2005

Ford’s 2005 Expedition makes additional updates with new V-8 and more

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Only two of us were headed to the beach. But once there, our troop grew to six people, and then briefly to seven.

To accommodate this crowd and avoid having rent a bus or to drive two vehicles to the, what turned out to be a better than average seafood restaurant and to the putt-putt golf course, we needed something that had a family-friendly third-row seat.

Choices are limited. It had to be a minivan or a mid-sized to large sport utility vehicle.

Ford’s new 2005 Five Hundred makes for ease and comfort in any seat

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Livable! That one word more than any other sums up the new Ford Five Hundred, one of the Blue Oval’s two replacements for the long-running and once-popular Taurus mid-sized sedan. (Note: the second Taurus replacement is the yet to be introduced Fusion).
 
Livable as defined by our old, tattered Webster’s means “pleasant to live in.”
 

Ford’s 2005 ZX4 ST Focus plays with the best in class

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Competition is a good thing. And that’s one of the reasons the USA is so wonderful. We thrive on competition. Competition gives us better stuff at a better price.

Mustang convertible — a cure for anything

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

TAMPA, Fla. — a late-model Mustang convertible appeared in our rearview mirror as we were cruising near the beach in Clearwater. He followed us for more than a mile and as soon as the road became four-lane, he pulled alongside our 2005 Mustang V-6 convertible, sans top. Nice car, he said admiringly.

He followed for a couple more miles and then moved in front of us where, surely to his amazement, there were about four or five ’05 Mustang GT convertibles, tops also down, rumbling down the beach road.

More than just retro – the new 2005 Mustang is a great new car

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

LOS ANGELES --- We gained confidence quickly as we came down out of the San Gabriel Mountains, outside of Los Angeles. It was a stirring drive with vistas as beautiful as you can find. But we were not distracted from the task at hand and to the credit of the car we were simply at ease behind the wheel of this new, hot GT.

Dodge Magnum is impeccable and as interesting as it looks

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

They’ve got it wrong.

They, are those who are asking the question, “Who is going to buy the 2005 Dodge Magnum?” The Magnum being the first American-built rear-wheel drive station wagon (Dodge calls it a ‘sports tourer’) available with aV8 engine since the demise of the large General Motors wagons in 1996.

Dodge Dakota makes mid-size bigger

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The little truck is gone.

Those little Toyota, Nissan and Ford miniatures that puttered around with their paltry 4-bangers in the ‘80s are now just a piece of automotive history. Trucks, like engine sizes, are getting bigger, and the death of the true compact truck is indeed at hand.

In fact, we read the obituaries in 2003 with the introduction of the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon and last fall with the introduction of a new Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier.

Chrysler’s 2005 300C sees the return of the big American sedan

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Chrysler has stirred up an unlikely but tasty automotive stew. Just ask the people who are standing in line willing to pay sticker price for the all-new Chrysler 300 and 300C in an age when rebates, no-interest loans and cut-to-the-bone prices are business as usual.

The boxy sedan with the in-your-face grille and a chop-top look has people all agape.
 

Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6, timeless beauty and masterful performance

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

When the breathtakingly gorgeous 2004 Chrysler Crossfire sports coupe finished drawing ooh’s and aah’s while it was in our possession a couple years ago, we were left happy with the week-long experience, but wishing for more horsepower.

Chevrolet Equinox takes brand in the right direction

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Chevrolet has introduced some noteworthy new products over the past couple of years. 

One of its best efforts is the 2004 mid-sized Malibu sedan, a definite step up from the previous edition. The all-new Corvette, which will reach showrooms in September, promises to be a home run.

But the bowtie division’s crowning 21st Century achievement to this point is the just-arrived 2005 Equinox sport utility vehicle.