Two thoughts rattle around my brain as I leave busy Kennebunkport on a hot August evening with Hyundai’s latest testament to its continued interest in building special internal-combustion-engined vehicles — ahead of its plunge into a rapid EV buildout. This Elantra N — with the letter N signifying Hyundai’s sportiest version of any current model …
The pickup wars are heating up. Generating huge income for the automakers just as they are being pressured to spend billions to build battery-electric-vehicles, the Big Three’s pickup brands — Chevy, GMC, Ford and Ram — are going to have to deliver the big bucks necessary to make these dreams possible. For buyers, this means …
Since its American debut in 2009, it has become common sentiment among critics that the XC60 is the best product Volvo sells here. Buyers apparently agree, as the XC60 is also the brand’s top-selling model now — just edging out its slightly larger, three-row sibling, the XC90, on the sales charts. Upping the ante, Volvo …
Almost 40 years ago, Honda was on its third-generation Civic small car. Sensing American taste for all things larger, with more people and parcel space, brand managers created a five-door wagon version of the diminutive sedan/coupe. In 1985, they added a button on the dash to activate a part-time 4WD system — Real Time 4WD …
Ford’s shift away from conventional cars — the sporty two-door Mustang is the sole remaining car in the automaker’s lineup — does not mean that buyers no longer have fuel-efficient options wearing the Blue Oval. From the subcompact EcoSport crossover to this week’s compact class Escape Plug-in Hybrid model in top Titanium trim, Ford offers …
In October 1969, American auto enthusiasts were feasting on big, powerful Plymouth Road Runners, Dodge Charger Super Bees, Ford Mustangs, Mercury Cougars, Pontiac Firebirds, and of course Chevy Camaros and Corvettes. However, a sudden shift occurred when a little-known Asian automaker named Datsun introduced a lithe, compact coupe called simply the 240Z. Powered by a …
Proponents of the evolution to total electric vehicles knew there would be speed bumps along the road, but they probably didn’t anticipate the number of potholes, bridge failures and mega-crashes that have clouded the process of late. Central to the plan has always been the claim of affordable BEVs for the masses. Several giant holes …
Normally, it takes three to four years for a new car model to grow through planning, design, engineering, cost-sourcing and assembly-line production before it becomes real. Makeovers, or model revisions, take half that time and usually result in a much improved yet familiar product. Such is the case with our Blue Pearl Subaru WRX four-door …
As the navigator and I meet delivery driver Tom, a man approaches us and wants to engage. We are exiting the new Acura Integra, while Tom has been waiting for us in an Ebony Twilight Sierra Denali we are about to receive, the utter blackness of the massive truck almost menacing. The visitor is smitten …
Acura, Honda’s luxury car division, is going all the way back to the beginning (March 1986 — before Lexus and Infiniti) with its latest compact car offering. The Integra, along with the midsized Legend sedan, were the first two products that helped Acura become part of the mainstream premium car business in North America. When …
New car company start-ups come and go, especially right now as rising interest rates, essential parts shortages and rampant inflation are quickly sapping the liquid funds of numerous electric vehicle makers that only a few months ago were crowing about their future success. Many won’t last through the summer, as the cruel reality of today’s …
At first glance, the CX-30 easily fits Mazda’s current design theme, with a face shared with several other models — including the top-selling CX-5 compact crossover. The CX-30 is slightly smaller, and really feels like a tall car as you can see over the roof, unlike most crossovers, and actually replaces the departed CX-3 in …
