Motorweek; 2623

Stay to. Stay tuned for motor week's 2007 drive first choice award. Our picks for the best cars trucks and utilities of the year. We'll have all the driver's choice winners next on motorways. Hi I'm Pat Goss. Great reasons to keep your engine clean this time on Goss's garage. You want to guess and this week we'll show you how one organization is changing people's lives. One nation at a time and will turn the keys on more makes and models. So come drive with us. Hello. Brought to you by 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 and buy the tire rack.

Ever notice how tires are like shoes whether it's everyday call for seasonally correct or real performance. The Tire Rack knows how to help you address appropriately you could learn more at Tire Rack dot com and by battling the motor oil for guys who love working on their cars. Having a century old building has shared his passion and he put it by testing our products on the track in pursuit of the best possible engine protection dabbling in 100 years under the hood and by Dunlop tires. The search for a 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 dot com. Your host for Motor Week John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. It's tradition once a year for a quarter of a century. Our staff sits down at the Round Table and spins our wheels deciding motor week's annual drivers Choice Awards. Our top picks of all the new cars trucks and utilities that we've tested in the last year.

So this week will dole out the awards for a wide variety of vehicles that we believe deliver great value and a great driving experience. So let's get started with the cars that made it to the top this year. Starting our driver's choice list for 2007 is best small car. The Hondas fit among a sea of new subcompact the fit's qualities extend well beyond just fine fuel economy. Honda delivered a Toyota cute package with a stylish clever interior the rear seats fold up for told her go and join the front seats to make lounge chairs. The fit's appeal is backed by a willing 109 were 1.5 leader for an transmissions that include an s trim automatic with paddle shifters. The fit simply fits our idea of a driver's subcompact better than the rest. Our best family sedan choice the Saturn Aura speaks volumes about the turnaround in General Motors.

This will drive Ford or combines the solid reputation of the Saturn brand with the newfound prowess far more than the appliance the aura manages to carry the brood and still leave plenty of driving enjoyment with an upscale look and a long list of standards including curtain airbags B6 powered a four cylinder price a hybrid option than 100000 now power train warranty. All right. Is also an excellent bargain. Speaking of bargains our best convertible picks the folks wagon here is a case of high end technology becoming available in more mainstream prices. In this case it's the five piece retractable hard top that allows this open four seater to double as a four season. But even with the top up a large glass sun roof panel make sure the sun always rises. Add to that the top driving experience typical of all boats wagons. Standard Turbo for power and of course a base price under 30 K and it's not hard to set the iOS on a pedestal. When it comes to high end

technology. Our best luxury sedan pick the Lexus LS sits at the head of its class. From radar cruise control to park the new OS is a techies dream but the best part is that the gee whiz features do not detract from the LS being a very fine handling enjoyable drive on even the long wheelbase edition has prowess its German rivals can appreciate. Throw in an upcoming V-8 hybrid and the new LS moves electric car benchmark more than a notch higher. As for hybrids. No manufacturer has more hybrids either on the market or coming soon than Toyota. So we pick not just one vehicle or brand but the entire Toyota Motor Corporation as our drivers choice best eco friendly of the year without Toyota fuel saving gasoline electric hybrid technology would still be in the margins. But their pledge to make hybrid power available in every one of their cars and trucks over here is pushing other global car makers to get on to the hybrid bandwagon

and make real environmental change. Our best sports sedan pick is another case of an Asian design taking on Germany's best the second generation infinity e.g. 35 is an impeccable backroads book. Warmer it achieves a near perfect balance between ride and handling rear drive power any economy and drivers cockpit and comfort plus even standing still it's gorgeous to look at what a powerful V-6 and available all wheel drive when it comes to world class sports sedans the Infinity e.g. 35 is one serious player. Homelessness downtick but we just could not pick the Ford chill BGT 500. Is our best performance car of the year. So rather than the 1960s throwback Colonel Shelby's latest effort combined just dropping super charged 500 horsepower the 8 10 year race car quality prowess with the kind of build sophistication an everyday creature coddling They were possible even a decade ago. Why we have to question the sanity of

