REVIEW: 2013 Ford F250 XLT Super Duty
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Having our first pickup truck to review, we had nothing to compare it to. Now, we know there’s very little to compare to it! Setting the bar high, Englewood Ford got us into the F250 and it was a blast. With a large 6.2L V8 engine pushing out 385 horsepower, we were certain that you could get the truck moving, but moving as fast as it did surprised us. With a 0-60 time of just over 7 seconds for a more than 6,000lb. truck, we were impressed.

While driving the F250, we noticed it had a very smooth, comfortable and enjoyable ride. When making turns or turning around, the large turning radius helped greatly  and the reverse sensors definitely came in handy when backing up! With power extending mirrors and 405 lb-ft. of torque, you’re in great hands with towing a trailer. Additional options included a power sliding rear window, roof clearance lights and AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with USB compatibility. The only drawbacks we found with the F250 was that it was a little dated on the interior and it hadn’t come with the optional leather seats which would have been nice in a $46,000 truck, but other than that, it was very pleasant to drive and highly recommended!

 

Pros: Drove very smoothly for such a large vehicle; great turning radius, acceleration for a 3-ton vehicle was phenomenal, great amount of features for towing and 4WD, good looks!

Cons: Interior was dated; for almost $50grand, I want leather seats!

 

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $29,875 || Price as Tested: $46,440

Vehicle Layout: 5-passenger, 4-door, two- or four-wheel-drive pickup truck

Engine: 6.2L V8, 385hp, 405tq || Transmission: 6-speed Automatic

Curb Weight:  6,347lbs || Length/Width/Height: 246.8/104.9/79.7 inches

0-60:  7.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 15/20 mpg

 

RATING: 7.9/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 7

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 8

Ride: 8

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 8

Value: 8

We’d like to thank Steve at Englewood Ford for getting us into the F250. For all of your Ford needs, go check out Englewood Ford in Englewood, NJ and online at http://englewoodford.com/. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show

It may have rained today but as they say, “The show must go on!” And that is exactly what happened at the 3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show. Below please feel free to browse the gallery of cars that made it out for the car show at Northern Valley Demarest High School in Demarest, NJ.

REVIEW: 2013 Volvo XC60 R-Design
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Driving the Volvo XC60 R-Design proved to be a pleasant surprise. Let’s just put that out front. Initially, I had thought it would be your typical soccer mom vehicle — roomy enough to fill the trunk with hockey sticks, mildly sluggish and just generally unappealing. After driving the XC60, my expectations were blown away, and I’m happy to say that I am actually considering getting it once the lease on my current car is up.

Bridging the gap between the XC70 and XC90 (funny how the numbers work out), our XC60 came with 20″ stylish 5-spoke R-Design alloy wheels, the Volvo Sensus system with Integrated 7-inch color LCD monitor, laminated panoramic roof with power sunshade, Xenon headlights with Active Bending, Keyless Drive, Bluetooth Hands Free Phone interface with audio streaming, heated power outside rearview mirrors, High Performance Audio system with 4 x 40 Amplifier and 8 speakers, CD/MP3/HD Radio/USB and SiriusXM. It also had the Blind Spot Information System and the Climate Package & Child Booster Seats, which includes heated front seats, heated windshield washer nozzles, Interior Air Quality System and dual two-stage child booster seats.

The XC60 was great to drive — super comfortable, very sporty and backed by Volvo’s renowned vehicle safety. Acceleration in the car was superb — when you stepped on it, it moved. The panoramic roof was great to look out of and the central location of the controls (radio, AC, etc.) was very easy to maneuver. Interior styling was excellent — with two-tone leather and aluminum accents, it had a very good looking interior and was roomy as well. The only drawback of the car was it’s price — a little pricey for a small SUV. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the XC60 and think it’s a well-rounded vehicle and we’d still consider it one of our top picks.

 

Pros: Unexpectedly fast, very spacious & comfortable, good styling cues, easy navigation on steering wheel controls.

Cons: Its’ price.

