2020 Hyundai Sonata: new look, best sedan value

With the dominating presence of trucks and recreational vehicles, a pleasant, efficient drive in a fair-priced sedan is still appealing. The 2020 Hyundai Sonata comes to mind. Chasing the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima, the segment sales leaders for years, the Sonata begins its eighth generation. It’s a much-changed midsize sedan inside and outside. The South Korean manufacturer’s marketing slogan for the new vehicle is “Sensuous Sportiness.” Sportiness works; sensuous is a stretch. The Sonata’s exterior has lost its conservatism for a modern fastback look. The driving lights now extend to the hood and taillamps are c-shaped and

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Gas station pumps pose severe coronavirus concerns

Gas stations across the United States are considered essential and remain open during the coronavirus crisis. But gas pumps and keypads like other public use areas — escalator rails, shopping carts, mailboxes and ATM machines — often have high levels of contamination.   According to a report by the maker of Kleenex, Kimberly-Clark, 71 percent of gas pump handles have high levels of contamination. The study was done in 2011, but the coronavirus has quickly rekindled concerns. But are the concerns warranted? While viruses and bacteria are not the same, virus contamination on public surfaces is a problem in a

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Ford rules best used trucks for $10,000

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With its dominance in new truck sales, it only seems logical the Ford has the same good reputation used truck sales. It does, and it’s good news for truck buyers with a budget of $10,000 whether in the market for a work truck or a vehicle to tow an RV or boat. Chris Ford, a writer for HotCars.com, has compiled an interesting list featuring used trucks from 1999 to 2018 — all in the affordable $10,000 price range. As the best-selling vehicles in the United States for more than 40 years, Ford has five trucks on the list, dating from

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Toyota Land Cruiser, Honda Ridgeline top 200K list

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The Honda Ridgeline is arguably the most unusually designed truck on the road. It has a large fan base and detractors. But one area in which there’s no disagreement, the Ridgeline has the best longevity of any of its competitors. Although the Toyota Land Cruiser has the top ranking, the Ridgeline is among the three trucks in the top-15 vehicles reaching 20,000 miles, according to iseecars.com. The result of the survey makes a good case for consumers considering buying a used vehicle instead of purchasing a new car or truck. The iSeeCars.com site is a comprehensive platform for all car

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Uber, Lyft suspend group rideshares nationwide

Uber and Lyft, the country’s two largest rideshare companies, have both suspended their group rideshare services in response to increasing coronavirus concerns. “Our goal is to help flatten the curve of community spread in the cities we serve,” said Andrew Macdonald, an Uber executive. “We remain in close contact with local leaders and will continue to work with them to discourage nonessential travel.” Uber and Lyft will continue to offer single-passenger rides. Via has suspended shared rides in New York City, but will offer individual rides in line with the Mayor’s mandate at 20 percent off. In other cities, Via 

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The Weekly Driver Podcast takes coronavirus break

For more than two years, Bruce Aldrich and I have broadcast The Weekly Driver podcast. We’ve interviewed manufacturer CEOs, vintage car owners and the world’s most well-known mountain climber who spent many years living a van. We’ve attended automotive shows and auctions. We’ve interviewed authors, industry analysts and icons from the worlds of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Bruce has done a solo show or two and I’ve done the same. Vacations and other minor life circumstances have altered a few interviews. As everyone knows, the coronavirus is another matter. We’re going to take a break for at least two weeks,

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#126 podcast: Couple embraces home tech business

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:52 — 38.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More#126: Couple embraces home tech business | RSS.com Valerie Antkowiak and Mark Pallone are retired Intel engineers, but they’re still involved in their careers via a home-based business about home technology. The husband-wife team, who lives in El Dorado Hills, California, publishes the website AppMyHome.com. The site and their home is the testing ground for all things in the extended home technology field. Antkowiak is our guest on episode No. 126 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss talk

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2020 Toyota Sienna: old school minivan still worthy

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It seems like a sports car should be named after a city in Italy, not a minivan. But Toyota’s adult-aged family hauler has grown into being worthy of its namesake, the medieval city in Tuscany. Siena is known for its sturdy, gothic brick buildings and historic districts. The 23-year-old Sienna is ancient by minivan standards and is holding up well despite declining sales and the dominance of lights truck and sport utility vehicles. The 2020 Toyota Sienna is a comfortable people hauler. It’s quick for its size, comfortable and versatile with several seat configuration options. The Sienna is also the

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GM adds to new corps of pending electric trucks

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General Motors has joined several other manufacturers and will debut a Chevrolet electric pickup by 2025. It’s another boost to the truck industry as buyers continue to abandon sedans for trucks and sport utility vehicles. The manufacturer, which revealed concept sketches of the pending vehicles to Car and Driver, reports the electric truck won’t be identical to the recent announcement of the electric GMC Hummer. The Ford F-150 electric, Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, Bollinger B2, the Lordstown Motors Endurance are all predicted to debut within the next few years. The Hummer EV SUT will debut in the fall of 2021.

