Vehicles & Gear

2011 Kia Sportage: I like you fine, thanks

I really don’t know much about those sock puppets featured in the new Kia Sportage commercials and I am no expert in marketing but I do know a good thing when I see one, and the completely new-for-2011 Sportage compact CUV is a good thing. I recognize the Kia marketing team’s efforts and believe they have done wonders for the brand. That is not to take away from designers and engineers at the automaker, though, far from it. A clever commercial or two on national television is still not going to insure corporate success if the product does not stand…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Fun around every corner in Honda Civic Si

Bold would be an adequate way to describe some of Honda’s design choices in recent years. Ridgeline? Bold. Element? Bold. Civic? You guessed it – bold. Honda took a giant leap of faith when redesigning their popular small vehicle lineup a short while back, but that is what the automaker has been doing well over the past couple of decades – taking giant leaps of faith followed by success of nearly all of those choices. As energy prices soared ever higher, droves of consumers headed down the model lines to units they probably once sought to intimidate from behind the…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Suzuki Kizashi SLS Sport: Something great is coming?

Something great is coming, that is what Suzuki is telling me with the arrival of its all-new sport sedan Kizashi (pronounced Kee-Zah-Shee) model. So let me get this straight, this new vehicle is the something great or this car is the messenger telling us something great is coming? Either way, in my opinion something great is already here – the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi SLS Sport. Many hold strong to the “first impressions are usually right” theory and my first impressions of this car are very positive. I remember Kizashi arriving in concept form a couple of years ago and looked…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Ford F-150: The Power of Four

The Ford F-Series pickup has led the sales chart for what seems like forever and is still the top-selling truck and top-selling vehicle in North America. So one might think the automaker is taking a huge gamble by totally revamping the powertrain lineup in a single strike. This is the first time any manufacturer has ever completely replaced every engine and Ford is going “all-in” with a pair of sixes and a pair of eights. Ford F150 team members hosted media from all over the country to introduce the automotive press to the new powertrains. An entire day was devoted…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Good is as good does, and good is the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

“So – what’s good?” Oh, don’t I wish I had a nickel for every time I am asked this question about new cars. And “good” can mean so many things to so many folks. A quick check over at thesaurus.com gave me some 250-plus ways to describe “good.” I would add to the list the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s good – darned good. I guess good minds think alike in Detroit these days as both Jeep and Ford are delivering completely new vehicles carrying each automaker’s iconic SUV moniker. Ford is readying a new Explorer later this fall and…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Ford celebrating Vans and 8-Tracks

Ford Motor Company is celebrating a couple of milestones this week. The first is the 50th anniversary of the E-Series fullsize van, originally called Econoline. Second, and more importantly to some of us, is the 45th anniversary of its first offering of an 8-track tape player option in its vehicles. In 1965, car buyers were given a new option for factory sound systems. An 8-track stereo tape player was being offered in new 1966 model Mustangs, T-Birds and Lincolns. This new recorded music format was developed by Lear Jet along with the assistance of Ampex, Ford, General Motors, Motorola and…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: Concept to Reality

all images by author The best-kept secret at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show was the unveiling of the CTS Coupe Concept from Cadillac. No pre-show hype or buildup surrounding this baby, all the drool during the reveal was real. And in less than three years this hot little number is rolling off production lines nearly unchanged from the original concept. The 2011 CTS Coupe arrived in August as the new focal point of the Cadillac product lineup and is offered in base (as if any Caddy could be called a base model) and supercharged V race trim. While based on…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Jaguar XKR convertible

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Jaguar, a luxury British automobile company that saw life when William Lyons was seeking a name for a new sports car he had built. In 1935, the SS 100 became the world’s first Jaguar. Since then the brand has become synonymous with a blend of grace, elegance, power and agility.

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

OnStar celebrating 15 years of driver assistance, safety

“You can always trust your car to the man who wears the (On)Star…” OK, I took a little poetic license with the catchy marketing tune from decades ago but full service gas stations where a driver can simply pull into and find directions or get a quick check under the hood have long disappeared from the American motoring landscape. Filling some of that void over the past 15 years has been OnStar, the driver assistance technology included in most (and now all) new GM vehicles driven off the lot.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

First Drive: 2011 HD trucks from General Motors

This past winter we got our first experience with the new Heavy Duty trucks from Ram. Spring brought a new Super Duty from Ford (along with more HD Rams) and finally, summer 2010 put us in the driver seat of the newest big rigs from General Motors, wearing Silverado and Sierra badging. Along the way I noticed one thing different about the way marketing folks presented information from their colleagues pitching cars and SUVs – customer conquests. It seems truck buyers, especially heavy duty truck buyers, remain very brand loyal. Three-quarter- and one-ton pickups account for about 30 percent of…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

First Drive: 2011 Scion tC

The freshman class of the Scion tC proved to be quite successful for the “garage band” division of Toyota. In fact, since its launch as a 2005 model, the little coupe has accounted for more than a third of Scions sales despite having the shortest production run (when combining xA and xD units). This is the best selling model in its showroom so for the model makeover one thing is painfully clear – don’t screw it up. Stick to your roots, stick to what brung ya’ here and stick it to the competition. And that is what Scion is doing….

