When I first had the chance to drive the new BMW X1, I was impressed with the looks and performance, and the diminutive size of the new smaller brother of the X5 and X3 SUVs from BMW’s ever-expanding stable. It is more compact than most crossover SUVs, but most people don’t need the enormous size of the heftiest vehicles that brought the U.S. auto industry to near the point of …
Rarely has a new vehicle been introduced with more confusion and criticism than celebration. Hmmm…confusion, criticism, and celebration. Maybe that’s how they came up with the name “C-Max.” Every automaker likes to boast about uniqueness, and how their new product defies categorization, but Ford seems to have mastered the trick with the new C-Max. It seems to be neither fish nor fowl, car or truck, small minivan or spacious mini …
ATS isn’t simply a car Cadillac wants to offer. It’s a car Cadillac needs to offer. Globally, the biggest category in the luxury field is the compact performance segment, and Caddy simply hasn’t been a player. Until now. Eight inches shorter and 500 pounds lighter than its CTS showroom mate, ATS is virtually all new; only its available V-6 is off the shelf. Everything else is consciously designed to target …
It’s a painful memory. But GM hopes it’s about to be put to rest once and for all by the 2014 Chevy Cruze diesel. For those too young to remember when Ronald Reagan was president and Michael Jackson was king, it was the 1980s that GM last dabbled in diesel passenger cars. Alas, those ’80s-era oil-burners were smoky, smelly and about as reliable as an ex-boyfriend while delivering 0-to-60 performance …
The car was a techy new 21st-century turbo so, of course, it reminded me of a 1944 Bing Crosby movie. In “Here Come the Waves,” I’ll bet you’ll recall, Crosby sings “Ac-ent-tchu-ate the Positive,” a song whose lyric advises: “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative . . . don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.” And therein lies the irony. Fiat’s new 500 Turbo seeks to accentuate positives and eliminate negatives by …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The names are still emblazoned above the individual garages on the inside of the pit road — Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and the rest — and standing there you can visualize what it was like last November when the best race drivers christened the Circuit of the Americas with the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix. On this mid-February morning, however, the vehicles lined up in …
Honda’s Accord has become a generic family sedan in America, a car that’s a good value, an excellent performer, but does not stand out. You may never notice the 2013 model, but you may want to own one. While Toyota has added a touch of styling flair to its formerly vanilla Camry and Ford has leapt forward with its new Fusion design, Honda stays with its safe, bland look, coupled …
Not long ago, Nissan’s Pathfinder was a sport-utility truck that was set up for off-roading and hauling gear. Today, that tough truck has gotten a little softer and is tailored more for comfort. Oh, it can haul and is available with all-wheel-drive, but you are not going to take this vehicle off road. With its remodel for 2013, Pathfinder is pure crossover, leaning toward minivan. That’s because it rides on …
