Small car…big fun! A Mini Cooper S will all the trimmings. Ah, Mini! You stole my heart and in more than one way. Your iconic, good looks are what caught my eyes and, yes, I managed to put up with the decaling found on the side mirrors, along the doors … Read more
Small sedan provides big value. The Toyota Corolla may offer the best bang for the buck, a five passenger front-wheel drive sedan that can be had for under $20,000. Corolla is the best selling vehicle of all time, a compact model that competes against the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Volkswagen … Read more
Toyota offers customers six utility vehicles — seven if you include the FJ Cruiser that is being retired this year. Half of the remaining six models are traditional body-on-frame sport utility vehicles; the other three are crossovers. It is in the middle of the line up where customers are best … Read more
The 2014 Subaru Legacy will likely not win many beauty pageants. However, its “looks” deficiency might not disappoint fans who are accustomed to driving a midsize sedan that is well built, reliable and safe. Indeed, like all other Subaru models, the Legacy routinely achieves top safety recognition, in part for its … Read more
A North American sedan with European roots. In 2013, GM sold more than 9.7 million vehicles worldwide for one of its best years ever. Its Buick brand contributed over 1 million sales, nearly matching Opel, and behind Chevrolet. China is the biggest market for Buick. In the United States, … Read more
Exploring the performance side of the Lexus house. Think “Lexus” and the usual terms such as “luxury” and “quality” come to mind. “Fuel efficiency” and “value” are other hallmarks of Toyota’s 25-year-old luxury brand. What does not come to mind all that often is “performance” or at least not to … Read more
Cadillac sales are on an upward trajectory, with year-to-date US sales up by 25 percent over 2012 through Sept. It is one of the fastest growing luxury brands with new models such as its compact ATS and midsize CTS sedans receiving rave reviews. A third sedan, the XTS slots above … Read more
Fourth-generation Subaru Forester debuts. Subaru has the midas touch as everything it makes seems to turn to gold. This Japanese automaker is much smaller than its homegrown contemporaries Toyota, Nissan and Honda but it may yet avoid the fate of its even smaller rivals that have left the US market … Read more
Traditional luxury get a fresh look. Three decades ago Toyota began considering how it might best serve premium customers, in a bid to go head-to-head against Lincoln and Cadillac. It was determined that a new brand was necessary, thus Lexus was born. Today, Lexus is one of the top selling … Read more
Second-generation model makes a luxury statement. Hyundai offers four medium to large sedans, more than any other brand. The Korean manufacturer has steadily expanded its product line to provide incrementally larger and more luxurious vehicles beginning with the midsize Sonata and extending to the larger Azera, the still larger Genesis, … Read more