2013 Hyundai Genesis Review: Edgy styling gives the Genesis the feel of a top-end sports car; its turbocharged four-cylinder engine leaves its low-end feeling sluggish. Hyundai’s new Genesis Coupe is sporty, sculpted and sensuous. Part of that perception of the Genesis Coupe as something special comes from the four creases in the hood and the way they blend into the nose. Helping are two angular air scoops that accent the …
2013 Scion FR-S Review: The all-new 2013 Scion FR-S is an evil twin—but in a good way. It is unquestionably a sports car, which is what was intended, but it is naughty because it comes at you in unexpected ways. Start with the basic concept. Toyota wanted to deliver a reasonably priced, rear-drive sports car for its youth-oriented Scion division, but didn’t want to go to the expense of developing …
2013 Hyundai Elantra and 2013 Hyundai Veloster SAN DIEGO, CA. — Hyundai has introduced so many impressive new vehicles in the last two years, you’d think the Korean auto-maker might sit back and enjoy the rewards. Instead of resting on its laurels, Hyundai is adding to them. Since the 2011 Sonata, which thrust the company into the spotlight, two of the more interesting vehicles from Hyundai are the compact Elantra, …
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Review: If your goal in life were to maintain a monument or nurture a legend, likely you would try to hew as closely as possible to the original. That would work with the Lincoln Memorial or the story of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman. But in the automobile world, where change is imperative, it would be a prescription for failure. Consider the 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster, …
2012 Fiat Abarth Review: Advertising can be coersive, exaggerated, informative, and meaningful, sometimes just annoying, other times fun. Then there are those special cases, where an ad can be so memorable it could only be improved if you could bring it to real life. Fiat has pulled off one of those special ads, and it started with the Super Bowl and carried through to the introduction of the 2013 Fiat …
Remember the Hyundai Azera? It was a very nice and contemporary sedan, and if it got left behind the flurry of Hyundai’s recent leap into high-style vehicles, that is no longer the case. The all-new and restyled Azera is just being introduced as a 2013 model and it steps to the front of the class as perhaps the most dramatic example of Hyundai’s self-acclaimed “fluidic design.” In the process, it …
2012 Chicago Auto Show Review: CHICAGO, ILL. — The 2012 Chicago Auto Show is not the site of a lot of strikingly new vehicles, but it easily maintains its position as the most casual and most fun of the four major U.S. auto shows. The setting was a good opportunity for Ford and Chrysler to show off future stars, with Ford’s 2013 Fusion and the 2013 Dodge Dart both being …
2012 Beetle Turbo Review: One word describes my week in the new Volkswagen Beetle Turbo – disappointing. I loved its looks, handling and ride, but there were issues.Foremost, the fit and finish. The lower glove box door didn’t latch, so it hung open until I attached duct tape. Even then it took two pieces to hold it in place. I haven’t had this sort of problem in at least 10-15 …
