Dan Jedlicka

Articles by Dan Jedlicka

REVIEW 2014 Ford Escape: Sporty, utilitarian

Switching from a sporty car to a more practical crossover vehicle doesn’t have to be disappointing. The 2014 Ford Escape compact crossover sheds the previous generation’s boxy look and blends slick styling, decent utility and sporty driving. The Escape is among Ford’s top-selling smaller trucks and comes with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). All versions are four-door hatchbacks with rear-door openings that should be a little wider for easier entry and exit. All ride on a 105.9-inch wheelbase and have a fairly long 178.1-inch length. The turning circle is 39 feet, which isn’t great but is decent for most urban parking. List prices range from $22,700 to $30,850. Rivals include the Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Patriot, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Thrifty, sleek, quiet

Volkswagen is an old hand at selling diesel-engine cars in America, having offered them in the 1970s and 1980s. Many VW auto diesel owners loved them, although the automaker’s latest diesel is far advanced from the old ones. Volkswagen has made its top-selling Jetta sleeker, larger, roomier, quieter and more refined for 2011, and the automaker’s four-cylinder turbodiesel engine makes the 2014 Jetta TDI model especially attractive. Auto diesel engines long have been popular in Europe, partly because of extra-stiff fuel prices. I easily cruised at 100 m.p.h. on a high-speed German autobahn during the media introduction of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf with no apprehension about running out of fuel despite driving long distances. Chevrolet now even offers its small

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2014 Mazda3: Driving fun, high efficiency

The redone 2014 Mazda3 shows the automaker keeps coming up with improved Euro-style models. It’s sharper-looking, has more interior room and features sparkling fuel economy. The Mazda3 is by far the Japanese automaker’s best-selling model in America, and more than 3.5 million have been sold globally. The new compact, front-drive Mazda3 has the styling and enough new features to attract more buyers. The re-engineered European-style Mazda3 has several trim levels. List prices range from $16,945 to $26,495. It comes as a four-door sedan and especially useful four-door hatchback. (Why automakers call a four-door hatchback a “five-door” is a mystery to me. Have you ever see anyone enter a car through the hatch area?) The new, roomier Mazda3 is a third-generation

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2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: Thrifty hatchback for tight budgets

Mitsubishi has come up with an affordable fuel-sipper. The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback sedan is rated as the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline car in its class sold in the United States if equipped with its continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission. That should be impressive enough to get the thrifty or those on tight budgets interested in this subcompact, which has been sold overseas since 2012. The Mirage’s estimated highway economy with its CVT is an impressive 44 miles per gallon, while the city number is 37. The Mirage also comes with a five-speed manual gearbox. Estimated figures with the manual are 42 highway, 34 city. The Mirage should be especially appealing to young buyers with only a small to moderate

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REVIEW: 2014 Toyota Corolla: roomier, still reliable

The Toyota Corolla may be with us forever, judging by its past performance. The Corolla has the reputation as among the world’s most reliable, durable cars. There’s no reason why the 11th generation 2014 Corolla can’t maintain it. With some 40 million (and counting) Corollas sold globally, this front-drive compact is considered the world’s best-selling car. Actually, it’s the world’s top-selling nameplate. That’s because other automakers have changed the names of their entry models through the years, while Toyota has wisely kept the Corolla nameplate. That, although the car has undergone many changes while keeping its quality, durability and affordability. Toyota had to make major changes to its 11th generation Corolla because its sales have been pressured in the past

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus LS 460: Posh, sporty, fast

Luxury sedan buyers who look only at German or American luxury models shouldn’t overlook the 2014 Lexus LS 460. The posh sedan makes long-distance highway cruising feel as if you’re in a private jet. It’s plenty fast and luxurious as it swallows open roads, especially with its available air suspension. The Lexus LS 460 turned the luxury car scene in America upside down when introduced in 1989. Few felt that a Japanese car producer could build such a thing. Many considered you somewhat of a chump if you bought a Mercedes-Benz—then the most prestigious mass-produced luxury car—because the Lexus LS was priced lower and was far more comfortable for traditional luxury car buyers than a Mercedes. Even Cadillac owners opted

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus IS combines luxury, sportiness

Some cars don’t mix sportiness and luxury very well. But the 2014 Lexus IS sports sedan has been strategically revised to provide both luxury and sporty driving. Width of the new rear-wheel-drive IS has been increased by nearly half an inch for a more aggressive stance. The large bold-looking grille has a more “three-dimensional” design with a chrome-plated frame, but looks overdone. However, styling is generally sporty. Major changes include a nearly 2.7-inch wheelbase increase to 110.2 inches for more rear seat legroom and cargo space. The interior easily holds four 6-footers, but isn’t spacious  and has little in-cabin storage. There’s a larger, decent-sized trunk, and split 60/40 rear seatbacks flip forward and sit flat to enlarge the cargo area.

