2013 Hyundai Santa Fe (Sport): New design, quiet ride

The Weekly Driver recently had an opportunity for an extended review, a nearly 2,000-mile, two-week trek in the newly designed, six-passenger 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe (Limited). This week, it’s back to standard procedure. My weekly driver was the 2013 Santa Fe Sport edition. It’s the smaller (in several ways) five-passenger edition in Hyundai’s restyled Santa Fe lineup. The larger Santa Fe replaced the poor-selling Veracruz. In addition to one less passenger and a smaller engine, the Sport is eight inches shorter than the Limited. But there are also interior and exterior similarities among the siblings, with the SUVs both offering

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BMW debuts all-electric vehicle with 100-mile range

The BMW i3, the BMW Group’s initial model running on electric power alone, has debuted as the first premium car with an all-electric drive system. The BMW i3 is the result of an integrated development approach aimed at cutting fuel consumption and emissions in urban traffic. The substructure of the passenger compartment is made from carbon fiber and the chassis is aluminum. The carmaker says it will offer fast charging capability as an option, allowing i3 owners to regain up to 80 percent of charge in as little as 20 minutes, delivering 80 to 100 miles of driving between charges.

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Chevrolet Impala: History of an icon, 1958-2014

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The Chevrolet Impala was introduced as a 1958 model and was built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Fifty-five years later, the Impala has advanced to its 10th generation with the introduction of re-designed  2014 edition. It was recently honored by Consumer Reports as sedan of the year. Available in three trims as a coupe and convertible, the original Chevy Impala ranged in price from $2,586 to $2,724. The starting price for the 2014 model is just under $27,000. Named after the southern African antelope, the Impala became the best-selling automobile in the United States in 1965. Vying against

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 2013 Toyota Highlander: Polished, roomy crossover

To the surprise of many, American station wagons from the 1950s and 1960s are becoming very desirable. One can only guess if the 2013 Toyota Highlander crossover will eventually become a collector’s item. The 2013 Highlander I tested had the smoothness of one of those old, big domestic V-8 wagons—along with lots of room. Although it’s from Japan’s Toyota, this second-generation Highlander has American flavor because it was designed at Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, Calif., and is assembled at Toyota’s Motor Manufacturing facility in Princeton, Indiana—part of America’s heartland. The Highlander won’t win beauty contests, but has clean,

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Chevrolet Impala gets rare best sedan Consumer Reports honor

The newly designed 2014 Chevrolet Impala has received an automotive honor no other American-made car has achieved in at least 20 years. It’s been named best sedan by Consumer Reports. Dominated by models from Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and the German cars, editors of the publication rated the Impala at 95 out of 100. The magazine called the iconic Chevy “excellent,” the reverse of the magazine’s assessment of the car’s 2013 model. Last year, Consumer Reports said the 2013 Chevy model was “woefully uncompetitive and not worthy of driving even as a free upgrade at a rental company.” The Chevy Impala,

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Chevrolet Impala, 2014: The legendary sedan returns

What does a manufacturer do with a middle-aged car that was once the best-selling car in the country but has fallen on lean times in recent years? In the instance of the Chevrolet Impala, introduced in 1958, the car could simply fade away. Or, the carmaker could continue to honor the badge. That’s what General Motors did with the 10th generation 2014 Impala. The iconic Chevy will likely not return to its heydays, like in 1965 when more than 1 million Impalas sold in the U.S. But the 2014 model has a tremendous amount to offer. General Motors describes the

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2013 BMW 750Li: Superior luxury, hefty price (video)

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The 2013 BMW 750Li, my weekly driver, showcased BMW’s power, as in a 4.4-liter, 32-valve V8 with 445 horsepower and five-second, 0-60 mph prowess. The 7-Series is the BMW flagship, of course and it deserves the status. It’s a beast of a seat, a 4,600-pound cruiser best suited for long, open-road hauls. But the long (201 inches) sedan is also a standard bearer of engineering, technology and for audio enthusiasts, an over-the-top whirlwind of sound. There’s a lot to lot about the new BMW. It short, it’s opulent. And it’s got a hefty price to go along with all of

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2014 Nissan Versa Note: New stylish, fuel-stingy hatchback

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Nissan may grab more buyers with its redone, unusually named 2014 Versa Note hatchback economy model, judging by my test of a prototype model. For one thing, the front-drive Note looks sleeker. That’s important because nobody wants to look like they’re in an econobox. It has a steeply sloped front windshield and deeply sculpted doors. A large front spoiler combined with a “kick–up” roof shape and low aero-drag floor structure directs air under and around the body for better aerodynamics. &JSCODE% However, some shorter folks may object to the high beltline (where side windows meet the doors). The new Note

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Top-10 cheapest cars in the United States, all less than $16,000

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Since the average price of a new car in the United States is just under $30,000, what can a consumer except to purchase with a budget of $15,000 or $20,000? Some might say what’s a good cheap car? Others might look at it as buying a good car at a good price. Turns out, for whatever reason, the options are plentiful. Seven U.S. and international manufacturers combined offer 10 cars all with a base price of less than $16,000. Based on the average transaction price, including the MSPR, taxes, license, factory rebates and dealer discounts, 10 U.S. and international manufacturers

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Jerry Seinfeld, Seth Meyers get coffee in the perfect car, really?

