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Archive for the ‘Test Drives’ Category

2004 Audi A4

February 4th, 2010 No comments

         If you’re looking for a midsize sedan with a hint of luxury, good luck. You’ll need it with the glut of choices available.
     Today’s highways are packed with comfortable, good-looking sedans under $35,000. On the low end there are Camrys, Accords and Maximas with leather seats, navigation systems, and lots of fancy doo-dads. American cars like the Chrysler 300C and Ford Five Hundred offer a little more space for the money — not to mention more attention-getting styling — but they lack the appeal of a luxury brand. For that, there are plenty of solid cars from Infiniti, Lexus, Lincoln, Cadillac and Acura. Read more…

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2004 Chevrolet Colorado

February 4th, 2010 No comments

         After driving some revolutionary full-size trucks this year — fantastic trucks like the new Ford F-150 and Nissan Titan — I had high hopes for the next-generation midsize truck from Chevrolet.
     Those big trucks raised the bar for comfort and refinement in a pickup, making them drive more like cars without sacrificing truly heavy-duty performance. Is it unreasonable, then, to want the same thing in a smaller pickup? Read more…

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2004 Nissan Titan

February 4th, 2010 No comments

        When you grow up in rural East Texas, you know what loyalty is. It’s what a man feels for his pickup truck.
     As a boy, it wasn’t uncommon for me to hear someone say, “My daddy drove a Ford ’til he died, and I’m gonna drive a Ford ’til I die,” or some variation with either Dodge or Chevy. Texas men are more devoted to their trucks than to their wives. Read more…

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2004 Lexus IS300 SportCross

February 4th, 2010 No comments

     Lexus has built its reputation on cars that are well-engineered, comfortable, refined, reliable and — let’s be honest — remarkably bland. Read more…

2004 Dodge Dakota

February 4th, 2010 No comments

     For a guy who grew up in Texas, I’m an oddball. I don’t like trucks.
     It seems like pickups are divided into two distinct categories, neither of which tickle my automotive fancy. The first is the giant, full-size truck that can tow just about anything and drive just about anywhere, which is great for those weekends when you need the power and cargo space that only these brutes can offer. Only problem is having to drive them the rest of the week, which means spending a fortune in gas and barely squeezing into parking spots at the SuperMart. Read more…

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2004 Suzuki XL-7

February 4th, 2010 No comments

       When it comes time to test a low-priced SUV, I’ve learned not to expect too much. After all, most of them are just overgrown versions of cheap economy cars. Read more…

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2004 Land Rover Discovery

February 4th, 2010 No comments

       Just mention the words “Land Rover,” and you probably think of burly, khaki-clad British men driving through the wildest parts of Africa on a big-game safari. Read more…

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2004 Volkswagen R32

February 4th, 2010 No comments

        Volkswagen executives must have looked at the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evolution before coming to a conclusion: “We want one of those!” Read more…

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2004 Suzuki Verona

February 4th, 2010 No comments

 

      Everybody knows the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry reign atop the family-sedan hill. They’re the cream of the crop, the best of the best, and a thousand other overused clichés. Read more…

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2004 Toyota Solara

February 4th, 2010 No comments

        What do you get when the practical, buttoned-down Toyota Camry puts on a string bikini? The new Solara. Read more…

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