tenafly

Tenafly’s Newest Addition…

It’s First Responder Friday and Tenafly’s got a new rig in town! In a small town in Bergen County, New Jersey, the Tenafly Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC) provides emergency medical services to the 14,000 residents who call this town home, and the countless passersby who visit, since 1992.

Previously using two Ford E350 ambulances from the early 2000’s, TVAC needed an upgrade to their decade-plus old fleet- enter the 2014 Horton 623T, codenamed 42. Built on an International Terrastar 108 chassis, the Horton 623T features a MaxxForce 7 turbodiesel V8 engine, designed to meet the needs of medium-duty commercial and emergency vehicles. The MaxxForce 7 features up to 300 horsepower and 660 lb.-ft. of torque, with high-pressure common-rail fuel system, compacted graphite iron block and dual sequential turbochargers to deliver optimal performance.

TVAC Lieutenant of Operations (and Autocracy cofounder!) David Novick says, “the new 42 is modern & up-to-date, uses better technology and has alot of safety upgrades that have been implemented over the years to help keep both the medical personnel and patient safe”.

Vehicle features include a Maxxforce diesel engine, 19.5″ rims & tires, walk through cab access, rear dock bumpers, privacy windows, Roadmaster front & rear stabilizer bar, Vanner 20A 1050-DC charger inverter, HOPS (Horton Occupant Protection) System, Intelliplex Multiplex electrical system and Kussmaul 20A super auto eject shoreline.

Emergency features are plentiful, with a Whelen LINZ6-TAZ86RR custom rear light bar, Whelen “M” series lighting, wig wag headlights, LED docking lights, ICC marker lights, Whelen M9 series scene lights, below body ground lighting, Medium duty chassis air horns, Whelen 295SLSA1 siren and Sho-Me/Able 2 30.222 undercover siren.

Inside the patient compartment, Tenafly’s new ambulance comes complete with (2) 110V interior outlets, (2) IV hangers, (3) 12VDC interior outlets, a CO detector, (2) fire extinguishers, CPR seat, Cool Tech II HVAC system, (3) oxygen outlets, child safety seat, SSCOR aspirator, UV lamp in A/C system duct, report light, sound proofing/acoustic package, Avonite countertops, recessed stair chair pocket and (2) Perko power vents.

 

REVIEW: 2016 Honda Accord Touring


We’ll just put this right out front – this is not your grandfather’s Accord anymore. As one of the United States’ top selling vehicles year over year, how do you improve something that’s already great? With new sporty looks & other visual tweaks for 2016, I think Honda’s got the job under control.

We took a drive in Honda’s 2016 Accord Touring sedan, thanks to our friends at Honda of Tenafly. With a powerful 3.5-liter V6 producing 278 horses, the get-up-and-go factor on this lightweight, mid-sized sedan is prevalent – getting up to 60mph in under 6 seconds. With a smooth shifting 6-speed-automatic transmission (only available on V6 models), the Accord Touring was a treat to drive. Although the Accord Touring comes standard with 19″ sport black-accented wheels, the ride was not very rough, all while taking turns like a champ.

The interior is complemented with leather-trimmed seats and a leather wrapped steering wheel, audio system with 7 speakers, a 7-inch touchscreen audio display with Honda’s Satellite-linked Navigation, Voice Recognition & Multi-View Rear Camera. Technology and other creature comforts include SMS Text Messaging functionality, USB audio interface, push-button start, Honda LaneWatch (camera mounted on passenger-side mirror), heated front and rear seats. Also included in the Touring is Honda’s Sensing Package, which has features like Collision Mitigation Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Road Departure Mitigation.

On the outside, the car has 19″x8″ sport alloy wheels, LED headlights with auto-high beam, LED fog lights, rain sensing wipers, heated power door mirrors with turn indicators, LED taillights, remote start, front and rear parking sensors and rear decklid spoiler.

Overall, this was a stellar car and it definitely makes our recommended vehicles list. With the styling & power of a sports sedan and the comfortable ride of a luxo-barge, it combines the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for a fun sedan with plenty of room, that’s both fuel and budget efficient, you’ve found your match – at just under $35,000.

