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 →

March 25, 2016 0

2016 Fiat 500 Easy

Fiat 500 Easy: low price, low power, lower expectations Several years have passed since I last drove a Fiat 500, the mini-car Fiat re-launched its brand with in the U.S. market for 2012. The 500 hasn’t grown any, nor changed much, which depending on your point of view may be good, or a bit sad.... Continue Reading →

March 19, 2016 0

2016 Honda Civic EX

New Honda Civic adds style, remains no-nonsense sedan ... Need good basic wheels? Make that better than basic, but at a no-nonsense price, a practical car that’s fun to drive with good ride and that will fit a family of four comfortably. Honda’s new 2016 Civic sedan has you covered, and then some. Civics, when first... Continue Reading →

March 12, 2016 0

2016 Toyota Avalon Touring

Stylish Toyota Avalon long on comfort at good price Toyota’s Avalon is a breath of fresh air, a full-size sedan with stylish lines and oodles of comfort and features at a reasonable price. In days of yore, that would be enough to make it one of the top sellers in the marketplace, but alas, modern... Continue Reading →

March 5, 2016 0

Chicago Auto Show Video Tour

We are back from the Chicago Auto Show We saw a ton of cool cars, maybe more than in the past. So come along and follow us on this guided tour. https://youtu.be/7sNsIZIpcYM

February 16, 2016 0

2016 Nissan Maxima Platinum

Stylish Nissan Maxima breaks cookie-cutter sedan mold Back in the automotive heydays, car stylists were intent on giving their cars distinctive grilles, fins, headlights, taillights, profiles, you name it. Today we must satisfy ourselves with whatever styling cues designers can muster in a cookie-cutter marketplace. Happily, Nissan designers have fashioned a swanky looking 2016 Maxima... Continue Reading →

February 5, 2016 0

2015 Ford Edge Titanium AWD

Ford Edge Titanium a top-flight crossover Ford’s Edge is a good looking crossover that puts Ford’s boxy Flex to shame in handling and looks , but won’t haul as many people. Edge is a top-flight mid-size crossover with a comfortable ride, good power and an excellent interior for five adults. My test unit was the... Continue Reading →

January 22, 2016 0

2016 Fiat 500X Trekking FWD

Fiat 500X cute, but more useful than smaller cousins Small crossovers are growing in popularity and car makers are falling all over themselves to deliver a robust selection of these little SUV-hatchback-wagons. In essence they are mix of those three categories, offering more cargo room, AWD or 4-wheel-drive capability and hatches for easy cargo carrying and... Continue Reading →