Ford Series trucks again top-selling vehicles for 2013

The Ford Series trucks, paced by the F-150, have been the best-selling vehicles in the United States for more than three decades. And they’ve been the country’s best-selling trucks for more than four decades. In 2013, the trucks’ top-ranking remained in the end-of-the-year sales totals. But the pick-up trucks’  numbers were even more impressive. The entire F-Series sold 763,402 units in 2013, an 18 percent increase from 2012. The Chevrolet Silverado and Ram Pickup were also among the top-five sellers on the top-10 list. The Ram was fifth on the list and had a 21.1 percent increase in sales from

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus LS 460: Posh, sporty, fast

Luxury sedan buyers who look only at German or American luxury models shouldn’t overlook the 2014 Lexus LS 460. The posh sedan makes long-distance highway cruising feel as if you’re in a private jet. It’s plenty fast and luxurious as it swallows open roads, especially with its available air suspension. The Lexus LS 460 turned the luxury car scene in America upside down when introduced in 1989. Few felt that a Japanese car producer could build such a thing. Many considered you somewhat of a chump if you bought a Mercedes-Benz—then the most prestigious mass-produced luxury car—because the Lexus LS

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Michael Schumacher: Will he remain comatose?

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Michael Schumacher, the most decorated Formula One driver in history, remains in stable but not critical condition more than two weeks after he was placed in a coma in a French hospital following a skiing accident. Schumacher’s physicians have not updated the retired driver’s condition to the public for more than one week. German media is speculating he may not emerge from the coma. “The sooner an artificial coma ends, the faster return usually normal body functions such as breathing,” Heinz Peter Moecke, director of the Institute for Emergency Medicine, Asklepios Kliniken in Hamburg told the German newspaper Bild. Moecke

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Consumer Reports ruthless in 2013 worst cars list

Consumer Reports annually releases many car lists, best to worst, most efficient to gas guzzlers, unheralded vehicles to those to avoid. The organization’s most dubious list is its Worst of the Year collection. Consumer Reports reviewed more than 80 vehicles is 2013. Two cars from Nissan and Mitsubishi made the top-10 worst list in 2013. Consumer Reports was vicious in some descriptions of its least favorite cars in 2013. The best (worst?) example was publication’s assessment of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Here’s the synopsis: The Chevrolet Spark’s low price and clever connectivity features may be tempting, but for daily driving,

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PREVIEW: 2015 Ford F-150: Lighter, stronger, faster

The 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the country’s top-selling vehicle for 32 consecutive years, was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show as lighter, strong and with a greater towing capacity than its predecessor. With a stronger, high-strength steel backbone and high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloys, the new F-150 is approximately 700 pounds lighter than the 2014 edition. The weight reduction will allow the Ford F-150 to haul and tow more, accelerate quicker and stop in a shorter distance. As the best-selling truck in the United States for 37 straight years, the 2015 Ford F-150 will also have a host

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus IS combines luxury, sportiness

Some cars don’t mix sportiness and luxury very well. But the 2014 Lexus IS sports sedan has been strategically revised to provide both luxury and sporty driving. Width of the new rear-wheel-drive IS has been increased by nearly half an inch for a more aggressive stance. The large bold-looking grille has a more “three-dimensional” design with a chrome-plated frame, but looks overdone. However, styling is generally sporty. Major changes include a nearly 2.7-inch wheelbase increase to 110.2 inches for more rear seat legroom and cargo space. The interior easily holds four 6-footers, but isn’t spacious  and has little in-cabin storage.

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Rare VWs on display in Washington’s LeMay Museum

“VeeDub – Bohemian Beauties,” a celebration of Volkswagen history and innovation, will be featured Jan. 11 through April 5 at LeMay Museum, dubbed America’s Car Museum. The museum, located in Tacoma, Washington, will showcase 25 vintage models from both Volkswagen and local car collectors in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Known for its pairing of styling and technology, Volkswagen, which is German for the “people’s car,” embodies the self-expression of several generations of Americans. The brand’s approach to automotive technology has created an ideal platform for customization that eventually extended to buses, dune buggies, kit cars, and Formula Vee racing. As part

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REVIEW: 2014 Kia Soul has more soul than predecessor

As Detroit automakers once said about their cars, the 2014 Kia Soul is “longer, lower and wider” than its predecessor, which arrived a few years ago as one of the first funky, boxy, compact crossover vehicles. The Soul has prospered, while its rival boxy Honda Element is gone. And the Soul far outsells the boxy Scion xB, which reportedly will be dropped. In fact, things are looking up for the new, second-generation Soul. It has a longer 101.2-inch wheelbase (up 0.8 inches), a width broadened by 0.6 inches to 70.9 inches and a reduced overall height of 63 inches—decreased by