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

I was invited down to San Antonio, Texas recently to get my first experience with this new compact vehicle from Chevrolet that is replacing the Cobalt model. The new vehicle, set to arrive in dealerships in September, is called Cruze. One of my first questions during a marketing presentation was “What is the origin of the name Cruze?” Seems I stumped the panel. No one could give me an answer. Here in front of my computer I search the interwebs and discover that Cruze has been used by GM since 2001 and this “all-new” vehicle is actually the second-generation of…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Subaru Outback: Swiss Army Knife on Wheels

If I were told today that I would have to choose only one vehicle that I would drive for the rest of my life, not knowing what the rest of my life would entail, that vehicle might very well be a Subaru. And tempted as I would be to pick something like the WRX, in the end my decision would probably be the Outback.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Eruption to Evolution: 2011 Buick Regal

I was excited to see Buick resurrecting the Regal model this year. My first real experience with the badge dates to my car cruising years of the mid-1980s and the popular scene on Cooper Street in Arlington, Texas. Those were also my ear-shattering car stereo years where us early adopters were tearing out complete interiors to accommodate our rolling sound systems. I drove a 1983 Olds Cutlass and had been hearing about a fella out there in Arlington who drove a maroon Regal nicknamed “Eruption” as an homage to Eddie Van Halen.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Honda Accord Crosstour and Acura ZDX crosswhatevers

“But, what are they?” As if to corner the market on producing the most polarizing vehicles for the 2010 model year, Honda and its luxury division Acura have each released a new vehicle that almost forces consumers to scratch their heads faster than the heartbreak of psoriasis. No definitive term has surfaced yet to identify the niche segment the new Accord Crosstour from Honda and ZDX from Acura occupy yet automotive history has seen similar units before. When I first gazed my attention to these marriages of sedan and crossover utility vehicle I was served with an image circa 1981-82…

News & Features, Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Toyota Tacoma now calling Texas home

Big news for Texas and Toyota yesterday. OK, the news actually came out a while back that the automaker would shift midsize pickup production to their full-size truck plant in San Antonio but it was guns blazing Friday as Governor Rick Perry helped kick off the official celebration.

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Ford Explorer: Back from the drawing board

Welcome to July 26, 2010, or what the folks in Dearborn, Michigan are calling “Ford Explorer Day.” Ford Motor Company has become known for segment-defining vehicles in its rich history. The Model T, the Model A, F-series pickup, the OG pony car Ford Mustang and a vehicle that began a new revolution when introduced in 1990, the Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle. In recent years, Explorer (and nearly all SUVs) have fallen from their lofty perches in manufacturers lineups. SUV buyers were pulled into the segment due to attributes of these utilitarian workhorses. Haul the family, haul a trailer and…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2010 Nissan Titan in Heavy Metal Chrome

The more things change, the more some things seem to stay the same. Take Nissan’s Titan fullsize pickup. When first introduced it bowed with the highest power in the half-ton segment nearly eight years ago and was one of the first to offer more than four gears in an automatic. As we approach the arrival of the 2011 model vehicles on the lot, Titan has fallen nearly to the back of the pack. It is still a robust truck but Nissan has been putting most of its attention of late into the smaller spectrum of the lineup leaving the fullsize…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Ford to launch next Explorer into cyberspace

No pyrotechnics, no dazzling light show or blaring music, no lasers and no Vogue runway models. Ford Motor Company will not be using any of the usual tricks and effects found surrounding a new model launch when they introduce the world to the 2011 Ford Explorer next week. Instead, they plan on a massive Facebook attack combined with face-to-face events in key markets throughout North America. Like pornstars and musicians before them, automakers are migrating to the web for their venue of choice to reach the masses.

News & Features, Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Ford Fusion update: A really good ‘Sport’

The Calendar had not quite read 2009 yet but I remember a chilly day in Michigan when the good folks over at Ford introduced us to our first 2010 model – the Fusion, complete with hybrid and sport versions. Ford Motor Company invited journalists up to its Dearborn world headquarters in December, 2008, for a “hush-hush” sneak peek of some of its new product, and this included the made-over 2010 Ford Fusion lineup. For 2010, engineers and designers gave the midsized sedan entirely new front and rear clips as well as totally refreshing the interior. In addition, powertrain upgrades have…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

How to complete your Ram Heavy Duty fashion statement? Accessorize!

This past winter I ran my first review of the new-for-2010 Ram Heavy Duty pickup line. (Notice I did not say “Dodge Ram” as the vehicle brand. Remember, Chrysler has chosen to spin its truck division apart from the Dodge world and simply call it “Ram.”) It was a Ram 3500 Crew Cab duallie 4×4 in SLT trim. Since then my driveway has been blessed with two additional Ram HD test models, each sporting some nifty accessories to help consumers further personalize their individual vehicles.

« 1 … 31 32 33 34 35 … 39 »