A Crossover That Doesn’t Stand Out
As Mitsubishi retreats from U.S. shores, cresting at 2 percent market share in 2002 before dipping to less than one-half of 1 percent since 2009, it has cast the redesigned Outlander crossover to hook budget-minded buyers looking for good warranties and better fuel economy. But those traits don’t quite appeal to the larger appetites of the American car buyer, which is why the three-row Outlander crossover and its smaller but...
Auto Review: 2016 Subaru Forester Has Power, Performance and Style
Gasoline and granola doesn’t sound like the breakfast of champions to me. But green-leaning, slightly square Subaru has long managed to whip it into a sweet mix with its gentle all-wheel-drive, fuel-sipping, earth-saving image. As you know, style-challenged Subaru puts practicality and function far above performance and pretty lines — and it works exceedingly well. For the last five years, the Japanese manufacturer has grown faster...
Auto Review: Leading the Pack of Midsize Pickups
Mean-spirited midsize pickups shook me into a denim and tie-dyed froth in the ’70s . I looked like some sort of wobbly hippie-dippy milkshake when I poured myself out of those trucks — and that was after just a 10-minute trip to the grocery store. My first puny pickup — a tinny, mustard-colored ’77 Datsun that I bought after extended exposure to the Grateful Dead and Elvis Costello — bounced and vibrated so badly that I could not see...
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: 2015.5 Volvo XC60
Bottom line: Note to Volvo and other high-end automobile manufacturers: You are going to have to start offering a lot more than “prestige” and “intangible quality.” Rapid technological progress is superseding those old notions of luxury. Head-turning quotient: It remains attractive. But it is aging in comparison with quick, attractive, innovative turnover in body styles by companies such as Hyundai and Kia. Ride, acceleration and...