 

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $34,350 || Price as Tested: $47,345

Vehicle Layout: Front Engine, AWD, 5-passenger Crossover

Engine: Turbocharged 3.0L 6-cylinder, 325-hp, 354 lb-ft torque || Transmission: Six-speed Automatic

Curb Weight:  4,225 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 182.2/74.4/67.4 inches

0-60:  5.7 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 17/23 MPG

 

RATING: 8.4/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 9

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 9

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 8

 

We’d like to thank Jay Tobia at Englewood Volvo for getting us into the impressive XC60 R-Design. For all of your Volvo needs, go check out Englewood Volvo in Englewood, NJ and online at http://www.kundertvolvo.com. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

Having never had a coupe before, I wasn’t sure what to think of the Accord V6 Coupe when I found out we were going to review it. I always imagined coupes to be a giant pain in the rear — having to fold the seats forward to get anyone in the back and having limited interior room. After being pleasantly surprised with the Accord V6 Coupe’s performance and comfort, it’s no wonder so many people choose coupes like this and forgo any notions about 2-door inconveniences.

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Our San Marino Red Accord V6 Coupe came to us with beautiful & comfortable black leather and stylish 18″ wheels. With a smooth but quick shifting 6-speed manual, this car was a huge amount of fun to drive. Performance of the car was excellent, with a 5.6 second 0-60 time and a sound from the exhaust that I still play back in my head. The exterior of the car was complimented with LED Daytime Running Lights and a decklid spoiler. Interior features included a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, heated front seats, heated power door mirrors with turn indicators, Intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) with rear multi-view reverse camera as well as LaneWatch (when you activate the right turn signal, a camera in the passenger side mirror shows the right rear area outside of the vehicle on the main display) and push-button start. Audio features included a 360-watt 7-speaker sound system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/USB & XM Satellite Radio, as well as Pandora Internet Radio and Bluetooth Handsfree, mated to an audio touch-screen system. Another great aspect of tech in this car is an SMS Text Message reading functionality where your text messages are read to you and you can select from six built-in reply messages.

As one of Car & Driver’s 10 Best Cars for 2013, it’s a well deserved accolade. This car was great fun to drive and incredibly affordable ($31,140), given the great amount of technology in it.

Pros: Fun & nimble coupe, great looks, spirited V6, smooth gearbox, comfortable seats, great features & well equipped for the price.

Cons: Rear leg room is not great, figuring out the touchscreen interfaces took a bit of time.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $30,350 || Price as Tested: $31,140

Vehicle Layout: Front Engine, FWD, 5-passenger, 2-door Coupe

Engine: 3.5-Liter V-6, 278hp, 252 lb.-ft. torque || Transmission: 6-Speed manual transmission

Curb Weight: 3,399lbs || Length/Width/Height: 189.2/72.8/56.5 inches

0-60: 5.6 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 18/28 MPG

RATING: 8.6/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 9 

Braking: 8

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 9

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 9

We’d like to thank Herbie Rosario and Arthur McCracken at Honda Of Tenafly for getting us into the 2013 Honda Accord. For all of your Honda needs, go check out Honda of Tenafly in Tenafly, NJ and online at http://www.hondaoftenafly.com. Make sure you tell them Greg and Dave sent you!

3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show

Come out to the Northern Valley High School in Demarest, NJ for the 3rd Annual PBA Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show. We’ll be there!

Location:
162 Knickerbocker Road, Demarest, New Jersey

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REVIEW: 2013 Tesla Model S

As gearheads, we get excited about the firing of an ignition in a Lamborghini, the exhaust note on a Porsche and the smell of gasoline in the morning. These are things we truly enjoy — hearing, seeing and smelling the movements on internal-combustion engine equipped cars. When you hear “electric car”, you think of ones that have died off a couple of years ago or you think of short-range, lower-priced cars that just can’t keep up with today’s technology. Well–that’s all changed. We bring to you, our loyal readers of The AUTOcracy, the 2013 Model S. *Cue dramatic music.*

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Driving this car is like driving a dream — if that’s possible. The eery silence of the motor when you accelerate to 70 or the fact that you can get to 70 in under 5 seconds alone by being held back in your seat due to the sheer power of the Model S is emphatically satisfying. With 7000 lithium-ion cells, the 85-kwH battery pack weighs more than 1300 pounds and is five feet wide, eight feet long, and a third of a foot thick. With a standard charger, the battery can be recharged in about 10 hours, however, with the Supercharger hardware (which was included with our car), you can get a 150-mile recharge in 30 minutes from any one of the Supercharges located across the US.