Pros: Great deal of technology and safety features, smooth ride, quick acceleration, great styling cues

Cons: Great deal of technology, torque steer

 

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $34,680 || Price as Tested: $34,680

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder, 278-hp,  252 lb-ft torque || Transmission: 6-speed automatic, with sport mode

Curb Weight:  3,605 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 192.5/72.8/57.7 inches

0-60:   5.6 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 21/34 MPG

 

RATING: 8.3/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 7

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 9

Ride: 8

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

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 2016 Honda Accord Touring. For all of your Honda needs, go check out Honda of Tenafly in Tenafly, NJ and online at www.hondaoftenafly.com. Make sure you tell them Greg and Dave sent you!

 

REVIEW: 2014 Kia Cadenza

Kia has, yet again, set the bar high for luxury automakers with the 2014 Cadenza. With a car that’s under $40,000, you can be rolling with the same features (and then some!) as a $70,000 luxury car.

Thanks to Tenafly Kia, we were able to really get a feel for the Cadenza — with its’ sleek Aurora Black exterior and Black Nappa leather interior. With a 3.3L V6 engine producing 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft. of torque and a 0-60 time of just over 6 seconds, the Cadenza is able to keep up with many of the larger sedans on the road today.

On the outside, you’ll find front LED positioning lights, heated power folding mirrors with turn signal indicators, LED tail lights, back-up warning & camera and stylish 18″ wheels.

When you step inside through the red illuminated door plates, you’re greeted by a slew of luxury and technology. The Infinity Surround Sound Audio system, accompanied by Kia’s UVO eServices system, made it easy to enjoy the standard Sirius/XM satellite radio and Bluetooth wireless technology. The navigation system was easy to see and use thanks to the 8″ display and the heated seats kept you warm. Our car was also equipped with the Luxury Package, which includes a panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, HID headlights with adaptive lighting, the Nappa leather seats, a power driver’s seat cushion extension, ventilated driver’s seat, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power tilt steering wheel, integrated memory system, power rear sunshade and a Supervision meter cluster with 7″ color LCD for the speedometer and additional information.

Driving the car was a real treat, as well. Anyone who lives in New Jersey or the New York City Metropolitan area knows that this area is littered, I mean LITTERED, with potholes. The Cadenza had a very surprisingly smooth ride and absorbed those potholes like it was its’ job. There was very little road noise and overall, it was very enjoyable driving it.

At an as-tested price of just over $39,000, you really can’t get a better deal than that.

 

Pros: Really smooth ride, great amount of tech, interior was very comfortable and stylish, looks like a $70,000 sedan, panoramic sunroof was a great touch

Cons: Could use a little more power since it’s nearly two tons

 

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $35,100 || Price as Tested: $39,030

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, 4-door sedan

Engine: 3.3-liter, 6-cylinder, 293-hp,  255 lb-ft torque || Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Curb Weight:  3,789 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 195.5/72.8/58.1 inches

0-60:   6.2 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 19/28 MPG

 

RATING: 8.4/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 7

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 9

Value: 9

A big thank you goes to Tenafly Kia — ranked in the top 3 Kia dealerships nationwide for Customer Sales Satisfaction. For all of your Kia needs, speak to Keith Yasso at Tenafly Kia and tell them Greg sent you. Check them out at www.tenaflykia.com.

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!

2013 Kia Optima SXL Review

Kia has truly come along way — first being known as the economy car, now to being known as a top-of-the-line luxury car. The 2013 Kia Optima was everything we thought it was going to be, plus so much more. The SXL we had from Tenafly Kia was the best model you could get and it had everything in it but the kitchen sink.

Our test vehicle was equipped with unique design 18″ chrome wheels, panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, LED tail lights, LED daytime running lights and the UVO eServices Infotainment System with Voice-Command Navigation mated to an 8″ display with Sirius radio. It also had a push-button start with a smart key, Infinity Surround Sound Audio System with 8 speakers, amplifier and subwoofer. It also has heated and ventilated front leather seats. All of these top-notch features gave the car a luxury feel and we feel that there was nothing Kia left out of this car.

