Infiniti’s entry-level sedan steps it up for 2018. The Infiniti Q50 is an entry-level luxury sedan, the first model to advance the company’s current naming convention, which rolled out in 2014. The sedan replaced the widely-acclaimed G Series without losing its predecessor’s top attributes — value, styling, and premium touches. … Read more
British automaker Jaguar supplied a 2017 XE for my review recently, providing me with a second opportunity to examine this all-new compact luxury sedan up close and personal. As before, I remain intrigued by this entry-level model, the smallest and least costly vehicle offered by Jaguar. 2017 Jaguar XE The … Read more
Infiniti’s largest and most luxurious sedan. Lacking a true full-size luxury sedan, Infiniti comes closest with the Q70L, a stretched wheelbase version of its midsize Q70 sedan. Infiniti’s largest sedan offers an extra five inches between the wheels, delivering a roomy rear compartment rivaling certain limousine-like models. Yet, the Q70L … Read more
All-wheel drive and the luxury to go with it. The Genesis G80 is a midsize luxury sedan, designed to take on such models as the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Cadillac CTS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the Lexus GS. Up until last year, we knew this vehicle as the Hyundai Genesis, … Read more
A Hawaiian driving adventure includes the LC 500h. Apart from the LFA exotic car, Lexus has had few performance models to show for it. In more recent years, however, various “F” versions of the IS, RC, and GS have emerged, underscoring this luxury brand’s performance credentials. As good as the … Read more
Lexus’ all-new sports car tops 100K, fully loaded. I’m on location today in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawai’i for the national press reveal of the 2018 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h sports cars. It seems like a long time coming for the official reveal of this halo … Read more
Once again, Mazda supplies a model for a competitor. Fiat has struggled mightily ever since returning to the US in 2011. A large part of that blame has to do with product mix. Indeed, timing is everything in this market and that’s one reason why small car models such as … Read more
The Genesis G80 has arrived, a rebadged and upgraded version of the previous Hyundai Genesis Sedan. The new model takes direct aim at the midsize luxury sedan market and does so with available well-equipped trim choices at very competitive prices. Model Year Updates The Genesis G80 is a new model … Read more
If you don’t yet have Jaguar on your luxury vehicle shopping list yet, it is time to include it. Once considered an afterthought in the luxury segment, this distinctly British brand has made a name for itself. A string of new models, including the Jaguar XE, have effectively turned this … Read more
Subaru’s sport coupe receives design enhancements inside and out. Introduced in 2013, the Subaru BRZ brings rear-wheel drive excitement to this overwhelmingly all-wheel drive brand. The 2+2 sports coupe is a niche model for this boutique brand and for 2017 it receives several important updates. Those changes are outlined as … Read more
All-new roadster adds pizzazz to the Fiat brand. Fiat’s reintroduction to the US market has been met with a tepid reception. Five years after its return, the Italian marque is struggling, as brand sales are down 18.6 percent through May 2016. Two of Fiat’s three models are presenting a tremendous … Read more
The Jaguar XE is the latest model in this big cat’s repertoire. Not since Jaguar retired the X-TYPE in 2009 has it had a compact sedan to take on the BMW 3 Series and like luxury models. That earlier vehicle was outperformed in an ultra-competitive segment and simply didn’t have … Read more
Jaguar is on the prowl. This marque’s midsize XF is simply a star. More than once I’ve been asked by car fans for the precise year when Jaguar began its momentous renaissance. I immediately direct them to the midsize XF sedan, a model introduced in 2007 (2009 in North America) … Read more
Heritage on wheels. That’s my take on the Ford Mustang. You cannot escape the evidential truth that Ford’s pony car has a great deal of history behind it, while it adroitly advances that legacy with each new model built. A Once-Threatened Species More than a half-century has passed since the … Read more
Her name is “Miata” and she isn’t just another pretty face. There are few cars that this driver eagerly awaits as he knows sooner or later he’ll get to drive each and every one sent his way. But the Mazda MX-5 Miata is something else — a long-admired, but often … Read more
