2016 Lexus RC F: Luxury sports car rules the road

Now in its second model year, the 2016 Lexus RC F is the third vehicle in the Toyota luxury brand’s performance-oriented lineup, and it has plenty to show for itself. The Lexus RC F has aggressive styling, 19-inch wheels, quad exhaust tips and a carbon-fiber roof panel. The engine is a naturally aspirated 467-horsepower 5.0-liter V8. It has Brembo brakes, more aggressive suspension tuning and is rear-wheel drive. While marketed as a four-passenger coupe, the rear seats, like on many sports cars, are best served by children or petite adults. With the driver’s seat adjusted for anyone, 5-foot-9 or taller,

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2016 Lexus GS-F: Luxury sedan, sports car attitude

The 2016 Lexus GS-F is a new vehicle. It joined the upscale carmaker’s lineup as a luxury sedan hopeful of providing competition for well-entrenched, performance-oriented stalwarts like the Mercedes-Benz AMG, BMW “M” division and Audi RS models. Marketed as four-door, five-seat sedan, the new Lexus leans more toward an awkward term (at least for purists) of four-door sports car. It’s designed and performs like a roadster, but it’s a luxury sedan and it’s all that defines the segment — a plush, well-designed interior and a refined, handsome exterior. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a five-passenger sedan offered only with

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2016 Honda Pilot: New inside, out for top-level SUV

Now in its 14th year, the Honda Pilot has finally come of age. It’s always been Honda’s largest sport utility vehicle, with the word utility translating into big, boxy and boring. With Toyota, Hyundai and others offering increasingly strong competition, the 2016 Honda Pilot is in the first year of its third generation. It’s sleeker, lighter, more attractive inside and outside and has an array of new standard and optional features. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a three-row SUV, the 2016 Honda Pilot is available in five trims, including my weekly driver, the top-line Elite. It’s the only trim

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2016 Toyota Corolla: Special Edition Honors 50th Birthday

Who could have known that 50 years ago, a little econobox on wheels would become the best-selling car in history? That would be the Toyota Corolla, now a half-century old. The 2016 Toyota Corolla, two years removed from a redesign, represents the milestone with its usual array of trim levels plus a Special Edition. Last year, the minor additions to the Corolla included a fold-down real center armrest in all trims except the base L model and a Driver Convenience package as standard equipment. New Corolla Honors Sedan‘s Legacy The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Special Edition was my weekly

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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata: Lighter, faster, more fun

A guy in a shopping center parking lot looked over at me and said, “Nice car.” He then pointed to his identical 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata parked about 50 feet from my test vehicle. “You’re taller than I am,” I replied. “Is it hard for you to get in and out of the car?” “I’m 6-4 and it is, but it’s worth it,” the guy responded. And so it is for Mazda MX-5 enthusiasts. The best-selling roadster in history has a new generation for 2016 and it’s among the most talked about vehicles in the industry. The Weekly Driver Test

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2015 Ford Mustang: Iconic muscle car turns 50 in style

The 2015 Ford Mustang marks the car’s 50th anniversary, and the carmaker celebrated the milestone with a surprise. It didn’t spoil the party with an over-the-top, too powerful machine. Instead, it offered an EcoBoost four-cylinder as one of six trim levels. The Weekly Driver Test Drive With its Competition Orange exterior paint and black ragtop, the 2015 Ford Mustang attracted as much attention as any car I’ve driven with the exception of a Rolls-Royce Wraith. Young people in the neighborhood yelled out praise. Strangers in parking lots offered compliments, and a few drivers accelerated past me on the highway seemingly

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2016 Mazda 6: Watch out Honda Accord, Toyota Camry

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It’s hard to believe the 2016 Mazda 6 marks the 14th year since the manufacturer replaced the Mazda 626 with its current midsize sedan. The current third generation debuted in 2013, and the new offering is packed with considerable improvements — particularly in the highest-level trim. The Weekly Driver Test Drive A five-passenger sedan, the Mazda 6 is offered in Sport, Touring and top-line Grand Touring trims, and my weekly driver was the latter. It has so many changes, how could it not be a new generation? For 2016, the Mazda 6 features revised front and rear styling, making it

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2015 Mazda CX-9: Power, comfort, fair price

A full-sized crossover sport utility vehicle, the Mazda CX-9 debuted in 2006 as a 2007 model. It’s been refreshed and tweaked along the way. But the original generation of the three-row, seven-passenger sport utility vehicle for 2015 remains largely unchanged from last year. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2015 Mazda CX-9 is offered in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trims, and my weekly driver was the top-line Grand Touring option with front-wheel drive. It’s available with all-wheel drive and a towing package. Like all Mazdas, the CX-9 has a long list of standard features. The Sport model’s equipment includes:

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2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid gets style, still sips fuel

It wasn’t too long ago hybrid car buyers sacrificed exterior and interior design and cargo space to get superior fuel economy. The updated 2015 Toyota Camry provides another example how the segment has vastly improved. The new Toyota Camry looks like a luxury sedan and has an attractive interior. And it’s a fuel-efficient hybrid without any compromise of earlier hybrid offerings. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive The 2015 Toyota Camry Hybrid has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor that generate 200 horsepower combined and it’s matched with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The base Camry Hybrid LE gets

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2015 Honda Civic: Dependable transportation defined

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Now in the fourth year of its ninth generation, the Honda Civic remains among the most successful automobiles in history. The compact, which debuted in 1972, is available as a coupe and sedan. And it’s offered in nearly a dozen trims and in three fuel choices — gas, hybrid and natural gas. The 2015 edition gains a trim level, but overall the Civic remains the same as the 2014 model as a coupe and sedan and in LX, EX, SE, EX-L and EX-L Navi (navigation) trims. The Weekly Driver Test Drive In its base LX model, the Civic is equipped

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2015 Subaru Outback: Safe, rugged, versatile

Now in its sixth generation, the newly designed 2015 Subaru Outback further blurs the segment distinction between wagon and crossover sport utility vehicle. By any category name, the Subaru Outback is alone in the auto industry. No other car looks similar and there are no direct competitors to the family-oriented, all-wheel drive vehicle and its special consideration to those who travel with their pets. The Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70 also offer all-wheel drive, turbo-charged power and superior interiors to the Outback, but both have substantially higher starting prices. The 2015 top-line Outback 3.6R Limited begins at $32,995, while the

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2015 Chrysler 200: Watch out Honda Accord

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The 2015 Chrysler 200 marks the inauguration of the midsize sedan’s second generation. Introduced in late 2010 as a replacement for the much-maligned Sebring, the Chrysler 200 was named via a keen marketing idea as the smaller and younger sibling of the Chrysler 300. While the new model features a host of new features, 2015 also marks the demise of the previous generation’s convertible option. Like the Sebring, the Chrysler 200 Convertible has now been relegated to used car lots and in leftover fleet purchases for rental agencies. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2015 Chrysler 200 was my second

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2014 Scion FR-S: Best sports car for $25,000?

Now in its second year, the 2014 Scion FR-S coupe is largely unchanged from the debut model. Additional padding has been added to door panels and center console, and there’s now a touchscreen audio system.But the Scion remains unheralded as an entry-level sports car — available only in the United States — and with an odd name that makes sense. The FR-S is the acronym of the car’s platform — Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Available in only one trim, the four-seat 2014 Scion FR-S features a 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine generating 200 horsepower. My

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2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek gets debut hybrid trim

Subaru, the manufacturer of all-wheel drive vehicles that define versatility, has long been a favorite among mountain dwellers and those who live where inclement weather is a daily routine. The carmaker’s rugged reputation expanded this year with the debut of the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid. The five-passenger crossover is Subaru‘s first full hybrid, and its unveiling occurs one year after the gas-only Crosstrek joined the Subaru lineup. Read Now: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive The new Hybrid, one of four available trims, starts with the standard features of 2.0 Premium and 2.0i Limited editions. The Premium model’s

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2014 Volkswagen Tiguan: A lot beyond the name

Eight years after its debut as a concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan retains the compact crossover vehicle’s unique status. It’s still largely unheralded, and it’s among the oddest named cars in the United States. The Volkswagen Tiguan concept debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show to a fair amount of head scratching . . . “What’s a Tiguan?” The name (pronounced TEE-gwan) is a combination of the word Tiger and the German word “leguan”, which means “iguana.” The name is odd, for sure. But it won a naming contest in a German

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2014 Infiniti Q60: Power, comfort, hefty price

Infiniti changed the name of its vehicles throughout the brand last year. The 2014 Infiniti Q60 Coupe Journey is the new name for the 2013 G37 Coupe. But that’s about all that’s changed in the upscale coupe from a year ago. It’s performance and luxury oriented, but like a lot of sports coupes, space and practicality aren’t strongest attributes. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The four-seat 2014 Infiniti Q60 coupe is available in five trims: the Q60 Journey, the base model Q60 AWD, Q60S 6MT and Q60 IPL. There’s also a Q60 convertible. My weekly driver was the Journey. It’s

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