With the base Model S starting at $62,000, additional options and battery sizes can increase the price to just into the 6-digit range. Our Model S had an as-tested price of $106,350 with options such as a panoramic all-glass roof, black performance interior with carbon fiber trim, active air suspension, dual rear facing seats (allowing for up to 6 passengers, plus driver), supercharger hardware, a carbon fiber rear spoiler and beautiful 21″ performance Carbon Gray wheels. The driver-friendly interior was accented with comfortable black leather seats, and dominated by a massive 17″ capacitive touchscreen with media, communication, cabin, and vehicle controls — it’s amazing that there were almost no buttons in this car. It also had the Tech and Sound Studio package. The Tech package includes GPS navigation system with onboard maps and free map updates for 7 years, keyless entry, high-def backup camera, Xenon headlights, LED cornering lights, power rear liftgate, GPS-enabled Homelink system, memory seats, ground lighting under door handles and electrochromatic side mirrors. The Sound Studio package includes XM satellite radio, a 580-watt 12-speaker Dolby ProLogic 7.1 sound system, and storage space for more than 3,000 songs.

With a 4-year/50,000 mile warranty and an 8-year/Unlimited-mile battery warranty, you’re in good hands. There was just one drawback that we saw in the car — and that was the loose steering under heavy acceleration. Hitting the gas to merge onto the highway, we would have to compensate for steering. But, that’s it. The 99,000 other amazing things about the Model S trump that one minor issue, which I can’t seem to remember what it was anymore.

Driving the Tesla Model S, truly was a treat. From pulling onto Route 208 in North Jersey and getting ripped back into the seat by the monstrous response time and torque or the massive touchscreen in the center console that controls literally everything — it was amazing. The silence of the motor and the smoothness of the ride was just so comfortable, it’s understandable why this is one of our most favorite cars. Having been presented with numerous accolades and high ratings from other journalists, this car holds a lot of promise and benchmarking for the future.

Pros: an incredible amount of technology both inside the car and on the car itself; acceleration was superior to almost anything comparable; storage/trunk space was plentiful — due to the lack of an engine, there are two trunks; giant touch screen dash made everything easy to read and easy to reach; great looks.

Cons: Under heavy acceleration, the car would pull in either direction, where we would have to compensate steering.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $87,400 || Price as Tested: $106,350

Vehicle Layout: rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 5+2-passenger, 5-door sedan

Engine: AC permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor; 85 kWh lithium-ion battery; 420hp & 440lb-ft tq. (equivalent) || Transmission: 1-speed direct drive automatic

Curb Weight: 4,785 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 196.0/77.3/56.5 inches

0-60: 4.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 88/90 MPGe

RATING: 9.7/10

Exterior: 10

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 10 

Braking: 10

Ride: 10

Handling: 10 

Gearbox: 10

Audio: 9

Tech: 10

Value: 9

We’d like to thank Stephen Martinique at Tesla Garden State Plaza for getting us into the beautiful Model S. For all your Tesla needs, go check out Tesla Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ and online at http://www.teslamotors.com/gardenstateplaza. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid SE

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Hybrids. Usually not the favored vehicles of gearheads, but favored by those who want to do good for the environment. Recently, we had the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid SE — a car you should be seeing a lot more of. Combining German engineering and a hybrid engine, the Jetta Hybrid wowed us. Standalone hybrid vehicles are obvious on the roads — but the Jetta blends in and with the exception of some LED taillights (and optional LED headlights), some Hybrid badging and a different grille, it’s not an obvious hybrid. With an estimated annual fuel cost of only $1,250 and fuel economy of 42/48mpg city/hwy, you’re driving a stylish car that doubles as a great addition to the already environmentally-friendly Jetta model line.

The vehicle we tested had a stylish Frost Silver exterior and Titan Black V-Tex leatherette interior. With a Premium VIII touchscreen radio with CD player, MDI with iPod cable in the glove compartment and SiriusXM radio, the Jetta Hybrid is perfect for long car rides, with ample music opportunities. It also had Climatronic climate control, heated exterior mirrors with turn signal indicators, rear spoiler and keyless access with push button remote start.

With a 1.4L, 150hp, gas powered engine and a 20kW electirc motor, the Jetta Hybrid produces a combined 170 horsepower and 184 lb/ft of torque. Getting from 0-60 was respectable, with an 8.6 second time. It took a little while to get used to the regenerative brakes, as when you stepped on the brake pedal, it felt like something was clamping down on the wheels, but over time, we were able to get used to it and admired the feature. It had a very comfortable ride and for a hybrid, it was pretty awesome. Definitely a recommendation on our end from the hybrid-vehicle standpoint.