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Jerry Seinfeld’s latest comedic innovation, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, will conclude its second season with Chris Rock as the guest of eighth episode finale. Like Seinfeld’s television show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is based on the complexities and yet simple ways of natural comedy. It’s about cars and coffee, but not really. The Internet-only series premiered July 19, 2012 on digital network Crackle. In each episode, Seinfeld introduces a classic car. He calls a comedian and drives the car to pick up the guest. The duo then drives to a restaurant and has coffee (and sometimes lunch). There

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Consumer beware: Car theft rampant, often from driver error

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A motor vehicle theft occurs every 44 seconds in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the largest percentage of cars are stolen for a surprising reason — driver error. Between 40-50 percent of cars are stolen for the following reasons: keys left in the ignition in or on another location of a car; open or unlocked window; parking in a secluded area; valuables left in the car. July and August are the top-two months for vehicle thefts in the United States and only about 52 percent of all stolen cars are recovered. The top-10

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Automotive Nirvana: Five best-selling cars in history

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Combine fuel efficiency, affordability and reliability and the result is the Toyota Corolla. There’s no flash. It’s not particularly fast and nor does it have great maneuverability. But it does everything a car should do pretty well and that adds up to a lofty perch. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in history. Its base price is $16,130. Its gets an EPA estimated 35 mpg. And many Toyota Corolla owners have achieved more than 200,000 miles on the original engine. The exact sales number for the Toyota Corolla isn’t known. The last official count was 37.5 million, but the

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Automotive catastrophe: Five worst-selling cars in history

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The worst-selling car in history was such a catastrophe the brand’s name has become synonymous with failure. By most accounts, the Edsel was ugly, it was more expensive than its top competitors and in three years it was no more after fewer than 3,000 units of the car sold. The 1960 Edsel, as detailed on the website investopedia.com, has earned the specific dubious honor as the worst-selling car in history. Here’s what the website noted about the 1960 Edsel: “Ford created the Edsel brand in the late 1950s to compete with GM’s line of affordable midsized cards. Unfortunately, Edsels never

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2013 Hyundai Genesis: World-class, less pricey luxury sedan

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The South Korean 2013 Hyundai Genesis sedan shows it’s pretty hard, if not impossible, to come up with a one-to-one rival from such automakers as Mercedes, BMW or Infiniti. Especially when the Genesis costs appreciably less. But never mind. For a lower price, the rear-wheel-drive Genesis is a world-class luxury car from an automaker that built marginal cars in its bad old days. The Genesis possesses the high-class trappings of autos that cost considerably more. This rear-wheel-drive sedan comes as the base $34,200 3.8 model or the $46,800 5.0 R-Spec version. It has a 3.8-liter, 333-horsepower V-6 or 5-liter, 429-horsepower

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Mitsubishi i-MIEV: Not-so-electric car best run with cold pizza

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The Mitsubishi i-MIEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) arrived in the United States around the same time as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. The latter two were marketed with huge television campaigns and touted by celebrity spokesmen. The Mitsubishi debuted as if the carmaker for some reason didn’t want anyone to know about it. Nonetheless, it immediately generated curiosity. The i-MIEV exterior design is futuristic and it attracts on-lookers. Its entry-level price (about $22,000) is the lowest among major carmakers offering electric vehicles. And for anyone with even a passing interest in alternative vehicles, there’s the obvious: Just how does

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BMW 135is, 2013: Rocket-fast coupe offers classic ride, high price

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The 2013 BMW 135is is everything right with an upscale small car. It’s powerful, classically designed, keenly appointed and it drives with a healthy dose of attitude. The little BMW series is all about performance, and it’s in your face about it. Among several options are two turbocharged engines that produce 300 and 320 horsepower, respectively, both with six-cylinder engines and six-speed manual transmissions standard. The top-line 135is coupe, with the 320 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission, was my weekly driver. I avoided getting in trouble. What’s not to like? Like other BMWs, the 135is is ideal for the

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