Vehicles & Gear

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear April 9, 2010

2010 Toyota 4Runner the “Miley Cyrus” of SUVs

Photos courtesy of Toyota The State Fair of Texas hosted the world debut of the fifth-generation 4Runner midsize SUV this past fall. The event marked the 25th anniversary for 4Runner, and celebrating more than 1.5 million units sold since launch. “Backed by a quarter-century of heritage combined with the integration of the latest comfort, convenience and performance technologies, the all-new 4Runner has evolved into one of the most advanced mid-sized truck-based SUV’s on the market while at the same time staying true to its roots as a rugged and durable off-roader,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear April 7, 2010

Ford’s EcoBoost a real “Ego”Boost

Ford’s new engine technology – dubbed EcoBoost – might be a bit misleading to some underestimating driving enthusiasts. “The power of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a six” may not have motoring maniacs lining up at Ford and Lincoln dealerships, but it should. My first experience with EcoBoost was in the new Taurus SHO, and more recently I received both a Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS sporting the twin-turbocharged V-6 powerplant, and in all of them I was most pleasantly surprised. The driving experiences brought to mind a term I had not used in years – “street sleeper.”…

Vehicles & Gear March 25, 2010

Ford SYNC Technology Hits Milestone

photo courtesy of Ford The Ford SYNC voice-controlled communications and infotainment system made headlines this week with the 2-millionth installation. While all new Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles I have been testing over the past couple of years include this feature I must admit I rarely, if ever, use it. For one, I don’t talk on the phone while driving if at all possible. Secondly, I am not in most of these vehicles long enough to take full advantage of all of the features available with SYNC. And as I have discovered this week, while testing the cool new Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup, SYNC…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear March 22, 2010

2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster

For some strange reason (dumb luck I suppose), my time behind the wheel of the new 370Z from Nissan has been met with frustrating limitations. When first released in coupe form last year, I found myself only getting to spend an afternoon with the vehicle and most of that during rush hour. More recently, Nissan sent me the roadster version of their little sports car, and this occurred during the freak snowstorm around Valentine’s Day. Needless to say it was stuck in my driveway for several days, and I only got to drop the top once (OK, twice, but the…

Events, Vehicles & Gear March 11, 2010

Chevy launches social media vehicles at SXSW

Austin, Texas, home to the “Keep Austin Weird” campaign, is preparing for one of the hottest gatherings around – the annual South By Southwest Film, Interactive and Music festival – March 12-21. The breakdown is such: Interactive: March 12-16 Film: March 12-20 Music: March 17-21 Corporate sponsors have jumped on board and this year that includes Chevrolet, who seeks to showcase the automaker’s embracing of the social media world.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear March 8, 2010

2011 Ford Super Duty the answer to the $64,000 question

Didn’t Ford just give us a new Super Duty, like, two years ago? Yes they did. So why a complete makeover for this segment? The government. Yes, lawmakers in our nation’s capitol have mandated stricter emissions guidelines for the (diesel-powered) heavy duty pickup segment for 2010 and automakers have hit the end of their “grace periods.” Ford (with GM to soon follow and Chrysler did theirs last year) gave its Super Duty pickup line not only a pair of totally new engines and transmission, but decided to address the entire vehicle with this model makeover. The result? The baddest big…

Vehicles & Gear February 26, 2010

Suzuki makes Grand Vitara a bit, well, grander

The (possible) internal memo from Suzuki management to product team: “Make our sport utility Grand Vitara a bit grander.” Under the mantra of “Travel light and live fully,” Suzuki positions the Grand Vitara (along with some of its other vehicles) as a “lifestage” vehicle, not a move up or a move over.

Vehicles & Gear February 11, 2010

Snow Day with the Nissan Z Roadster

Nissan sent me the all-new Z roadster to test this week. Woohoo!

Vehicles & Gear February 5, 2010

As the wheel turns

With all of the headlines screaming recall, stuck pedals and brake failure, what is a driver supposed to do or think? First, don’t listen to the headlines or the top of the hour teasers as gospel, they are only there to hold your interest. Second, hit the good old internet, but take all commentary with a grain of salt. The flood of information, both good and bad, is sure to have many eyeballs straining, giving curious consumers headaches and more questions than answers. In my local news broadcast this morning the anchor was reading a story about Toyota thinking about…

Vehicles & Gear February 1, 2010

2010 Chevy Camaro RS

I admit I am old school and I apologize … for nothing. I learned to type (originally) on a manual typewriter and perfected that craft on an IBM Selectric. I learned to drive in the family station wagon, before I had to wear a seatbelt. I still look forward to receiving the National Geographic magazine in the mail each month (although for slightly different reasons than when I was a young lad), and I get my hair cut by a barber. And I still LOVE Camaros. Sure, I have adopted modern technology into my current lifestyle and life stage, and…

Vehicles & Gear January 21, 2010

10 for 2010

Once again automakers rolled out some eye candy at the annual North American International (Detroit) Auto Show. And once again it leaves many of us wondering which of the vehicles on display will actually make it into production, will they be affordable and are they really practical. Inspired by this, I am rolling out a list of 10 things to watch in 2010.

