Automotive Reviews

2014 Hyundai Tucson: Nimble, versatile, no flash

How convenient when the name of a car is easy to decipher. Take the 2014 Hyundai Tucson. The now decade-old sport utility vehicle is named after the city in Arizona, and that makes sense. The compact crossover, like a lot of SUVs, is versatile for active buyers. It’s a daily driver, a weekend getaway car and good for families with kids needing lifts to their activities. It’s ideal for trips to the local market. It fits the lifestyle of Arizona and plenty of other regions of the country. Hyundai has made only two generations of the Tucson, with the second and current generation in circulation since 2010. For 2014, the Tucson has received a few enhancements and the available model

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Best Used Cars Under $10,000? Ford Dominates

New cars or used cars? Buy a new car and you lose as soon as it leaves the showroom floor. Buy a used car and you get someone else’s headache. There are many reason for both types of purchases, of course. And there’s the leasing option, which has been increasing popular for business owners and other buyers for a variety of reasons. The used car market has always been a good choice for savvy buyers. The financial website bankrate.com recently posted its selection of the 10 best used cars currently available. The list features the car model, the best years of its best values, the percentage of the editions of the cars listed available for less than $10,000 and the

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2014 BMW 4-Series: New name, more luxury, keen price

How do you top a long-successful car? Just ask BMW, which is offering a successor to its highly popular 3-Series coupe and convertible. The new 2014 BMW 4-Series coupe just may be the best reasonably priced sports coupe. It’s longer, lower and more stylish than its predecessor and is more luxurious. Indeed, the new 4-Series has more than enough pizzazz, performance and comfort to back up its rakish new body. The 4-Series coupe replaces the 3-Series coupe. It shares mechanical components with the outgoing 3-Series coupe, but is superior in many respects. The 3-Series BMW long has dominated the “Best Buy” lists of car buff magazines, and there’s no reason why the 4-Series can’t do the same. The stunning interior

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REVIEW: 2014 Kia Cadenza joins rivals with gusto

Despite the success of the Kia Optima, the South Korean manufacturer still doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. The 2014 Kia Cadenza, a debut vehicle in 2013 as a 2014 model, should provide the carmaker with more respect as an underdog. The Kia Cadenza joins the Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Equus as the trio of South Korean luxury cars sold in the United States. Hyundai owns Kia, and the Cadenza shares a platform with the Hyundai Azera, although the Cadenza is sportier than its cousin. The Weekly Driver Drive It was my second time with Kia Cadenza in recent months, this time with the Limited edition. Like the previous Kia I drove, the Cadenza Limited is the follow-up for the

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2014 Honda Civic: safe, reliable, fuel efficient

Honda is moving quickly to improve its popular Civic. Its update in 2012 eliminated the cost-cutting complaints about this long-popular model. The 2012 Honda Civic was far from being marginal. Like other Civics, it was safe, reliable and fuel-efficient. But it had a rather bland design, and there were complaints about its handling, steering, ride and road noise. The front-drive compact Civic is a Honda bread-and-butter car, so the automaker quickly upgraded it with a more upscale appearance, using such items a Honda Accord-style grille and new wheels, hood, trunk lid and taillights. The interior also was improved with better materials and upholstery. Among few changes for 2014 are small horsepower increases. There still are a few signs of cost-cutting.

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Rare Ford Mustang display in Sacramento honors iconic car

Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Sacramento will be celebrating Ford Mustang’s 50th birthday on April 16 with a display of the iconic cars, including the first Ford Mustang to enter the State of California. The celebration, which will also include a birthday cake in the shape of a Ford Mustang, will be held at UTI, 4100 Duckhorn Blvd., from 8 a.m. until noon. Ford Motor Co. unveiled the first Mustang on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building on April 17, 1964. More than nine million Ford Mustangs have been sold since. The cherry red 1965 Mustang entered the state of California in November 1964 by train from Michigan. This Mustang will be the focal point for  UTI’s Ford

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2014 Hyundai Sonata: Firmly in family sedan mix

Now in the fourth year of its current generation, the 2014 Hyundai Sonata is no longer an outsider trying to find a sliver of the market share. The Sonata is well established and holds its own in the crowded pack of family sedans like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Mazda 6. While not a newbie in 2014, the Sonata has been tweaked enough to stay fresh. The changes include: driver-selectable steering effort, a sport-tuned exhaust (SE 2.0T only), available xenon headlights and LED taillights (Limited only), a ventilated driver seat (Limited) an optional blind-spot monitoring system, an improved stability control system and two new touchscreens. The interior styling has also been refreshed, and Hyundai has

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PREVIEW: 2015 Hyundai Genesis: Elegant, powerful

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis, which will debut at dealerships in late April, has been redesigned and will start at $38,000 for the 3.8L V6 and $51,500 for the 5.0L V8 model. Hyundai is touting the upscale sedan as the “the combination of bold design, superb driving dynamics, unmatched standard technology and attractive pricing positions.” 2015 GENESIS PRICE STRUCTURE Model     Engine     Transmission     MSRP 3.8L RWD     3.8L V6     8-Speed A/T w/ SHIFTRONIC     $38,000 3.8L AWD     3.8L V6     8-Speed A/T w/ SHIFTRONIC     $40,500 5.0L RWD     5.0L V8     8-Speed A/T w/ SHIFTRONIC     $51,500 Freight charges for the 2015 Genesis are $950 and not included in the prices above. The 2015 Genesis includes

