2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: Mighty return for sedan

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The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI (Grand Luxury Injection) celebrates the sporty sedan’s 35th anniversary. It debuted in February at the Chicago Auto Show and is offered in S, Autobahn and a special trim commemorating the occasion. The 2019 model is also the debut of the vehicle’s seventh edition; the Jetta in other styles debuted in 1980. Its new version has a longer wheelbase (105.6 inches) and is three inches longer overall as well as slightly wider and taller and sits lower.   The 14th annual event, the country’s largest professional bicycle race began in Sacramento and advanced to South Lake

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Episode 87, Cars, bikes mix in cycling caravan

For every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there’s seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it’s not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans’ motorhomes and police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they’re all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year’s event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael

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Episode 13, Donald Farr honors Boss Mustang (Video)

Donald Farr is a Ford Mustang expert. But the historian doesn’t see it that way. He’s too humble. He cites others as all-knowing experts when the topic is the famous sports car. Farr, a Mustang owner, journalist and author, is our guest on Episode #13 of the The Weekly Driver Podcast, video edition. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Farr his new book “BOSS Mustang: 50 Years.” The book includes the complete history of the most iconic pony car ever made. It details racing and street histories of the 302 and 429 models. Photography and interviews feature BOSS

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2019 Nissan Pathfinder blends into SUV crowd

With nearly every other automobile on the road a sport utility vehicle, it’s often hard to differentiate brands. The 2019 Nissan Pathfinder is the mid-sized SUV’s 32nd year and it blends into the crowd. It’s been a tough go for the Pathfinder in recent years. United States yearly tallies peaked in 2013 when nearly 89,000 of the family haulers sold. With ever-increasing options from domestic and foreign manufacturers, the Pathfinder stumbled to 67,500 sales last year. The current generation debuted in 2013 and has had several upgrades and makeovers. The Pathfinder received a stronger engine and a higher towing capacity

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#85, Donald Farr debuts new book, BOSS Mustang: 50 Years

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:43 — 43.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreHistorian Donald Farr likely doesn’t have many equals when the topic has anything to do with the Ford Mustang. But he doesn’t see it that way, and he’s too humble. He cites others as all-knowing experts when the topic is the famous sports car. Farr, a Mustang owner, journalist and author, is our guest on Episode #85 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Farr his new book “BOSS Mustang: 50 Years.” The book includes the complete history

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2019 Ford Ranger back but with a few warts, flat tires

After an eight-year absence, the Ford Ranger was re-introduced to the North American market late last year as a 2019 model. It marked a 60-year timestamp since the nameplate’s debut on a 1958 Edsel Ranger. The Ranger name was first used on a pickup in 1983 when Ford replaced the Ford Courier. With its return, the Ford Ranger is now mid-sized, comparable to its sibling, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The latter debuted in 2006 and was discounted a few years later. The new Ranger is available as a SuperCab (2+2 door extended cab with 6-foot bed) and SuperCrew (4-door

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Maintaining proper tire condition help drivers’ safety

When you drive a lot, you may not think much about your tires enough. You may think getting from place to place is all that matters. The condition of each tire, however, is equally important for your safety. Tires’ conditions and the way you treat them could mean the difference between you staying safe or getting in a horrific accident. Here arecompelling reasons to visit a tire shop. Change of Season It can snow in any month in Calgary, but the snowy season typically starts in October and ends in May. That’s seven months where there is consistent snowfall. Due

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2019 Subaru Ascent arrives with SUV street cred

The sport utility vehicle market apparently hasn’t reached its saturation point — at least Subaru doesn’t think so. Welcome the Ascent, the largest car the Japanese manufacturer has ever made. Five years after Tribeca was discontinued, the 2019 Subaru Ascent is the manufacturer’s second and bigger three-row SUV. Subaru is hopeful its new people mover will fare better than its predecessor. When the Tribeca departed, it was among the country’s worst-selling vehicles. The Ascent, which features seating for as many as eight, arrives as the SUV segment remains increasingly strong. During the first three months of this year, 15 of

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ToyMakerz Season 3 finale, bigger badder plans (video)

