Automotive Reviews

The race to improve electric cars globally heats up quickly

SPONSORED CONTENT Last week, USA Today reported Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen would launch long-range electric cars. As such, what is the likelihood of electric cars being the first and only car your grandchildren will know? One consideration is defining the use of the term “long range.” Until recently, many electric cars had a range 40 to 100 miles per charge and they required hours to recharge. For commuters with short round-trip drives, limited-range electric cars are satisfactory. But for drivers whose daily driving habits including additional mile for errands and other activities, short-range electric vehicle are problematic. Electric-gas hybrid vehicles allow drivers to travel farther. But if you’re only driving 40 miles and then switching to fuel, does

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Zynga CSR Racing 2 honors Ferrari 70th anniversary

Owning a Ferrari is a lifelong dream for many performance car enthusiasts. But not many vehicle owners get to have their dream come true. But in conjunction the supercar’s 70th anniversary, Zynga a leading social game developer, has launched its homage to the iconic Italian vehicle in CSR Racing 2 (CSR2). Players can get behind the virtual wheel of a Ferrari 488 GTB, one of the six tailor-made Ferraris coming to CSR2 in honor of the manufacturer’s milestone celebration. “Over the course of 70 years, Ferrari has set the luxury standard of excellence in the automotive industry, producing some of the world’s most desirable vehicles,” said Bernard Kim, President of Publishing, Zynga. “As the exclusive mobile partner for Ferrari’s 70th

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1955 Ford F100 best of show at Concours & Cocktails

Supercars, family heirlooms and affordable vintage vehicles are nothing new to the Monterey Peninsula, particularly during Classic Car Week. Gawk at a new multi-colored Rolls-Royce or a carbon-fiber Pagani. Admire a classic Aston Martin, Ferrari or Porsche. They’re all automotive works of art. Bob Kavner appreciates cars as much as any collector or enthusiast. But he has a different perspective. While plenty of sports cars and classic sedans were showcased at the recent Concours & Cocktails at The Santa Lucia Preserve, Kavner presented two trucks. The former Silicon Valley executive, now a resident of Carmel, lives just down the country road from The Hacienda, the 20,000-acre private community’s idyllic clubhouse. As he’s done before, it was only a few-minute task

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Tupac Skakur’s tricked out Hummer for sale — again

More than two decades after his murder in Las Vegas, the legend of Tupac Shakur remains in the spotlight. This time, a 1996 Hummer the rapper purchased less than a month before his death is up for auction beginning August 10. The fully loaded vehicle was customized by Shakur and is equipped with a 6.5 liter, turbo diesel V-8 engine with automatic transmission. The odometer reads 10,101 miles. The sale of the Hummer will be part of The Pop Culture auction from RR Auction in Boston that will continue through August 17. Tupac’s Hummer previously sold in May 2016 to a qualified bidder from Ohio for $337,000. After several attempts to collect payment — the winning bidder defaulted on payment

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2018 Genesis G80: second-year upscale sedan shines

Now in the second spinoff year from Hyundai as its own luxury brand, the Genesis has quickly built its reputation as a worthy challenger in the upscale market. Style, craftsmanship and image mean a lot in the high-end segment. Value isn’t often a priority. Welcome the Genesis. The G80 and flagship G90 are currently available only at Hyundai dealerships. But four other models and a dealership network are planned by 2021. The Southern Korean manufacturer isn’t giving away its vehicles, but value gets equal billing with other luxury car expectations. Updates for 2018 models further exemplify the brand’s new clout. Full LED headlamps, front and rear styling, a revised instrument panel and updated technology are all new. The Weekly Driver

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2018 Acura TLX: Improved sedan still an underdog

The 2018 Acura TLX is the fifth year of the performance-oriented midsize luxury sedan. It’s matched against segment leaders from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz and it was upgraded this year to further find its way as the competition intensifies. Unveiled in April and available at dealers in the Bay Area three months ago, the TLX has restyled wheels and a revised grille, front fascia and fenders. Technology has also advanced with new infotainment features, including Android Auto and Apple Car Play. Acura, the upscale marque of Honda, has long used three-letter titles acronyms in its lineup. It’s uncertain if the some of the names represent a style or are hopeful, important-sounding marketing phrases. The TLX (Touring Luxury Sedan) replaced the

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2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid: Nice try, can’t match SUV stars

The Nissan Rogue is a decade old. It arrived in late 2007 as a 2008 model and joined the quickly expanding crossover SUV segment. It was oddly named because it didn’t offer much to differentiate itself from well-established competitors. The 2017 Rogue continues the improvement in recent years of the five or sevenn-passenger crossover. It has strong craftsmanship, ample interior space, lots of trim options and it’s fairly priced. But with the car-buying public further enamored with the versatility of SUVs and sales of many top brands improving, where does the Rogue fit in? Where is its market share versus the segment’s best — the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5? Nissan’s approach to finding more buyers for its

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: Many changes for 2018 Toyota Camry

A higher sticker price and appreciably better gas mileage are among several big changes in store for the 2018 Toyota Camry. The top-selling sedan in the United States will make its nationwide debut later this summer. The eighth generation of the re-engineered Camry LE will be priced at $24,885, including shipping, about $900 more than the 2017 price. The L “value” version of the 2018 Camry, with smaller wheels and fewer convenience features, will be priced at $24,380. Fuel economy with the new four-cylinder engine is estimated by the EPA at 29 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway and 34 combined. That’s 26 percent better than the current base model’s 24 mpg city/33 highway/27 combined. The new

