2014 Buick Regal: New worthy mix of U.S. and Euro design

Some American brand sports/luxury sedans are edging closer to costlier foreign rivals as the auto world shrinks. A few minutes at the wheel of the 2014 Buick Regal gave me the feeling I was driving a foreign luxury sports sedan. It sure handled and rode much like one. Buick has made lots of changes, but the Regal’s behavior puzzled me. I soon found the Regal is basically an Americanized version of the high-line German Opel Insignia. No wonder it felt as if it would be happy humming along a German autobahn at 100 m.p.h. It’s got a decent size, with

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2014 Toyota RAV4: sporty, versatile compact SUV

Toyota believes in keeping a good thing going. The Toyota RAV4 was the first compact crossover when introduced in the mid-1990s and soon became a hit because it was carlike, practical and economical. It also carried Toyota’s revered name. The fourth generation RAV4 four-door hatchback arrived for 2013 as a significantly redesigned and improved model, so the 2014 model includes just a few new options. Minimal changes are planned in the 2015 RAV4. New items for 2014 include an Entune Audio lineup and a Technology Package option with Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic and Lane Departure Alert. Toyota RAV4:

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2015 Dodge Challenger: Smooth, powerful, fast

The 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack is not too late to the party. Chrysler‘s Dodge division was late to the hot 1960s muscle car scene, which was fading fast when Dodge announced its 1970 Challenger coupe. That was too bad because the Challenger was the slickest looking muscle “pony car” (think Mustang and Camaro), and you could get it with Chrysler’s famous 425 horsepower “Hemi” V8. It’s surprising that Chrysler wasn’t quicker on the trigger with the Challenger because its 1955 C300 coupe was America’s first mass-produced 300-horsepower car with its Hemi V-8. It was the most powerful U.S.

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2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC: Big deal compact

Mercedes-Benz is out to make a bigger splash in the compact car market with its 2015 C300 4MATIC sedan. While its styling is sleeker, the new C300 4MATIC (all-wheel drive) is not a sports sedan, although it’s athletic with quick variable-ratio steering, sure handling and confidence-inspiring brakes. Rather, it’s for those who want a responsive in-town car and a solid, luxurious interstate cruiser. My test car had the optional ($1,190) air suspension, which provided an impressively smooth ride. The standard steel suspension setup is all-wheel independent and most likely provides a good ride. After all, this car is luxury oriented.

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2016 Special Edition Toyota Camry

After its extensive redesign a year ago, the 2016 Toyota Camry will be offered in a Special Edition. The newest Toyota Camry will feature  a more aggressive look and increased technology. More than 2,000 changes were made in the 2015, with only the roofline remaining from the previous edition, the new Special Edition model of the 2016 Toyota Camry will based on the Camry SE. The limited production Camry will add sporty interior and exterior features. In addition to features found on the Camry SE, standard equipment on the Special Edition will include: * Unique 18-inch alloy wheels with machined face

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2015 Lexus ES 350: Perfect sedan for a 2,000-mile desert trek

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What car enthusiast wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to drive across three sates, including long stretches in the desert, on wide, high-speed roads? And considering super cars to classics, what would be an ideal car to drive just under 700 miles from Sacramento, California to Logan, Utah? And after eight days in Utah, how satisfying would it be to make the return trip on the ninth day and in one day instead of the two-day departure journey? Performance freaks might select any number of rarities. Perhaps others would prefer a sports car or a gas-guzzling exotic. But what about a vehicle

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Cool technology for modern hybrid

The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid is the most upscale addition to the Prius family. Its exterior design removes the stodgy image of many of the models in the country’s best-selling hybrid lineup. The Prime’s interior is chock-full of technology, most visibly the JBL navigation system. It’s an 11.6-inch vertically oriented high-resolution touchscreen. While not available on the entry-level Prime Plus, it’s standard on the Prime Premium ($29,965) and the top-line Prime Advanced ($33,965). I’m driving the Advance trim for two weeks during the Amgen Tour of California, May 11-20. It will take the women’s field from South Lake

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Fuel efficient, safety galore

