Volvo nails the sports wagon with its new V60 First, there aren’t many true wagons anymore. Second, Volvo absolutely nails the V60, if you want your wagon to feel like a sports sedan. I could have sworn I was in an Audi or Mercedes and barely noticed this was a wagon thanks to this Volvo’s... Continue Reading →
2014 Fiat 500L Lounge
Fiat goes long with 500L (get it?) to connect with more buyers Credit Fiat for quickly deducing that its cute, but diminutive, 500 runabout simply won’t do for many U.S. families. The Italian automaker that owns Chrysler needed something that would cast a wider net when trying to land more customers on our shores. Voila! The... Continue Reading →
2014 Mitsubishi Mirage ES
Pokey Mitsubishi Mirage offers bare bones performance Last year when I drove the 109-horsepower Nissan Versa Note I thought I’d driven the slowest accelerating car made in the past 10 years, but that was before I’d driven the new Mitsubishi Mirage. This makes the pokey Versa Note feel frisky. Mirage is a pleasant looking little hatchback... Continue Reading →
2014 Kia Soul+
Cute, youthful Kia Soul impresses on all fronts We all could use a little more Soul, and Kia is certainly doing all it can to encourage it. Kia’s Soul is one of the cutest crossovers out there and among the most economical too, both on the pricing and fuel economy fronts. I never ceased to be... Continue Reading →
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible
Muscular Stingray convertible opens up more ways to have fun I had to laugh at the timing. After a beautiful spring week, a “velocity yellow” Corvette Stingray convertible showed up for a test drive as snow was flying and the temperature had dropped to the mid-30s, ah Spring in Wisconsin. But by the weekend, the... Continue Reading →
2014 Toyota Venza XLE V6 AWD
Venza XLE delivers power, good looks and AWD Five years have passed since I last drove Toyota’s Venza, a crossover based on its popular Camry sedan. Not much has changed though, it’s still an attractive, competent crossover. In fact, Venza may be one of the best looking crossovers, simply because it blends the Camry’s sophisticated styling with... Continue Reading →
2014 Jaguar XJL AWD
Jaguar XJL extends the legend with AWD Jaguar’s image has been polished, tarnished and polished several times, but its history of racing success, generous power and spirited road manners, along with an expectation of gentlemanly comfort, endures. The restyled XJL does nothing to dispel the legend, with its muscular but trim lines, big chrome grille... Continue Reading →
2014 Honda Accord Hybrid
Accord Hybrid quietly delivers improved gas mileage Honda's Accord has grown to be a larger sedan, but remains a smooth, quiet comfortable family car that will haul five adults while remaining a good family value. NOW, it adds a hybrid power system. The tested silver Accord features a 2.0-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder gas engine that creates... Continue Reading →
2014 Hyundai Equus Signature
Equus has it all, nearly literally More than a year ago I told you that the only major drawback to the full-size Hyundai Equus luxury sedan was its Hyundai badge. I’m sticking by that, but if anything, the Equus has gotten better and that means other luxury makes might want to rethink their pricing. Because... Continue Reading →
2014 Mazda3i 4-door Grand Touring
Mazda3 delivers good looks, modest price, driving flair The new Mazda3 is better looking than its predecessor, gets better gas mileage and still delivers driving flair, a fair accomplishment for a modestly priced family sports sedan. First, Mazda reshaped its former gaping smiling nose with this more Audi-like big grille and swept its profile lines back... Continue Reading →