dan jedlicka

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2014 Kia Optima hybrid Review: Sexy, economy, value

You need not look hard to find a sexy, practical sedan these days. If you want the looks of a costly Italian sedan and high fuel economy need look no farther than the 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid, which has few changes for 2015. The mid-size front-drive Optima sedan has made Kia a significant player in the U.S. market. The gas-electric hybrid version has helped things along. With racy styling, high fuel economy and reasonable prices, the Optima Hybrid seems as if you can have your cake and eat it, too. Key Takeaways Hybrid powertrain: 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 47-horsepower electric motor, 199 horsepower and 235 lb-ft combined, with a six-speed automatic. $25,995 for the LX and $31,995 for the EX.

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2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC Review: Big deal compact

Mercedes-Benz is out to make a bigger splash in the compact car market with its 2015 C300 4MATIC sedan. While its styling is sleeker, the new C300 4MATIC (all-wheel drive) is not a sports sedan, although it’s athletic with quick variable-ratio steering, sure handling and confidence-inspiring brakes. Rather, it’s for those who want a responsive in-town car and a solid, luxurious interstate cruiser. My test car had the optional ($1,190) air suspension, which provided an impressively smooth ride. The standard steel suspension setup is all-wheel independent and most likely provides a good ride. After all, this car is luxury oriented. Key Takeaways $40,400 base price for the C300 4MATIC, with a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 241 horsepower. 24 mpg city

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2014 Buick Regal Review: New worthy mix of U.S. and Euro design

Some American brand sports/luxury sedans are edging closer to costlier foreign rivals as the auto world shrinks. A few minutes at the wheel of the 2014 Buick Regal gave me the feeling I was driving a foreign luxury sports sedan. It sure handled and rode much like one. Buick has made lots of changes, but the Regal‘s behavior puzzled me. I soon found the Regal is basically an Americanized version of the high-line German Opel Insignia. No wonder it felt as if it would be happy humming along a German autobahn at 100 m.p.h. It’s got a decent size, with a 107.8-inch wheelbase and 190.2 -inch overall length. Key Takeaways Test car: front-drive Regal with the turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder and

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2015 Lexus NX Review: Goes bold, gets racy

Lexus continues to keep filling upscale vehicle market niches. I didn’t really expect to find a Stabilo Therm flask with a set of crystal shot glasses in the new 2015 Lexus NX, although this newest compact crossover vehicle is plenty luxurious, and practical. The luxury crossover market has been growing steadily since Lexus created that market with its 1998 RX model. With the new NX, Lexus feels that it has a good shot at attracting much-desired younger buyers, singles and couples 30- 40 years old. It’s a boldly designed crossover with either a potent turbocharged engine or fuel-saving hybrid model, along with a turbo Sport version that has mainly cosmetic pizzazz. The three NX versions, which will start at approximately

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2014 Lexus LX570 Review: Comfort, style, luxury

Some folks just gotta have a big, roomy vehicle. The 2014 Lexus LX570 SUV is a big fella, with room for eight in a luxurious cabin and all-terrain mobility. It’s plenty rugged, being based on the durable, upscale, go-anywhere Toyota Land Cruiser. Car-based crossover vehicles are capturing much of the old traditional SUV market, but the big, handsome four-wheel-drive LX570 is a reminder that some folks want, or need, a big vehicle with lots of room. With this Lexus, they get 8-passenger seating and typical Lexus luxury. A large SUV such as the four-door LX570 lets occupants sit high, with good all-around driver visibility, helped by large outside rearview mirrors. But the step-in is quite high. The illuminated running boards,

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REVIEW: 2014 Porsche Cayman S lighter, faster

The new Porsche Cayman S edges even closer to the venerable Porsche 911. The first Porsche Cayman model blew me away when I drove it during a media preview through twisting mountain roads in northern Italy in late 2005. Now the lighter, faster third-generation Cayman is here as a redesigned 2014 model with features including sleeker styling, a longer wheelbase, classier interior and power gains. The new mid-engine, rear-drive Cayman looks significantly different than the Boxster and the last-generation Cayman. Precise lines and sculpted edges complement the lowered, lengthened profile. There’s a 2.4-inch longer wheelbase (97.4 inches) for greater high-speed stability and a wider track at both axles for stability and cornering agility. There’s also larger diameter wheels and tires

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2014 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Review: Fast, sexy, luxurious

Jaguars again are becoming one of the most desirable luxury/sports models in America. The supercharged 2014 Jaguar XJL continues the venerable automaker’s tradition of making fast, sexy and glamorous sedans. Never mind those old stories by know-nothings about Jaguars being unreliable because Ford Motor demolished the old Jaguar plant years ago after it bought the automaker and loaded Jaguars with reliability before selling it to its current owner, which is maintaining high reliability. Jaguar now has two state-of-the-art engineering and design facilities and three advanced manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom. Key Takeaways Test car: a $93,600 long-wheelbase XJL with a supercharged 5-liter 470-horsepower V-8 and rear-wheel drive. $74,200 to $119,000: the base XJ starts at $74,200 and the XJR

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2014 BMW 4-Series Review: New name, more luxury, keen price

