Category: On The Road: Driving Impressions

The Jetta TDI is a truly enjoyable way to drive greener.

The Jetta TDI is a truly enjoyable way to drive greener.

The Venza is made for empty nesters, and it could represent the future of the sedan.

Lexus' newest addition to the IS line will not get any better treatment from "true enthusiasts", but the folks at Lexus has thought this through.

The Ford Taurus SHO returns after a decade's absence from the American auto scene. Formerly Yamaha engines provided the power for the SHO, but today Ford's new EcoBoost powertrain technology provides the power. EcoBoost in Taurus form includes twin turbochargers and gasoline direct injection. Still with a heavily beefed up 3.5L V6, EcoBoost bumps up power from 263-horsepower to 365-horsepower in the SHO. Torque grows from 249 lb-ft to 350 lb-ft. And rated fuel economy stays the same.

Ford Accelerates Introduction of New Taurus and delivers a winner. Or does it?

To me, it’s actually amazing that it’s taken this long for someone to come up with another “dedicated” hybrid considering the runaway success of Prius. Much of Prius’ success is directly linked to the fact that it is immediately recognizable as a hybrid. The car’s looks make a huge statement; simply driving one makes a statement about your priorities and values.
So, enter the similarly distinct new Insight, which once it’s common enough, will also be immediately recognizable as a hybrid. Not to be confused with the dinky two-seater of the same name (which was actually the first hybrid sold in America), this new Insight invites inevitable comparisons to Prius. They both have five doors and have similar proportions. And of course, both are dedicated hybrids. However, both Toyota and Honda are quick to point out that their hybrids [...]

To me, it’s actually amazing that it’s taken this long for someone to come up with another “dedicated” hybrid considering the runaway success of Prius. Much of Prius’ success is directly linked to the fact that it is immediately recognizable as a hybrid. The car’s looks make a huge statement; simply driving one makes a statement about your priorities and values.
So, enter the similarly distinct new Insight, which once it’s common enough, will also be immediately recognizable as a hybrid. Not to be confused with the dinky two-seater of the same name (which was actually the first hybrid sold in America), this new Insight invites inevitable comparisons to Prius. They both have five doors and have similar proportions. And of course, both are dedicated hybrids. However, both Toyota and Honda are quick to point out that their hybrids [...]

Wanna know why the Elantra Touring looks absolutely nothing like the sedan that it shares its name with?
This wagon addition to the Elantra lineup was really sort of a last minute add to Hyundai’s US product portfolio. You might recall that the previous Elantra was available as a SAAB-esque hatchback, and the one before that was available as a station wagon. However, because Hyundai’s Korean management knew that Americans seemed to overwhelmingly prefer sedans over hatchbacks or wagons, they made the decision pretty early on to offer the current Elantra as a sedan only.

The idea of the small supersedan is nothing new, but as of late we’ve been seeing lots of contenders throwing their hats into the ring. It is generally accepted that BMW started it all with the M3 back in the 1980s, quickly followed by the Mercedes-Benz with the 190E 2.3-16. Audi played too with its own unique twist in the form of the AWD rally-inspired S2 (or, some might argue, some of the hotter Ur-Quattro models that preceded it). For quite some time, this space was the domain of the Germans, and each successive generation of Teutonic supersedan kept getting faster, better handling, and more desirable.