Motorweek; 2523

Time once again for motorway expandable drivers Choice Awards our picks for the best cars trucks in SUV use for 2006 the driver's choice winners next on motorways. Hi I'm Pat goddess this time we're going to talk about Greeces and lubricants from Goss's garage. Let me show you the latest motorcycles that will soon be hitting the street. And will turn the keys on new issues from Toyota. Really. So come drive with us next. Kelly. Brought to you by the Stanley Works makers of max like 3 6 9 and tripod elimination tools Stanley is proud to support public television steadily. Make something great information available at w w w dot Stanley Works dot com by Dunlop tires for center of the Dunlop drivers cup and international competition racing to America testing the skills of nonprofessional enthusiastic off road and on the track information at Dunlop

tires dot com. And buy cars dot com. Let's say you're looking for a car. Cars dot com can help research locate even contact a dealer. Cars dot com find the right car for you. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motorway work glad to have you with us. Every year we test over 150 new cars trucks an SUV here at motorway and once a year we all get together to pick the best of these for our annual Motor Week drivers Choice Awards. Now these are the vehicles covering a wide variety of market segments that we think are the cream of the crop. So let's get started with the cars that are this year's star. While trucks in SUV s continue to be market Kings spiking gas prices have

a renewed interest in more efficient cars by the public and manufacturers alike. And the 2006 model year offers car fans a host of top notch designs leading the driver's choice list as our pick for best small car the Honda Civic. All new from bumper to bumper and tires to roof the latest civic offers compact car fanciers higher levels of refinement sophistication performance and economy. The Civic is also not just one car but a complete line up from commuter sedan to high performance S.I. coupe to cutting edge hybrid and all for prices that still puts it within the reach of first time buyers. Civic sets the benchmark for small cars gonna hog our best family sedan is also all new for 2006 and breaks new ground and drivers Choice Awards history. The American made Hyundai Sonata is the first Korean brand car to ever win our best family sedan award and did so with a tremendous value combination of roomy comfort quality assembly

and most of all safety standard abs skid control and curtain airbags simply outclasses the mighty Camry in a cooler. For those that want a four door with a little more zing check out our best sports sedan the BMW 3 Series the Fifth Generation 3 Series continues to be one of Germany's most appealing cars with a serious driver upgrade in engines and even more responsive chassis and all the luxury amenities that we expect from the Bavarian motor works. The 2006 three series is the last word in a portable sporting sedan. Of course not every high end sedan buyer is in such a hurry to get down the road. For them we offer our best luxury sedan the Infinity available as either the P6 him 35 or be eight imported five in either rear or all wheel drive. The M is one very technologically intensive series from steering headlights to lane departure warning to intelligent cruise control all surrounding a

five star resort interior. It's an extravagant high tech way to go. If you're like us open air motoring is always preferred and we prefer our best convertible pick the Pontiac Solstice. This is all new to seat rear drive roadster as Pontiacs ultimate summer fun car. It's glamorous styling stands out in a car market packed with generic design quality excellent balance of creature comforts and reasonable performance makes it a perfect country road cruiser. And all that and really 20 grand. No wonder it's the drop top to have for 2006. Another favorite is back for its second title as best performance cars the Ford Mustang G.T. with strong V-6 and V-8 power and the sharpest handling chassis in Mustang history. It's already a winner but add in the Vintage pony car style at a price that's lower than many front drive import posers and the American Mustang easily out muscles its performance car competitor.

Finally we come to the seductive cars that we would home park in our garages if we won Powerball. Our best dream machine. Leading this pricey pack is the Chevrolet Corvette that we've all been waiting for. The 2006 CEO six this 505 horsepower showstopper of the supplier C6. Reform. Is more than just a straight line rocket. It's race bred chassis and suspension delivers competition level handling without turning it into a brutal ride on the street. It is simply the best that ever another all American dream car is the Dodge Viper SRT 10. There were turn of the hard top Viper head to stiffer steel top chassis with a monster 510 horsepower. We did that viper fans a door with the most aggressive looks of any modern muscle machine. The pipers fangs just keep getting sharper. Finally will always make space in our dream garage for a Ferrari. This year our choice from Marin Elo is the magnificent f 430.

