Not Worthy Of The R/T Moniker But Competent Nonetheless
Maybe I’m just an over-demanding automotive enthusiast but when I am scheduled to drive a vehicle, which has the R/T moniker in the name, I anticipate a vehicle that, as the name implies, can hold its own on the Road as well as the Track. Accordingly, you will understand my disappointment when I discovered a 3.0-liter V6 under the hood of my Indy Red Status rated at 200 just-adequate horses. Perhaps my disappointment does not lie with the Stratus but with Chrysler marketers misusing a storied name. It’s the same case at General Motors where Chevrolet offers an Impala SS with a Un-Super-Sport-like 240hp. But I digress. With that off my chest it’s time to focus on the Stratus Coupe. Read more…
American Rice
Hold up on the Teriyaki sauce, this one looks to be red hot already! And by that we mean more than just the color of the rice burner that GM sent us. The Cobalt SS does not play by the muscle car rules of engagement, save one. Lots of power! My apologies up front, as Rice Rockets and the like are not generally welcomed with the kind of open armed, warm and fuzzy feelings that we reserve for cars with, well let’s just say, a few more cubes. Nonetheless, me and my little chilly pepper got along just fine. Read more…
If you’ve been waiting until Toyota introduces a new Celica to buy one, your wait is over.
The Celica is dying.
After a 35-year run as a popular sports coupe — especially popular among young buyers — Toyota announced that Celica production will end in July because of sagging sales. Read more…
Chevy Finally Gets On The Small Car Radar
It’s news to no one that Chevy’s Cavalier hasn’t been a class leader since, well, never. It’s always been rough, underpowered, uncomfortable and devoid of style. The only way Chevy was able to move so many was to keep its sticker price low and fuel economy high. But times change and now even the most basic new cars offer comfortable seats and decent stereos. Some, like the Mazda3, are even great looking. Bob Lutz and the leadership of Chevrolet knew their next small car had to offer more than the Cavalier ever could if they wanted buyers back in GM showrooms without baiting them with thousands of dollars in incentives. To that end, a new platform, dubbed Delta, was used and lofty goals were set for the Cobalt. We recently spent time in both the sedan and coupe versions and are happy to report that the Cobalt is no Cavalier. Read more…
My Screaming Yellow Stallion
Call it retro, call it heritage, call it old style; whatever you call it, it looks good. Ford hit their mark with this one. The 2005 Mustang looks fresh and timeless, new and old blended together in one hot product. Looking at this Screaming Yellow Pony car brings back mental images of the 60’s and early 70’s Mustangs. That’s no bad thing. Read more…
No Style But A Little Substance
As I stated in my review of the Ford Mustang Mach 1, muscle cars are about two things and two things only. Style and power. Having one without the other is a recipe for poor sales and even poorer reviews from guys like us. General Motors however, was faced with the reality of not having an affordable sports car in its lineup after the retirement of the Camaro and Firebird models. It didn’t take Bob Lutz long to realize GM needed to offer some performance, especially in its so-called Driving Excitement division. The most time and cost-effective solution was to borrow the big coupe from Holden, a division of General Motors in the land Down Under. After all, the well-finished 2 + 2 was already powered by the Corvette’s small-block V8 and adapting the car to meet some of our stricter regulations would be rather easy. The green light was given to get the car badged as the GTO and on sale in America as soon as possible. Sounds good, right? Read more…
With the introduction of the Holden Commodore Concept Coupe at the turn of the millennium, it looked as if the designers at Holden had found a way to breathe some new life into GM’s slowly aging RWD midsize platform. By merely changing the roofline and stretching the front doors, the conservative sedan was transformed into an attractive coupe. Read more…
If this were 1994, the Saturn Ion would be praised as a fabulous new car with an advanced suspension, innovative styling, and refined interior. Too bad it’s 2004.
While it’s far from awful, the latest Ion seems to lack the quality, refinement, and precision found in its Japanese rivals — and even a few Korean ones. Sure, it has some one-of-a-kind features and a dent-resistant plastic body, but it still feels like a cheap rental car. Read more…
What do you get when the practical, buttoned-down Toyota Camry puts on a string bikini? The new Solara. Read more…
Finally A Sports Car For Full Nesters
Not everyone has bags of disposable cash sitting around after their kids have moved out to pursue family, fame and fortune. Some people have responsibilities at home in the form of children, who are more interested in passing next week’s spelling test than working up the corporate ladder. And unfortunately—due to the need to transport their respective bundles of joy—mom and pop’s inner enthusiast just isn’t being satisfied by the sport-package equipped minivan. It would be nice if there were a sports car that could seat more than two people and be affordable at the same time. Nevertheless there are rules to the world we live in and that anomaly just doesn’t exist—does it? Well we’re happy to report it does, and it’s available at your local Mazda dealer for less than most minivans. Read more…