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After nearly six full days of driving the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid during the Amgen Tour California, I stopped for my first refuel about two hours into a 3 1/2-hour evening drive from San Jose to Morro Bay, California. The route was primarily a long, straight haul north-south along Highway 101 before an undulating, often single-lane finishing 17-mile trek on Highway 41 into the ocean resort city. I stopped with about 90 miles left in the drive. I filled up the Prius Prime with 9.3 gallons at $3.09 per gallon for a total of $29.00. I’d driven 499

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Into the mountains with ease

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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

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: Many changes for 2018 Toyota Camry

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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

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2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith: Pricey, worthy ghost of Xmas now

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By James Raia and Bruce Aldrich Once cited among the world’s most recognizable brands and of unequaled reputation, Rolls-Royce not too long ago lost its spirit. Various models with fading, hand-written for sale signs were prominent in neighborhoods throughout the carmaker’s native England. Often named after ghosts, Rolls-Royce became its namesake for an unimaginable reason. No one wanted one, even at near give-way prices. The car’s Flying Lady hood ornament, officially called the Spirit of Ecstasy, was heavily tarnished.   But in the decade since Torsten Müller-Ötvös assumed his chief executive officer responsibilities, Rolls-Royce has far surpassed its successes of

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2022 Subaru WRX

The 2022 Subaru WRX, the third generation of the compact sports sedan, features improved performance and the most advanced features in the car’s nearly 20-year history. Powered by a new 2.4-liter, turbocharged 271-horsepower engine, the WRX has either a six-speed manual transmission or new automatic transmission. New also are a high-definition tablet-style 11.6-inch multimedia system and the latest generation driver-assist technology. The WRX adds a new top-of-the-line GT trim with a new automatic transmission, the Subaru Performance Transmission, as standard. The new WRX GT offers a first-ever for WRX, new electronically controlled dampers that can tailor the dynamic performance to

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2024 Lamborghini Revuelto: A new bigger, badder bull

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The Lamborghini Revuelto is the new bull in town. It has a new hybrid system, dual-clutch transmission, superbike-inspired styling and new driving modes. It has a V12 engine free of forced induction. It produces more than 800 horsepower without hybrid assistance. Combined with its electric motors, power output soars to 1,001 horsepower. The Revuelto supercar succeeds the Aventador after its decade of reign and it changes Lamborghini history. The Italian carmaker replaced one mechanically menacing bull on wheels with a stronger hybrid bull. A beautiful bull The new Revuelto boasts beautifully distinct styling. Lamborghini’s designers remixed the 2021 Sian FKP37,

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The Return of a Legend: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

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The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is making a triumphant return, and it’s packed with features that off-road enthusiasts and luxury lovers alike will appreciate. With three distinct trim options—Land Cruiser 1958, Land Cruiser, and Land Cruiser First Edition—this iconic SUV offers a blend of rugged capability, innovative technology, and refined comfort. Whether you’re navigating rough trails or cruising city streets, the Land Cruiser’s range of options ensures there’s a model tailored to your needs. Explore the specifications, features, and unique characteristics of each trim to discover why the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is set to become a sought-after vehicle in

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Ferrari Purosangue SUV: When nobody knows your name

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The idea of a supercar presented as a sport utility vehicle was preposterous — until a few years ago. Sales were so high, not even niche high-end manufacturers could ignore the consumer shift away from sedans to more versatile people haulers. Welcome Ferrari to the once-off-limits core of prestigious carmakers clamoring for a market share. Joining the Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the 2023 Ferrari Purosangue is expected to debut in July. It’s a rare double for the Italian carmaker — a new model and its first SUV. Introduced last September, the most

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Supercar designer Gordon Murray: McLaren F1 to GMA T.50

Gordon Murray isn’t employed as a mathematician or bariatrician. But no one in the automotive industry knows more about numbers and weight and how to make more less and less more. If less weight means more car, Murray will re-design the aluminum brake and clutch pedals and titanium gas pedal in his newest vehicle, the 2021 GMA T.50, with lattice artwork. It reduces the weight of a solid pedal design by 10.5 ounces. The T.50 name reflects more is less on several levels. The recently revealed supercar is the 50th road or racing vehicle Murray has designed. It celebrates the

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