Archive for October, 2015
Kia re-entered the minivan market last year with a revamped Sedona. Although prices start at $27,295 including destination, our top-line SXL began at $40,885 and ended up–with some added options–at $44,690.
2016 Kia Sedona SX-L Limited 
Class: Minivan
Dates tested: 10/5/2015 – 10/15/2015
Miles Driven: 515
Fuel Used: 27.8 gallons
3 Good Cars for Young Drivers
2015 Kia Soul
With a 15-year-old daughter having just completed driver’s education, I find myself in the unenviable position of shopping for a second car. That car, by the way, will spend most of its time in the service of the aforementioned daughter.
The Mitsubishi Outlander received a number of minor changes for 2016 including a restyled front end. It’s the only compact SUV to offer three rows of seats and a V6 engine in combination. In 7-passenger, four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive form, it starts at less than $24,000 with destination, though our top-line GT test vehicle with V6, AWD, and a host of high-tech convenience and safety features listed for $35,195.
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 651
Fuel Used: 28.1 gallons
First Spin: 2016 Buick Regal GS
Buick’s Regal slips into the price gap between “regular” and premium midsize cars. Although the base model starts at about $28,000, the tested top-line AWD GS came to just under $42,000 loaded with options. The GS is distinguished from the front by its unique vertical vents below the headlights.
If any vehicle in Buick showrooms seems out of place, it’s the midsize Regal. Based on the German-market Opel Insignia, its sport-sedan flavor puts it at odds with the decidedly non-sporty Buick image.
But that’s exactly its mission: to appeal to a group of buyers that wouldn’t normally be thinking “Buick.” To that end, it offers a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, a combination not found in any other Buick car.
1976 AMC Pacer
History’s greatest disaster metaphor is inarguably the Titanic, the giant, “unsinkable” ship that would go ahead and promptly sink on its maiden voyage. I would argue that NBC’s prime-time drama “Super Train” was actually a more impressive disaster, but since no one remembers the show, it’s unlikely to catch on as a cultural reference point.
Test Drive: 2016 Mazda CX-3 Touring
2016 Mazda CX-3 Touring
2016 Mazda CX-3 Touring AWD
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 457
Fuel Used: 15.7 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 29.1 mpg
Test Drive: 2015 Nissan Rogue SV AWD
2015 Nissan Rogue SV
2015 Nissan Rogue SV AWD
Class: Compact Crossover
Dates tested: 10/05/2015 – 10/12/2015
Miles Driven: 169
Fuel Used: 6.0 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 28.2 mpg
1986 Chevrolet Sprint ER
Given the “electrification” of the automobile, it would be easy to assume that the most fuel-efficient vehicles ever built for sale in the U.S. would be of recent vintage and in some way hybridized. As it turns out, that assumption would only be partially correct.
As its surname would imply, Jeep’s Renegade is more off-road capable than most any other “Cute Ute” competitor, yet it’s still quite at home on the street. With its nifty My Sky retractable/removable dual-pane sunroof, our turbocharged/manual-transmission/4×4 test vehicle tipped the price scales at $25,760.
2015 Jeep Renegade Latitude 4×4
Class: Compact Crossover
Miles Driven: 339
Fuel Used: 13.9 gallons
Real-world fuel economy: 24.4 mpg
1981 Toyota Cressida Wagon
Everything is relative. By 1981 standards, any car boasting 100 horsepower was doing pretty good. So good, in fact, that just seven Japanese-brand vehicles made that cut.
