2014

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General Motors raises 2014 Corvette Stingray price

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, the car often known as America’s sportswear, just got more expensive. General Motors has announced the base price of the sports car just went up by $2,000, from $51,000 to $53,000. The manufacturer has also increased the price for the Stingray convertible by $2,000. It now costs $58,000. In addition, the price of the Z51 performance option package went up by $1,200. It now costs $4,000. The Z51 package adds larger wheels, performance tires and special aerodynamic features, among other things. “The consumer demand for Stingray has far exceeded our expectations, particularly for the Z51 package,” GM spokesman Monte Doran said. The Corvette was completely redesigned for the 2014 model year and has won a number

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REVIEW 2014 Ford Escape: Sporty, utilitarian

Switching from a sporty car to a more practical crossover vehicle doesn’t have to be disappointing. The 2014 Ford Escape compact crossover sheds the previous generation’s boxy look and blends slick styling, decent utility and sporty driving. The Escape is among Ford’s top-selling smaller trucks and comes with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). All versions are four-door hatchbacks with rear-door openings that should be a little wider for easier entry and exit. All ride on a 105.9-inch wheelbase and have a fairly long 178.1-inch length. The turning circle is 39 feet, which isn’t great but is decent for most urban parking. List prices range from $22,700 to $30,850. Rivals include the Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Patriot, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda

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2014 Ford Escape: Enduring crossover leads the pack

Now in its 15th year and second year of its third generation, the 2014 Ford Escape remains a versatile compact sport utility vehicle or crossover. It’s among Ford‘s five SUVs. Since its redesign in 2013 and its highest-selling year (nearly 300,000 units), Ford didn’t mess with a good thing for 2014. The only changes include the addition of a rearview camera and navigation Sync system as standard on all trim levels. Additionally, the highest-level titanium trim no longer gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine as standard and the SEL trim was discontinued. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Every vehicle segment has increasingly intense competition, including compact crossover market. The Ford Escape is grouped in a particularly strong category. The Honda CR-V,

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2014 Chevrolet SS: Muscle car, family sedan and fast

The 2014 Chevrolet SS, a new car for the U.S manufacturer but assembled in Australia, is a five-passenger, full-size sedan with muscle car overtones. It is Chevrolet‘s first rear-wheel drive V8 sedan available to the general public in 17 years since the fourth-generation Chevrolet Caprice and the seventh-generation Impala SS. The vehicle was unveiled during Speed Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, in February 2013 and became available in the United States last June. A 6.2-liter V8 engine with 425 horsepower, rear-wheel driver and a six-speed automatic transmission powers it. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive The new Chevrolet SS is among the few vehicles The Weekly Driver has driven in 2014 that attracted instant attention. Because it’s a new vehicle for

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2014 Tesla Model S innovation detailed in video

The 2014 Tesla Model S and its older siblings have been bombarded with awards. In its latest honor, The Tesla was Consumer Reports’ top pick overall among 10 categories of cars, light trucks, and SUVs. The top-10 list was selected from more than 260 vehicles the organization has recently tested. The magazine considers the Model S a “technological tour de force, while pricey, is brimming with innovation.” Consumer Reports rated the Model S with a score of 99 out of 100, becoming the magazine’s best car ever tested. “If it (the Tesla) could recharge in any gas station in three minutes, this car would score about 110,” said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. Fisher called the

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2014 Toyota Tundra: spacious, lots of stuff, lousy mileage

Manufactured since 1999, the Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup restyled for the first time in seven years for its 2014 editions. It’s offered in five grades: SR, SR5, Limited and premium grades Platinum and “1794 Edition.” Three cab styles, two-door Regular Cab, four-door Double Cab and four-door CrewMax are all available in 4×2 and 4×4. The Weekly Driver Test Drive I first drove the new Tundra at a regional press preview last fall in Cle Elum, Wa. On that occasion, I drove the CrewMax 4×4 Limited for only an hour through several small Northwest cities. More recently, during my week’s usual test drive, I had the same model. The new Tundra features an integrated hood, tightened surfaces and new

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Thrifty, sleek, quiet

Volkswagen is an old hand at selling diesel-engine cars in America, having offered them in the 1970s and 1980s. Many VW auto diesel owners loved them, although the automaker’s latest diesel is far advanced from the old ones. Volkswagen has made its top-selling Jetta sleeker, larger, roomier, quieter and more refined for 2011, and the automaker’s four-cylinder turbodiesel engine makes the 2014 Jetta TDI model especially attractive. Auto diesel engines long have been popular in Europe, partly because of extra-stiff fuel prices. I easily cruised at 100 m.p.h. on a high-speed German autobahn during the media introduction of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf with no apprehension about running out of fuel despite driving long distances. Chevrolet now even offers its small

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2014 Toyota Venza: wagon? SUV? All good

The 2014 Toyota Venza, like its older siblings, is positioned uniquely. It’s neither a wagon nor a true sport utility vehicle. Rather it’s a crossover with the all-wheel drive functionality like a wagon, cargo room like an SUV and the characteristics of a near luxury sedan. The result is a combo-car with a combo name. Plenty of theories abound what Venza means, including the Spanish translation, Conquer. Toyota says the vehicle’s name is a compilation of the words Venture and Monza, the Italian racetrack. It all makes sense, since the Venza is a compilation of car styles and sizes. Refreshed last year, the Venza has only a few minor changes for 2014. There are fewer available color combinations and slight

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2014 Ford Focus: Euro-styled fuel sipper

