11/07/2009

TEST DRIVE
And there’s a $10,000 price difference from its closest crossover competitors

10/31/2009

Test Drive: Dodge Ram 1500: In the truck world, beauty is a beast
WASHINGTON — Beauty takes on new meaning at county landfill in Lorton, Va., where refuse from home and shop compete with nature for attention. It is a place where strength and brawn are honored, where practicality trumps gadgetry, where wheels that can’t haul or pull, or that do a lousy job of complying with those tasks, are so useless they border on silly.

11/01/2009

Brand new Terrain for GMC
GMC’s replacement for the Pontiac Torrent is a compact crossover that fits five. The all-new GMC Terrain compact crossover utility vehicle is now on its way to dealers.

10/28/2009

GM’s 2010 Equinox crossover, nothing short of ingenious
This cleverly engineered vehicle has ‘comeback’ written all over it

10/24/2009

Lexus RX 350: Still king of the crossovers
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

10/25/2009

Range Rover: A limousine that can climb a tree

10/21/2009

Quirky Cube melts some hearts, freezes others
You either love the Nissan Cube or hate it. As for me — well, I can see both sides of the argument. But I think it comes down to a question of age, or should I say maturity. So, I now relinquish this review to my two selves, Old Larry and Young Larry.

10/18/2009

Test Drive: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS: One beautiful sedan
It is a return to sculpted metal, a flight from the boredom of strictly functional aerodynamic design.

10/14/2009

Test Drive: Toyota Prius bests the competition
Raise the white flag; the 2010 Toyota Prius wins.

10/10/2009

Test Drive: The Audi Q5 SUV hauls with effortless grace
A weekend’s deluge, which had us wishing we were aboard Noah’s Ark rather than inside our cars, found me comfortably piloting a 2009 Audi Q5, the marque’s first compact sport-utility vehicle.

10/11/2009

The Acura ZDX is a stylish people hauler
Dude, the dinosaurs are dead. Which goes to show that all things must evolve in the face of cataclysmic change or, you know, die off for good. So it is with the auto industry and, more pointedly, sport-utility vehicles.

10/07/2009

The Kia Forte: A solid compact with lots of extras
It’s amazing to contemplate, but the new 2010 Kia Forte comes with a surprising amount of standard equipment for a compact sedan starting at $13,695.

10/03/2009

The Jaguar XFR is smooth, fast and seductive
The 2010 Jaguar XFR is what a Jaguar should be — sleek, fast and handsome.

10/04/2009

Test Drive: Mercury Milan may be best hybrid yet
Seldom does a week go by that I don’t get at least one call or e-mail that accuses me of favoring import brands over domestics, and another that insists I bang the drum for American cars. Fine: If both sides think I favor the competition, then I must have found some sort of balance.

09/30/2009

Test Drive: The sturdy 2010 Volvo XC60 is packed with safety features
Volvo lives and breathes safety, especially from a marketing stance. The Swedish carmaker has strived to keep its buyers safe during an accident, and has enhanced its vehicles to help you avoid one, too.

09/26/2009

Test Drive: BMW’s Z4 roadster will make you feel young again
Here are a few automotive rules to live by:

09/19/2009

Test Drive: New Mercedes SUV drives like a car
It can take three to five years to design and release a new vehicle, so carmakers better be able to divine the future.

09/20/2009

A slightly more civilized Ferrari

09/16/2009

Escape environmental guilt with Ford’s hybrid
Traffic is stopped on the interstate. Ahead lays a construction zone with a posted speed limit of 55 mph. Nearby, a meter that reads the speed of passing motorists reads, “Your speed” followed by . . . nothing. It’s shut off. We aren’t moving anywhere. What a tease.

09/12/2009

Test Drive: Honda S2000 is still fun after 10 years
Ten years ago, Honda launched the S2000, a surprisingly traditional sports car from an untraditional company. The S2000 was rear-wheel drive, had a high-revving little engine and came only with a manual transmission. It was built in the image of the great old European sports cars, but it started every day and didn’t leak oil.

09/13/2009

Good Mazda3 gets better
Mazda has improved an already-good car, making cheap transportation more fun than you’d expect

09/09/2009

Test Drive: Volkswagen’s Routan uses Chrysler’s strengths in minivans
It’s almost impossible to approach the Volkswagen Routan without cynicism.

