Carnival proves a festival of finery ... When Kia rolled out its spiffy new Carnival minivan last year I was pretty sure nothing on the market drove, or looked, better. Now I’m certain. Oh, if you prefer a hybrid or AWD van you’ll have to look to Chrysler or Toyota. But for a standard internal... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 62 Oldsmobile Starfire
An icon of America's space race While every year the Chicago Auto Show features all the newest cars, it also remembers its past with cars like this spot, a 62 Oldsmobile Starfire. The 62 was in great shape and looked like a survivor. In the early 60s, the US and Russia were locked in a... Continue Reading →
2023 BMW X7 M60i
X7 a pulse-quickening luxury 3-row SUV ... BMW is one of the best automakers at straddling the line of performance and luxury and nowhere is that balancing act more challenging than the large SUV market. Yet BMW does just that with its X7, a big beauty that handles like a smaller sportier SUV or crossover,... Continue Reading →
2023 Acura Integra A-Spec Tech Review
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: 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 →
2023 Volvo S60 Recharge AWD Ultimate (Black Edition)
High-horse plug-in hybrid rekindles joy of driving a sedan ... Sedans are such a rarity now that it’s a special treat to drive one, especially when it’s a sophisticated looking, high-horse plug-in hybrid from Volvo. You may recall a time when Volvos were boxy and boring, but safe as the vault at Fort Knox, assuming... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Classic CJ-7
One of the many AMC cars found in my driveway growing up ,,, For those of you that don't follow this blog regularly, I have a fondness for the vehicles built by American Motors, mostly because my dad worked for the company from 1963 to 1989. 1970 was a special year because AMC swung for... Continue Reading →
2023 Lexus GX 460
Big-nosed, 3-row SUV feels old school, but remains a fun drive ... I’m beginning to feel a smidge like Little Red Riding Hood when it comes to new car and truck designs. My, what big grilles you have! Lexus’ full-size SUV, the GX 460 was one of the first to glom onto the giant schnoz... Continue Reading →
1973 Toyota Celica Liftback GT2000
Autoart nails the sexy Japanese 'Mustang' look ... I came of driving age in the early 1970s and while I drove a snazzy copper-colored Plymouth Duster, which I thought beautiful, the Japanese makes were just getting their footing in the U.S. market. Most models were boring, but to me, the “hot” car was Toyota’s Celica... Continue Reading →