Acura's hot horsey hatch is back, finally ... Here’s a recipe for success – hot hatchback styling, 200 horsepower, slick-shifting 6-speed manual tranny, a bright red suede and leather interior, and a rockin’ stereo. Acura insists on adding its luxury nameplate and requisite big toothy grille into the spicy blend that is the new Integra... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Volkswagen Westfalia Camper
It's all about the adventure It's summer here in Wisconsin and that means the campsites are jammed. Camping is a big deal here. I know because I used to work for a local retailer that specialized in camping gear. This week's spot has all the gear needed on four wheels, the Volkswagen Westfalia Camper. Affectionately... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet
A fun little drop top Now that the weather has finally started to get decent here in Wisconsin I'm starting to see summer cars like this week's car spot. This car just exudes fun! The Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet is the convertible version of the Volkswagen Golf, introduced in 1979. For younger readers, there was a... Continue Reading →
2023 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD Hybrid
Big Sequoia is improved, but has a couple Big issues ... Big, bold, beautiful? It’s hard to argue beauty for any full-size SUV although the sparkling silver paint job on this motoring monster, the Toyota Sequoia, added some sparkle. But Sequoia, as its name implies, is big and the restyling for 2023 helps it fit... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Buick Riviera
GM's first entry into the personal luxury car market ... I remember 1963. I was in fourth grade living in Madison, Wis. Yup, remember the day when we were told that JFK was assassinated. I remember it more because it was also the year that my dad was hired by American Motors, and we moved... Continue Reading →
2023 Lexus ES300h F Sport
A hybrid luxury sedan priced almost like a family sedan ... Luxury and value go together a bit like peanut butter and caviar, at least in the car world. That’s to say, they don’t. Usually, luxury vehicles push nameplate and a few fancy doodads at a premium price. Folks wanting their image or reputation to... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 56 Lincoln Continental Mark II Custom Bubbletop
Wildness from the George Barris Kustom Shop The 50s were a crazy time for custom cars. Builders were known for going way over the top in their creations and this week's car spot, seen at this year's Chicago Auto Show, is no exception. If you look closely you can see a 56 Continental. That gold... Continue Reading →
2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD
Pathfinder a calm, quiet, smooth performer ... The Bath County Courthouse (Va.) provides Pathfinder's backdrop. Somewhere along the Skyline Drive overlooking Shenandoah National Park in Virginia the calm, quiet, and smooth performance of Nissan’s 3-row Pathfinder settled in. We had driven through unplanted flat Midwestern farm fields and mountainous West Virginia only to settle for... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 1992 Mini Cooper
If ever there was an iconic British car, this is it ... I was surprised when I started writing this article that fuel shortages are nothing new. It was one in 1956 that was the push British Motor Corp. needed to develop the Mini. Introduced in 1959, it was the car's space-saving transverse engine and... Continue Reading →
2023 Range Rover Sport SE
Sport is strong on power and price, weak on practicality .... Driving a Range Rover Sport feels a bit like embarking on a world cruise. Rovers are designed and built in England. Yet Rover is owned by the Indian firm Tata. And the tested Sport SE was bathed in Giola Green. For the uninitiated Giola... Continue Reading →