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I now sing over weeks 2009 drivers Choice Awards our picks for the best cars trucks and utilities of the year. Well out of all the drivers Troy sweaters Next done we have Goss testing shocks and struts this time on cost of 100 years of cars 100 years of driving. I'm Stephen Tomic and this week we take you inside America on wheels. All this and our best car of the year. So buckle up and come drive with us now. Motor Week TV's original automotive magazine brought to you by cars dot com. Let's say you're looking for a car. Cars dot com can help research locate even contact your dealer your host for Motor Week. JOHN DAVIS Well hello and welcome again to motor

week. We're glad to have you with us. The single most daunting task our motor weak staff faces each year is the selection of our motor week drivers Choice Award winners. Now we start with a list of the best vehicles that we've driven over the past year and keep it up until we come up with a list of new cars trucks and utilities that we'd love to drive and would love to own. So let's get started with the cars that made it to the top for 2009. Our Motor Week 2009 drivers choice best picks represent some of the brightest promise for an auto industry that needs all the uplifting of spirits they can get. That's what our best small car the Honda Fit does for us. Still fuel efficient with a fine sporting character. The all new Fit is slightly larger and more powerful than before to match its outer show as defined by sharper lines in a bullish stance.

Inside this daily driver there's so much room with an even easier to use second romantic seat that folds every way but Sunday. Indeed the fit should fit almost everyone small car needs like a glove with practicality and prowess an even greater quantity is our best family sedan pick a Mazda 6. We have so much zoomed zoom inside and out. The Mazda 6 for us was love at first drawing but the most dynamic styling in its class. The Mazda 6 now has the family size interior room to truly compete. Powered by two high tech engines including a 270 2 horsepower V-6. This car delivers plenty of street present Mazda has also done a superb job of balancing a family car ride with excellent cornering response. All in all the SEC says a winning number with us. Our best luxury sedan this year comes from the unlikeliest of brands the

Hyundai Genesis is a wonderful surprise in every aspect and shows how far this Korean car company has come in just over two decades in America. The styling exudes a premium image and inside the opulent cabin has a Mideast goal or that includes the same sound system used by Rolls-Royce but it is the overall impeccable quality of fit finish and response to the driver that really makes the Genesis sedan a huge achievement. All with a base price that's 10 to $20000 less than luxury rivals. It's the Lexus game plan all over again and it still works. Poor open air exhilaration our choice for best convertible is the BMW 1 series convertible while BMW a smaller series. It's big personality includes all the prowess safety and innovation BMW is known for. We welcome its no nonsense power soft top with a glass

backlight and it can be raised or lowered in 22 seconds. Even while moving wind buffeting is virtually nonexistent. Power comes from the same six cylinder engines found in the three series. While the car's rigid platform offers a very nimble drawing it's the perfect car for sun worshippers and drive the enthusiasm to light. For a second straight year our best sports sedan trophy goes to the euro to the Cadillac CTX in no small measure because the adrenalized GSV has joined the ranks for 2009 powered by a super charged V-8. The CTA speed doles out a daunting five hundred fifty six horses and thrills to match with its magnetic ride control fast reacting suspension. The CTA SB is nothing short of a four door track stall the invigorated CTF lineup gives important rivals even more of a reason to watch their backs.

Our choice for Best Sport Coupe is the Audi A5 S5 duet with stunning looks. The A5 S5 defines rolling beauty with a sporting edge. Power is excellent too with its sharp pro prowess furthered by Quatro all will drop and command is taken from a superb upscale 4C cap of a 5 x 5 offers a blend of performance and luxury that is rare at any price. If it's lightning fast action that you see look no further than our best performance car the Nissan G TR. This strikingly aggressive super car rockets from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds thanks to its four hundred eighty horsepower twin turbo B6 racetrack bred the G T R gets its cat like reflexes from a tight driver adjustable suspension and full time all wheel drive. Even with a $72000 sticker the g t r is the greatest high

performance value on the market today. But the best total performance value on the market is our best eco friendly choice. The boat's wagon Jetta TVI this 50 state legal clean diesel delivers hybrid like fuel economy with less complexity and you give up none of the compact German sports sedan agility that Jenna is known for nor its high safety quotient or versatility as the Jetta TDR can be enjoyed as both sedan or sport wagon. So it's not just an eco friendly diesel but a family friendly one too. Everyone is entitled to automotive stars to worship on. And that's the backdrop for our best three machines starting with the very devil a Chevrolet Corvette C-R was a 638 horsepower super charged V-8 which can be glimpsed through a window and the hood makes it the first production vent across the 200 mile per hour mark. It also exhibits genuine race level

