James Raia

Articles by James Raia

2016 Honda Odyssey: Best minivan gets better

It’s hard to believe the Honda Odyssey is well into adulthood. The 2016 Honda Odyssey marks the 23rd year of the top-selling minivan. The 2016 Honda Odyssey features a 3.5-liter, 24-valve engine with 248 horsepower. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It has 0-60 mph acceleration in 7.9 seconds and comfortable seating in three rows for seven adults. The interior and exterior designs are sleek, modern and ultimately non-minivan-like. The Weekly Driver Test Drive I last drove the Honda Odyssey two years ago when the 2014 model featured a makeover and made an already top-rated minivan more popular. The 2016 edition is unchanged from 2015, which remained much the same as the 2014 edition. 2016 Honda Odyssey Has A

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Barn Find: Old cars and three guys on the road

Chances are every vintage car enthusiast has had the same dream. You’re driving along a country road and notice the door open on an old barn. You catch a glimpse of an old car, perhaps sprouting weeds or rust or both. It’s a Barn Find. You stop and talk with owner and he’s willing to sell the Studebaker or the Porsche or the Volkswagen camper or the old Dodge pick-up or maybe even the Rolls-Royce or Bugatti. That’s the premise of the intriguing coffeetable-sized book, Barn Find Road Trip. Author and photographer Tom Cotter, collector friend Brian Barr and photographer Michael Alan Ross embarked on a 14-day trek through several states in a 1939 Ford Woody. They uncovered more than

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2016 Ford Escape: Versatile SUV remains pack leader

Now in its fourth year since a redesign, the 2016 Ford Escape continues the traditions of carmaker’s heavy presence in the sport utility segment. The Escape is the smallest of the manufacturer’s five SUVs, it’s now 17 years old and it’s well positioned in its highly competitive segment. The 2016 Ford Escape offers little new from its predecessors with the exception of an easier-to use, touchscreen interface and some additional chrome trim. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The compact crossover SUV market is among the most competitive in the auto industry. Stalwarts include: Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Santa Fe and Subaru Forester. All have loyal buyers and are worthy choices. The Escape, particularly since its

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LeBron James, Kia team up for three new K900 ads

LeBron James has continued his relationship with Kia with three new advertisements. The 11-time NBA All-Star and the South Korean carmaker hope the campaign showcase the brand’s top-of-the-line K900 is “Fit For A King.” The three spots with James as the ambassador for Kia‘s luxury sedan are titled ”Ten Mil,” “1000%” and “Spaceship.” In the campaign, James assembles a team of experts in his garage command post to help prove he drives a Kia K900 by responding to the following real tweets: * “I’ll bet anyone $10,000,000 that LeBron doesn’t roll up to the games in a Kia.” * “There’s a thousand percent chance that there’s a zero percent chance that LeBron drives a Kia.” * “LeBron drives a Kia

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2015 Chevrolet Silverado: Rugged, powerful, versatile

The Chevrolet Silverado was the second best-selling vehicle in the country in 2014. With its identical cousin, the GMC Sierra, the two vehicles remain largely unchanged for 2015. Introduced in 1999, the two full-sized pick-up trucks have steadily increased audiences via their combination of rugged versatility, comfort and spaciousness. Nearly 530,000 units sold last year, more than a 10 percent increase over 2013 and largely because of the Silverado’s new generation of trim levels. The Weekly Driver Chevorlet Silverado Test Drive Among the Chevrolet Silverado’s strong attributes is its appeal to multiple types of pick-up truck buyers. It’s available in a wide range of configurations from two and four-door options to different engines to several available beds and engines. My weekly

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2015 Top-10 Best Cars and Trucks (Now and Then)

Many prominent automotive sites pick their top-10 2015 cars and trucks of the year early in the year perhaps even in  late in the previous year. It’s an odd practice, as if Kelley Blue Book is trying to outdo Car and Driver and Edmunds is trying to outdo Consumer Reports and vice versa. TheWeekyDriver.com waits until the end of the year, and we’ll present our ninth annual top-10 at the end of the year. In the meantime, since many manufactures have released their 2016 models and other carmakers are introducing 2017 models, now seems like a good time to revisit top-10 2015 vehicle list. The list was released in February and we’re keeping the site’s name off the post, just

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Los Angeles Auto Show: New cars, wild odd colors

Global debuts, innovation and new technology are part of every auto show and they will be again at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. The first major auto show of the season will be held Nov. 20-29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Thirty global debuts, including the new Hyundai Elantra, Jaguar’s first luxury sport utility vehicle and the Infiniti QX30 crossover, will be among highlighted vehicles at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. More than 50 vehicles will debut from Alfa Romeo, BMW, Bentley, Fiat, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru and Volkswagen. The show is scheduled November 20-29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year’s global and

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2015 Ford F-150: The best pick-up truck gets better

As the country’s best-selling vehicle seemingly since the model-T, the 2015 Ford F-150 could have been presented identically as its older siblings and still led the pick-up truck pack. But Ford decided not to rest on success, particularly as other manufacturers’ trucks are ever improving. Still, it was a surprise when Ford introduced the iconic truck’s 13th generation. Among its slew of a new features and upgrades is a lighter and thus more fuel-efficient aluminum body and a monstrous new chrome grille. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Versatility is among the many reasons the Ford F-150 has been the top-selling truck for nearly four decades. And with its redesign for 2015, the F-150 further advances the standard of its already

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Hyundai paces top-8 best new car warranties

