Articles by David Goodspeed

Ford Adds EcoBoost to the 2012 Edge Lineup

The Edge crossover utility vehicle paved the way to a new segment for Ford to compete in and since its introduction several years ago the model line has proved very popular. Last model year, Ford raised the bar a bit higher by updating styling and technology while also adding the Edge Sport model aimed at customers wanting a fresher, hipper crossover. This year, Ford gives consumers a broader choice for powering their Edge by adding EcoBoost technology to the model lineup. For 2012, Ford drops a 240hp turbocharged 2.0-liter GTDI four-cylinder engine under the hood bringing near V-6 performance with…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8 Most Powerful Jeep Yet

With gas prices continuing to drop across the U.S., perhaps it is time to start thinking about that “impulse” purchase you put off when a gallon of the precious fuel rose to near 4-bucks-per. I recommend Jeep’s new “MUV” or Musclecar Utility Vehicle. Recently we spent a week in the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, the most powerful production Jeep on the road, period. SRT has released an SRT8 Grand Cherokee previously but for 2012 the hot rod gets the beefier 470hp 6.4-liter V-8 HEMI that also delivers 465 lb. ft. of torque. And get this – the new Jeep still…

Vehicles & Gear

Plugging Into the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

My knowledge of and experience in electric vehicles has grown exponentially this past weekend as I spent time with the new all-electric entry from Mitsubishi – the 2012 i-MiEV. Mitsubishi would like the world to simply call the little EV “i” but since even its own paperwork and fender badging utilizes the “MiEV” (Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle) nomenclature I am sticking with it as well. The automaker has been testing the MiEV for a few years with this 2012 model being its first full production unit. Availability is still a bit limited but consumers nationwide should be able to get one…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Is the 2012 Scion iQ the ‘Smart’ Choice?

Move over smart car, Scion is taking over the micro-subcompact car segment with its iQ. The new Scion iQ is being touted as the world’s smallest four-seater and adds yet another model to the funky spinoff division of Toyota. I had been looking forward to testing this new little urban go-kart. I find its design much more appealing than Daimler’s smartfortwo U.S. model and its onroad experience is light years ahead of the smart car. But I do have two requests for Scion in the iQ: First, please stop calling this a four-seater – it ain’t. A third occupant maybe…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

The 2012 Buick Regal GS Is a ‘Hot Wheels’

Growing up it seemed as though it was all about my “Hot Wheels,” riding backwards in the rear-most seat of the family truckster, and watching the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Since then, not too much has changed really. Substitute the Daytona 500 for the Indy race, and I hardly ever ride anymore as I am always driving news cars to review, but it is still all about the “hot wheels” and I don’t just mean the kids’ toy. Sure I have a sizable collection of the little metal cars (including many I owned as a child) but being…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2013 Scion FR-S Is One Friggin’ Really Sweet Ride

No sooner than we took our seats in the movie theater-turned presentation room at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas that we knew this was unmistakably a Scion program. Thumping music, flashy images and video – and everything product-centric. Scion is the new, trendy little division of Toyota and we were here to experience the all-new rear drive sport coupe co-developed with Subaru and marketed as the Scion FR-S here in the States. With the exception of its Lexus luxury division, Toyota has been out of the rear wheel-drive car segment in the U.S. for quite some time. Well,…

Testing Nissan's 2012 Armada Platinum 4x4 Brought on Some 'Vuja De'

Vehicles & Gear

Testing Nissan’s 2012 Armada Platinum 4×4 Brought on Some ‘Vuja De’

As soon as I slid behind the wheel of Nissan Armada full-size SUV in Platinum 4×4 trim I was overcome with a weird sense of deja vu, as in, “Didn’t I just review one of these?” Yes – and no. I have had the Nissan Titan pickup and a 2011 and 2012 Infiniti QX56 luxury SUV (which, by the way, received a makeover) in the past year so technically one could surmise I had reviewed the Nissan Armada already. The Armada utilizes the same F-Alpha platform underpinning the Titan pickup and the QX models but to be fair (and as…