Vehicles & Gear January 15, 2010

Mercedes E Coupe and Honda Insight

I am going to wrap a pair of vehicles into this Grinding Gears entry. As we head down the 2010 highway I need to do a bit of housekeeping left over from the last decade. This time around I offer a coupe from across the Atlantic and a hybrid from across the Pacific.

Vehicles & Gear January 11, 2010

Detroit updates: Keep up with all the 2010 NAIAS news

For those wishing all the latest news from media days at the 2010 North American International Auto Show here are a few suggestions: Follow: @NAIASDetroit or @FreepAutos Automakers will be generating lots of news at breakneck speed at this year’s shortened media preview event today, Jan. 11 and tomorrow, Jan. 12. When it is all said and done I will provide my own wrap-up along with my promised 10for’10, a look at the top 10 things to keep an eye on this year in the automotive industry. Ford Motor Company has already made headlines this morning by earning both North…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear January 8, 2010

2010 Ram Heavy Duty

As the automotive industry prepares for the 2010 North American International Auto Show I thought I would lead my ‘teen’ reviews with the vehicle that garnered truck of the year honors, the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty. Notice I did not say “Dodge Ram” as the vehicle brand. Chrysler has chosen to spin its truck division apart from the Dodge world and simply call it “Ram.”

Vehicles & Gear December 30, 2009

Grinding Gears top nine from 2009

This past calendar year has been an active one in the automotive industry. The federal government moved in to assist two of Detroit’s brands survive into the new year. We saw severe budget cuts, inventory and dealership reductions, reorganizations and a renewed push towards a “greener” future. As we prepare for 2010, much is still the same. Politicians are still politicians, we still have loved ones defending the world on foreign soil and consumers are still buying cars and trucks. Before the world turns the calendar to the “green teens,” here is a look back at some highlights – my…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear December 11, 2009

Jaguar and Land Rover spice things up but hold the curry

They may not be serving hamburgers at the corporate cookouts anymore, but luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover still have the heart and soul of the British Isles. The 2008 purchase by India’s largest automaker Tata is yet to be readily apparent and each luxury brand is still about two-thirds UK sourced and about one-fifth German. For 2010, each line gets some minor touchups (OK, the Jag XJ is all new, and Land Rover upgrades LR3 to a 4), but the biggest news is under the hood. New V-8 engines all around for the two brands, complete with more power…

Vehicles & Gear December 4, 2009

New Dodge Ram 1500 charges head-on at competition

It all started on a frigid morning in downtown Detroit outside the North American International Auto Show in January, 2008. Anticipation was in the air (along with our frozen breath) as thousands of journalists eagerly waited for the thunderous roar that was coming around the corner. Dodge decided to introduce the all-new Ram 1500 pickup to the world in unique fashion – a cattle drive through the streets of motor city. About one hundred longhorn steers escorted the new Dodge Ram to the press event.

Vehicles & Gear November 30, 2009

GM posts new videos online

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear November 17, 2009

2010 GMC Terrain changing landscape of crossovers

Crossover utility vehicles are to the new millenium what minivans were to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s – all the rage. It seems, however, that many of their designs seem to blend together, especially when friends get together and try to describe one they don’t know the name or brand of. “It’s that one with the round face and kind of rounded roofline, you know, the one that looks like an over-inflated sport hatchback…” or something like that. GMC’s latest – the 2010 Terrain – seeks to step apart from that confusing landscape.

Vehicles & Gear November 6, 2009

Is the honeymoon over?

The other day I was asked one of the most common questions folks inquire of me once they learn of my automotive alter ego – “Driven anything exciting lately?” Normally I jump right in and rifle off any number of makes and models that have graced my driveway in recent weeks and months. This time was different though, this one gave me pause. Had I driven anything exciting lately, I wondered? If so, why is that answer not spilling forth from my vocal chords as has so often happened in the past? Have I become complacent to the automotive industry…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear October 30, 2009

2010 Kia Soul built to rock and roll

Apparently, funky is going mainstream in the auto industry. What began as a unique phenomena over at a little startup division of Toyota has now spread across other Asian automaker model lines. Nissan challenged the squared Scion with a Cube and now Kia has put their heart and “Soul” into the mix. (Sorry, had to work the pun in somewhere.)

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