2017 Lincoln MKZ: A worthy underdog luxury sedan

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Four years after its last redesign, the 2017 Lincoln MKZ received an interior refresh and an exterior facelift. The five-seat luxury sedan debuted in 2006 as the Zephyr and was renamed the MKZ the following year. Regardless of the badge, the underdog Lincoln is still seeking a better market share. It’s positioned among the most competitive automotive segments. Since its debut, the vehicle gas-only trims have sold more than 34,000 units in the United States in a year only twice. Sales the last two years were slightly more than 30,000. Available with gas-only or hybrid engines, the Lincoln MXZ has

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Keep your car love alive with Valentine’s Day gifts

SPONSORED CONTENT Everyone loves their car when they buy it, but after the honeymoon phase is over, it’s sometimes hard to keep that love going strong. 3M Auto, Prestone, Meguiar’s and Royal Purple have come up with five easy solutions to fall back in love with your car just in time for Valentine’s Day. 1. Take Years Off the Look – Yellow and hazed headlight lenses don’t just make your car look old, they’re also a safety hazard and can decrease visibility. 3M Quick Headlight Renewal provides an easy-to-use headlight restoration solution to help increase visibility and remove minor haze

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Commentary: Can fuel cell vehicles thrive?

I recently attended a gathering for alternative fuel vehicles, hosted by Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition (SCCC). The SCCC is part of a national network that supports the reduction of petroleum consumption in transportation. Several alternative fuel vehicles were on display, including the Toyota fuel cell car called the Mirai. The Mirai is a good-looking midsize sedan fueled with compressed hydrogen. The compressed hydrogen passes over a fuel cell stack to produce electricity for the electric drive motor. The Mirai has a 300-mile range, takes only three minutes to fill, and drives like any other car. It’s perfect, but where do

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2017 Jeep Cherokee: Modern look, respect for the past

Jeep celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2016. A year earlier, the compact Jeep Cherokee replaced the Liberty in midseason. It continues the sport utility vehicle’s extended celebration and legacy as the modern version of the original WWII vehicle. For 2017, the Cherokee remains primarily the same as last year’s model. It also had a midseason addition last year with the top-end of five trims, the Overland. It joins the Latitude, Limited, Sport and Trailhawk. As the most powerful Jeep in the lineup, the Overland model I drove for a week featured a 3.2-liter, 24-valve V6 engine with 271 horsepower and

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Tata Motors debuts exclusive new sports car Futuro

Tata Motors, the Indian carmaker that nine years ago introduced the world’s cheapest car, will debut its first sports car in the sub-brand TaMo (Tata Motors) at the Geneva International Motor Show. The new model, one of several new vehicles planned by the company that owns Jaguar and Land Rover, will be called the Futuro. It will feature a 1.2-liter, mid-engine turbocharged inline four-cylinder producing 180 horsepower. The two-seater will be unveiled in Switzerland as a concept. According to several media reports, the Tamo Futuro should be available in about 18 months. Its debut coincides with Tata’s decision to streamline

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Super Bowl: Melissa McCarthy saves the planet in a Kia

Kia takes chances with its Super Bowl commercials. Who would have thought a pack of talking hamsters would be successful promoting the Kia Soul? But it’s been a hit for years. The Kia commercial last year featuring Christopher Walken, the “Walken Closet,” and beige and colorful sock puppets is arguably on the top-10 all-time Super Bowl commercials list. It brilliantly promoted the Kia Optima. And now comes along Melissa McCarthy, the comedic actress who while driving a 2017 Kia Niro has the task of saving the planet. She tries to save whales, trees, the polar ice cap and the rhinoceros

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Elio Motors “owner” files lawsuit against fledgling company

The backlash surrounding the delay and recent official SEC filings for fledgling Elio Motors has resulted in a lawsuit by a wannabe customer who now wants his deposit returned. As reported on the website Gas 2.0, a posting on Reddit by a user named jimmbybob479 details his small claims court action against the manufacturer of a three-wheel vehicle that has been delayed for several years. According to the Elio Motors website, more than 68,000 interested buyers have made deposits for the $7,300 vehicle touted as getting 84 mph and a top speed of 100 mph. The person seeking his deposit

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2017 Mitsubishi Lancer: Goodbye, you’ve had a good life

Say hello to the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer and wish it farewell. Overshadowed for years by perennial favorites and fast-charging newcomers, the 2017 model is the compact car’s last year. With plans to stop Lancer production in August, Mitsubishi will continue to emphasize its popular sport utility vehicle and crossover lineup. For its final year, the Lancer has improved technology: a rearview camera and a 6.1-inch center screen standard. But the updates won’t reach many buyers. With competitors like the Honda Civic, Madza3, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, the Lancer lost its luster with only 14,304 units sold in 2016. The