The season finale of Season 3 of ToyMakerz, the increasingly popular automotive reality television show hosted by David Ankin, will be broadcast on April 28. It will feature a guest appearance by Dean Cain, the actor who portrayed Superman ad Clark Kent on the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Ankin is a repeat guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia, talk in Episode #84 with Ankin about his three years on the show and plans for future seasons. We also discuss his friendship with Cain, the veteran movie actor. The

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#84, David Ankin, ToyMakerz hit season 3 finale

The  finale of Season 3 of ToyMakerz, the increasingly popular automotive reality television program  hosted by David Ankin, will be broadcast on April 28. It will feature a guest appearance by Dean Cain, the actor who portrayed Superman/Clark Kent on the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Ankin is a repeat guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia, talk in Episode #84 with Ankin about his three years on the show and his plans for future seasons. We also discuss his friendship with Cain, the veteran movie actor. The final episode’s

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#12, Experts discuss GIG car’s Sacramento debut (video)

Tony Bizjak, the long-time transportation writer of the Sacramento Bee, is the first of our two guests on Episode #83 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, video edition. Our second guest is Mike Blasky, the Media Relations Specialist of AAA for Northern California, Nevada and Utah. He’s based in Walnut Creek, California. Bizjak recently wrote an article and was the driver in the publication’s online video about GIG. It’s the new on-demand one-way rental car service available in Sacramento and other select cities. GIG (Get In, Go) is working in conjunction with AAA on the project. GIG relies on the Toyota

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#83 GIG one-way rental car debuts in Sacramento

Tony Bizjak, the long-time transportation writer for the Sacramento Bee, recently wrote an article and was the driver in the publication’s online video about GIG. It’s the new on-demand, one-way rental car service available in Sacramento and other select cities. Bizjak is the first of our two guests on Episode #83 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Our second guest is Mike Blasky, the Media Relations Specialist of AAA for Northern California, Nevada and Utah. He’s based in Walnut Creek, California. GIG (Get In, Go) is working in conjunction with AAA on the project. GIG relies on the Toyota Prius hybrids

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#11, Libby Edelman writes on women loving cars (video)

Libby Edelman spent years raising a family, living in several locations around the United States and working as a fashion editor for national magazines. She also spent a lot of time thinking about women who love their cars, a curiosity prompted by a headline in The National Enquirer. While waiting in line at a grocery store one day, Edelman read in the supermarket tabloid about a woman who loved her car so much, she was buried with it. The result, while less bizarre but equally dramatic, is the new book Lovin’ My Car: Women in the Driver’s Seat. Edelman is

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#81 Author Libby Edelman on women who love cars

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:01 — 42.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreLibby Edelman spent years raising a family, living in several locations around the United States and working as a fashion editor for national magazines. She also spent a lot of time thinking about women who love their cars, a curiosity prompted by a headline in The National Enquirer. While waiting in line at a grocery store one day, Edelman read in the supermarket tabloid about a woman who loved her car so much, she was buried with it. The result, while less bizarre but

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2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: raving beauty with faults

Organizers of the Tour of Italy introduced the Stelvio Pass into the country’s most celebrated bike race 66 years ago. It rises above 9,000 feet and includes a few dozen hairpin turns on narrow roads. Alfa Romeo has branded its first compact sport utility vehicle with the same name. The Stelvio route in the Ortler Alps near the Swiss border has been canceled several times because of inclement weather. Many cyclists have successfully negotiated the rugged trek, others have failed because of mechanical failures in the nasty elements. As such, the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio has a rugged legacy to

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Dave Ankin, guru of ToyMakerz, shares his passion for cars

By David Ankin I first felt “the itch” when I was a kid, growing up in the heart of motor country in Indiana and Michigan. Watching my dad, a skilled car fabricator nicknamed “The Iron Man” for his impressive metalworking skills, I yearned to build my own custom rides. And so I learned to tinker and create my first custom Toyz! I’d modify my bike — once I extended the front fork by hammering together two regular bike forks — my first Chopper! The funny thing is, even though my father is a welder, it didn’t occur to me to ask

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