Archive for November, 2011
2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0 SR review: Driving invisible
The Romulans had cloaking devices. A real scientist has demonstrated how to make light bend around an object to make it invisible. And there have been times at restaurants when, judging by the service received, we’re wearing a cloak of invisibility. And then we drove the 2012 Nissan Sentra 2.0 SR. It’s not that [...]
2012 Buick LaCrosse road test: Big on luxury, small on fuel consumption
The 2012 Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan is available with all of the premium features a buyer would expect, and one standard feature that may come as a big surprise. We’re talking about compact-car fuel efficiency. Hard as it may be to believe, when properly equipped this rival to the Lexus ES 350 and similarly posh [...]
2012 Kia Optima SX: Turbo with the trimmings
Be careful when you say Kia Optima Turbo because it could be one of two cars. One is the Kia Optima EX Turbo and the other is the Kia Optima SX. The former is a Kia Optima EX with a turbocharged engine, as the name suggests. The latter is the Optima with the turbo engine [...]
2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited review: Still amazes
Approaching two years out, the Hyundai Sonata still amazes. We should at this point be beyond the can-it-really-be-a-Hyundai stage and we mostly are. But our sojourn with a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited served as a reminder of not only how well equipped the Sonata is for the dollar—that’s something of a Hyundai trademark—but the advanced [...]
2011 Hyundai Azera Limited: American dreamy
With the 2011 Hyundai Azera Limited, the Korean automaker has nailed the traditional full-sized American car. The Azera Limited is roomy, well equipped, fast, comfortable and with a predictably cushy, foam-pillow-soft ride. If that seems improbable for a Korean car, well, read on. For starters, how big is the Azera? Consider EPA interior volume. The [...]
Peugeot RCZ, the coolest car in Canton, China
What was the coolest not-made-in-China car at the Canton Motor Show? We thought you’d never ask. It’s the Peugeot RCZ, a 2+2 sport coupe. The award—officially the ““Imported Cool Car of the Year”—came Sohu.com, one of the most popular and heavily trafficked sites in the People’s Republic of China. The RCZ was also named “Imported [...]
2011 Lexus IS-F review: An athlete in the family
Funny how status can change. Time was when the Lexus IS-F was the rake of the family, the athlete from a family of artists. Then comes the Olympian and the jock, along with the shirt-ripping biceps and state championship sprint, becomes suddenly ordinary. Alongside the Lexus LFA, the IS-F is a couch potato. Perhaps, but [...]
2011 Lexus RX 450h review: The same but different
The 2011 Lexus RX 450h is identical to the 2011 Lexus RX 350, except where it isn’t, and the differences are not great…or yes it is and yes they are. Confused as we are? Let’s get past the fundamentals. Lexus RX models—mostly unchanged from the all-new 2010 RX’s—are mid-size crossover-styled SUVs. the RX 350 having [...]
Fiat 500: Minicar provides mega drama
The return of Fiat to the U.S. marketplace began with so much optimism. Things, to be sure, weren’t as good as they might have been, with Chrysler working through its bankruptcy, the U.S. economy on the ropes and – if truth be told – a Fiat brand better known for what it was (and wasn’t) than [...]
2012 Volvo S60 R-Design review: More than expected
It wasn’t what we expected from the 2012 Volvo S60 R-Design. We didn’t expect, for example, that the R-Design would be anything but at most a trim package, with special wheels and special seats, a fillip here and a flourish there. But mechanically unchanged. We were wrong. The Volvo S60 R-Design is new for 2012, [...]