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2014 Acura ILX: Unheralded luxury sedan shines

Now in its second year, the 2014 Acura ILX is the manufacturer’s smallest and least expensive, entry-level sedan. It’s only been available in the United States since May 2012. Available in four gas-only trims, the 2014 Acura ILX is versatile for its class. The choices: 2.0 liter, 2.0 with Premium package, 2.0 with Technology package and 2.4 with Premium package. And there’s also the ILX Hybrid. As a debuting car in 2013, the Acura ILX for 2014 shouldn’t be expected to offer vast changes, but it has been upgraded. Leather seats and a rearview camera are now standard equipment and

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Hummer: Auto industry disaster of the decade

Originally conceived by the United States Army as a new “High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle” (HMMVV), the later named civilian Hummer is theweeklydriver.com’s automotive catastrophe of the decade. The idea for the vehicle was so it could follow the tracks and ruts of full size army trucks in military procedures. Original designed by AM General Corporation, a subsidiary of American Motors (AMC), the massive machine debuted in 1982 and should have remained for military use only. The civilian model began in 1992 in part because of the persistence of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who saw an Army convoy while filming a movie

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Doctors say Michael Schumacher ‘fighting for his life’

Michael Schumacher, the retired seven-time Formula 1 world titlist, is fighting for his life, his physicians confirmed Monday evening, Dec. 30, from Grenoble, France. Schumacher, 44, crashed and hit his head on a rock while skiing Sunday in Meribel, France. Although he was wearing a helmet, Schumacher is in critical condition with severe head injuries. Physicians said Schumacher is in an ‘artificial coma.’  The doctors also said they could not provide any further information about Schumacher’s condition. Schumacher’s family, including is wife, Corinna, and his teenage son and daughter, have remained at his bedside. “Unfortunately, he had some lesions to

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Honda Accord named Car of the Decade

Since The Weekly Driver website began in 2004, Honda has been represented more than any other manufacturer. I’ve driven every model the manufacturer offers, the Fit to the Odyssey and the S2000 to the Ridgeline. The Honda Accord is the beacon for the carmaker, remaining among the top-selling cars in the United States for 25 years. In the observance of our first 10 years, The Weekly Driver has selected the Honda Accord as the Car of the Decade. The versatile sedan is unmatched in its combination of comfort, styling, efficiency, safety and resale value. The first generation Honda Accord was

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Honda shines in TheWeeklyDriver’s 2013 top-10

For the seventh straight year, theweeklydriver.com has selected its top-10 Cars of the Year. Honda continues its streak as the only manufacturer represented in each year of the list. We’ve picked 70 cars, of course, in the past 10 years, and now 13 Honda models have been featured, including in 2013, the Honda Odyssey and Honda Accord. As editor and publisher of the site since its debut in 2004, I wrote 34 full reviews of 2013 model year cars and trucks. Contributors Dan Jedlicka (www.danjedlicka.com) and Bruce Aldrich (www.tahoetruckeeoutdoor.com) also contributed reviews to the site in 2013, pushing the total

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Michael Schumacher in coma after skiing accident

Michael Schumacher, the retired seven-time Formula One champion and extreme sport enthusiast, remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery following a skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher, 44, who retired from Formula One racing for the second time in 2012, fell while skiing off trail in Meribel, France, earlier Sunday, Dec. 29. He hit his head on a rock, according to a statement from the resort and as reported via major news organizations. According to the resort managers, Schumacher was wearing a helmet and was conscious when rescuers arrived on scene. The Grenoble University Hospital Center said the

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2014 Volkswagen Passat: Conservative, sturdy, versatile

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The reasonably priced 2014 Volkswagen Passat is among the top German sedans. Successfully redesigned for 2012, the slow-selling Volkswagen Passat was “Americanized” to satisfy desires of motorists here without losing its “German car” appeal. The made-in-America Passat confronts mid-size sedans, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, increasingly popular Ford Fusion, highly popular Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata and established Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Some rivals have adventuresome styling, while the Passat has a handsome but mostly conservative design—inside and out—that is typical of Volkswagens. But the 3,230-3,481-pound Passat has the sturdy feel one expects from a German auto. The front-drive Passat

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Toyota Prius honored as best value in auto industry

The Toyota Prius has been named the best value in the automotive industry for 2013. The top-selling hybrid costs owners only 47 cents per mile to drive, according to Consumer Reports. The Prius, which debuted in the United States in 2000, moved ahead of the Honda Fit in 2012 for the first year of its now two-year reign at the top of the best value list. The Fit held the No. 1 position for the previous four years. In its best value reports, Consumer Reports also selected leaders in many segments of the auto industry. The list incorporates owners’ costs

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