Automotive Trends

      We’ve always been a fan of the Ford Edge and it’s Lincoln MKX twin, but we’ve also always wondered what they would look like if Ford just took one more step away from the cautious line it’s been toeing for the better part of the 2000’s. Well now we know, and it looks like Ford loosed the cuffs on Dearborn’s imagination a bit. Read more…

The Pontiac G6 sedan is rolled out at the 2004 NAIAS.

      As a traditional Cadillac enthusiast, I have felt Cadillac’s lineup has been somewhat incomplete since the departure of the magnificent Fleetwood at the end of 1996.  While that car shared its powertrain entirely with the top-line offerings from Chevrolet and Buick, it was a car that was unmistakably a Cadillac.  It was the ultimate car for being pampered and its sheer size made it the most imposing car on the road at the time.  In its absence the smaller front-wheel-drive Deville had to hold its own against the likes of the Lincoln Town Car – a job it did well.  In the decade and a half since Cadillac’s last body-on frame rear wheel drive sedan was built, the top end luxury market has erupted in an all-out war between the Audi A8, Lexus LS-variants, and the Mercedes-Benz S-class.  While the Town Car is still in production, Ford threatens to discontinue it on nearly a yearly basis and does little to promote or improve it.   Now Lincoln calls the Mercury-like MKS the flagship of its line.  Yet another Taurus-based Lincoln, it is as if Ford has thrown in the towel as being a true competitor in the luxury class. Read more…

      The revival of the Buick Regal name is surprising, largely in that it seems like the model name has been gone for only a couple model years.  In fact, the Regal was last used on Buick’s version of the w-car platform in 2004.  It was a buckets and console version of the mild Buick Century.  The new car is a departure for Buick in that it will offer no V6 and a choice of manual or automatic 6 speed transmissions.  Buick is marketing the LaCrosse as a Lexus competitor.  If that is the case, this car seems to take aim at the Acura TSX – at least in powertrain configurations.  Based heavily on the Opel Insignia, the car was thought to be planned as the replacement for the Saturn Aura.  Since the Saturn experiment has now been terminated and Pontiac  eliminated, the time was right for Buick to offer such an agile small sedan. Read more…

The Hyundai HCD-8 concept unveiled at the 2004 NAIAS.

The 2005 HUMMER H2 getting down and dirty in the gravel pit.

       For 2011 Chrysler wisely decided not to let it’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, the flagship of its legendary off-road brand, get stale.  This marks the fourth generation of the model, which took over the place of the ancient Grand Wagoneer after its departure in 1991.  Read more…

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…

    The new Buick LaCrosse is such a fresh departure from the w-car based model that introduced the nameplate that we felt a Design Critique was in order.  That car looked old from the beginning, and worse, bore a large resemblance to the then-current Ford Taurus from nearly any angle.  Read more…

     So Ford swept the awards clean off the deck, now prepare to get swept right off your feet by all the hot new metal rolling out of Detroit this year!

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