Hyundai claims it offers “America’a Best Warranty” throughout its lineup of vehicles, the entry level Accent to the top-line Equus. It’s hard to argue with the claim. Hyundai’s bumper-to-bumper warrant is five years or 60,000 miles. The powertrain warranty covers up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. Hyundai adds a seven-year unlimited-mile anti-perforation warranty. It covers rust and corrosion from interior and exterior body panels of the original sheet metal. And there is also a five-year, unlimited-mile, 24-hour roadside-assistance service including battery jump-starts, flat-tire changing, lock-out assistance and towing. Finally, the battery in hybrid Hyundai vehicles has a lifetime warranty. All Hyundai warranty details are transferable to future vehicle owners except the powertrain warranty. The new owner gets a five-year, 60,000-mile

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2015 Ford C-Max: Underdog hybrid still chasing Prius (VIDEO)

Ford isn’t the only manufacturer attempting to infiltrate the hybrid segment dominance of the Toyota Prius. But three years ago it started its best effort, the highly touted Ford C-Max hybrid-only line-up. Ford’s marketing plan included a motto directly pointed at Toyota. It promoted the debut 2013 C-Max as “a hybrid that drives and looks like a real car.” Like previous years’ models, the 2015 Ford C-Max is true to the carmaker’s claim. It looks and drives like a non-hybrid. It’s available as a gas-electric hybrid as the Energi, a plug-in hybrid. The Ford C-Max hasn’t significantly dented the Toyota Prius market share, but it’s like its main competitor in two respects. It’s not available in a gas-only model, much

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Elio Motors will display cheapest car concept at LA Auto Show

Elio Motors, the Arizona-based experimental vehicle maker whose three-wheel, futuristic-looking prototypes have generated polarizing interest, will introduce its fifth generation vehicle at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicle’s CAD renderings detail a similar but update version of the car’s previous concepts. The company, building what it’s touting as the cheapest car in the United States in a former General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana, has collected different levels of reservation deposits online for several years. But Elio Motors and its founder, Paul Elio, have suffered many setbacks and have changed public delivery dates several times. The Elio project has been as controversial as an in the auto industry, with the exception of the the current Volkswagen diesel scandal.

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James Bond cars, Sunbeam Alpine to Aston Martin DB10

The cars featured in the 24 James Bond movies are arguably as famous as the actors who have played secret agent 007. Those actors, Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, have varying personalities in the films. And so do the cars they’ve driven, a Sunbeam Alpine II to an Aston Martin DB 10. In the the soon-to-be released movie Spectre, Aston Martin created 10 Aston Martin DB 10 models. The villain’s car is Jaguar’s hybrid supercar, the C-X75. According the several newspaper articles, filmmakers destroyed $36 million worth of cars, including seven DB10 models, during filming. In the original James Bond film, Dr. No, made in 1962, producers failed to obtain a free Sunbeam Alpine from the carmaker, so they had

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2016 Toyota Camry: Best-selling sedan gets sporty, better

Toyota has plenty to worry about. But the Toyota Camry, its best-selling vehicle, offers more cause for celebration than concern. The midsize sedan has for years also been the best-selling car in the United States. So what’s a manufacturer to do a model year after a new generation of one of the most successful cars in history was introduced? The answer is the new limited Special Edition of Toyota Camry. It’s the sports-oriented model that adds a new departure to the Camry stable. The Weekly Driver Test Drive A five-passenger midsize sedan, the Toyota Camry is now available in six trims. My weekly driver was the above-mentioned Special Edition (SE) model. It takes the best of the LE and SE

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Ford Fiesta, Nissan Pathfinder among least reliable cars

The Pope gave Fiat the best press it’s ever had recently when he chose it as his preferred transportation during his visit to the United States. Consumer Reports, however, has just given the compact minivan/crossover some of its worst publicity — “least reliable car.” In a throwback to the 1970s when Fiat got the infamous slogan for the acronym of its name, “Fix It Again, Tony,” the Italian carmaker has been bombarded with problems from new owners. Broken tie rods, slipping transmission, shoddy electrical system and even engine failures have all been reported in the publication’s extensive yearly study. As the publication CheatSheet.com detailed, “Maybe the Fiat is just cursed. After all it’s built in the same Serbian factory that

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Buying a new car? Be honest with yourself

Buying a new car for the first time can be intimidating. From the disreputable reputations of salespeople to the realities of financing fine print, how does a buyer know if they’re making the right choice? There’s plenty of advice available. Many industry experts are knowledgeable, cultivating years of data from buyers’ experiences. But other “experts” may lead a buyer toward a vehicle with their own financial gain as the top priority. Used cars have more potential issues, but first-time new car buyers should take note. The auto industry continues to collectively improve its products. There’s more competition, so carmakers have improved their respective vehicles to keep up with each other. Still, the car-buying process should begin with three areas of

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2016 Scion iA: A new small package with attitude

The Scion iA and its sibling, the iM, are new vehicles for 2016. The iA is a sporty entry level sedan; the iM is a five-door hatchback. The duo is manufactured to appeal to millennials. But there’s a surprise for consumers in the sub-compact market. Scion models are usually the less expensive offerings from parent company Toyota. The iA is actually a rebadged Mazda2. It’s offered in the United States since the Mazda2 isn’t. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Scion iA is a four-cylinder, 106 horsepower four-door subcompact with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. My weekly driver was the manual transmission option. 2015 SCION TC: PRACTICAL LIFTBACK WITH LMITATIONS Like its sibling, the iA has a substantial standard

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