09/05/2009

An affordable version of SUV royalty
Of the many luxury sport-utility vehicles on the market, most date back no further than the Clinton administration. Land Rover has been producing them longer than Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne, and the company’s good breeding shows.

09/02/2009

Fit for efficient, here-to-there transportation
The econo-box has returned, and it’s in demand.

08/29/2009

Porsche’s SUV/sports car gets a few improvements
The Porsche Cayenne, the SUV that drives like a sports car, entered its second generation last year, featuring not a drastic makeover, but some changes designed to improve an already great package.

08/26/2009

Test Drive: RAV4’s good qualities are just under the skin
You’re looking at one of the hottest small SUVs on the market, the 2009 Toyota RAV4. Nationally, Toyota dealers have a 20-day supply; 60 days is considered normal. You may wonder why.

08/22/2009

Your Armada is ready, admiral
Old school: That was my first thought after a few miles in the 2010 Nissan Armada sport-ute. It had been a while since I’d driven a huge, traditional, truck-based, body-on-frame, V-8-powered SUV, and it didn’t take long to rekindle those old conflicted feelings.

08/19/2009

Test Drive: Mazda6 brings fun to a new level
The Mazda6 midsize sedan entered its second generation for 2009 with an all-new exterior and completely revamped interior, along with a new base four-cylinder engine and some new transmission choices.

08/15/2009

Car Doctor: When doing an oil change, don’t overfill
Q. I recently did an oil change to my car and overfilled the oil about a quart. I drove this way for about two weeks; did this cause any damage to the engine or spark plugs?

Test Drive: For first-car buyers, the Kia Soul Sport is an affordable treat
Back before the Earth cooled, J.C. Penney and other fine retail outlets sold a component stereo system whose speakers pulsed with colored lights in time with the music. There was also, it seems to me, a Wurlitzer organ that had dancing lights in the speaker cabinet. In the 1970s, this qualified as staggeringly awesome.

08/16/2009

Chevy Equinox gets a 4-cylinder
Chevy’s redesigned 2010 Equinox arrived in June, marking the second generation of this compact crossover-utility vehicle that competes in a segment that includes the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and more.

08/12/2009

Odyssey still top family hauler heading into 2010
Honda’s Odyssey heads into model year 2010 still ranked as the top minivan, a position built on a reputation for its quality and family friendliness.

08/08/2009

Volvo sheds stodginess with XC60 crossover
Volvos have always possessed an icy stoicism, a firm-yet-reassuring character. Able to withstand the worst the world throws at them, the cars are built like brick houses.

08/09/2009

Lexus has a new, entry-level hybrid
Lexus brings an entry-level luxury hybrid to market next month, the first gasoline-electric model from Toyota’s premium brand that is not based on a vehicle that’s also offered with gasoline-only power.

08/05/2009

Chevy Silverado offers fuel savings, but at a price
Maybe there should be a movie called Honey, I Grew the Hybrid.

08/02/2009

Maserati offers an opera lover’s dream ride
BUSSETO, Italy It is an early summer morning along the Po River near Parma. Rays of sunshine through patches of rain scatter shards of rainbows. Red poppies punctuate fields of green and gold. In the distance, a late-season snowstorm has dusted the highest Alps.

08/01/2009

Solid little Yari selling poorly

08/02/2009

Maserati offers an opera lover’s dream ride
BUSSETO, Italy It is an early summer morning along the Po River near Parma. Rays of sunshine through patches of rain scatter shards of rainbows. Red poppies punctuate fields of green and gold. In the distance, a late-season snowstorm has dusted the highest Alps.

07/25/2009

Honda Insight delivers superb engineering at an affordable price
The question of the week that greeted me: “So how do you like the new Toyota Prius?”

07/26/2009

GT500 is a smart, wild ride
The American Horsepower Wars are officially over. The era closes out with a cough of exhaust from beefy Dodge Challengers, sleek Chevy Corvette ZR1s, slope-roofed Chevy Camaros and terrifying Dodge Vipers.

07/18/2009

BMW M6: 155 mph with the top down?
Can you justify the expense of a vehicle that has little trunk space, a back seat best used for seating imaginary friends and a price tag that passes the six-figure mark as easily as Paris Hilton bypasses a thrift store?

