Wild paint, cool ragtop make MINI S an extrovert's dream ... Extroverts love MINI Coopers and they should, people chat you up when you’re driving a Zesty Yellow (looks like neon green) MINI Cooper S Convertible. Tony was one. He stepped right up in the Woodman’s parking lot to declare the near glowing MINI a... Continue Reading →
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e
Smooth plug-in hybrid adds power, better fuel economy to SUV Luxury and power are as ubiquitous as peanut butter and chocolate. BMW knows that and blends the two with just a smidge of social consciousness in its latest X5 mid-size SUV/crossover. Its full name is X5 xDrive45e. What that means is that the power now... Continue Reading →
Diecast: Auto World’s True 1:64 2020 Chevy Corvette and 1963 Chevy II Wagon
Mid-engine Vette and boxy 1963 Chevy II wagon are high-value DC Two Chevys couldn’t be much more different than the mid-engine 2020 Corvette and the 1963 Chevy II Nova Wagon, but I love them both. Different reasons of course, but here’s their appeal. First, the new Corvette will be an icon for years, just like... Continue Reading →
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD
Electric Mustang Mach-E a fine crossover, not a Mustang ... Marketing is an interesting and amusing craft and Ford’s marketers realize they really only have two ways to attract attention to their brand. First is the F-150, the longtime best-selling vehicle in the U.S., and second is Mustang, its iconic muscle car that has been... Continue Reading →
2021 Ford F-150 4×4 Supercrew Lariat (hybrid)
Hybrid F-150 generates apocalypse-conquering power ... After 43 years as the best-selling vehicle in the United States I suppose nothing should surprise me about the latest Ford F-150. Ford hasn’t stayed atop this highly competitive money-making bonanza of a market for U.S. carmakers because it coasts. Nope, it keeps re-inventing the envelope. For 2021 Ford... Continue Reading →
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Limited
Pacifica minivan nears perfection with quiet plug-in hybrid ... Chrysler has been in the minivan business longer than anyone else and it stands to reason that after 35+ years they’re nearing perfection. It helps that Chrysler never stopped innovating and it still leads the way as the 2021 Pacifica is the only plug-in hybrid minivan... Continue Reading →
2021 Hyundai Elantra SEL
Elantra offers value with distinctive looks, spunky performance ... Surprises tend to hang out at the low end of the automotive market, where expectations may be lower because, well, prices are lower. That continues to be the case with Hyundai’s popular Elantra compact sedan, refined and upgraded for 2021. I had the SEL model, just... Continue Reading →
Die-Cast: DNA Collectible’s VW Golf GTI Clubsport S
Golf GTI Clubsport S a hot hatch even in 1:18 scale ... Never as a teen or 20-something driver did I think Volkswagen would create a performance-oriented hatchback. The Beetle was about to go away, the Rabbit was new, and the Dasher was sort of sportier looking, but really, not so hot. Yet over the... Continue Reading →
2021 Volvo XC60 Recharge T8 Inscription
Plug-in hybrid XC60 a looker and performer ... A few years back I tested Volvo’s smallish mid-size crossover, the XC60, and was swept clean out of my cross-trainers. At the time, most crossovers were blah lookers and ho-hum performers, but today’s market is moving, as they always seem to, toward performance, and yet smaller carbon... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto World True 1:64 Premium 2021 releases
AW's twin 6-pack releases offer 5 new castings ... I love detail in my die-cast, so have tended toward the larger scales as an adult collector, but man, Auto World is starting to tug me big time back toward the 1:64 scale I loved as a kid. Auto World’s True 1:64 releases are premium quality... Continue Reading →