Swagger, Style, Size and Performance
Say “Dodge Charger” to most motorists, and no doubt they’ll think of a police cruiser staked out in the weeds alongside a freeway. The car’s use by law enforcement is appropriate; subtly is not in its DNA. The Charger debuted in 1966 as a two-door version of the mid-sized Coronet sedan. It was soon transformed into a burly muscle car, but those glory days were short-lived. Escalating fuel prices and insurance rates emasculated...
Money Talk: Mind the GAP Coverage Limitations
Question: In 2012, I financed a 2008 Honda at my credit union. The car was priced at $16,500. With a trade-in, the loan came to $22,000. Guaranteed Auto Protection coverage, or GAP, was factored into the loan payments, which were $464 a month. Last year, the car was wrecked and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. They paid the “book value” of $8,860 to the credit union. However, $6,000 remained on the loan. The GAP coverage...
Fewer Chinese Auto Brands in U.S. Than Predicted
Ten years ago, as new-vehicle sales were slipping and incentives were rising, auto manufacturers faced a potentially greater issue: Chinese brands were gearing up to sell low-cost vehicles in the U.S. that threatened to undercut the established brands. The first Chinese vehicles were due to arrive as early as 2007, and industry analysts said it was almost certain they would be here by 2010. Fast forward to 2016, and the only Chinese...
Auto Review: More Than Your Average Crossover
Back in the day, Volvo built wagons shaped like a brick but powered by turbo. It seems appropriate that the automaker fortifies its heritage with a jacked up turbo wagon that seems sculpted for the wind as much for the road. Channeling the larger XC70, the midsize V60 Cross Country wagon flaunts 19-inch alloys, plastic wheel-well extensions and aluminum trimming the ground affects and lower facias. Colors were apparently chosen from a...
Mercedes ‘Robots’ Can’t Keep Up
Mercedes-Benz offers the S-Class sedan with a growing array of options such as carbon-fiber trim, heated and cooled cupholders and four types of caps for the tire valves, and the carmaker’s robots can’t keep up. With customization key to wooing modern consumers, the flexibility and dexterity of human workers is reclaiming space on Mercedes’ assembly lines. That bucks a trend that has given machines the upper hand since legendary U.S....
