Volkswagen: Bugs, Beetles, Bliss

Like several friends, my first car was a Volkswagen. It was a family friend’s car and the 1962 VW Bug was pristine. I bought it for $500 in 1972 when I was age 17. The memories of learning about its simple engine and driving it everywhere are still vivid 40 years later. All these years later, I just drove a 2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line for a week. It’s still unmistakably a Volkswagen, but it’s also a completely different car. The new VW Beetle has five times the horsepower of my Bug from yesteryear. And the driving difference, from what I

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Ford Fiesta: Sub-compact star

Now 38 years old and a half-dozen generations into its tenure, the Ford Fiesta joins its siblings, the Ford Escort and F-Series trucks, to complete the trio of the manufacturer’s top-selling vehicles. Since its debut in 1976, more than 16 million Fiestas have sold for several simple reasons. As the third best-selling car in the Ford lineup, the little car provides solid transportation, strong gas mileage and dependability, and at an economical price. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Available in four trim levels and as a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback, the Ford Fiesta is a surprisingly peppy sub-compact. My

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Bugatti Veyron as a police car? Sure, in Dubai

Chevrolet and Chrysler is understood. But a Bugatti and an Aston Martin as police cars? It can’t be true, can it? Turns out it is the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai. The Emirate of Dubai, including the modern City of Dubai, are wealthy places where excess is the norm — including cars. People in Dubai drive fast and the policemen of Dubai drive past or at least they hope to drive faster than the public considering the cars in their force. There’s a Ford Mustang GT and Camaro SS in the fleet. But both are pedestrian compared to the vehicles.

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2015 Hyundai Genesis gets makeover

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis will feature a low vertical grille, higher quality cabin controls and a safer seatbelt system, the South Korean manufacturer has announced. Hyundai detailed its new Genesis is the result of a four-year project that cost nearly $500 million. The carmaker said the new Genesis will have the best chassis in its class, plus drivability that matches European luxury cars. Hyundai detailed it has tested new Genesis on the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Hyundai calls its latest design “Fluidic Sculpture 2.0.” Updates from the current Fluidic Sculpture 1.0 include an edgier, flat-bottom hexagon in the Genesis

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Ford slammed in Consumer Reports’ reliability study

Ford has been rocked with unreliable scores, with five of the 10 least reliable cars in the United Sates manufactured by the iconic carmaker, according to Consumer Reports. The carmaker was represented on the dubious list by the Ford C-Max Hybrid,  C-Max (Plug-in Hybrid), Escape (1.6L Ecoboost), Explorer (V6, 4WD) and Taurus (Turbo). The annual survey is conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. It considers the experiences of drivers of 1.1 million vehicles. Consumer Reports uses the survey data to compile reliability histories on vehicles. It then predicts the dependability of new models. Predicted reliability is usually based

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Tom Cruise set to play racing legend Carroll Shelby

Tom Cruise has played characters interested in speed, in one form or another, many times in his career. He’ll soon begin portraying a legend of auto speed and innovation, Carroll Shelby. According to a report on AOL Autos, Cruise and Joseph Kosinkski, the director of Oblivion, will team to make a movie from the book Go Like Hell. The book details the epic battle between Ford’s and Ferrari for dominance in the 1960s European racing scene. Shelby, the sole member of a rare automotive fraternity who rose to prominence as a driver, builder and owner, died earlier this year at

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L: Utilitarian, Italian flair

The new 2014 Fiat 500L sedan is roomy and has some Italian flair, but isn’t much fun to drive. The new also sedan doesn’t have much in common with the lively but smaller two-door 500 models. For instance, the $19,100-$24,195 500L four-door hatchback sedan is 27.7 inches longer and has approximately six inches more height and width than the two-door 500. Its grille looks as if pasted on to provide a family resemblance to other 500 models. The front-wheel-drive 500L isn’t as cute as the smaller 500. It has a short nose you can’t see from the driver’s seat and

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Buick LaCrosse: Big sedan shines

Now in its 10th model year and fifth year of its second generation, the Buick Lacrosse is a large four-door luxury sedan. Like many of its competitors, the refreshed 2014 Buick LaCrosse provides a comfortable, smooth, spacious ride. Never a high volume seller (the best-selling year was 92,00 units in 2005), the LaCrosse nonetheless shouldn’t be overlooked. The dilemma for Buick is that the large sedan segment is ripe with fine choices. The new Kia Cadenza, the re-designed Chevrolet Impala and stalwarts like the Chrysler 300, Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES350 all have substantial new or sustained followings. With the

