by Mary Chapman DURHAM, N.C. – Lexus has never dispensed an egg, in my view, and there’s no hen in the DNA of its RX 350. The company has an enviable rep of turning out quality consistently, this ride included. The other side to that? That ol’ stinker called relativity. The 2011 iteration of the…
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by Frank S. Washington DETROIT – Kia continues to become a benchmark for the American auto industry. The Korean automaker has added a hybrid to the lineup of its already popular Kia Optima sedan. Optima Hybrid has slick looking wheels that distinguish it. The 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid I test drove had a 2.4-liter four…
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by Russ Heaps – MyCarData.com – Huge performance in a tidy wrapper, the 2011 Audi TTS Roadster blends bold styling and German driving dynamics into one big-fun ride. I am shorthanding Audi’s official name of this car here for the sake of brevity. To write out the entire official name along with its trim-level designation…
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by Frank S. Washington I spent a couple of days at the Chicago Auto Show set aside for industry types before it opened to the public. There were a few debuts but most of the products I had already seen at the Detroit’s North American International Auto show which had been held a month earlier.…
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by Frank S. Washington DETROIT – We’re several months into the 2012 model year but when I got a chance to test drive an icon, it didn’t matter that it was a 2011 model. I’m talking about the Range Rover. It wasn’t the snazzy Sport or the new smaller Evoque. I’m talking about a plain…
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by Dan Scanlan – MyCarData.com – Mazda rarely gets credt for its well executed designs. Some car companies are proactive with their technology, to get ahead of the curve. Others are reactive, trying to catch up with competitors. But Mazda has become SKYACTIV with its refreshed second-generation MAZDA3, adding an all-new, more powerful and more…
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by Frank S. Washington NOVI, MI – When the Honda CR-V went on sale in 1997, competition was scarce. The small utility vehicle was one of only two on the market. Now as the market for crossover utility vehicles grows, Honda told us that 21 CUVs will be on sale by 2015. 2012 Honda CR-V…
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by Mary Chapman Toyota has re-upped its membership in the micro-subcompact club with its offering of the all-new 2012 Scion iQ, hopeful competition to the – duh! – Smart car, among other bird-like sippers. The 10-foot-long little guy stands a good chance, since it excels at the segment’s top two requirements, in my view: saving…
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by Mary Chapman It happened and it was significant, so let’s broach it right now: following the Ford-Firestone tire kerkuffle, sales of the Ford Explorer went from dependably robust to essentially flat. The once-radiant brand had lost its shine. But as they say, that was then. With introduction of the all-new 2011 iteration, Explorer’s back…
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by Frank S. Washington – DETROIT – Man, the last time I test drove the Mazda2 was when it first went on sale in this market. The launch program was in Montreal. I liked the Mazda2 then and I like it now. The front design of the Mazda2 actually looks like a smile. The Mazda2…
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