James Raia

Articles by James Raia

REVIEW: 2016 Toyota Sienna, minivan for all or one

The 2016 Toyota Sienna, celebrating its 20th year, ideally defines one of the manufacturer’s best attributes. Entry level sedans to large people movers, Toyota vehicles have lots of standard equipment. And it’s among the signature attributes of the popular minivan. Updates include improvements in the Entune connectivity system, sonar parking assist warnings and blind-spot monitoring. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive: 2016 Toyota Sienna The 2016 Toyota Sienna, like the Honda Odyssey, its main competitor, no longer has any relation to the stodgy reputation of minivans of yesteryear. Manufactured since 1997 when it replaced the Previa, the 2016 Toyota Sienna is now in the fifth year of the third generation. Only a few minor changes differentiate this year’s models from 2015

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2016 Toyota Prius Two: New style, more room, great mpg

Now in its fourth generation, the Toyota Prius family features six models, including the most economical, the Toyota Prius Two. It’s the lightest, most space efficient and achieves the highest gas mileage rating in the best-selling hybrid lineup. The Weekly Driver Test Drives Toyota Prius Two While the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Camry Hybrid are all fine competition, the new Toyota Prius Two design reconfirms the vehicle’s position as the segment leader. The Toyota Prius Two trim, my weekly driver, comes standard 15-inch alloy wheels, LED running lights, taillights and headlights as well as heated mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, a 4.2-inch information screen and cruise control with tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. The hatchback offers a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder

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2016 Honda Civic (Touring): 9 days, 1,932 miles, all good

The drive from Park City, Utah, to Sacramento, California, after a week at the Tour of Utah and Outdoor Retailer trade show, was a high speed, largely desert haul of 678 miles. I left Utah at about 10 a.m. and arrived at home around 11 p.m. in my test vehicle, a 2016 Honda Civic sedan (Touring). With the long day planned, I stopped often, including twice for gas, brief walks at rest stops and longer breaks in Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats and in Wells for lunch and in Sparks, Nevada, for dinner. I left on the trip July 30 and returned on Aug. 8. The round trip was 1,932 miles, the outbound trip on Interstate 50 and the

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Toyota makes trucks cleanly, quietly, quickly in Texas

During a recent visit to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX), the 2.2-million square foot, 2,000-acre facility 17 miles south of downtown San Antonio, my notion of the workplace environment of automobile manufacturing plants was shattered. The sweatshop image I’ve viewed in movies and read about in tragic examples of worker exploitation was replaced by modern, efficient, environmentally savvy city of state-of-the art technology. It’s a factory where machines and humans co-exist in a healthy, constantly moving indoor environment. Toyota calls the plant where about 200,000 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra trucks are manufactured per year a campus. It’s an appropriate moniker. The facility has 7,200 employees, the majority of whom rotate day and night shifts in two-week intervals. Employees are

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2016 Honda Civic: More miles, better mpg

One reason hybrid and other alternatively powered vehicles haven’t made a substantial impact among among the general car-buying public is the increased efficiency of gas-powered vehicles. The 2016 Honda Civic, my test vehicle during the Tour of Utah, is among about a dozen 2016 non-hybrid cars available in the United States rated at more than 40 mpg in freeway driving. While driving the Honda Civic Touring model, I left Sacramento on July 30th for Cedar City, Utah. When I refueled for the third time on day 6 of the trip, just out outside of Park City, I’d covered 1,100 miles, most open-road freeway miles with posted speed limits of up to 80 mph. The Honda Civic (Touring model) is rated

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2016 Honda Civic: Tech features, desert companions

Four model years ago, Honda introduced a new feature into its 2013 Accord and Crosstour models — Lane Watch. It’s a right-side camera that assists with blind spots. When the turn signal indicator is engaged for a right-hand turn, the camera shows the lane to the right of the car on the navigation system screen. One red (closest) and two yellow lines on the screen show the distance to the next vehicle(s). The Lane Watch feature has been added to other Honda models more recently, and it’s included in my 2016 Honda Civic (Touring), the vehicle I’m driving during the Tour of Utah bicycle race. Since leaving Sacramento on July 30, I driven more than 1,200 miles. During the long-distance

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2016 Honda Civic: Driving the Tour of Utah efficiently fast

The Nevada and Utah highway systems are efficient and often afford long stretches of open range roads. Some sections in Utah have posted speed limits of 80 mph. And like in Nevada’s desert, only a few small cities interrupt the rolling hills, sage brush and often jagged and rust-colored rock formations After driving 455 miles on the first day from trek from Sacramento to Ely, Nev., in my Honda Civic (Touring Edition), I followed the next day with 202 miles from Ely to Cedar City, Utah, just in time to attend the Tour of Utah bike race press conference. My motel in Cedar City was less than a mile from the media headquarters, so I walked to and from the

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2016 Honda Civic Touring: Hot desert, high speed, long haul

A long-distance haul into the desert is unlike any other driving experience, and it’s an ideal way to test a new vehicle. Yesterday, I completed a 647-mile, two-day trek from Sacramento, California, to Cedar City, Utah in a 2016 Honda Civic Touring edition. The trek was to attend the weeklong Tour of Utah bicycle race, which began August 1 and continues through August 7 in Park City. One year ago, I made the same trip on Interstate 80 with the first-night break on Elko, Nev. This year, I took the Hwy. 50 route since my Utah arrival destination was more southern than in 2015’s voyage. My first night’s stop was in Ely, Nev., a 445-mile effort. The 2016 Honda Civic

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2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: economic, near luxury

