For many drivers, there is a little “Walter Mitty” inside each of us; wishing, dreaming and otherwise envisioning exploits beyond our reality. In case you ever wondered what it would be like to have a Saturn Five rocket under the hood of your Subaru, Honda or otherwise safe family wagon, FCA’s Jeep Division has taken …
Toyota has built a stellar reputation for its small pickup series that goes all the way back to the 1970s. Now named Tacoma, this small-to-mid-size pickup is a functional suburban vehicle, a durable recreational tool, as well as a tough off-road warrior. Last year, Toyota sold over 248,800 Tacoma extended-cab and double-cab trucks in America …
The winter sunrise creates a brilliant red horizon — the kind of sky that sailors lament. Their old adage about “red sky in the morning, sailors take warning” proved more than fortuitous on this day, as we launched the Ford Explorer ST from central Hancock County westward to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Curiously, …
For 10 years, Chrysler/FCA has been trying to convince consumers that its pickup brand is now called Ram, but drivers of every ilk still prefer the Dodge label. The thing is, these new Ram pickups are so different from anything Dodge built, and now so popular, that perhaps the shift to Ram was the name …
Winter brings us a pair of repeat visitors, a compact crossover plus a compact sedan — two of the hottest-selling auto segments. Which one best fits your needs? The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a rakish-looking small crossover available with front drive ($23,595) or lockable AWD like our top SEL trim, almost $31,000. Using a 1.5-liter …
Toyota’s Prius is the best-selling hybrid car in the world. Since mass production started in Japan in 1997, Toyota has sold over 7 million Prius models worldwide, in approximately 90 markets. Toyota’s steadfast persistence with this fuel-saving technology has far surpassed every other automaker’s alternative energy systems — by a long shot. However, the evidence …
There is a large segment of the American automotive market that is powered by a collection of iconic namebadges. Buyers pay rapt attention to everything associated with these models and long for, lust after and generally pursue these nameplates for decades — with some never attaining ownership. Names like Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, Raptor and Wrangler …
Every February brings a wintry gathering of the New England Motor Press Association for a chance to sample the latest offerings in our test fleet. Here are four quick takes from earlier this month. Kia Niro Kia’s compact class crossover is available as a hybrid or as a completely electric vehicle. While hybrids start at …
Numbers matter. They provide context, reveal trends and give a true accounting of events. For automakers, the sales numbers tell us what products consumers are embracing — and the consumer is the ultimate arbiter of success, not the critics or the spin doctors. Successful sales provide income, income equals more products, more sales and a …
The changes afoot in the world’s auto industry are capsulated by the headlines in front of us every day. “Small SUVs Surge as Drivers Ditch Sedans.” “Farewell to the Family Sedan”. “EVs Assault the Market.” “Climate Change Mandates Carbon Taxes.” If you were sitting in the captain’s chair at any of today’s automakers, how do …
Visiting right on the heels of our recent Mazda 6 sedan, the seventh-generation Subaru Legacy sedan is an evolutionary design outside, yet a notable new look inside. The same size, the same Crimson Pearl paint, and targeting the same shrinking sedan market as that Mazda, the new Legacy proved why this car remains a foundation …
America’s Big three automakers — Ford, GM, FCA — continue to move away from conventional automobiles, while the Asian automakers persist in making investments in a segment that they soon will not only dominate, but essentially own. The latest case in point: a $1.6-billion joint venture Mazda-Toyota auto plant going up in Alabama that will …
