Archive for July, 2013
Wickstrom Ford is located in the Chicago suburb of Barrington, IL.
Note: This interview is being republished after having been awarded an International Automotive Media Award gold medal in the interview category. The original interview took place in December of 2011, and the original article was published in January of 2012.
Future Car: 2015 Cadillac Escalade
By Jim Gorzelany
2015 Cadillac Escalade Review and Prices
The authors of a Consumer Guide online article and a feature article in CG’s companion automotive-history magazine Collectible Automobile earned gold medallions when the 22nd International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA) were announced July 29.
Consumer Guide Automotive (CGA) Publisher Tom Appel struck gold in the Internet Interview category for “Challenges on the Front Line: Selling Cars During a Recession,” a talk with Chicago-area multibrand dealer Colin Wickstrom. It was the fourth Consumer Guide Automotive article to win IAMA gold in five years and the second such award for Appel.
2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo with Matte Gray paint
The new-for-2013 Veloster Turbo adds some much-needed horsepower to the flashy-but-slow base Veloster, Hyundai’s genre-bending compact hatchback that debuted for 2012. As is customary for performance variants of regular-line vehicles, the Veloster Turbo gets a few exclusive appearance features that give it a racier look than its naturally aspirated sibling. Up front is a unique fascia with a larger grille and round fog lights, along with standard projector-beam headlights with LED accents. The rocker panels sport “ground effects” side sills, and the Turbo-exclusive rearview mirrors have integral LED turn-signal indicators. A roof-mounted body-color spoiler, LED taillights, and unique rear fascia with a diffuser and oversize exhaust tips bring up the rear.
Tom quickly realized that the underpowered Opel Vivaro was not up to the task of hauling six passengers and luggage.
Allow me to brag a little: I am master of the 11-point turn. Sure, most of us learned three-point turns in drivers ed, but how many of us, I wonder, have experienced the sheer joy of reversing the course of a too-long vehicle on a far-too-narrow road? I have, and it’s entirely my father’s fault. You see, my father is the worst navigator in the world.
What is Mercedes Magic Body Control?
It’s actually called Magic Body Control, and this newly optional feature of the redesigned 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is really quite amazing . . . or at least it was in the demonstration the company held on a specially paved road (!) at a recent press preview.
Styling on the NX might resemble a cross between a smaller version of the Lexus RX (left) and a taller take on the Lexus CT 200h (right).
By Jim Gorzelany
Some might say it’s long overdue, but Lexus reportedly will be entering the burgeoning compact-luxury-SUV market for the 2015 model year with a brand-new model—said to be called the NX—that will be based on the Toyota RAV4’s architecture. Both a conventional NX 200t version, which would be powered by the brand’s first turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and a NX 300h gas/electric hybrid model are expected to debut in world markets in late 2014 or early 2015, though it’s not clear from this standpoint which version the U.S. might receive first, or whether both will be introduced here simultaneously. Styling might resemble a cross between a taller version of Lexus’ CT 200h 4-door hybrid hatchback and a smaller take on the midsize RX crossover SUV. Either way, expect lively performance along with the requisite luxury features.
2009 Cadillac DTS Platinum
My dad is a pretty lousy car shopper. He has established a pattern of deciding he wants to buy a car, then delaying the purchase as long as possible, then buying something too quickly. Somewhere in this process, he decides what he wants to buy, despite continuing to look around at other cars. If you’ve been enlisted to help him through this process, you’ll want to bring along some off-brand acetaminophen.
The Mercedes-Benz SL550 is among the special vehicles available for rent in the Enterprise Exotic Car Collection.
The term “rental car” usually conjures images of ordinary 4-door sedans, SUVs, and minivans used simply as a means of conveyance by business travelers or people on vacation.
The cars and haulers of Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen (red) and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme (yellow).
Some of the graying—or maybe balding—ex-children who once imagined their favorite toys coming to life will soon get a chance to see what that would have been like. The legendary 1970s “Snake” and “Mongoose” Plymouth funny car dragsters—famously rendered in miniature as coveted Hot Wheels toys—will make a short tour in the U.S. in August and September.
