2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback redefines nameplate

The automotive industry is ripe with contradiction. Who could imagine a four-door sports car or a sub-compact also defined in the sports realm? Porsche may have its old-guard enthusiasts who still don’t consider the four-door Panamera a sports car, but it is. The Toyota Corolla is at the opposite end of the car-buying spectrum. Once firmly positioned in the entry-level malaise of boxiness and boredom, the Corolla is now offered in a hatchback with hard-to-hide sports car tendencies. It’s available with a more expensive continuously variable transmission, but the smooth-shifting six-speed manual is the way to go. The base level

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Volvo, Tesla get Consumer Reports’ dubious reliability honors

Consumer Reports has long been recognized for its reliability to compile and present objective information. So who’s better than the service-oriented publication to provide lists of the most reliable and least reliable automakers? The publication’s annual reliability survey analyzed data in 17 areas from more than 500,000 vehicles. The areas for potential problems included interior wear-and-tear, transmission repairs and squeaky brakes. The annual list usually has surprises and this year is no exception. Volvo was the least reliable career in this year tabulations. The reason: The Swedish-made, Chinese-owned manufactured dropped six places from last year and had an average reliability

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Lexus, Toyota get Consumer Reports’ reliability honors

From transmission issues to troublesome turbocharged engines to 15 other areas, Consumer Reports studies in its annual automobile reliability survey. The 2018 compilation, like in every year, has surprises. This year, Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus, reversed positions. While tabulating the results of more than 500,000 vehicles, Lexus gets the top spot. Lexus had six models in the study, earning an average reliability score of 78. The brand’s least reliable model is the IS while its most reliable model is the GX. This year, all Lexus models with sufficient data were rated average or above. Toyota had 14 models

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Newly designed 2018 BMW X3 eases highway burdens

Purchasing a BMW is often considered a sign of status. It’s ownership of a sedan, sports car or sport utility vehicle possessing superior qualities on the open road. The luxury carmaker offers vehicles, including the newly designed 2018 BMW X3, that uniquely ease the burdens of highway commutes and long hauls across state borders. It’s what Bavarian Motor Works has always done well. But the once-dominant German manufacturer has increasingly been challenged by automakers wanting more of a share of the SUV sales deluge. Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Infiniti and Acura all have debuted worthy offerings in recent

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A guide to styling and making Dispatch your own

Dispatch is a Magazine style blog for your new website. Each of its features have been designed and built using GeneratePress and WP Show Posts. As expected of a Flint Skin Site it uses Custom CSS. At over 350 lines it is recommended, but not necessary, to move the Additional CSS to a Child Theme style sheet. So lets get onto making it your own. WP Show Posts Without WP Show Posts plugin, this Site wouldn’t exist. Another awesome product from Tom Usborne, WP Show Posts does exactly what the title says. Anywhere and everywhere in the case of Dispatch.

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56, Distracted driving now includes ‘Netflixiing’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:49 — 36.8MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreLaura Adams knows as much as about distracted driving as anyone. But her knowledge isn’t from experiences as a driver or passenger. She’s as an analyst who studies statistics and is shocked at what the numbers reveal. Adams, based in Austin, Texas, works for DriversEd.com. The online driving school and driving safety resource headquartered in Oakland recently released the results of its inaugural initiative detailing drivers’ habits. Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview Laura in the week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. According

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#55, Farewell manual transmissions except in collectibles

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:45 — 36.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreChris Warren, sales manager for Premier Financial Services in Florida, knows the vintage car market well. He works for the prominent national company that for more than 20 years has provided financing for previously owned exotic, vintage and luxury cars. What Warren has observed is an increasing renaissance among purists who want to buy vehicles with manual transmissions. Warren is our guest on Episode 55 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the automotive industry and the increasing lack

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Ford Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe honors film’s 50th anniversary

Celebrating anniversaries is a thing in the automotive world. Ford and Chevrolet are particularly active in marketing the milestones of their cars and trucks, the F-150 pick-up to the Corvette. Ford has celebrated its Mustang several times, and it’s doing so again with its 2019 Mustang Bullitt GT Coupe. The accolades are based on a 10-minute movie clip in 1968 often cited as the best car chase scene in cinema history. The film stars Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, thus the name of the movie. He chases bad guys, including the famous sequence on the hilly streets of San