performance while turning heads with its muscular and aerodynamic design. The 2009 Z-R one is simply put the most exhilarating American sports car ever built. Nothing says dreamy to an enthusiast like a prancing horse however especially if it adorns the Ferrari California as a modern interpretation of the legendary 250 GTI. The two plus two California is all about pleasure as you drop its retractable hard top to soak in the rays while cruising up the coast. But there's potent power when you want it. The car's front mounted 453 or speciate and dual clutch 7 speed transmission provide a top wind in the hair speed of 193 miles per hour and an exhaust note. Bystanders will likely never forget the waiting list for this drop top exotic is out to 2011. So if you want one now you'd better keep dreaming.

But we're not done dreaming yet with more of our border weak drivers Choice Awards coming up shortly. Thank you. When it comes to automotive know how we have only one driver's choice winner. So let's stroll over to Goss's garage for more award winning advice. John I'm doing an old test to check for the condition of shocks and struts in this car. Well that may not be the best way to do it anymore. And here to give us some pointers is Mack McGovern from K-Y B America MC welcome to Goss's. Well thanks for having me here today. All right so the bounce test. Why does it fail. You know originally we called this a bounce and John's test and what it is basically is when you take one corner of the vehicle and move it aggressively up and down

release that movement and then see how many times it moves to recover was a was a test we've been doing for years to estimate the condition of shocks and struts. Right but that really only checks part of the shock or the structure. Right now that's a very good point in fact. Here we have an example of a twin tube shock and struck from B. And the way it works is basically one end is attached to a wheel the other into the body and it's moving up and down with every body movement every wheel movement it moves actually anywhere from fifteen hundred to one thousand eight hundred times a mile and inside the valve that moves the hydraulic fluid to each side of the piston or a series of valves there's a first second third stage sometimes even more. The second and third stages are the are the real workhorse the ones that that control those heavy movements being bombs and all and really that's what you're checking with the bouncing Johns test. But the valve that works the hardest is the first stage the one that's controlling all that little bit of tire movement. That little bit of body movement that really adds stability to the vehicle.

That's the one we're concerned about but you can't really check it with a bounce and John's test. OK. Well if we can't do it with the bounce test. What do we do. Well the best way is to give it a good road test and what you'd want to be looking for is a variety of conditions certainly that harshness or buckboard ride that might be caused by the first valve inside that shock or strut but also the body roll and swerve from nose dive on braking and acceleration squat as you're leaving a stop sign and centrally all the things that are on your checklist sure you'd want to look at all of these conditions but you'd want to make sure that you're comparing that current condition of vehicle to the vehicles original capability or what it would be like if you replaced the shocks and struck. Well this is pretty subjective so this means you want a good qualified trained technician to perform the test. Excellent point some of that understands how that shock absorber is supposed to operate. And somebody that's road tested enough IA cols that they know what it could operate like. If you replace Joe Mack thank you.

And if you have a question or comment write to me the address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. There are hundreds of car collections all around the country right now most of them specialize in a few types or brands of cars or the best examples of key decades hole that wasn't good enough or are always on the go Stephen Chapnick. So he went over the edge and found a unique museum that traces the entire history and spirit of America on wheels. Americans have been in love with their cars for more than a hundred years from the original Model T to today's hybrids. In Allentown Pennsylvania the forty eight thousand square foot building sits after 10 years of hard work. This meat market is transformed. We are all about cars trucks motorcycles and bicycles. Executive director Linda Merkel has seen the museum grow from the ground up. We try very hard to have a little bit of everything so we started in an 18

hundreds all the way into the car of the future 2008 and hydrogen fuel. So where a little bit about past present and future. The second floor stuck with every type of classic car muscle car and collector car. And head back downstairs for everything from little cars to the giant Norma's Mack trucks. Everyone you know what it's like to drive an 18 wheeler. This simulator is one of the most popular attractions at the museum. The little kids and older kids everyone heads for the big wheel. The other end of the hallway is all about the speed with this one of a kind stealth trike. The team over at Lehigh Valley choppers donated the custom built three wheel monster and it certainly lives up to the name. Way less than a thousand pounds nothing stands in the way of the staff's power. It's all custom You can't buy any parts anywhere custom pushrod suspension custom shocks made for this vehicle custom swing arm in the back. I just wanted to raise the bar a little bit on the motorcycle classification. All aluminum body just a whole different design. You might think the electric cars

