2020

2020 Aston Martin Vantage: James Bond sports car cool

The video is in black-and-white, the quality marginal, the premise pure action and preposterous fantasy. But it’s James Bond driving an Aston Martin DB5 in the movie Goldfinger, and after 56 years it’s still fun to watch. Perhaps only equaled in brand association by Volkswagen in the hippie movement, Aston Martin is secret agent 007’s getaway car. James Bond, played by Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, drove many other vehicles during the series’ 25 films. None represent the character’s automotive prowess more than his Aston Martin chase scenes throughout the years. The latest film “No Time To Die,” was delayed from a spring release to November because of the coronavirus. It will feature four Aston Martin vehicles to commemorate the

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Underdog 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia excels

Automobile manufacturers try to outmaneuver each other every year for advertising honors during the Super Bowl. Prices escalate and commercials succeed and fail with carmakers’ futures at stake in million-dollar-minute increments. Fiat Chrysler gambled a few years ago with its Alfa Romeo brand — and won. It promoted the new Giulia, showing the sports car blazing along winding country roads, past vineyards and through a tunnel with narration provided by a sultry voice. The commercial, titled “Dear Predictable,” needles Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, the German frontrunners, while touting the Italian alternative. Alfa Romeo sales falling The second of the carmaker’s one-minute spot ends with the sports car powering toward the horizon. The moderator softly states, “You know what they

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2020 Ford Expedition: bravado and big bucks

Car manufacturers are big on adjectives and embellishment. There may be no better example than the promotion of the 2020 Ford Expedition. It’s big, no doubt, and the SUV’s facts and figures tell the story. The Expedition (Max Edition) has a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 375 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It can weigh as much as 5,800 pounds depending upon its configuration. When equipped with its optional towing package, the Expedition can haul 9,300 pounds, an impressive capacity. The Expedition is standard with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is an option. Consumers who wish to transport RVs or power down the open road in swagger mode and with as many seven occupants buy the pricy hauler. It’s nearly

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2020 Dodge Charger ultimate family muscle car

The Dodge Charger began as a concept vehicle in the 1940s, debuted in production in 1966 and gained its fame as the car driven by the bad guy in the 1968 movie Bullitt. Steve McQueen pursued the Charger and its stuntman driver Bill Hickman on the hilly streets of San Francisco in his 1968 Ford Mustang. The scenes defined muscle car bravado. Not much has changed in the past half-century. The Charger and Mustang, in their best performance trims, remain iconic. They’re modernized, more powerful and both retain a link to the past. The 2020 Dodge Charger knows its strengths. Hit the accelerator hard on a straightway, hear the growl and feel the power of 5.7-liter, 485 horsepower engine with

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2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith: Pricey, worthy ghost of Xmas now

By James Raia and Bruce Aldrich Once cited among the world’s most recognizable brands and of unequaled reputation, Rolls-Royce not too long ago lost its spirit. Various models with fading, hand-written for sale signs were prominent in neighborhoods throughout the carmaker’s native England. Often named after ghosts, Rolls-Royce became its namesake for an unimaginable reason. No one wanted one, even at near give-way prices. The car’s Flying Lady hood ornament, officially called the Spirit of Ecstasy, was heavily tarnished.   But in the decade since Torsten Müller-Ötvös assumed his chief executive officer responsibilities, Rolls-Royce has far surpassed its successes of yesteryear. The 2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith and Rolls-Royce Cullinan sport utility vehicle are among the reasons. Sales are relative, particularly among

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2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe: Lots of car, lots of money

Four-door coupe is among the automotive industry’s numerous contradictory terms. But since 2005 when the idea of a sloping roofline on a four-door sedan returned after a several-decade hiatus, it’s become a thing. Mercedes-Benz featured the idea in its C class; BMW is now participating with its 2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe. Key Takeaways 600 to 617 hp from a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8: The standard M8 Gran Coupe makes 600 hp; the Competition trim bumps to 617 hp. Both produce 553 lb-ft of torque and reach 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. Base MSRP of $130,000 climbs to $154,295 as-tested: Carbon ceramic brakes ($8,150), Bowers & Wilkins audio ($3,440), and Merlino leather ($3,500) drive the price skyward. Four-door sedan body makes

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2020 Toyota Avalon defines ideal hybrid sedan

Hybrid car owners often compromise. They embrace the superior gas mileage and environmental concerns mixed-engine vehicles offer. But odd-looking exterior designs, limited interior space and lackluster acceleration provide frustration. As such, many potential new buyers have dismissed the hybrid market. It’s why the segment has rarely reached 3 percent of yearly industry sales in the United States since the Toyota Prius debuted 20 years ago. It was the country’s first mainstream hybrid. The 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is largely unchanged from last year’s second-generation debut. The Avalon gas-only model was unveiled 25 years ago. The hybrid trim was introduced in late 2012 as a 2013 model. It’s also among the few alternative fuel sedans that don’t fit the staid stereotype.

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2020 Mazda 3: Handsome, understated; why low sales?

