Automotive Reviews

Newly designed 2018 BMW X3 eases highway burdens

Purchasing a BMW is often considered a sign of status. It’s ownership of a sedan, sports car or sport utility vehicle possessing superior qualities on the open road. The luxury carmaker offers vehicles, including the newly designed 2018 BMW X3, that uniquely ease the burdens of highway commutes and long hauls across state borders. It’s what Bavarian Motor Works has always done well. But the once-dominant German manufacturer has increasingly been challenged by automakers wanting more of a share of the SUV sales deluge. Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Infiniti and Acura all have debuted worthy offerings in recent years. With sales down, BMW altered the X3 for 2018. Changes include a longer wheelbase and a three-bumper opening, one

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Ford Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe honors film’s 50th anniversary

Celebrating anniversaries is a thing in the automotive world. Ford and Chevrolet are particularly active in marketing the milestones of their cars and trucks, the F-150 pick-up to the Corvette. Ford has celebrated its Mustang several times, and it’s doing so again with its 2019 Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe. The accolades are based on a 10-minute movie clip in 1968 often cited as the best car chase scene in cinema history. The film stars Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, thus the name of the movie. He chases bad guys, including the famous sequence on the hilly streets of San Francisco when he’s driving 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. McQueen did most of his stunts, further building the

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2018 Honda Accord shines with sporty new design

Now in its early 40s, the Honda Accord for 2018 launches the ever-popular sedan’s 10th generation. It’s redesigned inside and outside is nearly unrecognizable from most other years’ offerings. Once pedestrian in style and strictly family oriented, the Accord has morphed into a four-door sports car with sedan leanings. It has a new turbo-charged engine with 252 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s the same transmission offered in the 2018 Honda Odyssey. Honda has also upgraded standard technology. The new infotainment center has Android Auto, Apple Carplay and wireless phone charging. There’s also head-up display, built-in Wifi and ventilated cooling seats. The new stealth-oriented exterior design projects a European flair. Additional standard equipment, includes: Dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth,

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Ferrari, Duesenberg combine for $70 million auction records

Rare cars selling for high prices is nothing new at Classic Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula. But several records were set this year, including a 1962 Ferrari becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction and a 1935 Duesenberg becoming the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. The Ferrari 250 GTO, sold at RM Sotheby’s on August 25 as part of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, fetched $48.4 million. The 1935 Duesenberg SSJ formerly owned by Gary Cooper sold for $22 million at the Gooding & Co. Pebble Beach auction. It was also the most valuable pre-war car ever sold at auction. The two records helped catapult total sales for the collectible car auctions to about $368 million, a 12 percent

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2018 Toyota RAV4 retains tradition as top-selling SUV

Now in its 22nd year, the Toyota RAV4 was the first compact sport utility vehicle introduced in the United States. It debuted in 1996 with its acronym meaning “Recreational Activity Vehicle: 4-wheel drive.” The all-wheel-drive designation remains optional. And it’s part of the reason the RAV4 has remained so popular throughout its tenure. Its versatility, variety of trims levels and optional equipment are different than many carmakers whose trims levels are only slightly tweaked. With a few exceptions, sales of the RAV4 has increased every year, with 2017 its best-selling edition with 407,594 units sold, including more than 50,000 hybrid models. The 2018 edition is the sixth year of the current generation, so the sales increase may halt as Toyota

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Microlino mini-car channeling BMW Isetta debuts in Europe in 2019

More than 50 years before tiny houses, Smart cars and other mini things on wheels became recent crazes, the BMW Isetta was a trendsetter. It was known as a “bubble car.” It was stylish, got great gas mileage and zipped perfectly around narrow European streets. Now, its modern-day equivalent, the electronic vehicle (EV) Microlino, has been approved as street legal by the European Union. Designed by Wim Ouboter, production of the Microlino has started and its debut is expected in early 2019. The company already has several thousand pre-orders. The Microlino is ideally named. It’s 7 feet, 10 inches long and weighs 990 pounds. Depending on what battery is installed, the Microlino has a 50 or 134-mile range. It can

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2019 Volvo XC40 breaks tradition for younger buyers

When competition includes models from BMW (X1), Mercedes-Benz (GLA-Class), Jaguar (E-Pace) and Audi (Q3), Volvo had to do something different. It has. Welcome the 2019 Volvo XC40. The new compact crossover is the Swedish manufacturer’s smallest, sportiest and least expensive SUV. It’s positioned in the lineup as an alternative to the well-respected XC90 and XC60. The base trim, called the XC Momentum, is a misnomer. It has five drive modes and a host of safety and technical features that would qualify it as an upscale model from many manufacturers. The turbocharged two-liter engine produces 248 horsepower and is matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Standard equipment includes: 8-inch five-spoke silver alloy wheels, high gloss piano black grille,

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2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell: hydrogen travel made worthy

Modern-day alternative fuel vehicles arrived in the United States in 1999 with the debut of the Honda Insight, a hybrid-electric that resembled a horizontally positioned peanut on wheels. The Toyota Prius arrived a few months later and remains the dominant leader in the segment with its family of “green” vehicles. Several manufacturers continue their quests infiltrate, most notably Honda. It debuted the Honda Civic GX (later called the Civic CNG), its compressed natural gas sedan, in limited markets in 1998. It was eventually available to consumers throughout the country, but production stopped with 2015 model. More innovative is the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, one of the three Clarity models available. It operates only on hydrogen, the emissions of which are