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#54, Sacramento designer digs her 1986 Jeep Wagoneer

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:34 — 35.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreKerrie Kelly knows style. She owns a design company and works in a home office worthy of recognition in an upscale home decor magazine. Kelly also knows what style she likes in her automobiles. She and her husband own a BMW sedan, but it’s a 1986 Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer she prefers to drive. The Sacramento businesswoman, formerly employed by fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, is our guest on Episode #54 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss Kelly’s passion for

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Hooks – Custom Theme Elements

Dispatch uses a few Hook Elements to create some Custom Elements in the site. All of them provide dynamic output and should not require any changes to their content. For more info on the Hooke Element read here: Hooks Element Overview Custom Post Navigation Adding a custom featured image post navigation at the foot of all posts. Please note: that the Post Navigation is disabled in the Customizer as it is not required. Secondary Navigation This hook calls the Secondary Navigation and displays below the header / header element. It also uses Display Rules so it is excluded from All

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Page and Post Heroes

Page Heroes are those big bold images and headlines you find at the top of your posts and pages. They sit just below the Site Header and added using the Header Element module, when activated provides the Elements menu in Dashboard > Appearance > Elements Dispatch has two Header Elements in place. But you can add as many as you need. Magazine Grid – Home Page Combined with the WP Show Posts plugin this header creates a 5 post card grid. Very few settings are required. These are the main points: Hero Content: WP Show Posts Short code Element Classes:

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How to change the Custom Colors

Changing Colors in Dispatch are mainly done via the Theme Customizer. Certain elements such as Page Heros are controlled within the Header Element and are covered in that article. There are a few colors that are controlled by CSS. The rules for them are found in the Customizer > Additional CSS: Primary Navigation Hairline Border above desktop navigation .main-navigation .inside-navigation { border-top: 0.5px solid #d4d7d8; } Menu item underline on hover .main-navigation ul li:after { background-color: #000; } Navigation Search .navigation-search.nav-search-active { background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0.95); top: 100%; } Buttons All of the colors are controlled via the customizer. However the button

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Style Guide

Heading One H1 Heading Two H2 Heading Three H3 Heading Four H4 Heading Five H5 Heading Six H6 Font: Playfair Playfair is a transitional design. In the European Enlightenment in the late 18th century, broad nib quills were replaced by pointed steel pens as the popular writing tool of the day. Together with developments in printing technology, ink, and paper making, it became to print letterforms of high contrast and delicate hairlines that were increasingly detached from the written letterforms. This design lends itself to this period, and while it is not a revival of any particular design, it takes

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Episode 53, New cars ‘mobile attack spaces on wheels’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:03 — 28.9MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreSteve Povolny is head of the Advanced Threat Research Lab at McAfee in Hillsboro, Oregon. He’s not a fearmonger, but he has concerns about the increasing dilemma of cyber attacks on vehicles. Povolony, who uses the term “mobile attack space on wheels” to discuss the predicament, is our guest on episode #53 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the quickly evolving and potentially catastrophic phenomenon in a wide-ranging session. Povolny doesn’t speak with a suggestion of an imminent

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Monterey Peninsula great for car events and gouging

The Monterey Peninsula is among the country’s most popular travel destinations, particularly for automotive enthusiasts. It’s a hub for car shows, competitions and special events — the Concours d’Elegance to the return of IndyCar racing in 2019. Enthusiasts and collectors from around the world flood the area, notably during Classic Car Week in August and at the end of September at the Rennsport vintage Porsche weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. But new and vintage cars and motorcycle races are held throughout the year. Public and private automotive museums and a rental company specializing in exotics get plenty of business.

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2018 Honda Accord shines with sporty new design

Now in its early 40s, the Honda Accord for 2018 launches the ever-popular sedan’s 10th generation. It’s redesigned inside and outside is nearly unrecognizable from most other years’ offerings. Once pedestrian in style and strictly family oriented, the Accord has morphed into a four-door sports car with sedan leanings. It has a new turbo-charged engine with 252 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It’s the same transmission offered in the 2018 Honda Odyssey. Honda has also upgraded standard technology. The new infotainment center has Android Auto, Apple Carplay and wireless phone charging. There’s also head-up display, built-in Wifi and ventilated

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