Camry Hybrid may just be the perfect family sedan ... This may surprise you, but it’s exceedingly rare that I long for a test car that has been returned, but this week even I was surprised at my disappointment when of all things a 2023 Toyota Camry XLE Hybrid left the Savage abode. You might... Continue Reading →
2023 Nissan Z Performance
Z (it's only Z now) nails modern, yet retro, looks and power ... Not many car lines go all the way to Z. But Nissan has been going all the way since 1969 when it launched the Datsun 240Z its long-hooded sports car for the rest of us. I thought of it as a mini-Corvette... Continue Reading →
2023 BMW 840i xDrive Gran Coupe
Swoopy Gran Coupe a luxury rocket for the 5% crowd ... There are cars Bill Gates and Warren Buffett can afford and then there are cars that any CEO or hedge fund trader might slip lovingly into their 3-car garage. That’s the 1% vs. 5% rule in the car world, and it’s the difference between... Continue Reading →
2022 Subaru WRX Premium
WRX better in a rally than on a road, but it rocks ... After we had been driving for two blocks my wife, a devout Subaru owner, asked rather emphatically, “WHO would ever buy this car?” The car in question was a flashy metallic Solar Orange Subaru WRX Premium, the rally racer style compact sedan... Continue Reading →
2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
Electric crossover delivers power, luxury and looks ... Each new electric vehicle that hums sweetly into my driveway seems closer to what consumers ultimately will want and demand, some even exceed those desires in clever ways. The smartly future-forward styled Genesis GV60 Performance, a top-end luxury electric crossover, is a prime exceeder. Two examples being... Continue Reading →
2022 Tesla Model S Long Range
All the hype is real from a performance standpoint, but ... Finally, I have driven the future, a Tesla. No, this wasn’t my usual one-week test drive of a manufacturer’s new vehicle. Tesla didn’t provide me the bright Pearl White Model S Long Range, a private owner did. Tesla, you see, is the Apple of... Continue Reading →
2022 BMW 240i xDrive Performance
Entry-level sports coupe's performance a throwback ... If you wait long enough history often repeats itself, sometimes even for the better. Example: BMW’s new 2 Series sport coupe. In ancient times, when Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter were our presidents, BMW was famous for its 2002 sport sedans. Cute (but boxy) sedans that could rip... Continue Reading →
2023 Honda HR-V AWD EX-L
Larger platform, refined styling make HR-V a better family car choice ... Surprises can be pleasing or concerning, something to celebrate or something to require pulling the bedspread up over your noggin. Honda’s new 2023 HR-V, its small SUV/crossover, is full of the former, yet seeing a starting price of $24,895 I had concerns. I... Continue Reading →
2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line
VW's handsome compact crossover an efficient high-value drive ... Volkswagen was once the automotive love child of my Boomer generation, but time changes things and VW has become one of the back markers in the U.S. auto market, although not worldwide. Lately it has turned much of its attention to electric vehicles, the ID.4 crossover/SUV... Continue Reading →
2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Ultimate
Nimble, powerful XC40 Recharge a bit shy on range ... Electric power is coming, and quickly, to some car makes, Volvo being a prime example. Its compact SUV, the XC40, debuted just a couple years back, but now is available with full electric power from twin electric motors, one front, one rear. This version is... Continue Reading →