How do you top a long-successful car? Just ask BMW, which is offering a successor to its highly popular 3-Series coupe and convertible. The new 2014 BMW 4-Series coupe just may be the best reasonably priced sports coupe. It’s longer, lower and more stylish than its predecessor and is more luxurious. Indeed, the new 4-Series has more than enough pizzazz, performance and comfort to back up its rakish new body. The 4-Series coupe replaces the 3-Series coupe. It shares mechanical components with the outgoing 3-Series coupe, but is superior in many respects. The 3-Series BMW long has dominated the “Best Buy” lists of car buff magazines, and there’s no reason why the 4-Series can’t do the same. Key Takeaways Test

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2014 Mazda3 Review: 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. Key Takeaways Test car: Mazda3 sedan with the 2-liter four-cylinder, 155 horsepower, 150 lb-ft of torque and a six-speed manual, painted Soul Red Metallic. $22,475 base price for the test car; list prices range from $16,945 to $26,495. 29 mpg city and 41 highway as rated for the manual sedan in 2014; EPA’s current rating is 29 and

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2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Review: 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. Key Takeaways Test car: Mirage ES with the 1.2-liter three-cylinder, 74 horsepower and a continuously variable automatic. $12,995 to $15,195 list price for the DE and ES, without a $795 destination charge. 37 mpg city and 44 highway with the CVT, as rated in 2014; EPA’s current rating is 36 and 42. Weight: about 1,865

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2014 Lexus LS 460 Review: 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. Key Takeaways Test car: the all-wheel-drive LS 460, a 4.6-liter V-8 with 360 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic. $75,085 base for the AWD version and $89,765 loaded with options. 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds with the 386-horsepower rear-drive V-8 and 5.9

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2014 Chrysler Town & Country Review: Upscale minivan

Have big old plush station wagons come back in a different form? The 2014 Chrysler Town & Country is reminiscent of  large old upscale station wagons, those with loads of room and decent road manners. After all, this minivan is heavy and big like those old wagons, with a 121.2-inch wheelbase and length of 202.8 inches. The front-drive Town & Country is an uptown version of the lower-cost Dodge Grand Caravan, which lacks the Chrysler version’s upscale nature. Heck, anybody can get a Dodge, but a Chrysler is still a Chrysler, although Chrysler lacks the prestige it began losing in the 1960s. The Town & Country debuted in 1989, billed as the “first luxury minivan.” (The first “upscale” minivan would

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2014 Nissan Versa Note Review: New stylish, fuel-stingy hatchback

Nissan may grab more buyers with its redone, unusually named 2014 Versa Note hatchback economy model, judging by my test of a prototype model. For one thing, the front-drive Note looks sleeker. That’s important because nobody wants to look like they’re in an econobox. It has a steeply sloped front windshield and deeply sculpted doors. A large front spoiler combined with a “kick–up” roof shape and low aero-drag floor structure directs air under and around the body for better aerodynamics. However, some shorter folks may object to the high beltline (where side windows meet the doors). Key Takeaways Test car: prototype Versa Note SV with the 1.6-liter, 109-horsepower four-cylinder and a continuously variable automatic. $13,990 for the S with a

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2013 Lexus LS 600h L: Luxury hybrid satisfying

Maybe you can’t have it all in a full-size, fast, ultra-luxury sedan, but the 2013 Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sure makes it seem like you can. It should satisfy most spoiled—and some hard-to-please—luxury car buyers. Rivals to the LS 600h L are the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid. The Lexus LS 600h L is no sports sedan, nor is it supposed to be—not when it weighs a hefty 5,115 pounds—or 5,203 pounds with the costly, optional executive seating package that is popular in China. Big shots there like to be driven as they ride in the back, and the longer (205-inch) LS 600h L (compared to the normal 200-inch-length LS 460) gives them limo-style rear seating. However

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2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Review: Still leads the minivan pack

Although its glory days are gone, thanks to smaller SUVs and crossover vehicles, the minivan is still much alive. And Chrysler’s Dodge Grand Caravan was the top-selling such vehicle in America in 2012. Moreover, the base Grand Caravan, the APV (American Value Package) model gets a $1,000 price cut for 2013. That makes it the most affordable seven-passenger vehicle in the United States. Introduced in 1983 as a 1984 model and as simply the Dodge Caravan, this minivan met the needs of many baby boomers who were starting families. It has been continually improved to keep up with the times, and to stay ahead of competitors. It soon was joined by the more upscale Chrysler Town & Country, which also

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2013 Kia Rio Review: Solid driving fun, utility

The Kia Rio got sporty, nicely sculpted styling for 2012 and adds such automatic transmission shifter paddles for the top-line SX, a fuel-saving “idle stop-and-go” feature and extra storage space via a cargo floor tray for 2013. The 2013 Rio looks like it’s fun to drive, and the top-line SX model I tested is just that. Key Takeaways Test car: top-line SX hatchback with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder, direct fuel injection, 138 horsepower and a six-speed manual that Kia built in only 500 examples. $13,600 to $17,900 across the LX, EX and SX; the SX hatchback is $17,900. 29 mpg city and 36 highway with the manual and 28 and 36 with the automatic, as estimated at the time. Warranty: the

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