Suzuki opens in Cedar Park 2008 Suzuki XL7, $21,349-$28,899, EPA rated MPG: 16/22 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara, $19,349-$25,149, EPA rated MPG: 16/21 In honor of the new Cleo Bay Suzuki dealership which opened last month in Cedar Park, I kicked things off in the 2008 Suzuki XL7, the largest Suzuki ever built. The optional third row seat was kid-sized, but quickly won me over to a seven-seat SUV for under $30,000. The fuel economy was excellent with the Suzuki-built 3.6 liter V6 and the five-speed automatic with a manual shift that’s standard on all models. The engine and road noise was a little louder than I expected, but the XL7 provided plenty of room and a comfortable ride for my family, and even an extra passenger here and there. The Grand Vitara was a bit smaller with just two rows of seats and a 2.7 liter V6. Suzuki calls it the “Off-road Athlete,” and sure enough, it held its own with four-mode, four-wheel drive on my friend’s ranch in Georgetown. We never attempted anything too daring, but my head didn’t hit the roof, and we didn’t scrape bottom. Ken Gray, general manager at Cleo Bay Suzuki, said he wasn’t surprised and reminded me about Suzuki’s seven-year/100,000 mile power train warranty that’s also transferable. Gray said it’s helping to boost Suzuki’s resale values nationwide, and that’s a good thing, since Cedar Park’s first new car dealership has already exceeded national sales expectations in its first few weeks of business. | 
Kia goes solo in Austin 2008 Kia Spectra5, $15,995, EPA rated MPG: 23/30 Just south of Premier but north of the Round Rock Outlets along IH 35, you’ll notice Hewlett Kia’s lot stands empty after the store closed in February. That makes Capitol Kia on Highway 183 Austin’s only Kia dealership with a very chaotic showroom. I took the Kia Spectra5 for a spin. It’s the hatchback version of Kia’s best selling car, and what it lacked in features, it made up with interior room and plenty of “zip.” I’ll admit that I muddled through the standard five-speed manual gearbox, and the 2.0 liter, four-cylinder engine was a little noisy for my taste. But keep in mind, I hadn’t driven a stick in 10 years, and I had to convince my kids that rolling backwards on hills was a new style of driving. The sales associates inside the Capitol Kia showroom chuckled a bit, but there’s not a lot of time for chit-chat in the second highest selling Kia dealership in the nation. In fact, I waited alongside several new car buyers whose smiles were unshakable and contagious. It just goes to show that homegrown success always finds a way to trickle down to us consumers. | 
UT grad doing Texas proud 2008 Mazda Tribute, $19,135-$26,505, EPA rated MPG: 17/22 It was an easy switch to the Mazda Tribute, a compact SUV, which is new and improved for 2008. The interior was spacious with two rows of seats, and it had plenty of cargo room. Everyone knows I’m a push-over for gadgets and family-friendly features, and the Tribute has plenty, including things like an odd but very useful pen holder. One tank of gas lasted my family an entire week in and around Round Rock. And I finally figured out that the “i” models are the ones with a four-cylinder and 2.3 liter engine; the “s” models are a 3.0 liter V6. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the hybrid version which is dubbed the Tribute HEV. By the way, UT grad Roger Beasley owns all three Austin-area Mazda dealerships, which together, sell more Mazdas than any other dealership in Texas. Premier Mazda General Sales Manager David Byers also boasts that Mazda showrooms nationwide are modeled after his store, which was built five years ago on IH 35 in Georgetown. *EPA rated MPGs can be found at www.epa.gov *Research a vehicle: Cars.com; ConsumerReports.org; Edmunds.com; kbb.com (Kelly Blue Book) |
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