Shop for a pickup truck and you’ll find a bunch of numbers associated with that vehicle. And we’re not just talking about sticker price, packages, and options. Indeed, the numbers that count most for some include payload and towing. The first one may be more of a mystery than the … Read more
We’ve passed the tipping point where crossovers and similar people movers are outselling cars across the United States. Truly, the majority of customers shopping for a new vehicle prefers a utility vehicle or pickup truck to the coupes, sedans, and wagons that once represented the car market. An important sub-set … Read more
Years before the Volkswagen (VW) Microbus was associated with hippies, free love and protests against the Vietnam War, it served as a basic people hauler. It was just the second Volkswagen model built, following the Beetle to the market in 1950. Although this vehicle disappeared from the US market in … Read more
A Corolla Hybrid for your consideration. The Prius launched Toyota into the hybrid sphere, a market it has controlled for more than two decades. And no wonder: the Prius has long delivered the best combination of fuel efficiency, passenger-carrying capacity, and utility of any competing model. Quite easily, the Prius … Read more
Fifty years after NASA launched its first moonshot, GM follows with one of its own. An all-new Chevrolet Corvette was unveiled last night, the first mid-engine version of this super Chevy. An old military aircraft hangar in Tustin, California, served as the venue for the eighth-generation (C8) Corvette’s debut, with … Read more
America’s love affair with the Corvette began in 1953 and continues today. It is this country’s quintessential sports car, something neither the Ford GT nor the Dodge Viper can rightfully claim. Indeed, aside from skipping the 1983 model year, the Chevrolet Corvette spans seven generations, with the eighth-generation model set … Read more
AMG is the performance side of Mercedes-Benz, thus all such models are known as Mercedes-AMG, with Benz not even mentioned. The AMG line is impressive, covering nearly three dozen models, including coupes, convertibles, sedans, wagons, and roadsters. The marque’s popular C-Class range of compact luxury coupes, convertibles, and sedans, serves … Read more
Think “trade in” and your mind probably equates that action with purchasing a new car. Although the majority of trade-ins are for a purchase — new or used — you can also trade in your vehicle toward a new car lease. Just as a trade in can function as a … Read more
When you purchase a new car, you expect it to operate as planned. However, some models are prone to problems and may require multiple visits to the repair shop. A minor problem here and there is understandable, but the situation persists or worsens, then you may own a lemon car. … Read more
In the 1980s General Motors produced a mid-engine, two-seat sports car and named it the Pontiac Fiero. Just as the Corvette elevated Chevrolet, GM hoped the Fiero would do likewise for Pontiac. Its five-year model run started off strong, but quality problems and declining interest eventually killed what is now … Read more
You may count yourself among the consumers who have shifted their new vehicle purchase decisions from cars to utility vehicles, but that isn’t stopping some manufacturers from offering new or updated car models. Indeed, Volkswagen continues to double down with its Golf, Jetta, and Passat lines, even as sales skew … Read more
A casual look at the automotive landscape over the past half-century and you will see how the Japanese automakers have penetrated the US market to become the automotive powerhouses that they are known as today. From humble beginnings in the late 1950s to its market strength today, companies such as … Read more
Updated December 7, 2020, to reflect diesel engine availability and performance. GMC is GM’s “professional grade” brand, a tagline that suggests that carpenters, home builders, and landscapers are among its chief buyers. Although all three invest in pickup trucks and SUVs, GMC is much more than that: it is a … Read more
Once billed as “a different kind of car company,” Saturn was originally a standalone car company, one wholly owned by General Motors. Unlike GM’s other automotive brands including Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, Saturn was managed separately at the start, but eventually was brought into the GM matrix, then later dissolved. … Read more