paying 20 grand over list. As we hear some folks are doing. We do think the issue. Will be GTI 500 is a keeper. But if you're in the mood to spin big dough then you're ready for our driver's choice dream machine leading our trio of desires is the Jaguar X Jr. this 420 horsepower super charged feline combines the sports car prowess than a rich white Jaguar such an icon with an uncompromising intention to finesse and detail that is a home market the brands power sedan. Even more rarified is the latest B-12 prancing horse. The Ferrari 599 GTV Hirano with drop dead gorgeous and enduring a styling and a richly serious driver oriented to Seedcamp and all aluminum 611 horsepower 599 rewards a select few with a level of GTI stolid performance that is muscular yet spare. When it comes to living a dream. Our fully conscious choice is the latest Porsche 911 Turbo. The 911 Turbo fuses with our grey man. You're on a superhuman

levels were super corps performance. With 480 twin turbo works is that in flash past like a vision yet deliver us down to earth field it connects with the road and the driver at every level. From frugal to lightning fast. Those are our store cars for Motor Week 2007 drivers Choice Awards. Coming up. Giving a ride in a leg up. Now let's stop by on another award winner add Goss's garage where Pat has the scoop on making your car last almost forever. John his cars have changed there are new and expensive reasons why you want to keep the engine bay clean. See in the old days well the only reason you cleaned the engine was cosmetic so it looked good. But today things are dramatically different in the old days while you had radiator hoses that were like This is about 8 bucks. Today you have

complex hoses such as we see here with all these different fittings and everything on them. These can be well over $200 for one hose Plus the installation. So that's a big issue because. Rubber does not like grease in oil it gets soft it swells up and a dirty engine bay can reduce the life expectancy of these expensive hoses by 50 to 75 percent. So you want to keep it clean. Now there's another reason and that reason is because of all of the electronics on the vehicles the wire harnesses are very complicated and wire harnesses are typically taped together using a special electrical tape but that tape also doesn't like grease in oil and frequently gets all greasy and it starts to come apart. Then you have wiring problems. OK so these are reasons why you would clean under the hood but how do you clean under the hood. Well

you want to use a chemical such as we have here. Follow the directions on the label. Will tell you to cover certain things under the hood. You can do that with plastic bags and rubber bands. Does an excellent job very easy to do. But once you've sprayed the chemical on now you have to get it off and how do you go about that well you could use a garden hose you could use a pressure washer pressure washers are completely acceptable no problem there. But there is one thing you do not do and that is you do not use a steam cleaner. Everybody says oh I'm going to go get my engine steam clean. Well that's not what you do these days because steam can actually migrate into wire connectors under the hood and once that happens once it's inside it condenses and now you have water inside that connector that causes corrosion. The corrosion causes check engine lights and

performance problems and failed emissions and so on. So it's a garden hose or a pressure washer. Never steam cleaner if you keep the under hood clean. All of these things will not be an issue if you have a question or comment write to me. The address is Motor Week. 2. 1 1. 1 7. Donating a used car to charity is a popular trend. Not only does it help a worthy cause but it can be a smart financial move for the giver. But while the typical nonprofit auctions off the car and distributes the proceeds now for I Reporter Yolanda vásquez has found one that uses the donated cars to put needy families back on the road to success. April Ashcraft knows how difficult life can be without a car. Kind of hectic you know relying on people on people let me down you know. For nearly a year this single mother of two depended on family and friends to get around town.

And it was a struggle day to day trying to get a job with no car and make sure you have transportation to get there. Ashcraft had practically given up on the idea of getting a car when she heard about vehicles for change. A nonprofit organization that takes donated cars repairs them and makes them available to low income families. Our idea is to help the person that wants to help themselves. MARTIN Schwartz is the executive director of vehicles for change. He started the program back in 1999 to help families become more self-sufficient. Very often the car is the final hurdle that these folks have to go over in order to make that huge difference in their life. When a donor calls a VSC will try to assess the car over the phone. Once on site the vehicle is taken to the garage. For a full inspection. Those that make the cut are put into the program. Others are sold at auction and a select few end up on the retail lot. Schwartz says the competition for car donations is fierce. There's a billboard on every

corner and ad in every paper and a solicitation on every nonprofit organizations website. If you don't answer the call they're going to call the next foundation or the next nonprofit program that does take card donations and they're going to give the card of that Schwartz says most people don't think twice about what happens to their car once they donate it in 2000 and for basically the tax law was that if you donated a car to a nonprofit no matter who it was or what they did with their car you could deduct the fair market value. But in 2005 the IRS changed their guidelines according to their website. The taxpayer can deduct the vehicles FMV if the organization makes significant. Intervening use of the vehicle or improves it. The organisation gives or sells the vehicle to a needy individual at a price that's below the fair market value. That's good news to the ears of Angela Glenn. She struggled for a long time trying to get a car on her own.

