Category: New Model Introductions

It might be all too easy to dismiss the Nissan Cube as a copy of the original Scion xB that’s a few years too late. It’s similar in size and profile to that now-iconic box and offers a similarly commodious interior package.

The current 350Z has been a great success and halo for a revitalized Nissan that went from painfully dull and underachieving throughout the late 90s and early part of this decade to avant garde, high-tech, and extroverted from 2002-on. Based on Nissan’s acclaimed FM platform and powered by the company’s renowned 3.5L V6, the car has successfully communicated Nissan’s great performance heritage without resorting to retro cliches.
Today, Nissan unveiled the 2009 370Z, which as you might guess is the next generation of Nissan’s sports car that is powered by a 3.7L V6. It’s mechanically pretty similar to the last version but refined in every way. In this way, it’s actually much like all of the latest Nissan and Infiniti products that are essentially cautious restyles of the breakthrough Nissan products from the company’s renaissance a few years back.

Freshening for Pontiac’s Most Important Product
In 2007, Pontiac sold nearly 358,000 cars and trucks. Of those, a nearly even 150,000 were some form of G6. The G6 is Pontiac volume, a stable, steady contributor. It was introduced for the 2005 model year, and ready for a brightening. The 2009MY G6 went on sale late this past summer, but rather than waiting for the next model year, the G6 you see in dealers beginning in January 2009 should have a new look as a 2009.5MY product.

The G6 brings a nose and rear not unlike the larger G8, an I4 engine option (mated to a six-speed automatic for excellent fuel economy), and an updated instrument panel and new audio, HVAC controls, and gauge cluster. The V6 engines carry on, though a flex-fuel version of the 3.5L is a no-cost option. Available from the start [...]

Acura TL and Nissan Maxima are so close you are splitting hairs when selecting one over the other. Maxima is a high value proposition. TL is a high technology proposition.

Ford Flex and Buick Enclave in a head-to-head comparison. Flex wins by a hair.

Our first drive of the 2009 Kia Borrego. Kia tackles mid-sized trucklike SUV at just the wrong time, but with just the right product.

Let’s get the big “a-ha” about the 2009 Mazda6 out of the way first: the Mazda6 has grown up to be a fully respectable member of society, but it has kept almost all of what made the original so appealing to keen drivers. It’s the automotive equivalent of Richard Branson, a man who has evolved to become one of the most admired business leaders in the world while retaining all of the hipness, style, and flamboyance of his youth.
The first generation Mazda6 was always admired by enthusiasts; it was lean, engaging, full of feedback, and just plain great fun to drive. It was a cut-price BMW 3-Series in terms of its drive character. Those qualities, however, made it far less appealing for its primary mission – to serve as a solid family sedan. Despite its entertainment value on the road, it was small and cramped inside, noisy, and felt somewhat like a beer [...]

What a disappointing day today turned out to be. I was supposed to represent VehicleVoice at Chevrolet’s unveiling of the long-awaited new Camaro up in North Hollywood this afternoon. Unfortunately, a three-car pileup on the I-5 North brought my northward progress to a halt, effectively making it impossible for me to get to the press conference. Beaten, I turned around and drove back to the office.

I tried to go to Hollywood to see this…
But instead all I got was this. Bummer.

Porsche's 2009 911 gets updates where it counts most: under the bonnet. Direct injection, dual-clutch automated manual transmission, and LED lighting brush up Porsche's iconic sports car this fall.

Ford Flex promises to become a good selling Crossover SUV with polarizing styling and excellent function