James Raia

Articles by James Raia

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2023 Lexus NX450h: SUV plug-in hybrid prowess

One year after its second-generation debut last year, the high-end Toyota relative has introduced the 2023 Lexus NX450h into its lineup returns in 2023 with a collection of small crossover sport utility vehicles, including two hybrid offerings. The 450h+ is the upscale carmaker’s first plug-in hybrid and it joins the NX 350h conventional hybrid. The NX lineup was first introduced nearly a decade ago and is slotted between the subcompact UX and the mid-sized RX. Who knew there was a need for a slew of “Nimble Crossovers,” the meaning of the vehicles’ two-letter identifier? Buyers, apparently. The NX joined two siblings in the top 10 luxury hybrid SUV sales for 2022. The 2023 models are a holdover. The Lexus 450h+

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Lucid Air: a bonafide Tesla rival — finally

In the 15 years since Tesla debuted, several potential competitors have swiftly arrived and departed without any impact. Lucid Motors, less than two years into its luxury electric sedan life, is an exception. The Lucid Air, designed in Newark, California, built in Casa Grande, Arizona, and majority owned by a Saudi Arabian sovereign investment fund, at least equals the omnipresent Tesla in a dozen criteria. It outdoes the EV stalwart in several ways. It’s new, powerful, industry bending and has limited availability, traits Tesla also had in its infancy. Unveiled in October 2021 as a 2022 model, Lucid produced 7,180 vehicles last year, about one-third of the original estimate after industry-wide supply chain issues. The 2023 edition is now also

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#261, Vintage buses, pub crawls, one crafty Santa Cruz woman

The citizens of Santa Cruz and the surrounding oceanside towns and tree-lined hamlets may hold an unofficial record for their entrepreneurial ways. Creativity rules small businesses, from bespoke bicycle makers to artists to Annie Wolff Patsch. Wolff Patsch and her husband, Adam Patsch, combine their last names without a hyphen. The unique pronunciation and the former’s upbeat personality are the reasons she’s mostly known as Annie. It’s the only name on her business card as the founder of Brew Cruz. While co-host Bruce Aldrich was on vacation, I interviewed Annie for this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. I interviewed Annie as part of a media trip to the central coast city. Annie’s enterprise is a two-vehicle proprietorship, a

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#259, Reverend Gadget: preaches for EVs

Greg Abbott, an ordained minister for nearly 40 years, is also a steel fabrication artist, craftsman, prop builder and television personality based in Los Angeles, California. Mostly, he’s known as “Reverend Gadget” or just “Gadget” for his leading role in a custom car build team on the short-lived Discovery Channel series Big! Abbott, my guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast, has also been part of several other cable television programs, including his current show on EarthxTV. During the episode, Abbott discusses his advocacy of alternative energy sources by converting gasoline-powered vehicles to electricity. Abbott took the name “Reverend Gadget” to reflect his craftsman works and because of his minister responsibility that began in 1986. According to his website,

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2023 Genesis GV60 launches as top luxury EV crossover

Six years after the carmaker’s launch as a standalone luxury brand, the 2023 Genesis GV60 debuts as the marque’s first dedicated electric vehicle. It delightfully further blurs the definition of automotive innovation and gadgetry. Available in Advanced and Performance trims, the GV60 is operated by two electric motors and a 77.4-kWh battery pack. Using a 120-volt (Level 1) household-style outlet, the GV60 takes about 68 hours to charge. A 240-volt (Level II) outlet will charge the GV60 in around seven hours. Using a DC Fast-Charging (Level III) station, the GV60 will advance from a 10 to 80 percent charge in around 18 minutes (250-kW/800 volts). The battery can also be used to power external equipment, including appliances. The relevance of

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#258, NASCAR at 75 detailed by four authors in new book

Jimmy Creed, born and raised in Talladega, Alabama, is a decades-long journalist whose interest in motorsports and specifically NASCAR racing began when he was a young boy. Creed knows the city’s famous racetrack as well as any journalist. He cultivated his knowledge in his long tenure as the sports editor of The Anniston Star in nearby Anniston, Alabama. As one of four writers who’ve collaborated to write NASCAR 75, a definitive volume of the legendary sport, Creed is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia speak with the veteran journalist about his lifetime involvement in motor racing and his participation in compiling the text and images of the coffee table-sized book. “You

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2023 Honda Civic Type R morphs into hot sports car

After 51 years, 11 generations and approaching 28 million in sales, the Honda Civic remains among the most enduring and dependable vehicles. It’s available as a coupe, sedan and hatchback and in Si and Type R high-performance options. It’s offered in Sport, Touring, LX, EX and Sport trims and it ideally defines its name’s origin. The Civic’s moniker means “a car created for citizens and cities.” Civics are everywhere, albeit with a caveat. What once defined the needs of citizens in cities is no more. And the vehicle, classified in its tenure as both a subcompact and compact and with the multiple personalities as a family sedan a zippy sports car, may have lost its way. Six years ago, the

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2024 Subaru Crosstrek: rugged, versatile, value-priced

Many of the country’s most popular vehicles had lousy sales numbers in recent years because of supply chain difficulties. The lingering issue didn’t affect Subaru as much as other carmakers’ double-digit drops. Subaru‘s sales were about four percent lower in 2022 than the year prior. But the Crosstrek, the carmaker’s subcompact sport utility vehicle, had its best year in 2022. It had more than 155,000 sales, about 35,000 more than in 2020. Introduced in 2012, the Crosstrek is now the manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle. It offers an appealing combination of versatility and value. Subaru‘s signature is its symmetrical all-wheel drive. Since its first heyday in the United States, individuals and national alpine skiing and cycling teams have formed sponsorship relationships with

