Let The Good Times Roll
My second car was a 1994 Pontiac Firebird Formula with T-Tops and a lumbering LT1 small-block with enough torque to bring a smile to my face anytime I pulled away from a stop. Of course the steering was lifeless, the handling was nonexistent and the brake pedal felt like an air mattress foot pump. But none of that mattered because it looked good and went fast and it, along with its Chevy Camaro twin, hailed from the glory days of the Muscle Car. Both Living Legends to a young male with a horsepower fetish. So I was as sad as anyone when the F-Body was retired after 2002. But practically as soon as the last car rolled off the assembly line fans started to assume we’d see a new Mustang competitor soon. Several years passed until GM, keen to prove it was in the midst of a design renaissance, rolled a new Camaro concept onto the stage at the 2006 NAIAS. Personally I might have preferred a reborn Firebird, but this extroverted modern muscle car looks so retro right I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. And now I have—two actually. Read more…
Suzuki Shoots for the Stars…Hits a Passing Comet
In its press material Suzuki cites comparisons against the Nissan Altima and the Honda Accord. Good candidates to measure oneself against considering that the Accord has ruled the midsize sedan segment along side the Toyota Camry for some time now. But reading further we find that Suzuki not only laid the Kizashi and Volkswagen CC spec sheets side by side, they also openly challenged perspective buyers of Audi A4 and Acura TSX’s to test drive the Kizashi first. A challenge that culminated with the challengee receiving a $100 check card from Suzuki if after 10 days they decided that the Audi or Acura was right car for them instead. Bold… Read more…
The 2011 Ford Focus is a stylish little bugger and confirms for us that there is still energy left in the Blue Oval! Here the Focus display is prepped for its public debut at the 2010 NAIAS.
Hyundai Turns Its Attention From Luxury To Sport With The Genesis Coupe
Watching Hyundai’s meteoric rise from “That Korean Car Company” to “That Global Powerhouse” has been exciting for everyone—at least everyone not employed by another automaker’s sales and marketing department. We recently watched the hard charging company lead a successful foray into the heady waters of the luxury car segment with their Genesis sedan. Now hot on the heels of the positive buzz they earned from meeting that challenge comes a Genesis of another sort.
Read more…
I am sure that many of you will agree, the last thing a Buick needs is less power. As it is Granny backs up the left lane with her blinker going on her way to the hairdresser! Anyways, entering as a late addition to the 2010 lineup is 2.4L 4-cylinder Ecotec. And not just any Ecotec but the same direct injected 2.4L already forging a success story in the Chevrolet Equinox / GMC Terrain crossover twins. The little mill produces a healthy 182-hp and 172 lb-ft of torque, and delivers an EPA rated 19-mpg city / 30-mpg highway in the LaCrosse. The 2.4L will be the standard motor in the 2010 Buick LaCrosse CX and will altogether replace the 3.0L V6 as the base motor for the 2011MY. A Buick LaCrosse CX powered by the 2.4L will start with an MSRP of $26,995. Read more…
My how time flies. This year marks the 20th year that Infiniti has been peddling its premium cars in the great US of A. To celebrate they’ve introduced a Special Editon version of their popular G37 sedan, coupe and convertible. Read more…
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…
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…
