To spend a week driving a BMW 8 Series convertible is to be reminded that people love a beautiful car. Heads turned everywhere we drove. As BMW’s new flagship, it epitomizes the company’s stated quest to build the Ultimate Driving Machine. It doesn’t fully live…
Another glance at the rules of the road might lessen the consternation.
Sometimes, revolutions begin quietly. Last year, Infiniti debuted the all-new four-cylinder VC-Turbo. Installed in the engine bay of the 2019 QX50 compact crossover, it’s the industry’s first production engine to feature variable compression ratios. Variable compression has been a holy grail for automakers for years.…
The few seconds it takes to merge with 60 mph traffic is no time to economize.
It’s not unfair to ask why a forward-thinking company like Mercedes-Benz would build a crossover that’s too powerful for American roads, gulps large quantities of high-test fuel and sports a $113,950 list price. They build them not because the world needs them but because people…
Many states have addressed the driver shortcoming through enforcement.
Last year, Ford resurrected its midsize Ranger pickup after an eight-year hiatus. Its timing was perfect. During the pandemic, Americans have been on a home-improvement spree. They’re creating stacks of dump-bound debris. A midsize truck like the Ranger answers the call of the dump and…
Understanding the definitions of automotive terminology can help you understand your vehicle better.
The Lexus RC F is one of a handful of Lexi designed to scratch Akiyo Toyoda’s performance itch. Toyoda is president of the Toyota/Lexus behemoth. He’s also a race-car driver. He took the reins in 2009 promising to energize the company with a slate of…
The number of older drivers has grown rapidly over the past twenty years.
Hyundai hit pay dirt in 2018, when it debuted the Kona subcompact crossover The Kona dared to stand out in the segment. Exterior styling was bold enough to draw attention without slipping into novelty. The cabin is less exuberant than the sheet metal, but it’s…
They aren’t announcing a flying car quite yet, but they are certainly investigating the concept.
Compact crossovers may be the industry’s hottest segment, but their midsize three-row cousins aren’t far behind. The segment is flush with new and updated models equipped with the latest and greatest. When it debuted in 2018, the Volkswagen Atlas won acclaim for its spacious cabin…
Driving is probably the riskiest activity most of us take on that we have control over.
My own personal heaven will include a special section reserved for small sports cars. Because nothing captures the joy of driving like a responsive little sportster. By my lights, a proper sports car is a barebones affair. It needs a strong and rigid unibody, a…
I see a degree of irony in trucking industry news I just read.
Following a full makeover in 2018, Ford’s three-row Expedition SUV is back for 2020 with a batch of upgrades meant to broaden its appeal. The Expedition ($52,810) is a large, truck-based sport-utility vehicle that accommodates up to eight in three rows of adult-friendly seating. Unlike…
… many Americans readily admit that they disregard red lights from time to time.
It’s not a tidal wave yet, or even a real surge, but an interesting wrinkle is reshaping the midsize-sedan market. Hoping to extend the appeal of sedans, some makers have begun fitting them with all-wheel-drive. For years, Subaru has fielded the midsize segment’s only AWD…
It’s still best, though, if you stop when the light is red — then there’s no penalty at all.
In 2018, Nissan dropped an all-new 2019 Altima. It was a refreshing return to form for the Japanese maker’s stalwart family sedan. The Altima had been Nissan’s best-selling car in the U.S. until 2016, when the Rogue crossover bumped it from that perch. Rather than…
I’ve written of the freeway merging process multiple times.
It may not be obvious to the world at large, but big doings are afoot for Ford’s Mustang. For starters, the very existence of the 2020 Mustang must be celebrated. As Ford shifts its focus to crossovers, trucks and SUVs, it is killing off all…
So, we have a stark and wide generational mobility gap.
There seems to be an endless demand for small crossovers. Or at least an endless supply of automakers willing to build them. Thanks to modern production efficiencies, manufacturers can spin out new models quickly and without incurring large development costs. In the process, they are…
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