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...
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...
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...
Distinctive Look in the Crossover Class
The Lexus RX did to premium midsize crossovers what the Toyota Camry did to mainstream midsize sedans. In defining the segment, the RX inevitably succumbed to the compromises of having widespread appeal. The inside was exceptionally quiet, but the handling was numb; the inside was roomy, but the body design was eggish; it was always nice but never exceptional. The polished features straddled luxury and mainstream very well until every...
Wheels: In Sync With What Really Matters
I write 52 columns a year for this beloved journal — too few, I think, to devote more than a couple to models so expensive they can be comfortably afforded by only 1 percent of the U.S. population. As it is, depending on whose numbers you believe, only 15 percent of our nation’s people can comfortably afford — meaning without sacrificing rent, mortgage, food or utility money — a new car with a current average price of $33,566. And...
