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...
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...
Elegance, Performance and More
Cornwall, n.y. — It is a car beautiful in appearance and performance. It is small, gifted with a terrifically improved suspension and symmetrical all-wheel drive, meaning it is wonderfully maneuverable in weather fair and foul. Just one note on the latter point: It is a sports car usually shod with summer high-performance tires. Winter demands compromise. To wit: For improved winter traction and safety, sacrifice some handling and...
Subaru Joins Assisted-Driving Wave
The idea is to prevent the unexpected from becoming the tragically final. That is the real story behind the outburst of acronyms characterizing the technology of the 2016 Subaru Forester 2XT Touring and hundreds of other new cars and trucks. After decades of pretending that safety does not matter, that more horsepower is always better, that the only real driving concern is finding an empty road on which to “take corners,” the...
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...
