle they make without loss of exclusivity

along with a flood of rivals have left their best heeled customers watching for performance truly rare. Now their response is this. OK 2:54 AMG block series but as ferocious as it may appear when I live up to its image or is it just black magic. How often does a car as unique and exciting as a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-L case 63 AMG black series come along as close to a pure racing machine as a street legal car can get this radical rear drive AMG coupe hits the road with super performance icons like Forces T-3 firmly in its crosshairs. Making its global debut as the 2007 New York Auto Show. The black series is modeled after the official safety car of Formula One racing with a little German Touring Car Championship for flavor and marks the 40th anniversary of AMG Tunie fired

up by a race car style Start button is the first engine designed completely by AMG. The six point two leader naturally aspirated V8 Knights five hundred horsepower and an asphalt grinding four hundred sixty five pound feet of torque built almost entirely from high strength silicone aluminum alloy. Shares no parts with other bends V8 power plant screams through a full length twin exhaust and it's managed by a seven speed automatic transmission but both manual and sport driving programs and steering wheel mounted shift pedals. Power is laid down by extra light for 19 inch wheels wearing sixty thirty tires up front and wider to 85 thirty's in the rear. These will rocket some whack series to 60 and only 4.1 seconds and allow a tiny hammer out load 12 second quarter mile runs. They keep a tight hold on the tiller because the rear tires easily light up under full power. And one power is a massive rush of torque from

launched a red line with a thrilling race car roar from the quad exhaust outlets. The seven speed box snap shortly through each shift and both manual and auto modes with the precise ratios making full use of the engines huge output. But it's candling that puts the real shine on this three pointed star car. The fully adjustable competition suspension is unique to the Black Series and can be tuned for everything from ride height to Camber until when. Furthermore the wider track chassis is stiffened by additional bracing in the truck and engine bay while electronic assistance comes from traction and stability controls. Tune for the track. All of which gives the black series a balance but edgy feel turn into our lightning quick direction changes have the snap of a real race car. So you have to keep your control inputs to stay steady on the wheel and throttle however and it absolutely rockets through corners. And to clamp down on any reckless abandon of black series's armed with enormous

cross drilled composite breaks with six piston calipers still stops every 130 feet from 60 but with superb stability no fade and zero nosedive. It may be track worthy but the black series delivers the refined street manners and solid responsive right up bare bones competition car cannot. The outer body is sculpted in bold dynamic AMG lines up front is a large carbon fiber air dam and dual side heat vents muscular will Flair's Grant brawn to the wickedly sleek profile and the equally imposing tail is punctuated with a body hugging carbon fiber spoiler an aerodynamic diffuser inside. The theme is to see performance car the leather aluminum and carbon fiber trimmed cockpit is both purely racy and definitely luxurious. The dash features a high tech gauge cluster and a compact flat bottom steering wheel that underscores the cars

competition heritage the super deep sports seats are wrapped in fine Napa leather and branded with the AMG logo. You'll also find the expected Mercedes-Benz premium features like deluxe audio and navigation but you won't find a back seat. It's been deleted to limit weight and a limited production run will yield only 350 black series cars for the U.S. with a near exotic car level one hundred thirty five thousand seven hundred seventy five dollar price tag. The 2008 Mercedes Benz C-L case 63 AMG black series is close to the ultimate in no holds barred race style excitement but a grand. All this bravado while still maintaining impressive street ability of the economy that perhaps only AMG can truly achieve it's not black magic it's black series of truly rare designation that says this super is absolutely the real deal.

Well I hope you'll join us next week for more motorway. We we'll test the delicious new Infinity G 37. Good. And Volkswagen's second take on their toerag utility. I'm John Davis. We'll see you then. To learn more about motorway TV's original automotive magazine. Visit PBS dot org. To order a DVD or VHS copy of this program call 1 800 8 7 3 6 1 5 4. Motorway has been brought to you by cars dotcom. Let's say you are looking for a car. Cars dotcom can help research locate even contact a dealer. Dotcom. Find the right car for you. My idea of the symphony a Pistons playing that to my wife tells to. 100 years.

And by Dunlop tires the search for true performance is part of our heritage. Dunlop is proud to present the Dunlop drivers Cup where amateurs from around the world compete head to head and on and off road competitions. Information at Dunlop tires. Dotcom. This program was produced by American Public Television which is solely responsible for its content. On PBS.