Honest car reviews both big and small
Classic case of the wrong car for the wrong market at the wrong time Growing up in the 50s and 60's it was a big deal when the new models were introduced. I remember, to this day, my dad taking me down to see the new car Ford had come out with, the Edsel. Something... Continue Reading →
The company brings back an all-but forgotten badge Dating way back to 1926 it was the company's top-of-the-line vehicle so it was no surprise when Lee Iaccoco went to the well again in 1981. This newest edition, and this week's spot, combined forward-thinking design elements, out-of-character build quality all in a one-price luxury package. It's a... Continue Reading →
Cars are more fun than trucks (really!), and turbocharged cars are even more fun, especially when they add AWD like the Mazda3.
The DJ-3A Dispatcher finds another niche It all began at a resort in Acapulco named the Las Brisas, featuring luxury rooms built into the hillside but without elevators. So they needed to get the guests up the winding roads to their room and utilized up to 50 of the DJ-3A Jeeps (flat fender Jeeps) like... Continue Reading →
Luxury hybrid seekers, Lexus has you covered with its high-end RX 450h. There's so much to like, including stellar gas mileage.
The first barrage in the pony car wars Ford and Plymouth were in a race to be the first to enter the pony car era and to get there they were using off-the-shelf stuff. Ford, the Falcon, and Plymouth the tried and true Valiant, Chrysler’s A-body, and while it shared a great majority of parts... Continue Reading →
Wow, this new Trax is a winner from looks to performance and comfort, plus the price is amazingly LOW.
A small pickup before they were cool ... I wasn't sure if it was on my dime or Jeep's when I received an email almost five years ago this past week inviting me to a media event in California introducing the new Jeep Gladiator (JT). I was just giddy to find out they were paying... Continue Reading →
Folks looking for inexpensive off-road fun may find Subaru's Crosstrek a good Jeep alternative, and it's sporty looking too!
A car that fit right in with the movement ... Chances are if you're reading this, like me you remember the late 1960s. It was a time when much of my generation was protesting and trying to find its own way. Not me of course, I was more interested in cars. Car marketers knew that... Continue Reading →
Compact is the right size for a personal pickup and Maverick is a winner, plus offers hybrid power to save fuel. Gas power is standard now though.
The most famous hatchback built in 1974 Not having the same mega budgets that General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler left scrappy little American Motors scrambling for attention. In 1974, they scrapped together 5 Million bucks for one of the biggest PR coops in automotive history by getting its car placed in the newest Bond film,... Continue Reading →
Whether fording a 35-inch deep river or slopping through mud, the Rover Defender 110 S will do it in style and a fair amount of luxury bits too.
BMW's new X5 costs a lot, but it delivers big power and sporty handling with a luxury ride.
A time capsule of automotive design and engineering Since Mark and I started this car blog a couple of years ago we've had the opportunity to drive and experience some really amazing automobiles. This one caught us totally by surprise. Each year the Chicago Auto Show hosts media members from Wednesday through Friday before the... Continue Reading →
Just because the Touring XT is the top-level Outback doesn't mean it's overpriced. Still AWD, comfy and will haul. The turbo engine is a win too!
You've got stuff and Toyota knows it, so now there's a GRAND Highlander to carry it, and your family, plus there's a hybrid model too.
Gotta go off-roading? Need to squish some snow, mud, rocks? Wanna take a lot of folks with ya? Toyota has a giant Sequoia that'll do the trick.
20th Anniversary Special Before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway made the Corvette its official Indy Pace Car in 2004 there were a variety of brands that provided vehicles for the race. Pacing the 73rd Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 1989, was the 1989 Pontiac Trans Am, the subject of this week's spot. I found this example... Continue Reading →
VW's Atlas Cross Sport is a fraternal twin to the 3-row Atlas, but will haul more cargo, and fewer people. Which do you need?
Hyundai delivers both power and performance along with a design that'll start your neighbors talking.
Kia's Seltos just keeps getting better, now with more power, AWD and styling flair, plus it's a high value model.
Holy cow, the Sentra is sleek, inexpensive and a great family car buy. This is a bargain hunter's dream car!