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Jerry Seinfeld, Comedian in Cars, drive to Netflix

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Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, the innovative and increasingly popular program in which Jerry Seinfeld drives another comedian or personality to a coffee shop in an iconic car, has switched its streaming broadcast from Crackle to Netflix. The 59 shows produced for Crackle and sponsored by Audi since 2012 will be all be cataloged on Netflix. Twenty-four new segments, two standup comedy specials and other pending programming are included in the new deal. New episodes of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee will debut in late 2017. The original program received three Emmy nominations. Seinfeld’s guest have included many of comedy

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Winter car care can help ensure safe driving

Proper winter car care can mean the difference between safe driving and catastrophe. From exterior washing to paint preservation to ice prevention, using the diligent precautionary practices can eliminate potential inclement weather issues and ensure as much as possible efficient, problem-free travel. Michael Kahn on his lifestyle website www.mklibrary.com provides a detailed, step-by-step checklist to take proper measures when you travel in cold weather or other climate issues — hail, frost, snow and rain — or a mixture of several problematic elements. In one example, Kahn describes the best way to persevere your vehicle includes spraying your car’s exterior as

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What dealers do to make car buying difficult

A root canal and shingles might be worse. But a trip to a car dealership, as opposed to car buying online, is often high on the list of unpleasant experiences. It’s not universally bad. But there’s still plenty of salesmanship, up-selling and other persuasive ways car dealers make the most they can from every buyer. With Jim Dykstra (www.vinadvisor.net) and Jaclyn Trop (www.jaclyntrop.com) and James Raia (www.theweeklydriver.com) take a look at the Top 6 Things Car Dealers Do To Make Car Buying Difficult in text and a corresponding video. Car Dealers Price People Jim Dykstra, Vinadvisor
 “What’s the number one

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A golf ball on wheels and other new auto innovations

Despite massive recalls and emissions-cheating scandals, more than 35 million new vehicles were sold in the United States the past two years. With equal fervor, so too has the automotive market been saturated with innovations — unique accessories to inventors’ passions. Here’s a look at four new offerings: Drive Like A Sparrow — Three-wheel electric vehicles aren’t new. Companies large and small have for decades experimented with and sometimes manufactured inexpensive contraptions and costly high-end machines likely best used in Mad Max movies. Among the latest innovations is the second carnation of the Sparrow. It’s built in the global headquarters

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2017 Mazda3: Classy compact keeps getting better

Nearing the end of its third generation, the 2017 Mazda3 continues its stellar reputation as a versatile compact available as a sedan or hatchback. The Mazda3 improvements include a retuned suspension, a new electronic parking brake, an updated dashboard design, a new steering wheel and new front and rear fascias. Stiff competition in the compact segment from Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Forte and perennial best-selling Honda Civic prompted the upgrades. Read about the 2019 Mazda 3 here. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The top-of-the-line Mazda3 Grand Touring model, my test vehicle, featured a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower.

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Nissan legacy: small sedans, SUVs, super cars

Approaching its 85th birthday, Nissan has endured ownership changes, collaborations and mergers and has emerged as the manufacturer of a varied collection of popular cars and trucks. Shortly after debuting in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd., the company merged with another Japanese company and was renamed Nissan Motor Company. It manufactured cars under the Datsun brand and those vehicles, like the Datsun 100, were first available in the United States in 1958. Another merger later, the Datsun 510 sedan was unveiled and proved a hit. But it was outdone by a sibling, the arrival of the first in

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Vanderhall: a 3-wheel wonder related to a Chevrolet Sonic

It’s hard to define a vehicle that’s related to Chevrolet Sonic but looks like a beach cruiser, a toy car or a kit car. The only likely explanation: It’s a Vanderhall, and it’s no toy. The new autocycle debuted about a year ago. It features a monocoque design aluminum chassis. It has carbon-fiber body panels and a double wishbone adjustable coil-over suspension. It’s also equipped with ABS brakes as well as stability & traction control. As the original Vanderhall, the Laguna isn’t cheap with a base price  slightly less the $50,000. The Sport Premium trim is $58,500 and the top-line

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Manufacturer Spotlight: BMW, airplanes to supercars

With its legacy dating nearly 110 years to manufacturing airplanes, BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) is renowned for its luxury vehicles that provide a unique combination of driving pleasure and performance. It took 18 years after BMW began in Munich, Germany as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG for the company to transition from airplanes to cars. The Dixi, the first four-wheel effort, was a hit. It joined by the Type 328 roadster as the brand’s defense against the Depression. The two-seater was hugely successful on the racing circuit with more than 120 victories during a five-year tenure ending in 1940. Following WWII,

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