Automotive Trends

     The breaking of the summer sun over the horizon means the breaking forth of the classics from their winter car covers. And that means you can find us downtown Brown City admiring the classic metal. Yeah, it’s only a local car cruise, but there is always something good to look at!

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Inspired by…Gene Roddenberry?

    The CX-7 is Mazda’s first real foray into the ever-expanding crossover SUV market. Yes, they had made a go with the Tribute, but under the direction of the Ford design studio, let’s just say, they weren’t all speaking the same language. But now Mazda is serious with an entry that ties its roots back to the family. Chief among these are the RX-8 and the MX-5, favorites among the AT staff. Editor Dye has sworn that an RX-8 will find a home in his garage someday. We’ve never yet turned an MX-5 down and on more than one occasion found a way to tease out every ounce of handling prowess it could muster. Read more…

The Ultimate Plebianmobile

   Sometimes you just have to get out of the office for a few days and take a trip, change the scenery, and breathe some fresh air. But as an auto scribe you could hardly say I leave my work behind me. Oh I was on leave, but not on vacation. The good folks from Kia had a Sportage 4×4 ready and waiting for my critique as soon as my plane hit the tarmac at the Atlanta, Georgia airport. Read more…

The Rolls-Royce 100EX Concept is unveiled at the 2005 NAIAS

And Then There Were Two

    It’s hard to believe but there are now two good-looking Saturns on the road. The first was the Sky, which debuted last year to a collective, “That’s a Saturn?” by the automotive press. The suits promised there would be more to come from the reinvigorated brand. Apparently the GM guys just dropped off the “more to come” part because the type of descriptive words that keep coming to mind for the car I’m looking at include handsome, European, taut, expensive looking and refined. Excuse me if I am a little excited, but these are not words I’ve been able to use lately when talking about GM cars—let alone the Playskool-cars-for-grownups Saturn brand. But there it is, the midsize Saturn Aura and its tasteful chrome trim sparkling like jewelry on the Midnight Blue steel body. The days of the function-before-form Saturns are over. From now on, Saturns are going to be stylish. Read more…

More Power Than A Corvette, And More Room Too!

    Everyone expected the new Escalade to be good, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear us proclaim that, indeed, it is good. The bigger question we have to answer is this: is the new Cadillac $15k better than the fully loaded Tahoe we drove a few weeks before this stylish new ‘Slade showed up? That’s tougher to answer than you may think. Read more…

     Acura TSX, BMW 3-series, Cadillac CTS. Excellent cars? Yes. Luxury cars? Hardly.
     I’ve taken the time to contemplate the subject of luxury manufacturers recently. More specifically, I have been considering the ultimate value of the entry-level “luxury car”. Two very different cars started my mind’s wheels turning. One was a result of a brief conversation I had about the value of the Cayenne to Porsche. Read more…

Top Down Fun…For Some

    Nine times out of 10, convertibles do not make a good primary car. By their very nature they are a compromise; from wiggly windshields with the top down to Buick-blocking blind spots with the top up. Their trunks are small, their prices are big, and unless you live in the Southwest your year is marred with weather you’d rather tackle in anything but a convertible. After a few days in a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder we can tell you it suffers from all of these compromises and more, but it looks so good you might not care. Read more…

GM’s Sexy Twins Get Some Spunk

     The Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky are gorgeous vehicles, and if you don’t agree you must work for Mazda. So, considering their perfect proportions and confident handling, producing a follow-up to the uber-successful roadsters can mean only one thing: more power. And GM was happy to provide lots of it. Read more…

       Caprice.  The name evokes various reactions.  To some it is merely an outdated Chevrolet for the elderly.  Others think of a car that they envisioned as ugly and overweight.  And yet to many the name is a legend;  a name revered. Read more…