Winter Driving Tips

Aristocrat Motors wishes everyone a safe holiday season. With the weather getting colder and as people are traveling to see family, we would like to share with you some winter weather driving tips:

1.       Get a checkup: The last thing you want is a breakdown while it’s snowing. Come in and have your vehicle checked out by scheduling a service appointment at: http://www.aristocratmotors.com/schedule-service. These checks can include:

a.       Battery Check

b.      Coolant Check

c.       Find/Fix any Leaks

d.      Check Wipers

e.      Fill Washer Fluid

f.        Check Rear Defroster

g.       Check traction control and safety systems.

2.       Go slow. Even though your vehicle may have 4 or All-Wheel Drive, that doesn’t mean it stops any faster. Make sure to allow yourself enough time to get there safely.

3.       Keep your gas tank full: In the event of a heavy traffic jam or getting stuck, you need to make sure your car can keep running long enough for help to arrive or the traffic to clear. (Plus the engine runs your heater… wouldn’t want that going out in a blizzard)

4.       Keep your phone charged: For the same reason as in #3, it is important that your phone is fully charged when you leave home and work so you can always call for assistance.

5.       Get snow tires: Many of our customers enjoy the thrill of performance driving, and some of their tire setups are not adequately equipped to handle heavy snow. If that’s your case, we recommend keeping a set of snow tires and wheels for the winter driving season.

Aristocrat Motors is a Merriam, KS based auto dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Porsche, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati products. Visit us online at www.AristocratMotors.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors, or on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC.

smart Halloween Party

On October 29^th, 2011 over a dozen of our favorite smart car owners showed up to smart center Merriam for our annual Halloween party.

While some of them showed up to the party in costume, the real stars of the show were the vehicles themselves. 10 vehicles showed up in costume, including everything from a witch, a vampire, a helicopter, and even a donkey.

“It was amazing how creative people can get when decorating their own vehicle, and with the personality that a smart car already has, it was the perfect canvas,” said Melinda Melton, smart center Merriam manager.

Fun was had by all, and we were impressed by the creativity. Now it’s time to start planning your smart’s costume for next year!

smart center Merriam is part of Aristocrat Motors, a Merriam, KS based automobile dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Porsche, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati products. Visit us online at www.AristocratMotors.com , on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors , or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AristocratKC .

2011 Aristocrat Motors Mercedes-Benz Open House

On October 20^th, over 250 people came to Aristocrat Motors for our open house party. With four new Mercedes-Benz models including the new CLS, SLK, ML, and C-Class coupe as well as our significant showroom renovations, we felt that we had plenty of excuses to have a party.

Throughout the evening guests checked out the renovations and the new vehicles while the musical entertainment was provided by McIntosh, a leader in high-end stereo components. Food was provided by Garozzo’s ristorante, with Chicken Spiedini being present in high volumes.

We were most impressed by the range of customers in attendance, with our most loyal ones in attendance, some who have had dozens of vehicles from us, to our newest customers, whose first car hasn’t yet lost that new-car scent.

We never need to have an excuse for our customers to come say hello, but we appreciate all of those who could attend this amazing party. 

Aristocrat Motors is a Merriam, KS auto dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Porsche, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati Products. Visit us online at www.AristocratMotors.com , on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors , and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC. 

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover. When you say the term, people understand that there is a certain air of quality about the name. They are known as being superb off-road vehicles, luxurious people-carriers, and as having an unmatched fit and finish.

That’s why we were skeptical at first when Land Rover said they were going to build a smaller, less expensive vehicle. Would it be as luxurious? Would it have the same off-road ability? Would it be as refined as the Range Rover Sport or Full-Size vehicles?

When the Range Rover Evoque showed up to our store a few weeks ago, the styling was the first thing to stand out. Usually when a manufacturer makes a concept car, they scrap 99% of the styling points and leave behind some diluted version of the original copy. Not with the Evoque which looks identical to the stunning LRX concept from several years ago.

Next is the interior, other than the new shifter-dial that harks to Land Rover’s partnership with Jaguar, the interior is so nice that it is completely indistinguishable from the Range Rover Sport, its bigger brother. Then you lean back and notice the panoramic roof, and your jaw drops. Other car companies have panoramic roofs, but they are usually broken in the middle by some support column, or are very narrow. This car has the roof equivalent of a glass bottomed boat.

The drive is phenomenal, with a low center of gravity, and a plenty-powerful 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 240 horsepower, which is plenty to give this car a great pickup. The suspension system is crisp, and the Dynamic version I was in used an electro-magnetically controlled system that allows the suspension to adjust its firmness thousands of times every second as road surface changes. That’s the same type of suspension that’s used in the Ferrari 458 Italia supercar.

Off-road is exceptional, with the Evoque offering the same adjustable setup as on the sport, allowing you to adjust for mud ruts, sand, rock crawl, and snow, or just leave it in normal and the system will figure some of those situations out on their own.

For fun, we took the Evoque on our off-road course, which was designed and built years before anyone knew that Land Rover was going to build such a small vehicle. It handled the enormous dips and angles like a true Range Rover. That video can be witnessed here: http://youtu.be/6v84TeYc4sw .

I spent the majority of my time after driving the Evoque removing my foot from my mouth as I could not have been more wrong about this vehicle. It is in every way, a true Range Rover, displaying prowess off-road, on-road, and everywhere in between. It is equal parts luxury and capability.

Motor Trend must have thought so too, as it is now the 2012 Motor Trend SUV of the Year.

Schedule a test drive at: http://www.aristocratlandrover.com/schedule-testdrive. Hurry, as the wait list for certain models is starting to stretch into next spring!

Aristocrat Motors is a Merriam, KS based luxury auto dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Saab, Porsche, Maserati, Land Rover and Jaguar products. Visit us online at www.AristocratMotors.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors, or on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC.

SEMA 2011: Pictures

Two weeks ago, our accessories manager boarded a plane to Las Vegas. While most head to Vegas for relaxation and gambling, Cheryl went there for the 2011 SEMA show. SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) is an annual showcase that highlights aftermarket parts and accessories for cars and trucks. 

Each year the Las Vegas Convention Center, along with dozens of adjoining buildings and parking lots plays host to thousands of custom automobiles built by parts manufacturers, tuning companies, and individuals from around the world.

This year was no exception. “It was honestly a very hard show to visit in just two days,” Cheryl remarked. 

When we talked about accessory trends that were prevalent throughout the show, she mentioned that the matte colored paints, similar to the Designo custom exteriors from Mercedes-Benz were becoming very popular. Also, companies that had previously focused on rear seat DVD entertainment systems were now looking to iPads instead, as they are more functional and can be updated via WiFi.

Below are some photos that she took at the show. Enjoy!

Aristocrat Motors is a Merriam, KS based automotive dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Saab, Porsche, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati Products. Visit us on the web at www.AristocratMotors.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors , and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Aristocratkc .