Automotive Trends

    There was a time when “compact truck” really meant “claustrophobic, micro-sized, knee-crunching truck that should only be bought by anorexic contortionists.”
     But today’s compact trucks — well, there’s nothing compact about them. Read more…

2005 GMC Envoy Denali strikes a pose.

Finished with the Show Stoppers already? Never fear, AT’s faithful photog has plenty of pictures to salivate over from this year’s NAIAS!

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The Crossovers Are Coming!

     Automakers may be scaling back a bit on the press conference theatrics this year, but there’s been no slowdown in the amount of new product being debuted in Cobo. This year brings us everything from reborn muscle cars to luxury cars and, of course, the automakers’ favorite new segment, crossovers utility vehicles (CUVs). There was a definite interest in fuel economy this year, but thankfully not at the expense of power. Indeed, the product choices industry wide have never been better, as the following Showstoppers indicate. Read more…

Truck Driver Wanna-bes Rejoice: No CDL Required

    Above all else, Ford consistently does one thing well, and that’s build pickups. We’re not talking just any pickups, but giant, imposing trucks with a commanding presence that the other guys just can’t match. In fact, it’s darn near semi-like in one of these things. You sit about eye level with fellow truckers, you occupy almost as much highway, and you burn fuel at a rate that would make even a Saudi cry. No doubt about it, one glance at the features and you’ll know the latest generation of Super Duty pickups is made for one thing: hard work. But there’s more to the story than an impressive spec sheet. What did we learn after a week in the cab? Well, we had a newfound appreciation for good coffee and for Ford’s latest heavy-hauler. Read more…

Sedan of Elderly Leisure

    Just two years ago this sedan would have been revolutionary in the family sedan market. Its extra-large proportions, elevated ride height, spacious interior and availability of all-wheel drive put this sedan into an SUV-like category when you consider all of these features’ marketability. Perhaps this is why the Five Hundred just doesn’t get the heart racing; we expect these niceties in all too many vehicular categories in this day and age. Read more…

Second Time Around, Twice The Charm

    Recently we had the chance to sample two cars in Mazda’s lineup that, while unique in their own regards, still carried a bit of familiarity with them. The Mazda6 and MPV have both been welcomed into our fleet in the not so distant past, but we again open arm embraced these two like long lost friends. The MPV has little news to speak of since our last rendition in ’04, while the 6 5-door is altogether a different model in the 6 family. Speaking of families, that is exactly who we put to work in these vehicles. Lets check them out! Read more…

Soft-Roading

    About mid-April, DaimlerChrysler dropped off a new Grand Cherokee for us to run around in. So, unlike any good soccer mom (more like dad), we loaded up and hit the trails with our V6-powered runabout. Nope, no HEMI in this dude. Someone back at DCX PR headquarters missed the page on the order sheet titled: Options. Read more…

       It looks like Mitsubishi is learning from the old advertising mantra that, indeed, sex sells.
     While the Eclipse was a hot, voluptuous car in the late 1990s, it morphed into something more dull in the generation that lasted until 2005. It seemingly changed from a Brazilian bikini model to a mousey librarian, trading in its sports-car looks and hard-nosed performance for a softer ride and boring styling. Read more…

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

    This is an interesting SUV for sure. In my professional opinion I think the engineers built an SUV with a case of mistaken identity. Regardless, the Endeavor does live up to its nameplate, endeavoring to be more than merely the sum of its parts. Confused yet? No more than the editor writing this review, trust me. Read more…