Collector Car Corner: First American 'compact cars'
"When do you feel the first true compact car appeared in America, either foreign or domestic? I say Rambler gets the credit for doing so as they were into compact cars back in the early '50s."
Autos archive for Jan. 1, 2015
TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2015
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015
More traffic, better drivers
During my drive to California in May, contrasts to our northwest driving experiences became evident. Approaching Los Angeles, I experienced the biggest difference: multiple freeways with multiple lanes. There’s a theory that more lanes allow improved traffic flow — a concept that may have been…
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2015
2015 Kia Sedona focuses on value, quality and versatility
We were badly outnumbered as we piloted our Kia Sedona deep into Southern Utah’s red-rocked vacationland.
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2015
2015 Genesis: Hyundai’s luxury player
A few things we know about Hyundai: it’s relentless, it dreams big and it does things in whole measure.
Our crazy obsession 1
I’ve often quoted an old friend, W.W., who said, “People are funny, aren’t we?” By that philosophy, he included himself in the peculiarity of human behavior. Regarding motor vehicles, his sentiment is certainly evident. Judging by America’s network of pavement alone, our vehicle obsession is…
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
Test Drive: 2015 Acura TLX
Following a continuing theme this year is yet another test drive of an all new vehicle, notably the 2015 Acura TLX sedan.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015
Collector Car Corner: ‘Unusual’ American Motors engine?
I was at a car show recently and spied a group of people peering into the open hood of a 1965 Rambler American, so I thought I would check it out.
MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015
V2V making news again
Vehicle-to-vehicle communications, widely known as V2V, is regaining attention in the auto industry. Transponder systems that allow vehicles to signal their locations to one another show much promise for collision avoidance. And as certain entrepreneurs are proposing, such systems could provide further safety and convenience…
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
RDX: Acura's near-luxury compact crossover grows more enticing
If you now and again work your way this far into the Saturday S-R, you may be aware we’re deep into AcuraLand. We’ve recently driven the midsize TLX and compact ILX sedans. Today, we test the smaller of Acura’s best-selling crossovers, the RDX, and in…
MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015
U-Turn addendum
This weekly column is about dispelling knowledge, and sometimes the recipient of that education is me. My May 23rd column explored allowable U-turns in Washington and Idaho. In summary, such turns are legal given certain prerequisites, such as no vehicles coming in either direction within…
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2015
Acura ILX: Acura’s near-luxury compact charts new course for 2016
The near-luxury ILX has grown more refined in each of its first four years, but this year’s updates are the most significant by far.
MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2015
A touchy coexistance
I’ve often noted the strained relationship that motor vehicles and bicycles seem to experience and demonstrate on our roadways. I’ve also written that I have little hope for a harmonious coexistence between the two. My skepticism rises from several factors, but I’m essentially hopeless for…
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015
Test Drive: BMW 228i
This week, we’re driving BMW's all new 228i xDrive, the latter the nomenclature for AWD mechanicals. This all-new 2-Series is going to be a big hit with people of all ages as it delivers true BMW-bred road manners and is within economical reach of many of today’s consumers.
Acura TLX: Split-personality sedan is big win for Acura
Last year, Acura replaced its two smallest sedans with one, the all-new 2015 TLX The base, four-cylinder TLX 2.4L ($32,365, including transportation) effectively replaced the compact TSX; the six-cylinder 3.5L ($36,240) took over for the midsize TL. In October, I tested a loaded 3.5L AWD....
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015
More from a MOPAR enthusiast
I just read your article responding to the lady with the ’56 Plymouth. I had a four-door ‘56 Belvedere in the 1960’s with the flathead six cylinder and three-speed column shift manual transmission. I loved that car!
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015
Allowed when "safe"
In Washington, certain driving maneuvers are allowed when drivers deem them to be “safe.” That may seem vague, but the rules of the road governing certain procedures leave their legality up to individual driver judgment. There are two examples within the same email from reader…
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015
Hyundai Santa Fe: System tweaks enhance three-row crossover’s appeal 1
Hyundai’s pitch for the 2015 Santa Fe is mercifully succinct.
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2015
Why two license plates?
Is one enough? Is two too many? Those are the basic questions pondered when states consider the number of license plates required on vehicles. But after B.W.’s email informed me that a House Bill suggesting single plates here received no consideration in Washington’s Legislature, I…
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015
Legacy: Subaru’s outlier sedan receives mainstream refinements
Hidden inside every Subaru Outback and Forester built are the muscle and sinew of the Legacy sedan. The midsize Legacy platform is Subaru’s lifeblood. It underpins the company’s two most popular models — the Outback and Forester — and accounts for two-thirds of its sales.
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015
Car Collector: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery
Hi Greg -- I want to thank you for solving a mystery that has dogged me for 55 years! My sister-in-law, Barb, has been sending me your articles as I am a lifelong hot rod guy. (My 1960 high school ride was a 34 Ford coupe with fully worked Chevy sporting a 3x2 barrel setup and more).
MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015
Connected, driverless, or not
Technological advancement is rampant among automakers. Though sometimes moving in uncertain or even misguided directions, it nevertheless dominates industry news. Experts have differing opinions of the eventual results of this trend. For example, akin to the frenetic pace of road building once autos were invented,...
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015
740Ld xDrive: BMW adds turbodiesel to flagship lineup
In the Old Dogs/New Tricks category, BMW adds a turbodiesel option this year to its 7 Series lineup. The old: The current, fifth-generation 7 debuted in 2009; a new version is due this year. The new: A 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel six that makes 255 horsepower...
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015
Auto safety finally popularized
I like the noticeable trending of auto safety issues. I’ve been writing for years about the rampant annual tally of our country’s vehicle related deaths. Until recently, car and truck crashes have ended the lives of over 100 victims daily for decades. Thankfully, that number…
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2015
VW Golf: Little hatch, big strides 3
When the 2015 Volkswagen Golf arrived, I’d spent the previous few weeks driving big cars. Minivans, midsize crossovers, full-size American sedans. Not a loser in the bunch. But the Golf forced me to face facts; I’m a small-car guy. Nothing rings my bell like a…
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015
The beauty and perils of spring
As an enduring annual event here, we are treated to bold and pastel hues emerging with the advent of spring. That colorful palette, made up of tulips, daffodils, and tree buds of virtually every color, is a welcome harbinger of great weather to come. Along…
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