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Acura TL, 2012 car review

The aggressive, blunt styling of the Acura TL has given way for 2012 to a smoother, more mainstream look. The nicely built car’s controversial front “beak” is gone, replaced by a reshaped fascia with a smaller grille. The rear also has been revised, with new bumpers, reshaped taillights and a thinner trunk edge. The car’s front overhang has been reduced, which helps give the car a lower, wider appearance. Adding to a sporty look are prominent dual exhaust outlet tips and body color door handles. The TL is a sleek four-door sedan offered with front-wheel drive or Acura’s advanced “Super

Subaru Forester 2011 car review

Sport Utility Vehicles

I recently was in the left front seat of an older Subaru Forester at highways speeds, but with no steering wheel in front of me. Not to worry. I was in Australia, where the steering wheel is on the right side and vehicles are driven in the left lane. My daughter was at the wheel. I recently tested a 2011 Forester four-door small SUV (or “crossover,” if you will) after returning to America. This third-generation Forester, which was new for 2009, is appreciably larger in every dimension than the last generation model, with a roomier back seat. It’s styling is

Bugatti outdoes itself with Veyron with porcelain caviar tray

Bugatti has developed a $2.2 million special edition of the Veyron Grand Sport with porcelain accents, including a caviar tray. The L’Or Blanc, the first vehicle equipped with porcelain, according to Bugatti, is a joint effort between Volkswagen AG’s supercar brand and Berlin-based KPM. The latter company is a 248-year-old porcelain maker that traces its roots to King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The roadster, which will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, was unveiled last week in Berlin. “Installing porcelain in the world’s fastest convertible car seems like a pretty odd idea,” said a Bugatti spokesperson.

Driving the Tour de France: Country roads in my Renault

ST. FLOUR, France — The Tour de France Road Book, distributed to the media at the start of the race, features the history of each starting and finish city, extensive maps how to get from the start to the finish each day and a wealth of other details about the race. It’s difficult to maneuver around France during the race with the book, and I suspect nearly impossible to do without the book. Direct and indirect route options are provided for each stage, with the direct option usually the route of course. It’s sometimes longer but quicker. But the off-course

Driving the Tour de France: Skoda to Renault to Peugeot

CAP FREHEL, France — Bugatti, Citroën, Peugeot and Renault are current major car automakers in France. And with the exception of Bugatti, the French highways and country roads are often crowded with offerings from the other three carmakers now all more than 100 years old. Skoda, the Czechoslovakian carmaker, is the official car supplier of the Tour de France. But other than official race vehicles, Skoda models are scarce in the country, although, of course, not as scarce as Bugatti models. In the early years of the Tour de France, cars traveling with riders were loaded down with spare parts, not

Driving the Tour de France, July 3: Many cars, few cyclists

LES ESSARTS, France — Beyond the starting field of 198 cyclists, the moving caravan that is the Tour de France includes thousands of cars, trucks, motorhomes, motorcycles, team buses and wacky sponsors’ vehicles, some of which defy description. As one of the race publicist’s said in only the way a French person can say it when they speak English: “We didn’t think it would be possible to have 4,000 vehicles everyday following what 200 cyclists do.” In addition to about five vehicles per team, the Tour de France has 1,200 cars registered with media credentials and another 1,200 VIP, race

Driving the Tour de France, July 2: Credentials and car stickers

LES HERBIERS, France — The journey to the opening day of the Tour de France Media Center (Salle de Presse) is always an unknown. It’s the “chicken-before-the-egg” scenario of cycling’s grand affair. Without a credential you can’t enter the media center and without a press sticker you can’t enter the media parking area to get your press pass. In some years, I’ve had to park a mile away, talk my way into the facility, acquire my car stickers, walk back to the car, attach the stickers and then drive into the media parking area. None of that occurred this year,

Driving the Tour de France, July 1: Me and my Renault

NANTES, France — A Mercedes-Benz more than a decade ago to several Renault models. A Citroen C4 sedan to a BMW 320i a few years back with a navigation system an 18-year guy from Australia showed me how to use. It all adds up to more than a decade of driving the Tour de France route start to finish in a variety of rental cars. This year, with the race beginning Saturday in Passage du Gois, I was looking forward what was supposed to be a 3 1/2-hour drive Friday (July 1) from Charles DeGaulle Airport outside of Paris to

