NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Buick LaCrosse: Big sedan shines

Now in its 10th model year and fifth year of its second generation, the Buick Lacrosse is a large four-door luxury sedan. Like many of its competitors, the refreshed 2014 Buick LaCrosse provides a comfortable, smooth, spacious ride. Never a high volume seller (the best-selling year was 92,00 units in 2005), the LaCrosse nonetheless shouldn’t be overlooked. The dilemma for Buick is that the large sedan segment is ripe with fine choices. The new Kia Cadenza, the re-designed Chevrolet Impala and stalwarts like the Chrysler 300, Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES350 all have substantial new or sustained followings. With the

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NEW CAR REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L defines sporty versatility

Three years after Fiat re-introduced its vehicles to the United States via the 500 compact, it’s now unveiled the 2014 Fiat 500L for Lounge and for large.  It’s a five-door compact hatchback wagon with a lot of character, innovation and a unique design. Fiat isn’t the first manufacturer to experiment with car conformity. Nissan has the Cube. Kia has the Soul. Scion has the xB. And even MINI has strayed from tradition in recent years with the Countryman, its compact wagon. The Fiat 500L is more than two feet longer than its more well known sibling. It’s equipped with a

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NEW CAR VIDEO REVIEW: 2014 Fiat 500L

A lot of cars, even from different manufacturers, look the same. But in recent years, Nissan, Kia, Scion and MINI have all strayed from the usual conformity of car styles. And now the 2014 Fiat 500L has joined the non-conformists. Nissan has the Cube. Kia has the Soul. Scion has the xB. And even MINI has strayed from tradition in recent years with the Countryman, its compact wagon. The 2014 Fiat 500L is not as outrageous, but it’s a five-door compact hatchback wagon with a lot of character, innovation and a unique design. The Fiat 500L is more than two

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Toyota Camry, Avalon, Venza halted for airbag, steering woes

The Toyota Camry and Camry hybrid as well as the Avalon and Avalon hybrid and Venza will combine for 803,000 vehicles being recalled in the United States for faulty airbags or power steering problems. The Camry and Camry hybrid, Avalon and Avalon hybrid and Venza from the 2012 and 2013 model years are affected. According to Toyota, water from the air conditioning condenser can leak onto the air bag control module and cause a short circuit. That could illuminate the air bag warning light, disable the air bag or cause the air bags to deploy inadvertently. The power steering assist

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TheWeeklyDriver.com collaborates with eBay.com

As editor and publisher of theweeklydriver.com, I am pleased to announce my new affiliation with eBay.com. As a contributor to the site for about one year, my latest project is as a  contributing writer to a new program called Collections. The program, launching today (Oct. 22), features numerous automotive industry journalists each writing about some their favorite new and used vehicles and affiliated automotive products in 24 collections. My collections cover a diverse selection of cars and trucks, ranging from my long-time interest in Rambler to my respect for the enduring popularity of the Toyota Corolla. I’m particularly interested in

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Ford Pinto? VW Thing? The All-Ugly Car Club

The Pontiac Aztek is often described as the ugliest car ever made. But who’s to argue the Volkswagen Thing isn’t equally as ugly? And then there’s the Ford Pinto. They’re all notoriously unattractive cars. And because of their status, they’re also collectors’ cars. What other cars are in the the All-Ugly Collectors’ Car Club? How about several AMC models, like the Gremlin or Matador, or nearly an vintage Citroen. And not every Ford Mustang is all that attractive. The All-Ugly Collectors’ Car Club is part of TheWeeklyDriver.com’s new Collection series on eBay.com It’s among 24 collections of different sub-sets of

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Toyota, BMW among 22 LA Auto Show global debuts

Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru will combine to present the global debuts of 22 vehicles at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of the GLA 250 and the S63. Porsche has added two new world debuts to its lineup, in addition to the previously announced Macan, the manufacturer’s highly anticipated SUV crossover vehicle.

