2013

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.

(Gallery at Bottom)

(Gallery at Bottom)

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!

REVIEW: 2013 Porsche Panamera 4

One of the most iconic car brands, without a doubt, is Porsche. From the 356 to the Cayenne to the Panamera (and all 50 years of the 911), Porsche has been setting the bar high for competitors and the design of their cars shows no bounds.

Thanks to Jake at Town Porsche in Englewood, we were able to get into the Panamera 4, Porsche’s 4-door fastback sedan and drive it around New Jersey for the day. With a Black exterior and Luxor Beige interior, we were excited to get on the road! Driving around the winding roads of Alpine & Englewood Cliffs’ Palisades Interstate Park (and having to maneuver around crater-sized potholes), the Panamera really hugged the turns and kept its feet planted firmly on the ground.

 

With a 300 horsepower V6 engine, producing 295 lb-ft. of torque, the Panamera 4 shoots to 60 in under 6 seconds. When engaged in Sport Plus mode, the shifts of the transmission were lightning quick and the responsiveness of the vehicle was astronomical.

Our Panamera test car came fully loaded with every option in the book, including the Premium Package which includes Porsche Active Suspension Management and Bi-Xenon headlights with Porsche’s Dynamic Light System and ParkAssist (Front and Rear) with reverse camera. Also included in the Premium Package are heated seats (front and rear), heated steering wheel and Power Steering Plus (where at speed, the steering gets tighter for more control).

Additional interior features included 14-way(!) power-seats with memory, front seat ventilation and an analog/digital stopwatch with driver modes that include engine mapping, steering, suspension, traction control and more. Audio features included SiriusXM, a 6-disc CD changer, and a whopping 14 Bose® speakers and amplifier. Pricing for the base Panamera starts in the high $70k’s and for the Turbo S, it can climb to well over $200,000.

We thought the Panamera 4 was a great car — with all-wheel-drive, performance and the looks, what more could you want from a luxury-performance car?

Pros: Stylish and luxurious, acceleration and shifting in Sport Plus mode, great Bose audio system, sensors around the car letting you know when you are too close to objects or cars.

Cons: Shifting using the buttons on the steering wheel took some getting used to.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $78,100 || Price as Tested: $92,815

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

Engine: 3.6L 300hp, 295-lb. ft., V6 || Transmission: 7-speed automated manual

Curb Weight: 4,012 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 195.7/76.0/55.8 inches

0-60: 5.8 seconds  || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 18/26 mpg

RATING: 8.7/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 9 

Braking: 9

Ride: 8

Handling: 9 

Gearbox: 9

Audio: 10

Tech: 9

Value: 7

We’d like to thank Jake Semon at Town Porsche for getting us into the new Panamera 4! 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 them Greg and Dave sent you!

2013 Mercedes Benz E350 Review

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302 horsepower? Check. All-wheel drive? Check. Perfect combination for the winter storm we just had in the Northeast. We’ve been driving the 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 for the past week and we have got to say — it’s a pretty awesome car. Granted, the vibrating steering wheel when you change lines without a signal or the seat belts that tighten when you turn on the car might scare you, but that’s all in the name of safety.

Our E350 had a 3.5L V6 producing 302 horsepower and 273 ft.-lbs. of torque, perfectly mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The suspension rode beautifully over bumps and hills, the turning circle was massive and the steering made it a real treat to drive. At almost 16 feet long, you knew you were riding in style.

If you’re a tall person like myself, you know that any passenger sitting behind the driver has to be a small child or very petite person. Not in the E350. Ample rear legroom allowed for a 6-foot tall passenger to sit behind me with room to spare. The options in our E350 included the Premium 1 package which comes with the Harmon Kardon audio system, iPhone connectivity, Sirius radio, heated seats and a backup camera with an amazingly clear picture, among other things.

Recommended? Absolutely. Much better than the 2011 E350 we’ve driven, which had the sport suspension and the smaller engine. The 2013 E350 is a great car for families and businessmen. Our test vehicle, with the Premium 1 package and 4MATIC system, had an MSRP of $55,900. Grade: A-

*During the coming days, we will be working on an appropriate rating system for our test drives.*