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Newcomer Genesis gets top J.D. Power quality honors

Genesis, the first-year automaker formerly top-line model in the Hyundai lineup, earned the highest ranking among 13 premium brands in the just-announced J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Initial Quality Study. The 31st annual study serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle quality measured at 90 days of ownership.   The 2017 study s based on responses from nearly 80,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2017 model-vehicles. The study uses a 233-question survey designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement. “Receiving this award in our very first year in the U.S. market is a strong testament toward the commitment and meticulous work of Genesis,” said Head of Genesis Brand, Manfred Fitzgerald. “We are

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2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF: Driving nirvana with an asterisk

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the best-selling and most polarizing roadster in history. It’s driving nirvana for its vast fan club. For others, it’s a too small, overrated phenomenon. But the MX-5’s numbers give credence to its enduring popularity. Since its debut in 1989, sales have averaged slightly more than 37,000 units per year through 2016. That’s minimal compared to top yearly sellers like the nearly 800,000 Ford F-150 trucks sold last year. Yet the little two-seat sports car has retained its loyal following for nearly three decades. The overriding reason: The soft-top convertible, hardtop and new RF (retractable fastback) define motoring fun at a fair price. The MSRP for the RF trim, my test vehicle, is $33,825. The RF

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Classic Auto Week adds Ferrari Concours at Pebble Beach

Ferrari is likely the most popular supercar and the auto industry’s most powerful brand. It’s involved in nearly every avenue of high-end racing, exotic consumer cars offering and classic car shows. Now more than 75 years old, the iconic company was founded by Enzo Ferrari in Modena, Italy, in 1939. And its nearly seven-decade relationship between Pebble Beach and Ferrari will expand exponentially in August when the Ferrari 70th Anniversary Concours will be held in conjunction with the Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 20 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The double Concours will also mark the debut of the Fairway One project, which adds 38 guest rooms — 30 units in three two-story buildings and eight units in two four-bedroom golf

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Rolls-Royce unveils most expensive new car ever made

If money is no problem in your car-buying habits, why not purchase the most expensive new car ever made — a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce? An unnamed buyer, seeking a vehicle styled after the Rolls-Royce offerings in the 1920 and 1930s, spent a reported $12.8 million on a Rolls-Royce Sweptail. The car took four years to make and was unveiled to the public recently at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy. The custom coach was designed via the customer’s wishes: a coach-built coupe with a glass roof. The buyer is described in the carmaker’s press release as a “connoisseur and collector of distinctive, one-off items including super-yachts and private aircraft.” Further, the vehicle was detailed as having traits of several iconic Rolls-Royce models

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2017 Honda Civic hatchback: sporty value gem returns

A small percentage of the car-buying public still enjoys the mechanics of driving. But manual transmissions are increasingly rare. Meet the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback sport. Honda decided this year to make its perennially top-selling compact more versatile, via an imported hatchback. The 10th generation of the sedan, manufactured in England, is available with a six-speed manual transmission. While the efficiency of continuously variable transmissions has simplified driving and Honda is at the automotive forefront with its version, the carmaker also appreciates tradition. Thirty years ago, about 25 percent of new cars sold in the United States featured manual transmissions. Today, it’s less than five percent. The Civic debuted in 1972 and it’s perched between the Honda Fit and the

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Efficient new hybrid shines

The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime, a plug-in gas-electric hybrid, is a new addition to the country’s largest selling hybrid family. It replaces the Prius Plug-in and it’s the most ambitious Prius on the market. Its exterior design, full of sharp angles and a unique narrow exterior light design in the mainstream automotive industry, removes the stodgy image of previous Prius models. The Prime is chock-full of technology, most visibly the navigation system and infotainment center. It’s an 11.6-inch vertically oriented high-resolution touchscreen, and it dominates the dashboard. It’s standard on the Prime Premium ($29,965) and top-line Prime Advanced ($33,965). It’s not available on the entry-level Prime Plus ($27,100). I drove the top-line Advance trim recently for two weeks during the

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Ford Mustang dominates internet vintage car searches

Vintage car enthusiasts all have their favorites. But there’s one iconic vehicle that dominates internet searches — the Ford Mustang. According to the website classiccars.com, the Mustang generated 3,736,942 unique searches in 2016. The Mustang pushed the Ford to its status as the top manufacturer searched for vintage vehicles, followed by Chevrolet. In its state-by-state calculations, the Mustang ranked first in 13 states, followed by the Chevrolet Impala (7) and the Chevrolet Camaro (5), Chevrolet Corvette (3), Dodge Charger (3) and Ford Thunderbird (3). ClassicCars.com, which specializes the research and purchase of classic cars and trucks, registers 330,000 searches daily and three million unique monthly visitors. The site, founded in 2007, is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Among manufacturers, Ford and

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Into the mountains with ease

Eleven days into coverage of the Amgen Tour of California, I’ve surpassed 1,000 miles while driving the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. My trip began May 10 in Sacramento, and the race just ended in Pasadena. The women raced for four days, including two days in South Lake Tahoe and two days ending in Sacramento. The men raced for seven days from Sacramento to today’s concluding high-speed finale from Mountain High to downtown Pasadena. As the newest and most technologically advanced Prius since the hybrid debuted in the United States in 2000, the Prius Prime is among the few affordable green vehicles that can change the automotive industry. It joins the all-electric 2017 Chevy Bolt and the luxury Lincoln

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