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Archive for the ‘Test Drives’ Category

2002 Dodge Ram

July 8th, 2002 No comments

     Refinement isn’t something trucks are known for. They’re meant for hauling, towing and getting dirty, not for impressing executives with frilly features and tight-fitting interior panels. Read more…

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2002 Volvo S60

June 19th, 2002 No comments

       If you drive the new S60 sedan, expect to hear this from your buddies: “That’s a Volvo?” Read more…

2002 Volkswagen Passat W8

June 12th, 2002 No comments

 

     It’s hard to imagine a luxury Volkswagen, but get used to it. VeeDub is getting a bigger ego.
     The company has come a long way since its days of producing the old, super-simple Beetle, a car that was wildly popular but never had many amenities. You can forget about finding an old Bug with power windows, leather trim, air conditioning and cruise control.

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2002 Volkswagen Golf

May 4th, 2002 No comments

 

   Volkswagen’s Golf is a master of disguise.
   It’s a hatchback, but it doesn’t feel like the little economy cars that dotted America’s roadways through the 1980s. Those were — I’ll try to say this nicely — noisy, ugly rust buckets that felt like driving wheeled cigar boxes. Read more…

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2002 Mazda Truck

April 14th, 2002 No comments

    How’s this for a no-nonsense name: the Mazda Truck.
   
Mazda stopped naming its pickups the B-series this year, instead opting for the strangely simple “Truck” moniker. It’s a straightforward, surprisingly plain and almost cool approach — just like the truck itself.

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2002 Lincoln LS

March 21st, 2002 No comments

     Judging from the new LS sedan, Lincoln learned something simple but profound.
   A new generation of Americans wants to buy American luxury cars that don’t feel American. Rather than the stereotypical marshmallowy, boat-like feel of big Lincolns and Cadillacs, they want cars that feel European — tight, fast and precise.

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2002 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson

March 7th, 2002 No comments

     Harley-Davidson motorcycles are about power, style and freedom. So are pickup trucks. Read more…

2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT

February 16th, 2002 No comments

     Walking past an enormous tailgate that looks like it came from a military shipyard, you begin to scratch your head in consternation.
     Just what is this thing? Read more…

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2002 HUMMER H1

February 5th, 2002 No comments

     How can an awful vehicle be so cool?
     That’s the question I constantly asked myself while driving the Hummer H1, a civilian version of the U.S. military’s supertruck designed to travel through swamps, deserts and jungles — anything but city streets. Read more…

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2002 Mercedes-Benz G500

January 31st, 2002 No comments

 

    Only Mercedes-Benz can mix Star Trek with U-Haul, then charge $73,000 for the result. Read more…