I’ll readily admit that I sometimes long for the simplicity of “yesteryear” when it comes to automobiles. They did make use of basic electricity, but computers and associated electronic sensors were absent. Everything was quite rudimentary when compared to today’s vehicles — do-it-yourselfers even had…
In the past few years, Americans have discovered the little wagons and hatchbacks that rule the roost in Europe and Asia. Honda, for one, aims to grab its share of the market. For 2015, Honda debuts the third-generation of its Fit, a hatchback that packs...
Two weeks ago, when I wrote of the flagrant dispensing of liquid ice melter onto our roadways, I wondered if others shared my concern. I admitted then that the corrosive deicer has a valid place in the arsenal for winter road maintenance, along with plows…
The 2016 Mazda CX-9 does everything expected of a three-row crossover, and then some. The CX-9 ($31,865, including transportation) carries up to seven in a modern and comfortable cabin. Flexible seating arrangements allow easy mix-and-matching of passengers and gear. And, even though most CX-9s are…
Readers send many questions my way. Some have been answered before and others offer new opportunities for discussion; some questions have definitive answers while others just create more questions. This week, C.K. offered some samples, writing, “I grew up in the Midwest and moved out…
Add Honda to the growing list of manufacturers using mid-cycle updates to beef up their competitive positions. Having most recently remade its best-selling CR-V crossover in 2012, Honda ups the ante this year with a surprise powertrain transplant. This year, all CR-Vs receive the same…
Many of my column topics directly reflect reader thoughts and concerns. Those reader ideas often mirror my own, and have widespread applicability and agreement. A phenomenon that I have not heard from readers about, but riles me, hopefully has at least a few proponents. That…
With the all-new NX 200t, Lexus becomes the latest premium maker to succumb to the allure of the small. The NX 200t, a luxury compact crossover, slots into a booming new segment populated by entries from Audi, Acura, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. About the same size…
In a past column I wrote that we all tend to double-check our driving behavior when a police cruiser is within eyeshot. I have noted this effect to be so strong, that even drivers already travelling at the posted speed limit often slow down further…
Every five or six years, Toyota trots out a new Camry and, almost without fail, it rockets to the top of the charts. The last all-new Camry landed in 2011. If convention held, the next new Camry wouldn’t have appeared until 2016 or 2017. But…
We’ll be able to see the results of modern motor vehicle manufacturing at the Spokane International Auto Show this year. Many advanced driver assist features will also be on exhibit there this February 13th, 14th and 15th. These assists (lane departure warning, adaptive braking, et…
I was writing lead sentences in my head when a passing stranger handed me one. As we pulled into the Mount Spokane Sno-Park, we overheard one skier say to another, “Every other car here is a Subaru!” Like they used to say about Hunter Thompson’s...
When evaluating real estate, it’s regularly recommended, redundantly, to consider location, location, location. Concerning the dissection of the legalese within traffic laws, a similar, applicable mantra might be, semantics, semantics, semantics. In an earlier column, I wrote that “passing, by any other name, is still…
As long as there are big families, big crews and big loads, there’s room in the market for big SUVs. Rigs like GMC’s Yukon ($48,185, including destination), a 5,500-pound body-on-frame SUV with seating for up to nine and an 8,500-pound towing capacity. The 2015 Yukon…
Many of us use the beginning of a new calendar year as a prompt to make resolutions that might improve our lives. Diet and exercise are perennial faves, but try to think of some that might improve your driving this year. I have a few…
BMW animates its lineup this year with an unorthodox new coupe/crossover mashup. The 2015 X4 is a rig you’d expect to see on an auto-sow concept stand, not so much the street. Based on the compact X3 crossover, the X4 is either blessed or burdened…
The emailed comments and questions regarding lane use are seemingly endless, so let’s reexamine the topic. Reader R.H. commented, “I would like to broaden the conversation with regard to your recent article on the use of the inside lane when driving on freeways. The law…
The reasons for Escape’s success are numerous. It’s good looking, comfortable and economical. It sports the latest tech wizardry and has the power to surprise; its available hands-free liftgate is one of the segments most thoughtful — and unexpected — innovations.
A line from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” is often referenced to imply that labels don’t change what things really are. Similarly, passing, by any other name, is still passing. A reader once told me…
Historically, Volvos have appealed more to my head than my heart. Volvos define sensible transportation. Even the turbocharged trims of recent vintage have been more sporty-ish than sporty, stronger on reason than passion. Now comes the XC60, a premium crossover (from $36,675, including destination) that…
Regular readers know that I exercise a crusade against wrongful left lane use for roadways with at least two lanes provided for each direction of travel. I will continue to do so, as I regularly find evidence of drivers with an innate lust for the…
Buyers today face a raft of good looking, economical and well-equipped compacts, whose starting prices fall well below $20,000. Only a handful can make the morning commute rewarding. That’s the nut Mazda cracks with the 2015 Mazda3 ($17,765, including transportation). Even the entry-level 3, with…
When referencing the lane to the left of and adjacent to the right hand freeway lane, “passing lane” would be preferable to “left lane.” That designation better defines its primary purpose: to accommodate vehicles overtaking slower vehicles. An email from reader D.P. exemplifies potential confusion…
Acura’s all-new TLX sedan may be the ideal near-luxury car for the Inland Northwest. It favors subtlety over flash, does its business quietly and gets the job done, fair weather and foul. And, at $31,890, including transportation, it’s as affordably priced as the segment gets.…
Metromile is trying to change the way low-annual-mile drivers pay for auto insurance. The 2014 San Francisco startup offers customers a free device that, when plugged into a vehicle’s OBD-II port, sends mileage data to the company via a smartphone app. Vehicle data, relayed to…
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