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I’ve never aspired to be a limousine driver. Yet, there I was recently experiencing what it must feel like to fill that role. I was touring the hillsides around Apple Mountain, Calif., with friends on a beautiful fall day. Although I wasn’t behind the wheel of a limo, it was the first comment from friends enjoying the extensive back seat legroom of the 2008 Lexus LS460. No wonder, the wheelbase stretches nearly 203 inches bumper to bumper.
Since its debut in 1962 with the film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s book Dr. No, the James Bond movie series has included 22 major titles, all with an easily deciphered central theme that incorporates espionage, beautiful women, fine dining and fast cars. Aston Martin is the most remembered manufacturer in James Bond movies, and no one (maybe with the exception of Paul Newman) looks cooler driving than Sean Connery.
While
generally respectful of all Honda vehicles and its upscale luxury line,
a recent week behind the wheel of the 2009 Acura TSX made me
questioning the current redesign. It doesn’t match some of the
high-level competition in the premium compact class.
With interest in sport utility vehicles diminishing with every gasoline price increase, many upscale buyers are looking at luxury sedans as their
next purchase. It's a crowded field 
Friends who know and fawn over cars love the 2008 Audi A8, W12 quattro. Friends who own cars but view them simply as necessary transportation love the car. Even automobile cynics, for whom cars are among society’s biggest concerns, love it. And there’s plenty of good reason for the adulation. As a luxury car, the Audi A8 W12 has a 6.0-liter, 12-cylinder, 450-horsepower engine that operates with a six-speed automatic transmission and Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.
Life is different in a Jaguar Super V8. It’s especially
different in a Super V8 with a 400 horesepower, six-speed automatic and a 4.2-liter engine adorned with inlaid walnut burl veneer and a whole busload of other
items I didn’t even know could be put in a car.
Even before my week's test with the 2008 Cadillac CTS began, I knew the car was special. A neighbor who never says anything about the cars I drive was enthused. "So what did you think? Would you buy one? he asked.
Since its debut a decade and a half ago, the Audi A4 has built a reputation as a versatile entry-level luxury car. It’s strong on design, with superb handling and personality.
A
mid-size entry level luxury car, the Cadillac CTS was introduced in
2003 as a replacement for the Catera. Five years, later it's become
the manufacturer's first success story in recent market campaign to
sell vehicles to younger buyers.