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2022 Ford Bronco Everglades: Rock & Roll, Best Off-Road

Jesse Colin Young wrote the song “Ridgetop” 50 years ago. It’s a love story about nature and his home in Marin County located down a road with a steep hill and marked with granite, ruts, pine needles and chert. To celebrate the milestone, Ford should hire the co-founder of the 1960s rock band The Youngbloods as a spokesperson or at least use his music in commercials. In 2022, a year after the carmaker re-introduced the Ford Bronco following a long hiatus, several special editions debuted, including the Everglades trim. It’s available only as a four-door model equipped with the standard features of the Black Diamond trim. Its singularity are front fenders with depth meter measurement lines for fording water. Ford

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#256 EagleRider expands global motorcycling rental reach

EagleRider is a California-based motorcycle rental, touring and subscription company addressing the increasing two or three-wheel needs of experienced and novice motorcycle riders. Shawn Fechter, Senior Vice President of Brand Experience for EagleRider, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. In late January, EagleRider announced 18 of its 52 international locations are now accepting credits to be redeemed by Club EagleRider members in the company’s monthly subscription service. The company’s services, available on six continents, include rentals from Harley-Davidson, BMW, Yamaha, among others,  as well as adventure and electric bikes. Podcast co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Fechter about the growing industry. “As the world reopens, international travel is soaring in popularity, and the

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2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 challenges rivals

With the addition of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE lineup, the German manufacturer approaching its centenary now offers more than 30 vehicles. They’re all named with numbers and letters and acronyms requiring code-breaking expertise. The EQE series arriving this year, one year after the debut of the EQS, the carmaker’s first all-electric sedan available in the United States. The EQE 500 4Matic is the mid-level of three available trims. It has two motors, a 90.6-kWh lithium-ion battery, 402 horsepower and all-wheel-drive. Like its siblings, it’s a smaller version of the EQS. Smaller by definition doesn’t mean small. The EQE 500 is a spacious luxury sedan, handsomely styled inside and outside. It’s marketed with seating for five, but like many mid-size sedans,

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#167, Honoring Steve Casagrande and the family’s Bel Air

A REMEMBRANCE Stephen Casagrande was my dentist for about 35 years. His office was in midtown Sacramento, a few blocks from my office and a restaurant we both often visited called Cornerstone. Like he was with many patients, Dr. Casagrande became a friend. He called me Jimmy. Several years ago, I noticed Steve and his son Michael, who is now my dentist, preparing to leave on a father-son trip. They were packing up a family car, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Beauville, at Mike’s house. He lives with his wife and children across the street from a close friend in East Sacramento. We talked about the car some, and I remembered to ask Steve about it more on my next

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2023 BMW 330i: a bargain BMW? Really?

Sixteen years ago, the BMW 3 Series reached its yearly sales peak as an entry-level luxury compact sedan. It was stylish, featured top-line technology and combined keen driving characteristics with prestige. The vehicle’s lineup was three years old and was purchased 142,488 times in 2007. It has surpassed 140,000 in yearly sales only twice since and the figure has drastically stumbled in recent years. The 3 Series tally was only slightly more than 30,000 last year. And while no longer BMW‘s top-seller, the BMW 3 Series, notably the 2023 330i, remains vital among the ever-increasing competition. Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Kia Genesis, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Volvo all offer formidable rivals, with some brands featuring more than one choice in the

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#255 Pacific Coast Dream Machines celebrates 30 years

After a three-year hiatus, the most varied collection of automobiles, planes, boats and exotic machinery and their equally varying owners will again gather for the daylong Pacific Coast Dream Machines. Sometimes described as a showcase of motorized mechanical marvels, the event’s 30th edition will feature more than 2,000 antique, vintage, classic, custom and exotic machines on display for public viewing. If it has an engine, there’s a good chance at least one example will be showcased at the Half Moon Bay Airport on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Event chairmen Chad Hooker and Bob Pelikan are our guests on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast to discuss the return of the show and provide details of

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#254, Wife, husband share RV travels in new book

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:52 — 27.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreBonnie and Grant Sinclair are high school teachers in Georgia who also enjoy the outdoors as part-time RV enthusiasts. As wife and husband, Bonnie Sinclair has co-authored an RV travel book with her husband Grant Sinclair. The Sinclair’s first book USA RV Adventures has just been published by Moon Travel Guides. The authors’ comprehensive debut includes 25 flexible RV trip itineraries. While taking a break from teaching and RVing, the Sinclairs were our guests on Episode #254 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. We spoke with the couple on their vacation on a cruise ship near Cozumel, the Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea. Co-hosts

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2023 Kia EV6 challenges strong rivals

It wasn’t too long ago when vehicles from Hyundai and Kia still elicited odd responses from new car buyers. But the related South Korean manufacturers’ vehicles, including the 2023 Kia EV6, been value-priced, mechanically impressive and well-designed automobiles for years. Further proof arrived when the Hyundai Genesis ended its tenure as a luxury sedan in 2016 and morphed into the stand-alone Genesis G80. With other models, the Genesis brand continues to gather industry awards and top rankings among industry analysts and watchdog publications. Kia, partially owned by Hyundai, has also had success, particularly the Kia EV6 GT. It’s another reason car buyers should consider the once frowned-upon carmakers when recommendations are offered. The brands earned three of the top four

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