New Vehicle Reviews (Page 54)

This past weekend I had the extreme privilege of flying to Portland Oregon to spend some time with the 2015 Dodge Challenger lineup and while we had an opportunity to drive all of the new models, all of my attention was on the new Challenger SRT Hellcat. With 707 horsepower, this is the most powerful American production car of all time and the 6th most powerful in the global production performance car market so while the chance to drive the entire lineup was on hand – for me it was all about the Hellcat.

We revisit Acura’s iconic V6 TL with a final test drive. A great car in a very crowded segment, Acura fans bid farewell to a groundbreaking automotive design.

We bid a fond farewell To Acura’s TSX. Unfortunately, 2006 was the best sales year for the European Accord’s first cousin. We believe that TSX deserves a final test ride and review,
still an exciting performance sedan.

Our review of the 2015 Mazda6 mid-sized sedan with the 6-speed manual finds that the car is a unique blend of old-school sporty driving at a great value, but you will need a smart phone.

The Chrysler Group has introduced diesel powered passenger vehicles in the past with little success but with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, the company has put a name to their new diesel technology that will help market it to consumers while the power and efficiency of new 3.0L V6 diesel does the rest as this is one fantastic engine option.

While many of the options in the compact sedan class have gone all high tech and expensive with their new versions, the 2014 Toyota Corolla has been refreshed in a way that improves it in pretty much every way – but without going overboard and jacking the price way up so prospective consumers can get everything that they expect and nothing that they don’t want to pay for from this new Toyota sedan.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is likely in its final two years of production, but before the rally legend has a chance to race off into the sunset, I had a chance to climb behind the wheel of the mighty Evo X GSR for a week of pure driving pleasure.

Our full review of the V6, all-wheel-drive 2014 Toyota Highlander XLE explains why we think this may be the best family car value in the world.

I got the pleasure of putting a few hundred miles on the 2014 Toyota Tundra at the launch earlier this year and while I was impressed by the new model during normal daily driving – the true measure of a proper full size pickup is the ability to do the harder jobs and in this review, I put the new Toyota pickup through the paces of a proper work truck.

We take the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Touring Hybrid for weeklong test and see how it performs at altitude.

In my time writing about the automotive industry, no vehicle has had a marketing campaign that has gotten more attention than the Kia Soul, but with the introduction of the new and improved Soul for the 2014 model year – Kia has improved on an already very good compact vehicle that delivers great fuel economy, awesome driving dynamics, a ton of space and an impressive number of features for a surprisingly low price.

We test the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX STI Launch Edition. Who should and shouldn’t buy the newest STI performance car?

We test the all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander with the GT package, 3.0-liter V6 and all-wheel drive. What makes this new Outlander GT good for moms and dads?

While hard working pickups like the 2015 Ram 2500 were once designed with nothing but the ability to tow and haul as much weight as possible, the upscale shift in these heavy haulers have led to trucks that can do more than pickups of the past while also packing an interior that could comfortably pose as a luxury model – creating what I like to call “the Boss’ truck.”

The 2014 Buick LaCrosse introduces a new look for the affordable luxury brands flagship, we note in this review, and while the changes made between 2013 and 2014 aren’t all that elaborate – this midcycle facelift is just enough to keep this big sedan fresh for those who want the luxury feel without the big luxury price.

The all-new 2015 Subaru WRX comes from rally roots and this performance car delivers as advertised.

The American sport compact world has been clamoring for the high performance Ford Focus RS that has dominated the European segment for years and while the RS still hasn’t arrived stateside, the Ford Focus ST is a powerful representation of how great an American sport compact can be…and in more ways that just straight line acceleration.

If you are a family man and searching for a luxury sports car you should see the fun we had with my family driving the 2014 Lexus GS F Sport across Carolinas to Georgia for Easter. Here is my review in which I talk about a weekend road trip with my family in this sedan.

The Lexus IS lineup has always been the sportiest of the Japanese luxury brand (aside from the mighty LFA) so it should come as no surprise that the new 2014 Lexus IS350 F Sport is sportier than past models in every way – while still maintaining the high level of luxury that you would expect from a modern Lexus sedan.

Our take on the 2014 Mazda3 is that it is so good its competitors are really the much more expensive German and Japanese luxury brands like Audi, BMW, and Lexus.

The Cadillac CTS is all new for 2014 and while there is no CTS-V so far, the new CTS VSport offers an incredible driving experience for those CTS buyers who demand more power than is offered with the non-VSport models – while including every bit of luxury that GM has to offer in this incredible sport sedan.

There are rumors that the Dodge Durango will soon leave the company lineup, but it only takes a short time behind the wheel to figure out why the sales of the 2014 Durango R/T are going so strong – with tons of interior space in a high tech cabin, a super aggressive exterior design and a drivetrain that makes it versatile and a total blast to drive.

The 2014 Buick Encore rockets General Motors’ midlevel luxury brand into the most popular segment in the US auto industry and after driving this spirited little crossover for a week – it is clear that GM did their homework with this vehicle before introducing it to the US market as it checks all of the important boxes and does so for right around $30,000.

When the 2015 Chrysler 200C was introduced earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it was clear to pretty much everyone that this new midsized sedan looked the part of a major contender in the industry’s most popular segment but would the new 200 drive as great as it looks?

The Kia brand has come a very long way over the past decade and the 2014 Kia Sorento SX AWD is a shining example of the automaker’s progress – offering an impressive list of amenities inside and out in a roomy, sporty midsized SUV that packs a price under $40k.

The 2014 Lexus RX350 might not be the freshest small luxury SUV sold in America but with a plush cabin filled with modern high tech goodies and the same exterior design language that is featured across the entire brand lineup – the RX350 is still one of the best small luxury SUVs available in the American market.

Kia has introduced its first luxury sedan: the 2015 Kia K900. On the technical and aesthetic levels the car succeeds but can it excel on the most crucial level: the marketplace?

Subaru is moving up in brand recognition in the U.S. market and has received an award for the 2014 Subaru Impreza. Subaru has captured two of the top ten spots on Consumer Reports “coveted” Best Bets list and one was the all-new 2014 Impreza.

The Chevrolet Impala has gone from being one of the go-to large cars in the US to being a vehicle that is largely reserved for rental fleets and old people, but that could all change with the introduction of the redesigned 2014 Impala – a car that will make you think twice about how you look at the Chevy Impala.