Automotive Reviews

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$2 million Bentley made from ancient wood sold out

Even by Bentley standards, the British automaker known for its rare combination of elegance and performance, the just-unveiled Mulliner Bacalar reeks of pretentiousness. The $2 million open-topped cars will feature an interior made from 5,000-year-old trees and be powered with 650 horsepower, a 12-cylinder engine, with all-wheel-drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The small production vehicle — only 12 will be made — was scheduled for its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The annual prestigious event was scheduled to begin March 5, but it was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. Like many other manufacturers that altered plans, the new Bentley was unveiled online. All 12 Bacalar cars have already been pre-sold to customers, who will work with

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2020 Toyota Tundra improved, still trails truck royalty

Like multi-word vehicles’ exterior paint colors, the names of cars and trucks are no longer simple. Welcome the 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax. The initials TRD stand for Toyota Racing Development, with the word Pro added as embellishment. Combined, it’s one vehicle simultaneously focused on racing and off-road duties. The TRD Package means Bilstein shocks raise the stance two inches, good for the 18-inch wheels. It also includes dual exhaust, a front skid plate and an eight-inch touchscreen for the Toyota Entune infotainment system. CrewMax means an extra spacious cabin, with a five or six-seat configuration and more interior storage space. Overall, the Tundra is a brute-force beast. It’s 19-feet long, about 6 1/2 feet tall and the same

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2020 Hyundai Santa Fe tech review and kudos

New technology websites abound. Mark Pallone and Valerie Antkowiak have found a niche within a niche, the website AppMyHome.com. The husband/wife publishers recently produced a YouTube video of the smart tech in their new 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. With Valerie as the moderator, the nearly 10-minute video details all of the technology the SUV has to offer. Here’s how the couple’s website is described: “Exploring technology and products available for the Smart Home, the Kitchen and Travel. We test and review products in our own home or occasionally, at our friends’ and relatives’ homes, and share our experience with stories and videos.” The tech review of the new Hyundai is intriguing. The Santa Fe has been a favorite of The Weekly

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Genesis upends Lexus as most dependable carmaker, says J.D. Power

The banner across the top of the entrance to the Los Angeles Convention Center couldn’t have been any bigger. It proclaimed the 2019 Genesis G70 as a prominent automotive publication’s Car of the Year. The occasion was the Los Angeles Auto Show last November and the banner remained hoisted for about two weeks. It was another award for the upstart manufacturer, the former luxury trim from Hyundai but now on its own. And now comes another award: J.D. Power has named the Genesis, the industry’s most dependable in the renowned analysts’ detailed Dependability Study. The study is a comprehensive overview of owners’ repair history of their three-year-old models. Now in its 31st year, the study quizzes original owners of 2017

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Buyer beware: Average price for a new pick-up truck now $50,000

Considering buying a new pick-up truck? Beware. Just like new cars, the average price of a new pickup truck in the United States has increased. It’s now around $50,000, according to automotive analytics businesses like Edmunds and JD Power. With its calculations, the average price of a new pick-up truck in 2019, according to Edmunds.com was $49,543; JD Power determined the average 2019 new truck price was $51,700. Not all manufacturers’ 2020 models have been unveiled, but the average price is expected to further increase. Regardless of the source, the new pick-up truck average cost is the highest in history. Various financial incentives and rebates lower the prices, but industry analysts say truck prices have increased about three percent annually

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2020 Mitsubishi Outlander improved SUV still lags leaders

Mitsubishi for years has been among the lowest-selling mainstream manufacturers. It doesn’t offer flash, much innovation and its marketing campaigns are restrained. Still, the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander, the carmaker’s stalwart SUV, combines a few worthy attractions. The Outlander, which debuted in North America in 2003, is among the least expensive compact crossovers. It has three rows of seating and with Kia and Hyundai offers the industry’s best powertrain warranty, 10 years/100,000 miles. For buyers interested in value over brand prestige and who are not particularly concerned about performance or a luxury ride, the redone Outlander Sport GT is intriguing. The idea appears to have caught on. Mitsubishi sales have increased for seven straight years, including about 2.5 percent in 2019.

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Big, badass and beautiful? Hummer set for 2022 return

It may be hard to imagine, but the pending resurrected Hummer will have 1,000 horsepower and is being marketed to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in three seconds. The truck was “teased” during the recent yearly Super Bowl extravaganza of commercials and is the idea of General Motors. The new Hummer is scheduled to arrive in dealerships next year. The resurrected Hummer will be made and sold under the GMC brand at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck factory. The automaker is investing $2.2 billion into its mass production of electric vehicles. With the country’s continued increase in truck sales and electric vehicles, don’t be surprised if the new Hummers are the vehicles of choice for pulling small RVs as well

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Best used car buying tips for the every person

Taking your potential new used car to a reputable auto repair shop is the best thing you can do. Have it thoroughly inspected by a professional before you buy it. I’ve found paying for an hour of time is generally sufficient to identify everything wrong with the vehicle. If taking the vehicle to a mechanic is not an option, here are some tips to help keep you from buying a lemon. Buy an ODB Scanner/Reader You don’t need to spend a lot, as they’ll all do what you need here. A Bluetooth OBD reader and the TORQ app for your phone seem to be a pretty popular/good choice. You can expect to spend anywhere from $35 to $100 on a

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2020 Volvo XC40 T5 review: no more SUV malaise

