Consumer Reports has just released its first-ever motorcycle reliability survey and – as if mimicking recent automotive surveys – Japanese motorcycles ranked better than American and German models. The survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, says about one in four Harley-Davidson owners reported a major problem in the first four years of [...]
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2013 Ford Escape in the Grinding Gears Garage
Compact utility vehicles are all the rage these days, and in recent weeks (and months) many have graced my test driveway. Automakers near and far are seeking ways to stand out from one another in a bid for the consumer’s attention and at Ford that is certainly no different. For 2013, Big Blue Oval has [...]
Hyundai Takes Social Bloggers to Coronado for the New Santa Fe!
As I had written previously, the folks at Hyundai took a group of ‘social bloggers’ to Park City, UT last August to introduce the new 2013 Santa Fe Sport. My review was highly favorable, but what was missing for me was the full-sized Santa Fe 6/7 passenger model – Hyundai teased that model, but we [...]
A Fond (and Fun) Farewell for the 2013 Volvo C30
Hot Hatches – boy, how I love ‘em, whether it’s the celebrated green chile pepper from New Mexico or a cool baby wagon from an automaker such as Audi, Mazda or Volvo. Unfortunately we have to bid farewell to one of them, the Volvo C30. C30 is the baby in the Volvo lineup here in [...]
Preparing to Check Out the New Hyundai Santa Fe
Last August the folks at Hyundai took a bunch of non-auto-centric bloggers to Park City, Utah to check out the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. I described the experience here and the drive test here. It was a great experience, and the only thing missing was the full-sized 3-row Santa Fe. Now that is [...]
2013 new New Beetle Convertible in the Grinding Gears Garage
Little did I know when I received the keys to the 2013 New Beetle Convertible recently that I would spend most of my week testing it having to defend my manhood. Apparently that is a side effect of driving the fun little droptop, especially when it arrives in the “mellow yellow” that mine did. The 2013 [...]
2013 Mazda3 in the Grinding Gears Garage
Grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat, the 2013 Mazda3 embodies that all familiar “zoom-zoom” marketing philosophy of Mazda’s while offering value, quality and a truly nice driving experience for the segment. And whether you love or hate the styling, Mazda says the bold design was intentionally polarizing and was achieved through its design [...]
2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible and LaFerrari Dream Cars Unveiled at Geneva Motor Show
Two world debuts thrilling the automotive world this week at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva are the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible and the Ferrari Enzo successor dubbed LaFerrari. Chevrolet said it chose the Geneva show to introduce the new Corvette convertible as it will offer the sports car in global markets beginning in [...]
US Postal Service Delivers Muscle Cars Forever
The US Postal Service recently announced the release of a new set of commemorative Forever stamps celebrating five iconic muscle cars from America’s motoring past. The five vehicles being honored – 1966 Pontiac GTO, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, and 1970 Chevelle SS – all represent America’s adventurous spirit [...]
2013 Toyota RAV4 Is Going Places
In a little over a decade, the compact crossover/sport utility segment has more than doubled in the number of competitors and they come from all corners of the globe. Automakers have seen sales figures of these vehicles account for nearly 13 percent of all light vehicle sales and they all want a piece of that [...]
2013 Honda Accord Touring in the Grinding Gears Garage
The Honda Accord is one of the longest running nameplates from a Japanese automaker on the roads of America today. Model year 2013 marks the start of the ninth-generation of the popular midsize sedan, and it offers not only coupe and sedan variants but a new plugin hybrid version as well. Honda is celebrating 30 [...]
Ford Focus Electric Quick Drive
It’s been nearly a year since Ford announced official class-leading EPA certification for the Focus Electric, and last month while visiting the automaker I found myself getting a few moments behind the wheel of the EV at the Dearborn, Michigan test facility. Zipping around the track on a frozen morning just outside Detroit, I found [...]
2014 Kia Forte Test Drive: Compact Sedan with Full-Size Amenities
I live in a part of the country where one is likely to feel out of place if not driving an SUV or a pickup truck, and I like driving a big SUV. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy taking the 2014 Kia Forte out for a test drive while recently attending the Kia [...]
2014 Kia Sorento Test Drive: Mid-Size SUV Loaded with Luxuries
Last week I joined a group of bloggers and traditional press in Scottsdale, Arizona for a chance to take a test drive and learn more about Kia’s 2014 Sorento (SUV) and Forte (4 door sedan) models. I should probably admit that other than knowing a few people who own or have owned Kia vehicles, I haven’t had much [...]
2013 Audi S4 Speaks with a German Accent on Fun
When we hear about premium sport sedans from Europe the names BMW and Mercedes are always certain to pop up. But there is a third German marque that bears our attention and it is the from the luxury division of the “People’s car.” It’s called Audi and, in this case specifically, the Audi S4. The [...]
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