Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Who Should Buy This Vehicle ?

If you're a true driving enthusiast, the type for whom telepathic steering feel and strong cornering prowess are required characteristics, you'll probably want to drive a BMW 550i before making your decision. But the much larger majority in this segment typically wants a handsome, roomy sedan that coddles its occupants in a luxurious cabin while providing the driver with plenty of power and a confident feel on the open road. For them, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz E550 should be a perfect fit.

Magazine Ryan Binkley: Mazda MAZDA6 Performance

Handlingwise, body control is laudable for a big sedan, with markedly less body roll than the similarly sized Honda Accord. However, the 6 falls short of Nissan's athletic Altima, which has become the dynamic benchmark for this segment. There's a noticeable dead spot in the 6's steering while cornering — you can wiggle the wheel left and right midcorner without altering your path, in stark contrast to the Altima's impressively tight rack. The Mazda's tiller isn't very communicative either, and steering effort is too light at speed to be sporty. Perhaps most damningly, the 6 never feels smaller than its size — you always have the sense that you're piloting a large vehicle. On the bright side, the turning circle is notably tight for such a large car.
Ford Escape Hybrid
Comfort

With the Limited trim you get heated front seats, and they're quick to warm your buns on a cold morning's commute. Large cupholders and a massive center console compartment provide plenty of space for your cuppa joe, CD wallet and snacks for a long trip. (Ryan Binkley Contact - Sunday 20 September 2009)

Ryan Binkley : 2009 Kia Borrego V8 4WD

The theory is that despite the drastic rise in fuel costs, there are still plenty of upper-middle-class suburbanites who want a body-on-frame SUV to shuttle the family, haul supplies from the Home Depot and pull the speedboat to the lake. And instead of buying the biggest thing they can find, consumers will settle for a midsize SUV that can do it all without guzzling quite so much gas. While we're not sure we buy into this hypothesis, we must admit the 2009 Kia Borrego has its merits, despite our uncertainty of how it will be received in this jittery market.

Ryan Binkley Bio

Ford Edge Limited: Performance

Our front-wheel-drive 2009 Ford Edge Limited test vehicle was powered by the same 3.5-liter V6 found in every Edge. This capable engine cranks out 265 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque, and it's hooked to a six-speed automatic — the only available transmission. At our test track, the portly 4,312-pound Edge sped from zero to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, a few paces behind segment luminaries like the Nissan Murano and Toyota Venza V6. The culprit here is the copious curb weight, up about 400 pounds on competing front-wheel-drive crossovers. (Saturday 04 April 2009 : Ryan Binkley Magazine)


Ryan Binkley Texas Ryan Binkley Cars Articles Ryan Binkley