Just wanted to say a quick “Howdy” to all of my friends at Toyota that will be heading here to North Texas in the next few years. Yes, the company has announced it is consolidating its three manufacturing, sales and marketing operations in one location in Plano, Texas, which is a northern suburb of Dallas.
One in every six vehicles sold in North America is a midsize sedan, so it goes without saying that automakers have to remain very competitive in this segment. Chrysler, while making a presence, has failed to deliver a compelling vehicle consumers have been drawn to. All that is about to change with the 2015 Chrysler 200.
Happy Birthday, Ford Mustang! The venerable icon Pony car turns 50 today and there has certainly been plenty of hoopla surrounding the event including placing an all-new 2015 Mustang atop the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York City. Ford also announced a special edition Mustang at the New York Auto Show this week.
I have a favorite new sport sedan and its the 2014 Chevy SS. This is Chevrolet’s first rear-drive performance sedan in nearly two decades and that last one had a nickname of “Shamu.” The Chevrolet SS sedan utilizes GM’s global rear-wheel-drive architecture that also underpins the Camaro but the new SS is more than merely a four-door Camaro, much more.
These days, remote start and keyless entry systems for cars are pretty standard, whether they’re standard features offered by the manufacturer or dealer, or something added with aftermarket accessories. Viper has taken that convenience one step further. Their new SmartKey VSK100 allows your iOS smartphone to be your car key, no app launch or passcode entry required.
As most have probably already learned, there is very little sport in sport utility vehicles. Generally they lean much heavier to the utility side of the equation. Unless you are the new Volvo XC60 R-Design with Polestar package and that is exactly what Volvo recently sent us. Sport…Utility…Vee-hickle – a midsize luxury SUV with a real emphasis on sport.
This year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety started a new crash test, the “small overlap test“. Effectively, this tests what happens when a front corner hits an obstacle, like a light pole or tree. Many, many cars have failed this test, but the videos of the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX-9 may scare you away from driving all day! Check out the CX-9 crash test: And here’s the Honda Pilot test: Scary, right? Drive safely out there, and you can see how various cars have performed in these tests at the IIHS site. Via Jalopnik
When Chevrolet introduced its new Silverado pickup model for 2014, GMC was also celebrating a new truck along with 111 years in the truck business. Sierra is GMC’s pickup line, and Denali is the range-topping package that recently arrived for us to test. The 2014 GMC Sierra Denali is their most powerful, most advanced and most refined truck yet.
You’ve probably seen the commercial, the one where the “know-it-all” guys are yelling at the female motorist telling her she is about to pump diesel fuel in her tank. Not sure how that campaign worked for Audi getting its point across that an attractive, quiet automobile can be a diesel, but driving the 2014 Audi A6 TDI sure works.
Judie spent this past weekend at motorcycle school working toward getting her motorcycle license. She needs it to drive her Elio. She wondered if I, with one wrist fully fused, will be able to pass my test. Suddenly my ability to drive MY 3-wheel car was in doubt. Would I be legally able to drive mine when it comes?
With the recent departure of the Compass model from Jeep showrooms, the automaker now anchors the entry end of its lineup with the Patriot compact SUV that boasts Jeep styling, Trail Rated 4×4 capability and, according to Jeep, is still the best priced SUV in America. For 2014 Patriot now offers up to 30 mpg thanks to a new transmission.
Ever wonder why the Elio cars Judie and I both pre-ordered this past January have two wheels in the front and one wheel in the back and not the other way around? This video from Top Gear shows why using the Reliant Robin as proof. Yes, it seems the Elio approach is stable. The Reliant Robin’s? Not so much.
Last year, Senior Editor Dan Cohen and I were introduced to the new 2014 Toyota Tundra fullsize pickup in separate launch events, his in an eastern state and mine out west. In his review, Dan began a conversation related to consumers who buy trucks out of necessity, but here in the Lone Star State, many are purchased merely for want.
The Mazda3 recently turned 10 years old, and to celebrate the automaker gave the world an all-new, third-generation model. Mazda‘s been a bridesmaid to other Japanese automakers for years, but with new releases like the CX-5, Mazda6 and this little gem, Mazda proves it deserves to be in the same conversations as the likes of Toyota and Honda.
I have written about this before, but I believe it bears repeating – model year 2014 is a great one for Jeep Grand Cherokee. So far we have tested the base V-6 model and the top-of-the-line, no holds barred SRT version and loved both. Now we take a look at the all-new 730-mile range EcoDiesel Grand Cherokee.
Dan reviewed the Escort Passport MAX not too long ago, and he concluded that it gave “far fewer false alerts than any other radar detector [he had] used.” That’s one of several reasons I had almost stopped using radar detectors years ago, but recently I’ve revisited this old-school solution because of several new features.
Last year we reviewed the ninth-generation Honda Accord sedan that quickly became one of our favorite new rides. Fast-forward a year, and we test the newest of that family in the form of the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid with the most significant difference being the next-generation two-motor hybrid-drive powertrain and, just like that, Honda has another hit on its hands.
Apple announces CarPlay which makes extensive of their Siri voice control software to control your iPhone 5 (or higher) while driving. Available on select cars (initially Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, and Ferrari) in 2014, the system will allow hands-free control of your iPhone and important apps such as phone, music, maps, messages as well as select third-party apps.
It never ceases to amaze me what people will pay to own a piece of pop culture; case in point, the 1987 Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio used in the Oscar nominated “Wolf of Wall Street”. I own a 1986 Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, and as much as I love my car, I’m shocked to see bidding for this one at $80,000+(!!).
There is a wolf in sheep’s clothing over in the Lexus stable and it comes in the form of the flagship 2014 Lexus LX 570 full-size luxury SUV. Be it atop the Continental Divide or the swankiest new spot in South Beach, occupants arrive in opulent style for any occasion in any location in this capable three-row luxury utility vehicle.
Last month we saw Lincoln take the wraps off its newest flagship SUV – the 2015 Navigator – and with it waved goodbye to the last V-8 engine (for now at least) from that storied automaker. This week Ford is debuting the next Expedition full-size SUV that also sheds the V-8 for the powerful, economical twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6.