The Optima SXL has a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine, producing 274 horsepower & 269 ft-lb of torque, hooked up to a 6-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with tiptronic and paddle shifters. Weighing in at 3,385 lbs, the turbocharged 4-cylinder pushed the car to 60 from 0 in just over 6 seconds, which we thought was pretty quick. The Optima also features an ECO-mode which helps the car achieve a fuel economy of 22 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.

Pros: A luxurious sports sedan, we thought the Optima SXL was very stylish. The features were a lot better than expected. The amount of technology in the car, from a touch screen voice command navigation, Bluetooth and AUX & USB iPod hookup, was very impressive. When at a rolling start, the pick-up of the turbocharged 4-cylinder was noteworth–we both thought it felt like a high-performance V6. The car values for about 35grand which is no doubt a big bang for your buck.

Cons: Because it’s front-wheel-drive, under normal acceleration patterns, the Optima sometimes struggled to gain traction.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $26,800 || Price as Tested: $35,570

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

Engine: 2.0L, 274-hp, 269-lb-ft. turbocharged 4-cylinder || Transmission: 6-speed electronically-controlled Sportmatic

Curb Weight: 3,385 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 190.7/72/57.3 inches

0-60: 6.6 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 22/34 mpg

RATING: 8.8/10

Exterior: 9

Interior: 9

Acceleration: 8

Braking: 8

Ride: 8

Handling: 9

Gearbox: 9

Audio: 9

Tech: 9

Value: 9

A big thank you goes to Tenafly Kia — ranked in the top 3 Kia dealerships nationwide for Customer Sales Satisfaction. For all of your Kia needs, speak to Keith Yasso at Tenafly Kia and tell them Greg and Dave sent you. Check them out at www.tenaflykia.com.

2014 Kia Sorento SX V6 Review

Recently refreshed for 2014, the Kia Sorento was nothing short of an exceptional vehicle. The SX we had from Tenafly Kia was one step below the top-of-the-line Limited model, but this vehicle had everything we could need in a car.

Our test vehicle was equipped with stylish 19″ alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, roof rails, LED tail lights, the UVO eServices Infotainment System with Voice-Command Navigation mated to an 8″ display with Sirius radio. It also had a power liftgate, push-button start with a smart key, the Infinity Surround Sound Audio System with 10 speakers, amplifier and subwoofer, and heated and ventilated front leather seats. Another thing it had was an all-new digital speedometer, giving the car a luxury feel. What more could we ask for?

The Sorento SX has a 3.3L V6 engine, producing 290 horsepower & 252 ft-lb of torque, mated to a 6 speed automatic, with tiptronic. Weighing in at a slightly hefty 4171 lbs, the engine pushed the car to 60 from 0 in just over 7 seconds, which we feel wasn’t too bad. The Sorento also features an ECO-mode, which help the car achieve a fuel economy of 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.

Pros: The Sorento was very roomy, features in the vehicle were a lot better than expected, there was ample elbow room for someone who is broad shouldered. The technology of the UVO eServices system was phenomenal and the value of the car you are getting for under forty grand is astounding.

Cons: Acceleration was slightly sluggish but decent for a vehicle of it’s size.

QUICK FACTS:

Base Price: $37,550 || Price as Tested: $38,550

Vehicle Layout: Front-engine, AWD, 7-passenger, 4-door SUV

Engine: 3.3L, 290-hp, 252-lb-ft. 24 valve V6 || Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 4171 lbs || Length/Width/Height: 184.4/74.2/68.3 inches

0-60: 7.3 seconds || EPA City/Highway Fuel Economy: 18/24 mpg

RATING: 8.2/10

Exterior: 8

Interior: 8

Acceleration: 7

Braking: 8

Ride: 9

Handling: 8

Gearbox: 8

Audio: 8

Tech: 10

Value: 8

A big thank you goes to Tenafly Kia — ranked in the top 3 Kia dealerships nationwide for Customer Sales Satisfaction. For all of your Kia needs, speak to Keith Yasso at Tenafly Kia and tell them Greg and Dave sent you. Check them out at www.tenaflykia.com.