Real Wheels

Warren Brown has covered the car industry for The Washington Post since 1982.

Brown test drives all types of cars, from luxury sedans to the newest minivans and hybrids. His On Wheels auto reviews are lively, detailed accounts of cars' good and bad qualities.

Brown's Car Culture column addresses the social, political and economic trends of the industry.

Brown comes online Fridays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions on every aspect of the automotive industry -- from buying your dream car to the future of the internal combustion engine.

The transcript follows below.

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Dover, N.H.: Warren, responding to last weeks question about premium gas in a Mini. I have a Cooper S and find that the price for premium gas is a small price to pay for as much fun as the car provides. Still gets good mileage. Most fun on wheels since my '86 CRX SI.

Warren Brown: I agree. But nowadays we're seeing more car companies introducing models that only require regular unleaded. It seems that consumer concerns about expensive fuel are being heard.

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Monroe, La.: Hello, Warren. What are your thoughts on the possibility of Ford developing a Mustang sedan -- and may they be forgiven -- a Mustang wagon?

Warren Brown: Hello, fellow Louisianian: A plague on both ideas. The Mustang is one of the few good things Ford has going for it. Ford almost ruined it in the late 1960s through the 1980s when they fattened it up. The Mustang is a sports car, not a bus.

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Arlington, Va.: My car gave up its ghost on Tuesday night. I've been saving to cut down on the new car loan and am looking to spend about $19,000. If one is 25, needs a car for basic commuting and other errands (vet vists, Costco, etc.) and prefers hatchbacks/ wagons, what would you suggest? Nissan Versa and Mazda 3 top my list. What else should I add to the list?

Thank you for your time and expertise!

Warren Brown: Get the Mazda3 or the equivalent Ford Focus. (Focus and Mazda3 share the same platform.) You'll be happy.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: What do you think about EPA's new approach to fuel economy ratings? Which cars do you think will be winners and losers?

Warren Brown: The idea is to more accurately reflect the real-world mileage of the cars we buy. I'm guessing that the mileage ratings of all vehicles will go down under the new system. If that is the case, it seems logical to believe that current vehicles with low mileage ratings will fall even lower.

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Old School: Mr. Brown, I appreciate your wisdom on the new products as well as your views on the industry and related issues. Curious question, what classic ride do or did you enjoy? Curious to see which way you would approach it, a classic comfort or a vehicle ahead of its time.

Warren Brown: The square-bodied Chevrolet Caprice and Impala cars of the 1970s and 1980s. They seldom broke down. They had commodious rear seats. They were great on dates.

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Falls Church, Va.: Hi Warren! Thanks for taking my question. My parents have a Saab 9-5, automatic because mom doesn't do stick. Dad wants a fun manual car to scratch that itch. He is thinking about the Audi TT. (Yes, they like the four-letter imports). He also thought about the Porsche Boxster, but had heard that it is a "gas guzzler." Any recommendations? New TT? Used? Which year is best? Other sporty vehicles w/ manual?

Thanks.

Warren Brown: Hmm, Falls Church, it seems as if its your Dad who's looking for a little pick-me-up. The sports cars you mentioned are apples versus oranges in comparison with the Saab 9-5 sedan. That being the case, I'd put him in the Boxster or the hardtop Cayman. They get about 27 miles per gallon on the highway with six-speed manual transmissions. Considering the amount of fun they deliver, that's not bad.

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Alexandria, Va.: Warren, several months ago you mentioned that you had the new Volvo C70 in your driveway to test, but I never saw a review. Did you review it, and/or did you like it? I was disappointed in my test drive, thought it drove like a huge boat and not the nimble sports car I was hoping for. I ended up buying the Nissan 350z -- lots of fun and more what I wanted from a convertible.

Warren Brown: The mind grows fuzzy. (Ria, I reviewed that one, right?) Anyway, I like the Volvo C70, which competes well with the BMW 3-Series and Saab 9-3 convertibles. The C70 is a bit more austere in presentation. But it runs nicely (2.5-liter, inline five-cylinder, 218-hp engine). It was a fun drive.

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Alexandria, Va.: Happy Holidays Mr. Brown. I am in the market for a new SUV. I love the look of the new SAAB SUV. Any problems of which I should be aware?

Warren Brown: And Season's Greetings to you, as well. Only one "problem." The Saab 9-7X is the Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy in different clothes. It's also the Buick Rainier, I think. That being the case, you might want to check prices. Unless you're really just gob-smacked over the looks of the 9-7X, why pay more when you can get the same thing for less?

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Washington, D.C.: I will be working in Belarus soon and wondered what car you would recommend for use there. One vehicle that seems right is a used Honda CRV, because it could take the cold climate, snowy/icy winter -- and unplowed road. If you agree, is there a year that's better than others? Any other advice would be appreciated, such as whether to buy studded tires for winter use or not. Many thanks.

