Nuts & Bolts: 2016 Subaru Forester 2XT Touring
Bottom line: The Forester is among my favorite family haulers — one of the best and most affordable all-wheel-drive vehicles in the business, equipped with a reasonably efficient and powerful gasoline engine, comfortable on long highway runs and almost affordable ($36,040) equipped with an advanced driver-assistance system. Ride, acceleration and handling: It gets good marks — meaning easily satisfactory for most of us — in all three...
Nuts and Bolts: 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Bottom line: Anyone looking for a well-made, reliable, well-equipped, fuel-efficient midsize family sedan should seriously consider the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited. Ride, acceleration and handling: It gets good marks in all three, with one caveat: The battery pack and permanent magnet motor add noticeable poundage. You feel that weight in curves. Head-turning quotient: I thought I would miss Hyundai’s departure from fluidic...
Nuts and Bolts: 2015 Ford F-150
Bottom line: The 2015 F-150 extended cab (SuperCab) remains “Ford tough,” albeit 700 pounds lighter. You have to drive this one to believe it, especially when outfitted with the remarkably small and, for that reason, remarkably fuel-efficient 2.7-liter V-6. Ride, acceleration and handling: It feels tighter, lighter and just as tough as its steel-bodied predecessor. Head-turning quotient: It remains a square-faced conservative, which...
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...
Nuts & Bolts: 2015 Passat TDI SEL Premium
Bottom line: The Volkswagen Passat, diesel or gasoline, is a car to consider seriously when shopping for a midsize family sedan. It effectively hits all of the marks —safety, comfort, fit-and-finish quality, utility and fuel efficiency. Ride, acceleration and handling: It gets good marks in all three. The car is highway-competent. It has guts climbing mountain roads. Head-turning quotient: It seriously reminds me of a convent or...
