Archive for February, 2018
Best Buys for the City Dweller

2018 Toyota Yaris iA
The following article, written by Consumer Guide Publisher Tom Appel, first appeared in the “2018 Chicago Auto Show Official Show Guide.” Thanks to the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, producers of the Chicago Auto Show, for allowing us to share the text again here.
Thanks to easy access to ridesharing services such as Uber, Lyft, and Wingz, many urban dwellers have found that they can live free of the complications and costs of car ownership. On the occasion that short-hop transportation is needed, these car-free bon vivants turn to a smartphone app and order up a quick ride. Other times, public transportation suffices.

Check out our gallery of the most eye-catching colors at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show.
There’s no better place than an auto show to see a broad range of brand-new vehicles up close, and there’s also no better place to check out the latest trends in factory paint-color offerings. One of our Chicago Auto Show traditions is to scour the show floor on the hunt for interesting new or recently introduced colors—“double-take” hues that are more eye-catching that the usual whites, silvers, blacks, and grays (and, for that matter, straightforward fire-engine reds).

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham
It’s a popularly held position that General Motors doesn’t take enough styling chances—or at least it historically hasn’t. I would argue that there are plenty of Eighties and Nineties examples of rather sterile looking GM vehicles that support this point, but a slate of inoffensive Cieras, Malibus, and Skyhawks hardly tells the whole story. General Motors has, in fact, taken many styling chances over the years–though the results weren’t always positive.
Quick Spin: 2018 Ram Rebel

2018 Ram Rebel Crew Cab 4×4 in Delmonico Red Pearl
2018 Ram Rebel Crew Cab 4×4
Class: Large Pickup Truck
Miles driven: 297
Fuel used: 20.8 gallons

Nissan 370Zki concept
“… Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”
The words to that famous song seem to be the backdrop for the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, and if the forecasted 20 inches of the white stuff materializes, Nissan is ready.

2018 Polaris Slingshot Grand Touring LE
Is it a car or is it a motorcycle? Because it has three wheels, it’s legally the latter. But a new version of the sporty Slingshot introduced at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show aims at leaning it a little closer to the former.