Kia's Niro plug-in hybrid rocks the mpg ratings ... Last year Kia’s Niro hybrid crossover wannabe surprised me big time. It’s attractive, handles well, has decent power and achieved good gas mileage because it was a standard hybrid. Sure the Toyota Prius is queen of this category, but Niro has it all on looks and... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Autocult’s Volkswagen T1
Unique VW for the racing-oriented collector ... When I was a kid the only minivans were VW vans. They fit the mini category, maybe even invented it. But these were simple vehicles that like VW’s Beetle captured many of us Boomers’ imaginations. What may have been forgotten, however, is that there were several iterations and... Continue Reading →
2018 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4×4
Toyota's big ol' Sequoia overdue for a restyling … Toyota’s big Sequoia sport-ute is overdue for a restyling and needs a few interior upgrades to compete for class leader in this market dominated by the likes of Chevy and GMC’s Suburban, plus Ford’s Expedition and Nissan’s Armada. All are big boys in a big boy... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Autoart’s Nissan GT-R LM Nismo
Nissan GT-R surprisingly put the engine up front ... Since the mid-1960s most Le Mans-style prototype racers have put the engine behind the cockpit. Certainly the winning cars have featured this layout. So it was a surprise in 2015 when Nissan opted to swap that layout, putting its muscular twin-turbo V6 back in front of... Continue Reading →
2018 Toyota C-HR XLE Premium
Toyota C-HR takes cute, useful and fun to drive to a new level ... Mini has had cute pretty well sewed up among small cars with four doors, but now Toyota has stepped up to the plate with its latest C-HR crossover. The tested C-HR (cute hot rod?) was the top-level XLE Premium model decked... Continue Reading →
For the ultimate Green Bay Packer Fan
A complete collection would have this Here in Wisconsin us Cheeseheads love the Green Bay Packers. Want to get on the season ticket list to watch them play at Lambeau Field? Ya right! Get in line behind the other 133,000 that are waiting. So maybe your great great great granddaughter will actually be able to... Continue Reading →
2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD
Mazda CX-5 remains a sporty crossover ... As the world turns toward an all crossover and SUV automotive market it’s encouraging that the likes of Mazda continues to try and design sharp-looking vehicles that drive more like sports cars than trucks. This week’s fun four-wheeler is the midsize CX-5 crossover in top-level Grand Touring 4x4... Continue Reading →
2018 BMW M550i xDrive
BMW's M550i a hot, but sophisticated, rocket! ... BMW 5 Series sedans still rock. I know I about drooled myself silly praising the BMW 530e xDrive I tested about six weeks ago. I lauded it as epitomizing BMW’s motto of The Ultimate Driving Machine, and I still believe that. But … Along comes its sister... Continue Reading →
2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Muddy Fun
Muddy fun for a Jeep geek Full disclosure: I've been a Jeep guy for a very long time having first driven the SJ Cherokee back in the late 70's. I was forwarded on and email from my blogging partner, Mark Savage, who received an invitation from the Jeep people but couldn't make it to an... Continue Reading →
2018 Nissan Titan XD Diesel Pro-4X 4×4
Nissan Titan XD diesel, the locomotive of pickups . . . Let’s be honest, all the large heavy-duty pickups are pretty much alike in how they drive and the features they pack. Pricing is also very close. But some just look more serious than the others and I think of this week’s test truck, the... Continue Reading →