Category: On The Road: Driving Impressions

Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen quite a few retro-styled vehicles come into the marketplace. Most of them have been inspired by icons from the 50s and 60s. And why not? These were happy times for many, and the cultural icons from those days are still looked upon with great fondness.
There seems to be far less nostalgia for the 1970s, though. It was a time that represented challenges for many Americans. Unstable energy costs, mass unemployment, and economic turmoil meant tough times for many. Chrysler needed a bailout from the government to survive. Um, wait a minute, am I talking about the 70s or right now?

Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen quite a few retro-styled vehicles come into the marketplace. Most of them have been inspired by icons from the 50s and 60s. And why not? These were happy times for many, and the cultural icons from those days are still looked upon with great fondness.
There seems to be far less nostalgia for the 1970s, though. It was a time that represented challenges for many Americans. Unstable energy costs, mass unemployment, and economic turmoil meant tough times for many. Chrysler needed a bailout from the government to survive. Um, wait a minute, am I talking about the 70s or right now?

We all know Lexus products as being paragons of quality and refinement, but many younger enthusiast drivers have long passed over the brand in favor of established performance names like BMW and Audi. No surprise there; Lexus products tend to be amazingly refined and quiet, providing a driving experience akin to manning a hyperbaric chamber. Given Lexus’ 20 past years of wresting away market share from the Germans and the fact that they’ve been the best-selling luxury brand in the US for years, we’d have to say they’ve got the American luxury buyer licked. The majority of American luxury buyers really do want to waft along in utter silence, and no one does that better than Lexus.
The coveted entry luxury buyer (who represents a long-term opportunity to retain and move up through the brand), however, is younger and [...]

I approached the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with great interest. Yeah, sure, it’s got all the things to make a car enthusiast swoon: great styling, rear wheel drive, and lots of power. But what made the car of particular interest to me was the fact that I had a small hand in the development of the car. I wanted to see how the finished product had turned out.
Yup, not that long ago I used to work for Hyundai as a product planning manager, and I watched the car’s development as it progressed from simple sketches to computer generated 3D images to full-size clay models. I even got to drive early prototypes of the car over two years ago on Hyundai’s test track in Namyang, Korea.

The second generation Prius, which debuted for the 2004 model year, has become an icon on many levels. It’s a green statement. It’s a political statement. It’s even a technology statement. I’ve been saying for quite a while now that history will look upon the little lozenge-shaped car as THE iconic vehicle of this decade, much as the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was the iconic car of the 1950s.
The second generation Prius was the car that brought hybrids to the mainstream. The dorky first generation car looked and felt somewhat like a science project…and the quirky original Honda Insight even more so. But Prius v2.0 boasted a really usable interior package, decent performance, and a unique look that proclaimed to the world that you were ready for something beyond the status quo.
There was just one problem: [...]

As I write this, much attention is focused on Chrysler, a company now entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings amidst an automobile industry that has collapsed. It’s quite a backdrop to consider as we evaluated the latest Dodge Ram pickup truck. Let’s get this out of the way first: the latest Dodge Ram is the best driving pickup I’ve ever driven, and its interior is the best I’ve ever seen from Chrysler.

The 2010 Mazda3 proves the company's successful blend of sylish, performance-oriented vehicles at an affordable price is no fluke.

The TRD-designed and developed supercharger boosts horsepower from 381 to 504, and torque from 401 pound-feet up to 550 lb-ft. How long will the Obama Administration's latest comments be more important than horsepower?

We got the opportunity to briefly drive the new Ford Fiesta in Port Hueneme in anticipation of Ford's "Fiesta Movement" program where they will place 100 5-door Fiestas with influential Millennium drivers.

Ed Kim got an exclusive interview and drive with Kenichiro Wada, the project manager for Mitsubishi’s innovative i-Miev electric car. Hear Wada-san talk about some of the car’s innovative features as well as his take on some of the infrastructure challenges that face pure electrics.