car reviews

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 2967 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?

(more…)

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 2974 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.

(more…)

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 2981 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.
(more…)

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 2982 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.

(more…)

2016 BMW 340i 6MT – Still the Leader of the Pack?

This entry was posted in BMW Carmakers cars reviews and tagged 2016 BMW 340i car review car reviews manual transmission on by (updated 3008 days ago)

2016 BMW 340i - 20 of 23

For more than four decades, one nameplate has represented has defined the sports sedan segment – BMW 3 Series. Whenever an automaker enters the compact premium sedan segment with a model that has even remotely sporting pretensions about it, the first question asked by reviewers is inevitably, “is this finally the 3 series killer?” As good as the competition has become over the years, the 3 series is still here, still widely regarded as the class benchmark and I just got to spend a week with 340i variant.

(more…)

2016 Chevrolet Cruze Premier – Cadavalier No More

This entry was posted in Carmakers Chevrolet reviews and tagged 2016 chevrolet cruze car review car reviews cars review tweet on by (updated 3023 days ago)
2016 Chevrolet Cruze

2016 Chevrolet Cruze

A decade ago if you looked deeply in General Motors sales results, you find that the company was selling huge numbers of Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac Sunfires, but it wasn’t actually making any money on them. That’s because if you traveled and had to rent a car, chances were pretty good that you’d find row upon row of these cars populating the lots at Hertz, Avis, Budget and Enterprise. Then in September 2008, just before the financial collapse and subsequent bankruptcy, GM introduced a small car that consumers might actually want to buy, the Cruze. It would be two more years before the Cruze would hit American streets, but it actually did pretty well and in June 2015, Chevrolet revealed an all-new second-generation Cruze which I just had a chance to drive for a week.

(more…)

2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe – The Real Thing With Only 2 Doors

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars luxury Mercedes-Benz reviews and tagged 2017 mercedes-benz c300 coupe car review car reviews on by (updated 2989 days ago)
2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe (photo credit: Sam Abuelsamid)

When Mercedes-Benz introduced the CLS four-door coupe in 2003, the first car company seemed like it had delivered the coup de grâce to the true two-door coupe. Fortunately, that hasn’t quite panned out and we still have stunners like the 2017 C300.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/09/12/2017-mercedes-benz-c300-coupe-the-real-thing-with-only-2-doors

 

 

2016 Buick Cascada – A Lovely Smooth Road Summer Cruiser

This entry was posted in Buick Carmakers cars convertible reviews and tagged 2016 Buick Cascada car review car reviews convertible on by (updated 3029 days ago)
2016 Buick Cascada

2016 Buick Cascada

Buick hasn’t offered very many convertibles in the past several decades. In fact the last one was the short-lived Reatta that went away 25 years ago. Open-air Buick driving is finally back thanks to the fact that the brand is now sharing most of its lineup with Opel, General Motors’ European division. The Opel Cascada launched on the continent in 2013 and Buick dealers have been selling them since early this year. I got a chance to spend a week with the Buick Cascada during a mid-summer Michigan heat wave.

(more…)

2016 Honda Civic Touring

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Honda infotainment reviews and tagged 2016 honda civic car review car reviews honda on by (updated 3033 days ago)
2016 Honda Civic

2016 Honda Civic

It’s been more than three decades since I took driver’s ed in  a 1981 Honda Civic hatchback. In the intervening years, every segment of the car market has grown progressively larger, heavier and more powerful in response to tougher safety regulations and expanding customers. Last fall, Honda launched the ninth-generation Civic on an all-new global platform that was deemed worthy of being awarded the 2016 North American Car of the Year. After a short but impressive drive last fall, I recently got to spend a longer period of time living with the new Civic.

(more…)