Cars

Vehicles & Gear December 7, 2011

Nissan JUKE Puts the ‘Fun’ in Funky

The segment is urban sport cross(over) and the manufacturer is Nissan and for the many of you (like me, initially) wondering what the heck this vehicle is I present the JUKE. Funky name and a funky style to be sure but one spin around the block and JUKE proves itself a worthy competitor in this, and the global, market. After Cube and LEAF, Nissan brought JUKE to the U.S. showing it is not afraid to release vehicles with somewhat polarizing style and appeal. JUKE is certainly not for someone who wants to blend in – buy an Altima for that….

Reviews December 2, 2011

Find Your Way and Be Safer on the Road With OnStar FMV Review

When we needed a new car last week one thing was clear- I wanted to lease one with all the technological bells and whistles I could find. After all, I’ve been whining and complaining about not having integrated Bluetooth and navigation in my car and my mechanic, and Elana, had been hearing a refrain of “Is it time yet?” for months. So I now have Bluetooth, navigation, destination assistance with real human beings on the other end of the call and impact/emergency detection. Had we not needed a new car however I would most likely have been putting one of…

Vehicles & Gear December 2, 2011

Good Day at the Track with 2013 Lexus GS Just Got Better

I was planning on introducing you to the all-new 2013 Lexus GS luxury sport sedan this week as I have just returned from an awesome day at the track with the new models, but Judie kind of stole my thunder last week. [Sorry! -Judie] So instead perhaps I will regale you with word of the OTHER Lexus that showed up while us autowriters were putting GS through its paces. Ya’all ever heard of the LFA? Well, Lexus invited us to spend some seat time riding shotgun with factory driver Ron Newsome as we zipped around the road course on the…

News & Features November 23, 2011

February Will Bring the Launch of an All New 2013 Lexus GS

Some of you will recall our ‘Guess what I am and Win’ contest series which offered a prize package consisting of: 2 one-year Pandora One premium subscriptions 4 movie tickets a month for a year from MovieTickets.com A $250 OpenTable dining card The clues were: My screen width is wider than an iPad I can help you plan your dinner-and-a-movie night out. and I can read your SMS texts for you…and even respond, if you like. The answer, as EdifyHimDaily soon guessed, was the 2013 Lexus GS. Some of you might have wondered what the prize package had to do…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear November 16, 2011

Finally, the Real Ford Focus Comes to America

I’ve been waiting for the 2012 Ford Focus for a very long time. Even as Ford was rolling out the red carpet on the last generation Focus compact in 2007 I was waiting for this car. Heck, my anticipation goes back a decade. Well, it’s here and in usual Ford fashion Focus arrived in a flurry of product placement as it has been driven on nearly every reality TV show this year. I first saw the latest Focus in its new plant last December as Ford allowed us an insider view of the assembly facility it had completely rebuilt specifically…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear November 11, 2011

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Is One Bad Pony Car

The Boss is back – and it is bad***. The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 is the most fun I have had in a pony car since, well, ever. I even like this new Ford more than my cherished ’69 Camaro with the solid lifter crate motor. Ford has brought its heritage forward four score as they re-release the Boss 302 on the newest Mustang platform. Originally released in 1969, the Boss 302 was the first of three Boss factory performance models and was intended to help Ford compete in SCCA racing. Fast forward to 2011 and the new Boss lives…

Vehicles & Gear November 7, 2011

2012 Toyota Camry More of the Same Except Everything Has Changed

Toyota has been making its Camry sedan for 28 years with most of those built right here in the U.S. of A. at its Georgetown plant. For the past nine years the Camry has been the best-selling car in America. And the entire time Toyota has not had to resort to using adventure, culture, heritage, patriotism or even sex to move these vehicles. The Toyota Camry does what it does best – it sells itself. For 2012 Toyota delivers an all-new, 7th generation Camry with 100 percent new sheet metal while exterior dimensions remain the same. Inside, however, the sedan…

Vehicles & Gear October 26, 2011

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan Cheapest Real Estate Around

