Automotive Trends

Better Than Expected

    Driving a Mazda MX-5 Miata with an automatic is like dating a cross-eyed supermodel. As long as she keeps her lids latched you’ll be the envy of bachelors everywhere, but the moment her pupils start peeking her seemingly perfect package is forever flawed. The same scenario will haunt owners of the slush-box Miata. When your car buddies see you pull up in the poster car for roadster perfection they’ll stand ready to congratulate your wise purchase. As soon as they see the automatic shifter they’ll slap you silly—Jerry Springer style. And as enthusiasts, clear cut condemnation of any Miata with an automatic seems warranted. With a computer making the decisions that elemental “oneness” between man and machine is lost. Read more…

At Least It Looks The Part

    To most people that is. Maybe it’s the old age, maybe it’s the lack of coffee, or maybe it is the fact that this is the base model, but whatever the case was, the Eclipse did not impress me as I had hoped. That does not mean that the Eclipse is not worth your attention, on the contrary, I am convinced the Eclipse is a player. The visual appeal is there, but the substance simply lacks. Read more…

      It is that time of the year again! Warm weather means hot cars are out and about. And that means the Firebird’s car club at Kettering University is back at it. Check out our gallery of their Parent’s Weekend Car Show.

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Second Time’s A Charm   

     Last winter we had the chance to sample the Luxury version of the Grand Vitara. It was then we said that Suzuki finally had a serious contender in the small-SUV game. Considering how impressed we were with this little runt the last time around we didn’t expect anything less from a so called “lesser” model, and so we welcomed the Grand V for a second round in AT’s fleet. Read more…

Gotta Love It   

     The latest Jetta is a competent car but its ultra-reserved styling and serious lack of go power combine to make it an ultra serious bore to drive. It’s the automotive equivalent of watching Sen. Joseph Lieberman give a speech about the latest techniques in stem cell research. Needless to say, the enthusiasts among us aren’t knocking down VW’s doors looking for beige 5-cylinder Jettas. Volkswagen is smart enough to know this and that’s precisely why the GLI exists. It packs strong turbo power, decidedly unreserved 18” wheels, and it’s not available in beige. For the time being the GLI is the sportiest offering in the VW lineup, at least until the new GTI arrives, so we had high expectations. Did we find some substance under all that style or is the GLI little more than a cosmetic package? Keep reading. Read more…

Maybe We Could Have Picked A Warmer Weekend?

    The plan drawn up at AT headquarters was deceptively simply: Gather the hot new Mazda MX-5 and the sexy Pontiac Solstice, drop their respective tops, and chase the horizon for a day of fantastic fall fun. It’s the stuff dreams are made of—or at least our tire smoking, fuel-injected dreams. This plan, however, would require two things. First, that we could get our anxious little paws on the keys to the two hottest cars for 2006 during the same week. And second, that the weather in Michigan in late fall wouldn’t resemble something from The Day After Tomorrow. Read more…

Practical With A Buzz

    With the domestic automakers finally paying attention to their breadwinner family sedans, it is becoming increasingly necessary for the imports to keep their offerings fresh. Our first sample of the new batch, the Jetta, is setting the pace, with the Golf and Passat following any day now. Read more…

     When you drive a different car each week, people often ask you which is your favorite.
     I’ve always had the same answer: the Honda S2000.
     This little two-seat roadster, at $34,000, is far from the most expensive car I’ve driven. It’s not the fastest, either, and certainly not the most comfortable. Read more…

In A World Of Unleaded Regular, This One Is Premium

    It isn’t often that a car in our fleet is referred to as brilliant. Nor is it often that we sing the praises of one that is deemed “entry-level”, featuring an automatic tranny, front-wheel drive, and merely a four-cylinder engine. But the A3 brings out the best in all of these descriptions. Read more…

Hoping To Raid The Midsize Truck Market

    “Sure thing, drop it off, gotta go!” I exclaim to the Mitsubishi PR guy as quickly as I can while trying to hammer out the final details of an important business meeting as I am walking into it with two colleagues.
     “What was that all about?” one colleague inquires.
     “We get a Mitsu Raider for the weekend, so if we…” Read more…