2016 Lexus RC 200t: Redefines entry level luxury sports car

For its sophomore year, the 2016 Lexus RC includes two new models. The 200t features a turbo-charged, four-cylinder engine with rear-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive RC 300 employs a 3.5-liter V6. Regardless of models, the 2016 RC lineup is categorized in the entry level luxury coupe segment. It’s a strong marketplace where BMW and Audi usually get top billing, followed by worthy offerings from Cadillac, Acura and Infiniti. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2016 RC200t is a head-turner and a keen driving machine, particularly considering the exterior color of my test vehicle (Atomic Silver) and its F Sport trim. It

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REVIEW: 2016 Toyota Sienna, minivan for all or one

The 2016 Toyota Sienna, celebrating its 20th year, ideally defines one of the manufacturer’s best attributes. Entry level sedans to large people movers, Toyota vehicles have lots of standard equipment. And it’s among the signature attributes of the popular minivan. Updates include improvements in the Entune connectivity system, sonar parking assist warnings and blind-spot monitoring. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive: 2016 Toyota Sienna The 2016 Toyota Sienna, like the Honda Odyssey, its main competitor, no longer has any relation to the stodgy reputation of minivans of yesteryear. Manufactured since 1997 when it replaced the Previa, the 2016 Toyota Sienna is

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Elio sets higher price, compares three-wheeler to VW

Elio Motors has “locked in” a base price of $7,300 for its three-wheel vehicle that hasn’t been manufactured and has no definitive debut date. It’s an increase of $500 from the original price the start-up company has promoted for several years. Touted as an ultra high-mileage, ultra low-cost vehicle that will achieve up to 84 mph, the newly announced price will be available to the first 65,000 non-refundable reservations the company receives. The company has more than 56,000 reservations total, according to its web site totals. Elio Compares Concept to VW Beetle In the latest of dozen of press releases,

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2016 Toyota Prius Two: New style, more room, great mpg

Now in its fourth generation, the Toyota Prius family features six models, including the most economical, the Toyota Prius Two. It’s the lightest, most space efficient and achieves the highest gas mileage rating in the best-selling hybrid lineup. The Weekly Driver Test Drives Toyota Prius Two While the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Camry Hybrid are all fine competition, the new Toyota Prius Two design reconfirms the vehicle’s position as the segment leader. The Toyota Prius Two trim, my weekly driver, comes standard 15-inch alloy wheels, LED running lights, taillights and headlights as well as heated mirrors, keyless

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2016 Honda Civic (Touring): 9 days, 1,932 miles, all good

The drive from Park City, Utah, to Sacramento, California, after a week at the Tour of Utah and Outdoor Retailer trade show, was a high speed, largely desert haul of 678 miles. I left Utah at about 10 a.m. and arrived at home around 11 p.m. in my test vehicle, a 2016 Honda Civic sedan (Touring). With the long day planned, I stopped often, including twice for gas, brief walks at rest stops and longer breaks in Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats and in Wells for lunch and in Sparks, Nevada, for dinner. I left on the trip July

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Toyota makes trucks cleanly, quietly, quickly in Texas

During a recent visit to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX), the 2.2-million square foot, 2,000-acre facility 17 miles south of downtown San Antonio, my notion of the workplace environment of automobile manufacturing plants was shattered. The sweatshop image I’ve viewed in movies and read about in tragic examples of worker exploitation was replaced by modern, efficient, environmentally savvy city of state-of-the art technology. It’s a factory where machines and humans co-exist in a healthy, constantly moving indoor environment. Toyota calls the plant where about 200,000 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra trucks are manufactured per year a campus. It’s an appropriate

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2016 Honda Civic: More miles, better mpg

One reason hybrid and other alternatively powered vehicles haven’t made a substantial impact among among the general car-buying public is the increased efficiency of gas-powered vehicles. The 2016 Honda Civic, my test vehicle during the Tour of Utah, is among about a dozen 2016 non-hybrid cars available in the United States rated at more than 40 mpg in freeway driving. While driving the Honda Civic Touring model, I left Sacramento on July 30th for Cedar City, Utah. When I refueled for the third time on day 6 of the trip, just out outside of Park City, I’d covered 1,100 miles,

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2016 Honda Civic: Tech features, desert companions

Four model years ago, Honda introduced a new feature into its 2013 Accord and Crosstour models — Lane Watch. It’s a right-side camera that assists with blind spots. When the turn signal indicator is engaged for a right-hand turn, the camera shows the lane to the right of the car on the navigation system screen. One red (closest) and two yellow lines on the screen show the distance to the next vehicle(s). The Lane Watch feature has been added to other Honda models more recently, and it’s included in my 2016 Honda Civic (Touring), the vehicle I’m driving during the