A final look at the outgoing Hyundai Genesis. The Hyundai Genesis is marketed as a “premium luxury sedan” and is the first upscale model sold by this Korean manufacturer in North America. Introduced in 2009, it was soon joined by the unrelated Genesis Coupe and the still larger Hyundai Equus. … Read more
Four years is a long time to go from concept car to production vehicle. Typically, a car manufacturer teases a concept it intends to build and approves it for production within the year. For example, in the case of the Chevrolet Bolt introduced at the Detroit auto show (NAIAS) last … Read more
Buick teases a second concept in as many years. Will GM’s premium brand build it? Rumblings of a surprise Buick reveal just ahead of the press days for the 2016 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show) suddenly grew loud on Sunday morning. GM’s premium brand had not only … Read more
Infiniti’s athletic midsize sedan can be had in an extended wheelbase version. The elongated model delivers best-in-class rear seat legroom. The luxury market is an intensely competitive one with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus seated as the top sellers. The first two marques rely on diesels to supplement their gasoline offerings; … Read more
Review anything about the Corvette and you’re bound to offend someone for omitting an important point. Such is the strength of this iconic model — nay, brand — that has no lack of followers or at least enthusiasts who immediately become giddy when you offer them a ride. I’ve had … Read more
A spider of another kind. No doubt, Fiat’s North American product line is lacking a signature model, especially one that could elevate this Italian brand’s position in the market. The 500 and 500L have fallen far short of expectations, while the 500X is showing much promise. Still, aside from a few … Read more
Ah, naming convention changes. Lincoln has done it. Cadillac is doing it…again. And Infiniti has also accomplished a change in its own model nomenclature. Car manufacturers, especially luxury brands, have been realigning model names to reflect a more Eurocentric alphanumeric pattern. The change is meant to advance product uniformity, but … Read more
Automotive analysts drive me nuts! Well, not all — after all, I am an analyst myself. What infuriates me is when any purported expert or analyst takes data and uses that to argue a point, a baseless one in particular. For example, some people are pointing to Cadillac’s current sales … Read more
The Scion FR-S may be the most anonymous of all sporty cars built. This 2+2 rear-wheel drive sport coupe is also sold as the Subaru BRZ, with the two automakers collaborating to build what is essentially a bare bones model to reach first-time buyers. Unfortunately, the combined sales for the … Read more
Like most of its chief competitors, the Lexus RC F does not offer a manual transmission. Instead, Lexus mates its stout 467-horsepower, V-8 engine to an eight-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capabilities. No three-pedal workout is available, but you can control the shift points with the auto stick or … Read more
There are times when automotive journalists hit the equivalent of a mega millions lottery. In this case, the “lottery” was me receiving an updated version of a prized vehicle such as the Jaguar F-TYPE. Not only did this writer test the F-TYPE for the first time this past March, but this … Read more
You can get big V-8 power in the Chrysler 300, but a standard V-6 may meet your expectations for this full-bodied, traditional rear-wheel drive sedan. The current generation is based on its own architecture, forever severing its earlier Mercedes connection. Hundreds of cars have come and gone in my press … Read more
Jaguar Land Rover may not command the market presence of a Mercedes-Benz, a BMW or an Audi in the US, but the British automaker is doing something about that. Fresh on the heels of very public reveals of its medium-sized Jaguar XF in England and in New York, the company … Read more
Lexus brings to the world an affordable sport coupe that isn’t a convertible. The RC is derived from three Lexus models, but has a unique undercarriage. The question not asked is this one — will we see more performance models from Toyota’s premier brand? I am a habitual visitor to … Read more
Scottish designer Ian Callum is the name behind the Jaguar F-TYPE, the first true sports car from this iconic British manufacturer in more than 40 years. Supercharged engines and an 8-speed ZF-supplied automatic transmission move this marvelous, stout cat. If you haven’t looked at Jaguar in some time, then you … Read more