Automotive Trends

Year Of The Car Indeed    

     Ford is calling 2004 the year of the car and by the look of things on opening day in Detroit, that slogan applies to the entire industry. Ford used its press conference to roll out several significant production products including the Ford Five Hundred sedan, Freestyle crossover and Mustang coupe. A tidy but rugged off-road concept showed up wearing the Bronco nameplate and the King Ranch edition of the F-150 also made its public debut. Read more…

        Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, here’s some news: Toyota is selling an all-new Prius hybrid.
But, since you obviously aren’t hiding in a cave on the Afghan-Pakistani border, you probably already know that the Prius is more popular than Patrick Stewart at a convention of Star Trek geeks. It’s the darling of environmentalist Hollywood and the recipient of dozens of design and engineering awards. Read more…

        When Acura introduced the RSX in 2001 as a replacement for the aging Integra, it was a knockout. Read more…

     Honda’s previous-generation Accord was nearly faultless, as far as four-door cars go.
     It had a quiet ride, magnificent engine, comfortable cabin, and affordable price, so we couldn’t find anything to complain about — except, perhaps, that it was a dull, bread-and-butter family sedan. So what could make it better? Read more…

    Call it the new American dream machine.
    GMC’s Yukon XL Denali is today’s pinnacle of American style and luxury, not unlike Detroit’s classic family cruisers from the 1950s that were slathered in chrome, decked with tail fins and packed with the latest goodies. Read more…

     For decades, Cadillac called itself “The Standard of the World,” and it wasn’t an exaggeration. Technical innovations, elegant styling and sophisticated refinement made it the best car company on the planet — hands down — in the early part of the 20th century. Nothing else came close. Read more…

An Explorer In Business Attire    

     A rebadged Explorer? Well, yes, but also no. Consider the Mountaineer as an Explorer in business attire. It is worth a good first look, but don’t expect excess attention. We found that few heads turned when our Ceramic White tester came rolling through town. Soccer moms will appreciate the 7 passenger seating and dad will like the ruggedly upscale looks. Read more…

     Want a Mercedes CL-class dream coupe but don’t want to pay $100,000 for one? Then take a close look at the CLK. Read more…

Focus…Focus…Focus     

     Once again I find myself at the mercy of the small car quota. “Muxlow, call up Ford and get a Focus for the week,” read the note on my desk. Ok, thought I, the primary truck editor here at AT. Half an hour later I had an Infra-Red ZX5 waiting for my impending pick-up. Nothing against the Focus, but when you are moving down from a full-size pick-up one week to a small car the next, the size difference is noticeable to say the least. At first I thought it was a joke when Ford asked whether I wanted it in paper or plastic. Alright, all jokes aside, but it did come in a Hot Wheels package. Ok, that’s not true either. Anyway, for an entry-level car, the Focus can add a flare of fun and style to your everyday commute as we quickly found out. Read more…

The Muscle Car Lives

     We have discovered a fail-proof litmus test of automotive enthusiasm. If you sit behind the wheel of a Mustang Mach 1 while you blip the aluminum throttle pedal, watch the shaker hood torque to the right, listen to the burly exhaust note, and the hair on your neck does not stand up, you are dead–or might as well be. That result means you are one of the millions who prefer a Camry to a Camaro and there’s no point in you reading the rest of this review because you’ll just dismiss the Mustang as cramped and loud. Now we’re the first to admit the Camry is as near to perfection in automotive transportation as you can get, but we are part of that ever-shrinking minority that will trade off a good chunk of perfection for a big dose of muscular styling and a throaty V8 to back it up. Call us old-fashioned, but we’ll take a Mustang over a pocket-rocket any day of the week-especially a Mustang this good. Read more…