Everything old is new again. Or so goes the saying. While the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will be the first electric vehicle with a range-extending engine to be built in volume (the first pre-production Volt rolled off the line on March 31), it’s hardly the first one ever. We’ll ignore for a moment the Lohner-Porsche […]
The original Mercedes-Benz M-Class gave the automaker its foothold in the SUV market and in America. Legally branded the ML-Class, to avoid problems with BMW and Infiniti, the M-Class was the first vehicle to come from the company’s Alabama factory back in 1998. More than a decade later, the ML-Class is in its final […]
The Toyota Highlander was completely redesigned for 2008. In the process, it grew a full size larger than the previous version, from compact to mid-size, adding an optional third-row seat in the process. It’s a popular family crossover, with the unusual feature of an available hybrid model, which only the compact Ford Escape and […]
Suzuki is in a pinch. Thanks to quirky (read: not so attractive) styling, iffy product quality, fuzzy brand image, and a small American network of dealerships, Suzuki hasn’t gained much traction in the U.S. What’s worse, the automaker seems to be hemorrhaging market share: Suzuki’s slice of the pie has been trimmed from .7% […]
Remember back to last fall, when the whole Toyota recall mess started to unfold? And do you recall that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration horrified many observers, us included, by saying it had no software or electrical engineers on staff? Well, our elected officials took note. Yesterday, in the wake of the Toyota […]
If car companies treated their products like TV families, Mercedes-Benz would have a Brady-style dilemma on its hands with the R-Class. It’s such a Jan-the obedient, plain B student unfortunately born between two cuter, smarter, more talented siblings. The R-Class all but disappeared in the shadows of the five-seat ML-Class and seven-seater…
More: continued […]
Two years ago, the Maserati GranTurismo replaced the GranSport model. The lineup was then expanded last year with the introduction of the more powerful GranTurismo S, as well as a new ZF six-speed automatic in replacement of Maserati’s previous robotized semi-manual transmission. This year sees the introduction of the GranTurismo Convertible, also…
More: continued […]
The S-Class four-door spans a wide gulf at the top of the Mercedes range. The largest Benz sedan short of the princely Maybach 57 and 62, the S-Class nudges $90,000 in its least expensive form and more than doubles that in AMG tune. Across the spectrum, the S-Class models share plenty of good things, […]
Need a few more seating spaces but have some challenging budget constraints? Pick your vehicle carefully, and you won’t have pay much more at all. For under $30k there are many vehicle choices with a third row, but you even have a number of choices for less than $25k—or even, in a couple of […]
The 2010 BMW 7-Series has come in from the cold. Last year brought the newest edition of the bigger Bimmer-and in its fifth generation, the luxury sedan got a style-ectomy that reversed the awkward proportions and surfaces of the 2002-2008 model. The quintessential BMW driving feel remains intact, despite a horde of new electronic […]