The 2020 Mazda 3 advnances the small sedan in its mid-teens and it has an identity complex. It’s an unheralded, worthy small sedan competing against more than a dozen rivals with bigger sales numbers. But it may have finally caught a break. With its simple, sporty design absent of sharp edges and angles, and a front end with a nod to a Ford GT Cobra, the 2020 Mazda 3 recently claimed world honors for automotive design. The other finalists were the Peugeot 208 and Porsche Taycan. The Mazda MX5 (Miata) claimed the award in 2016, starting the Japanese manufacturer’s global recognition that less is more. It’s an approach other carmakers should follow. Design, of course, does not make a car.

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2020 Lexus LX 570: pricey rugged luxury

A luxury sport utility vehicle with strong attributes for off-road use is a niche offering in the vastly varied automotive marketplace. It’s a head-shaking quality of the 2020 Lexus LX 570. The wisdom of excursions on rugged terrain in a top-line luxury vehicle may be questionable. But as one friend who’s refreshingly dispassionate about automobiles often says: “If no one bought ’em, they wouldn’t make ’em.” Key Takeaways 5.7-liter V8 produces 383 hp with 7,000-pound tow rating: The only powertrain pairs an eight-speed automatic with standard four-wheel drive in a body-on-frame platform weighing roughly 6,000 pounds. Two-row or three-row configuration the only major choice: Buyers pick five-passenger or eight-passenger layouts; Lexus delivers 10 airbags and comprehensive driver assistance regardless of

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Chevy Spark tops 2020 cheapest car list

Six years ago, a small number of buyers in the United States could still purchase the cheapest car with a sticker price of less than $10,000. It was a 2014 Chevrolet Spark and considering all available rebates, including a military personnel discount and several other incentives, the base model Spark was available for a high four-figure tally. With the average price of a new vehicle now steadily advancing toward $40,000, only about a dozen new cars in the country are now available for less than $20,000. Despite the price increase, the top-10 cheap car list includes a substantially improved standard features list. Top-10 Cheapest Car List All Less Than 19K Nearly every car on the list includes air conditioning, stability

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2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250: Finally!

Introduced in 2014, the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is an entry-level luxury sedan styled like a coupe and priced to sway new buyers from Audi and BMW. Redesigned for 2020, criticisms of poor ride quality, stiff seats and limited interior room have been addressed. In addition to the CLA 250, the new generation of the sedan is now also available in AMG CL 35 and AMG CLA 45 trims. The AMG CLA 35 also uses a more powerful turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (302 hp and 295 lb-ft) and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch as well. Mercedes-Benz CLA 250: Three Trims The CLA 45 gets the biggest power bump to its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (382 hp and 354 lb-ft). It’s connected

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2020 Nissan Pathfinder: Keep Trying

There’s nothing overtly wrong with the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder. But competition is intense in the sport utility vehicle marketplace. And the SUV, now in its 34th year, needs a complete overall. Its current generation started in 2013 and competition has improved since the SUV debuted in 1986. Its peak sales year in the United States was 88,632 in 2013, with fluctuating sales since. About 65,000 Pathfinders were sold in the U.S. last year. The Ford Explorer is a longstanding rival and newcomers like the Kia Telluride and Volkswagen Atlas have designed with modern buyers in mind. The 2019 Pathfinder had numerous updates, but the SUV remains largely unchanged for 2020. Nissan Pathfinder: Tech lacking The native infotainment system feels old.

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PRESS RELEASE: 2020 Nissan Pathfinder

The 2020 Nissan Pathfinder continues as an exceptional way for families to turn up the adventure, around town or off-road. It has a unique combination of rugged design, powerful performance and seven-passenger comfort and utility. Adding to Pathfinder’s long list of standard and available innovative features and advanced technologies is the special Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition, available on SV and SL grades, in 2WD and 4WD configurations. The special value option package offers unique exterior and interior treatments that emphasize the rugged Nissan Pathfinder heritage. Two additional Rock Creek equipment packages and a choice of seven available exterior colors allow buyers to customize their Pathfinder to their precise tastes. The Rock Creek Edition name was chosen to connect the vehicle

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2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid: bright future now

No one ever calls the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle or a Compact Recreational Vehicle. But like other vehicles known by acronyms, the CR-V is Honda‘s mid-range and most popular sport utility vehicle. It’s quickly likely to become further favored. The SUV segment, according to industry analysts, is expected to approach half of all new vehicles in the United States this year. Which makes it surprising one option hadn’t been previously offered. The Honda CR-V Hybrid, with documented histories to two original given names, debuts this year in a hybrid trim. The Honda CR-V Hybrid has increased in popularity for 11 straight years beginning in 2009 when slightly more than 191,000 sold. Yearly sales more than doubled

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2020 Nissan Titan: new, improved, still struggling

Nearly 20 years ago, someone decided on the not-so-keen idea of naming a full-sized pickup truck after a mythological Greek god. It’s been a curse for the Nissan Titan. Perennially low-selling in the country’s best-selling vehicle segment, the Titan has had only two generations since 2003 and none since 2016. The Titan had the poorest sales of any mainstream full-sized truck last year, losing nearly 38 percent of its share from a year earlier. Refreshing the truck for 2020 was the least Nissan could after only 31,000 Titans were purchased last year. The brand finished an unlucky 13th and at the bottom on the sales list. Nissan Titan tries to rebound The Nissan Titan was never bad; its rivals are

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