The latest dirt on the machines you love
Back in 2009 there was a boxing match of sorts. It seems that three manufacturers, Nissan, Kia and Scion, decided they’d see who could sell Americans on the boxiest automotive design. Eight years on and Kia has sweetened the recipe by tossing a turbo charger into the mix
The 4Runner got a facelift in 2014 and the results look good. But the Chassis was release eight years ago and it feels like it.
The Toyota Yaris is nestled comfortably in the subcompact class of cars. But just because this car is little doesn’t mean it’s small on charm. Economy cars call to mind memories of stripped out rental cars with spartan interiors, uninspired exteriors, and acres of molded plastic.
The 2017 Toyota Sequoia, like the tree it’s named after, is freaking huge. This 6,000 pound heavy weight is the largest SUV offering from Toyota. It’s big, powerful, and comfortable with seating for seven. But what’s it like to drive?
The 2017 Honda HR-V is reminiscent of the early Civics in its simplicity, and maybe its meant to fill a niche in the affordable, small SUV market. Built on a third-gen Honda Fit chassis, it offers available AWD and is meant to fill the niche just beneath Honda’s other small SUV, the CR-V, in both proportion and price point.
At the end of January I had the opportunity to take the 2017 Acura’s luxury-compact-crossover, the RDX, on a 600 mile road trip. This meant spending plenty of time behind the wheel getting to know the car.
Introduced in 2014, the Lexus RC- F is Lexus’ take on what a luxury sport coupe should be, a two-door blend of comfort Lexus customers are accustomed to, and sports car handling and good looks. But The real gem in this car ives under the hood.
The venerable Honda Civic has been in continuous production since 1972. From its humble beginnings as a sub-compact gas-sipping alternative to the big three’s land yachts built during the gas crunch.
Scion is dead, long live Toyota. Like the millennials to which Scion attempted to appeal, the company was a drain on their parent-company’s resources. So, for 2017 the Scion FR-S is rebadged and worked over as the Toyota 86. Those outside of Canada and the United States have had the 86 for years.
minivans are the quintessential mom-mobile, what’s the paternal equivalent? Depending on where you grew up, it’s arguably a pickup. Not because every dad needs a truck for point A to point B work, but trucks are butch and they come in really handy when it’s time to grab half a dozen two-by-fours for doing dad stuff.