Honda Civic 2012 car review

There are enough versions of the revamped, roomier, fuel-stingy 2012 Civic coupe and sedan to satisfy many small-car buyers, but most Civics have little personality. Some rivals are more fun to drive. That’s a step backward, at least as far as driving enthusiasts are concerned. At one time, the front-wheel-drive Civic was a lively Japanese car with a European feel. It was a kick to drive. Most of the new ninth-generation models feel generic. On the other hand, they’re very accomplished and deliver high fuel economy — not to mention good resale value. But only the latest $22,205-$22,405 Civic Si

Bugatti Veyron: So long, farewell as last of 300 sold

Bye-bye Bugatti, the Veyron and Super Sport, that is. The last of the 300 $2 million exclusive, fast, record-setting supercar and its sibling Super Sport, has been ordered in Europe. The Bugatti Veyron set numerous records, including fastest convertible at 223 mph (top up) and 253 mph (top down). The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal car in the world, with a top speed of 267.85 mph. Designed and developed by the German Volkswagen Group and produced by Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in Château St. Jean in Molsheim, France, the Veyron’s chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss. The

Custom Lexus hybrid chosen for Prince Albert's wedding

A Lexus full hybrid LS 600h L Landaulet featuring a one-piece, transparent polycarbonate roof will serve as the official Royal Wedding car on the occasion of the marriage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco to Ms. Charlene Wittstock on July 2, 2011. Equipped with Lexus Hybrid Drive, Prince Albert’s LS 600h L, the Lexus flagship, generates significantly lower CO2, NOx and particulate emissions than any comparable car. The more than 2,000-hour conversion project was a collaboration between Belgian coachbuilders Carat Duchatelet and Lexus engineers based in Brussels. The objective was to ensure the original LS 600h L

Tesla pulls plug on pricey Roadster, focus shifts to sedan

The Tesla Roadster electric car can now be considered a collectors’ car. The much-touted California start-up manufacturer has announced it will stop taking orders for the $109,000 vehicle at the end of July 2011. The reason: The Telsa Roadster didn’t sell particularly well. Further, the innovative company is focusing on its less expensive Model S electric car, a four-door sedan. Now in version 2.5, the Tesla Roadster is a two-seat coupe. It’s fast (3.7 seconds, 0-60 mph), features a carbon-fiber body designed by Lotus, and a 245-mile-rated range. Powered by a liquid-cooled battery pack made up of 6,831 lithium ion

Cars2 stalls in warm-up with motor running for start (video)

It’s taken five years, barrels full of money, expensive voice-over talent and a massive amount of publicity, but Cars2, the sequel to the massively popular 2006 original, debuts June 24. Owen Wilson and Michael Caine, among other famed actors and actresses, minus decease Paul Newman, return. But unlike the first film, which received two Academy Award nominations, and was universally praised, the current has been highly criticized in pre-public release reviews. Time magazine’s reviewer, for example, said, “its premise is a lemon.” In Cars2, Lightning McQueen, the main character is on the road in an international spy caper. He teams

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2011: car review

Its lithium polymer battery technology was first showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show three years ago. And the result is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, the South Korean manufacturer’s first hybrid. The Sonata Hybrid, which debuted in February, features a 2.4-liter engine with six-speed automatic transmission, a 30kw electric motor and lightweight lithium polymer batteries. Like many of its siblings, the Sonata Hybrid had an impressive arrival. With its new sloping design and other innovations, the Sonata was among five finalists for the 2011 Green Car of the Year. Yet, despite gaining substantial acclaim from publications ranging from the New

Auto show models: Pretty, smart and Sirens of Chrome

As much as the new cars on display, so are the models hired by manufacturers to help showcase the automobiles to the largely male audiences attending car shows around the globe. Once just pretty women, auto show models now know their car stuff. Which, of course, makes them even more attractive. Margery Krevsky, co-founder of the Productions Plus agency in 1981, became one of the major booking agents for auto show models. She’s now the author of the book Sirens of Chrome. The 192-page volume (ISBN 1-879094-84-3, Momentum Books, $24.95) chronicles the history of the “human hood ornaments” from 1900

Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Ford get best used cars honors

Hyundai keeps reaping praise. Edmunds.com, the respected California-based automotive web site, has selected two Hyundai models on its list of the top-15 recommended used cars since 2004. Hyundai, Ford, Honda and Toyota all had two models on the list, with the Hyundai Elantra selected as the best used sub-compact and the Hyundai Azera chosen as the best used large sedan. “With used car prices still soaring, it’s important for consumers to have expert guidance to get the best value,” said Scott Oldham, editor in chief of Edmunds.com. “By taking into consideration a range of factors from consumer ratings to NHTSA