New Santa Fe seats 7, looks better, roomier Hyundai developed its Santa Fe into two vehicles a couple of years ago, the Sport which has a midsize 106-inch wheelbase and the straight-up Santa Fe that’ll seat seven with its longer 110.2-inch wheelbase and more interior room. The 2017 Santa Fe looks even better than its... Continue Reading →
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD The luxury crossovers, the Mercedes, Lexus, BMWs may have a hard time convincing some of their buyers that Mazda’s new CX-9 isn’t a better value. At $45,215 the Signature AWD model I tested is within an eyelash of offering the same goodies those luxury brands tout, while also offering more... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: AutoWorld’s 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
Plenty of muscle on display with Chevelle SS ... Chevrolet’s 1967 Chevelle SS is a straightforward muscle car with equally straight, lean lines that reflect fine mid-‘60s styling. AutoWorld has re-created a variety of Chevelles through the years, including a convertible version of the ’67 in 1/18 scale. Now comes the 1/24 scale model that... Continue Reading →
2017 Kia Sportage SX AWD
Larger Sportage maintains styling edge ... Kia has upgraded and enlarged its Sportage small sport-ute to keep it competitive with the likes of Subaru’s Forester, Honda’s CR-V, Ford’s Escape and Toyota’s RAV4. This is an extremely competitive market with many good products, but Kia maintains its strong styling edge and then lengthens Sportage’s wheelbase from 103.9... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: BoS-Models’ 1960 Plymouth Valiant
BoS nails it with early Plymouth Valiant ... I’ll admit to a soft spot for early Plymouth Valiants, and I think it’s justified. First, they were more stylish than other compacts of the day, and second, our family had a 1963 Valiant convertible with a push-button transmission. My mom learned to drive on that car... Continue Reading →
2016 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T GLI SE
New Jetta reminds us of driving's pure joy ... Reminders are needed, from time to time, of the pure joy of driving, and Volkswagen’s Jetta is just the thing to pleasantly jog one’s memory. The conservatively styled Jetta’s exterior has been slightly smoothed and refined for 2016, but its mechanical workings needed no tweaks. The Jetta... Continue Reading →
2016 Volkswagen CC 2.0T R-Line
VW's CC a fine handling sedan with a stick! ... Why Volkswagen doesn’t advertise its CC sedan is beyond me. This sporty family sedan has been on the market seven years and is nearly invisible in the marketplace. I’ve never seen a magazine or TV ad for it. That’s particularly weird at this time when VW... Continue Reading →
2016 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD Advance
New Acura RLX sport sedan does it all ... I quickly feel in love with driving the new Acura RLX Hybrid, a sport sedan that does everything right from a performance standpoint. One could argue that its looks are pedestrian, and they are mid-pack at best. But driving the RLX is like flying under the radar of... Continue Reading →
2016 MINI Cooper Clubman
Bigger MINI makes Clubman more useful ... When does a MINI become so big that it’s not, well, mini? There’s a fine line to be sure, but the new MINI Cooper Clubman seems to straddle it pretty well. Visually the Clubman is still cute with the round headlights and profile of a MINI, but there’s no... Continue Reading →
Audi Q7 3.0T Quattro
Audi's Q7 ute lives up to its hype ... I’d read some early reviews of the Audi Q7 full-size sport-utility and thought them suspiciously glowing, like a parent telling how great their kid’s violin concert had been. Well, count me among the converted. Big sport-utes are generally luxurious land barges that’ll pull a load and haul... Continue Reading →