fairly new but the museum spans the history with an original 100 14 year old electrified wagon. The 1895 electric about 4 with the top speed of 20 miles per hour. All you need is a hand crank and you're good to go. The car of the future section also includes the new easy spirit handle by a 30 mile range on one charge. You're set for easy Cruzan or hard core cycle. It kind of takes the stress out of exercise. Another of the electric vehicles the General Motors Eevee one is at the museum. This famous car was donated by the producers of the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car. It's cheaper and easier and Americans have always been concerned with conservation. Every day is different and America on wheels Linda and her staff are always switching things around with new displays coming every six months. That way you'll never know what to see. We have a story to share and it's a really cool story. Hollywood has always been influenced by America on wheels from the silent movies. Peter Fonda is easy rider to the modern rebel Pee-Wee

Herman and his big top ride. So whether it's the sights or the sounds this museum has everything to paint the current There is yes interest so hit those brakes and stop by America on wheels. Now that we've shown you our 2009 drivers choice picks for best cars. Let's check out the winners for best trucks and utilities. With gas prices receding. Interest in trucks and utilities is on the rise again. But this time with a much more responsible attitude. Case in point our best small utility the all new Subaru Forester bigger bolder and better equipped it is still capable of 27 mpg on the highway with more room for five and their belongings both ride and handling a been enhanced thanks to us different chassis and rework suspension symmetrical all wheel drive completes the utility equation combining the efficiency and dynamics of a sedan with the versatility and traction of an

SUV. The new Forester is a multi-purpose vehicle that's in tune with the times. But there will always be families that need all the room they can muster for them our best large utility the Honda Pilot is a very contemporary pick this three row eight passenger utility and fraud and all wheel drive is a modern crossover design. Yet the pilot is wrapped in traditionally rugged sports styling with a ride that's also tuned to truck owners tastes. Still it's three point five leader V-6 complete with cylinder deactivation delivers 40 percent better fuel economy than similar sized SUV of only a few years ago and it can still tow forty five hundred pounds for a safe state of the art go anywhere people mover. The Honda Pilot is clearly out front to achieve true family togetherness and no utility comes close to the virtues of a minivan.

And for a second year in a row our best minivan award goes to the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country. The folks that invented the front wheel drive minivans have further perfected science of flexibility in addition to innovations such as stow and go swiveling go and enter great a child booster seats. The pair now offers a sport tuned suspension class leading fuel economy and a minivan first blind spot monitoring system among a plethora of other upgrades. These two family feet have never been better. And the same goes for our best pickup truck the new Dodge Ram 15:00 a more a personal use buyers than straight up workaholics. The light duty ram delivers a great riding coil spring rear suspension and vastly upgraded interior. Both perfect for people moving. But don't let the heated seats at rear DVD fool you. This truck can still get in any weekend job done with a

rework 5.7 leader Hemi maximum cargo capacity is over 800 pounds while towing tops out at 90 100 lbs. One innovation perfect for play are the lockable side rail storage boxes that include drains with familiar big rigs tiling and a true four door crew cab model now available. The RAM is no longer just another big pickup. Stay tuned we'll have one more driver's choice award when we soon pick our best of the year. Now as judge one another when our Jessica Jackson me with all the latest news most drivers would agree that parallel parking is not the easiest of tasks. And if you don't do it frequently it can be downright daunting. But Ford Motor Company has a new solution and it's called active park assist. This latest technology makes parallel parking as easy as pressing a single button active park assist will

be available this summer as an option on the 2010 Lincoln MKR sedan and Lincoln M.K. to crossover and eventually will be available on most Ford products. However active park assist is far from the first self park system Lexus along with Mercedes-Benz already have automatic parking systems. But Ford says their approach is more intuitive with less effort by the driver. Here's how it works. Once a driver locates a parking spot. This system is activated by a button on the instrument panel using ultrasonic sensors at the front and rear of the vehicle. The system identifies and measures the parking space. These sensors are what really set the system apart from camera based systems used by Lexus. Next the hands free steering takes over and parks the car within the space. Of course the driver will still have control over the gas and brake pedals as well as the shifter. The driver can also override the entire system at any point by simply taking. And the steering wheel the parking experience is enhanced by a driver interface which tells

