I know of no data that will back this up but it has been my experience over the last 20 years that automakers pay more attention to updating the higher trims on their models than they do on their entry level vehicles, though many of the features introduced on the top trim eventually trickle their way down through the lineup. Read more
Author: Paul Borden
MINI GETS A REFRESHING, BUT STILL VERY MUCH REMAINS A MINI IN ALL ASPECTS
Just as the word “dated” began to appear in reviews of the iconic Mini in recent years, the 2022 Mini Cooper Convertible arrives refreshed and updated but still with the sassy attitude that has been an integral part of its DNA for just over six decades. Read more
IF A COUPE HAS TWO DOORS, HOW CAN THERE BE FOUR-DOOR COUPES?
When it comes to distinguishing a car as a sedan or a coupe, most people simply count the doors. Four doors, it’s a sedan. Two it’s a coupe.
But it wasn’t always that way. You go back far enough in history and you likely can find references to a “two-door sedan” and a “four-door coupe,” especially when watching old crime movies — and by that I mean from the 1940s and ’50s or earlier, not the Clint Eastwood era. Read more
LOOK QUICKLY; SHELBY GT350R MAKING ONE LAST HURRAH ON MUSCLE CAR SCENE
We are way past the midpoint of the year, football season is rapidly approaching, and any day now Christmas decorations are going to be showing up at Walmart, yet my review subject for today is a vehicle from 2020, the Ford Mustang GT350R.
Two reasons for that. Read more
LINCOLN CORSAIR STANDS OUT FROM IMPORTS AMONG COMPACT LUXURY CROSSOVERS
If you are in the market for a compact luxury crossover SUV and are in a “buy American” mood, you’re going to find your choices somewhat limited. Imports from Germany and Japan pretty much have taken over the segment. Read more
BMW OFFERS UPGRADED HYBRID VERSION FOR X5 SPORTS ‘ACTIVITY’ VEHICLE
The 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e represents the company’s second go at a plugin hybrid-powered SUV and offers up more power and a longer range for all-electric mod than its predecessor, the xDrive40e that debuted for 2016. Read more
LOOKING FOR HELL ON WHEELS? TRY THE NEWEST DURANGO FROM DODGE
The big news for the Dodge Durango this year is the introduction of the SRT Hellcat model at the top of the SUV’s portfolio for 2021.
Yes, for a limited time (more on that later), Dodge is offering the mid-size Durango with the 710-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 engine under the hood. With its 645 pound-feet of torque, it zips from zero-to-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, according to the company, and has recorded a time of 11.5 seconds for the quarter-mile as certified by the National Hot Rod Association. Read more
POWER AND PLUSHNESS MAKES NAVIGATOR A COMPETITOR IN LARGE LUXURY SUV CLASS
If you are in the market for a luxury large SUV and don’t have the Lincoln Navigator on your list, you might be regretting it later, and not just because actor Matthew McConaughey has nice things to say about it and other Lincoln products in the automaker’s popular low-key TV ad campaign. Read more
LONG LIVE THE KING OF THE SPORTS SEDAN SEGMENT: THE BMW M5
Though the term “sport sedan” used to describe passenger cars with more lively driving characteristics would seem to be a recent thing, it actually dates back to the 1930s. That’s when British automaker Rover produced performance versions of its “saloon” cars, the Rover 14 and Rover 16. Read more
FORD ADDS HYBRID TO 2021 F-150 FLEET AND TO UNVEIL ALL-ELECTRIC PICKUP THIS MONTH
For the last 44 years one constant has remained in the pickup market and that has been the status of Ford’s F-Series as America’s best-selling truck.
Even with sales off 12.5 percent for the fourth quarter and the popular F-150 down 32.7 percent on short inventory in anticipation of the redesign for 2021, a total of 787,422 F-Series trucks were sold in COVID-corrupted 2020. Read more
NOTHING ‘STATIONARY’ ABOUT THE 2021 AMG E 63 S WAGON
Back in the day long before SUVs and minivans existed, the station wagon ruled when it came to family transportation.
Often with wood-grained side panels and foldable seats in the far back that faced to the rear, the station wagon offered much-needed space to accommodate larger families and all the stuff they tended to pack for summer vacations. Read more