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Is Ford soon announcing a new pickup truck for 20K?

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It may be called the Courier or the Ranchero. It currently has the codename 758. For now, it’s wait and see as Ford is likely to officially announce a new, small pickup truck with a base cost of less than $20,000. The unnamed vehicle, according to various industry publications, will debut in late 2021 with perhaps a return to the new of two former iconic vehicles. Ford has used the Courier nameplate on several cars and trucks, dating to the early 1950s and ending less than a decade ago in Brazil. Ranchero was the name of the coupe utility vehicle

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Why not tow your RV with a Tesla Cybertruck?

The design resembled a vehicle is a Sci-Fi movie, and the flashy, carnival-like debut of the electric Tesla Cybertruck was everything Elon Musk desired. If nothing else the flash unveiling last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show was polarizing. The truck drew cheers and jeers. Officially, it’s “an all-electric, battery-powered, light commercial vehicle. Three models have been announced, with range estimates of 250–500 miles and an estimated 0–60 mph time of 2.9–6.5 seconds, depending on the model.” Is it possibly a precursor to more utilitarian vehicle creations or was Tesla owner Elon Musk pranking the industry? For RV enthusiasts,

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#125, Drive Toward A Parkinson’s Disease Cure

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:34 — 32.4MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More#125 Drive Toward A Parkinson’s Disease Cure | RSS.com Deb Pollack has been involved in the automotive industry for decades. She’s worked for small and large companies and several manufacturers, Ferrari to Maserati and General Motors to Mitsubishi Pollack’s work in public relations, which the Los Angeles-based businesswoman describes as the “blending of cars and camaraderie,” has also resulted in her national philanthropic efforts with the organization she founded, Drive Toward A Cure (www.drivetowardacure.org). In addition to currently working as the publicist for the

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$2 million Bentley made from ancient wood sold out

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Even by Bentley standards, the British automaker known for its rare combination of elegance and performance, the just-unveiled Mulliner Bacalar reeks of pretentiousness. The $2 million open-topped cars will feature an interior made from 5,000-year-old trees and be powered with 650 horsepower, a 12-cylinder engine, with all-wheel-drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The small production vehicle — only 12 will be made — was scheduled for its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The annual prestigious event was scheduled to begin March 5, but it was canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. Like many other manufacturers that altered plans,

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Nvidia GTC GTU Tech Conference set (virtually only)

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Danny Shapiro, Senior Director of Automotive at Nvidia Corporation in Santa Clara, is as knowledgeable as anyone in the autonomous automotive segment. It’s a good thing because the industry is accelerating as quickly as a Tesla. The autonomous driving future is among the more recent challenges for Nvidia, which started in the gaming industry. But the technology company is at the forefront of delivering solutions to automakers for self-driving cars, infotainment, digital instrument clusters, rear-seat entertainment and advanced driver assistance systems. Not much of the ever-changing automotive technology world won’t be examined in Nvidia’s GTC GTU Technology Conference. It’s just

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2020 Toyota Tundra improved, still trails truck royalty

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Like multi-word vehicles’ exterior paint colors, the names of cars and trucks are no longer simple. Welcome the 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro CrewMax. The initials TRD stand for Toyota Racing Development, with the word Pro added as embellishment. Combined, it’s one vehicle simultaneously focused on racing and off-road duties. The TRD Package means Bilstein shocks raise the stance two inches, good for the 18-inch wheels. It also includes dual exhaust, a front skid plate and an eight-inch touchscreen for the Toyota Entune infotainment system. CrewMax means an extra spacious cabin, with a five or six-seat configuration and more interior

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#124, Cartoonist is auto world’s wacky, witty futurist

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:54 — 47.9MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreSteven M. Johnson is a cartoonist with a fondness for the absurd. With astute detail, humor and poignancy, he’s a purveyor of wacky, futuristic product ideas. It’s all silly, except for when it’s not. Johnson, an editorial cartoonist and illustrator for nearly 60 years, is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. The 81-year-old author of 10 books lives and works in Carmichael, California. A former city planner who attended Yale but transferred and graduated from UC Berkeley with a

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