how close the vehicle is to other cars and pedestrians. Another aspect that gives the system a leg up over rivals is its ability to operate on a downward slope. Time will tell if the fear of parallel parking is enough to make active park assist popular. So far other systems have not so well but perhaps for its active park assist will take self-parking technology to that next user friendly level and that's it for this week's Modern news. Well you just heard it. We like the 2009 Honda Fit so much that we awarded it our drivers Choice Award for best small car of the year. No other small car has the fits combination of functional frugal and fun to drive nature. You can tell it's popular with our staff by just looking at the odometer. Eighty nine hundred miles in only three months. And if it delivers a consistent thirty one point five miles per gallon of regular we've really given the rear magic seat a workout. It's

multiple folding action's can handle the long tall and the broad with the if it does need more front seat back support and the 1.5 liter engine doesn't inspire confidence when passing. But that aside the fix should fit almost everyone small car needs. What is it about a mini van that makes it the perfect family vehicle. Well when it comes to our 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan it's a lot of things like the available stowing go seating that transforms this 8 passenger mommy mode below into a cargo van in seconds and the available dual screen DVD system that is guaranteed to keep the peace. Then there is the hearty 251 horsepower V-6 that after 10 months in 17000 miles delivers 9000 miles per gallon of regular and mostly around town driving only a broken wiper switch and a suspension that jumps over big bumps has marred its visit with an extremely generous

power train warranty. The Dodge Grand Caravan is a family hauler without reproach and we'll haul out our notes on the Suzuki equator and the BMW execs on our next motor week long term road test update. Our list of Motor Week drivers Choice Award winners reflect what we think consumers really want and need across the entire automotive spectrum. But in the end there is always one vehicle that shines brighter than the rest. Our drivers choice best of the year and this year it's all real jet setter. Consumers these days are demanding new cars be clean green and the fishes. Yet they don't want to give up comfort and fun to drive in their pursuit to be responsible and no car lives up to that lofty standard better than our 2009 motoring drivers choice pick as best of the year.

The folks wagon jet ATV on the Jetta TVI is the first diesel the wind motor weeks top honor and the first clean diesel car to be available in all 50 states. The heart of the Jenna TVI is folks like its latest and most fuel efficient 2 liter turbo charged four cylinder diesel engine with direct fuel injection. It's highly effective after treatment exhaust system requires no additives so there's no hassle of filling a separate tank like most other clean diesels today with outstanding government fuel economy ratings of 30 City 41 highway the Jetta TVI delivers hybrid like economy without their complexity and battery concerns. But that's just the half of it. The Jetta TVI also delivers plenty of spirited performance with its 140 horsepower and copious 236 pound feet of torque. This little sedan takes off like a champ making it quick on a straight line as well as nimble and great fun on twisty roads. But the weld to the

chassis also results in a smooth and quiet ride which goes well with the TDR is comfortable and extremely well equipped interior. The cabin features a simple and clean layout an ample passenger room. Standards include an eight way power adjustable driver seat and a full complement of airbag options like a six and a half inch high wrist navigation screen. A 30 gig hard drive and i pod functionality the large 16 cubic foot trunk prevents any shortage of cargo space. Plus it's affordable with the price tag that also puts many hybrids in the shadows offering world class efficiency spirited performance and a passenger friendly atmosphere. The book's wagon Jetta TVI is a no compromise diesel alternative to the typical compact family car. And for that reason it is our driver's choice. The best of the year but I hope you'll join us here next week for more motorways. When will track

tast Nissan sizzling 370 the sports car that is a fuel sipping spin in the five door Toyota yard. Next we join f y our reporter your lond of Oscars on the quest for a cheaper car insurance that gospel brightens our automotive outlook on life. And we'll have more first impressions of new sets of car keys. Now if you've still not gotten enough of us why not check out our latest Motor Week podcast and Motor Week Online. Until next time I'm John Davis we'll see you here on motorways. To learn more about Motor Week TV's original automotive magazine visit PBS dot org to order a DVD or VHS copy of this program call 1 800 873 6 1 5 4. Motor Week has been brought to you by cars dot com. Let's say you're looking for a car. Cars dot com can help research locate even contact a dealer

cause this program was produced by Maryland Public Television which is soley responsible for its content. We are PBS.