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The Car is Back—and Better than Ever!

Style, substance, comfort and cargo are not just for the high and mighty

Sometimes a potential automotive buyer has to seriously justify the need to purchase a new vehicle. But right now, there are a lot of very good reasons to buy or lease a car.

Gas Mileage

Every time you turn around, the local filling stations have added another two to five cents per gallon. And it hits you right in the wallet. As summer and holidays approach, there doesn't appear to be any sign that prices are going to drop. That's hard on everyone.

The answer is to consider a more economical vehicle. Today, most manufacturers are offering cars and small wagons that boast considerably more miles per gallon. Check to see what each car claims as its average MPG on the window sticker, and then think about how less often you have to go to the pump with this more fuel-efficient car.

SUV Overload?

SUVs are not as hot as they used to be. You drive past a soccer field or a home improvement center and you often see a sea of big, overgrown gas-guzzlers. Yes, we love our SUVs, because we crave space and need to carry everything all at once, but today's cars are far more practical than ever before. Automotive designers have realized that an SUV is not for everyone and have neatly included many of those vehicles' key attributes in the modern sedan.

There's more storage in the trunk these days. These cars can take a lot, and as rear seats individually fold down, you can put longer items in the trunk and still have someone sit in the back. The emphasis is on both comfort AND accommodations—for people AND their stuff.

Big-Three Trends

Virtually every auto manufacturer has recognized the importance of the car, but nowhere is this more evident than among the three largest domestic automakers (Ford, GM, and DaimlerChrysler), all of whom have declared that they have turned their attention back to building the type of vehicles—that is, cars—that their core audience always preferred. This ranges from traditional four-door sedans to fast, limited edition sports cars that will become the flagships of their respective brands. The key point is that rear wheel drive has returned, and with a vengeance.

As a result of this renewed emphasis, we are fortunate to see a wealth of new designs—many of which are quite attractive—ready to be launched this year or next, with still others perhaps further down the road (whetting the consumers' appetites as their "prototypes" are unveiled at the all-important auto shows), all the while gauging public opinion as to their potential success.

"Retro" design continues to reign among most car companies. The success of several current cars on the road today, which are based on their popular predecessors or previous versions built and discontinued many years before, has proven that consumers in particular favor the look of a car with which they are familiar. It helps recapture some special moment from the past or reminds us of a car we grew up with—except this model is a modern version with automatic this and power that, fuel injection, a catalytic converter, airbags and other safety equipment. With that comes a higher price tag, of course, but it includes peace of mind and, generally, a better warranty.

Wagonesque

Out to replace the SUV in many quarters and garages is another version of the car: the modern station wagon, generally referred to as anything but—with names like "sportback," "five-door hatchback" and the like. Today's example is as effective a product-and-people "hauler" as any larger SUV. They're easier to get into and, in many cases, offer better handling and increased fuel efficiency. They aren't so cookie cutter as the typical SUV box, and come with a variety of engines and options.

In fact, many smaller SUVs or SAVs, depending on which manufacturer you are considering, are more frequently based on a car chassis. Using this strategy as the foundation for their smaller, and likely faster and sportier, activity vehicles and wagons gives the consumer the car ride they crave with the storage capacity of the bigger utility vehicle.

Green with Envy

Finally, for those buyers who worry about the environment AND want a vehicle that is highly fuel efficient, there is the option of acquiring a hybrid. What's a hybrid, you ask?

With electric vehicles still relatively impractical as manufacturers search for more effective, less costly and lighter batteries, the attention is on building cars that use a gasoline engine and an electric motor which work together to yield fuel and emissions savings. A hybrid typically offers a longer range than that of a pure electric car and is widely accepted as more preferable from an emissions standpoint than both gasoline- and diesel-powered cars. In addition, both the federal and state governments are taking aggressive stances in mandating that auto manufacturers include a hybrid-based car within their fleet of consumer vehicles available for sale.

Gradually, as manufacturers develop these models, they will take on even more features found on their gasoline-powered siblings, with similar characteristics and eventually, performance capabilities. Automotive technology and consumer demand will make sure these cars are as attractive as their counterparts and aren't targeted at just the ecologists and "tree huggers."

Certainly, there are new choices that mean the car is ready to regain its place in society. It's no longer the car you rent rather than own, but one you would be proud to park in your driveway. Today, both style and substance have made a comeback in the car. And that's great for consumers and manufacturers alike.