The new Versa Sedan from Nissan offers some of the cheapest real estate on the market today. Completely redesigned for 2012, Nissan touts the new little four-door as “Small on the outside, big on the inside.” And actually it isn’t really that small on the outside. What is small is the pricetag as compared to the market today. For 2012, Versa Sedan rolls in at just under 11 grand. Yes, $10,990 will get you a brand new Nissan, if you can find one of those entry models on the dealer lot. Figure spending something more in the ballpark of 15-16…

Vehicles & Gear October 12, 2011

2012 Cadillac SRX Gets a New Ticker

The Cadillac SRX is all-new for 2012 – under the hood that is. The current generation luxury crossover came to life a couple of years ago after a complete transformation that brought SRX from a “don’t-call-me-a-wagon” wagon to a modern sport-luxe utility. Sharing the same platform as the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, the 2012 SRX now sports one engine offering, that being a peppy direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6 that cranks out 308hp and 265 lb. ft. of torque. This is sent to the front or all four wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox with a driver-selectable Eco mode for enhanced…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear October 5, 2011

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 Delivers The Goods

Some things in life just don’t live up to the hype. Take, for instance, the much anticipated iPhone announcement this week. For many like me, it was a disappointment. Fortunately not all things fall into this category of “much ado/much a didn’t.” The new Chrysler 300 SRT8 is a shining example of “delivering the goods.” I was all set to be underwhelmed with this latest overhyped made in Detroit machine. When first seeing the redesign of the model line last year my reaction was melancholy at best and to be perfectly honest I never quite got all the popularity of…

Vehicles & Gear September 28, 2011

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Cheaper Does Not Mean Cheapened

Volkswagen is in the midst of a product transformation. For model year 2011 it completely redesigned the popular Jetta and this year they are introducing a new Passat and Beetle. While giving the vehicles more precise lines there seems to be a strong determination to clean things up and simplify design and content while at the same time placing a great deal of urgency on “getting things right.” We recently spent time in the new Jetta sedan and I believe they are “getting it right.” Ours was a TDI model featuring a fuel-thrifty 2.0-liter 140hp turbodiesel inline four-cylinder engine in…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear September 18, 2011

2011 Honda CR-Z Compact Sport Coupe Hybrid a Bit of a Surprise

The CR-Z from Honda was a bit of a surprise for me: A surprise it took Honda so long to come out with a modern version of its popular little car; a surprise it came out as a hybrid; and a surprise that I found myself a little disappointed by the whole thing. As a modern CR-X, it has gained a bit of size and heft and as a hybrid it comes up a bit short on gas mileage. The new CR-Z gets worse fuel economy (highway and averaged) than quite a few gasoline-only cars currently in the Honda fleet…

Vehicles & Gear September 8, 2011

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon in a Class (Almost) By Itself

Where have all the wagons gone? Long time passing… (Apologies to Pete Seeger and his classic tune from 1961.) Apparently station wagons fell from the good graces of the auto-buying public being replaced first with the minivan, then the SUV and now the crossover and hatchback. But for those who have not lost the love for the “family truckster” look no further than your closest luxury car dealer. Seems the place to find this segment is in the higher-end markets as brands such as Acura, Cadillac, and Mercedes all offer the long, low “sedans with a greenhouse.” Volkswagen still offers…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear August 30, 2011

Fiat’s New 500c Cabrio: Now THAT’S Italian!

Move over MINI, we got the real Italian Job right here… Fiat is taking the ‘New World’ by storm and the hottest thing since the Vespa scooter has landed in America – the Fiat 500c Cabrio. The first “Nuova Cinquecento” debuted in the summer of 1957 as a cabriolet model and offered a distinctive canvas roof that opened right down the middle to the rear of the vehicle. Fast forward 54 years and Fiat builds on the brand’s spirit of building world-class small cars that ignite a “spirit of the times through simple design.” Sporting unique but modern Italian styling,…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear August 19, 2011

Stylish New Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Lacks Finesse, but So Did All the Others At First