This hyper aggressive Italian Stallion replaces the outgoing 360 mode with absolutely mind boggling acceleration. Schumacher level grip and aerodynamics courtesy of their Formula 1 racing program. It is one super tough to tell you. And there you have it from Compaq to super car. All the cars worthy of our 2006 but are weak drivers choice award. Coming up. The two wheel lifestyle. Guide now to check in with Pat let's see what flick Karkare advice he's uncovered at Goss's garage. John there must be a thousand different types of lubricants that can be used around an automobile. Believe it or not the majority of them do not come out of a grease gun. Now one of the things that we find people doing all the time is they go under the car to lubricate the chassis that is if your car still has grease fittings in the

chassis and they get new the brake calipers soon see this thing looks like a grease fitting. It isn't it's a bleeder valve don't lubricate it. Right. Now what actually is a Grease. Well the grease is nothing more than a vehicle to hold or oil and it releases that oil based on temperature or pressure. And there are low pressure Greece's and low temperature greases and high pressure in high temperature and so on and they're not interchangeable if you use a high pressure grease in a low pressure application you're going to have problems. And the reverse is true as well. So always use the grease or the lubricant that the manufacturer calls for another place to get in trouble right here belt dressing. You never use belt dressing on one of these flaps teen belts because you will be hating life. It will make it noisy and you'll have all kinds of problems. The belts probably OK serpentine belts. No

way. Here's something else where a lot of people make mistakes. These are rust penetrant. Yes they are mild lubricants but you certainly wouldn't want to lubricate something that required some serious duty lubricant with one of these because the part would wear out when one thing that everybody seems to forget right here of the latches are the locks on the car inside outside all of them they need to be lubricated and they require a special lubricant. It's made of graphite so make sure you lubricate the locks using the proper product. Now something else that most people well they just completely ignore the rubber weatherstripping around the doors in the hatch and so on. They have to all be lubricated using silicone spray. Now the neatest way to do this is just simply to spray it onto a rag and then wipe the weatherstripping

with a rag that keeps it neat. Doesn't get all over the paint and everything. Finally down here the latch now as this car goes down the road the body flexes and a lot of that flexing happens right here at this latch assembly and the hinges the latch needs to be lubricated and the lubricant for that is white lithium grease. Then along with that the hinges they need to be lubricated as well. Same product the white lithium grease do it about three to four times a year and all of these parts on the car will be trouble free for the life of the car. If you have a question or comment write to me the address is Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1. 1 7. 1/2 when I report here I'm going to Crosby loves the automotive lifestyle whether it's sports cars off roaders are antiques I'm going at is there. This week she's once again on the

road ready to engage yet another part of the motoring culture. But this time it's on two wheels instead of four. We're here in Long Beach California for the 25th anniversary of Michael's International Motorcycle Show this is where you get to see the bikes on the road like that but yes that's it that's the answer. So let's get inside the fish. Yes that's right. Crews inside and it's wall to wall action. Hundreds of 2006 model cruiser street dirt bike and new concept bikes all showcased under one roof. I love riding and I love riding all kinds of motorcycles and that's why I'm here today. Going to check out what's. What's up there. But what's really cool about this show are the people that attend by the thousands. Their lifestyles and wants are as diverse as the bikes on display. I think a little bit of emphasis on motorcyclists being sort of bad boys and that's where that's really kind of changing and people know that there's a good chance of the guy pulling up on that big old

Harley right next your car at the intersection. He could be your dentist or your county. The manufacturers are doing their math and are designing bikes to suit all different tastes from pro athletes. To the stay at home moms. I'm looking for some six foot four I'm a big guy I'm looking for more of the stretch bikes I just got here right now but there are some beautiful bikes in here and. A plan on taking one out here tonight actually there are a ton of women I was actually shot down is that when we can and I thought probably 20 women will lead to an intersection. Mom bikes like that now bear. Yeah that definitely is cool. They're. Definitely you know that while women are more interested in riding in I can see why. And that's exactly why victory unleashed its vision 800 concept by which it's fueling an exciting new trend to make driving even simpler automatic transmissions designed to attract more female riders and more car drivers. The motorcycle targeted towards a new segment rider. Basically it blends three distinct segments that we know already. Cruiser market showing market and sport bike market.

