In today's economy of high gas prices, luxury automobiles get a bad rap. However, Forbes points out, some luxury sedans and SUVs are frugal in their fuel consumption, and even retain a healthy amount of their residual values. Based on those two main factors, Forbes.com has named their Top Ten list of "guilt-free luxury cars".
As you'd expect, the bulk of the list is constituted of German and Japanese luxury automobiles for their resale values, and hybrids for their fuel economy. But some of their selections may surprise you. While the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, Lexus RX400h and LS460h seem like natural choices, other Mercedes SUVs – namely the M-Class and GL-Class – were also nominated. More surprisingly, the Jaguar XF is on there, as is the flame-snorting Lexus IS-F. The rest of the list is rounded out with the BMW 5-Series, Audi A6 and Infiniti M35. Check out Forbes.com to find out what makes these ten vehicles so "guilt-free".
Employing research that they certainly did not get from AOL Autos, Forbes is at it again with a list of the Top 10 Fastest Fictional Cars. One of the things we find odd about the list is that there are a number of cars included that you can actually buy or make pretty easily, like James Bond's Aston Martin DBS or the General Lee. That, and a lot of cars for sale today are as fast or faster than some fictional ones on the list.
Yet the strangest thing on the list has to be that Lightning McQueen, he of Cars fame, has a 750-horsepower V8 but takes 4.5 seconds to get from 0-to-60. Disney, come on. It's no wonder Lightning had self-esteem issues.
We won't tell you what No. 1 is, but it goes 800-MPH and runs on Energon, which, sadly, Chevron doesn't carry. Click the link for the full rundown, and check out the list of honorable mentions as well, which includes the Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch and the G-6155 Interceptor from the Spy Hunter video game.
Buying a luxury car or SUV is the dream of many readers, and while a BMW or Mercedes will buy you some instant street-cred, they'll also cost you an arm and a leg if it ever needs fixing. A repair that may be no big deal for a Chevy Cobalt can cost much more in a luxury vehicle due to high-tech gadgets and more expensive materials. Forbes put together lists of the ten most expensive to repair luxury and non-luxury vehicles over a five year period.
The most costly vehicle to fix overall was the Dodge Viper, which came in at $1,641, and the most expensive luxury vehicle was the Audi A8 at $1,640. On the luxury list, every vehicle came from Europe, with zero entries from Detroit or Japan. The story was much different for the non-luxury vehicles, with heavy-duty trucks and SUVs making up the lion's share of the list. The Subaru Impreza and Mini Cooper were the only imports to make Forbes' dubious top ten. Hit the jump to view the most expensive luxury cars to repair, and click on the link below to view the priciest non-luxury list.
Forbes has a slideshow of the best and worst places to own a car, and you might be surprised at a few of the winners and losers. The rankings are based on the results of Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own (TCO) study. That study takes into account depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fees, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, and figures out how much those little costs you rarely consider as a lump sum will really subtract from your bank account over time. (Or pockets or shoeboxes, depending on where you keep your money.)
Depreciation and fuel are, of course, the biggest costs, and insurance can add a fair chunk over time. The difference between the last spot and the first spot on each list wasn't great -- about $4,000 in each case. But the difference between the best place (least expensive) to own a car and the worst place (most expensive) -- which wasn't New York City -- worked out to almost $12,000 over five years. Click the link to see if your state made either list. And if you want to get the TCO for your specific car, then check out the TCO calculator for yourself.
Following hard on the heels of the highly publicised crash in the spring that saw a Swedish businessman crash a Ferrari Enzo in Malibu, California, and wind up serving a jail sentence, and a second smash in August in the US state of Utah, another Enzo has been crashed in dramatic circumstances; this time an example belonging to a Russian Member of the Duma. This report, by Nikolai Sergeev is courtesy of today’s edition of Kommersant.
Suleiman Kerimov, the Russian businessman listed by Forbes as the 72nd richest person in the world, was seriously injured on Saturday in an automobile accident in Nice, France. He lost control of his Ferrari Enzo, which struck a tree at an enormous speed and burst into flames, as he was travelling from the local airport toward the city center. Kerimov was taken by helicopter to the regional burn center at Hopital de la Conception in Marseille. He is now on artificial respiration.
The accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on a stretch of the Promenade des Anglais where the speed limit is 50 km/h. Kerimov himself was behind the wheel and moving significantly faster then the speed limit when the black Ferrari unexpectedly crossed the sidewalk and struck a tree. Kerimov and his passenger were pulled from the burning car by passersby, who also tried to extinguish the flames using clothing and rugs. It took fire brigades from the Nice airport to dowse the flames, however. The accident caused a two-hour traffic jam on the busy highway.
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