Archive for September, 2014
Topping the Toyota Sienna lineup is the all-wheel-drive Limited model.
You can deride them as boring “mom-mobiles” all you want, but the simple fact is this: There is no passenger vehicle better than a minivan at efficiently hauling around lots of people and stuff. And, today’s minivans offer a dizzying array of comfort and convenience features that can pamper (and pacify) most any family member.
Ford’s storied pony car is redesigned for 2015. Key changes include the addition of a turbocharged engine to the lineup, and a move to independent rear suspension.
April 17, 1964, is a date etched in a car-guy’s mental calendar. It was on that day that the wraps came off the first Ford Mustang at the New York World’s Fair, causing a sensation that spread far beyond the “car guy” realm. As it turned out, it wasn’t just a car that was introduced, but a whole new category, one whose name would be influenced by its original member: “pony cars.”
Consumer Guide’s test Fiat 500c Abarth arrived well equipped. With the standard 5-speed manual transmission and including destination charge, our test car came to $31,645.
2014 Fiat 500c Abarth Cabrio
Miles Driven: 284
Fuel Used: 9.2 gallons (premium required)
Driving mix: 65% city, 35% highway
Consumer Guide’s test 2014 Corolla arrived in S Premium trim with the Driver Convenience Package. With destination, our test car listed for $23,570.
2014 Toyota Corolla S Premium
Miles Driven: 218
Fuel Used: 8.5 gallons
Driving mix: 75% city, 25% highway
Identify this car for one bonus point. It’s an ’04, if that helps.
Today we whisk you back to 2004. Your challenge is to determine which of the following vehicles was NOT available the year we met Hurricane Ivan.
Cadillac’s 2016 flagship is challenged to take on the best sedans Europe has to offer. Tom thinks the new car deserves a better name.
If you don’t have a lucky number, you likely at least have a number or two you prefer to other digits. I, for example, rather like the numbers 2, 5, 14, and 21. I became aware of my fondness for these numbers one night while nursing a $2 gin and tonic at a now-defunct Iowa riverboat-casino roulette table.
Automakers like numbers, too. Many storied model names have been enhanced by a carefully placed numeric suffix. Think of such classic monikers as Cougar XR-7, Fury II, and Galaxie 500, and you get the idea.
The top-line Camry XLE V6 model comes standard with LED headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels.
There’s no question that the Toyota Camry is a sales juggernaut. It’s been the top-selling car in America for 12 years running. If the Camry were a brand all by itself, it would rank tenth among North American automakers, ahead of Subaru and Volkswagen.
The Studebaker Gran Tourismo Hawk had a base price of $3095 for 1963.
Note: This article is reprinted from the August 2014 issue of Collectible Automobile
The Studebaker name persisted in new-car showrooms until 1966, but the end of automaking as the company had known it for decades really came in 1963. A steady decline from the production peak in 1950 had gained an unmitigated momentum by the time the Sixties dawned. When Studebaker lost $25 million on automotive operations in ’63, the corporation closed its main factory in South Bend, Indiana, and shifted assembly of only its highest-volume car line to a smaller, cheaper-to-run plant in Canada to live out the brand’s last few years.
If this were a 6-car list, the Chrysler Imperial Coupe shown here would have made the list. The Imperial Sedan, however, just made the top 5.
I’ll just admit it. I chose 1974 because I wanted to get a car other than a Cadillac or Lincoln on the list. If you check out our The 5 Most Expensive Cars of 1972 post, you’ll a lineup of comprised entirely by cars of those makes.
Consumer Guide’s test Tucson arrived in top-line Limited trim. With destination charge, our test crossover listed for $29,850.
2014 Hyundai Tucson Limited FWD
Miles Driven: 408
Fuel Used: 19.8 gallons
Driving mix: 55% city, 45% highway