Most of us are to be a credit problem or. I don't have enough credit card is not good enough or I don't have the money to get it or to pay was about the access. Keep in mind these cars are not free. Glenn and other recipients must have a steady job and commit to a 15 month loan to pay for their car. The biggest thing we're going to ask of you all is to make those payments on time. Glenn hopes her reliable ride will open the door to new opportunities and provide a better way of life for her family. Graduation a few vehicles for change awards anywhere from 35 to 45 cars a month. They'd like to more than double that amount so in an effort to get their hands on more cars they've begun to partner with local business. Says to gain access to the company fleet. William Green Hall is the vice president of century engineering. For years his company got rid of their used vehicles in different ways. But from now on Green Hall says when these hybrids and pickup trucks are ready to be turned over they'll donate them to vehicles for change.

I think allowing a family to be a little more independent and having a vehicle to get back and forth to work so important. But they do feel much better about themselves Ashcraft received a big boost of self-confidence when she became eligible for a car a few months ago. She consistently shows up to work on time and can now take her two kids on family outings. I get to take them places now to the zoo Chucky Cheese. And you know the parks and wherever they would like to go. It's another success story to illustrate how something of little value to one can be priceless to another and help put them on the road to financial independence. Well you've seen our top picks in sports cars families today dream machines. So let's draw it on with Motor Week 2007 drivers choice awards for the best in trucks and people movers. Our motor week 2007 driver's choice award for best minivan goes to a duet.

The Hyundai entourage in Sedona this second generation Korean branded design matches all the best features of its rivals. And then BEST them and price and power train warranty believes that Hyundai and Kia can perceive quality with each new vehicle. A well documented and the entourage in Sedona are just the latest example from school bus to apartment moving minivans are the most versatile vehicles on the planet and this twosome is tops. And uncompromising design sets off our best small utility. The Honda CRV this benchmark in small utilities continues to quietly improve the size powering capabilities remain about the same while economy style and driving attitude make big gains with no muss or fuss the CRV just does what a small utility should do better than the rest. For those that need the big hauling and towing of a more traditional SUV may we suggest our best large utility winner. The Chevrolet Toho and GMC Yukon. This is all new GM designed not to sound with its contemporary styling excellent fitting

finish. Luxury car like interior and segment leading fuel economy and from quick cold seats to a three row curtain airbags. It's loaded with features we want on a big tube with a hybrid version due later this year. These SUV deserve applause. Granted many utility buyers are shunning heavier thirstier traditional SUV. That's why we've added a new crossover utility award. And it goes to another General Motors Company. The GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. What the slick seven and eight passenger crossovers black and ruggedness they make up for in efficiency comfort and safety. Plus with all will draw even standard on store the Acadia and outlook provide driving security no matter what the roads or weather. Our best pickup truck design also comes from General Motors. It's the all new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra like the taco and Yukon. They have added style flexibility class Levy economy and perceived quality while also

adding capabilities from interior is perfectly tuned to owners the wide swinging rear doors in sturdy cargo management Silverado and Sierra are tops at what they do. So that's it for trucks minivans and utilities the hardest working winners of the 2007 Motor Week drivers choice award. Now that you've seen our category award winners for this year let's turn the keys to some future candidate that could take the prize next time around. Mitsubishi delivers a decidedly sporty compact car package with new ninth generation 2008 Lancer sedan sitting atop a Mitsubishi platform shared with the Outlander crossover utility the Lancer now has a longer wheelbase and wider track. Motion comes from a new two liter double overhead cam four cylinder engine horsepower is up thirty two to one hundred fifty two front drive transaxle include a 5 speed manual and a