Warren Brown: For Belarus and environs, where roads start as tarmac or concrete and suddenly change to gravel or mud, where service stations often are few and far between, and where the quality of fuel varies from station to station and location to location, I'd get a Subaru, probably a Subaru Outback. You'll see what I mean when you get there--lots of little Subarus and, in fairness, lots and lots of Toyotas, too. It's weird. You'll see Lada, Zhiguli and Moskvich cars that hardly seem capable of making it to the next stop ;light, especially in the cold and snow. But, somehow, those little automotive mishaps keep chugging along.

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Arlington, Va.: Warren -- Thanks for doing these, I think they provide an excellent forum/public service. Just wanted to clarify about the Mazda 3/Ford Focus platform sharing. The Mazda shares it's platform with the current European version of the Ford Focus, not the version available in the U.S. -- from what I understand the Euro version is quite different -- more sporty, tighter handling. Why on earth does Ford not bring that here -- the current model is fine but uninspiring for driving enthusiasts

Warren Brown: You're absolutely right, and we all thank you for the clarification. That puts our chatter in the Mazda3. Here's hoping that Alan Mullay, the new Ford CEO, understands that we in the United States want the more competent European Focus, not the this'll-do Focus sold here.

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Falls Church, Va.: Me again. You got it right -- Dad wants some stick-shift pick-up and get-away when the family sedan isn't required. I thought the TT fit him nicely. My concern is that the Porsche may be a little under-driven in his hands, and that he'd be paying a premium for performance he will rarely take advantage of. (I probably won't share that opinion with him). Any thoughts for something fun but a little less, um, Porsche?

Warren Brown: In Defense of Dads With Loving, Concerned Children Who Privately Believe Their Dads are Over The Hill. Listen up: WE'RE NOT!!! We can still boogie. We can shift with the best of them. Let the man get the Porsche, and leave him the heck alone. Got that?

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Madison, Wi.: Is there anything to the old saw that cars need to be driven at freeway speeds periodically to keep them operating smoothly?

Warren Brown: Hello, Madison: It's something I believe, but can't prove. Maybe, someone else in the audience can.

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Rockville, Md.: Need to buy a new car in the next year. Looking for long term reliability and great gas mileage. How would you compare Hyundai to Honda and Toyota?

Warren Brown: Equally. Hyundai is making Honda and Toyota nervous, because Hyundai is making equally good cars at a discernibly lower price.

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Arlington, Va.: Here's a question on taillights. What's up with the recent trend away from amber rear turn signals? Some cars have them, some don't any more, and even some imports (Infiniti FX35, for one) have gone back to a single light for turn, stop, and running light. My feeling is that amber rear turn signals are much better because they are easier to distinguish, particularly in low visibility.

Warren Brown: Hello, Arlington: I've noticed the same thing and scratched my head over the change. I suspect it has something to do with changes in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for lights. But that's not a good enough answer. I'll check.

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Let's Give Them Something to Talk About: OK, Warren I have always been known as the buttoned down exec type who only drives four-door sedans in understated tones. If I were going to break out in something impractical, brash and showy, what would you suggest?

Warren Brown: What an interesting proposition. The Jaguar XK or XKR comes to mind. It will get all of the tongues wagging about mid-life crisis and all of that silliness.

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Is there anything to the old saw that cars need to be driven at freeway speeds periodically to keep them operating smoothly?: Warren,

To answer that question, one of two things may be true.

1. The vehicle is used for short trips, under 10 miles. In this case, longer drives every now and then are good to get the oil hot enough to burn out impurities, and, to get the exhaust system nice and hot to burn out any condensation.

2. The vehicle is used for trips of 20 miles or more. In this case, no extra driving is needed.

Warren Brown: Thank you very much. Just goes to prove that we have a great, knowledgeable audience here.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Warren -- Way to tell it like it is on the Lexus self park feature. I saw something on the news about that, and it just looked so dumb to me. By the time you do all the work to line it up, use the computer to select the spot, etc. And then ride the brake the whole way...just stupid if you ask me. What a failure at trying to be "innovative".

Warren Brown: Hello, Silver Spring: The thing is that technological advancement often wears a silly face -- initially. Do most of us need a car that self-parks? Absolutely not. Especially not one that requires you to do so many things to help it self-park. But the Toyota Prius (in Japan) and Lexus LS 460 (in the United States) self-parking systems are advancements in the field of longitudinal collision avoidance -- technology designed to help reduce rear-end and backing-in crashes. It's a bit of a novelty, and a useless one at that, at the moment. But my hunch is that Toyota has something here, and it's something that ultimately will sell well.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, Warren, I'm considering an upgrade from a Toyota RAV4 to a BMW X3. What is your opinion of the X3, and what other small luxury SUVs should I take a look at? Thanks.

Warren Brown: I'm thinking, "Why?" Because the Toyota RAV-4, especially the 2007 edition, is a better and substantially more sensible RAV-4 than the X3 is an X3. And the RAV-4 costs less and does more.

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