Mazda vs. Audi, getting a tow-hold, Lincoln rebirth

Q: Same price: New Mazda6 or used Audi A4?

James R. Healey: Mazda; new warranty, new tech, new look -- unless you need all-wheel drive. Can't get it on the Mazda, can barely escape it on an Audi.

Q: Can I tow with a crossover SUV such as Dodge Durango?

James R. Healey: Sure, in fact enough to satisfy most users -- 6,200 lbs. with a V-6-power Durango, for example. But if you need to tug another ton beyond that, you'll need truck-based rigs such as Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe.

Q: Can Lincoln survive?

James R. Healey: With the right products, but will owner Ford Motor spend the money for a separate lineup?

Just a hint of what you missed if you weren't on the live Test Drive auto chat today. You can get a fuller discussion of those issues, and quite a bit more, from the transcript. Use the gray box below to link, and enjoy yourselves.

Live chats with Test Drive columnist James R. Healey are most Fridays, starting at 2 p.m. EDT.

Healey has written about cars for Paste BN since 1988. He's driven uncounted cars, trucks, and vans. He's been on-road, off-road (sometimes on purpose) and on race tracks.

It's a solid base of experience that lets him sort good vehicles from bad, and provide useful comments to readers (on a good day).

A transcript is published here after the chats.