Motorweek 1998 Full Size Sedan Comparison Test

super clean all-wheel cleaner your host for MotorWeek John Davis [Music] well hello and welcome again to motor week we're glad to have you with us what happens when you put a bunch of car guys and some of America's biggest sedans and turn them loose on the roads of America's Deep South you get a travelogue MotorWeek style but it's much more than just Scenic stops at Automotive attractions it's also a good look at how full-size domestic four doors perform in their natural environment from the Wide Open Spaces of four-lane highways to the twisting byways of down home Dixie and it's a chance for us to get out of the office so come along for big sedans in the Big South foreign [Music] Dixie just outside of Atlanta Georgia at the Chateau Elan Winery and Resort where we met up with our full-size foursome the Buick LeSabre is America's top selling large car the Mercury Grand Marquis represents the last of the big rear drive V8 Cruisers the Chrysler Concorde can be thought of as the style leader of the bunch with its Ultra Modern cab Forward Design while the Toyota Avalon seemed to be the odd man out in our group but we included it here since it is American made and available with six passenger seating so warmed by the grand Lodge's Southern Hospitality our crew braved the unseasonably cold weather and set out for our first stop Smyrna Georgia and a wonderful little shop called Auto motif just as the name implies owner Milt Hill has assembled the best collection we've seen of die cast and plastic models books magazines and you name it if you're a car collector this place is a must-see it took great willpower not to empty our wallet so early in the week although some showed more restraint than others halfway to Chattanooga in the small town of white is Old Car City USA here Dean Lewis presides over some 34 Acres of fated Automotive History you can't just wander the fields like we did or snap up a restorable rod at his weekly sale this yard's got a thousand stories and Dean knows most of them it was here too that we took a closer look at our Buick LeSabre its smooth elegant body could turn even a classic Roadmaster Green With Envy from the narrow waterfall Grill to the tapered rear the LeSabre is graceful at every turn the interior of our Buick LeSabre Limited as traditional American big car a flat expansive Dash visibility is good although the outside mirrors are very small I like having the seat controls right here on the armrest although I do wish we had some lumbar adjust the Redundant controls on the steering wheel are very nice so is being able to set the temperature separately for the passenger all in all not a bad interior from Buick power's not bad either coming from a 3800 Series 2 V6 with 205 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque it makes those long Highway stretches seem effortless and easy on the wallet too with mileage estimated at 19 City and 30 on the highway the Buick LeSabre packs a full lineup of features for its 25 790 base price even loaded up with leather trim Grand Touring package and traction control our test model holds the bottom line at 28 386 dollars before leaving old car city we had to pay tribute to Elvis fast car a 1977 Lincoln encased in its own vinyl shrine moving on down the road we found ourselves next in Huntsville Alabama at the U.S Space and Rocket Center besides hosting the excellent space camp program the museum houses a fine array of space Vehicles like the lunar rover and Skylab as well as interactive exhibits for space fans of all ages forgive the obvious fun but we couldn't resist parking our Mercury amid the outdoor collection of mercury Saturn and Jupiter Rockets while our Grand Marquis couldn't match them for thrust it's 4.6 liter single overhead cam V8 held its own in our Bunch pumping out 215 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque even though its basic design is as old as some of those Rockets Ford has done a great job of keeping it up to date styling is still brick-like but appealing a traditional way EPA mileage estimates stand at 17 City and 24 on the open road nothing says Highway Cruiser like the interior of this Mercury Grand Marquis I like the rich looking interior trim and I also like the seat controls on the door here they're very mercedes-like this is also the only one of our group that's got power lumbar adjust for the driver I'd prefer the standard analog gauges to this digital unit and the cup holder if you use it it blocks the temperature controls in the climate system that's not a good design pricing is right on par with a base of 23 790 pull off with a handling and luxury packages our as tested price is within thirty dollars of the Buick at 28 415 100 miles below Huntsville is Alabama's big city of Birmingham for a car lover there's plenty to see and do within an hour's Drive of here like the excellent Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center and m-class factory tour in Tuscaloosa but we suggest you start right downtown at Barber's vintage Motorsports Museum for a bit of two-wheeled overload here you'll see over 300 rare and interesting motorcycles from makers you may never have heard of all in perfect running order curiously many of the exhibits are encased in glass a necessity from the early years when a Dusty restoration shop shared the floor with the collection the shop is in the back now but the glass cases remain and make for a tidy layout our Toyota Avalon XLS has a tidy layout too its conservative lines have a generic import car flavor but it was designed and it is built solely in North America the Avalon is powered by a 3 liter 24 valve V6 it produces 200 horsepower at 214 pound-feet of torque the lowest of our group and we asked Lisa Barrow to sum up our thoughts on the Avalon the the Toyota Avalon is a bit dull to the eye but everything is well laid out the huge buttons are easy to use even with gloves on or if you have a little arthritis in your hands taller drivers are going to want a little more seat travel and even though the Avalon with the bench seat is rated for six passengers I suspect it's going to be a tight fit on a plus note import owners will feel right at home inside the Avalon the Avalon has a lot going for it like Superior fit and finish superb rod and handling and good visibility it's also economical with EPA estimates of 21 City and 30 Highway the price is another story however twenty eight thousand one hundred twenty dollars to start and thirty one thousand one hundred fifty eight dollars as you see it here that's a significant difference in such a tightly packed route this part of the world is die in the world NASCAR country so we decided to wind up our tour at Talladega super speedway in the international Motorsports hall of fame five Halls celebrate every form of racing from stock cars to go-karts the displays are organized a bit haphazardly so you need to spend some time wandering around to get the most out of your visit fittingly enough we chose this spot to photograph our Chrysler Concord LXI since most of us including Lisa were ready to enshrine it as our pick for best of the bunch the Chrysler Concorde is not only the newest but by far the most modern of all the cars we're testing you'll notice the lines throughout the interior are very artistic I'd like to see a longer seat bottom for more thigh support and I did notice a bit more road noise than with some of the other vehicles but when you're in the Concord you definitely feel like you're driving the full-size car of the future Chrysler's latest generation 3.2 liter V6 motorbike the Concord with 225 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque EPA mileage estimates are on par with the rest of our group at 19 City and 29 Highway the Concord Guitar nod for styling interior layout and usable space especially in the cavernous trunk it looks like you could park the Avalon in here of course the Bargain Basement pricing certainly helped its cause too base sticker is twenty one thousand three hundred five dollars while our tester with equipment to match the rest came in at a low 25 675 dollars the American South has a distinct culture of Automotive enthusiasm that's unlike any other part of our country and our week spent touring Alabama and Georgia has just fueled our desire for more such Adventures the Mercury Grand Marquis Toyota Avalon Buick LeSabre and Chrysler Concorde are rolling proof that the big American sedan is alive and well well and if you're going to drive the Big South you might as well do it in big Style [Music] coming up the electric lifestyle [Music]

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Id: slB7i39sK4c

Length: 9min 11sec (551 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 28 2022