Howard Wilner Giving you the latest on the new cars

Howard Wilner Audi A3

Interior Design and Special Features

The 2009 Acura RL's interior is beautifully crafted and attractively designed. A swath of convincing or real (depending on trim level) wood trim flows into a neat waterfall center stack that integrates the car's sizable number of electronic functions. This year brings revised climate controls, a new steering wheel (with wood trim on CMBS) and new metallic accents. The standard 10-speaker Bose surround-sound system is so superb that you'd swear Gladys Knight was riding shotgun with the Pips crammed in back.

With the optional Technology package, major functions like audio, climate and navigation systems can be controlled by voice commands, buttons on the steering wheel and dash or a multipurpose control knob and LCD screen. These redundant controls may seem confusing in description, but allow the driver choices in how to access commonly used functions. The trunk measures 13.1 cubic feet in capacity, a somewhat disappointing figure for this class.

Howard Wilner Chevy Silverado

Safety

All Sonatas come well-stocked with antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, front seat side-impact airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. The 2009 Hyundai Sonata scored five out of five stars in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's front- and side-impact tests. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests, the Sonata earned a "Good" rating (the highest) for frontal offset protection and an "Acceptable" rating (second-highest) for side-impact protection.

Interior Design and Special Features

Hyundai interiors just keep getting better and better. Soft, high-quality plastics abound, switchgear is excellent and the overall design is eye-pleasing. The topsy-turvy ergonomics of the outgoing design have been replaced with stereo and climate controls placed high atop the center stack, leaving room for a spacious bin below. The Limited trim level is particularly upscale, and is certainly the most elegant environment one can inhabit for less than $25,000. As before, the 2009 Hyundai Sonata boasts an especially spacious backseat and a trunk that measures a class-best 16.3 cubic feet. If interior space and perceived quality is a top priority, it's hard to beat the Sonata.

Howard Wilner Volvo XC90

Howard Wilner: Safety

Every 2009 Journey includes antilock disc brakes, traction control, rollover-sensing stability control, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags for all three rows. A rearview camera and hands-free communication system are optional, as are very handy built-in second-row child booster seats, a first in this segment.

Interior Design and Special Features

Although the 2009 Dodge Journey offers somewhat less passenger and cargo space than such rivals as the Toyota Highlander, the overall impression is of a bright, reasonably spacious, straightforward family hauler. The Journey will accommodate as many as seven occupants in decent comfort; second- and third-row seats feature reclining backs, and the second-row seats also slide fore and aft, allowing parents to scoot small children closer to the front seats. Access to the third-row seats is a breeze, easily accomplished by older kids, with only an easy pull of a lever required to operate the second-row seats' tilt-and-slide mechanism. There's also obvious influence from Chrysler's minivans, as the Journey's interior is awash in cupholders, lidded storage bins and cubbyholes, including tubs beneath the second-row floor and an ingenious compartment beneath the front passenger seat. Maximum cargo capacity is 67.6 cubic feet, a bit less than what's available from other midsize crossovers.

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