Carmakers

2017 Chrysler Pacifica – The Original and Still the Best

This entry was posted in Carmakers Chrysler minivan reviews and tagged 2017 chrysler pacifica car review car reviews cars minivan review reviews on by (updated 2726 days ago)
2017 Chrysler Pacifica

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

Recently, Fiat Chrysler’s Windsor, Ontario assembly plant celebrated the 33th anniversary of the production launch of the original T-Wagon. If there was any one single vehicle that really defined Chrysler in the 1980s and early 1990s, this was was it, the minivan. The minivan no longer holds the position of importance in the American marketplace that it once did, but as a people-mover, no SUV or crossover can hold a candle to this form factor and FCA knows it. This year, FCA has rebooted its icon once again with a new design and the revival of a previously failed nameplate. Can the 2017 Pacifica still haul in the cash for Chrysler?

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2017 Jaguar F-Pace S – To Big Sur and Back

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars crossover Jaguar reviews and tagged 2017 Jaguar F-pace car review car reviews jaguar performance reviews suv on by (updated 2729 days ago)
2017 Jaguar F-Pace S

2017 Jaguar F-Pace S

As the western coast of the United States rises up from the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, a 655-mile stretch of the boundary between land and water is marked by a strip of pavement known as California Route 1. Known in various locations as the Pacific Coast Highway or Cabrillo Highway, the road winds, climbs and falls as it seeks purchase along the perimeter of the continent. It’s the ideal road for the kinds of cars built by Jaguar and I recently spent some time there in one of the venerable British brand’s newest products. But rather than a car, I was driving the all-new F-Pace S.

Read the full review here

2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider – Unfiltered Driving At Its Best

This entry was posted in Alfa Romeo Carmakers cars convertible reviews and tagged alfa romeo 4c spider car review car reviews cars review reviews on by (updated 2746 days ago)
2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

We exist in a world of pervasive screens and connectivity and touch interfaces. In that world, almost everything we do is intermediated, filtered and converted through layers of ones and zeros. In fact, in the not too distant future, it’s likely that many if not most of us will never actively drive a car again. Fortunately, we’re not quite at that final place yet and there remain a handful of virtually unfiltered driving experiences like the 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider.

Read the full review here

2016 BMW 650i – Touring In The Grand Style

This entry was posted in BMW Carmakers cars luxury reviews and tagged 2016 bmw 650i BMW car review car reviews cars review reviews on by (updated 2750 days ago)
2016 BMW 650i (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

2016 BMW 650i (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

It’s been a quarter century since I drove a BMW for the first time.  After years of reading Car and Driver’s praise of the 3 and 5 Series, my entre into the brand came via the big coupe which in those days was the 850i. The 8 series had supplanted the 6 series while moving significantly upmarket. The 8 was only produced for a single generation before giving way to an eventual revival of the 6 which I finally had a chance to drive recently in 650i form.

Read the rest of my BMW 650i review here

2016 Titan XD – Is Good Enough, Good Enough?

This entry was posted in Carmakers Nissan reviews Trucks and tagged 2016 nissan titan xd car review car reviews diesel full-size pickup review reviews on by (updated 2756 days ago)

2016-nissan-titan-xd-5-of-39

Up until the early-1970s the Detroit-based automakers absolutely dominated the American market. However, ever since then they have progressively lost share to brands from Asia and Europe in virtually every segment of the market, save one. Somehow Detroit has managed to maintain a near stranglehold on the full-size pickup truck. After what can only described as a swing and whiff with its original Titan pickup, Nissan is back to try again and this time they have really stepped up their game. But is it enough?

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2016 Range Rover HSE Td6 – The Diesel Isn’t Dead Yet

This entry was posted in Carmakers Diesel Land Rover reviews SUV Trucks and tagged 2016 range rover hse td6 car review car reviews cars diesel ecoboost ford range rover diesel on by (updated 2763 days ago)
2016 Range Rover HSE Td6

2016 Range Rover HSE Td6

Despite the best efforts of Volkswagen to kill the appeal of compression ignition engines in America once and for all, Dr. Diesel’s combustion cycle still holds some significant appeal as a means of improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The latest automaker to jump in with diesel engines is Jaguar Land Rover with the 2016 Range Rover Td6. While relatively few Americans will ever have the opportunity to drive this high-dollar luxury SUV, it’s actually surprisingly relevant as a probable preview of the 2018 Ford F-150.

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2016 Focus ST – Still America’s Hottest Mainstream Hatch

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford reviews and tagged 2016 Ford Focus ST car review car reviews ford on by (updated 2770 days ago)
2016 Ford Focus ST

2016 Ford Focus ST

By no means am I an expert in branding. Nonetheless, it seems intuitively obvious that if you want to build brand equity, you might want some consistency over time so that consumers develop an understanding of what the brand stands for. Case in point 911, Corvette and Mustang. All cars that have been around with the same name for more than half a century. Aside from Mustang and F-Series, Ford tends to be notoriously fickle with its branding, especially for its compact cars. With any luck Focus and ST will be brands that stick around for a good long time.
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2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e – Fuel Efficient Family Truckster

This entry was posted in BMW Carmakers crossover electric Hybrid reviews and tagged bmw x5 xDrive40e car review car reviews electricvehicles EV hybrid phev plug-in hybrid on by (updated 2770 days ago)
2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e

2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e

It’s now been about a decade since BMW first announced its plans to get into the hybrid game and it was another three years before any production models with electric drive assist hit the streets. A lot has changed since BMW launched the ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7 essentially as experiments in 2009. Electrification is now becoming relatively mainstream with batteries and electric motors no longer limited to super-efficient cars like the Toyota Prius. After a week with the 2016 X5 xDrive40e, there’s no doubt that the future of the ultimate driving machine includes plugs across the board.

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2016 Honda Accord Coupe Touring – Last Of The Midsize Coupes

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Honda reviews on by (updated 2777 days ago)

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In the decades since I first got into cars, much has changed about the auto industry. Back then, two-door coupes were commonplace and in fact were among the best selling cars on the market thanks to nameplates like Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Ford Thunderbird. No mainstream car-line was complete without two-door, four-door and station wagon variants. Today, aside from performance models, there is but one midsize two-door coupe left, the Honda Accord.