A Hybrid With All the Essentials
The all-new 2017 Kia Niro could be described as a hybrid utility vehicle, which Kia prefers, or it could be classified as a subcompact crossover, which is the hottest new segment, or we could just call it a Subaru look-alike with Prius economy. Now that sounds pretty cool. Seriously. The Niro is one of 11 Eco Dynamics models that Kia has planned by 2020. The 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid and Kia Optima Plug-in Hybrid preceded the Niro on...
Hacking the Human Diet
San Francisco — The third floor of the American Industrial Center in San Francisco’s Dogpatch district is food central. It houses confectioners, cupcake bakers, pastry makers and catering companies. Everyone is making or packaging food. Even the two youngish guys who look more like chemists than chefs are, technically, making food. A new kind of food. Tucked away in the humidity-controlled, air-conditioned nook of the building, Alex...
Nuts and Bolts: Subaru BRZ
Bottom line: The Subaru BRZ and its co-developed twin, Toyota’s Scion FR-S, are niche cars designed for the young. The idea is to catch consumers as babies and bring them along to adulthood . . . when they will want and need something with more utility. Ride, acceleration and handling: The BRZ Series Blue is fast, light, agile and a lot of fun to drive. Head-turning quotient: It seriously reminds me of an elementary school rendering...
Consumer Confidential: Know Your Rights When Dealing With a Funeral Home
Undercover investigators visited 11 California funeral homes last year to make sure prices charged to grieving families were disclosed upfront, as required by federal law. Nearly two-thirds flunked the test. This was an eye-opening finding for Bob Achermann, executive director of the California Funeral Directors Association. “More than half the homes visited. I can’t believe the number is so high,” Achermann told me. “It’s kind of...
