Sedans

2014 Kia Forte Review: New design delivers sedan hit

Four model years after its debut in the United States, the 2014 Kia Forte represents a new look for the South Korean carmaker. Sports car sedan is an oxymoron, but the newly designed Forte’s look fits the odd definition. The 2014 edition is more aggressive-looking than its older sibling, and it’s longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, too. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2014 Kia Forte is available in base LX and the more-option filled EX model. I drove the latter, and it includes an adjustable steering wheel, foglights, LED running lights, chrome accents, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rearview camera, sliding console armrest and a fold-down rear center armrest. My test vehicle, which included a four-cylinder with 173

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2014 Kia Cadenza: Posh sedan debuts as flagship

The luxurious new 2014 Kia Cadenza has arrived as Kia’s most powerful and technologically advanced vehicle. The Cadenza looks slick, with broad shoulders, a contoured hood, 18-or 19-inch wheels, a wide stance and sporty looking twin oval tailpipes. But a high beltline (where the body meets the lower side windows) causes even 6-footers to feel a bit buried. The backseat area seems almost limo-sized, but rear doorways are a little too narrow. The Cadenza’s interior is posh, and the 195.5-inch-long car is loaded with features. With a $35,100 list price, this South Korean sedan follows the old Toyota philosophy of offering a feature-paced car for a reasonable price. The Cadenza’s interior is posh, and the 195.5-inch-long car is loaded with

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Chevrolet Impala: History of an icon, 1958-2014

The Chevrolet Impala was introduced as a 1958 model and was built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Fifty-five years later, the Impala has advanced to its 10th generation with the introduction of re-designed  2014 edition. It was recently honored by Consumer Reports as sedan of the year. Available in three trims as a coupe and convertible, the original Chevy Impala ranged in price from $2,586 to $2,724. The starting price for the 2014 model is just under $27,000. Named after the southern African antelope, the Impala became the best-selling automobile in the United States in 1965. Vying against the Ford Galaxie 500 and Plymouth Fury, about 1 million Impala units sold. (Double click on thumbnails to view full-sized

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2013 BMW 750Li: Superior luxury, hefty price (video)

The 2013 BMW 750Li, my weekly driver, showcased BMW’s power, as in a 4.4-liter, 32-valve V8 with 445 horsepower and five-second, 0-60 mph prowess. The 7-Series is the BMW flagship, of course and it deserves the status. It’s a beast of a seat, a 4,600-pound cruiser best suited for long, open-road hauls. But the long (201 inches) sedan is also a standard bearer of engineering, technology and for audio enthusiasts, an over-the-top whirlwind of sound. There’s a lot to lot about the new BMW. It short, it’s opulent. And it’s got a hefty price to go along with all of the fine mechanics and superior workmanship. Videographer Bruce Aldrich, editor/publisher of www.tahoetruckoutdoor.com, and The Weekly Driver, review the top-line BMW

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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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BMW 750Li, 2013: stylish, hi-tech, hefty price

The 7-Series is the BMW flagship and it deserves the status. It’s a beast of a sedan, a 4,600-pound cruiser best suited for long, open-road hauls. The 2013 BMW 750Li, my weekly driver, showcased BMW‘s power, as in a 4.4-liter, 32-valve V8 with 445 horsepower and five-second, 0-60 mph prowess. But the long (201 inches) sedan is also a standard bearer of engineering, technology and for audio enthusiasts, an over-the-top whirlwind of sound. The 750Li has a base price of $90,000 and that’s reflected in all that BMW represents -— superior handling and superior design as well as industry-best comfort and refinement. But the available option packages put the vehicle into a category of automotive overload combining plushness and hi-tech

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Chrysler strange, powerful bedfellows, Eminem, Clint Eastwood, Iggy Popp

Saad Chehab, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chrysler Brand and Chrysler Group LLC, recently spoke to a group of automotive journalists at The Candy Store auto museum in Burlingame, California. Chebab’s talk and question and answer follow-up concluded a late afternoon, early evening test-drive opportunity of the 2013 Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300, including the John Varvatos special edition, the limited production editon bearing the signature of the menswear designer from Detroit. Chebab covered a lot of topics in his presentation, not the least of which was Chrysler‘s vision and choice of unique spokesmen for the brand. The three most prominent choices couldn’t be more diverse, Eminem, Clint Eastwood and, most recently, Iggy Popp. Eminem and Iggy Popp,

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Toyota Corolla 2014 unveiled: sleeker, better mpg

The Toyota Corolla 2014, the 11th generation of the biggest-selling car in history, has been been unveiled as expected with the automaker’s theme of “Iconic Dynamism.” With mechanical and aerodynamic upgrades and a target of more than 40 mph, the new Toyota Corolla will showcase a sleeker, more modern design with a longer wheelbase. The new 2014 Toyota Corolla will also feature shorter overhangs, more pronounced wheel arches and cleanly sculpted surfaces. The faster sloping roofline blends into a shorter rear deck to lend the sedan a sportier image.   The new Corolla’s athletic character is complemented by a broad range of styled alloy wheel and wheel cover options. They range  from covered 15-inch steel wheels to 17-inch alloy wheels.

