Three Winners

Today, cars come from one of three producing areas; the Americas, Europe, or Asia. Here’s a sample from each.

The Lincoln Zephyr revives a grand old name, first used in 1936 on a futuristic, streamlined sedan. That 1936 car was a V12 version of the Ford V8s of that time. It continued in production until 1948, spawning the highly regarded Lincoln Continental in 1940.

Nothing so revolutionary in today’s Zephyr. It’s actually a twin in every way, except name and trim details, to the very capable, but ordinary, 2006 Ford Fusion, a car that carries a base price of under $20,000. The Zephyr is just as good as the Fusion, which isn’t much of a compliment considering its 25 percent higher price.

It’s hard to see what the premium price provides, except for trim of questionable taste. For example, the wood trim inside probably wanted to look Japanese-sushi-bar-contemporary, but only managed to look Mission-Street-furniture-store-1950s-Swedish-modern.

Every car sold today provides a basic level of competence. This Lincoln is no exception. It’s well made and performs adequately. But that’s not enough in the hypercompetitive world of cars. It’s like saying that Safeway’s produce is clean. That’s the minimum price of entry into the marketplace.

A few years ago, Ford moved the headquarters of its Lincoln-Mercury division to Irvine, California, hoping that exposure to the Southern California car culture would shake Lincoln out of its lethargy. The transplanted Michiganders barely survived the culture shock. Some of the braver souls wore sweaters to the office instead of business suits, but the transplant failed, and Ford moved Lincoln back to Michigan.

Lincoln’s last home in San Francisco was at 1000 Van Ness — a grand building that’s now a movie theatre. If you wanted to buy a Lincoln, you’d have to go to Santa Rosa or Menlo Park. So on 101 Highway, there’s no dealer for most of the Bay Area. A sad story for a proud old name.

Final disappointment: if you did buy a Zephyr, hoping to support U.S. industry, how would you feel when you found out the factory that makes it is in Hermosillo, Mexico, and the car is based on the Ford-owned, Japanese-designed Mazda 6?

Lexus GS 300: to paraphrase their slogan — the monotonous pursuit of perfection. Every JD Power consumer satisfaction survey for the last 15 years has shown Lexus at the top. More often than not, parent company Toyota is runner-up.

Toyota/Lexus also leads in sales-per-dealer, making the dealerships very profitable. Toyota worldwide is extremely profitable, and its products wind up at the top of consumer satisfaction surveys everywhere, including Germany. This company is remarkable. They do what GM did so well 50 years ago — build cars that customers want to buy and cars they love after the purchase. Used Toyotas and Lexus’s are sought after, high-value used cars, too. High used car values reduce the cost of ownership, including monthly lease costs.

The Lexus 300 is about 25 percent more costly than either the Lincoln or Audi reviewed here (mid-$40s). Compared to the Lincoln it’s an easy choice — vs. the Audi, not so clearly superior. While the Audi’s a lean, taut, alive feeling car, the Lexus is super-quiet and refined in a remote way. It’s obviously well-engineered to be a durable, good-performing car, but it doesn’t shout about its capabilities. More like an obedient servant.

So far in its 17-year life, the higher-priced Lexus models have been Mercedes-Benz clones; style-wise the lesser models have been adaptations of Toyota models. That’s changing now. Lexus cars are being designed separately from Toyotas. At recent international auto shows, Lexus has displayed a new, unique styling theme that they call L-finesse.

The GS300 shows some of Lexus’ new style. Chevy ads in 1940 said, “Eye it, try it, buy it” — good advice today, applied to this Lexus.

Audi A-4 Quattro: In the early ’80s, Audi pioneered Quattro all-wheel drive. They proved their approach with victories in world rallying and in the annual Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Also in the early ’80s, Audi pioneered a new aerodynamic style, with flush side windows, which produced almost no wind noise. Other advantages included lower fuel consumption and higher speed. Audi’s design was widely copied, most shamelessly by the Ford Taurus, but the imitators never equaled the original.

Audi’s two major competitors, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have been struggling with their design language, while Audi sticks to their theme, constantly refining it. The A4 is just above the bottom of the Audi range, priced to take on the Lincoln, Infiniti G35, BMW 3 series, and C-class Mercedes-Benz. The lively two-liter turbo engine, combined with the compact size and jewel-like quality, make it an irresistible bargain.

What Cars Reveal About Your Date

Your date’s car can give you some clues about him or her. Here are some (opinionated) recommendations.

Check the wheels. If they’re normal sized, silver painted, he/she’s OK. If they’re chromed, deduct points. If they’re oversized and chromed, be wary. And if they have those free-spinning centers that rotate independently of the oversized chrome wheels, cancel the date.

The brand of car tells something, too. A Hummer driver surely has problems you don’t want to deal with. Otherwise, why would he want those gun-slit windows? A Saturn driver might be too dull to resuscitate. Cadillac? A man/woman of the 1960s. Volvo? What’s she afraid of? Probably her own lack of driving skill. BMW? Did he buy it because he knows what it is, or is he just seeking recognition?

Take a good look. Your date’s car may speak volumes.

As a free service to Gazette readers, Martin will gladly offer suggestions on how to dispose of a cherished car. Call him at 415-479-9950.