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NEW CAR REVEW: 2013 Dodge Dart: Romantic practicality

Is it a Dodge or is it an Alfa Romeo? Actually, it’s a little of both, although both automakers used to be worlds apart. After a long wait, Dodge has come up with a decent compact car—this time with the help of Italy’s Fiat-controlled Alfa Romeo. The new Dodge is the 2013 Dart model, which looks good, runs strong and is affordable. The front-wheel-drive Dart replaces the regrettable Dodge Caliber model and reminds us of just how international the auto world has become. For example, the Dart rolls on a lengthened and widened version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform

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Green Car of the Year?: BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Audi, Honda vie

The Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda Accord, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla have been selected as finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal. The winner will be announced at this year’s LA Auto Show beginning Nov. 19 with three media days. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year program each year, a reflection of the auto industry’s expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important “green” vehicles every year at the

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Top-10 cars in 2013 no one is buying

Competition in the auto industry is ever-intensifying. Or at least it seems that way. As a result, more vehicles have become better cars and fewer cars are outright bad. But how fast cars sell or don’t sell is a good indicator of what cars customers want and don’t want. New cars in 2013 have spent an average of 62 days at a dealership before being sold, according to the statistics of the car site, TruCar.com. The 10 slowest-selling cars so far in 2013 have all remained at a dealership for more than 100 days before selling. It doesn’t mean the

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Motor Trend: 2014 Subaru Forester SUV of the Year

Motor Trend is a well-heeled automotive publication. Its reviewers are experts. They take their jobs seriously and they recently selected the 2014 Subaru Forester as the 2014 sport utility vehicle of the year. Really? Anyone who lives in mountainous areas knows Subaru’s strengths. Its all-wheel drive system is the best in the auto industry. And if you’re a dog person or dog family, Subaru always gets top honors for its design consideration to animal comfort and safety. Still, the Subaru got top honors over Acura, BMW and Land Rover, among others. The editors begin their decision process with a statement:

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Luxury Tata Nano on the horizon for $3,578

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Car buyers in India with a limited budget want to buy inexpensive cars that don’t look cheap. At least, that’s why the Tata Nano LX has been developed. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Tata Motors Ltd., India’s fourth-largest auto maker and the owner of Jaguar and Land Rover, will offer a luxury Tata Nano with chrome trim, hubcaps and a stereo. Tata’s original Nano, introduced in 2009, hasn’t sold as well as the carmaker expected. It originally cost the equivalent of about $2,000. Tata Motors has laid off many workers and reduced its production of the

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Andy Warhol famed Mercedes Benz silkscreen for $16 million?

A famous silkscreen of a Mercedes Benz, made by And Warhol in 1986, is expected to sell for as much as $16 million when it’s auctioned Nov. 12 by Christie’s in New York. “Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Grand Prix Car (Streamlined Version, 1954)” is being offered by the Daimler art collection. The collection was established 30 years ago by Daimler-Benz, the German luxury manufacturer. The 14-foot-high work shows the automobile repeated 12 times on the canvas. It was created for the centennial of the modern automobile. Warhol did numerous Mercedes Benz renditions. The model was the Mercedes Benz Formula One

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2015 Tato Nano coming to U.S.?

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The Tata Nano, marketed in its debut a few years ago as the world’s cheapest car, could also become in 2015 the cheapest mass-produced car available in the United States. Tata hasn’t announced a price for the vehicle nor specific details of dealerships or the exact configuration of the second generation of the Nano that will sold in the United States. But the price will be less than $10,000, according to Ratan Nano, the manufacturer’s chairman. “The Smart and the Fiat 500 have high sticker prices, and people buy them because they are small cars,” Tata told Automotive News. “But

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CAR REVIEW: 2013 Chrysler 300 a bargain Bentley

Can’t afford a $200,000-plus Bentley? Then you might want to check out the latest Chrysler 300. The Chrysler 300 is aging, but the 2013 model is reminiscent of a $206,225 Bentley Flying Spur, if only because they have the same subdued elegant styling, an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. As with the British Bentley, the 300 has a great heritage—the 1955 C-300 was America’s first mass-produced 300-horsepower car. Of course, the latest 300 is far less costly than the exquisite Bentley. Prices range from $29,845 to $48,250. The 300 comes with standard rear-wheel drive (RWD) or, like the Bentley,

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CAR PREVIEW: Prices slashed on 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in

The 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be available in two models and both will cost substantially less than last year’s editions of the increasingly popular family of green cars. Toyota has reduced the MSRP on the 2014 Prius Plug-in Hybrid by $2,010, lowering the starting MSRP $29,990. Pricing for the 2014 Prius Plug-in Advanced model has also been adjusted to make the model more accessible to consumers with a $4,620 reduction in MSRP to $34,905. Production of the 2014 model year Prius Plug-in begins in October with pricing taking effect when these models arrive in showrooms in November. The

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