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2019 Mazda CX-3 versatile foe in tough little SUV segment

Four years into its first generation, the 2019 Mazda CX-3 is upgraded from last year’s model. It’s a good thing since the subcompact-crossover sport utility vehicle competition continues to intensify. More support and comfort are now in the seats and leather upholstery is an option. Noise, harshness and vibrations are improved via an adjusted, smoother-running 2.0-liter engine. Equally subtle changes include: The anti-fog lights and B and C pillars get black trim; the front spoiler now has silver trim. The taillights and grille have also been revised, with the latter now featuring four horizontal bands, three less than previous editions. Since its debut as a 2016 model, the Mazda CX-3 found a strong market. But there are other newbies in

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2018 Kia Stinger debuts as strong rival for Audi, BMW

Years after Hyundai and Kia emerged from automotive doldrums to offer stylish, top-rated, economic and performance-oriented vehicles, non-believers still quibble. A standard refrain is that South Korean manufacturers don’t offer prestige. The argument isn’t valid, particularly with the introduction of the 2018 Kia Stinger. It joins a strong lineup from both manufacturers (Hyundai owns about one-third of Kia) challenging long-time standard bearers. The new, speedy and handsome sedan provides another strong example of how the once upstart underdog is a severe competitor to rivals like the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A5, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. In its initial year, the Stinger is available in five-tRIM evels. The top-line GT has rattled the parameters of what might be expected from

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2018 Toyota C-HR looks cool, lacks performance

With the sport utility vehicle continuing to attract more buyers, manufacturers continue to find new ways to market the versatile vehicles. Welcome the latest newcomer to the SUV sub-species, the 2018 Toyota C-HR. Categorized as subcompact crossover, the hyphenated letters in the Toyota C-HR name stand for Compact High Rider, Cross Hatch Run-(about) or Coupé High Rider. The names make about as much sense as the term subcompact crossover. The category is also odd because competition for the C-HR includes vehicles equally hard to categorize: the Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3 and Mini Countryman. Except for the substantially more costly Mini Countryman, the subcompact crossover market includes vehicles with comparable pricing. Like other vehicles with exterior designs

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2018 Range Rover Velar: big, bold, deserves to be seen

Naming a vehicle after a Latin word meaning to veil something’s identity seems odd. So why would Land Rover call its handsome new Range Rover sport utility vehicle the Velar? It wasn’t the British manufacturer’s intent to keep it a secret. The name is an homage to the brand’s first prototypes in the late 1960s. And considering the sophistication and sleekness of the 2018 Range Rover Velar, forget the name’s origin. Instead, embrace the craftsmanship, and tell your friends and colleagues. The Velar, released about one year ago, defines the worthy combination of luxury and ruggedness. With its available exterior and interior color choices, including my test vehicle’s Firenze Red exterior with black lettering and its Light Oyster interior, the

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Jerry Seinfeld honors Jerry Lewis in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Two famous comedians named Jerry driving in a vintage convertible with its top down to an omelet shop in Las Vegas? Is there a better way to begin the 10th season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee than with Jerry Lewis and Jerry Seinfeld? Jerry Seinfeld didn’t think so. His guest in the first episode of the new season and as the show transitions from Crackle to Netflix, is deceased comedian Jerry Lewis. The debut show was taped last year. It provides a poignant 20-minute homage to Lewis, who died on August 20, 2017, from heart failure at age 91. In the video preview to the opener, which will debut on Netflix on July 6, Seinfeld and Lewis visit the

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2018 Lexus GS 300: luxury sedan, sports car appeal

The 2018 Lexus GS 300 is among a half-dozen luxury sedans all vying for a market share in a segment packed with superior choices. Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz join Lexus in the mix of buyers whose decisions are often based on status, brand loyalty and overall quality. Which designation is the most important doesn’t matter. But choose the Lexus GS 300, and the top-three buying reasons all resonate. Reliable performance and a sporty design give the upscale Toyota marque more clout. Key Takeaways Renamed from GS 200t, mechanically identical: The 2018 GS 300 carries the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and 8-speed automatic as the outgoing GS 200t. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are now standard. 241 horsepower

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2018 Ford F-150, 2018 Toyota Corolla icons of success

The Ford F-150 pickup, the overt sentinel of masculinity, and the Toyota Corolla, the tiny titan compact sedan, have little in common with two exceptions, reliability and enduring success. The Corolla, manufactured since 1966, is the best-selling car in history with more than 43 million sold. The Ford F-Series, introduced in 1948, has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for decades. It’s the second best-selling vehicle in history with more than 40 million sold. While the sedan might be able to fit in the bed of the pick-up and cost one-third as much, driving either vehicle is experiencing automotive royalty. There’s little out of the ordinary about the Corolla. It’s understated and remains increasingly popular because of its consistency. The F-150

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Industry fuel cell expert clears the air on hydrogen

Nineteen months ago, Chris White did something no one else in Northern California had done. She leased a new car that operates only on hydrogen. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are manufacturers offering hydrogen-only vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and GM also have plans for hydrogen-only vehicles, the emissions of which are water. The 2017 and 2018 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell are available for lease only in only 12 dealerships in California. Five locales are in the San Francisco Bay Area, one is in Roseville. The long-time Communications Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento, White also lives in West Sacramento. But she often travels to San Ramon on business and Truckee to visit relatives. Hydrogen stations are located in both

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