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 →

June 24, 2016 0

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 →

June 17, 2016 0

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 →

June 10, 2016 0

2016 Audi TT 2.0T Quattro

Audi's latest TT is slick, squatty, luxurious, sporty Sports cars seem an endangered species and nearly as hard to find as polite political discourse. So my recent landing of a new Audi TT coupe seemed quite a coup. I hadn’t driven a TT for nine years. That’s how rare they are in the automotive test fleets. But... Continue Reading →

May 27, 2016 0

2016 Jaguar XF 35t R-Sport RWD

Jaguar XF R-Sport has the looks and the handling ... Jaguars look better than most other luxury cars, and that matters in a world and a time when all luxury cars offer similar features and performance. The Jaguar tradition is one of lean looks and mighty power, plus excellent handling. This new XF sedan fits that... Continue Reading →

May 20, 2016 0

2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited

A happy surprise, new 2017 Elantra arrives early ... Looks like 2017 is already here, at least at Hyundai. My test car was a sparkling white 2017 Elantra Limited, the compact sedan that improves with each iteration. One thing that hasn’t changed is its stellar looks. Hyundai and its cousin Kia have been leading the styling... Continue Reading →

May 13, 2016 0

2016 Kia K900 Luxury

Kia K900 delivers luxury ride, amenities big time ... Ah, luxury; it has its perks. For instance in Kia’s new K900 luxury sedan the rear seats partially recline, the steering wheel is heated, there’s a power rear sun shade, manual side window shades, a front passenger’s seat with full power and two memory settings. Some... Continue Reading →

May 6, 2016 0

2016 Toyota RAV4 SE AWD

Restyled Toyota RAV4 gets even better ... Toyota has restyled its popular RAV4 crossover to give it a sleeker more modern look while maintaining its solid underpinnings. Like most Toyota offerings, RAV4 doesn’t change much from year to year, it simply remains a good reliable machine that does what you’d expect of a small crossover. The engine... Continue Reading →

April 29, 2016 0

2016 Kia Optima LX Turbo

Kia Optima, a better mid-size sedan ... When I last tested a Kia Optima I thought it among the best mid-size sedans I’d driven, plus it got 39.5 miles per gallon. Wow! But that was a hybrid model. Well, the refreshed 2016 Optima is even more impressive. My one major hesitation with the previous model,... Continue Reading →

April 15, 2016 1

2016 Ford Escape SE 4WD

Ford's Escape a looker and a handler ... Ford’s Escape is popular because it looks good, comes in a range of prices that meet a wide array of consumers’ needs, and is an extremely sporty handling crossover. None of that changes for 2016. Escape is handsome with enough of a swept-back look to appear quick and... Continue Reading →