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REVIEW: 2014 Kia Soul has more soul than predecessor

As Detroit automakers once said about their cars, the 2014 Kia Soul is “longer, lower and wider” than its predecessor, which arrived a few years ago as one of the first funky, boxy, compact crossover vehicles. The Soul has prospered, while its rival boxy Honda Element is gone. And the Soul far outsells the boxy Scion xB, which reportedly will be dropped. In fact, things are looking up for the new, second-generation Soul. It has a longer 101.2-inch wheelbase (up 0.8 inches), a width broadened by 0.6 inches to 70.9 inches and a reduced overall height of 63 inches—decreased by nearly half an inch. The result? More passenger and cargo room in the quieter, higher-line interior and a more attractive

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2014 Volkswagen Passat: Conservative, sturdy, versatile

The reasonably priced 2014 Volkswagen Passat is among the top German sedans. Successfully redesigned for 2012, the slow-selling Volkswagen Passat was “Americanized” to satisfy desires of motorists here without losing its “German car” appeal. The made-in-America Passat confronts mid-size sedans, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, increasingly popular Ford Fusion, highly popular Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata and established Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Some rivals have adventuresome styling, while the Passat has a handsome but mostly conservative design—inside and out—that is typical of Volkswagens. But the 3,230-3,481-pound Passat has the sturdy feel one expects from a German auto. The front-drive Passat has a variety of prices and models and costs from $20,845 to $33,895. Passat engines include a new 1.8-liter turbocharged,

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2013 Ford C-Max/C-Max Energi: Clever crossover

Get past their odd names and you may find that the 2013 Ford C-Max and its sister C-Max Energi are surprisingly good hybrid crossover vehicles. New for 2013, the C-Max/C-Max Energi front-drive, four-door compact hatchbacks are virtually unchanged for 2014. They’re designed to directly compete with the top-selling Toyota Prius and seat five, although the center of the rear seat of the C-Max Energi I tested is too stiff for longer trips. The C-Max and C-Max Energi use a two-liter four-cylinder gas engine and electric motor. Both have a combined 188-horsepower rating, which gives them lively acceleration and good highway performance, although they’re rather heavy. The transition between electric and battery power is seamless. Both use a smooth CVT automatic

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2013 Jaguar XJ: Plush, sexy, upscale option

Want something different? Check out the 2013 Jaguar XJ sedan. It’s often overlooked by buyers who automatically go after, say, a large BMW, Mercedes or Audi. The Jaguar XJ sedan long has been among Jaguar’s most venerable and popular models. It has never caught up with such heady rivals as BMW or Mercedes, but is a good alternative to sporty, elegant upscale sedans—foreign or domestic. I drove a 2013 XJ sedan in December, 2013.  The 2014 model year officially began in October, 2013, but never mind because the 2014 XJ is virtually identical to the 2013 model. You thus might be able to get a pretty good deal on a 2013 XJ. The 2013 XJ got an available all-wheel drive

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2014 Chrysler Town & Country: Upscale minivan

Have big old plush station wagons come back in a different form? The 2014 Chrysler Town & Country is reminiscent of  large old upscale station wagons—those with loads of room and decent road manners. After all, this minivan is heavy and big like those old wagons, with a 121.2-inch wheelbase and length of 202.8 inches. The front-drive Town & Country is an uptown version of the lower-cost Dodge Grand Caravan, which lacks the Chrysler version’s upscale nature. Heck, anybody can get a Dodge, but a Chrysler is still a Chrysler—although Chrysler lacks the prestige it began losing in the 1960s. The Town & Country debuted in 1989, billed as the “first luxury minivan.” (The first “upscale” minivan would have been

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CAR REVIEW: 2014 Ford Fiesta: Racy fun

The sporty 2014 Ford Fiesta lets you bring the kids along. The fun-to-drive, European-styled, economical Fiesta has what many want from a subcompact four-door hatchback or sedan, although its rear seat is only comfortable for children. New for 2014 is an Aston Martin-inspired grille and new hood that fronts a slick body. (Ford once owned Aston Martin.) The Fiesta comes as a four-door hatchback or four-door sedan with a variety of engines—from a fuel-stingy new three-cylinder to a hot new turbocharged four-cylinder. The new Fiesta is offered as front-drive S, SE and Titanium models. You can get a four-door hatchback or sedan, but the new front-drive ST hot rod model comes only as a four-door hatchback. The sedan is 173.5

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CAR REVIEW: 2013 Ford Fusion: Euro flair

The all-new Ford Fusion sedan with its sharp European styling and turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engines likely surprised foreign sedan rivals such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata. The solid-feeling Fusion is essentially a four-door family sedan, but radiates European flair because it steers, handles and brakes much like a foreign (or American) sports sedan. And the ride is supple. If you want a family sedan with pizzazz, the turbocharged EcoBoost Fusion might be for you. The Fusion has been such a hit that it’s unchanged for 2014, except for several new color combinations and the addition of a 1.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine with (a projected) 178 horsepower—the same rating as the current 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder but with

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CAR REVIEW: 2014 Dodge Durango, roomy, sporty

The sporty, practical 2014 Dodge Durango is an SUV/crossover based on a stretched version of the unit-body platform of the award-winning Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is a really good start. The new Durango looks better with a different, rather sinister-looking front end and revised rear styling with Dodge’s race-style LED taillight design. It has a new responsive eight-speed automatic transmission with a segment-first rotary shifter and efficient paddle shifters for manual operation. The automatic replaces one offered with either five or six speeds. The updated interior has a new instrument panel. A third row 50/50 split seat that’s suitable for adults, at least on short trips, accompanies supportive front bucket seats and second-row seats, which fold and tumble for more

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Land Rover: Less weight, more sport

The new Land Rover Range Rover Sport fits perfectly in the best country club parking lot, but is like a mountain goat when driven off road. For 2014, the Land Rover Range Rover has been redesigned to be the fastest, most agile ever. That’s largely because it’s shed a whopping 800 pounds. Most automakers strive to cut just a fraction of that weight loss for better performance and fuel economy. The Sport still is no lightweight at 4,727 to 5,093 pounds, and you can feel the weight when driving rapidly through tight curves or making quick moves. But it’s a lot more fun to drive than its predecessor. The old Sport’s body-on-frame construction is gone, replaced by an aluminum unibody

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