Restraint systems and what they represent. When it comes to car safety, you need to know a few key things. One of those is the difference between primary and secondary restraint systems. In this blog post, we will discuss the purpose of each system and how they work together to … Read more
My friends and I were driving around the city one day when we suddenly heard something crack. We thought another car had hit us, but there were no vehicles near us. Then one of my friends saw a crack in the windshield. It turns out that even if the car … Read more
Pictured: The chassis of Mazda large gasoline engine vehicles with a PHEV. Mazda outlines its plans for an electric future with Zoom Zoom. Earlier this month, we learned that Mazda will drop a pair of models from its U.S. portfolio this year. Both the small CX-3 crossover and the midsize … Read more
The Subaru Legacy combines an available turbo Boxer engine with all-wheel drive for incomparable value. Among midsize sedans, the Subaru Legacy is the only model with standard all-wheel drive. Moreover, it is also the only one to utilize horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines, a design that enables it to sit lower … Read more
New USPS trucks are designed for functionality, not handsome looks. The United States Postal Service may be struggling to stay afloat, but this semi-independent agency still must look to the future. That future includes a line of new delivery trucks, designed to replace most of the current models that have … Read more
Twenty-five years of Avalon history brings with it an all-new fifth-generation model. The sedan market may be shrinking, but Toyota remains committed to its largest sedan. The Toyota Avalon is a large sedan, one that was overhauled for 2019. It’s based on the same platform as the popular Toyota Camry … Read more
Tens of millions of cars are recalled each year, representing problems that may occur after a car has been sold. Many car recalls are the result of faulty airbags produced by airbag supplier Takata and are found in vehicles produced by more than a dozen manufacturers.[1] Unfortunately, there are common … Read more
Three decades after rolling out the first Legacy, an all-new model launches this midsize sedan’s fourth decade. This month, the 2020 Legacy rolled out at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, which is just 125 miles from where it will be built at a Lafayette, Indiana, manufacturing plant. Generation Seven: 2020 … Read more
Whatever became of the Infiniti QX50, Nissan’s luxury brand’s sporty, compact SUV? After a 10-year run under various naming conventions, the QX50 disappeared. But not for long. Indeed, after a one-year hiatus, the QX50 is back, an all-new model that’s quite different from the original. That newness is immediately evident … Read more
The C-HR brings it to the small crossover segment, but in a different way. We like crossovers and are buying them in record numbers. That said, Toyota recognizes that there is some ambivalence amongst buyers, which is why we have a model such as the Toyota C-HR, a compact crossover … Read more
The 2019 XC40 makes it three SUVs for Volvo. Volvo Cars makes a name for itself as it overhauls its product line. We have seen new sedans, wagons and SUVs launch over the past few years as the company takes full advantage of its new modular platform to update and … Read more
…and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow. Preston Tucker may not be a name familiar to people outside of the auto industry or the business world, unless you happened to watch the 1988 movie, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream.” I never saw the movie, but have been … Read more
An entry-level hybrid with a fun-to-drive F Sport option. Sitting lower and coming in slightly shorter than the Toyota Prius, the Lexus CT200h (CT) is the smallest hybrid model for Toyota’s luxury brand. Now in its seventh year, the CT will soon follow the Prius and receive an update of … Read more
Among midsize SUVs, the Hyundai Santa Fe stands tall. No, it doesn’t sit higher than the competition, rather it possesses certain attributes its competitors don’t offer, namely superior bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties. In a crowded field, offering 5-year, 60,000-mile standard and 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranties might be considered the tiebreaker … Read more
The third-generation Honda Pilot takes a bow. Amongst three-row, midsize crossover utility vehicles, the Honda Pilot has made a name for itself. This seven-passenger model offers standard front-wheel drive and available all-wheel drive, is powered by a V6 engine, and is all new for 2016. As before, it offers seating … Read more
This week, one of my fleet vehicles is none other than a 2016 Toyota Prius Four. Unlike the other vehicles I typically test, this one is being reviewed as part of a Toyota Triangle campaign from Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC. Along with nine other drivers, we’re showing off the Prius … Read more
Corrected MPG on Dec. 29, 2018. Should Subaru still be considered a niche car manufacturer? In some ways, it still is as its product line and sales are skewed toward utility vehicles. At the same time, this manufacturer has seen its US sales triple since 2007, an amazing trajectory that … Read more
Wagons have not sold well in the United States, but that isn’t stopping Swedish automaker Volvo from introducing a variant to its V60 sport wagon. This lifted wagon comes with skid plates to provide better off-road duty when needed. Take a Volvo V60 wagon and put it on steroids and … Read more
New 2016 model year vehicles are beginning to trickle out and the Acura ILX is among them. This entry-level premium sedan has been redesigned and is priced from $27,900. A new, high-performance, direct-injected engine is now paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, to deliver improved performance and efficiency. 2016 Acura … Read more
Volvo is still alive and kicking, one of the smaller premium brands left in the world. The Swedish automaker is now owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a Chinese company that bought Volvo Cars from the Ford Motor Company in 2009. Founded in 1927, Volvo has managed to survive in … Read more
Taking to the road when winter driving conditions are present can be dangerous, but not entirely unavoidable. Slush, ice and snow may not be enough to keep you at home, especially if you are required at work or have some other appointment to keep. Before you take to the road, … Read more
IIHS awards the Chevrolet Volt with its Top Safety Pick+ rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) regularly conducts crash tests for most new passenger vehicles. These tests include a variety of categories such as a small overlap front crash test representing its latest measurement in automotive crashworthiness. Funded … Read more
Innovative seat belts provide enhanced crash protection. Nearly five years have passed since Auto Trends first shared news about Ford’s inflatable safety belt technology. This writer called the technology “nifty” in recognition of the innovative thinking and engineering behind this important safety device. Over the intervening years, Ford has introduced … Read more
— This list is current as of May 7, 2014 — Crash test performance is important to consumers, providing a way for them to compare the safety performance of various models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts crash tests for many of the vehicles you might consider and … Read more
At some point in the not too distant future, your car may be controlled by the cloud. No, not the cumulus or cirrus cloud drifting slowly by in the sky, rather by network-based systems running on servers located far from the road. Essentially, your car would contain a device that … Read more
Midsize luxury sedan packs in the amenities. I may have to rethink my long-held position against placing four-cylinder engines in larger cars. Especially after spending a week with the 2014 Audi A6 Quattro Tiptronic edition. 2014 Audi A6 The midsize A6 is not the largest sedan in the Audi fleet … Read more
Automotive collision avoidance systems designed to increase safety, reduce damages, and lower the number of fatalities have successfully accomplished that task according to a recent study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In particular, owners of vehicles with forward collision avoidance systems that include autonomous braking showed … Read more
Texting, changing the radio station, putting on makeup are all fairly simple tasks. When practiced behind the wheel, they become far more complicated and worse they become far more dangerous. Distracted driving claimed the lives of over 3,000 people in 2011 and, sadly, a figure like this one won’t simply … Read more
All-new full-size luxury sedan debuts this spring. The 2013 Cadillac XTS will be available in front- and all-wheel-drive when it goes on sale this spring. The new model replaces both the DTS and STS, which were retired last year. This fall, several months after the XTS becomes available, a Driver … Read more