2014 KIA Cadenza Premium

Cadenza delivers solid luxury, stellar looks After a week of hearing jokes from colleagues about me driving a piece of office furniture, a more musically minded friend clued me in to the KIA Cadenza sedan’s true meaning. For non-music majors, cadenza is usually an improvised ornamental passage, played or sung by a soloist, often at the... Continue Reading →

September 3, 2013 0

2013 Infiniti FX37 AWD

FX37, a love-hate relationshipInfiniti’s racy FX37 sport-ute is a classic case for a love-hate relationship.If you enjoy performance, and don’t really expect such from a sport-ute, you’ve got to love how the FX37 responds. It feels like a tall Porsche, with oodles of power from its new 3.7-liter V6. In fact, Infiniti rates it a... Continue Reading →

April 29, 2013 0

2013 Toyota Avalon

Avalon XLE Premium aims for younger drivers An old automotive axiom goes that you can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you can’t sell an old man’s car to a young man.Apparently Toyota didn’t know that, until now. Toyota’s Avalon, long a senior citizen favorite, has been restyled and its suspension... Continue Reading →

April 23, 2013 0

2013 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD

Sporty looks, but handling falls short I’ve always liked Mazda vehicles because they look and drive a little sportier than most brands that us average middle class folks can afford. That’s why I’m disappointed with the new Mazda CX-9, the large sport-utility/crossover I just tested. It only delivers on half the equation. It still looks... Continue Reading →

February 8, 2013 0

2013 Lexus GS450h

Luxurious GS450h gives hybrids a good name Lexus is synonymous with luxury, which is currently being driven home via the smooth quiet operation of its GS450h, a midsize luxury hybrid. There isn’t much more anyone would need in a luxury car than what the GS450h delivers. Ride is smooth and controlled, the engine gives it plenty... Continue Reading →

November 27, 2012 5

2012 Nissan Murano SV AWD

Luxurious crossover, quiet comfortable family mover A lot of time has passed since I last tested Nissan’s fine Murano crossover, yet it remains a solid, quiet, comfortable family mover. While many folks buy this in front-drive form, Nissan says, I had the next to top level SL model with AWD. That means it goes for... Continue Reading →

October 6, 2012 2

2012 Hyundai Azera

Azera is aces in luxury, quiet, comfort If you are among the folks who thought Hyundai would never make it in the U.S. car market, well, get over it. I’ve driven quite a few Hyundai models of late and the new Azera is the finest yet. This is a large front-drive sedan to challenge Toyota’s... Continue Reading →