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2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid – Handsome Efficiency If You Can Find It

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars electric Hybrid Hyundai reviews and tagged 2016 hyundai sonata plug-in hybrid car review car reviews cars electricvehicles EV hybrid phev review on May 31, 2016 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3098 days ago)

2016 hyundai sonata phev

If you’ve been following along over the past year or so, you’ve probably noticed that I’m quite enamored with the current generation Hyundai’s midsize sedan, the Sonata. Since early 2015, I’ve driven the 1.6-liter turbocharged Eco, the 2.0-liter Hybrid and now the newest member of the lineup, the Plug-in Hybrid. The Sonata PHEV is the first Hyundai-branded model sold in North America with a plug and it’s one of only two plug-in hybrids in the midsize family sedan segment, the other being the Ford Fusion Energi.

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2016 Lexus RX450h F Sport – Adding a Touch of Cayenne

This entry was posted in Carmakers crossover Hybrid Lexus luxury reviews and tagged car review car reviews cars crossover hybrid review reviews on May 23, 2016 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3106 days ago)

2016 Lexus RX 450h F Sport

For most of its nearly two decade history, the midsize RX crossover has been the best seller in the Lexus lineup by a fairly wide margin. Like other Lexi prior to the current generation, it also had generally inoffensive, but uninspired design. That all changed in 2015 with the debut of the fourth-generation RX including the hybrid RX450h F Sport that I recently drove. Whether you like the new design direction or not, this latest RX is at least less likely to get lost in a crowd.

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2016 Lincoln MKX – What the Brand Needs More Than What Enthusiasts Want

This entry was posted in Carmakers crossover Lincoln luxury reviews and tagged 2016 lincoln mkx car review car reviews crossover review reviews on May 2, 2016 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3125 days ago)

The luxury vehicle market today shares a very important characteristic with the market for more mainstream models. While enthusiasts may prefer the cars, especially sporty, performance oriented models, crossovers are where the big money is at. For all the strategic issues that Ford’s upmarket Lincoln brand has had over the past couple of decades, they at least seem to have recognized this truism. Thus instead of a BMW and Cadillac-chasing rear drive sports sedan or coupe, we have the new MKX midsize crossover and frankly that’s not an entirely bad thing.

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Living With Aftermarket Android Auto and Apple Carplay Pt.2

This entry was posted in cars infotainment reviews technology and tagged android auto apple carplay car audio car reviews pioneer avh-4100nex pioneer car audio review on November 6, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

Apple Carplay running on the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX

There are more than two billion smartphones in active use globally now with the vast majority of them running either Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS. People have access to all of the world’s information and entertainment almost anywhere they go and they’ve come to expect to be able to use it anytime they want, including in the car. Thus, 2014 brought the announcements of Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

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2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD – It’s the Crossover With Zoom-Zoom

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars crossover Mazda reviews and tagged 2016 Mazda CX-5 car reviews crossover ford escape honda cr-v mazda review on June 23, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

The typical American car buyer is a fickle beast, constantly evolving and chasing the latest fashion. You might think that as the second biggest purchase that most people make after their home, selecting a vehicle would be a more rational decision, but in reality it is often far more emotional. That’s probably why the crossover utility vehicle has become one of the hottest segments in the market with the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape each selling more than 300,000 units in 2014 and numerous other models in the segment topping 200,000. For Mazda, the compact CX-5 is the brand’s second best seller, just behind the Mazda3 and selling nearly twice as fast as the midsize Mazda6 sedan. I recently got to spend a week with the 2016 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD to see if it lives up to the brand’s fun-to-drive philosophy and came away impressed.

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2015 Lexus RC350 F-Sport

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Lexus reviews and tagged 2015 lexus rc350 car review car reviews coupe lexus luxury review on June 15, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

After debuting in 1989 with two sedans, the Camry-based ES250 and the big rear-wheel drive LS400, Lexus began to grow its lineup in 1991 with the sleek and stylish SC400. The original SC had a nine-year run before being replaced by a the bloated and lifeless second-generation model which is best forgotten. Now, after a suitable cooling off period, Lexus has returned to its roots with a new coupe more in keeping with the original and it gets a new RC badge. Does the 2015 RC350 F-Sport take Lexus in a new direction? Read on.

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2015 Ford F-150 XLT, 2.7 EcoBoost

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford reviews Trucks and tagged 2015 ford f-150 auto start-stop car review car reviews ecoboost engine start stop ford fuel economy pickup trucks review on March 27, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

The constant push to one-up the competition while at the same time meet ever tightening fuel economy standards is driving a transformation in America’s most traditional vehicle segment, the full-size pickup truck. This year, perennial market leader Ford has tried to leap-frog the competition with a dramatic shift from the traditional steel body and bed construction to aluminum intensive construction along with an all-new mainstream twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Is it enough to keep the F-150 out in front of the pack? I spent a week driving one in search of some clues.

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2015 Ford Mustang GT – The Best Pony Yet

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford reviews and tagged 2015 ford mustang gt car review car reviews ford mustang gt mustang pony car review on March 23, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

Let me make this perfectly clear right up front. I am now and have been for as long as I can remember a Mustang fan. When I was a kid, a family friend had a blue 1970 Mach 1 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Of course, after 50 years in continuous production, there have certainly been plenty of Mustangs which were far short of lust-worthy, but at least they kept the brand alive. In 2014, as pony car fans from around the world celebrated those first 50 years, Ford debuted an all-new sixth-generation (or ninth depending on how you count) Mustang and I finally got to spend some quality time with one as winter melted into spring.

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2015 Ford Fusion 1.5 EcoBoost

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Ford reviews and tagged 2015 2015 ford fiesta ecoboost 2015 ford fusion car review car reviews ecoboost ford fusion review on March 16, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

Americans love their trucks, SUVs and crossovers with combined sales of all light duty trucks accounting for 52% of sales in 2014. Despite that seeming preference for high-riding vehicles, nearly eight million new cars hit the road last year and among those midsize sedans continue to the biggest share of sales. For more than a quarter of a century, the top-selling car in America has been either the Ford Taurus, Honda Accord and of course the Toyota Camry which has led the way since 1997. Ford launched the second-generation Fusion Into that fray in late 2012 in the hopes of grabbing a larger piece of this lucrative pie. Now approaching the mid-way point of its lifecycle I recently spent a week with Fusion to see if it’s still a strong contender in the segment.

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2015 Mazda3 s Grand Touring – It’s great fun

This entry was posted in Carmakers cars Mazda reviews and tagged 2015 car review car reviews manual transmission mazda mazda3 review on February 18, 2015 by Sam Abuelsamid (updated 3149 days ago)

2015 Mazda3 s Grand Touring

As someone that is terribly fond of driving, especially in fun cars, I’m not terribly enthusiastic about the prospect of human-driven cars becoming obsolete some day. Then again, I’m old enough and there are enough technical, legal and ethical problems to overcome that the fully autonomous car may not arrive in my lifetime. Alternatively, if all cars were as enjoyable as the 2015 Mazda3 s Grand Touring, there might not be any customer desire for cars that handle the driving.

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