By Dan Lyons

This is the time of year when we suspend reality. With the holiday season in full swing, we eat, drink and be merry. And when that first inkling of looming bills, added pounds and impending snow sneaks into our heads, we stone it with fruitcake; drown it in eggnog. In the spirit of Not Daring to Look Ahead, we choose instead to look back, at the people and events that have most significantly shaped our world in the past year.

Which, unfortunately, I’m completely unqualified to address. So, let’s talk about cars!

Best Excuse for a Mid-Life Crisis, 2006 Edition

2006 Dodge Viper RT/10 Coupe

In a world of politically correctness, Viper is an unrepentant bad boy. It’s an enigma - a handful to drive, yet an unqualified, four wheel rush. Nothing short of an Italian exotic will turn as many heads (but for twice the price). For daily driver duties or as a bang-for-the-buck sports car, Corvette wins hands down. But Viper is something different; an old school throwback, with some modern wrinkles. When it comes to marrying new technology with good ‘ol brute strength, American Muscle, Viper gets it done like nothing else on the road. The coupe is so good looking that, deep in an Albany winter, you’ll want to go out to the garage, peel off the cover, pull up a chair and just stare at it. Look at it this way. People do lots of dumb, dangerous things in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Compared to that, hocking the house and buying a Viper sounds downright reasonable!

Best Little, Bulletproof Car

2006 Honda Civic

Sometimes, we get so worn down that even simple decisions are tough to make. Choosing between corn flakes and a cheese danish for breakfast can cause a grown man to break down and weep like an eight year old child. OK, maybe that’s just me. But, my point is that the mere process of finding the right car is more than many people want to deal with. Honda’s Civic has been a solid answer to the “What to Buy” question for over 30 years. The latest, eighth generation Civic is offered in two or four door models, with three trim levels plus a hybrid powered sedan and the sporty, Si coupe. It’s a family of reliable, small cars that hold their value well. Prices range from just under $15,000 to just about $24,000, but it’s the lower dollar models that are the best buys. The highest end of the Civic range overlaps with the low end of the larger, Accord series – another car that’s a fine choice and remember, we’re trying to go easy on the decision making stuff.

Best Surprise in an American Sedan

2006 Ford Fusion

It’s human nature to look past the obvious. Anyone who doesn’t believe me is sentenced to look for your glasses for the next ten minutes before realizing that they’re perched on your nose. In the early/mid 90’s, the Ford Taurus was among the best selling cars in the country. Since then, more people have known Ford for their F series pickups and their Explorer SUV’s, than for their automobiles. But, fashion and fuel prices change people’s perspective, and these days, there’s renewed interest in cars. Fusion is a good one; a well designed and smart looking midsize. My sleeper pick is the 2007 SE AWD. A six cylinder Fusion with All Wheel Drive stickers for $24,025. Competitive models at that price point don’t even offer AWD. The 3.0 litre V6 gets 11 more hp and 5 lb. ft. of torque for ‘07, addressing the only real ding on the outgoing model – not enough giddy-up. An old commercial asked the question, “Have you driven a Ford lately?” If you haven’t, this is a good one to start with.

Best Reason to Be Young, Automotive Division

2006 Volkswagen GTI

When it hit the streets 23 years ago, the first GTI took the small car segment by storm: a practical body style transformed by German engineers into the original hotrod hatchback. But over time, as competitors got more competitive, GTI became less so. To their credit, VW saw the situation for what it was, and by the time that they brought out an all new GTI in 2006, the car had its edge back. As with the first cars, the new GTI offers an unbeatable, bang-for-the-buck package of fun and functionality. For an MSRP of $22,605, GTI is an unqualified performance bargain. Wrapped in a cool yet practical hatchback body, it’s also a front wheel driver that you can run 12 months a year in the Capital District. That’s a combination that drivers of any age can appreciate.

Bets Way to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too, SUV Division

2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

SUV’s have become something of a guilty pleasure. Here’s one that not only doesn’t inspire guilt, but also allows you to club your holier-than-thou neighbors over the head for the duration of your payment book. The Toyota Highlander is a mid-size SUV that’s right-sized, outside and in. All Highlanders have three rows of seating (two adult sized, one for kids), ample cargo room and typical, Toyota build quality. The Hybrid powered version of the Highlander can achieve high 20’s mpg’s (even 4x4 models). And, the eight year/100,000 mile warranty on hybrid components will ease the minds of technophobes. The gas powered Highlander is a good bet in a mid-size SUV. Highlander Hybrid takes it one step further, allowing even an SUV owner to be environmentally green – or just make their neighbors look that way.

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