The Korean automakers have gotten into the hybrid game finally and the first models to market from Kia and Hyundai are on the shared midsize sedan platform of Sonata and Optima. Recently I spent some time with the former sporting what Hyundai has dubbed its Hybrid Blue Drive system. During the time I had the vehicle I was noticing some blogs reporting steering issues and a technical bulletin issued by the manufacturer addressing some torque-steer issues with certain Sonata and Optima sedans. I found this interesting as no sooner than I headed out the driveway I found myself pulling over…

Vehicles & Gear August 15, 2011

Infiniti Redesigns the Flagship, Delivers All-New 2011 QX56

Photos by the Author While the flagship QX from Infiniti arriving in new form and function was news in and of itself, what really excited me was the possibility of its beefier powertrain rolling over to the shared platform of the Titan pickup. I have seen the new spec sheet for the 2012 Titan and my bubble burst – more of the same old, same old I am afraid. The large rigs in the Nissan/Infiniti stable all shared the same basic architecture that supports the same V-8 engine pushing the rear or all four wheels on a frame-based skeleton so…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear August 3, 2011

OnStar Testing New Family Link Vehicle Location Alert Program

It’s 10 P.M. Do you know where your children are? Soon parents may be able to answer a resounding “Yes” to this question thanks to a new program being tested by OnStar. OnStar has launched a pilot program called Family Link to explore ways subscribers can stay connected to their loved ones when driving OnStar-equipped vehicles and one highlight of that new service is Vehicle Locate where the subscriber can log on to the Family Link Web site to view a map with the vehicle’s exact location at any time. “Our subscribers have asked us for a solution to help…

Vehicles & Gear July 28, 2011

Grinding Gears in the 2011 Subaru WRX STi

The ubiquitous star of the World Rally Championship circuit and edgy X-game competition has brought even more excitement and performance to the model you and I can call a daily driver. In 2008, Subaru redesigned and rebuilt the Impreza lineup. In 2009, the WRX team worked toward a goal termed “Kyo-Ka” (translated from Japanese as “strengthening”) to make the Impreza model even more appealing to factory tuner aficionados. For 2011 buyers now have a choice of two body styles for the first time ever with the STi logo on them. A “wide and low” four-door sedan model returns to accompany…

Vehicles & Gear July 18, 2011

2011 Dodge Durango More Than Merely ‘Best Yet’

To say the 2011 Dodge Durango is the best yet is an understatement. Previous versions were a bit overweight and somewhat unrefined so improving the SUV would not take much. For this makeover Dodge engineers went above and beyond. Choosing to begin with a clean slate, they tapped an architecture already in the pipeline from the days of corporate partnership with Daimler. The new Durango, as with the latest Grand Cherokee from Jeep, rides on the platform designed for the next Mercedes-Benz M-Class crossovers and boy do they benefit from it. While retaining rear-wheel drive design the new platform sheds…

Vehicles & Gear July 9, 2011

2011 Land Rover LR4 Proves ‘Disco’ is not Dead

DNA testing of the new Land Rover LR4 would reveal that there is still a good bit of Big Blue Oval pulsing through its veins. The brand’s latest mid-size SUV may receive corporate mail from an Indian postmark but development of the LR4 in current form began back when Dearborn, Michigan was a frequent destination for Land Rover hierarchy. The new LR4, as with its predecessor LR3, is a US-market designation. The platform is known globally (and previously here) as the Discovery Series, or Disco for short. And thanks to Ford, DISCO IS NOT DEAD! (Sorry, I have been waiting…

Events, Vehicles & Gear June 30, 2011

Forward with Ford: Safety, Innovation, & Being Green!

I recently joined a group of online and traditional media for the “Forward With Ford” event at Ford’s Dearborn facility for a multi-day event covering trends and technologies that Ford is addressing. Before attending, I was offered the choice of exploring three of the following sessions; I chose the ones with stars next to them. ?Living Green As gasoline prices continue to rise, fuel efficiency has become an even more important purchase factor for consumers looking at buying a new vehicle. In the first four months of 2011, small cars sales jumped from 19% to 25% in the United States….

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