Pickup Trucks

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Kia Rondo, 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review

One of the tangible, unwritten tests of a new vehicle is its initial comfort. Does a car suit a driver without a lengthy technological learning curve? There’s something to be said for an efficient, straightforward, no-nonsense car that doesn’t require intense reading to operate. Welcome the 2008 Kia Rondo. It’s nothing new that a good share of drivers still scoff at car manufacturers from Korea. But all of misgivings should now be considered history. Kia offers affordable, safe vehicles with the car industry’s best warranty. I recently drove the Kia Rondo for a week while visiting Missouri, logging more than 1,000 miles. There’s nothing too severe about driving in Missouri. With the exception of a few days of steady rain,

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Cadillac Debuts CTS Sport Wagon For 2010

Cadillac’s upcoming wagon offers ample interior space and includes a range of six-cylinder engine choices, making it a compelling alternative to larger utility vehicles. Based on the hot-selling CTS sport sedan, and a sister vehicle to the CTS Coupe Concept, the Sport Wagon extends the design-driven renaissance of Cadillac. Following this special premiere at Pebble Beach, the CTS Sport Wagon moves to the worldwide auto show circuit this fall – and into Cadillac dealerships in spring 2009. “The addition of this dramatically-designed Sport Wagon is well synchronized with today’s changing consumer tastes as a compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles,” says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. “This is an important step in Cadillac’s ongoing global expansion, and of

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Honda Fit, Chevrolet Silverado Most Popular New Cars Among Women & Men

According to a survey detailed on Forbes.com, the most important buying factors for women include: safety, comfort, practicality and value. It’s a much different set of factors for men — power, performance, exclusivity. More than 80 percent of Fit buyers are women. The vehicle with the highest percentage of men buyers (93 percent) is the Chevrolet Silverado (pick-up  truck). Among women and men buyers, there are several lists readily available the top-10 luxury cars purchased by women and women and the top 5 overall cars most often purchased by women and men. Here are the lists: Women (Overall) 1. Honda Fit; 2. Kia Spectra; 3. Hyundai Elantra; 4. Toyota Yaris; 5. Nissan Versa. Men (Overall) 1. Chevrolet Silverado; 2. Ford

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Ford F-150 Again Tops Cars.com "Most-American" Index

For the fifth consecutive in succession, Ford‘s F-150 has claimed the top spot on the Cars.com American-Made Index. The index is a semiannual ranking of vehicles deemed most American based on American production, percentage of domestic parts and American sales volume. Domestic-parts content is based on data that appears alongside the window sticker of new cars as a result of the American Automobile Labeling Act, enacted in 1994. The AALA mandates that virtually every new car display the percentage, by cost, of its parts that originated in the U.S. and Canada. Only those vehicles with a domestic-parts content rating of 75 percent or higher are eligible for the American-Made Index. In addition to holding the top spot on Cars.com’s American-Made

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2008 Volvo XC70: Weidel on Wheels

Taking another step from its uninspired, stodgy past, Volvo decided to pursue the makeover route for the 2008 XC70. Typically, there’s nothing wrong with redesigns, they’re sometimes long overdue. Not that the XC70 falls into that category, but it emergeed in 2008 as a more appealing vehicle. The remodeled vehicle is four inches longer overall and two longer in the wheelbase. It origin is Volvo’s premium sedan (S80), not the scaled down S60. The XC70 also has revised interior and exterior design. Although it could be easy to do, don’t confuse the XC70 with the V70 wagon. The XC70 has a raised suspension, now features four-wheel drive and weighs 200 more pounds than the V70, which has front-wheel drive and

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Dodge Dakota, 2008: Weidel on Wheels