Pros: For the price you pay, it was optioned out very well; would never know it was a hybrid just by the looks of it; very comfortable

Cons: Regenerative brakes were a little touchy and took some time getting used to; could use a little more low-end torque

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $26,990 || Price as Tested: $28,055

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, FWD, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 1.4L I4 & 20kW motor; 170 hp; 184 lb/ft torque || Transmission: 7-speed DSG automatic

Curb Weight:  3,311 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 182.8/70/57.2 inches

0-60:  8.6 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 42/48mpg

RATING: 7.9/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 7 

Braking: 6

Ride: 8

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 9

We’d like to thank Maritza Acosta at East Coast Volkswagen for getting us into a the new Jetta Hybrid — we thought the car was a great example of a hybrid! For all your VW needs, go check out East Coast Volkswagen in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and online at www.eastcoastvw.com. Make sure you tell them Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Porsche Boxster

I’m just going to put this out front — formerly known as the “poor man’s Porsche”, the 2013 Boxster blew us away — and this wasn’t even the Boxster S! With an as-tested price of $56,565, the Boxster is a fast, lightweight convertible sports car. The looks we received while driving this — the cyclist who stopped us to say “nice car”, the other Boxster owner who did a thumbs up out of the top of his car when we both had our tops down in 45 degree weather, or the photographers who confused it for a Ferrari — were very satisfying. This car really turns heads.

Our Boxster had 19-inch Boxster S wheels, Porsche’s 7-speed PDK Automatic transmission and the convenience package. The convenience package includes a wind deflector screen, 2-zone automatic air conditioning (two separate control settings for driver and passenger) and dual heated seats. With a black exterior and a black leather interior, our car really shined. The Boxster features auto start-stop, AM/FM/CD player with 4 very loud speakers and a speed-activated rear spoiler. The black cloth top is able to be retracted or put up in just under 10 seconds and even goes up or down at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour — so no having to wait until you’re at a light to drop the top.

With 265 horsepower and a curb weight of under 3,000 pounds, the Boxster was propelled to 60 in 5.4 seconds. Pricing starts at just under $50,000.

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Pros: great looks, great fun and a great price! The Boxster had everything we would really need in a convertible. The performance was excellent and the technology was very easy to work with.

Cons: Tall people won’t be very comfortable in the passenger seat.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $49,500 || Price as Tested: $56,565

Vehicle Layout: Mid-engine, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible

Engine: 2.7L H6, 265hp, 206-lb. ft. || Transmission: 7-speed PDK Automatic

Curb Weight: 2,954 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 172.2/70.9/50.5 inches

0-60: 5.4 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 22/32 mpg

RATING: 9.2/10

Exterior: 10

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 9 

Braking: 9

Ride: 9

Handling: 10 

Gearbox: 10

Audio: 10

Tech: 9

Value: 8

We’d like to thank Jake Semon at Town Porsche for getting us into the new Boxster. For all your Porsche needs, go check out Town Porsche in Englewood, NJ and online at www.town-motorcar.porschedealer.com. Make sure you tell him Greg and Dave sent you!

REVIEW: 2013 Lincoln MKS

When thinking of Lincoln’s largest family sedan, we would typically think of the Town Car. The MKS has revamped Lincoln’s lineup as their top sedan and has done it in style. With Lincoln’s MKS, they’ve expanded their market to appeal to a younger audience as well. We stopped at Town Motors in Englewood and picked up our Lincoln for the day and definitely left with all positive thoughts.

 

Our Lincoln MKS had a very smooth ride and felt very luxurious. For a big sedan it did not drive like a “boat” as one would expect. The non Ecoboost engine had plenty of power under the hood which made me think that the Ecoboost engine would be a great experience. If you are someone in search for a sedan with plenty of features and space, this is the one for you.

Pros: Spacious trunk and back seat, well powered even without the EcoBoost, great design, a lot of features for what you pay.

Cons: Navigating the entertainment system proved to have some challenges, similar to the MKZ.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $42,870 || Price as Tested: $53, 565

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, AWD, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 3.7L V6 || Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic w/ Paddle Activation

Curb Weight: 4391 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 205.6/85.5/61.6 inches

0-60: 6.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 18/27 mpg

RATING: 8.0/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 7

Braking: 8

Ride: 8

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 8

We’d like to thank Ted Siebold of Town Motors in Englewood, NJ for getting us into the 2013 Lincoln MKS! For all your Lincoln needs, go check out Town Lincoln in Englewood, NJ and online at http://www.townmotors.com. Make sure you tell them Greg and Dave sent you!