2013 North American Car of the Year Nominees: The 2013 North American Car of the Year award has come down to three high-style sedans, while the companion non-car finalists are scattered all over the newly redefined extremities of the North American Truck/Utility of the Year. Ford’s Fusion and the Cadillac ATS give the traditionally top two domestic companies each a finalist in the car competition, while Honda’s redesigned Honda Accord …
2013 Land Rover Driving School Review: ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The message was simple, really: treat the terrain gently and keep the shiny side of the vehicle up. “We teach ‘expedition’ driving,” said Ben Wootten, Land Rover driving instructor. “The car is a tool to get you from point A to point B and back to point A. If you don’t want to have to walk back, drive in a way …
Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Preview: Even in this fuel-conscious age, full-size pickups – which, themselves, are getting more fuel efficient – continue to thrive. Ford’s F-Series perennially is America’s best-selling vehicle. Not far behind are General Motors’ twin pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, which so far in 2012 have together accounted for more than a half-million sales. But the competition isn’t getting any easier. Ford has a …
2013 Ford Escape Titanium Review: Let’s start with the shocking part, the price. The Ford Escape is listed at $34,735. Granted this was the top-of-the-line 2013 Escape Titanium 4WD, but that price is near premium small-SUV territory, one where you expect a luxury nameplate. By adding the Titanium moniker it means you get a load of tech features and the powerful 2.0-liter GTDI I4 EcoBoost engine that cranks an impressive …
2013 Nissan Pathfinder Review: CALISTOGA, CALIF. — With so many sport-utility vehicles on the market, all avenues of use are covered, from 7-passenger family haulers, to off-roaders, to freeway cruisers, to sport and tow vehicles. Nissan has SUVs of all sizes, but the fourth-generation 2013 Pathfinder will attempt to cover all those elements in a single bound. The 2013 model has a shapely form that bears little resemblance to the …
2012 Ram 1500 Review: Chrysler, under the guise of its truck brand, Ram, thought tradesmen needed a good solid low-cost truck, and the 2012 Ram 1500 Tradesman 4×4 fits the bill. This is a bare bones truck with standard cab and comes with a 4.7-liter, 310-horse V8. Base price for a 2-wheel drive standard cab pickup, with RamBox cargo system is $22,125. An even more basic model without the RamBox …
This time, there’s none of that stuff about towing a gazillion pound trailer, or stacking the box with a giant load of iron ingots. Nope, with the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup truck, it’s all about fuel economy—to the point where a perusal of the published specifications does not unearth information about payload or towing capability. It’s not that it is unavailable. It’s just that the story here—as almost everywhere these …
2013 Dodge Ram Review: It takes a great truck to be competitive among full-size pickup trucks, and every truck in the segment is very impressive in capability. So it takes something extra to break into that brand loyalty and lure a truck buyer to switch allegiances and increase market share. Dodge apparently had that in mind when it revised the 2013 Ram — which is no longer a “Dodge Ram” …