When regularly faced with full-sized chores, a full-size pickup is ideal. Small trucks later came along for those who still enjoyed the versatility provided by a pickup, yet preferred a vehicle that wasn’t a headache to maneuver and park. What has changed gradually is the emergence of mid-size trucks. And in the mid-1980s, Dodge was the first to design — a a new brand of pickup — the Dakota. It was introduced to admirably fill the gap between big and small. It could still carry a decent-size load, while also providing more refined ride than its heftier, older relative, the Dodge Ram. Dodge remains innovative in the mid-size truck class, becoming the first manufacturer to put a powerful V8 engine

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Suzuki Forenza Wagon, 2007: The Weekly Driver Car Review

But the Forenza falls short in too many key areas, most notably craftsmanship and performance. As such, it isn’t a prudent choice in the economical wagon category. My weekly drive, like all Forenza and Reno (the hatchback) models included a 2.0-liter, 16-valve, 4-cylinder, 127-horsepower engine. It also featured a four-speed automatic transmission (a five-speed manual transmission is also available). The automatic transmission is the vehicle’s key disappointment. Acceleration is adequate from a stopped start, but it’s nowhere near as efficient in mid-range speed acceleration or in freeway situations. Likewise, the automatic shifting takes a concerted effort whether maneuvering into a forward or reverse gear or into the park position. As an economy vehicle, the Forenza isn’t particularly economical with ratings

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Volvo V70, 2006: The Weekly Driver Car Review

It’s hard to rattle Volvo‘s reputation. The Swedish manufacturer offers nicely designed, if undistinguished, vehicles. They’re great for confident, open-road driving in any kind of weather. If a buyer’s purchase priorities are comfort, performance and safety, Volvo is a fine choice. The 2006 Volvo V70 R (station wagon) further adds to the already nice Volvo overall package with its substantial cargo room. Still, the V70 finds itself in a tough crowd among the industry’s fastest growing sales segment, the premium midsized class. It includes the Mercedes Benz E-Class, the Audi all-road Quattro, Cadillac CTS and Infiniti G35, among others. My test drive for the week was the Volvo V70 R (all-wheel drive), one of four model options including the XC70

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Honda Ridgeline, 2006: The Weekly Driver Car Review

A friend recently made the brief comment: “You never really look at a pickup truck and say, ‘Wow! That’s a good-looking vehicle.’  I’d never thought about it his terms, but his words rang true. His comments also made me laugh because we were discussing the Honda Ridgeline, the new compact pickup truck. When I first first noticed the truck, I immediately thought, “Well, that’s the first Honda I don’t like.” Introduced last year at car shows and first made available nationwide earlier this year as a 2006 model, the Ridgeline could be categorized as the anti-pickup truck. But I didn’t know that until my weekly test drive. The Ridgeline just doesn’t look like a Honda, and it looks more futuristic

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Suzuki Forenza Wagon, 2005: The Weekly Driver Car Review

As an entry level wagon, the 2005 Suzuki Forenza offers budget-minded buyers a spacious wagon with a good supply of standard features. But as a debut vehicle, it’s also unproven in the resale market and has shortcomings that ideally define its position in the marketplace. My weekly test drive was the LX wagon, one of 10 available Forenza models in 2005. The 2.0-liter, 16-value, 126-horsepower engine has a four-speed automatic transmission, the only option. The vehicle has gas good mileage estimates for its class, and the wagon accelerates adequately in city scenarios. But it’s sluggish and needs a full-throttle jolt on the steady highway inclines or in a quickly needed lane-change situation. The Forenza wagon isn’t particularly quiet on the

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Volkswagen Jetta Wagon, 2003: The Weekly Driver Car Review

What do you do when you’re considering a sports utility vehicle, you need a family car and really want a sports sedan? One answer, albeit a compromise of all three vehicle styles, is the Volkswagen Jetta wagon. With its various options, it has the style, sleekness and performance of some of the offerings from Audi and BMW for a substantially lower price. Yet, it’s still a station wagon. It has room for a small family and their dog, and more than adequate room for groceries and/or other cargo. For my weekly drive, I tested the 1.8-liter turbocharged, 180-horsepower, 4-cylinder GLS model. It had a five-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability. And while it may have been a station wagon, the

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