Suzuki Shoots for the Stars…Hits a Passing Comet
In its press material Suzuki cites comparisons against the Nissan Altima and the Honda Accord. Good candidates to measure oneself against considering that the Accord has ruled the midsize sedan segment along side the Toyota Camry for some time now. But reading further we find that Suzuki not only laid the Kizashi and Volkswagen CC spec sheets side by side, they also openly challenged perspective buyers of Audi A4 and Acura TSX’s to test drive the Kizashi first. A challenge that culminated with the challengee receiving a $100 check card from Suzuki if after 10 days they decided that the Audi or Acura was right car for them instead. Bold… Read more…
Hyundai Turns Its Attention From Luxury To Sport With The Genesis Coupe
Watching Hyundai’s meteoric rise from “That Korean Car Company” to “That Global Powerhouse” has been exciting for everyone—at least everyone not employed by another automaker’s sales and marketing department. We recently watched the hard charging company lead a successful foray into the heady waters of the luxury car segment with their Genesis sedan. Now hot on the heels of the positive buzz they earned from meeting that challenge comes a Genesis of another sort.
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It’s Official: Buick Is On A Winning Streak
At the end of our first day with the LaCrosse we were relieved to discover something: the Enclave wasn’t a fluke. It turns out that Buick designers can transfer their big crossover’s flowing curves, spot-on proportions and upscale detailing to a midsize sedan with stunning effect. Of course it takes more than a pretty face to make us go weak in the knees and type up a love letter to Buick. Fortunately, like the Enclave, the LaCrosse’s beauty is more than skin deep. Read more…
If ever a vehicle defined excess, it would be the Cadillac Escalade.
For years, this monster Caddy has represented the epitome in American automotive hedonism — so powerful, so luxurious, so big. Everything about it is over the top, from its tugboat engine to its hide-covered seats to its dinner-plate-sized Cadillac logo on the back. It’s extravagance on a grand scale. Read more…
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder…
…And this auto scribe thinks someone whacked the 2010 Mazda3 with an ugly stick! But regardless of what I think of the wrapper the real measure is whether or not the 2010 3 follows the formula that Mazda patented with the original. That is to pack this entry-level compact hatch with as much content as they can squeeze between the sheetmetal and offer it at a value you just can’t resist. Read more…
Entry-Level Luxury Never Looked So Good
Driving the new 2009 Audi A4 helps explain a lot of things. Like, for instance, how Audi actually set a new sales record of 1.03 million vehicles in 2008 while most other automakers’ showrooms looked like ghost towns. It’s not that there’s simply more power (there is) or a new technology (several, in fact) it’s that every single facet of all new Audi’s is an improvement over the replacement. And the latest A4 is no exception. We’re here to tell you the 2009 model is more comfortable, more powerful, more dynamically satisfying, more efficient and more luxurious than ever. Don’t believe us? Read on. Read more…
Road Trip!
The peace and serenity of Monday morning was interrupted by Dye making an announcement that we had to drive to Asheville, NC, tonight! An Imola Red BMW M Coupe just hit Ebay and he had to have it. So before all productivity went flying out the window we grabbed the keys to the Volkswagen CC that just arrived and pointed the bow south. We then spent the next 10 hours of drive time thoroughly discussing the merits of adding an M Coupe to the personal fleet. Read more…
With Every Birthday Mazda’s Best-Selling Roadster Redefines Perfection
Those of us in this business have now been trying to explain the Miata’s magic for 20 years. We use poetic superlatives and proclamations like “thrilling!” and “unbeatable!” and even with a heaping helping of exclamation points we can’t always convey its awesomeness. You must simply experience the pure driving pleasure Mazda’s minimalist roadster continues to provide two decades after its debut to understand its enthralling charm. Our real job, then, is to keep you up to date on the little changes Mazda makes every few years to keep the MX-5 on top of its game. For 2009 Mazda made just enough tweaks to make a revisit worthwhile for the AT staff. Who are we kidding, a smile occupies our faces every time Mazda sends one our way. Here then is what’s new in the land of Miata. Read more…
It Lacks The Go Anywhere Ability Of Its Big Brother, But It’s Much More Fun To Drive
If you are planning on picking up a new Tiguan to serve as a smaller, more fuel-efficient alternative to your go-anywhere Touareg be prepared for a new experience: getting stuck. That’s because Volkswagen’s second SUV is far more Honda than Hummer. Yes, it can be equipped with all-wheel drive, but you’ll only have 6.9 inches of ground clearance to work with, same as our front-wheel drive tester. Exactly none of the more capable Touareg’s hardware (air suspension, three locking differentials, low-range transfer case) is passed down to the Tiguan. But that detail only irked us when the Tiguan got itself stuck—twice—during our late December test. That’s because the rest of the time we were driving the thing like it was a GTI in maternity clothes. A fact that took us by surprise even though Volkswagen’s own press materials refer to the Tiguan as the “GTI of compact sport utility vehicles”. Read more…
Does The Sexy New Sheetmetal Still Hide The Soul of a Sports Car?
In the interest of full-disclosure it should be noted that Senior Editor Muxlow’s daily driver is a first-gen Mazda6, and not just any old 6. His is an exceedingly rare 5-door with a manual transmission and it does a convincing impersonation of a sports sedan, even with its front-wheel drive handicap. Which is the main reason this publication, and many others, have raved about the smartly-sized 6. In our last review of Mazda’s mid-sizer we said, “the 6 drives and behaves like a responsively tuned sport sedan should.” But now there is an all-new 6 and it’s grown a bit to better match up with its mid-size competitors. Has it become dull and soft like the Camry and Accord too? Fortunately, no. Read more…
