When the Jaguar S-Type was introduced a few years ago, it was criticized for being too much like a Ford and too little like a “real” Jag. It looked great on the outside — like every Jaguar should — but showed far too much of its Taurus DNA in the cabin.
Jaguar rectifies some of this Fordness, though thankfully not all of it, with a heavily revised S-Type. It retains its gorgeous body and chic style, but its interior, ride, handling, and horsepower are made more appropriate for a car with such a rich pedigree.
Read more…
Like a son discovering his father’s liquor cabinet, Buick has gotten a taste of the lucrative SUV market and like all other automakers who tip the SUV bottle, it has become addicted. So in an attempt to satisfy it’s craving for more customers and the all-mighty dollar, Buick will add a second SUV, called Rainier, to its lineup for the 2004 model year. In its previous life, the ’04 Rainier was known as the ’02 Bravada. When the General decided to kill one of it’s own and sent Oldsmobile packing, the all new and class leading Bravada was put up for adoption. Read more…
It was only a few years ago when Nissan teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, nearly committing corporate suicide with a lineup of stale, flavorless sedans and generally unimpressive trucks. It was a sad sight, indeed.
Nissan knew it needed a miracle to stay alive as a company, and that’s what it appears to be getting today. Over the last two years it managed to muster a pair of home runs — no, more like grand slams — with the redesigned Altima and sporty 350Z, both of which are leaving dealer lots faster than a cheetah on steroids.
Read more…
In the rarified realm of luxury cars, there are two basic flavors.
One is the traditional road yacht that floats down the highway with grace, style, and gluttonous size. The other is the midsize sports sedan that aims to exhilarate the driver with sharp handling and gobs of power while coddling passengers with a modestly upscale cabin.
Lying somewhere in between is the Lexus GS sedan.
Read more…
With all the flashy new cars on Chrysler lots, it’s easy to forget about the company’s more traditional models.
Just drive by a dealership, and you’ll see what I mean. There are stylish 300Cs, sporty PT Cruiser convertibles, gorgeous Crossfires, and fancy Pacificas, all of which scream for attention with gaudy styling and prime placement on nearby billboards. Like the head cheerleader at a school dance, they’re hot and they know it.
Read more…
There have been plenty of strange cars in the past 100 years, but this must be one of the most ridiculous.
No, it can’t fly or drive underwater, and it doesn’t even look very weird. It’s fairly mundane at first glance — that is, until you see the badge on the hood.
Read more…
The Spanish were an ambitious bunch, at least in the 16th century.
That’s when King Phillip II ordered 30,000 people onto 130 warships to create what he called an “invincible armada,” the most powerful naval fleet in the world. It set sail in 1588 to invade and conquer England.
Read more…
In a move that imitates expensive German sports sedans, Infiniti added an all-wheel drive model to its G35 lineup for 2004.
At first glance, it seems odd to add the weight of an AWD system to a performance-oriented sports sedan like the G35, but the system has a couple of major advantages. First, it helps in low-traction situations, like on icy or wet roads. Second, it offers very neutral, predictable handling in corners, something all Andretti wannabes should love.
Read more…
Automotive perfection is hard to define. Is it the latest technological wizardry, a smooth ride and a quiet cabin? Is it breathtaking performance? Is it a style that makes your friends and neighbors envious every time they see you drive by?
Or, as Audi contends, is it the synthesis of all these things?
Read more…
Hear that nervous clattering noise coming from the North? That’s the sound of Detroit shaking in its old, worn-out boots.
After watching the Japanese steal sales year after year in the small, midsize, and luxury car markets, the folks in northern Michigan are surely biting their fingernails at the thought of Japan swooping in for another conquest. This time, though, the fight will be over the mainstay of all-American transportation — the full-size truck.
Read more…