That's a really sexy in a very different type of a motorcycle featuring an automatic transmission and that's that's a way that we see coming in the future to really draw more automotive buyers into the motorcycle world. And the nice thing is you still get to have the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth experience that everyone wants on two wheels. The closest we have to an automatic motorcycle in production right now is the Yamaha f Jr. 13:00 and that isn't fully automatic in the sense that you can never touch any sort of control the change the gear that actually has sort of an adaptation of paddle shift technology that you see in a really high end sports car. But there is plenty here for serious bike bus to do. Condi didn't disappoint debuting hyper move toward a super cool concept bike that takes exciting sport of supermoto racing to the streets as only do comedy can and speaking of taking things to a whole new level. Our brothers Brandon and Preston proving that even the stunts now being performed at the shows are extremely

creative and dangerous. This is the first time that motorcycle tricks have been done on a fortified. Typically they're done by a border the BMX rider the low that. Just says these Biker Boys seem fearless. This event shows us that manufacturers also aren't afraid to take more creative risks to expand the diversity and appeal of the motorcycle culture to everyone and the bike sells at an all time high. It appears manufacturers are on my track. Time now for part two of Motor Week 2006 drivers Choice Awards. You've seen the sports cars to dance and dream cars. Now let's pick the best in trucks as UBS and minivan.

Americans love their trucks growing everything from kids to the kitchen sink. They continue to outsell cars. So when picking our 2006 drivers choice truck and favorites of the year we always use versatility as the key. Newfound versatility is the hallmark of our best small sport utility vehicle. The all new Toyota Rav 4 while bigger. It uses that space well and being the first 7 passenger compact SUV. Moreover it's strong clean and efficient. Four and six cylinder engines are in tune with the times sharper youthful styling breaks new ground. Then there is the standard abs stability control and available curtain airbags. The RAV 4 deserves all the raves they can get for a growing family we suggest our best family sport utility vehicle. The Ford Explorer and its mechanical twin the Mercury Mountaineer virtually all new yet familiar.

The Explorer Mountaineer are among the toughest yet most civilized sport utes with an independent rear suspension and three row seating. These traditional body on frame SUV now boasts sleek styling and impressive high end interiors. There's also the power of Fords. Bulletproof V-6 and V-8 engine plus the segments first six speed automatic transmission. Fifteen years in production and still a midsize SUV benchmark. Our best pickup truck also comes from Ford. It's the F-150 America's best selling pickup. And for that matter the world's best selling vehicle in this toughest of vehicle segments the F-150 wins again by combining capability and high value with Benchmark interior design and quality stripper work models to luxurious personal use pick ups for its amazing all four door F-150 takes on all comers. And when.

Our best minivan is a good bet is well it's the Honda Odyssey. Also a repeat winner of The Odyssey stays in front of the minivan packed by delivering more comfort and flexibility. Plus the first time use of a fuel saving cylinder deactivation in a minivan add in the legendary Honda reputation for quality. And it's no wonder that so many families rely on the Odyssey for everything from school bus to grocery getter. This year I kids in cargo carrier also garners our best eco friendly vehicle award the latest entry in the gasoline electric hybrid class of which Toyota is the acknowledged leader is the Highlander Hybrid. The 4 7 passenger hybrid vehicle its combination of B6 and electric power not only boost the Highlander's gas mileage by 30 percent but its overall highway performance as well as you pass by the pumps. Your neighbors will be green with envy. So that's it for trucks minivans and SUV. The hardest working winners of the 2006 model week driver's choice award.

You've seen our driver's choice winners for this year. Now let's turn the keys for some vehicles that might take home a prize next year. After an overwhelmingly positive response to its concept displayed at the Detroit auto show in 2003 the 2007 Toyota FTA cruiser sport utility vehicle has quickly found its way into production with routes stemming from the legendary F J 40. The new middleweight cruiser rides out on modified Prieto chassis body on frame utility not sold in the US. The five passenger youth sports a classically upright why Drac body atop modern 17 inch wheels virtually all of its styling ques favor the original F J 40 from the simple mesh grill and round headlights to the white capped roof and wrap the rear corner windows. The new SJ fashions are uniquely functional yet throwback for.

Power however isn't the stall ticket all the new FTA dawns Toyotas two hundred thirty nine horsepower poor leader V-6 with variable valve timing more than able to back up its terrain trekking image to manage its thrust Toyota provides a trio of modern drive choices rear wheel drive part time four wheel drive with a 5 speed automatic and a full time four will drive system with a six speed manual. Although Stanley may not be a big hit with everybody there is no denying the energy cruisers appeal when you've got serious off road intentions or just want to look like you do a combination of full size front doors and smaller rear access panels provide entry into the also retro rugged interior of the FTA cruiser. But here austere simplicity meets modern conveniences with a six speaker CD stereo tilt wheel and 60 40 flat folding rear seats. The 2007 Toyota F J Cruiser is a lot of carefully updated throwback fun for not a lot of bucks on sale in spring starting at a

