Earlier in the month, I wrote this about Mitsubishi’s Outlander Sport: Some compact crossovers are more refined. Some are sportier and others more utilitarian. But, for buyers facing winter weather on a limited budget, the Outlander Sport may be the value proposition they’re seeking. If…
I don’t envy the people who name cars, but I do reserve the right to question their judgment. When I created this month’s review calendar, I scheduled a pair of midsize family sedans back-to-back. Each wore Sport trim badges, which seemed like a fair point…
Some automakers keep their fingers up, trying to figure out which way the wind blows. Others use theirs to take the pulse of the public. Honda is among the best of the pulse-checkers. Though they’re rarely the most powerful, beautiful or elegant cars in their…
Top dog in Mitsubishi’s abbreviated U.S. lineup, the Outlander Sport claims an affordable price tag, a big warranty and a loyal following. With winter in the offing, the compact crossover presents a solid value proposition: AWD trims start at $23,020, including destination, FWD at $20,420.…
In 2009, Volkswagen debuted the CC, a slick “four-door coupe” whose flowing silhouette suggested high-performance European luxury, but whose platform was strictly Passat. Passat is Volkswagen’s mid-size, four-door family sedan. When the time came to introduce the expected two-door coupe, VW instead stretched the Passat…
Halfway through my fourth of fifth fourth lap — almost time enough to sort out the braking points and apexes — I realized was driving a Lexus like I had never before driven a Lexus. Or ever expected to. Tires squealed. Brakes stank. Ponies —…
My grandson Henry is smart, as well-read as a seven-year-old can be and fairly certain he’s right. All of the time. Also, he’s a car guy. He wanted to know what I was driving on a recent visit. “It’s an Audi A3.” “That’s not an…
As long as there are big buyers, big loads and big families, Cadillac’s Escalade will always find a home. A big home. For 23015, Cadillac’s large luxury SUV is redesigned inside and out. It’s bigger, stronger and quicker. Its cabin is quieter and its ride…
In its first four iterations, Nissan’s Pathfinder has changed identities more often than most people change their minds. The Pathfinder began life in 1985 as an old-school, truck-based, body-on-frame SUV. In 1995, it morphed into a car-based crossover, a “soft-ute” better suited to the daily…
In October, Coeur d’Alene residents Jay and Jeanie Froehlich will put it all behind them and hit the road. The Froelichs, both in their early 50s, say they’re not retiring. They’re escaping. Their escape vehicle: A 20-foot, 2015 Lance four-seasons travel trailer. “It’s exciting, to…
Now and again a car comes along that challenges the established order and makes us rethink the idea of car. Kia’s new $60,000 K900 flagship is one of them. Positioned to compete with flagship models from brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus, it undercuts the…
By the terms of the unwritten rules of the automotive world, every car must grow larger with each succeeding generation. Larger, roomier, more powerful. It’s the automaker’s mantra. While Hyundai complies in nearly every case, its 2014 Tucson goes against the grain. The compact crossover…
Few things in life are as retro as a station wagon. Regardless, few cars are less retro than Mercedes-Benz's E350 Station Wagon. Once the wagon-of-choice for the well-heeled, Mercedes-Benz’s venerable mid-sizer has survived the wagon-killing onslaught of the SUV and its domesticated, sedan-based spawn, the…
Now might be a good time for Toyota to revive the old “You asked for it, you got it” slogan. Buyer input played a large role in this year’s make-over of the midsize Highlander crossover. Customers asked for a roomier cabin, so the 2014 Highlander…
BMW’s midsize 5 Series sedan is a serious car, built for grown-ups and not easily outgrown. Its 3 Series sibling is smaller, edgier, more spirited. The kind of car some buyers will age out of on their way to the 5. One step above the…
Mention “trickle down” in a political crowd and watch the sparks fly. It’s a different ballgame in the car world, though. This year, Volkswagen’s compact Jetta sedan enjoys the benefits of a trickle-down product strategy. New to Jetta is a turbocharged, 1.8-liter engine that arrived…
Retiring types should not become auto writers. We drive too many cars that draw too much attention. Your basic Camry, Escape and Passat may go unnoticed, but the double-take cars — the ‘Vettes, the Bentleys, the Plasma Purple Mitsubishi Mirages — can drive a shy…
There’s no good reason to want Ford’s new Fiesta ST. Fun is its own good reason. The ST is a sharply focused, sport-tuned subcompact built by Ford in Spain. It debuted in Europe in 1976 and had a three-year US run, from 1978-80. In 2010,…
For much of its 80-year lifespan, the Chevrolet Suburban was a blunt instrument. Heavy, inefficient and crude, it possessed a logging camp’s rustic charms. But as it enters its twelfth generation, the plus-sized SUV has evolved into a well-rounded rig, with virtues that extend beyond…
In just its second year of sales, Subaru’s XV Crosstrek has become the company’s third most-popular vehicle. It trails only Forester and Outback in the sibling sales race and easily outsells the compact Impreza it’s based on. Following the trail blazed in 1994 by the…
The EPA reckons you can drive your new BMW 3 Series diesel 678 highway miles between fuel stops. According to my highly non-scientific reckoning, that’s probably about right. The 2014 BMW 328d ($38,225) runs a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that compensates for its meager…
By the end of my week with Bentley’s Continental GT Speed Convertible, I had learned that, with exposure, the extraordinary can become, if not commonplace, at least comfortable. The $250,000 Speed Convertible is the flagship of Bentley’s historic Continental family. With a top speed of…
Honda’s CR-V made its US debut in 1997. For most of the intervening years, it has stood like a pint-sized colossus over the compact crossover class, piling up a succession of sales titles. Honda has proven remarkably surefooted as it tweaked its five-passenger crossover to…
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…
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…