CVT with tronics mode and pedal shifters. The new chassis is actually more rigid than the last high performance Evo. That means enhanced ride comfort handling and crash safety heavily revised suspension layout provides a responsive and energetic driving experience especially on the sport to trim before Will this break so the same ones found on the larger heavier Outlander. As for styling the Lancers character is derived from the concept it dons a shark nose front end and a high shoulder front to back. Sporting features with trim include front and side effects 18 inch alloys rear spoiler and chrome exhaust inside find a cutting edge cabin with crisp modern lines in a finely configured instrument panel an optional sun and sound six hundred fifty watch Rockford audio system plus a power glass sunroof a 30

gig navigation system is also available. Safety is a bundle of seven air bags including one for the driver's knee available and three trims. The 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer starts at around $14000 and it arrives in showrooms at the end of March. Ality is catching the attention of driving enthusiasm everywhere with the arrival of the all new second generation 2008 coupe. This 2 plus 2 comes standard with a VW liter turbo four cylinder here producing 200 horsepower. I'm familiar two hundred fifty three point two liter B6 is also available and good for a 0 to 60 run in the high 5 second range. Propulsion feeds either a manual six speed or an optional Estrada a dual clutch gearbox with a V-6 you get Quatro all wheel drive to performance is optimized by a newly developed sports suspension backed by standard DSP and optional high tech damping system further and hence is right in handling. Riding on a lightweight

aluminum space frame chassis the body is longer and wider than before but no heavier. It's new Styling is sleek but sliced exuding both elegant and athleticism while a retractable rear spoiler captures the essence of the true sports car purpose and side find a roomier but more serious sports car cockpit than the first generation car. The focal point being a flat bottom steering wheel automatic air conditioning navigation and a Bose sound system are just a few of a long list of available amenities. The 2008 coupe becomes available this spring with a new Titi roadster scheduled for auto who prices will start at around $35000. Join us next time we turn more new sets of car keys since no two buyers want exactly the same thing. Our drivers choice winners cover just about every vehicle category from convertibles to crossovers. But when push comes to shove only one

vehicle can ever be called Best of the year and that's no small achievement. People think we're talking about this little overachiever the Honda Fit motor weeks 2007 driver's choice. The best of the year. While I cast a small shadow on the pavement this cute edgy 5 door sub compact delivers big on all levels. The tall fit is a marvel in packaging. Despite almost 20 inches less overall link than the Honda Civic the fit's passenger volume of nineteen point one cubic feet. Rivals its larger brother and outclasses it in flexibility oversized rear doors allow access to 100 calls their magic seat. The split rear bench folds upright for Slim items up to 50 inches tall and made two of the front seats to provide recliner just fold the seats flat in cargo capability is a big forty one point nine cubic feet. The front wheel drive if it is moved along by a 1.5 leader single cam four cylinder with variable valve timing and lift control

output is a reasonable 109 horsepower and 105 pound feet of torque. Both the manual and automatic transaxle zer fi speeds with paddle shifters including an upper level s trim. Of course many buyers today are more concerned about big fuel economy than big power. Again the Fed delivers government fuel economy ratings for the paddle shift automatic are 31 city and 37 highway. In our recent review of subcompacts it did very well with 36 mpg in real world economy. It also has a very strong energy impact score using only ten point one barrels of oil per year. Driving the fit is in a word entertaining. It can easily lope along in commuter traffic yet provide almost go cart nimbleness when the road opens to switchbacks electric power steering is nicely responsive while the automatics paddle shifters allow quick sprints for passing on the safety front. ABS brakes are standard as our front side impact and side curtain airbags for that matter with standard air

CD stereo and power windows and locks. The fit comes extremely well-equipped indeed the fit is a lot of car for under $15000 and as we said in our original road test the 2007 Honda Fit is a small car is only Honda can build one. It's fit for drivers who want to get where they're going without wasting fuel. But who also refused to leave driving enjoyment behind. It is our motor week 2007 drivers choice. Best of the year. Oh I hope you'll join us next week for more motorway when we'll hit the track and Jaguar supercharged next K.R. and test BMW Energi 335 hot. I'm John David will see that. 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 8 7 3 6 1 5 4. Motorway has been brought to you by 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 and buy the tire rack offering a wide selection of tires wheels attaboy with professional advice and online shopping tools plus a national network of tile rack recommended installers. And by Valvoline the motor oil for guys who love working on their cars for more than a century Valvoline has shared this passion and he proved it by testing our products on the track in pursuit of the best possible engine protection Valvoline 100 years under the hood 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 dot com.

This program was produced by Maryland Public Television which is soley responsible for its content. I mean PBS.