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2016 Honda Civic: Driving the Tour of Utah efficiently fast

The Nevada and Utah highway systems are efficient and often afford long stretches of open range roads. Some sections in Utah have posted speed limits of 80 mph. And like in Nevada’s desert, only a few small cities interrupt the rolling hills, sage brush and often jagged and rust-colored rock formations After driving 455 miles on the first day from trek from Sacramento to Ely, Nev., in my Honda Civic (Touring Edition), I followed the next day with 202 miles from Ely to Cedar City, Utah, just in time to attend the Tour of Utah bike race press conference. My

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2016 Honda Civic Touring: Hot desert, high speed, long haul

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A long-distance haul into the desert is unlike any other driving experience, and it’s an ideal way to test a new vehicle. Yesterday, I completed a 647-mile, two-day trek from Sacramento, California, to Cedar City, Utah in a 2016 Honda Civic Touring edition. The trek was to attend the weeklong Tour of Utah bicycle race, which began August 1 and continues through August 7 in Park City. One year ago, I made the same trip on Interstate 80 with the first-night break on Elko, Nev. This year, I took the Hwy. 50 route since my Utah arrival destination was more

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2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: economic, near luxury

The Toyota Avalon debuted in late 1994 as the manufacturer’s flagship full-sized sedan. It replaces the Toyota Cressida. The hybrid trim was unveiled in December 2012, further adding to Toyota’s nearly always-expanding lineup. For 2016, The Toyota Avalon Hybrid has only a few changes. Most notably, there’s a redesigned front grille and front turn signal lamps. The base XLE Plus trim debuts; the Touring trim is discontinued. Technology features are also enhanced with a wireless smartphone charging system standard for the XLE Premium and Limited trims. The Toyota Safety Sense package is available as a Limited trim option. 2016 Toyota

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Customer Service vital for success in towing industry

Customer service is an essential part of any public-oriented profession. After all, every business needs clients. Keeping your clientele satisfied, including in the towing industry, is key to ongoing success. Any company that allows paying customers to walk away unhappy is risking its future. In the towing industry, excellent customer service is of particular importance. Towing Falcons, providers of towing services in San Leandro, California, attest to this: “We have years of experience working with the public, and know just how difficult dealing with a breakdown, a blown-out tire, or a crash is for drivers,” the company’s owner said. “Our

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Pokemon Go madness: Baltimore driver, player hits police car

How obsessive compulsive has the mobile reality game Pokemon Go become? One answer involves the extreme good fortune of a young man in Maryland. While playing the game on his smartphone while driving, the man crashed his vehicle into a parked police car. The driver’s sport utility and the police officer’s car suffered extensive damage, but the driver of the car emerged without injuries. According to a report on CBS San Francisco, A Baltimore Police Department officer was talking to two colleagues next to his parked patrol car following a service call around 3:30 a.m. on July 19. The driver

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When buying a used vehicle don’t forget the inspection

Purchasing a new vehicle always represents a significant financial commitment, even when your new vehicle isn’t new at all. Even pre-owned vehicles, significantly marked down from the original sticker price, will cost a few bucks, and it’s important to ensure they represent a decent value. This means doing your homework—reading reviews and consumer reports before you sign on the dotted line. It means taking the vehicle for a test drive, ensuring you like how it runs and how it sounds. And yes, it means inspecting the vehicle thoroughly. As you inspect a used vehicle, you can and should be meticulous.

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Worst driving city in the United States? Washington, D.C.

Like all major metropolitan areas, Washington, D.C., has its strengths and weaknesses. One dubious distinction is its designation as the worst city in the United States for driving. That’s the assessment of the personal-finance website WalletHub.com In its new study, which tabulates 21 metrics — average gas prices to delayed traffic time to auto shop repairs per capita — Washington, D.C., is the worst city among the country’s top -100 most populated cities for driving. Conversely, Scottsdale, Ariz., is the country’s best metropolitan area for driving. Arizona has five of top-10 best driving cities. Scottsdale is followed by Tuscon (2),

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Car air conditioning repairs best left to experts

Like windshield wipers that suddenly don’t work properly in a rainstorm or a flat tire when you’re late for an appointment, there’s no good time for your car’s air conditioning to fail. In summer months, of course, the process that cools and removes humidity from the air in a car is often used to its capacity. To run efficiently, it’s imperative an air conditioner has the proper level of refrigerant, the cooling agent. But if the air conditioning isn’t working or if it’s not blowing cold air of there’s a clicking noise coming from the engine, it’s likely the unit

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