Posted by Dave Sullivan on August 23, 2011 at 1:30 pm
A few weeks ago I ventured to the middle of no where in Washington to feast on all of the new Camry variants for the 2012 model year. Did Toyota churn up a revolution or an evolution? With the Camry tattered and torn during the past few years I was excited to see what Toyota had done to turn the page on the next chapter for the Camry.
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Posted by Ed Kim on August 21, 2011 at 12:01 pm
The Jeep Wrangler is the spiritual heart and soul of the Jeep lineup. It is a true icon, recognized far beyond automotive circles. Its mere existence lends credibility to less off-road capable brandmates ilke Patriot and Compass. After all, it can be argued that Wrangler is THE original off-road SUV. With its heritage hearkening back to the Second World War, performing its duties heroically on battlefields in both the Pacific and European theaters, the Wrangler has off-road credibility arguably matched by no one.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on August 9, 2011 at 1:27 pm
In November of 2010, General Motors delivered on a promise they made to start producing the Chevrolet Volt. Just after production started I had the opportunity to spend a day with a Volt. While it was a very interesting car to drive for a day, I wasn’t sure what it would be like to drive a vehicle that had the ability to be plugged in, so Chevrolet let me drive one for a week earlier this year.
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Posted by Ty Michael on August 9, 2011 at 1:10 am
While the upcoming Buick Lacrosse failed to induce any excitement within the automotive enthusiast in me, I was more than a bit impressed by its new fuel-saving powertrain technology: eAssist. Recently, I had a chance to try out the new 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist through various terrains near San Francisco, both city and winding country roads, in order to witness eAssist in action.
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Posted by Dan Hall on August 3, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Willow Springs Raceway
At AutoPacific we’ve been doing a lot of EV research. A lot. So it was with a smile that we accepted the Chrysler Group’s offer to come to Willow Springs, north of Lancaster in California’s high desert. No EVs here. No range anxiety discussions. The Chrysler Group hauled a load of journalists and analysts to Willow Springs to remind us that anxiety should remain a small part of the driving experience. Exhilaration is better.
Once we were settled, Ralph Gilles, CEO, SRT Brand and Motorsports, announced that Chrysler has officially elevated its in-house performance division – the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team – to a separate company brand to build high-performance vehicles for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. The Chrysler public relations team was on hand the let us take a few of the latest SRT vehicles for laps on the famed racetrack. Not a bad day.
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Posted by George Peterson on July 14, 2011 at 2:14 pm
There are no bad cars. It’s been years since I’ve seen a really bad car to be sold as new in the USA. Maybe the not lamented Chrysler Sebring came close before it evolved into the Chrysler 200 for 2011. So, as the new V-Platform Nissan Versa is poised to be launched for the 2012 model year as the lowest price new car available in the USA you wonder if a new car priced so low is a bad car? The answer is a resounding no. But with the Versa and new Hyundai Accent arriving almost concurrently on the market it begs brief comparison.
2012 Nissan Versa Sedan
2012 Hyundai Accent Sedan
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Posted by George Peterson on July 11, 2011 at 7:01 pm
The all new Hyundai Accent has just been introduced and it may be the final part of Hyundai’s grand slam in sedans. First the Genesis, winner of AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) in each of its three years on the market. Then the all new 2011 Sonata that won the only President’s Award (highest VSA score ever) given by AutoPacific and then won best in class for the model year. The all new Hyundai Elantra won best in class among compact cars for the 2011 model year. Three out of three isn’t bad. The new Accent is certainly a contender.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on June 3, 2011 at 12:59 am
I have a confession to make. I was cautiously optimistic with the idea of the A7 when I first heard that Audi had green lighted the program. Yes, I am fond of hatchbacks but one image was burned into my brain: Accord Crosstour. The Crosstour was a great idea on paper and a gave people who worship at the church of hatchback another option. Sadly, the final product hasn’t been much of a sales success as Americans shun hatchbacks. I won’t mention the fact that many crossovers today are actually hatchbacks but calling them that would be a marketing faux pas. The Crosstour is looking like another nail in the coffin of slow selling hatchback designs for the US market. Could the company that brought us the R8 strike out like the Crosstour or hit a home run to change the hearts and minds of hatchback haters? Read on to find out.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on May 12, 2011 at 3:03 am
Volkswagen is excited with the work they have completed thus far on the Golf blue-e-motion battery electric vehicle. So excited, in fact, that I was recently able to drive one in Germany.
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Posted by Dave Sullivan on April 29, 2011 at 4:32 pm
As the owner of a 2011 Murano, I was very skeptical of the Murano CrossCabriolet and the ability to deliver on the ‘cross’ bit of the name with only two doors and four seats. After a brief test drive in Del Mar, CA, I realized that the word crossover was being redefined right before my very eyes.
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