07/19/2009

Test Drive: The Kia Forte sedan offers so much good for so little money
The excellent fit and finish of Kia’s Forte EX comes at a really low price

07/15/2009

Jetta diesel gives hybrids a run for good gas mileage
With all due respect to Toyota, the Prius is just plain ugly. There’s a good reason for its bulbous shape, which cuts air drag and improves efficiency. Honda’s hybrid, the Insight, looks remarkably similar.

07/11/2009

The new Dodge Challenger: ’70s nostalgia on steroids
Just as Phil’s pals in the movie City Slickers urged him to embrace his marital and job woes as a “do-over,” carmakers sometimes offer a second opportunity to seize that model you could once only dream about. Sometimes the retro version is a mere imitation and we pass on it.

07/12/2009

Test Drive: Mercedes’ black-hearted bad boy
How does one describe the sensation of hurtling from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds?

07/08/2009

Test Drive: The unsung Audi A4 has what it takes in its class
When will Audi claim its rightful place as one of the world’s great luxury brands?

07/04/2009

2010 Fusion is Ford’s best midsize sedan in decades
I didn’t think Ford could build a midsize sedan this good.

07/05/2009

Test Drive: Lexus RX350 still the tops
When Americans were gobbling up sport-utility vehicles, Toyota understood what American car executives understood: that SUV buyers liked the utility and lifestyle that an SUV allows. But Toyota realized something American automakers didn’t: that the closest most buyers get to the brush is running over a bush at the end of the driveway.

07/01/2009

Test drive: Genesis is the luxury sedan from Korea by Hyundai
The most obvious feature of Hyundai’s new luxury sport sedan, the Genesis, is also its most subtle feature: a lack of identity.

06/24/2009

Test Drive: Kia Soul may have a comical look, but it’s a serious crossover
Americans already have heartily embraced the extreme boxiness of Toyota’s Scion xB, and now two similar vehicles have joined the xB in the marketplace — the 2010 Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.

06/17/2009

The ideal Fit for moving people and cargo
Does the 2009 Honda Fit look like a great work of art? Well, it depends on what you consider beautiful.

06/13/2009

Infiniti FX50: A space-age SUV without much space
Infiniti needs to launch a space program. The brand’s alien-looking 2009 FX50 sport SUV blasts off with a 390-horsepower V-8 and seven-speed automatic to kick it into hyperdrive, but its passenger compartment is the final frontier.

06/14/2009

Test Drive: Jaguar’s ferocious new cat
The players in the super-sedan market have much in common –– gorgeous exteriors, heroic wheels and tires, state-of-the-art-electronics, and more cowhide and horseflesh than the back lot of the old Republic Pictures.

06/07/2009

Test drive: Safety is a weighty issue for the Volvo XC60 compact SUV

06/03/2009

Test Drive: The Nissan Maxima isn’t a sports cut, but almost

05/30/2009

Cars: Porsche gives the Cayenne a big dose of agility
Porsche purists need to chill here for a minute and listen up. They’ve never been too fond of the Cayenne SUV. One blogger once summed up the sports car/SUV crossbreed like this: It makes as much sense as trying to breed a snowmobile with a personal watercraft.

05/31/2009

Cars: The 2009 BMW 750Li is a spaceship on wheels
I’m quite certain that somewhere right now, emotionally shattered BMW technicians are gathering in a church basement for a support group, huddled around the cookies and the coffee urn, their hands fairly vibrating with frustration. For as well deserved as is the title Ultimate Driving Machine, BMWs also have earned the reputation as the Ultimate Hangar Queen, taking up residence in dealership service bays and sending mechanics over the crumbling edge of insanity. Hello — sob! — my name is Dieter and I’m a BMW tech. . . . Hello, Dieter, keep comin’ back. . . .

05/27/2009

Cars: VW’s Passat is a performance car for grown-ups
The Passat CC is a grown-up luxury car for drivers who want to feel like kids again

05/23/2009

Audi TTS Quattro goes fast on little gas
Chicken Little has flown the coop.

05/20/2009

Cars: Ford Flex is not your dad’s station wagon
The first time I saw the Ford Flex as a concept car, I had one thought: The station wagon is back! We’ve finally come full circle, from minivan to SUV to crossover and back to the big ’ol wagon of the ’60s and ’70s.

05/16/2009

Test Drive: Hyundai’s Elantra Touring so good you’ll be suspicious
WASHINGTON — A decade ago, I wrote several columns urging readers to take seriously Hyundai Motor, Korea’s largest auto manufacturer.

