I think we have all experienced speed limits that seem unreasonably low (45 mph “forever” leaving south Colfax, for example). On the other hand, I occasionally encounter a limit high enough to make achieving it a challenge, and unsafe if you do (75 mph through…
Though it has to yet find the sales chart’s upper reaches, Kia’s Optima has changed the rules of the midsize sedan market. Thanks to Kia and its corporate parent Hyundai, the family sedan segment is awash in technology that a short time ago was the…
The more one is exposed to driving, the more one has to accommodate drivers who are oblivious and/or inept. At times, I wonder if I’m overly critical, but then recall the inherent dangers of that sloppy driving and continue my criticism. And when a former…
Last year, for what seems like the umpteenth year in a row, Honda’s Civic was the third-best-selling passenger car in the US and its best-selling compact. This means that more than 350,000 Americans bought a car known for its reliability, not its flash. I find…
The topic of the short ramp and merge point at Highway 195 and eastbound I-90 generated a flood of reader feedback and even a response from the Washington State Department of Transportation. That ramp can’t be improved right now due to higher priorities and shortness…
If you still don’t believe Hyundai is the real deal, it might be time to check out the Santa Fe crossover. The midsize, seven-passenger Santa Fe (not to be confused with the smaller Santa Fe Sport), shines brightly in a segment that includes such luminaries…
Double yellow painted lines: We see them on highways, arterials, and city streets. Their main purpose is to separate lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions. If there are both solid and dashed yellow lines between lanes of traffic, one may not pass if the…
I suspect that on some level toddlers know growing up isn’t going to be much fun. As in, “What’s going to happen when people realize my adorable personality is just a collection of annoying quirks?” What’s true for kids also holds for cars. There should…
Park it among a crowd of slope-roofed, slippery-sided competitors, and Honda’s Pilot plays the role of grizzled old-timer. Upright and boxy, it looks like the crossover that time forgot. There’s a method behind that madness, though. That old-school styling obscures one of the segment’s roomiest,…
A column about the too-short-chute that leads to eastbound I 90 at the entrance ramp from U.S. 195 touched off some lively reader dialog. After a follow-up column exposed drivers’ conflict, consternation and fright experienced there, an official response arrived. That response came from the…
When driveway shoveling gives way to lawn mowing, winter is over. I just witnessed the latter taking place on my block yesterday, so it’s now official. Amid that uptick in yard work, other things emerge besides tree buds and flower blooms. There is also an…
The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid vehicle sold in America. With its base price of $13,790, including destination, the subcompact hatchback is also one of the country’s least expensive cars. Only Chevy’s Spark ($12,995) and the Nissan Versa sedan ($12,800) better its…
You should always reconsider your choice if you are tempted to drive after consuming alcohol. Besides being a major cause of vehicle accidents and death, your odds of being caught in the act have recently risen around here. There’s a new “sheriff” in town in…
Set your Wayback Machine to March 1998, and you’ll witness the first flash of a coming boom. Today, high-end crossovers lurk at every stoplight. But for a brief moment 15 years ago, there was just one, the Lexus RX 300. Its leather-and-fine-audio aesthetic opened new…
Two weeks back, I wrote of the concerns drivers have expressed to me about the freeway entrance ramp to I-90 eastbound from U.S. 195 northbound. That column elicited enough responses to demonstrate that those of us with concerns about that merge point are far from…
Just as the first robin announces spring, the arrival of a Special Edition Honda foreshadows the arrival of an all-new model. Honda’s short-bed Ridgeline pickup ($30,405, including destination) is due for its first full makeover since debuting in 2006. To sweeten the pot until the…
It’s no secret electric cars are determinedly making their way into American driveways. Owning a Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model S doesn’t necessarily brand a person as an “early adopter” the way it may have in earlier years. The same can’t be said for electric…
Before Toyota got slapped with a brutal $1.2billion fine for lying to the public about vehicle defects that lead to injuries and deaths in their vehicles, the Japanese automaker was having fun with an unorthodox marketing slogan. To drum up excitement for the 2014 Aygo,…
As far as I know, all states have statutes requiring collision reports for vehicular incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage of a certain threshold amount. Additionally, it’s required that these reports are compiled in annual summaries. Evidently, that compilation is tedious, as the 2012…
Jeep goes retro this year, dusting off the fabled Cherokee nameplate and affixing it to an all-new compact crossover. The recipient, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee (from $23,990, including destination), doesn’t possess its namesake’s off-road cred, but a properly equipped Cherokee goes places most other compact…
As winter wanes, I am glad for many things. My apologies to those who love winter, but I am markedly joyous when we register the first 50-degree-plus temperatures around this juncture of winter. While it may be the only time of year that 50 degrees…
Despite what The Fast and Furious Franchise might lead us to believe, great car movies are few and far between nowadays. The genre is one that allows itself uncommon cinematic privileges. Some of the best car movies of all time were complete pieces of crap…
Toyota’s redesigned 2014 Tundra pickup family adds a premium trim called the 1794 Edition. It is, says Toyota, a “tribute to the ranch, founded in 1794, on which the Tundra plant is located in San Antonio.” With its embossed “saddle-brown” leather upholstery, ultra-suede cabin trim…
Many readers have expressed concern over the entrance ramp to I-90 eastbound from U.S. 195 northbound. A nanosecond after drivers have negotiated the curve on the ramp there, they are in the right-hand lane of I-90, usually in the midst of freeway traffic. It’s a…
Quickly, now: Name the first five luxury sedans that spring to mind. Done? Good. I’m guessing the Hyundai Equus was not among them. I’ll also guess that in five year’s time, it could well be. The Equus is a $62,000, full-size, rear-drive sedan, with its…
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