If GM’s board had simply hired away the entire management team at Hyundai back in ’08 – and fired everyone at the Renaissance Center in Detroit – it would saved taxpayers a lot of money. Those guys – the Hyundai guys – know what they’re doing. One brilliant design after the next. It’s almost...
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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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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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The obvious often isn’t until someone makes it so. For instance, adding a real-sized rear door to a sporty coupe – as Hyundai has done with the Veloster. Much better than one (or even two) quarter-sized rear doors, as in cars like the old Saturn Ion – and more recently, the Mazda RX8. It’s...
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If “you didn’t build that” – then you might be interested in driving this: The 2013 Infiniti Q56. Few things on wheels give the finger to the OWS proletariat as lustily as this 14 MPG roller. WHAT IT IS The Q56 is Infiniti’s maximum effort, full-size, ultra-luxury SUV. It’s bigger than a Cadillac Escalade...
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Function matters – but form does, too. Especially when you’ve got a choice. Full-size minivans, for instance, sold in big numbers . . . until less stodgy-looking (and driving) alternatives – same-size (or almost same-size) crossovers – came on scene. Today, some of the biggest names in the business don’t even sell a traditional...
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It took guts for Land Rover to actually build a vehicle like the Evoque. Not as a concept car – but as an actual production car. A production car that still looks like a concept car. This is a rare thing – for obvious reasons. Extremes of style can be polarizing – and are...
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The two-door layout might just do it. Buyers who in past years would probably have never considered a Kia or Hyundai – much less a Ford or Chevy – over a car as blue chip as the Honda Accord now frequently do consider it. Toyota’s got the same problem as far as the Camry....
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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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