Sporty Sedans

Volvo S40
Redesigned for 2004, the Volvo S40 reflects Volvo’s outside-the-box thinking with sleeker, curvier styling. Under the hood, the S40 comes with a 2.4-liter five-cylinder engine with 168 hp or a turbocharged five-cylinder with 218 hp. The former can be matched with a five-speed manual or five-speed adaptive automatic transmission, while the latter comes with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Standard equipment on the S40 includes air conditioning, power windows and locks, an AM/FM/CD player, and remote keyless entry. Setting a standard in car safety, Volvo equips the S40 with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), front, side impact, and inflatable curtain airbags, and a whiplash protection system. Available in two trim levels, the 2.4i and T5, base prices are $24,875 and $27,675 respectively.

Pontiac G6
Pontiac’s gift of 276 models of the G6 to the studio audience at the Oprah Winfrey show will go down in history as a marketing masterpiece. It was not only a gracious act — the studio audience that day was filled with women in need of a new vehicle; it also declared that this sport sedan has feminine appeal. Powered by a 3.5-liter V6 with 200 hp, and fitted with four-wheel independent suspension, the G6 performs well — in other words, it’s fast and it hugs the road tight.

It comes with a four-speed automatic transmission and an optional manual shift mode feature. Standard features include a leather-wrapped steering wheel, AM/FM stereo with CD player, and an exclusive Panoramic roof with four sliding glass panels that create a convertible effect. Available in two trim levels, the G6 and G6 GT, bases prices are $21,300 and $23,925 respectively.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Lexus RX 400h
The gasoline-electric hybrid experiment in the United States has evolved into a successful franchise, and in 2005 it expands into the luxury SUV segment. Early next year, Lexus will introduce the 2006 RX 400h, cousin to the RX 330 luxury SUV. It will include many of the features currently offered as standard equipment on the premium RX 330 such as leather seats, dual-zone climate control, and AM/FM stereo with CD player.

It will be powered, however, by a gasoline-electric hybrid engine that should provide fuel economy similar to the average compact car — approximately 27 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. Equipped with a new vehicle stability control system, ABS, anti-rollover technology, and seven airbags including roll-sensing side curtains, the RX 400h should be priced around $38,000.

Mercedes-Benz E320
For the Latina concerned with rising gasoline prices but not sure she’s ready to make the leap to a gasoline-electric hybrid, there’s good news — diesels are back. In 2004 Mercedes-Benz premiered the 2005 E320 CDI, a midsize sedan powered by a six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. With 201 hp, the engine should achieve a fuel economy of 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.

Its gasoline-powered counterpart has an estimated city/highway fuel economy of 19/27 mpg. Latinas, however, may remember the loud and sooty drawbacks of the diesel engine. Those characteristics are gone on the CDI diesel, which gurgles only slightly and leaves not so much as a smudge when a handkerchief is held against the exhaust pipes. Equipped with air conditioning and AM/FM stereo with CD player, ABS, and 10 air bags, base price on the E320 CDI is $49,795.