AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2010 PORSCHE PANAMERA

ARB On The Cover Review: 2010 Porsche Panamera

Let's get this out of the way now. The back-end of Porsche's new 2010 Panamera four-door sedan is weird-looking. They tried to make adequate rear-seat headroom in a car that retains a stretched-out look similar to the iconic 911 and it resulted in something that's quite, um, unusual. Beyond that, however, there's plenty to get excited about. The S model comes with a 400-hp, 4.8 liter V8. Add a turbo, add another 100-hp. Rear or all-wheel drive versions maintain the racy handling characteristics Porsche fans have come to know and love. The AWD turbo version is good for a claimed 188-mph. That's among the fastest cars in the world, let alone a spacious four-door. Pretty exciting stuff for give or take 100-large. A 300-hp version is likely to arrive later, as well as an Audi-sourced 375-hp hybrid model. Choose the Panamera over a Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series or even a Maserati Quattroporte and you'll have something that is certainly different--in more ways than one. 

AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2010 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT

Have you ever been to a party where the hosts thought of everything? From the hot dogs and popsicles for the kids, to the tofu for the vegans. The Folks at Ford are a lot like the hosts who planned the perfect party, they thought of everything. The Transit starts with a proven platform that has logged millions of miles through more than 600,000 sales since its introduction in Europe in 2002. While built with the small business professional in mind, when spec’d with the optional second row seating, there is room for five full size persons along with coolers full of 2,000 or so of your favorite beverages. Without the second row, you can haul 3,495 12oz cans of iced beverages. That alone makes for a great party even without the hot dogs. Going beyond payload capacity and cubic feet there are some very useful electronics including a built-in computer with internet access from Sprint™, GPS from Garmin™, Tool Link™ from DeWalt® and Crew Chief™ from microlise®. These are heavy hitters in their respective industries and to do their systems justice you need to access www.fordworksolutions.com. Suffice it to say the systems are well integrated and are simple to use although I would suggest not showing off those gizmos at the party if you’ve helped yourself to some of those iced beverages.

First impressions of the Transit were deceiving. It doesn’t look that big on the outside and the pictures I’d seen didn’t prepare me for the remarkable amount of room inside. One would think a 5,000 pound vehicle powered by a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine would struggle. However, with its 4-speed automatic transmission coupled with a 4:20 final drive, it has reasonably good power and stopping ability even when loaded with 1600 pounds of play sand bags as one our test vehicles was. You can carry a lot of sand, coolers and people in this thing. The exterior is like a blank canvas begging for your companies personalized name and logo. With the money saved in fuel each month (22/25 mpg), I can see a lot of company parties in its future. Prices start at $21,475.

Auto Red Book Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

ARB On The Cover Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

For a long time, many people considered the Toyota Prius to be a 50-mpg geekmobile, chosen by holier-than-thou environmental whack jobs. Then we had a $5.00/gallon gasoline scare, the economy went into the dumper and the frugalness of the Prius Hybrid started to look better to "normal" people. Problem is, these so-called "normal" people wanted a better driving experience than the Prius had to offer. Sure, people want to be responsible citizens, but not at the expense of personal comfort and satisfaction. Enter the 2010 Prius. It's a little bigger, drives a little better and has a little more power than the outgoing model. It's an easier pill to swallow for someone abandoning a vehicle they actually wanted for a vehicle they think they should have. Yeah, it still looks like a geekmobile, but it's finished off nicer and looks slightly more mainstream. If you squint. It's also more fun to drive. Not really fun in the normal sense, but better than it was. Still, the worse things get for people overall, the more appealing a car like this is to people that can afford to buy something. The Prius is socially acceptable, and that may be it's greatest strength.

In Memory of Jack Heffinger

Price Digests is sad to report the loss of Automobile Red Book analyst, Jack Heffinger. Jack began his career with the Red Book 50 years ago this year, and a more dedicated employee you will never meet.

Jack's father founded the Automobile Red Book 99 years ago, therefore Jack had more than a passing interest in what we do here. His input has been invaluable over the years as he inspired us, guided us and pushed us to do the best job we possibly could.

Everyone here will truly miss Jack and everything he brought to our company. The Automobile Red Book and the auto industry will never be the same. Jack was 86.