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2014 Lexus CT 200h: Great economy, utility, refinement

If an average hybrid gas/electric auto seems worthwhile, you might want to try an upper-class one. The 2014 Lexus CT 200h gas/electric hybrid is the lowest list-priced Lexus. But it’s still a Lexus so don’t expect a cut-rate model. This refined compact front-drive hatchback sedan has typical Lexus amenities and delivers a noteworthy, estimated 43 miles per gallon in the city and 40 on highways. The CT 200h uses the same proven hybrid powertrain as the Toyota Prius. Unlike the Prius, it’s rather exclusive because it’s not sold in large numbers. Many Americans still keep their distance from hatchbacks and

2015 Volvo V60 T5: Wagon comeback in a big way

Automotive Reviews

The 2015 Volvo V60 T5 is a new car the United States. It’s been in Europe for a few years, but for the American market it’s unlike any other Volvo wagon. They were previously all built like small passenger tanks and were about as attractive. Volvo stopped making its larger wagons a few years ago. But with the debut of the V60, the Scandinavian-influenced carmaker with parts from Sweden, Germany, Japan, the United States and Canada, could have an entirely new following. The 2015 Volvo V60 resembles its long-ago sibling, the P1800s series, now collectors’ cars. The new offering is

2014 Cadillac CTS: Smooth, powerful, plush

Now a dozen years old, the Cadillac CTS is a midsize luxury car available as a coupe and sedan. For 2014 and its third generation, the Cadillac CTS (Catera Touring Sedan) has been re-designed inside and out. Throughout its tenure, the CTS has been named to many top yearly car lists, and the 2014 edition has been and will likely add more end-of-the year honors. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan is offered in six main trim levels: Standard, Luxury, Performance, Premium, Vsport and Vsport Premium. The trims are matched to a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a

Jerry Seinfeld is back with rare cars, comedians, coffee

Rare-Vintage

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)

Rare Used Cars: 1993 Cadillac Allanté

Rare-Vintage, Used Cars

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

PREVIEW: 2016 updated Ford F-650, F-750 series

Automotive Reviews

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.

Most reliable cars: Mitsubishi, Hummer. Really?

Steven Lang has had a unique automotive industry career. For more than 15 years, he’s been a car dealer, an auctioneer and a part-owner of an auto auction. He’s bought and sold cars. And he believes he has a credible list of the 10 most reliable cars — by brand. Lang has seen extraordinary cars and likely some that should have never been sold. He knows cars old and new. And he knows branding from the Lexus motto: “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection to the BMW creed: “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” A contributor to Motoramic, Lang has compiled an top-10

Ford recalls 1.4 million vehicles dating to 2006

Ford has joined General Motors in a dubious recent honors contest with the announcement of a recall of 1.4 million cars in a variety of brands and manufactured between 2006 and 2013. The biggest percent of the recalls, according to the Detroit News, involves 915,216 Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and Ford-built Mazda Tribute CUVs. The vehicleating firm 2008 to 2011, for faulty torque sensors. The issue could could lead to sudden power steering failure. Manual steering would still be available, though. The recall includes 736,000 of the above brands built in the United States and the majority of the rest

2014 Toyota Highlander: Perfect family vehicle?

Automotive Reviews

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

2014 Nissan 370Z: Fast, fun, impractical

Now in its sixth year, the 2014 Nissan 370Z is the seventh generation of the Nissan Z-car line that dates to 1969. The 370Z succeeds the 350Z which succeeds five other generations — 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX and the 300ZX. The original Z car had innovative good looks for its time, and it was powerful. It didn’t take long for the then Datsun 240Z to become a top seller. In 1972, more than 50,000 units sold in the United States. Fast-forward 45 years since the car’s debut, and the current Z car still has a reputation as a handsome, powerful

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

Automotive Reviews

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.

2014 Hyundai Equus: Luxury, value for comfy sedan

As the flagship model, the Hyundai Equus is the largest and most expensive vehicle in the Korean manufacturer’s lineup. It’s a full-size luxury sedan and it’s named after the Latin word for horse. Hyundai introduced a new version of the Equus on a rear-wheel drive platform in 2009. It’s the carmaker’s direct to aim to compete with the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8 and Lexus LS. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive For 2014, the Hyundai Equus isn’t a new generation, but it has substantial revisions. Front and rear styling have been altered. And the instrument panel, control layout

General Motors slammed with $35 million recall fine

Automotive News

General Motors has been fined a record $35 million in civil penalties for its inadequate handling of a recall of more than two million vehicles with ignition switch problems. The Department of Transportation said GM violated federal safety laws and its decree said GM should change how it handles review of safety issues. The GM recall includes the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. The fine stems from an investigation into the Chevrolet Cobalt and other GM cars that were found to have faulty ignition. The

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

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Chevrolet Bel Air Make Daily Telegraph’s Beautiful Car List (Nos. 80-61)

Car aficionados likely know such unique cars as the NSU Ro80 or the Hispano-Suiza H6. But almost anyone who’s owned a car or whose parents owned a car has likely at least heard of the Chevrolet Bel Air or a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. All four were selected by The Daily Telegraph, the London newspaper among “The 100 Most Beautiful Cars.” The Weekly Driver continues its countdown with the Nos. 80-61 vehicles, and what a diverse group. The newspapers’ readers sent in thousands of votes representing 367 different cars. Each car is represented by a photo and short description. The

BMW, Rolls-Royce set to recall nearly 200,000 vehicles with braking issues

Nearly 200,000 luxury sedans from BMW and Rolls Royce and dating to 2002 are being recalled to fix a potential leak in the power-braking system. The cars included BMW 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series as well as the high-priced Phantom.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a power-steering probe of the BMW Z4 in July, following one crash and 107 complaints. The power-braking leaks create a vacuum loss that impairs a feature used when brakes are applied, BMW explained on its website. BMW will notify recalled vehicles owners by mail. Dealers will inspect the cars and replace