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2014 Toyota Corolla: New look, better gas mileage

Since it’s the best-selling car in history, look for continued keen marketing when  2014 Toyota Corolla is soon completely unveiled. In the meantime, the carmaker is steadily leaking details of the Corolla. And it takes the entry level vehicle at least as seriously as the debut of any of its cars — the Camry to the Prius to the Tacoma pick-up. The next generation of the Corolla, the 12th since the car’s debut in 1966, has slowly and steadily been leaked onto the Internet in stages. The front end was recently teased with a few images. And now images of the rear end have also surfaced. 2014 Toyota Corolla Has Aggressive Styling According to various media reports, the 2014 Toyota

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2013 Nissan Pathfinder: best family affair on wheels

There was a time when categorizing a car as a “family car” translated into “boring car.” But that generalization, once well-founded, is now long gone. With 2013 models, including the top-rated Nissan Pathfinder, a new definition is particularly necessary. Family cars are great for families and some great family cars, like the Honda Odyssey and Honda CR-V, are so versatile, they’re ideal for families of one, too. Kelley Blue Book (KBB), the esteemed vehicle assessment site, likes car lists and one of its best annual lists is its Best Family Car list. The editors at KBB have selected the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder their No. 1 choice. The editors reported: “This year’s number one isn’t just all-new for 2013, it’s completely

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Review: 2013 Lexus LS 460 pricey luxury sedan refined with more luxury

Lexus turned the luxury car market upside down in America when it introduced its big LS 400 luxury sedan in 1989. Suddenly, it seemed as if you were a sap if you bought a Cadillac or Mercedes instead of the Lexus LS. It was especially true in trend-setting places such as Beverly Hills — although Lexus had no luxury car track record in America and came from Toyota, which had still had a definite economy car image. Along with the LS 400, Lexus introduced a new, smaller, less expensive Lexus sedan. Called the ES250, it was clearly a thinly disguised Toyota, whereas the LS 400 looked as if it had just arrived from the heavens. I was at the media

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2013 Toyota Avalon: Redesigned as sleeker, lighter Lexus twin

The revamped 2013 Toyota Avalon sedan is a far cry from the first Avalon, which debuted for 1995 as a stretched, roomy version of the Toyota Camry with a front bench seat (remember those?) and a column shifter. Toyota called it the “most American of Toyotas,” and it was sort of a Japanese Buick. The plain-looking, front-drive Avalon eventually was upgraded with such things as improved styling for 1998 and a larger V-6 for 2005. But as late as 2011 it still had a soft suspension and floaty ride, with small steering corrections needed during turnpike crosswinds and pavement changes. Still, a turnpike trip from Chicago to Maryland showed the 2011 Avalon to be a comfortable, fairly economical long-distance cruiser.

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Car Review: 2014 Acura RLX, Plush, Powerful, Pricey

It wasn’t too many years ago when $30,000 was the launching pricepoint for purchasing an entry-level luxury car. Now, $30,000 is about the average price of a new car in the United States. So what should a consumer expect from a car with a starting point of just under $50,000? That’s the beginning price of 2014 Acura RLX, the new medium-sized Acura luxury sedan. It replaces the RL as the carmaker’s top sedan, and it’s firmly positioned against a few heavy-hitters — the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Lexus GS 350. And like its rivals, the Acura RLX has a lot to offer with a variety of trims, powerful engines and enough plushness and superior touches to make it

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Lexus IS sedans for 2014: New design, new technology, wicked new grille

The newly desiged 2014 Lexus IS sedans, which will feature revamped seats, technology upgrades, more interior and cargo room and a wicked-looking futuristic front grille in a sport trim, will debut in the summer of 2013 and with priced ranging from $35,950 to $41,700. The Lexus IS 250, powered by a 2.5-liter V6 delivering 204 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque, will have a base MSRP of $35,950 for RWD and $38,485 for AWD. The IS 350, which produces 306 horsepower from its 3.5L V6 power plant, will have a starting MSRP of $39,465 for RWD and $41,700 for AWD. The base price for the 2014 IS 350 is 2.1 percent lower than the model it replaces. The new IS

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Mazda6, 2014: Sporty, redesigned sedan challenges Toyota Camry, Honda Accord

The 2014 Mazda6 is a slickly redesigned mid-size sedan that retains Mazda’s sporting nature, while providing lots of practicality. The new front-drive Mazda has to be good because it’s in a tough market. Rivals include the well-established Toyota Camry and Honda Accord—besides the popular Hyundai Sonata and new Ford Fusion. Virtually everything about the made-in-Japan 2014 Mazda6 is new, including the body, interior, powertrain and suspension. The stiff new unibody has straighter frame rails and more high-strength steel. A really nice thing about the new Mazda6 is that all systems work together flawlessly, making the car feel “just right.” The quick electric steering is nicely weighted, and the ride is supple. Handling is sharp, helped by anti-roll bars and dynamic

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Hyundai, Kia recalling nearly 2 million cars dating to 2007 via faulty brakes, air bags

Despite experiencing record sales and infiltrating many car-buying segments with innovation and value, Hyundai and Kia are facing major growing pains with a massive recall of nearly two million cars. The switch recall covers almost 1.7 million vehicles — most of the automakers’ model lineups from the 2007 through 2011 model years — to fix problems with air bags a brake light switches. In addition, Hyundai is recalling about 194,000 Elantra compacts from 2011 to 2013 to fix an air bag problem. A faulty switch can stop the brake lights from illuminating when drivers press on the pedal, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported its website. The cruise control also may not turn off when a driver

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