Archive for May, 2015
Consumer Guide’s test 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TSI arrived in base S trim with no options. Including the destination charge, our SportWagen came to $22,215.
2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TSI S 
Class: Compact Car
Miles Driven: 310
Fuel Used: 11.0 gallons
Avalon starts at $33,110 including destination. Consumer Guide’s test XLE Touring stickered for $37,130.
2015 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring
Class: Large Car
Miles Driven: 427
Fuel Used: 19.5 gallons
Test Drive: 2016 Acura ILX
Acura’s entry-level ILX starts at $28,820 including destination. Our test car was fitted with the AcuraWatch Package, which brought the total to $30,120.
2016 Acura ILX AcuraWatch Plus
Class: Premium Compact Car
Dates tested: 5/18/2015 – 5/26/2015
Miles Driven: 336
Fuel Used: 12.9 gallons
First Spin: 2016 Volvo XC90
Volvo’s XC90 midsize SUV sees its first redesign since its 2002 introduction, an eternity in today’s market. The 2016 model comes standard with all-wheel drive, gets new features and more power, and adds a performance-oriented hybrid version. Prices start at about $50,000, with hybrids coming in at about $70,000.
The redesigned XC90 is an unusually important vehicle for Volvo. Not only is it the first all-new model to be released after the company’s 2010 purchase by Geely of China, but it sets the stage as the first of eight new or redesigned vehicles due from the Swedish manufacturer over the next four years. That’s a heavy load to carry, but the XC90 shoulders the burden well.
1972 Dodge Colt
We’ve looked at length at the longest cars of the Seventies, now let’s check in on the shortest. Predictably, the pint-size rides built at the end of Richard Nixon’s first term are of an economical bent–all but two of them (the Mercury Capri and Opel 1900) are the least-expensive vehicles in their respective lineups.
First Spin: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro
2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS
The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is smaller, lighter, plusher, and more technologically advanced than its predecessor. At first blush, it’s a bit livelier to drive, too.
Mounted on a new rear-wheel-drive platform, the corporate Alpha setup that underpins the Cadillac ATS and CTS, the 6th-generation Camaro makes abundant use of pound-paring aluminum components in its body and suspension. All body panels are new even as the overall styling theme maintains a kinship to the 2010-15 5th-generation car. The roster of engines sports 3 new choices—including the first 4-cylinder found in a Camaro since 1986—and 8-speed automatic transmissions replace the 6-speed autoboxes used previously.
Consumer Guide’s test Compass arrived in midlevel Latitude trim with several significant options. Including the destination charge, our test crossover came to $28,265.
2015 Jeep Compass Latitude 4X4
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 253
Fuel Used: 11.4 gallons
Consumer Guide’s test 2016 Hyundai Veloster arrived in Turbo trim with the Rally Edition package. Pricing for the 2016 Rally Edition was not available at the time this review was published; the MSRP should come in a bit above the manual-transmission 2015 Veloster Turbo, which starts at $23,425 including destination.
2016 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Rally Edition
Class: Sporty/Performance Car
Miles Driven: 407
Fuel Used: 12.7 gallons
First Spin: 2016 Honda Pilot
Honda’s Pilot midsize SUV is redesigned for 2016, with swoopier lines replacing the former boxy look. In the bargain, it received revised powertrains and numerous high-tech features. It is due to go on sale June 18 at a starting price of about $31,000.
When it debuted for 2003, Honda’s Pilot made its mark as a car-based “unibody” midsize SUV in a segment dominated by heavier, clumsier truck-based entries. Since then the tide has turned, and the Pilot has found itself facing some stiff competition.
Among the “Camaro Museum” exhibits that Chevrolet gathered for the unveiling of the upcoming 6th-generation model was one of the 1969 Yenko Camaros that Pennsylvania racer and Chevy dealer Don Yenko sold with a thumping 427-cid V8 under the hood.
When Chevrolet unveiled the 2016 Camaro in Detroit on May 16, it did more than just call the automotive media in for a look-see and a bite to eat. Instead, it staged a mini celebration of its long-lived “ponycar.”