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L defines sporty versatility

Three years after Fiat re-introduced its vehicles to the United States via the 500 compact, it’s now unveiled the 2014 Fiat 500L for Lounge and for large.  It’s a five-door compact hatchback wagon with a lot of character, innovation and a unique design. Fiat isn’t the first manufacturer to experiment with car conformity. Nissan has the Cube. Kia has the Soul. Scion has the xB. And even MINI has strayed from tradition in recent years with the Countryman, its compact wagon. The Fiat 500L is more than two feet longer than its more well known sibling. It’s equipped with a

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NEW CAR VIDEO REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L

A lot of cars, even from different manufacturers, look the same. But in recent years, Nissan, Kia, Scion and MINI have all strayed from the usual conformity of car styles. And now the 2014 Fiat 500L has joined the non-conformists. Nissan has the Cube. Kia has the Soul. Scion has the xB. And even MINI has strayed from tradition in recent years with the Countryman, its compact wagon. The 2014 Fiat 500L is not as outrageous, but it’s a five-door compact hatchback wagon with a lot of character, innovation and a unique design. The Fiat 500L is more than two

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Toyota Camry, Avalon, Venza halted for airbag, steering woes

The Toyota Camry and Camry hybrid as well as the Avalon and Avalon hybrid and Venza will combine for 803,000 vehicles being recalled in the United States for faulty airbags or power steering problems. The Camry and Camry hybrid, Avalon and Avalon hybrid and Venza from the 2012 and 2013 model years are affected. According to Toyota, water from the air conditioning condenser can leak onto the air bag control module and cause a short circuit. That could illuminate the air bag warning light, disable the air bag or cause the air bags to deploy inadvertently. The power steering assist

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TheWeeklyDriver.com collaborates with eBay.com

As editor and publisher of theweeklydriver.com, I am pleased to announce my new affiliation with eBay.com. As a contributor to the site for about one year, my latest project is as a  contributing writer to a new program called Collections. The program, launching today (Oct. 22), features numerous automotive industry journalists each writing about some their favorite new and used vehicles and affiliated automotive products in 24 collections. My collections cover a diverse selection of cars and trucks, ranging from my long-time interest in Rambler to my respect for the enduring popularity of the Toyota Corolla. I’m particularly interested in

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Ford Pinto? VW Thing? The All-Ugly Car Club

The Pontiac Aztek is often described as the ugliest car ever made. But who’s to argue the Volkswagen Thing isn’t equally as ugly? And then there’s the Ford Pinto. They’re all notoriously unattractive cars. And because of their status, they’re also collectors’ cars. What other cars are in the the All-Ugly Collectors’ Car Club? How about several AMC models, like the Gremlin or Matador, or nearly an vintage Citroen. And not every Ford Mustang is all that attractive. The All-Ugly Collectors’ Car Club is part of TheWeeklyDriver.com’s new Collection series on eBay.com It’s among 24 collections of different sub-sets of

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Toyota, BMW among 22 LA Auto Show global debuts

Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru will combine to present the global debuts of 22 vehicles at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of the GLA 250 and the S63. Porsche has added two new world debuts to its lineup, in addition to the previously announced Macan, the manufacturer’s highly anticipated SUV crossover vehicle.

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NEW CAR REVEW: 2013 Dodge Dart: Romantic practicality

Is it a Dodge or is it an Alfa Romeo? Actually, it’s a little of both, although both automakers used to be worlds apart. After a long wait, Dodge has come up with a decent compact car—this time with the help of Italy’s Fiat-controlled Alfa Romeo. The new Dodge is the 2013 Dart model, which looks good, runs strong and is affordable. The front-wheel-drive Dart replaces the regrettable Dodge Caliber model and reminds us of just how international the auto world has become. For example, the Dart rolls on a lengthened and widened version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform

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Green Car of the Year?: BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Audi, Honda vie

The Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda Accord, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla have been selected as finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal. The winner will be announced at this year’s LA Auto Show beginning Nov. 19 with three media days. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year program each year, a reflection of the auto industry’s expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important “green” vehicles every year at the

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