Refined family sedan with superb CVT deserves its due As in the political world where the frontrunners get all the hype and some worthy candidates get brushed to the sidelines or back pages, Nissan’s Altima doesn’t always get its due. That may be about to change. The 2013 Altima has been revamped to be slightly wider and... Continue Reading →
2012 MINI JCW Cooper Coupe
Two-seater delivers attitude, power, performance - at a high cost Perfect timing! I had just driven the raciest version of Fiat’s tiny 500, the Abarth, when an even racier MINI Cooper Coupe, the John Cooper Works, or JCW, edition slotted into the test garage. The Coupe is MINI’s new model, with no back seat and... Continue Reading →
2012 Fiat 500 Abarth
Cute and powerful, but overpriced and a rough rider A co-worker put it perfectly after seeing my black and white Fiat 500 Abarth, it’s the Beanie Baby of cars – Cute with a capital C. I like small cars, appreciate their efficiency, their fun factor and generally their lower cost. The Fiat 500 is cute,... Continue Reading →
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
Sporty, useful, practical, some hatchbacks have it all Hatchbacks are fantastic and Hyundai’s latest entry the Elantra GT proves the point. Sporty, useful, practical and bordering on fun to drive a hatchback often gives you more for your money than any other car design on the market. Think of crossovers as hatchbacks on steroids and... Continue Reading →
2012 Hyundai Azera
Azera is aces in luxury, quiet, comfort If you are among the folks who thought Hyundai would never make it in the U.S. car market, well, get over it. I’ve driven quite a few Hyundai models of late and the new Azera is the finest yet. This is a large front-drive sedan to challenge Toyota’s... Continue Reading →
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
A Sculpted, Sensuous Styling Home Run Hyundai’s new Genesis Coupe is a styling home run, sporty, sculpted and sensuous. I’ve gotten in trouble before using sensuous to describe a car. But I’m just saying, this baby has all its curves in all the right places. Heck, a co-worker who saw only the 2013 coupe’s nose... Continue Reading →
2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata
A Sports Car as Good as it Gets To look at Mazda’s MX-5 Miata you’d think little has changed since its introduction nearly 25 years ago.It’s still the quintessential two-seater, a sports car for the ages with a simple layout, simple lines, simple controls and for today’s market, a simple price tag. The base Sport... Continue Reading →
2013 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe
Mustang is Ford’s home run hitting all-star Ford continues to belt home run after home run with its Mustang lineup and the newly freshened 2013 Ford Mustang powered by a stout V6 is the latest round-tripper. Ford touches all the bases here, looks, speed, handling and ride. My test car was a light (Ingot) silver... Continue Reading →
2012 Audi A6
2012 Audi A6: Defining the luxury sedan The new 2012 Audi A6 is just about everything a luxury sport sedan should be. It’s fast, it’s nimble, it’s stylish inside and out and it’s loaded with luxury amenities. Any quibbles I have are minor. First, Audi continues its string of well styled cars that offer character... Continue Reading →
2012 Infiniti M56X
Infiniti M56X: Infiniti’s new M56X sedan is the rich man’s Park Avenue, full of luxury and comfortable ride, but also an absolute blast to drive. Certainly it’s more spirited than many large luxury sedans, while looking as tame as, well, a Park Avenue. Yet there’s a growling 5.6-liter V8 under its hood that is just... Continue Reading →