Now 15 years old and in the third year of its third generation, the Ford Focus remains strong in the highly competitive compact field. The 2014 edition is much the same as last year’s model. The only significant change is a new Sport Appearance Package for the SE trim level. It includes sport cloth seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and an available rear spoiler. Early in its tenure, the Focus reached annual U.S. sales of more than 286,000. The numbers slipped sharply with the second generation to 160,000 in 2009. But with the third generation restyle and upgraded edition, sales are steadily reverting to the car’s early life success. The Weekly Driver Test Drive With a sleek

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2014 Mazda3: Driving fun, high efficiency

The redone 2014 Mazda3 shows the automaker keeps coming up with improved Euro-style models. It’s sharper-looking, has more interior room and features sparkling fuel economy. The Mazda3 is by far the Japanese automaker’s best-selling model in America, and more than 3.5 million have been sold globally. The new compact, front-drive Mazda3 has the styling and enough new features to attract more buyers. The re-engineered European-style Mazda3 has several trim levels. List prices range from $16,945 to $26,495. It comes as a four-door sedan and especially useful four-door hatchback. (Why automakers call a four-door hatchback a “five-door” is a mystery to me. Have you ever see anyone enter a car through the hatch area?) The new, roomier Mazda3 is a third-generation

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2014 Mitsubishi Mirage: Thrifty hatchback for tight budgets

Mitsubishi has come up with an affordable fuel-sipper. The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback sedan is rated as the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline car in its class sold in the United States if equipped with its continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission. That should be impressive enough to get the thrifty or those on tight budgets interested in this subcompact, which has been sold overseas since 2012. The Mirage’s estimated highway economy with its CVT is an impressive 44 miles per gallon, while the city number is 37. The Mirage also comes with a five-speed manual gearbox. Estimated figures with the manual are 42 highway, 34 city. The Mirage should be especially appealing to young buyers with only a small to moderate

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REVIEW: 2014 Toyota 4Runner ruggedly defines SUV

The 2014 Toyota 4Runner continues to define the original meaning of a sport utility vehicle. It’s a long-established favorite among off-road SUV enthusiasts. Unlike crossovers largely best suited for road use, the 4Runner is more versatile. With a redesign that features a rugged new exterior and increased comfort and convenience interior upgrades, the 4Runner is fine on the road. But it’s equally comfortable on off-road treks. Versatility, in fact, is the 4Runner’s strongest attribute. New model year owners have choices: a rear wheel 4×2, part-time 4×4 or a full-time multi-mode 4×4 with a locking center differential. All models are equipped with a 4.0-liter, 270-horsepower V6 teamed to a five-speed ECT-i automatic transmission. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Previewed in a

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REVIEW: 2014 Toyota Camry reliable like a good friend

Approaching its 35th birthday, the Toyota Camry is the top-selling car in the United States. The 2014 edition extends the current generation and will likely continue the midsize sedan’s reputation. It’s a dependable four-door machine that does a lot right albeit without fanfare. In 11 of past 15 years, the Toyota Camry has surpassed more than 400,000 sales annually. Buyers get a comfortable, efficient and not-too-complicated vehicle. It’s not the fastest or the most handsome. It doesn’t have the best fuel economy or the best performance. But the Camry does most things right and very little wrong. Which is what many consumers want — strong transportation, a good on-the-road companion that doesn’t cause any trouble and is loyal. It’s like

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REVIEW: 2014 Toyota Corolla: roomier, still reliable

The Toyota Corolla may be with us forever, judging by its past performance. The Corolla has the reputation as among the world’s most reliable, durable cars. There’s no reason why the 11th generation 2014 Corolla can’t maintain it. With some 40 million (and counting) Corollas sold globally, this front-drive compact is considered the world’s best-selling car. Actually, it’s the world’s top-selling nameplate. That’s because other automakers have changed the names of their entry models through the years, while Toyota has wisely kept the Corolla nameplate. That, although the car has undergone many changes while keeping its quality, durability and affordability. Toyota had to make major changes to its 11th generation Corolla because its sales have been pressured in the past

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus LS 460: Posh, sporty, fast

Luxury sedan buyers who look only at German or American luxury models shouldn’t overlook the 2014 Lexus LS 460. The posh sedan makes long-distance highway cruising feel as if you’re in a private jet. It’s plenty fast and luxurious as it swallows open roads, especially with its available air suspension. The Lexus LS 460 turned the luxury car scene in America upside down when introduced in 1989. Few felt that a Japanese car producer could build such a thing. Many considered you somewhat of a chump if you bought a Mercedes-Benz—then the most prestigious mass-produced luxury car—because the Lexus LS was priced lower and was far more comfortable for traditional luxury car buyers than a Mercedes. Even Cadillac owners opted

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus IS combines luxury, sportiness

Some cars don’t mix sportiness and luxury very well. But the 2014 Lexus IS sports sedan has been strategically revised to provide both luxury and sporty driving. Width of the new rear-wheel-drive IS has been increased by nearly half an inch for a more aggressive stance. The large bold-looking grille has a more “three-dimensional” design with a chrome-plated frame, but looks overdone. However, styling is generally sporty. Major changes include a nearly 2.7-inch wheelbase increase to 110.2 inches for more rear seat legroom and cargo space. The interior easily holds four 6-footers, but isn’t spacious  and has little in-cabin storage. There’s a larger, decent-sized trunk, and split 60/40 rear seatbacks flip forward and sit flat to enlarge the cargo area.

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