Six Ways to Sunday - Cars for your Lifestyle
We drove the latest 2005 and 2006 models and came up with just the right ones to suit your life…and style
A car isn’t just for driving anymore, nor is driving just for getting around from one place to another. Today, the automobile fits into the bigger picture known as your lifestyle. It is what you do, where you live, and most importantly how you fill your leisure time. As lifestyles become more niche-oriented, automakers answer with everything from brand new models, such as the Dodge Magnum wagon, to subtle design attributes like the badging on Ford’s King Ranch F150 pickup. The following six rides can be a solution to your problem, the cure for a desire, or just the means to an end. Each has been carefully selected such that it can become a key component to your respective lifestyle (however sick and/or dysfunctional it happens to be).
THE FAMILY LIFESTYLE
2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8
It is a car for which Clark Griswold and Bo Duke could equally appreciate. As such, you’re certain to be the envy of the carpool. This muscle-car version of the Magnum wagon features the same cavernous cargo area for strollers, pets, and the like, but it also factors in a bored-out and highly tuned version of the venerable HEMI engine. This adds 20 percent more horsepower and, as a bonus, can significantly delay the onset of mid-life crises. To boost handling and curb appeal, it’s been dropped by half an inch and rides on 20-inch rims. Reigning the beast back in is just a toe-flick away thanks to extra-large Brembo brakes and electronic stability control. Yes, that trip to Wally World never sounded so good.
MSRP: $NA
Engine: 6.1L V8 HEMI
Horsepower: 425
0-60 mph: 5.2 seconds (estimated)
Optional: SIRIUS satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity
Contact: dodge.com
THE BACHELOR LIFESTYLE
2005 Audi S4 quattro Cabriolet
You want performance, presence, and some measure of practicality. A sport wagon is still a wagon, and you can forget about that ménage à trois with a sports car. So with four seats, all wheel drive, and chutzpah to spare, this road-racing-ready convertible can fill most any bachelor’s needs. The top retracts with the single push of a button in about the time you’ll wait at a traffic light. Then punch the throttle and take note of how you sink into the Silk Nappa leather sport seats. Performance-wise, the six-speed manual is faster by a skosh, but the six-speed automatic (Tiptronic) gives you more options, such as paddle shifting on the steering wheel and the freedom to fondle your passenger…or passengers, as the case may be.
MSRP: $53,950
Engine: 4.2L V8
Horsepower: 340
0-60 mph: 5.3 seconds
Optional: Carbon-fiber trimmed interior
Contact: audiusa.com
THE ADVENTURE LIFESTYLE
2006 Hummer H3
So much for the roads less traveled. The latest Humvee spin-off is more maneuverable than the H2, having been scaled down by almost 17 inches in length, 6 inches in height, and another 6 around the waist. Yet it’s just as off-road capable, thanks to a choice of four different 4X4 modes, optional low-range gearing, and class-leading 33-inch tires. The sum of which means more places to explore—and by explore, we mean driving wherever the hell you please. With a little luck (and some drywall), you might also fit this one in the garage.
MSRP: $35,000 (estimated)
Engine: 3.5L in-l
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