The Toyota Avalon debuted in late 1994 as the manufacturer’s flagship full-sized sedan. It replaces the Toyota Cressida. The hybrid trim was unveiled in December 2012, further adding to Toyota’s nearly always-expanding lineup. For 2016, The Toyota Avalon Hybrid has only a few changes. Most notably, there’s a redesigned front grille and front turn signal lamps. The base XLE Plus trim debuts; the Touring trim is discontinued. Technology features are also enhanced with a wireless smartphone charging system standard for the XLE Premium and Limited trims. The Toyota Safety Sense package is available as a Limited trim option. 2016 Toyota Avalon Test Drive The 2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is in rare company. It’s joined by the 2016 Buick LaCrosse as

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2016 Chevrolet Cruze: new edition offers plenty

Now eight years old, the Chevrolet Cruze has been redesigned for 2016 and further adds to the long list of competition in the compact sedan market. The new Cruze has a more masculine exterior appearance with a split front grille and it’s slightly longer than its predecessor. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Key Takeaways Completely redesigned second-generation Cruze: Split front grille, slightly longer body, and a more masculine exterior mark the first all-new Cruze since the nameplate launched in 2008. 153-hp 1.4L turbocharged four-cylinder: All trims use the same turbocharged engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Premier trim tested replaced the outgoing LTZ name. 34 mpg combined on regular gasoline: EPA ratings of 30 city / 40 highway

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2016 Lexus NX 300h: Luxurious, efficient, pricey

Now it its second model year, the 2016 Lexus NX 300h continues from its debut last year without major changes. The luxury compact crossover is rare in its segment. Its only competition is the Audi Q5 hybrid. The Weekly Driver Test Drive A gasoline-electric hybrid, the 2016 Lexus NX 300h features a 2.5-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder gasoline engine matched with two electric motors supplied with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The marriage produces 194 horsepower. Like all Lexus vehicles throughout the high-end lineup, the Lexus NX has a substantial standard technology and safety equipment list equaled by a similarly sized list of options. Standard features include: Satellite radio, HD Radio, an eight-speaker audio system, a USB port, Siri Eyes Free, a

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Stop driving older Honda, Acura models

If you own an older Honda or Acura, the government is urging you to stop driving it because its Takata airbags have a 50 percent chance of exploding in a crash. The warning applies to about 313,000 models of the Honda Accord (2001-2002), Honda Civic (2001-2002) Honda CR-V (2002-2003), Honda Odyssey (2003), Honda Pilot (2003), Acura TL (2002-2003) and Acura CL (2003). Takata inflators that can explode in a crash have been linked to 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the United States. Auto safety regulators said eight of those deaths occurred in Honda and Acura vehicles subject to the warning. “With as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a

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VW scam settled, entitled owners can find the money

With the announcement of the VW settlement in its diesel scandal that emerged in September 2015, owners of the affected vehicles now can focus on their choices of compensation and one key question: Where do the owners of the nearly 500,000 vehicles in the United States eligible for a settlement start? According to details of the settlement announced June 28, here’s a list of what vehicles are included and what owners should do: Eligible vehicles: Volkswagen, Beetle, Beetle Convertible 2013-2015, Golf 2-Door 2010-2013, Golf 4-Door 2010-2015, Golf SportWagen 2015, Jetta 2009-2015, Jetta SportWagen 2009-2014, Passat 2012-2015; Audi – A3 2010-2013, 2015. A settlement to address some 80,000 affected 3.0-liter vehicles sold by Volkswagen in the United States is still pending.

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Commentary: Tesla Model 3 could mean hybrids matter

The recent announcement of the high-performance Tesla Model 3, the all-electric, 200-mile range, reasonably priced sports car sedan attracted the consumers like no other recent new vehicle. If Telsa can meet the demand of 400,000 wannabe buyers who each deposited $1,000 to get the new model 3, the car industry could change. That’s if the Tesla delivers the vehicles in 2017, as promised. The car industry will finally have an alternative vehicle that’s infiltrated mainstream with a car that doesn’t have the look and stigma of the Toyota Prius. Tesla Model 3: Game Changer? Most major car manufacturers offer at least one hybrid model. But the family of Prius vehicles that includes five models combines to outsell all other alternative

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2016 Lincoln MKX: Luxury defined, tech overload

The redesigned 2016 Lincoln MKX fits ideally into a new, expanding automotive segment — vehicles hampered by technology overload. The sport utility vehicle has a detection systems so sensitive, it just doesn’t know when to shut up. It’s all for safety, of course. But while cornering after ignition or advancing in reverse, warning sounds abruptly blast when the vehicle is seemingly within a block of animals, curbs, trees, buildings, parked cars or passersby. It’s the same on the open road. Maneuver to change lanes and you get an ear full even if the situation seems safe. Detection systems help prevent potential catastrophe. But the sound sensors on the new Lincoln are super sensitive, loud and can create the potential for

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VW diesel scam $10 billion settlement pending

After months of negotiating and legal maneuvering, owners of overtly polluting VW diesel cars will receive as much as  $7,000 in a settlement levied upon Volkswagen AG. It’s more than 10 times the amount the manufacturer originally offered owners of its vehicles that emit up to 40 times the amounts smog-forming nitrogen oxides. The embattled carmaker has also agreed to to fund a grant program to offset air pollution. It’ part of a $10 billion settlement being negotiated for submission to a federal judge next week. Volkswagen will provide cash payments worth between $1,000 and $7,000, depending on the vehicle’s age and other factors, to compensate nearly 500,000 affected cars. The automaker isn’t expected to be able to repair all

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