I’ve been driving lots but not writing; here's a quick and dirty update: The GMC Terrain Denali aspires for near-luxury quality in the compact crossover category and largely succeeds. Inattention to important details undermines the effort, though. Hint: If you’re going to indulge in stitched…
As suggested here two weeks ago, drivers can be “schooled” by the errors of others around them. Observing those driver errors provides an effective reminder of “what not to do.” And sadly, such errors abound. At least I’m not the only one spotting those errors,…
The GMC Terrain Denali has a swagger to it that’s reminiscent of the SUV’s glory days. A happier time when gas was cheap, no V8 engine was too inefficient and crossovers were for people who thought the Pontiac Aztek was a good idea. As it…
Most of us won’t be getting the pony we put on our Christmas list. American taxpayers will have to decide if that makes them any less happy General Motors will soon be able to fly their executives around in corporate jets again and remove federal…
The steady addition of features such as radial tires, disc brakes, traction control, stability control, anti-lock brakes, air bags, and warning systems for sleep, low tires, lane departure, side impact, et cetera have made our cars safer with each new model year. Advancements like those…
General Motors couldn’t wait to reveal the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra at the Detroit Auto Show in January. They pulled the sheets off their new full-size stallions this week at a film studio in motor city with a bold message to the truck…
Often, surrounding drivers show me how not to drive. During a trip to the airport last week, those in my periphery supplied many examples of actions that anger and endanger others on the roadway, creating a “school” of poor driving. I encountered the first of…
Many a weirdo has built a replica of the Batmobile, some for personal use and others to be sold for a hefty sum to passionate Batman nerds. George Barris is their king having served as the sole owner of the one and only original Batmobile…
I’ve been distracted by other chores this week, but I’d be remiss if I were to move on without a parting nod to the Subaru Crosstrek. Truthfully, it’s such an unassuming little car it’s hard to know where to start. How about this? With its…
Don’t panic. Chances are your car is already equipped with a black box, officially known as an Event Data Recorder (EDR). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 91.6 percent of cars already have the little Benedict Arnold device installed somewhere inside them. What’s…
Though European carmakers dominate the upper end of the automotive market, they are largely absent from the segments where most of us shop. The chief exception is Volkswagen, which of course made its mark flogging the humble Beetle. VW has flirted with going upscale --…
“That looks like a fun little car. That’s the kind of car you’d just go out and have fun in.” Uniformed agent of the US gov’t, peering through the coffee shop window at the Subaru XV Crosstrek parked outside. “That’s the kind of car I’d…
The last time the auto industry was challenged by government mandates to make cars more efficient things didn’t go well. EPA standards in the 1970’s gave us more than a decade of fugly gutless wonders, epic garbage piles unfit to even appear rusting into the…
Every time I discuss Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems lately, I stir up additional debate. When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ruled that service providers would violate the law’s “make inoperative” provision if they installed wheels without TPMS sensors, Tire Industry Association VP Roy Littlefield…
I felt a twinge of loss when it came time to give up Cadillac ATS tester yesterday. It happens now and again, but only when a car strikes a very specific chord. For me, that chord is all about how the car feels under and…
In 2002, GM debuted a new suspension technology called Magnetic Ride Control (MRC). That name sounds like it came rolling straight from the Hype Machine, but MRC was a breakthrough in suspension design. It’s behind the FE3 sport suspension that’s available on the ATS. So…
For 2013, Toyota set out not to merely update the full-size Avalon; instead, it gave its underachieving flagship a personality transplant. For the first 12 years of its existence, the Avalon lacked focus and, consequently, a true identity. It was the Toyota of choice for…
I wrote about Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems two weeks ago, but I’ve received some new information since then. I previously stated that TPMS has appeared in vehicles since late 2007, as part of a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration mandate. True. I wrote that some…
It's all-GM all-the-time this week here at Seat Time. For the past few days, we've focused on Chevy's new mini-car, the Spark. For the next few days we'll look at Cadillac's newest and smallest, the ATS sport sedan. We might as well get this out…
As you would imagine, the base Spark ($12,995, including destination) is relatively spare in the standard-features category. Air-conditioning, power windows, 60/40-split-folding rear seats, a height-adjustable driver seat, a tilt-only steering wheel, a trip computer, OnStar telematics and a four-speaker radio with an auxiliary audio jack…
Dodge’s Ram trucks are still huge and meaty just the way you like em’. In my opinion no other American pickup has a beefier front end that perpetually appears to be trying to eat something. It was a difficult pill to swallow when Ram’s spokesperson…
The first thing that struck me about Fisker’s display was that it appeared to have been left there untouched from last year’s show. It was in the exact same place on the showroom floor with the same single car in attendance: The $100,000 plugin-hybrid Karma.…
Toyota Avalon… Give it a moment. Did you picture a sixty five year old man driving a sofa? Toyota is tired of the Avalon being regarded as the Buick of their lineup. That’s a serious gripe when even Buick is tired of being Buick. Toyota’s…
Buick is trying hard to not to be your Chinese grandfather’s car. They appear to be headed in the right direction. Sales in China accounted for about 77 percent of the brand’s global total last year. Five years ago the average age of its buyers…
Scoring a press pass to the Seattle Auto Show is kind of like finding a golden ticket in a Wonka Bar. Only the press pass doesn't come with the risk of being saddled with CEO duties to an ailing chocolate factory. It does come with…
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