MPU 300x600
MPU 300x600 - 2
2013 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD Review
Mazda introduced this replacement for their discontinued Tribute model back in April of 2012, making the CX-5 one of the first 2013 model year offerings to debut. This petite crossover SUV is based on the Mazda 3 platform, with an additional 2.4 inches spliced into its 106.1 inch wheelbase. But its length of 178.1 inches is actually 2 inches shorter than the Mazda 3
Read More »2013 Infiniti FX37 AWD Review
Having just spent the prior week driving a storied sports sedan, I was prepared to be under whelmed by the performance of this tall, rather ungainly looking sports utility. But beauty is as beauty does, and what the FX37 does best is cover ground fast. Faster, in most instances than that storied sports sedan I thought I’d be missing so much
Read More »2013 Lexus RX 350 Review
There’s nothing like a week of Pacific storms to make you appreciate the virtues of an SUV like the Lexus RX 350. The RX is surely the prescription to counter inclement weather because it’s full time, active torque control all-wheel-drive never loses traction, no matter how tough the going. Part of the credit for this indefatigable adhesion belongs to the water-clearing
Read More »2013 Infiniti G Coupe IPL Review
Let’s say you’re a born again racer who’s outgrown the trappings of the street pose down. You still like to drive hard and fast, but you no longer need to let the world in on your little secret. So you start scanning test reports with an eye for the understated rather than the obvious performance package. You’ve got some serious cash to spend on your acquisition, but you’re
Read More »2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe SE Review
Easy on the eye, easy on the wallet, the coupe version of the Elantra dishes out a pretty good trip down easy street. Hyundai hasn’t done an Elantra coupe before, so if you wanted a personalized two-door from this Korean maker, their Genesis coupe was the only model available. But opting for a Genesis meant spending more ($24,250 – $34,250), fueling more
Read More »2013 Honda Accord EX 4-DR Review
I spent most of my week in the new Accord driving around like a demented octogenarian with my right turn signal perpetually blinking to indicate a turn I never took. What, you may ask, prompted this bit of imbecility? Honda’s new feature called LaneWatch. If you flick your right turn signal on, an incredibly clear, continuous picture of the road adjacent and behind your Accord
Read More »2013 Ford Fusion SE Review
Park the 2013 Fusion next to Ford’s previous model of the same name and you will instantly see that everything has changed but the name. The previous model was so chrome-clad, clumsily styled and ponderous looking that it makes the new Fusion look like Botticelli’s Venus on the Half Shell. Your first impression of the 2013 Fusion’s comparative grace, balance and purpose is not deceiving
Read More »2013 Acura ILX Premium Review
The Sleeper of the Year award goes to Acura for this all-new ILX. Here is an unprepossessing 4-door sedan with devastating performance thanks to gymnastic handling and a rev-happy motor. Yet all this latent potential is cloaked by an average looking body shell that would lead you to suspect the ILX is just another boring family car. To the contrary, this latest Acura hot rod is
Read More »2013 Volkswagen CC Sport Review
Seven years ago, when VW introduced the CC, I tested one for a week in Boston. My week with the car expired early when I left it parked overnight – apparently with the lights on – and came back to find the battery dead. Now a dead battery would not normally present more of a problem than the need for a jump start, but once restarted
Read More »2012 Lexus LX570 Review
Greenies avert your eyes. Not only will this review not interest you, but it may actually antagonize you. Because the LX570 is like the 300 pound guy who plops down right next to you in the middle seat of a packed Airbus. Just like him, the LX takes up all of its own space, and a good bit of everyone else’s. When you park it in one of those “Compact Only” slots at the mall
Read More »2012 Fiat 500 Abarth Review
It’s been a long time since the name “Abarth” meant anything to motorists in North America. Back in the 1960s, Karl Abarth’s tuning firm, which got its start in Italy by modifying Fiats for road racing, also sold high performance exhaust systems for almost every economy and sports car. These exotic looking exhausts were expensive
Read More »2013 Lexus LS 460 F Sport Review
When Toyota introduced the LS model line in September, 1989, the large sedan was a hit with buyers who were overjoyed to own a Mercedes Benz S Class clone for half the cost of the Benz. Although the styling of that first LS was clearly Benz derivative, the Lexus packed a 4 liter, 250hp V8 wallop under the hood that Mercedes
Read More »2013 Toyota Avalon Limited Review
Did you ever notice how automotive reviewers feel compelled to trash a company’s previous offering – one they universally loved just a few years back – whenever they’re given a new version of the same model to drive? This frequently occurs because manufacturers themselves denigrate their prior offering in order to cast a fairer
Read More »2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
Jeep engineers must have had the mountain bike rider in mind when they designed the new Grand Cherokee. If you flip the rear seats down and pop open the hatchback gate, you’ve created the perfect storage area for a mountain bike. Tailgate lift-over is moderately high, but once you’ve got the hang of sliding your bike in and out
Read More »2013 Scion FR-S Review
The bold new Scion FR-S looks best when painted in Hot Lava, a shocking shade of pearlescent orange that perfectly summarizes the impertinent nature of this sizzling hot hatchback. With the FR-S, Scion engineers have managed to craft the perfect autocross car. Once properly classed by the Competition Board of the SCCA, the FR-S will win many national titles
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