The amalgamation of sport utility vehicles has continued in 2020. About half of the new vehicles sold this year in the United States will be full-on SUVs or crossovers. Many brands are interchangeable, but Volvo has emerged from the cluster of sameness. The Volvo XC40 was introduced last year and for 2020 has a few updates, including varying upholstery and other equipment tweaks and a more efficient interior with new storage areas. But this year’s edition is largely the same vehicle the debuted last year and gained plenty of attention for automotive watchdogs and prominent review sites. A two-row, five-passenger crossover, the XC40 features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with either a T4 or T5 designation. The T5 offers 248

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2020 Lexus LC 500h defines large luxury hybrid coupe

Car buyers can be particular and manufacturers are willing to oblige. With various trims and optional equipment, some vehicles are available in several-dozen configurations and with widely varying prices. Lexus knows the game as well as any carmaker, which is why it offers the 2020 LC 500h. It’s uniquely positioned in the marketplace as a large luxury coupe with sports car tendencies and impressive hybrid fuel efficiency. Unlike its gas-only sibling, the hybrid trim features a 3.5-liter V6 engine and two electric motors. It’s called the Lexus Multi Hybrid system, combines 354 horsepower and is matched with a unique transmission. It’s a four-speed automatic transmission enclosed within a continuously variable transmission and it works like a 10-speed automatic transmission. Lexus

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#121, Best used cars, best enduring cars from iseecars.com

Julie Blackley, communications manager for the car search engine iSeeCars.com, is a frequent guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Blackley writes and distributes monthly studies that analyze automotive data, on topics ranging best used cars to popular car colors to states with the most pick-ups. The wide-ranging categories, according to the website, are aggregations of a massive amount of information tabulated from “proprietary algorithms to objectively analyze, score and rank millions of cars and tens of thousands of dealers, providing helpful insights and guidance to users to find a good car at a good price from a trustworthy seller.” For automotive statistics junkies, the site is a tremendous fix. Blackley was our recent guest in her fourth appearance on The

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BMW regains luxury clout with 2020 M850i gran coupe

Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche all keep stealth watch on competitors’ next moves and then attempt to outdo them. Newcomer Genesis is now in on the fun, and it must be joyful for luxury sedan and gran coupe enthusiasts to observe the rivalry.   Consider BMW. Hoping to regain the front-of-the-pack edge from Mercedes-Benz, it reintroduced its flagship 8 Series last year after a two-decade hiatus. Its 2020 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe debuts this year and continues the stoic brand’s efforts to regain premier honors.   Like its German mainstay rivals’ fans, BMW enthusiasts are as loyal as any carmakers’ followers. It’s hard to fathom they could be more pleased. While combing luxury, craftsmanship and performance, the 2020

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2020 Lexus ES 300 hybrid a luxury sedan showcase

An open-road, long-haul cruise in a luxury sedan is a driving devotee’s joy. But making the trip efficiently can be perplexing. Lexus realized the dilemma a decade ago and debuted hybrid models, including the current seventh generation of its ES series. The 2020 Lexus ES 300h, largely a holdover from the 2019 model, is among only a few luxury sedans combining upscale comfort with economic travel. It’s rated at 43 miles per gallon in city driving and 44 mpg on the highway. They’re segment-best ratings. Lexus also decided variety is important. As a midsize, five-passenger sedan, the ES 300h is available in Base, Luxury and Ultra Luxury models. All trims are equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine matched with an

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2020 Hyundai Ioniq: Underdog defines value, economy

The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq, the fourth year of the South Korean liftback hybrid and all-electric, maintains the brand’s status as the country’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. Its top-line trim costs several thousand dollars less than the average price of a new vehicle in the United States. The combination of price and economy warrants consideration. What can a new car buyer expect from a vehicle that costs $32,000 and gets at least an estimated 55 miles per gallon? Key Takeaways 55 to 58 mpg combined makes the Ioniq America’s most fuel-efficient non-EV: The Blue trim hits 58 mpg combined; other hybrid trims deliver 55 mpg combined from a 1.6-liter gas engine paired with a 32-kW electric motor. Top-line Limited is priced around

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2020 Cadillac XT6 worthy newbie, won’t alter buying trends

Cadillac entered the sport utility vehicle segment 21 years ago to compete with several luxury rivals new in the family mover revolution. It’s now further expanding its presence in a saturated SUV segment with the 2020 Cadillac XT6. It’s the manufacturer’s first three-row crossover, joining the stately, apartment-sized Cadillac Escalade. It has three rows of seating as a truck-based SUV about weight 1,200 pounds more than its new sedan-like smaller sibling. Cadillac’s debut in the class — the Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Volvo XC90 are main rivals — is presented refreshingly. It has only two trim levels. Who needs to make a car purchase based on too many confusing choices with only nuances as differences?

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2020 Nissan Versa: Still cheap, worthy and vastly improved

Nissan worked hard for more than a decade for an unusual honor. Its Versa, named after an acronym for versatile space, was the cheapest new car available in the United States. Not many years ago, the subcompact’s base price was just under $10,000. The Versa’s designation was via price only, not a rap on its quality. It was likely the best new car a buyer on a tight budget could purchase, and served its clientele well.  Key Takeaways Third-generation redesign ends the Versa’s cheapest-in-America title: The $15,625 base price now sits behind the Chevrolet Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage, but the Versa arguably delivers the most substance at the bottom of the new-car market. 122-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder gains 13 hp over

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