Luxury looms large in Lincoln's full-size 3-row SUV ... Luxury comes in all sizes, but if you’re needing a luxury SUV in large or extra large, Lincoln has the answer in a big way. Navigator is a full-size 3-row luxury SUV with, as my aunts used to say, all the trimmings. Tested was the mid-range... Continue Reading →
Plug-in power cuts emissions, boosts gas mileage for family SUV ... Nearly all automakers are now hybridizing their lineups, either with regular hybrid systems to extend gas mileage and mildly cut emissions, or with plug-ins that do more of both. No surprise then that Hyundai has dropped a plug-in hybrid system into its popular Santa... Continue Reading →
Top-selling CR-V adds length and hybrid power ... Adding a bit of length along with hybrid power to a top-selling compact crossover will likely boost its already strong sales, or so Honda suspects. They’re probably right. The Honda CR-V is already the segment’s sales leader and the latest refresh does nothing to hurt the sound... Continue Reading →
LS = Luxury Sedan (near perfect) with hybrid system ... No car is perfect, but the luxurious full-size Lexus LS 500h sedan wants to be, and edges closer to it with each iteration. The 2023 LS (Luxury Sedan one supposes) exhibits the usual stunning styling with its big grille that is a love it or... Continue Reading →
3-row Atlas remains a smooth, comfy ride, but with a few quirks ... Sometimes it’s good when a car maker doesn’t futz too much with its designs, if the original was well executed. Such is the case with Volkswagen’s Atlas a mid-size crossover it makes at its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, along with the Atlas Cross... Continue Reading →
A touchdown pass that came too late in the game ... This is one of those “I was there when it happened” stories. For any of you who follow me regularly, you know I'm a huge American Motors geek and that's because my dad worked there from 1963 to 1989. Those early years were booming... Continue Reading →
Stylish new plug-in hybrid SUV oozes luxury ... Credit Mazda with creating its first plug-in hybrid, the stylish three-row CX-90 SUV, which takes the place of its CX-9 for 2024. Mazda is moving mostly to double digits after its CX label for all its crossovers and SUVs, so CX-30, CX-50, CX-70, CX-90, oh, and there’s... Continue Reading →
Sleek new Prius Prime provides a plug-in with style ... Consider this, driving more than 200 miles in a week and only paying ten bucks, and change, for the privilege. No, I wasn’t coasting down hills and there was no tornadic wind at my back. I was slipping through the air in a sleek new... Continue Reading →
Sienna a praiseworthy hybrid hauler oozing luxury + AWD ... Minivans may be the smartest automotive vehicle design ever for families. Nothing is more comfortable or accommodating for packing in the offspring, grandparents, and all for around-towning or a cross-country outing. For that Toyota’s Sienna Platinum AWD is the most luxurious and yet practical conveyance... Continue Reading →
Midnight Edition a trendy dark night's look in a gray coat ... As automotive trends go, the current black is beautiful movement might just have some staying power. The fascination with dark exteriors and trim began a few years back as an alternative to the fifty shades of gray that had taken over as the... Continue Reading →
Carnival proves a festival of finery ... When Kia rolled out its spiffy new Carnival minivan last year I was pretty sure nothing on the market drove, or looked, better. Now I’m certain. Oh, if you prefer a hybrid or AWD van you’ll have to look to Chrysler or Toyota. But for a standard internal... Continue Reading →
An icon of America's space race While every year the Chicago Auto Show features all the newest cars, it also remembers its past with cars like this spot, a 62 Oldsmobile Starfire. The 62 was in great shape and looked like a survivor. In the early 60s, the US and Russia were locked in a... Continue Reading →
X7 a pulse-quickening luxury 3-row SUV ... BMW is one of the best automakers at straddling the line of performance and luxury and nowhere is that balancing act more challenging than the large SUV market. Yet BMW does just that with its X7, a big beauty that handles like a smaller sportier SUV or crossover,... Continue Reading →
Acura's hot horsey hatch is back, finally ... Here’s a recipe for success – hot hatchback styling, 200 horsepower, slick-shifting 6-speed manual tranny, a bright red suede and leather interior, and a rockin’ stereo. Acura insists on adding its luxury nameplate and requisite big toothy grille into the spicy blend that is the new Integra... Continue Reading →
Sport is strong on power and price, weak on practicality .... Driving a Range Rover Sport feels a bit like embarking on a world cruise. Rovers are designed and built in England. Yet Rover is owned by the Indian firm Tata. And the tested Sport SE was bathed in Giola Green. For the uninitiated Giola... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: How I was the temporary Caretaker ... This is an update of a blog post I did a year ago in February. When you think about all the cars that were made since the history of cars, there's one that just about guarantees a smile every time you see one, the VW Beetle. I'm... Continue Reading →
High-horse plug-in hybrid rekindles joy of driving a sedan ... Sedans are such a rarity now that it’s a special treat to drive one, especially when it’s a sophisticated looking, high-horse plug-in hybrid from Volvo. You may recall a time when Volvos were boxy and boring, but safe as the vault at Fort Knox, assuming... Continue Reading →
Autoart nails the sexy Japanese 'Mustang' look ... I came of driving age in the early 1970s and while I drove a snazzy copper-colored Plymouth Duster, which I thought beautiful, the Japanese makes were just getting their footing in the U.S. market. Most models were boring, but to me, the “hot” car was Toyota’s Celica... Continue Reading →
Mitsubishi's Eclipse Cross is a high-value compact crossover, with a timely name and pretty sharp looks.
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I am a disaffected Moneyball pioneer who loves cars.
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