2011

Buick Regal 2011 car review

Now in its fifth generation, but first year in the United States since 2004, the Buick Regal is back in 2011 to meet the stiff competition in the midsize sedan category. Based on the Opel Insignia, the Regal re-emerged in China in 2008 as a 2009 model and is available in the U.S. in only a CXL trim level. It’s the latest offering of the midsize car introduced by General Motors for the 1973 model year. The 2011 edition is a departure and catapults the Buick into the modern age. Standard equipment includes: 18-inch alloy wheels, foglamps, heated sideview mirrors, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, full power accessories, OnStar, leather upholstery, a power driver seat, heated front

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Scion tC 2011 car review

The revised youth-oriented 2011 Scion tC has been long overdue and is improved enough to help boost sagging Scion sales. For instance, Scion sales fell sharply from 2008 to 2009 and were disappointing in 2010, too. Major improvements have been made to the oddly named tC. The front-drive, two-door hatchback has more power, better transmissions, a revised interior, improved chassis and larger wheels. Moreover, the 2011 tC provides lots of standard equipment, including a panoramic sunroof, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and door locks with remote keyless entry and an AM/FM/CD sound system. Safety items include stability and traction control systems and a bunch of air bags. Prices are reasonable, at $18,275 with a manual transmission at $19,275 with

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Lexus CT 200h 2011 car review

The new, compact CT 200h from Toyota’s upscale Lexus division shares its hybrid gas/electric powertrain with Toyota’s Prius. But the Prius feels like an appliance, while the CT 200h feels and drives like a luxury car. The 2011 front-drive, four-door CT 200h is the first Lexus hatchback and thus is more practical than the Prius. Also, compared to the Prius, the new Lexus has an ultra-rigid chassis, better suspension and a body that, while somewhat chunky, looks rather sporty, partly because of a rakish roofline and short body overhangs. However, a low front end (for aerodynamic efficiency) could be damaged in certain parking areas. The CT 200h was mainly designed for Europe’s narrow streets and tight parking spots, which means

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Toyota Avalon 2011 car review

The 2011 Toyota Avalon could almost wear a Lexus badge. The car’s television commercials truthfully portray it as evoking a time when travel was sophisticated, elegant and comfortable. A long-distance round-trip drive from Chicago to Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay area showed the precisely built, whisper-quiet Avalon to be a soothing, long-distance cruiser. It sped along the Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes and on regular highways and rural secondary roads in Maryland. The base Avalon costs $32,245 and the more upscale Limited version is $35,485. The 3.5-liter 268-horsepower V-6 sedan is easy on fuel for a fairly heavy full-size car. It delivers an estimated 29 mpg on the open road and 20 in town. The  regular version weighs 3,572 pounds and the

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Hyundai Equus 2011 car review

Hyundai feels it’s ready for the big-time luxury sedan market with its new Equus. It’s designed to compete with the world’s top luxury sedans BMW to Mercedes-Benz to Lexus. Equus prices are $58,000 for the Signature model and $64,500 for the higher line Ultimate model. That puts it considerably below European and Japanese rivals. But resale value is a question mark. In these hard economic times, Hyundai feels that “modern premium” customers are willing to bypass products with established upscale names to get more value, no matter if it involves watches or cars. The Equus comes as a slickly styled, luxurious, equipment-loaded rear-drive V-8 model. It leapfrog’s Hyundai’s successful Genesis rear-drive sedan, which has been out two years and costs

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Kia Optima (Turbo) 2011 car review

The impressive turbocharged four-cylinder engine offered for the Kia Optima Turbo turns the standard recently introduced all-new 2011 Optima into a genuinely hot model. The two-liter engine is in the $24,495 Optima EX Turbo and the $25,995 SX Turbo versions. The standard front-drive, mid-size Optima sedan has a non-turbo 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 200 horsepower. Non-turbo Optima list prices start at $18,995 with the standard 2.4 engine. While the regular engine provides good performance, the Optima Turbo engine is a pistol. It has very efficient direct fuel injection and other nifty features, such as a turbocharger with a unique twin-scroll design. It offers better combustion efficiency and more available low-end power, compared to more traditional single-scroll turbo systems. The Turbo engine

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Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2011 car review

Nearing its 60th birthday, the Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the most highly recognized and popular production sports car built in North America. The current-generation Corvette debuted in 2005, with the carmaker amending the vehicle with various trims and tweaks in recent years. For 2011, Chevy introduced a mid-step between the base model Z06 and top-of-the line ZR1. It’s a Z06 featuring for the first time an upgrade offering select ZR1 features like an adaptive suspension, grippier Michelin tires and a carbon fiber package. The result is a trio of impressive statistics: 505 horsepower, a top speed of 198 mph and the designation as the lightest Corvette at 3,178 pounds. The Weekly Driver Test Drive After reviewing around 300 cars and

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Jeep Grand Cherokee 2011 car review

