2014 Audi Q5 TDI quattro

Audi Q5 blends luxury, utility with clean turbo diesel Luxury sport-utility vehicles all pretty much look alike, and all are loaded with luxury and high-tech features, so it’s in the blending of all these features where excellence outs itself. Even in high-end utes it has been uncommon for me to be fully comfortable with the size,... Continue Reading →

January 17, 2014 0

Die-cast: Replicarz 1984 Indy 500 March racers

Sneva record setting pole car, Johncock STP March offer super detail The March chassis was dominant at the Indianapolis 500 in the early 1980s with track records falling regularly due to one guy in particular, Tom Sneva, the Gas Man. A March won the Indianapolis 500 from 1983 through 1987, Sneva giving March its first... Continue Reading →

January 2, 2014 0

2014 Nissan Versa Note SV

Versa is inexpensive, versatile, but extremely underpowered Rarely have I driven a car as underpowered as the Versa Note, Nissan’s new four-door hatchback version of the Versa, which debuted last year as a sedan. Naturally this is an economy model, but still, with a 1.6-liter, I4 that cranks only 109 horsepower the acceleration is lackluster,... Continue Reading →

January 1, 2014 0

2014 Ford Fiesta SE

Small cars can be fun to drive if spunky and good handling Driving small cars isn’t a turnoff to me. I enjoy their economy, their simplicity their easy handling and their low cost. But frugal needn’t mean blah, and Ford’s Fiesta has learned that lesson. It offers a spunky look and feel, good handling and an... Continue Reading →

December 31, 2013 0

2014 Lexus IS350 AWD

Who makes the best compact sport sedan? Well, BMW has owned that segment for years, but it would be hard to argue against Lexus now making the best looking sport sedan with its new IS series. Lexus created the IS to be a BMW 3 Series (now renamed the 4 Series) fighter, but Lexus is... Continue Reading →

December 21, 2013 0

Chasing Classic Cars: A Camaro soon to be classic.

2014 Camaro Hot Wheels edition Every may Mark and I head up to Road America (our favorite place) to the Midwest Automotive Writer Association event. There are cars from just about every manufacturer with the cars they want us to write about. Sure there are "family" cars but sprinkled in are lots of fun cars.... Continue Reading →

December 5, 2013 0

Audi R8 races two superbikes

The need for speed!!! I've seen a lot of car vs. motorcycle videos over the years but this one really caught my eye. Entertaining yet stupid. Not because of a spectacular accident or anything like that, but because the people involved race like they're playing a harmless video game. The video comes from the interior... Continue Reading →

November 16, 2013 3

2013 Toyota RAV4 Limited AWD

Lackluster new RAV4 underwhelming Underwhelmed, that was how the new Toyota RAV4 left me. Oh it looks fine, pretty much like every other compact ute out these days, and with all the features and electronic options and doodads you’d want. But given Toyota’s history, I was surprised by how lackluster it felt and it had fit... Continue Reading →

November 10, 2013 0

2014 Acura MDX SH-AWD

New MDX lighter, loaded with gadgets galore Acura put its popular MDX sport-utility on a serious diet, tweaked its dimensions a bit and in the test version, attached every electronic gee-whiz feature its engineers could muster – hence the $57,400 price tag. First, the sport-ute added considerably to its use of high-strength steel and a new... Continue Reading →

November 5, 2013 0

Die-cast: Autoart Lamborghini Countach

WOW ... Autoart’s Countach an eyeful of detail It’s hard not to be wowed by most Autoart Signature Series models, this is diecast near its peak. And there’s a lot of wow factor with a bright orange Lamborghini Countach LP400. You may need sunglasses to examine it up close. Countach was the first Lambo to... Continue Reading →