Acura has what you might call a Lincoln Problem. Just as Ford is trying to jump-start its dead-in-the-water lux division (Ford sells more Mustangs in a year than Lincoln sells cars) Acura is trying to become more than a purveyor of really nice Hondas. That’s harsh – but it’s reality, insofar as how buyers...
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Some people are mad at GM (and Chrysler) over the bailout bucks. I’m not happy about that, either. But lately, I’m mad at Ford – which bequeathed unto us the idiot idea of pick-up truck bed walls so high you need a ladder to access what’s in the bed. I’m well over six feet...
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Minivans – traditional minivans – are becoming scarce. GM and Ford don’t even make them anymore. That leaves Chrysler (Town & County – and its lower-rent Dodge sibling, the Caravan – which is also re-sold by VW as the Routan), the Honda Odyssey, Toyota’s Sienna – and the Nissan Quest, subject of this write-up....
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In a few years, six-speed transmissions will probably seem as dated as Powerglides or threes-on-the-tree do today. Several current model-year cars already have seven and even eight-speed transmissions (Porsche 911, Chrysler 300, BMW 5 Series, etc.). This is about twice the number of gears the typical automotive transmission boasted as recently as the Clinton...
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Cue ’80s-era Queen… another one bites the dust. Another V-6, that is. The 2014 Mazda6 – all-new – is now also four-cylinder-only. The good news is the new “SkyActiv-G” four is stronger than the old four – 184 hp vs. 170 last year. It is also a much peppier performer (0-60 in about 7.5...
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The Kia Rio I just spent a week driving around is an extremely fuel-efficient little car – one of the very best in its segment, actually. And not just on paper, either. Out in the real world, in real-world driving, it lives up to its EPA billing: 30 city, 40 highway. I averaged 32.2...
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If electric cars are The Future, why are so many automakers – quietly – backing away from them? GM has decided against mass production of its Adam electric city-car. Audi has kiboshed the Tesla-esque electric R8 that had been scheduled for a launch sometime this year or next. Nissan has slashed the base price...
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A couple of weeks back, my better half learned that FWD hybrid cars aren’t very good off-road. It had been raining – hard – for more than 24 hours. The ground was a gushy mess. She made the mistake of trying to turn a hybrid Lexus ES around by briefly (or so she thought...
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Mustang people will recall the hollow point bullet that was dodged back in the early ’90s when Ford almost ruined the iconic RWD American pony car. By turning it into an import-style FWD car. That car, by the grace of Elvis, ended up being sold as another car – the Probe – and in...
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Here’s the most important thing to know about the just-updated 2013 BMW X3: Despite pressure from our Dear Leaders in DC to make more fuel-efficient engines, BMW isn’t building less powerful engines – as many others are doing. In fact, the X3′s new standard engine – a 2.0 liter turbocharged four – is stronger...
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