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 →

March 3, 2017 0

2016 Lexus RC 200t

Lexus RC looks, drives like a sexy beast Not much in the car world is better than a sexy sports car, except maybe one that offers four engine choices and a wide span of prices so more folks can afford said sexy beast. Lexus happily does just that with its RC sports coupe, which offers... Continue Reading →

September 24, 2016 0

2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD

2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD The luxury crossovers, the Mercedes, Lexus, BMWs may have a hard time convincing some of their buyers that Mazda’s new CX-9 isn’t a better value. At $45,215 the Signature AWD model I tested is within an eyelash of offering the same goodies those luxury brands tout, while also offering more... Continue Reading →

August 3, 2016 0

2016 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T GLI SE

New Jetta reminds us of driving's pure joy ... Reminders are needed, from time to time, of the pure joy of driving, and Volkswagen’s Jetta is just the thing to pleasantly jog one’s memory. The conservatively styled Jetta’s exterior has been slightly smoothed and refined for 2016, but its mechanical workings needed no tweaks. The Jetta... Continue Reading →

July 1, 2016 2

2016 MINI Cooper Clubman

Bigger MINI makes Clubman more useful ... When does a MINI become so big that it’s not, well, mini? There’s a fine line to be sure, but the new MINI Cooper Clubman seems to straddle it pretty well. Visually the Clubman is still cute with the round headlights and profile of a MINI, but there’s no... Continue Reading →

June 10, 2016 0

2016 Acura RDX AWD Advance

Acura RDX couples luxury, power with AWD Smooth, quiet and useful, with a strong interior luxury quotient. That’s the new Acura RDX AWD Advance, the top-of-the-line model that should be making European makes nervous. Why? Well, it’s awfully nice and for substantially less cash than equally equipped German makes, such BMW, Mercedes and Audi. There’s... Continue Reading →

December 24, 2015 0

2015 Audi S3 2.0T quattro S tronic

Audi's S3 sportier than A3, but much costlier and turbo still lags I drove and enjoyed the Audi A3 with a turbo diesel a few weeks back and told myself I’d be ecstatic with the sportier looking and driving S3 this week. I wasn’t wrong, I still liked the S3, but I was less enthusiastic... Continue Reading →

July 24, 2015 2

2015 Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus

Audi's sporty A3 TDI gives gas pumps the finger! Boxy, compact and easy on fuel … yawn, that sounds like your typical econobox, but for one key trait, the Audi A3 handles like a sports sedan. That’s what it is, an entry-level sports sedan somewhat along the lines of a small BMW, just not... Continue Reading →

June 6, 2015 2

2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sport

Great-looking Lexus RC 350 packs performance Lexus cars always look luxurious, rarely racy, until now. Lexus stylists have cranked up their angular mojo to create their first truly sporty looking sports coupe – the RC 350. I’ve read or heard all sorts of jawing from other car writers that the RC isn’t racy enough, sits... Continue Reading →

May 2, 2015 0

2015 ZOOMIE Car of the Year Awards

Zoomies: The Everyman's Car of the Year, where style and value still matter Zoomie got kicked to the curb this year, after 25 years of top car selections for the Milwaukee newspaper. Hey, stuff happens! So while you didn’t get to see my top car, hybrid, crossover, etc. selections in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after... Continue Reading →