Small SUVs are the new hot segment in America, and style-conscious Fiat is jumping into the fray with the new 500X. But is the Fiat’s Italian flair enough to make it competitive? Fiat is a brand that sells primarily on style, and they’ve done their best to infuse the 500X with the charms of...
Toyota’s Camry is a staple in the American automobile business, but it’s far from thrilling to drive, even less so with the hybrid model. For the 2015 model year, the Toyota Camry is getting a redesign that makes it more appealing to look at, which is important because the number of midsize...
Hyundai has an uphill battle in ridding itself of the less-than-desirable image its older products carried. Up until the fifth–and current–generation, the Elantra didn’t do much to dissuade people from thinking of Hyundai as a brand to go to out of budget necessity rather than desire....
Americans are crossover crazy; we just can’t get enough of these glorified station wagons. Whether it’s their all-season capability, generous cargo capacity or improved fuel economy they have distinct advantages over sedans and traditional SUVs, upsides that account for much of their appeal. ...
A colleague of mine once said the Hindenburg disaster and H-bomb are two historic tragedies that have ruined the public’s perception of storing any amount of hydrogen in a mechanical device. Although the improper use and storage of hydrogen can lead to fiery calamities, another fuel source can...
The modern MINI was a fresh new take on a classic when it appeared in 2000. Youthful, stylish and full of energy, the MINI Cooper was an eager child ready for fun. Then, like a rebellious teenager, it experimented with new looks, churning out variants that defied convention and classification...
The number of compact crossovers on the market right now seems almost endless. With so many options, does something like the Mitsubishi Outlander, a crossover that defies convention and is built by a relatively small automaker, have a chance? Is there any reason not to run down to Toyota or Honda...
Michael Lewis wrote “Liar’s Poker” in 1989 after rubbing shoulders with the “big swinging dicks” working at Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street investment bank that gained notoriety for its work with mortgage-backed securities. It’s an excellent story. Guys like them treated money...
Beside body-on-frame SUVs, the first-generation Nissan Murano looked like a space pod. But the je ne sais quoi styling started to fade in the second generation as more manufacturers began offering car-based crossovers with rounded bodies. For the third go-around, Nissan sent its design team back...
Hyundai made their bones in the U.S. market with small, affordable cars, but to say they have moved on in the last decade would be an understatement. We’ve been stunned — stunned, we say! — to see what the South Koreans hath wrought: The high-lux Genesis sedan, the sporty...
High-end smartphones are seriously expensive: $650 for the latest iPhone, $600 for the newest Samsung Galaxy, $550 for a Droid Turbo. And yet there is no shortage of Android phones that can be purchased — unlocked and contract-free — for less than a hundred bucks. A cheap Android may...
If you’re one to avoid the mainstream trends, you likely find the BMW 3 Series a bit too commonplace. Fortunately, BMW is offering the new 4 Series Gran Coupe, a four-door, hatchback version of the 4 Series coupe based on a 3 Series sedan. A very unique vehicle that combines the best of the 4...
Ford’s first foray into the mid-size crossover market took place in 2006 when they introduced the Edge. Almost a decade later, the Blue Oval is back with a second generation that promises more power, better technology and improved efficiency. Sizing up the New Guy Just to alleviate potential...
Bentley builds some of the most bodacious luxury cars in the world. This British brand is synonymous with opulence and performance; its products scream “I’ve made it!” but as politely as possible. Now let’s say you’ve really succeeded in life and the company’s Continental coupe has...
Volkswagen has always been a little different. While everyone else has gone crossover crazy, Volkswagen remains ever committed to wagons. Even if the Passat wagon is no more, the Jetta SportWagen, a car actually based on the Golf, kept the “wagen” tradition alive for the past few years. But...