05/17/2009

New Mercedes GLK 350: Vivacious, elegant, ugly

05/13/2009

Test Drive: Chevrolet rolls out the back-to-basics 2009 Cobalt LS XFE
Tough times cause people to evaluate needs and wants.

05/09/2009

Looking for an SUV hybrid? Try the GMC Yukon
After years of imbibing on mammoth SUVs, buyers are shunning these big boys for smaller alternatives.

05/10/2009

TEST DRIVE: Breathy thunder

05/06/2009

TEST DRIVE: The mighty Mini is fun by almost any measure
At a time when automakers seem to be trying to out-mileage, out-incentive and out-downsize one-another, BMW’s Mini subsidiary has taken a different tack.

05/02/2009

Don’t like hybrids? This Ford Fusion will change your mind

05/03/2009

Test Drive: Pontiac’s sophisticated muscle
CORNWALL, N.Y. It pulled nicely up Mountain Brook Road in second gear, which was no small feat. Mountain Brook is steep. Its elevation has caused many transmissions to grind and whine, many engines to groan, as if they were designed only to complement this nation’s massive investment in flat surfaces.

04/29/2009

Test Drive: Luxurious Hyundai Veracruz is a true road warrior
Hyundai, the first South Korean automaker to enter the U.S. market, has come a long way since it rolled out its initial product here in 1985, the subcompact Excel hatchback.

04/25/2009

Mercedes Sport a star athlete
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class always seemed to be not only the smallest of Mercedes-Benz models but also the least like a true Mercedes. That changed in 2008 with the new C-Class, a sedan with all the goodness of a true Mercedes-Benz.

04/26/2009

Test Drive: New Z is a complete delight

04/22/2009

Test drive: Miata Sport convertible an escape machine
Sometimes, you have to escape — or at least give it a darned good try.

04/18/2009

Car Doctor: How often should oil be changed?
Q. I enjoy reading your Saturday feature each week, and I just finished reading the piece in The Journal on Feb. 28 in which someone questioned the use of recycled motor oil in their vehicle.

Test Drive: The speedy new BMW X6 SUV prizes sport above utility
BMW’s X6 is a sport-utility vehicle that, like its competitor, the Infiniti FX, puts the emphasis on sport rather than utility. But to a greater degree than the FX, the X6 sacrifices utility for style.

04/19/2009

Test Drive: Honda hybrid challenges Prius
In designing the 2010 Insight, Honda’s goal was to create a hybrid car that was not just practical, but would be priced within reach of eco-conscious buyers on a budget, providing a greener choice to customers who cannot afford a Civic Hybrid or a Toyota Prius.

04/15/2009

Lincoln luxury back on track with ’09 MKS
Once upon a time Lincoln really mattered in the world of big American luxury cars. A Continental cruised the boulevards with as much swagger as Cadillac’s Fleetwood or Eldorado.

04/12/2009

This urban wagon built for city streets, but not potholes
NEW YORK — This city is a traffic nightmare painted yellow — the hue of aggressively driven taxicabs that dominate its many ruined streets.

04/08/2009

Test Drive: The stylishly affordable Sebring

04/04/2009

Test Drive: Venza is comfort food for Toyota lovers
Don’t bother parsing it. Toyota says the name of the new Venza is a phonological construction out of the words “adventure” and “Monza,” the famous Italian racetrack. Good Lord. That’s so far-fetched you need a starship to get there.

04/05/2009

Recalibrated magic
What interests me about the 2010 Ford Mustang might not interest you. I could stay up all night reading about taller tire sidewalls and their effect on suspension settings. You? Maybe not so much. I’m positively Nelly over the car’s stiffer chassis — hubbah! — and cold air induction. You, on the other hand, might have more important things to think about.

04/01/2009

Range Rover Sport is safe, well-made guzzler

03/25/2009

Test Drive: There’s only one Cobalt to buy
General Motors should stop trying to please everybody. It’s a strategy that embraces the lowest common denominator. It’s hard to make a favorable impression when your primary objective is to avoid offending as many people as possible. You wind up pleasing no one, or next to no one, or so it seems. That much became clear to me after a week in the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS coupe, a member of a car line often overlooked or treated as pedestrian fare by the automotive media.

