Long-Term Update

'96 Ford Taurus LX
The Ford Taurus is maintaining its title of the best-selling sedan in America due to its strong 3.0-liter/200-horsepower V-6, statement-making styling, decent interior room, and, of course, aggressive pricing. Criticism continues regarding the comfort of the leather-wrapped front buckets and the unusual stereo and climate-control layout. Specifically, the center pod buttons have a good feel, but their positioning makes it challenging to memorize their placement. There's no argument, however, over the smooth ride, brawny engine, and numerous well-conceived features. Troubles persist with the ashtray, which has again shut itself closed like a clam, preventing power-point access. The first scheduled servicing at 5000 miles cost a wallet-denting $115 for the basic oil change, filter replacement, and tire rotation. While at the dealership, a safety recall (potential transaxle problem) was inspected and corrected under warranty. The next service is just around the corner at 10,000 miles.

'97 Infiniti Q45t
The recent rebirth of the Infiniti flagship sedan had luxury-lovers on our staff looking for an opening in our long-term program. Typically, ordering a new vehicle has the staff pawing over the options-debating which ones are necessary for the sake of journalism, and which are desired for the sake of someone's CD collection; however, ordering our Ivory Quartz Q-ship couldn't have been simpler. As the press material reads: "The Q45t is equipped with all available equipment standard, in addition to the suspension tuning." Reading down the type-filled window sticker, the Q45t includes power everything, automatic climate control, a 200-watt Bose AM/FM/CD/ cassette system with a trunk-mounted CD changer, keyless security system, leather and wood interior trim, heated mirrors, moonroof, four-speed automatic transmission, anti-lock disc brakes at each corner, a limited-slip differential, traction control, a HomeLink transmitter, and much more. Silently operating underhood is a 4.1-liter/266-horsepower V-8, which drives the rear wheels for a brisk 7.5-second 0-60-mph time.