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Lexus, Mazda shine in 2014 Best Family Car list

A family car once meant a station wagon or a lackluster, underpowered box-like sedan. No more. For 2014, U.S. News & World Report has selected performance cars and family oriented cars that are perfectly capable for single drivers. The magazine (and its corresponding online edition) has selected the best vehicles for families in 19 categories, compact cars to minivans, hatchback to luxury cars. The 2014 Mazda6, the Best Midsize Car for Families, and the 2014 Mazda3, the Best Compact Car for Families, both have performance that car reviewers love. That performance comes in addition to available high-tech safety features, like forward collision warning and lane departure warning, as well as spacious cabins most car critics agree feel upscale. The Honda

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Tesla, Elon Musk get massive 60 Minutes recharge

Elon Musk and his empire at Tesla Motors is not new to 60 Minutes. But each time the entrepreneur appears on the enduringly popular Sunday night news program — an old, new or updated segment — there’s something to discover. The interview of Musk on March 30 by Steve Kroft covered familiar ground, the passion Musk has for his high speed, high-technology electric car and the passion for the SpaceX spaceship he hopes will be the first to take human passengers to Mars. What was new, at least for me, was the interview with his mother and brother and Musk’s nearly carefree look back at the near collapse of his company. The segment also briefly discussed Musk’s five sons and

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3-wheel Elio interest soars, 3,000 more reserved

It’s still a year away from its projected public debut, but interest in the Elio Motors’ three-wheel vehicle continues to flourish — at least according to the manufacturer’s website. In early February, the website announced reservations for 84 mpg, 55-horsepower machine had reached 10,000. Six weeks later, the reservation total is approaching 13,000. Deposits from $100 to $1,000 are accepted with different levels of “bang for your buck” if and when the Elio becomes available. Refundable and non-refundable options are available. A non-refundable reservation provides customers with an additional discount worth 50 percent of the initial deposit (a $1,000 deposit would receive an additional $500 toward the price of a vehicle at the time of purchase). Although refundable deposits can

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Rare Barn Find Ford Mustang Shelby Set For Auction

Barn finds in the automotive world are still out there. The latest discovery is a varied collection of cars and trucks from an estate in Pennsylvania that includes a 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Cobra Jet. The car, owned Larry A. Brown, a now-deceased car and truck collector,  is the expected highlight of more than a dozen vehicles set for auction April 25 at Ron Gilligan Auctioneering in Spruce Creek, Pa. The Mustang features a 428-cubic-inch Cobra Jet engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission, which has only 8,500 miles in total. The spark plugs, belts, fan and hoses are all original. The tires are the only equipment not from 1968. According to a report on Yahoo News, the car

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Road Rage Revenge: How Sweet It Is (Video)

Road rage torments many. Maybe we’ve been the victim of road rage. Or maybe we’ve initiated an issue on a bad day or on a lot of bad days. Driving just often brings out the worst in people. Road rage revenge, however, is another matter. How sweet it is. In this instance, earlier this week a woman driver in Tampa, Fla., was the victim of road rage. But she recorded the situation on her smartphone and she had video of the outcome when the perpetrator spun out of control in wet weather and crashed on a median. The woman who made the video posted it on YouTube. She recorded the guy’s anger. She had the guy flipping her off. She

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2014 Infiniti Q60: Power, comfort, hefty price

Infiniti changed the name of its vehicles throughout the brand last year. The 2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Journey is the new name for the 2013 G37 Coupe. But that’s about all that’s changed in the upscale coupe from a year ago. It’s performance and luxury oriented, but like a lot of sports coupes, space and practicality aren’t strongest attributes. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The four-seat 2014 Infiniti Q60 coupe is available in five trims: the Q60 Journey, the base model Q60 AWD, Q60S 6MT and Q60 IPL. There’s also a Q60 convertible. My weekly driver was the Journey. It’s a powerful machine with a 3.7-liter V6 with 330 horsepower, and it comes standard with a seven-speed automatic transmission and

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PREVIEW: 2015 Ford Mustang: Sleek new convertible

The 2015 Ford Mustang fastback and convertible is available with a variety of engines, a newly designed, more efficient convertible top system, more connectivity options and a new exterior and interior design. The new engine type includes a new turbocharged EcoBoost 2.3-liter and an upgraded 5.0-liter V8 with more than 420 horsepower and manual or automatic six-speed transmissions. The convertible roof uses a new electromechanical drive and single-handle center latch to lower in half the time of the current car. Roof features a standard fabric outer layer and is fully lined and insulated for a quieter ride. More compact roof and independent suspension contribute to segment-leading trunk space that can hold two golf bags – even with the premium audio

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2014 Lexus RX 450h: Ideal upscale family car

Lexus is intelligently — and profitably — expanding its product line with vehicles such as its well-engineered 2014 RX 450h hybrid. The refined gas-electric crossover is well-developed, with good performance, sparkling fuel economy, carlike comfort and maneuverability and roominess. No wonder it’s among Lexus’s top-selling models. The RX 450h is priced at approximately $46,310 to $47,810 and has standard all-wheel drive and a smooth continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that can be manually shifted and put in driving modes ranging from “Economy” and “Sport” to  “Snow” and “EV.” The RX 450h got numerous improvements for 2013, so there are no significant updates for the 2014 model. This vehicle is more tried-and-true than ever. The 450h uses a 3.5-liter V-6 with

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