03/21/2009

Test Drive: Acura’s sporty TL sedan turns quite a corner

03/22/2009

Test Drive: Dodge Viper is pure hot-rod heaven
At 5,000 rpm, no one hears your screams in the venomous new Dodge Viper.

03/18/2009

Test Drive: The Subaru Outback, the original crossover, gets an upgrade for 2009

03/15/2009

Test Drive: BMW X5 SUV offers a powerful reason to go diesel

03/11/2009

Rogue crossover is Nissan’s answer to RAV4, CR-V and Outback
Although auto sales have taken a huge plunge over the past few months, including some of Nissan’s most popular models, the company’s new Rogue crossover has been one of the exceptions.

03/08/2009

Still feeling rich? Buy the big Benz
CORNWALL, N.Y. — I’ve driven poor. I’ve driven rich. It doesn’t matter the season, bad times or good, I much prefer rich.

03/04/2009

Test Drive: A loaded 2009 Volvo XC70 lacks nothing
Yes, it’s from Goteborg, Sweden, but the Volvo XC70 is the automotive equivalent of a Swiss Army knife: Capable of handling most any task, excelling at none, perhaps, but more than competent at all of them.

02/28/2009

For Jeep lovers, the new Liberty feels just fine
Look what’s happened to the Jeep Liberty — it’s all grown up. The Liberty now sports an adult set of clothes, eschewing the rounded sheet metal that characterized the 2007 model.

03/01/2009

Road Test: Chevy’s family-friendly crossover
If I had a family and their gear to schlep around, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse would be a prime candidate for filling the driveway. Like its prime competitors — the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and Ford Flex — the Traverse offers front-or all-wheel drive, three rows of seats and oodles of features that would keep any nuclear family happy.

02/25/2009

Cars: Hyundai hits luxury market with smooth, economical Genesis
Usually, car companies plaster their new vehicles with brand logos and name badges.

02/21/2009

Cars: Ford rolls out updated hybrids
News that gasoline prices have begun edging back up after weeks of unprecedented declines doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll see $4 a gallon or even $3 anytime soon.

02/22/2009

Test drive: Toyota Land Cruiser is overqualified
At a reunion a while back, a former classmate rushed up excitedly to say hello. But the fellow had put on so many pounds I had to shoot a furtive glance at his “Hello! My Name Is . . .” tag.

02/18/2009

The 2009 Impreza: For driving buffs on a budget

02/14/2009

2009 Civic Si sedan has a sporty side

02/15/2009

Plug-in Tesla sports car goes like the wind
WASHINGTON — Let us begin with definitions.

02/11/2009

Test drive: The Nissan Maxima gets leaner, and lighter on its feet
Times are tougher than boiled brisket.

02/07/2009

Acura TSX: An Accord with better looks and manners
Call it the girth of a nation.

02/04/2009

Test Drive: Toyota Corolla gets you there
The new 2009 Toyota Corolla is the most sensible car I’ve ever driven. From stem to stern, the fuel-efficient compact sedan contains all the whimsy and fun of a prescription for antacid.

02/01/2009

Test Drive: Ford F-150 is full of features
In recrafting the 2009 Ford F-150, Ford sweat the details, and it shows.

01/28/2009

TT 3.2 Quattro a luxury worth dreaming about

01/25/2009

’09 Aveo is inexpensive gas-sipper
Tough economic times call for frugal transportation, so it’s no wonder that Chevrolet’s smallest car is getting a new look for 2009.

01/24/2009

New Lotus smaller, lighter but a lot more fun
Colin Chapman, the racecar builder and founder of Lotus, followed a straightforward path to high performance: ignore the horsepower wars and focus on keeping weight low.

01/17/2009

H3T is the littlest Hummer truck
This just might be the ultimate off-road pickup.

01/18/2009

Toyota’s Venza: A thoroughly likable, luxury station wagon
CONWAY, N.H. — A newborn could have reached high school in the time — almost 14 years — it took Toyota to get the concept behind the 2009 Venza into dealerships. But Toyota customers seeking a fresh-feeling blend of style, comfort and practicality may find it was worth the wait.

01/14/2009

Test drive: Hyundai Santa Fe offers value, fuel efficiency
With gasoline now at a national average of around $1.70 a gallon, fuel economy might not be at the top of everyone’s list of considerations in choosing a new vehicle, as it was in July when prices topped $4.