After spending a week behind the wheel of the 2017 Kia Cadenza, I would swear the Korean automaker hired Buick engineers and designers to build this car. Traditional sedan buyers choose a brand or model because it fits their exact needs and the new Cadenza is the perfect sedan model.
While the word prime can be defined as being of greatest relevance or significance it can also describe something basic or fundamental. The latest member of the Toyota Prius family has been named Prime and I believe it encompasses many of the definitions of the word.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Genesis G80 – the car formerly known as the Hyundai Genesis. It is still built by Hyundai but with it comes the spinoff luxury division from the Korean automaker as this large midsize luxury sedan begins the new chapter in Hyundai history.
A little over a year ago, I gave Acura serious accolades for the improvements made to its ILX entry luxury sedan. We have now had the 2017 Acura ILX in the test driveway and little has changed – with my opinion or with the car.
Last week, along with a group of other auto writers, I attended the National Press Introduction for the 2017 Kia Niro in San Antonio, Texas. The Niro is Kia’s new crossover hybrid, poised to take on Toyota Prius customers who are ready for more passenger room and utility space.
In the fall of 1966, Toyota began building what would become the world’s best-selling nameplate – Corolla. Now forty-three million cars later, the automaker brings us its 50th Anniversary Special Edition model of the 2017 Toyota Corolla.
Mid-size sedan sales have taken a bit of a dip over the past year or so with consumers opting instead for vehicles on the crossover utility side of showrooms. But it is not for lack of trying as sedans such as this 2017 Mazda6 from Mazda are some of the best yet produced by automakers.
I fibbed…a little. In my opening remarks in the last auto review, I stated that was my final rerun review for a while. Turns out, THIS is my last rerun review for a while. It is not a rerun for moi, but a rerun for GearDiary readers – the 2017 Volvo S90 sedan.
When Lexus launched the sixth-generation ES premium midsize sedan a few years back it used the tagline of ‘Impossible to ignore, impossible to forget.’ More recently, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Company has given the ES lineup a mild makeover, and over the holidays we took delivery of the 2017 Lexus ES 300h hybrid sedan in the test driveway.
This week I got a chance to try a new and exciting technology that was already present and built into several 2017 Audi models since June 1 but had just come online. V2I, or Vehicle to Infrastructure, Traffic Light Information is built into the Audi A4, Q7, and allroad models; the first city to offer it is Las Vegas, Nevada.
Buick is back, and this IS a Buick. After years of marketing folks telling us what was not one of its models, Buick is alive and well in the large sedan – and sporting its new corporate face – in the form of the 2017 Buick LaCrosse.
It was just three years ago that we reviewed the then all-new, second-generation Kia Forte sedan. We proclaimed our amazement at how far the Korean automaker had come in a relatively short time in this market, as well as just how good the new Forte was. Fast-forward to model year 2017 and the Kia Forte gets a makeover.
Several months ago I reviewed the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta sedan. I liked the car but it was a sedate, average daily driver. Recently I received the Jetta GLI, and I gotta tell ya, where the Jetta 1.8T left off the GLI begins, and for 2016 the GLI gets some nice upgrades.
Nissan’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. just got better. For the 2016 model year, the automaker has given its Altima midsize sedan a mid-cycle refresh inside and out. The new look embraces Nissan’s new Energetic Flow design language first seen in Murano and Maxima, and Altima also receives some significant technology upgrades as well.
This week, along with a number of other auto writers, I attended the national press introduction to the 2017 Kia Cadenza in Middleburg, Virginia. The only things that made the heat and humidity bearable were the beauty of our surroundings and the fun we had while driving Kia’s second-generation four-door sedan.
Luxury and performance are two words not always found together when describing sedans, and when they are it is usually being used as adjectives to describe German automobiles. Lexus wants to prove it can offer serious competition to the luxury sport sedans from Europe, and it arrives in the form of the new GS F.
Volkswagen has had some rough times lately but during its troubles with diesel fuel economy, the automaker still manages to build some good vehicles. The midsize 2016 Passat sedan, for example, is on par with its segment competitors and it offers a fun, powerful driving experience while offering very good value.
Over the past two years, Hyundai has rolled out three variations of its newest-generation Sonata midsize sedan. Last year we tested the Sonata and Sonata Sport versions powered by gasoline and/or turbocharged gasoline engines. Recently we got our turn behind the wheel of the new second-generation Sonata Hybrid sedan.
Last year Acura launched the all-new TLX premium luxury sport sedan. The TL/TSX replacement was well received both by consumers and automotive media alike. We reviewed the base model last year and recently spent time in a TLX with all the bells and whistles along with larger engine and advanced technology.
Remember the boxy Volvo 240 series sedans and station wagons that were so popular in the 70s and 80s? They were safe, iconic … and did I mention boxy? Well, the Volvo of today is still safe; whether the S90 will be iconic remains to be seen, but “boxy” is no longer a word to associate with the auto brand.
In the fall of 2012, Nissan reintroduced the Sentra compact sedan in its seventh generation form. For 2016, the automaker gives its popular little car a midlife makeover with new styling to match what we’ve seen in the rest of the family lately. Nissan has also updated safety and driving technologies as well.