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets the upscale refinement and engineering it has deserved since its arrival in 1992. With design help from past owner Mercedes, the new model finally is a world-class SUV. Call it a Mercedes “on the cheap.” The 2011 Grand Cherokee shares its basic carlike platform with the new Mercedes ML, with such things as an all-new independent suspension, big disc brakes and a plush ride. The new rear suspension lets the spare tire be stored in the vehicle, not underneath it. This rigidly built Jeep looks much like its predecessor, with Jeep’s classic seven-slot grille, round headlights and trapezoidal wheel arches. But it’s the most luxurious Jeep ever. It is sleeker and more aerodynamic, with

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Ford Fiesta 2011 car review

Small mass-produced cars long have taken a back seat to larger vehicles in America. But now Ford hopes its 2011 Fiesta will convince Americans they need not sacrifice with a small, premium car. In short, Ford hopes the stylish, upscale front-drive Fiesta will “redefine small-car customer expectations” and thus be a “game-changing product for North America.” With unusually stiff upcoming federal fuel economy and emissions regulations,  automakers fervently hope far more Americans will embrace small cars. Ford rivals also will be introducing upscale small models. A lengthy test drive of the Fiesta over twisty, challenging mountain roads outside San Francisco and on freeways surrounding that city during a media preview of the car showed it to have European road manners,

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Hyundai, VW share top 2011 safety institute honors

Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV — from economy to luxury models — plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms.

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Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang 2011 Car Review

Legendary champion racer/performance car builder Carroll Shelby first built affordable “Shelby GT350 Mustang” models, based on the then-new production Mustang, in 1965. The car was so fast, it even beat Corvettes on tracks. And now a good GT350 is a prized collector’s item that costs at least several hundred thousand dollars. Shelby is still with us as of this writing, feisty as ever at nearly 90, and must be very proud of the muscular-looking 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the latest in a series of Ford Shelby GT500 models built in the last few years, and is by far the best. Some feel that it’s the greatest Mustang ever. An honorable mention is the Mustang GT500 Shelby 1967, a

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Nissan Rogue 2011 car review

Now in its fourth model year as a compact sport utility vehicle, the Nissan Rogue is the smaller sibling of the Murano crossover. It comes standard with front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is an option) and a four-cylinder, 170-horsepower engine. For 2011, the Rogue has refreshed styling, several new colors and features for the first time Bluetooth and a USB port. It’s available in three trims, S, SL and Krom — the sport model. The new styling includes a new front fascia with fog-light cut-outs, a redesigned chrome grille, the addition of chrome trim on the lower door edges, a revised rear spoiler, and a new chrome bar above the rear license-plate holder. Eight paint colors are now available, twice as

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Honda Accord 2011 Car Review

The Honda Accord, now 35 years old, is in its eighth generation and with much of its tenure as arguably the most reliable, unwavering sedan in automotive history. In likely the most competitive car segment, the Accord continues its stellar reputation in 2011 with five sedan trims available and three coupe siblings in the mix. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Although much of the Honda Accord has remained the same since the current edition was introduced in 2008, my weekly test drive was the SE model Special Edition. For the vehicle’s standard price, the Special Edition package ($1500 value) is included at no charge and features: leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and driver’s two-way power lumbar control.

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Chevrolet Cruze 2011 car review

American automakers mostly concentrated on building large cars and trucks because that’s where the money was, and that was what most of their customers wanted. But the federal government is mandating that car companies build more fuel-stingy (and thus less-polluting) vehicles. And a growing number of Americans are accepting such models, partly because they’ve had a few bad gas price scares in recent years and because above-average domestic small models finally are being built. Thus we have General Motors’ new compact Chevrolet Cruze sedan, which has been sold for more than a year in Europe. It will be marketed throughout the globe, while being modified for each region and carrying different badges. With all its competition, the front-drive Cruze should

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Bugatti remains world's fastest production car for 2011

Forbes loves car lists, the most expensive to most economical and worst gas guzzlers to safest machines on the road There are exceptions, but Bugatti makes most lists, including fastest production car for 2011. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is the fastest production car in the world for 2011 just as it was for 2010 or at least at its quickest top speed for the last six months. Here’s Forbes description of the Veyron’s speed. “It’s worth repeating. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest production car in the world — faster than an underwater torpedo or a bullet train. “Racer Pierre-Henri Raphanel proved it in July, when he pushed the speedometer of this third and final edition

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Mazda2 2011 car review

Publisher’s note: With this review, the Weekly Driver.com has added the What The Wife Says category to my reviews. According to recent statistics, 52 percent of the new cars purchased in the United States are made by women and more than 80 percent of new car purchases are influenced by women. My wife comments about many of the cars I test drive. She’s eight inches shorter and a lot of pounds lighter than I am. Of course, women are different than men in other ways, too. Cheers, James Raia ** Available in global markets as the Demio, the 2011 Mazda2 joined the carmaker’s number-named lineup in the United States and Canada this year as its new entry-level sub-compact. Available in

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