Hybrid Avalon comfy big sedan, easy on the gas ... Sadly big comfortable sedans are about as popular these days as a new Nickelback album or The Dixie Chicks at a Texas veterans fundraiser. Too bad because as passé as big sedans are, they can move a family of five in smooth, quiet comfort and also... Continue Reading →
2017 Volvo V60 T5 AWD Cross Country
Volvo 's V60 Cross Country touts pizzazz, not smooth ride ... Volvo’s V60 Cross Country wagon/crossover wisely borrows some styling pizzazz from the likes of Mazda, then goes about saturating the vehicle with its usual core competency, safety. Pretty nice combo, but it ladles on enough luxury to push the V60 to luxury-level pricing, but without... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Replicarz’s 1964 Indy Smokey Yunick sidecar racer
PRE-RELEASE REVIEW: Sidecar racer unique, weird, unsuccessful, but a cool die-cast model ... The mid-1960s were a wild and revolutionary time for race car design and technology at the Indianapolis 500, the predominant race in the world at the time. The era saw roadsters with their engines in the front replaced by racers, such as Lotuses, with... Continue Reading →
2017 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring
New Hybrid Accord comfy family sedan with top-notch mpg ...            Honda’s Accord is a car that’s hard not to like. It’s comfortable, handles well and provides a first rate ride. There’s room for four or five adults and the trunk is sufficiently large. Sexy it ain’t. Now add a hybrid power system and well,... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Automodello’s 1966 Ford Galaxie 500
Rare 7-Liter Hardtop beautiful in 1/24 scale ... As a kid I saw a lot of Ford Galaxies around the neighborhood and some of my northern Indiana relatives who farmed had them and weren’t afraid to run them out in a cornfield if necessary. But rarer was the Galaxie 500 7-Liter Hardtop, a luxury model that wasn’t... Continue Reading →
2017 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium
New VW Passat hits for the cycle ...            It may be a bit early in the calendar year to talk about hitting for the cycle, but the 2017 Volkswagen Passat does just that. Rare is the mid-size car that delivers healthy power, refined handling and ride along with a quiet interior. Often a sedan with... Continue Reading →
2017 Chicago Auto Show
Cool new cars and fun stuff to do Going to the Chicago Auto Show is one of our favorite trips of the year because we always have a great time. This year was no different. We captured some of it in the two videos below. If you've been thinking about going, and we recommend it,... Continue Reading →
2017 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD
New Nissan Pathfinder more civilized, comfy ... My Navy son had a Nissan Pathfinder years ago and it was a true sport-utility truck, built on a truck chassis and able to go off-roading with the other utes of the day. Pathfinder has been around now for 30 years, but those trucklike days are gone as more... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: NEO’s 1933 Cadillac Fleetwood All-weather Pheaton
'33 Cadillac Fleetwood long on style ... There have been some fine luxury cars made in the United States, exemplary machines that set the auto world on its proverbial ear. Pierce-Arrow, Packard, Duesenberg, Auburn and Cadillac come to mind. Only Cadillac is left, but that’s because GM kept it alive through the Great Depression when it... Continue Reading →
2017 Infiniti Q60 Premium AWD
New Q60 emphasizes performance, but ride suffers ... Driving similar cars back to back puts both into perspective, an unfortunate turn for the sporty Infiniti Q60. I’d driven the Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe with 4Matic, its all-wheel-drive system, the week before I slipped behind the wheel of the new Q60, which replaces the fine G37 in Infiniti’s lineup.... Continue Reading →