MASQUERADE - road testing three sporty family sedans - Brief Article

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, June, 2000 by Ed Henry

CARS | Dual-personality sedans' Sunday-go-to-meeting looks conceal FIREPOWER under the hood.

WHO WOULD ever call the 3,800-pound Buick Park Avenue a midlife-crisis car? That label usually applies to a magnetic, red convertible with a stick shift and a throaty engine that beckons like a siren song. Well, you might if your bipolar automotive needs cry out for the practicality of a four-door family sedan and the muscle of a certified high-performance powerhouse.

Nicola Bulgari, the head of the Italian jewelry company and a rabid car enthusiast, can drive any kind of car he wants. How about a Ferrari 360 Modena F1? But the 40-valve, 395-horsepower V-8 Italian road rocket doesn't do a thing for him. He prefers his supercharged Buick Park Avenue Ultra. "You feel nothing but the thrust of the Buick," says Bulgari. "Its supercharged engine is absolutely my favorite." For driving in Europe, he has a modified Ultra with beefed-up suspension, allowing it to take curves at 110 to 150 miles per hour. "At those speeds, the car stays very, very stable," he adds.

You don't have to hit triple digits on the speedometer to share Bulgari's penchant for a practical car that comes with a side order of superb performance. Sure, hunkering down in a $154,000 Modena F1 that does zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds can be great fun. But it comes up way short when it's time to deliver the kids--or grandkids--to a soccer match.

We put the spotlight on three exceptional "compromises"--cars that accommodate the needs of both the family and the soul. One is Bulgari's favorite, the Buick Park Avenue Ultra, a front-wheel-drive automobile that lists for about $37,500. Its 240-hp, V-6 engine does zero to 60 in just under eight seconds--not as fast as the Modena F1's 4.5, but very close to the 6.9-second acceleration of the BMW 528i ($39,470).

Chrysler's 300M ($29,690), a dashing front-wheel-drive car, is very much a family sedan. But with a 253-hp V-6, it can do zero to 60 in 7.7 seconds, thanks to an automatic-stick transmission. Rounding out our trio is the Lincoln LS, a rear-wheel-drive car. Although available with a V-8 and automatic transmission, the real dual-personality model for this head-to-head matchup is the one with a 210-hp V-6 and five-speed standard transmission ($32,575). It does zero to 60 in 7.4 seconds, a tenth of a second behind the less-roomy (and far more expensive) BMW 750iL ($95,270).

Solid values. If optimal personal transportation is your goal, any of these cars is hard to beat. They are bigger than most Japanese cars in the $30,000-to-$40,000 price range and tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than European vehicles of comparable size. Moreover, Buick was recently offering a $2,000 rebate on the 2000 Park Avenue Ultra, while Chrysler was offering a $2,500 incentive on any remaining 1999 300Ms. The recently introduced Lincoln is enjoying brisk enough sales that no incentives are being offered.

These vehicles don't skimp on comfort or room to deliver performance. All three are available with electronically adjustable heated seats that memorize two customized seating positions. The Buick and the Chrysler are equipped with sophisticated traction-control systems. As for size, you will have no problem chauffeuring five adults in either the Buick or the Chrysler sedan. The Lincoln seats five, too, but be ready to hear complaints from the center-rear passenger, who must straddle a high transmission tunnel.

On our test drives, the Lincoln proved the quietest car, but the Buick and Chrysler were close behind. Each gives an excellent ride--not too harsh and not too soft (unlike the land yachts of yore)--and offers power-assisted steering that leaves the driver with a good feel for the road. For several years running, the Buick has won Kiplinger's First for Safety award in its price category (based on injury claims); it comes with side-impact air bags, as does the Lincoln.

On-the-run performance. Despite its size and weight, the Buick breaks into the ranks of performance cars, thanks to its supercharged engine. Unlike a turbocharged engine--which may lag briefly before kicking in--the supercharger is directly tied to the engine for instant response. And the Buick holds the road well. Although you can sense some shift in weight, its StabiliTrak system keeps the car dead on course despite demanding curves.

Both the Buick and the Chrysler deliver sudden bursts of speed. As is common with front-wheel-drive vehicles, there's a momentary skittishness as the wheels fight to gain traction during fast takeoffs. The Buick does a better job here than the Chrysler. Even so, Chrysler's automatic stick does an excellent job of delivering power to the pavement once it's up and running. Redline the engine until a clutchless shift kicks in and the car is virtually unbeatable against an automatic. The 300M is extremely attractive, assuming that the front air dam doesn't come loose, as it did on our test car.

High-powered, rear-wheel-drive European sports cars avoid the stuttered takeoff that comes with frontwheel drive. That advantage also distinguishes the LS from the 300M and the Park Avenue Ultra. When the Lincoln accelerates, weight shifts to the driving wheels in the rear, which propel the vehicle with precision over winding roads.