James Raia

Articles by James Raia

,

2023 BMW M8 Competition: Color Me Green Like Money

Nearly 80 percent of all vehicles on American roads have white, black, gray or silver exterior pain. White cars lead the parade of plainness at nearly 26 percent, a dominance related to ease of fleet maintenance and public convention. BMW in recent years has decided not to always conform. The German automaker makes plenty of cars within the spectrum of the mundane. But three 2023 models stretch the limits. The M8 Competition Gran Coupe includes an offering with an Urban Green exterior matched with a Black Full Merino leather interior. The X7 xDrive40i is available with a Sparkling Copper Metallic exterior and Ivory White Merino Leather. The iX M60 EV has an Oxide Grey Metallic exterior choice matched with Oyster

Read more
, ,

2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 defines uber-luxury sedan

For car buyers not interested in value, practicality, economy or environmental concerns, consider the 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 It’s an ultra-luxury sedan purchased because the buyer can. It’s plush and modern and pretentious. It has champagne flutes and an energizing warning notification that results in soft music and a multi-position driver’s massage. Available in the S580 and S680 trims, the former and reviewed model features a twin-turbocharged V8 with 496 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The S680 is equipped with a twin-turbo V12 with 621 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torqueBoth versions are all-wheel-drive and are propelled by a nine-speed automatic transmission. Gas mileage averages are 15 miles per gallon in city driving, 24 mpg on the highway. Acceleration from

Read more
,

2023 BMW iX M60 joins electric vehicle SUV elite

A year after BMW debuted its iX electric sport utility vehicle, it one-upped itself. For 2023, BMW iX M60 joins the two-car stable. It has the same interior beauty, superior performance and a peculiar front grille resembling the two halves of a rear-end or a set of flared nostrils. Competition at the high end of the electric SUV segment includes the Tesla Model X, Mercedes EQS, Audi e-Tron, Cadillac Lyriq and the Rivian R1S. The Polestar 3 is scheduled for a 2024 debut. The BMW is the only vehicle in the group without third-row seating. But the distinction is overridden as a minor inconvenience considering the M60’s upside. The new IX features 610 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-60

Read more

2022 Lexus LX 600 goes big, luxurious, expensive

New for 2022, the Lexus LX 600 replaces its lackluster LX 570 stablemate and beams anew as the manufacturer’s latest, biggest and most luxurious sport utility vehicle. Debuting the vehicle’s fourth generation, The LX 600 is equipped with a 3.4-liter, turbocharged V6 with 409 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It’s an impressive leap. Last year’s turbocharged V8 with 382 horsepower. The new Lexus advances on a new chassis the carmakers said is 20 percent more rigid and with lower overall weight. The combination substantially changes the SUV‘s dynamics. It hasn’t transitioned into a sports car, but it is more sporty. The LX 600 is available in five trims, ranging from the five-passenger, two-row LX to three mid-level offerings —

Read more
, ,

2023 BMW X7: stunning, luxurious and pricey

The 2023 BMW X7 is the fifth edition of the manufacturer’s largest and most expensive sport utility vehicle. It’s a seven-passenger, three-row family hauler available in two trim levels. Both are luxurious, ideally showcasing the German carmaker at its best. Announced in 2014 and unveiled in 2018, the public debut of the BMW X7 began in 2019 in the XDrive40i and M60i trims. The xDrive40i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine with 375 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. The M60i has a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 rated at 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Both engines feature an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension. It gives the BMW its soft, smooth ride, more reminiscent

Read more

2022 Volvo XC90 challenges German rivals

Volvo may hold an unofficial title. It’s the manufacturer with the most improved vehicles, appearance to performance, including the 2022 XC90 Once boxy, plain slow and staid, Volvo remains unheralded in the United States. But its market share in 2021 was 4.2 percent, its best since the manufacturer began selling cars in the U.S. in 1959. Sales increased by 12.6 percent from 2020 to 2021. The major reasons include the carmaker’s complete transition. Its fleet, paced but the XC90 sport utility vehicle, is upscale, inside and outside. Top-level materials, a smooth, handsome design and continued top safety ranking pushed Volvo to three straight years of U.S. sales of more than 100,000 vehicles. Prior to 2019, Volvo hadn’t reached six-figure sales

Read more
,

2023 Acura Integra does ancestry proud

The Acura Integra and Acura Legend were pioneers when the upscale division of Honda debuted in North America in 1986. The Integra was a streamlined, more sporty version of the Honda Civic. It became a top-selling, front-wheel sports coupe. It won plenty of awards and then went away. Sports coupes and sedans fell out of favor with the ascension of sport utility vehicles. But the Integra is back after more than a 20-year absence. The 2023 edition is far removed from the original. The vehicle was unveiled with a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission and with 113 horsepower. As the car matured, it was repeatedly named to yearly top-10 lists. The new version features a turbocharged, 1.5-liter,

Read more

#251, LAND Energy debuts versatile electric light vehicles

Scott Colosimo is the founder and CEO of LAND Energy, a Cleveland tech company that will debut its light electric vehicles at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5-7. Colosimo, whose company started in 2020, is our guest on episode #251 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. As Colosimo defines, the District and the District Scrambler are “eMotos.” The bike straddles between e-bike, e-moped and e-motorcycle and sport e-motorcycle. They feature a swappable battery enabling consumers to power their laptops, cell phones or their recreational vehicles. Called the LAND Energy E-Moto ecosystem gives users options with four LEVs in one depending upon the ride mode selected. The connected CORE battery platform enables users to travel, work and play

