Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
Drivers have more stress during the holidays, alcohol consumption increases and patience in busy traffic can quickly wane. A 200-mile round-trip, therefore, is a less-than-ideal way to spent part of Thanksgiving.
Read moreSeveral years ago, a friend loaned my wife and me a front-porch bench. It’s made of iron and wood and it’s heavy and awkward to carry. On a recent weekend, it was time to return the bench. Its owner, once a neighbor, now lives nearly 100 miles away. With remarkable ease, my wife reconfigured the back seat arrangement of the new-look, more spacious 2005 Honda CR-V, and the cargo area opened flat and cavernous.
Read moreIt’s named after a nomadic, hearty Saharan tribe with the unusual-sounding name, TOUR-egg. Literally translated, the word means “free folk.” So what better way to test drive the Touareg is the first SUV offered by Volkswagen — than during an open-road, 400-mile round-trip journey to the famed Monterey Peninsula?
Read moreThe naming of new cars must be a curious process. Animals are popular choices for various makes and models, and those selections often make sense But in recent years it seems manufacturers have one only criteria — the more obscure the name, the better. Volkswagen has its Touareg and Phaeton. Toyota has the Prius. Pontiac has the Vibe. Oldsmobile has the Alero.
Read moreAn 18-wheel vehicle will always win, and every truck driver knows that. But there I was on a freeway entrance ramp, with a slight advantage on a huge transport vehicle and momentarily battling with a truck driver who just didn’t want a 171-inch long Pontiac Vibe showing him up.
Read moreThe recent retro design trends of several manufacturers don’t pertain to Saturn. It’s only been around since mid-1990. But with its 2004 Vue, the compact sports utility vehicle, stylish retro interior accouterments help uniquely position the model in the increasingly crowded category
Read moreAs Acura’s entry-level vehicle, the RSX is positioned in the sporty coupe class. It’s perfectly categorized. With its stylish, contoured exterior, firm contouring seats, tight-shifting, six-speed manual (Type-S) transmission and compact racing steering wheel, the RSX is an economically priced sports car that’s fun to drive and grabs its share of attention on the road.
Read moreI pulled into an angled side street parking spot and two gardeners began to stare at my vehicle with puzzled looks. Did I park over the line? Did I not see a fire hydrant? Did I miss some other restricted parking designation? “Hey guys, anything wrong?” I asked. “No, nothing,” one replied. “I just haven’t seen that car before. That’s Tiger Woods car, isn’t it? It’s really a great-looking S.U.V.”
Read moreValue is an integral purchasing factor for many car buyers, and it’s often a simple equation. If a consumer has $2,000, $20,000 or $200,000 to spend on a vehicle, what can they fairly expect get for their dollars?
Read moreIt’s hard to imagine all sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are purchased for the same reason. With the 2004 Acura MDX, for example, it’s hard to imagine anything but luxury. In fact, isn’t its classification as a luxury SUV an oxymoron?
Read moreWith the popularity of sports utility vehicles ever increasing, Mitsubishi now has nearly every use for SUVs covered — off-road jaunts to around-town sportiness, family transportation to large commercial loads. The Endeavor joins Mitsubishi’s offerings in 2003 as a mid-sized V6 with a 3.8-liter engine built on the pending 2004 Galant’s chassis.
Read moreThe midsize economy sedan is among the most popular car divisions. Honda (Accord), Hyundai (Sonata), Kia (Optima), Mitsubishi (Gallant), Nissan (Altima), Toyota (Camry) and Volkswagen (Jetta) all have models marketed for a large share of the consumer market. The Suzuki Verona joins the fraternity in 2004 as the Korean manufacturer’s biggest, highest-priced, most well-appointed vehicle.
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