Vehicles & Gear

2012 Honda Ridgeline puts ‘Sport’ in Sport Utility Truck

I seem to be taking delivery of a lot of trucks here lately but I don’t mind one bit as I reside in the No. 1 truck market in the world (AKA Texas). Texans use pickups for much more than just work vehicles. For many families these are the only vehicle as they have become that utilitarian. And manufacturers have broadened the choices across the pickup lines to meet individual needs of as many buyers as they possibly can. Down here you would think it is the Texas version of the “New Deal” paraphrased to “a pickup in every garage.”…

Outdoors, Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Case Logic and LoveCases Can Outfit You for your Next Adventure, Urban or Remote

I love it when a great plan comes together, even if totally by accident. Recently Gear Diary received a request from LoveCases online camera bag and gear case retailer to pick a bag or two we would like to review. As many of the bags they offer are for photographic gear I was asked if I would like to participate. I jumped at the chance despite my being smack-dab in the middle of recuperation from right shoulder surgery and at the time could not even pick up a camera let alone shoot with it. As my shoulder progressed so did…

Vehicles & Gear

Jaguar XKR-S Convertible: The Big Cat Daddy in the Texas Hill Country

It’s been no secret that the convertible hot rod coupes from Jaguar have been some of my favorite cars to drive. Most recently I spent a week behind the wheel of the newest, baddest cat on the block, the XKR-S Convertible. Jaguar released the R-S series to stand above the already improved “R”-designate cars and I would volunteer that the “S” implies spectacular as that is what I found my driving experience in the big kitty to be. While the supercharged 550hp XKR-S in coupe form begs for track time, our tester convertible screamed “Road Trip” – and that is…

Vehicles & Gear

Spring is (Always) in the Air in 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350

Ah, spring is in the air and for many our thoughts are turned towards taking short (or long) weekend getaways as we welcome back warmer weather, higher pollen counts (and fuel prices) – and top-down driving. Here in the sunbelt states we are already enjoying our first sunburn of the season but for those of you not fortunate enough to be shedding woolen attire yet I invite you to “cheat” convertible season a bit in the new Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster. The 2012 model year is the third-generation of the cute little hard-top convertible that I affectionately refer to as a…

Gear Bits

Outta This World: GM/NASA Develop Robotic Glove

Five years ago, researchers and scientists from General Motors and NASA began collaborating on a project called Robonaut 2 (R2 for short) that led to launching the first human-like robot into space in 2011 that is now a permanent resident in the International Space Station. Now the two are jointly developing a robotic glove inspired by the unprecedented level of hand dexterity on R2 and they call it the Human Grasp Assist, a.k.a. K-glove, a.k.a. Robo-Glove. The first prototype of the glove was completed in March, 2011 with a second-gen model arriving just three months after that. The current Robo-Glove…

Vehicles & Gear

2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist

Poor Rip Van Winkle, if he were to awake today he would not recognize so many things that have exist today that were not here when he laid down to take his nap. Things like smartphones, American Idol, children not being spanked – and Buick. Sure, Buick was a division of General Motors 20 years ago but it looked nothing like it does today. Perhaps no other automotive division has undergone such a radical product transformation as Buick has in the past two decades. As one of the surviving members in the GM family, Buick dealerships no longer resemble the…

Reviews

Vintage Camera app a real ‘Square’

In it’s first month of availability, Vintage Camera, a simple, straightforward photography app, was downloaded by more than 3 million users and was one of the most downloaded free apps during the holiday season. Vintage Camera, developed by Presselite, is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and requires iOS 4.0 and later. It is offered as a free download in base form with the professional version priced at just 99 cents in the Apple App Store. Vintage Camera, now in version 1.2, utilizes a square format for image capture and offers choice of after effects the user can…

