Automotive Reviews

Jerry Seinfeld is back with rare cars, comedians, coffee

Jerry Seinfeld’s passion for cars and comedy has proven the right formula for the web series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The fourth season and the first in a new five-season deal with the Crackle network will debut June 19. Crackle.com, a unit of Sony (SNE) Pictures TV, reports luxury automaker Acura has extended its exclusive deal to sponsor 24 new episodes of the car & comedy mashup. “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is an online series appearing on Crackle.com that revolves around Seinfeld driving fellow comedians around in rare and expensive cars (and sometimes not-so rare and inexpensive cars) and then going for coffee. David Letterman, Don Rickles, Seth Meyers, Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Michael Richards, Tina Fey, Chris

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Rare Used Cars: 1993 Cadillac Allanté

The Cadillac Allanté, now considered among recent rare used cars, is a two-door luxury roadster manufactured by General Motors. It was designed by Pininfarina of Italy and sold for only seven years despite its superior performance and unique styling. About 21,500 Allanté units were made, equating to slightly more than 3,000 per year. In its final year, 1993, Cadillac made 4,670 Allanté units with a high-end price of $65,000. Originally designed under the code name “Callisto” to compete with the Mercedes-Benz SL and Jaguar XJS, the Allanté featured a modified variant of the 4.1-liter V8 used across Cadillac‘s lineup. The Allanté is noted for an unusual production arrangement. Completed bodies — designed and manufactured in Italy — were shipped 4,600

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2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 Preview

Ford has announced its 2016 F-650/F-750 medium-duty truck lineup with a 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel. It will feature three engine power ratings, including best-in-class standard diesel horsepower and torque, and no vocational limits on top ratings. The three diesel power levels available for the 2016 Ford F-650/F-750 are: 270 horsepower/675 lb.-ft. torque (best-in-class standard); 300 horsepower /700 lb.-ft. torque; 330 horsepower/725 lb.-ft. torque. The 2016 F-650/F-750 features a bold look inside and out. Offered in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab styles and in straight frame, dock height and a new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing applications. The turbo diesel engine is paired with commercial-grade six-speed Ford TorqShift HD automatic transmission optimized for medium-duty vocations. The second

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2014 Toyota Highlander Review: Perfect family vehicle?

Revise an already good vehicle and you can end up with an appreciably better one. The revised, user-friendly 2014 Toyota Highlander is sleeker, roomier and even more user-friendly. For some, it might be the perfect family vehicle. The revised Toyota Highlander is slightly longer and wider than its predecessor. It also has a lower roofline, sculptured side-door panels, redesigned trapezoidal grille, wraparound headlights, deeply chiseled fenders and prominently protruding wheels for a more aggressive look. There’s also a new rear bumper for a “tougher” appearance. The first- and second-row seating areas are spacious. There’s also extra room in the third-row seating area. The Highlander is billed as an eight-passenger SUV with a second-row 60/40 split bench seat if you don’t

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2015 Kia K900 Review: Luxury for $20,000 less than rivals

The luxury sedan market has become more crowded with the addition of the 2015 Kia K900. The new K900 is Kia’s first V-8 sedan and first rear-wheel-drive luxury car. It’s for those who want to save approximately $20,000 or so if they don’t mind not getting an upper-line German or Japanese rear-drive V-8 luxury auto. Kia didn’t dare make a mistake with its flagship K900 because the car, as the automaker says, is intended to “redefine consumer perception and expectations of the Kia brand.” Snobby neighbors may scoff at the Kia nameplate, but they can’t honestly scoff at the car. Kia, which is closely affiliated with South Korea’s Hyundai, has been selling cars in the United States for about 20

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Is Jetpack Misleading Users to Promote WordPress.com?

Are you using Jetpack’s publicize feature on your site? Recently while browsing through Facebook, we found several folks sharing links where WordPress replaced the site domain. Along with that, the status also read like this: Michelle Schulp published an article in WordPress. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-25095″ title=”Facebook Status being hijacked by JetPack publicize” src=”https://cdn.wpbeginner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/fbstatusjetpackpublicize.jpg” alt=”Facebook Status being hijacked by JetPack publicize” width=”520″ height=”479″ /> This was alarming, so we decided to investigate the issue. When you click on the link, it takes you the website. However when you click on WordPress, it takes you to a WordPress.com signup page on Facebook. <img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-25087″ title=”Landing page for WordPress.com’s app” src=”https://cdn2.wpbeginner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wordpresscom-app.png” alt=”Landing page for WordPress.com’s app” width=”520″ height=”286″ /> We

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta: New engine, better ride

The Volkswagen Jetta is an affordable German-engineered compact sedan, which might partially explain why it is VW’s most popular model here. Major improvements for 2014 include a new turbocharged and intercooled 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It has direct fuel injection and replaces a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine with the same horsepower. The new engine delivers better fuel economy than the five-cylinder: an estimated 26 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on highways with a five-speed manual transmission. A six-speed manual and efficient automatic transmissions also are available. Enabling the front-wheel-drive Jetta to be fun to drive are a new independent multi-link rear suspension and electro-mechanical steering, which replaces a hydraulic

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Carmony re-focusing website with upscale brands

Carmony, one of the United Kingdom’s leading used car websites, is rebranding its website and will now focus on prestigious brands with price tags of more than 25,000 pounds. The Carmony website previously featured a full range of used cars. And it will continue is reputation for providing a simple, effect website that allow consumers to search for vehicles and dealers for the best products. The special lifestyle search feature allows consumer to look for a used car using criteria such as boot space or number of seats. Additionally, the website offers the latest news and reviews from the industry. The rebranding is clever. There’s a gap in the market for the advertising of used or nearly new cars appealing

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2015 Volvo XC60 Review: Hot engine, better transmission

I’m happy to see Volvo is surviving. I’ve been an on-off-on Volvo fan since I bought a seemingly indestructible 1956 Volvo PV444 in 1963 with its stick shift and lively twin-carburetor engine. The midsize Volvo XC60 upscale crossover has progressed nicely since introduced a few years ago and is one of the best such vehicles offered, although it faces stiff competition. For 2014, the XC60 got a new hood, front fenders, redesigned headlights and new instruments, along with paddle shifters for the automatic transmission. It also got new 18-inch alloy wheels and new “corner traction control.” The XC60 is generally handsome, from its lower front spoiler to its nicely integrated exhaust tips. The interior is upscale, with easily read gauges

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Pontiac Aztek: Reviled, revered, cult classic

The Pontiac Aztek is likely the most maligned car in modern history. Like the Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and Yugo it has been described as the ugliest car ever built and the worst car ever made. Sometimes, the criticism cut deep. One reviewer said of the Aztek, said: “The styling of the car is its best feature.” The 2001 Aztek was the most picked on model. It looked like a badly designed space vehicle or a tank that had been totaled. It was rough-edged and gaudy. Still, the Pontiac Aztek had such a rotten reputation, it’s become a cult car. I’ve spoken with two Aztek owners recently who said they wouldn’t trade their Azteks for a new SUV. My second

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2014 Hyundai Tucson Review: 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 Review: 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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2014 Kia Cadenza Review: 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 Review: 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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