reasonable twenty two thousand dollars. We're 2006. SS is the name of the game and Chevrolet performance they now offer nine models touting the Super Sport badge and the newest is the Malibu Max. Ss. Referred to affectionately by Chevy as guilt free fun. The tweaked Max SS promises excitement for a value minded shoppers they crave something more than just another family car. As always what makes the Supersport bad seeing is more power. When the SS Malibu's that translates into a larger 240 horsepower 3.9 leader V-6 with variable valve timing that's 40 horsepower more and a 20 percent gain over the pedestrian 3.5 liter of P6. At a sport tune fully independent suspension and a smoother shifting company and four speed automatic with manual shift mode plus large 4 wheel disc ABS brakes and a performance calibrated traction control system. And you get the

idea that this really is a wolf in sheep's clothing. To visually distinguish its SS status the max tons of beefed up front and rear facia unique trim and rear roof spoiler 20 exhaust and serious 18 inch plans lis wheels inside an exclusive blackout scheme begins the signature SS treatment and continues with sport leather and cloth accented seat a leather wrapped three spoke sport wheel and unique instrument cluster with sport graphics and chrome ring gauges rear seating in the Mac's easily surpasses the sedan with its sliding recline 60 40 split flap folding seat and generous cargo availability. In fact we haven't seen a sporty family hatchback that is as much fun and used as the max SS in decades and one that's on dealer's lots now and worth every penny of it's $25000 in three feet. That's our first impressions and we'll have more new car keys in just a few weeks.

As you've just seen our drivers choice winners cover just about every category from compact cars to SUV but only one vehicle can be the best of the year and this year the big winner is also the smallest. To be selected as the motorway drivers Choice Awards Best Of The Year a vehicle must excel in all areas from performance to value and that's exactly what the 2006 Winter the entire Honda Civic lineup does easily. All new chrome headlights and taillights the latest civic thoroughly upgrades Honda Super successful small car approach with a comprehensive lineup of sedans and coupes ranging from basic transportation to spirited high performance super efficient hybrid both the sedan and coupe car like low and lean exterior with wheels pushed to the corners were very athletic

and willing appearance those sleek hyper modern exteriors carry over to the interior which features an artistic ergonomically excellent and very upscale trim split level dash interior spaces comparable to the previous generation. But Honda designers have managed to make civics cabin feel and appear larger through a superb job of packaging. There is top notch use of space for the big and the small of people and cargo alike. This Civic is also very impressive when it comes to power train. The standard fitment gains output with a larger high tech one point eight leader four cylinder engine rated 140 horsepower. That's a 25 unit boost but fuel economy is up as well. Highway radio 40 mpg with an automatic transmission mileage is even higher for the latest Civic hybrid which is EPA rated at 49 City 51 highway its new generation 1.3 leader four cylinder engine and enter graded motor assist combination improves output to

110 horsepower and can now run at low speeds on electric power alone but it's higher speeds that will attract drivers especially young ones to this racy Civic coupe. S on this sleek two door civic pumps out one hundred ninety seven horsepower from a free spinning two liter dual cam for yet even here fuel economy tops 30 mpg. With a new six speed manual gearbox limited slip differential and expertly tuned chassis. The coupe is an affordable rocket for the roads both straight and curvy and Civics are available for extremely reasonable prices that start around $15000 for sedan and Coupe which so much value versatility performance and choice available in a single car line. It's no wonder that the Honda Civic has the 2006 motorway driver's choice. Best of the year. Well I hope you'll join us next week for more motor week when we had the trike in

Ferrari's new war of 30 and Chevrolets all new full sized taco SUV. I'm John Davis. Well see that. To learn more about Motor Week TV's original automotive magazine visit PBS thought or. To order a DVD or VHS copy of this program call 1 800 873 6 1 5 4 Motorway has been brought to you by the Stanley Works makers of max like 3 6 9 tripod elimination tools Stanley is proud to support public television steadily. Make something great information available at w w w dot Stanley Works dot com by Dunlop tires for center of the Dunlop drivers Cup at international competition racing to America testing the skills of nonprofessional enthusiastic off road and on the track information at Dunlop tires dot com. And buy cars dot com. Let's say your looking for a car.

Cars dot com can help research locate even contact a dealer. Cars dot com find the right car for you. This program was produced by American Public Television which is soley responsible for its content. And. TV ads.