Vehicles & Gear

New Prius c Cute, Compact City Slicker

The newest member if the Toyota Prius hybrid family has arrived – the Prius c. The “c” refers to city, where the new compact hybrid’s use is primarily intended. Aimed towards urbanite millennials, Prius c offers Toyota’s Synergy Hybrid gas/electric drive technology in a more compact package. Prius c is a “two-thirds” scale model of the original Prius hatchback styled in a small sportwagon design. Joining fellow Prii (the chosen plural form for the moniker) Prius, Prius v, and Prius Plug-In, Prius c allows drivers to operate the vehicle in EV-only or combined gasoline and electric power. The combustion engine…

Editorials, Vehicles & Gear

Cadillac Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Making Cars Less ‘Cranky’

Talk about taking technology for granted, how about the electric starter? Cadillac is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its debut of electric start technology that first appeared in its 1912 Cadillac Touring Edition. Before this ground breaking innovation, cars were a bit “cranky.” Literally. Back then it took a hand crank and some muscle power to turn over the motor to be able to drive your vehicle.

Vehicles & Gear

Mazda Makes Minivans Cool(ish) With Mazda5

How does one go about making a minivan cool? Mazda makes it a Mazda5. While more of a “mini” minivan, the 2012 Mazda5 offers what they term “seductive smartness” design elements, unique not only for this segment but any segment close to it. The Mazda5 was developed in the middle of last decade as the automaker’s answer to dwindling minivan sales and as a replacement for its own MPV model. Dubbed a multi-activity vehicle (MAV) the Mazda5 is compromise between wagon and van and after spending a week behind the wheel of one I find it offers the perfect blend…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

‘Godzilla’ Terrorizes City Streets: Mothra and Rodan Flee in Fear

Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say “Godzilla?” For most it is the star of childhood monster movies that feature horrible voice-dubbing. For the true auto enthusiast it means one thing – Nissan GT-R. I took delivery of a 2012 GT-R for Super Bowl weekend and despite a few little things, this is one SUPER car. GT-R is the North American version of the Skyline GT-R, Nissan’s answer to the likes of Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and ZR-1. The 2012 model GT-R generates a modest 530 horsepower and 448 lb. ft. of…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2012 Toyota Yaris Marks Forward Progress for Automaker

Toyota is working feverishly to recover from a few setbacks in global production last year. Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the automaker in the Asia-Pacific regions in 2011, and at a time when Toyota was releasing new or redesigned product. One such re-launch is the 2012 Yaris. Toyota has found that 70 percent of new car buyers in the subcompact segment prefer the liftback (hatchback) body styling. It is because of this that the Yaris sedan is gone from the lineup with 2012 models arriving in base LE three-door or, as in the case of our recent tester, a five-door…

Vehicles & Gear

2012 Land Rover Ranger Rover Supercharged Still the One For Me

With the new year upon us (and nearly a month down already) I feel it is time once again to answer that question I hear all-too-often: “David, what is your favorite vehicle?” At the end of the day when it is all said and done (and money is no object), my fave still remains the flagship of the Land Rover fleet – the Range Rover Supercharged. And most recently, the pride of Solihull, England and the guardian of her royal majesty has found its way back into my life, albeit for a mere half a fortnight. Range Rover is billed…

Vehicles & Gear

2012 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X: Everything You Need. Period.

For some automakers, reinventing the wheel seems to be a common theme for certain model lines in order to remain competitive. For Nissan and its Xterra sport ute, the wheel works just fine. Aside from a mid-decade styling makeover and switch to the Nissan’s new truck-based F-Alpha platform, Xterra has continued to prove itself worthy in the contemporary “daily driven offroader” segment that includes the likes of 4Runner and Liberty. Nissan gives Xterra most of the modern amenities found across its utility and truck line of vehicles while not abandoning a rugged architecture for the full-out adventurists in the world….

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