Ride in Stye: Prestige Motoring in Top 2018 Models

BY STEVE DINNEN

Some very nice 2018 model-year cars are arriving in showrooms across the city. 

Take, for instance, the 2018 AMG E63 S 4MATIC Sedan currently parked at Mercedes Benz of Des Moines. It has a turbocharged V-8 with all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic transmission and three separate air chambers per spring, which thoughtfully self adjust to road conditions. Road & Track magazine called it a “quiet, wonderful storm” during a test drive along the coast of Portugal at 100mph. (Don’t try that around here.) List price is $135,995.

In the passenger car category, Mercedes Benz 2018 models include an S560 full-size sedan at $121,925. A Maybach, the very top end of the Mercedes line at $160,000+, just got loaded onto a trailer bound for an out-of-town buyer. It was a 2017 model. General Sales Manager Shane Boyd said a 2018 model could eventually make its way to the showroom.

Next door (the high end auto dealers are clustered around 100th Street and Hickman Road, in Urbandale), at BMW of Des Moines, the top priced model currently is a 750i XDrive Sedan, at $106,615. It features all-wheel drive pushed along by an 8-cylinder, 445-horsepower engine, Overhead is a dual moon roof. BMW offers a 12-year rust protection deal on this vehicle, a nice bonus in this climate.

On the south side of Hickman lies the Willis Auto Campus, where you can kick the tires on seven brands that include Cadillac, Land Rover, Jaguar and Lexus. The current top sticker price there appears to be on a 2018 Jaguar F-Type R Dynamic Coupe. This sporty car features heated and cooled seats, air quality sensors and automatic braking. It can be yours for $107,099. 

The 2018 Cadillac Escalades have arrived. A 4-wheel drive Escalade ESV has three-row seating, surround vision and a washer device to clean your rearview camera. List price is $100,440. The top passenger car is a Cadillac CT 6, featuring cornering lamps, a hands-free deck lid and shade control on front and rear sunroofs. It is listed at $69,585.

Still at Willis, a Lexus LX 570 SUV features a third row of seating and costs $99,334. An LC 500 auto costs $99,108.

If it’s a high-end Ford Motor Co. vehicle you desire, stop in at Stivers Ford Lincoln, also on Hickman Road but near Waukee. They just received a 2018 model Lincoln Navigator Reserve SUV. It features privacy glass, a panoramic roof and heated rear seats, all for $88,010.

And who says you can’t go in style in a pickup? A 2018 Ford F150 Raptor at Stivers features a super crew cab – seating five people. This baby can tow more than its 7,000-pound weight, and lists out at $69,395.

If you’re gonna go, you can go in style.