Common sense Forte also sporty, fun, loaded with goodies Kia cranks out another winner with its updated Forte compact sedan, a near sport sedan with a modern sporty look and common sense price tag and performance. The Forte is stellar in nothing, but good at everything. Such solid execution from a car maker creates the... Continue Reading →
2014 Audi Q5 TDI quattro
Audi Q5 blends luxury, utility with clean turbo diesel Luxury sport-utility vehicles all pretty much look alike, and all are loaded with luxury and high-tech features, so it’s in the blending of all these features where excellence outs itself. Even in high-end utes it has been uncommon for me to be fully comfortable with the size,... Continue Reading →
Slots: Scalextric 1969 Ford Mustang BOSS 302
This Mustang is Boss of the slot track Ford’s Mustang was the Boss of Trans-Am racing in the early 1970s with the likes of Parnelli Jones and George Follmer winning regularly to put Chevy, Plymouth and AMC on notice. Scalextric has been mining that popular muscle car vein with is fast and furious 1:32 slot... Continue Reading →
2014 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Ltd. 4X4
Hefty Tundra ready to take on the Big 3's Big Boys Toyota needn’t worry about folks pooh-poohing their full-size (and then some) Tundra pickup as not manly enough, or strong enough to take on the Big 3’s big boys. Heck, the tested metallic black Tundra CrewMax Limited 4X4 is nothing if not big. First, it’s U.S.-built... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz 1984 Indy 500 March racers
Sneva record setting pole car, Johncock STP March offer super detail The March chassis was dominant at the Indianapolis 500 in the early 1980s with track records falling regularly due to one guy in particular, Tom Sneva, the Gas Man. A March won the Indianapolis 500 from 1983 through 1987, Sneva giving March its first... Continue Reading →
2014 Nissan Versa Note SV
Versa is inexpensive, versatile, but extremely underpowered Rarely have I driven a car as underpowered as the Versa Note, Nissan’s new four-door hatchback version of the Versa, which debuted last year as a sedan. Naturally this is an economy model, but still, with a 1.6-liter, I4 that cranks only 109 horsepower the acceleration is lackluster,... Continue Reading →
2014 Ford Fiesta SE
Small cars can be fun to drive if spunky and good handling Driving small cars isn’t a turnoff to me. I enjoy their economy, their simplicity their easy handling and their low cost. But frugal needn’t mean blah, and Ford’s Fiesta has learned that lesson. It offers a spunky look and feel, good handling and an... Continue Reading →
2014 Lexus IS350 AWD
Who makes the best compact sport sedan? Well, BMW has owned that segment for years, but it would be hard to argue against Lexus now making the best looking sport sedan with its new IS series. Lexus created the IS to be a BMW 3 Series (now renamed the 4 Series) fighter, but Lexus is... Continue Reading →
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 1LT
Fast & furious new Stingray sets a new standard The company parking lot was alive with color, as was the driveway at home. People stared, gave a thumbs up and admired what for 60 years has been America’s Sports Car. This was a Torch Red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, fresh off the assembly line in... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz 1973 STP Indy 500 Eagles
Replicarz creates scorching ’73 Indy Eagles Editor's Note: An earlier review I did on similar models was pre-production prototypes. These are the real deal and are on sale now from Replicarz. Swede Savage was not a relative of mine, but as a teen in the 1970s I was a big fan, mainly because of the... Continue Reading →