MPU 300x600
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2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Review
If the redesigned 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport crossover SUV could express emotion, it would start by breathing a huge sigh of relief. That’s because Hyundai has finally blessed the Santa Fe with the company’s distinctive “fluidic sculpture” design language. Until this year, the poor Santa Fe had to stand by and watch as one Hyundai after another was treated to dramatic new duds. Even the pipsqueak Tucson crossover, a size smaller than the Santa Fe, got the treatment a few years ago.
Read More »Tested: 2013 Mitsubishi i-MIEV
The Miev is an electric car suitable for short trips in the city. It is small and tall and is zippy around town with its high torque electric motor. It is roomy enough with 5 doors and a high roof line. With a price that undercuts the Nissan Leaf by more than $5000 and superior efficiency, Mitsubishi’s North American version of the Miev electric vehicle may attract a broader audience than simply urban-dwelling environmentalists who view personal transportation as a necessary evil.
Read More »Tested: 2014 Kia Sorento V6
It’s a kind of car that just keeps surpassing expectations from the moment you mash the throttle, throw it into a corner or open the sunroof. Every aspect of the car overdelivers except the sticker price. And one thing we love is the option list is empty and does not come with a $6000 price tage. Most everything is included in our trim level package.
Read More »Tested: 2014 Acura RLX
All new for 2014, the Acura RLX is a full-size luxury sedan powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 310 hp and 272 lb-ft of torque. A smooth ride is made possible by a double wishbone suspension and Precision All Wheel Steer (P-AWS) system. FWD is paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission with Sequential SportShift paddle shifters to enable an EPA estimated range of 20 mpg city to 34 mpg highway.
Read More »2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review
I admit to being fully intrigued the first time I saw the commercial for the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Clearly Mitsubishi was having fun with this marketing campaign…
Read More »Review: 2013 BMW X1 xDrive28i
BMW’s most petite SUV, the X1, is available in 3 varieties: 28i front wheel drive (base price $30,650), 28i all wheel drive ($32,350) and 35i AWD ($38,450). The major difference between the 28i and 35i models lies under the hood. The 28i uses the same four cylinder engine found in the base model 3-Series sedan, a 2.0 liter, direct injected, inline 4 that depends on twin turbos to make 240hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque.
Read More »Review: 2013 Nissan Juke NISMO
The first time I saw a Juke I wanted to puke. But before I could issue a stern rebuke, I discovered that Nissan’s fluke has became kind of a nuke. Rhyme time aside, NISMO, the motorsports arm of Nissan, has managed to transform the Juke from an ugly frog into a snappy swan. Monochromatic Sapphire Black paint morphs the Juke’s hunchback posture into visually tolerable awkwardness.
Read More »Review: 2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i
Just by accident, we found our 2013 X3 parked next to a first edition X3. Although both vehicles go by the same name and remain identically sized, the 2013’s wealth of ingenious stylistic changes make it look like a completely different SUV. In place of the first generation’s unappealing matte black front and rear fascia panels, the latest offering’s sculpted and chromed sheet metal looks like a scythe compared to a butter knife.
Read More »Review: 2013 Volvo C30 T5 R Design
In a performance world adrift in a sea of ever wider tires, Volvo’s choice of petite 205/50R17 Michelin MXM4 rubber for its top performance hatchback, the R Design C30, seems inexplicable. Choosing such a modest width of 205mm front and rear would appear to hobble this Volvo before it ever gets out of the starting gate. The handling and responsiveness of the R Design C30 puts most other front engine, front wheel drive hot hatchbacks to shame.
Read More »Review: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI
To give you an idea of just how efficient the new Diesel Beetle is, we round-tripped from Stinson Beach to Soquel (over 200 miles) in a single day, and when we returned home the trip computer indicated that 250 miles of range still remained. Now that’s a prodigious achievement for a small (2,939 lb.) coupe with a modest-sized fuel tank of just 14.5 gallons.
Read More »Review: 2013 Infiniti QX56 4WD
Painted “Black Obsidian” the QX56 looks as menacing as a nuclear submarine. This is no pretty plaything. Bereft of deft sculptural touches, the chunky QX56 depends on brutality for its brand of beauty. Up front, the immense chromed grill, guarded by slit headlights, makes the hulk look like a Brahma bull.
Read More »Review: 2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8
The SRT8 version bats cleanup in Chrysler’s varied 300 model line. Pikers can select a Rear-Wheel-Drive, V-6 powered 300 making 292hp, while flusher types can opt for the frisky 363hp 5.7 liter V-8 of the 300C. But the SRT8’s 6.4 liter HEMI V-8 is without question the most powerful and fastest large sedan the company makes.
Read More »Review: 2013 Infiniti FX37
You can call the Infiniti G37 the Special Effects model, because of its special engine, gearbox and suspension. Although the FX37 may look like just another SUV, it’s really a Nissan 370Z twice removed. Why twice? Because Infiniti’s G37 sedan is directly descended from the 370Z, while the FX37 is the SUV version of the G37.
Read More »Review: 2013 Ford Mustang GT California Special
Mustang enthusiasts have had more special editions to choose from than Baskin Robbins has flavors. Every year Ford or Shelby float new and tasty variations of this quintessential ponycar. One of the best packages in the car’s 49 year history is the California Special version of the Mustang GT.
Read More »Review: 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Hype: Stellar Cosmetics, GT Grunt Gripes: Clunky Door Slam, Distracting Wide View Ext. Mirrors Front to back, here are the significant features of the “base” Boss 302: New aero package to reduce lift A completely revised 444-horsepower engine with unique head castings, different exhaust valves and exhaust-side cams, upgraded internal materials in the valvetrain and […]
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