Read more
,

2023 Mazda CX-50 challenges SUV icons

The sport utility vehicle market is so strong, Mazda decided it needed two similar vehicles, the CX-5 and the debuting 2023 Mazda CX-50. The combination gives the unheralded manufacturer quality and quantity in likely the most competitive automotive segment beyond pickup trucks. Key rivals, besides its CX-5 sibling, include the redesigned Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. The Toyota RAV4 was the country’s 4th best-selling vehicle in 2021, the CR-V was fifth and the Rogue seventh. The CX-5 placed 18th. With the CX-50, Mazda offers a more rugged alternative to the CX-5, first offered in 2012. The newbie’s exterior features a slimmer grille and more notable fenders. It’s more catered to off-road treks

Read more

#250, The Weekly Driver’s 2022 Cars of the Year

Selecting the cars of the year helps celebrate another year reviewing new cars and trucks, visiting auto shows and talking with vintage car owners, book authors and industry experts about their cars of the year. There are always great and not-so-great moments driving vehicles. The industry is always abuzz. There are always changes, oddball statistics, recalls and new models and makes. What has Elon Musk done now? Will autonomous driving and EVs ever make a significant difference? Will low-profile tires stop blowing while negotiating small divots in the road? Will Audi ever change its front-grille design? As much as the automotive industry changes, sometimes not much happens. In 2007, the year the iPhone debuted, the starting price of the Toyota

Read more
,

Ford Mustang: Age 58, still an American icon

Like other automotive standard bearers, the Ford Mustang is unmistakable. It’s an American-made muscle car with a long hood, short rear deck and an omnipresent pony badge. Unlike other pony and muscle cars no longer around, the Mustang has endured good and bad style changes and revolving consumer interest. But the vehicle introduced by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on April 17, 1964, is still around and faring well despite stagnating sales. Ford Mustang: American Icon Once selling more than 150,000 vehicles a year, the Mustang tally will reach about 40,000 this year. It’s a stark reminder of the increasing popularity of sport utility vehicles a pickup trucks. The 2022 Ford Mustang is the

Read more
, ,

2022 Lexus LC 500h: unheralded luxury

The 2022 Lexus LC 500h, now in its seventh year, provides a superior example of one vehicle with complementary multiple personalities. The mesh of traits results in a car greater than its individual strengths combined. A hybrid-electric coupe, the LC 500h features two electric motors with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 354 horsepower and a manufacturer-estimated 4.7-second effort from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It’s propelled with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The top speed is 155 miles per hour. Key Takeaways Hybrid V6 delivers 354 hp and a 4.7-second 0-60: A 3.5-liter V6 paired with two electric motors and a 10-speed automatic gives the LC 500h genuine sports-coupe pace while topping out at 155 mph. Unheralded luxury coupe of the

Read more
,

2023 Land Rover Defender reigns off-road

Sometimes vehicles get second or third chances. The Land Rover Defender, absent from the new car landscape for several years, returned not too long as a new model. For 2023, the off-road slanted sport utility vehicle is further customizable to appease any adventurer. The two-door Defender 90 and four-door Defender 110 have been joined by the extended-length Defender 130. The threesome’s base level starting prices range from $53,400 to $68,000. The top-line Defender has three rows of seating in a 3-2-3 configuration. As a midsized luxury SUV, the Land Rover Defender is available in three body styles and three engine choices as well as several trims with multiple option packages. It’s also unique because it’s in a segment alone. The

Read more

#249, Formula 1 US nirvana, muscle cars, surveys

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:44 — 34.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreWith the recent announcement of the 2023 Formula 1 schedule, automobile racing’s most lucrative series will have three events in the United States for the first time. The international circuit doesn’t include any drivers from the United States, but enthusiasts in this country can next year travel to Austin, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami, Florida to witness the sport’s finest. Formula 1 is expensive for its participants and spectators. A recent article on Robbreport.com detailed one package to attend the new Las Vegas stop on the international circuit for $1 million. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the Formula 1 phenomenon as one

Read more
,

2022 LA Auto Show: A look back in images

The recently concluded 2022 LA Auto Show featured its annual array of new cars with new colors and plenty of innovation as the industry moves toward all-electric mandates. As always, there were automotive surprises — some good, others awful. A smaller show welcomed the media and the public for 10 days at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The absence of recent mainstays, Rivian and Tesla, as examples, was part of the show’s smaller stature. Manufacturers had more room to display their new editions. Subaru presented its usual lineup of utilitarian, all-wheel-drive sedans and SUVs. And the manufacturer, which markets its vehicles for owners who have dogs, again created a national park-type setting with a few dogs on site to attract

Read more

Best way to find the right car accident lawyer

Trying to avoid any mistakes while driving means better odds of not being pulled over and ticketed as well as keeping yourself and other drivers safe. However, accidents happen, and they’re entirely unexpected and can result in a lot of damage. The damage can be to a single car or multiple vehicles. Accidents can also affect mental health and physical well-being. It’s also why it’s important to hire a lawyer. He or she will be able to represent you properly. Why A Lawyer Is Necessary After A Car Accident Choosing the right attorney will ensure an accident claim is handled properly, including acquiring the best financial settlement. Selecting an attorney with experience in the topic of your accident and who

Read more
Previous Next