Archive for 2019
2005 Pontiac Bonneville GXP
There are a handful of cars that really put General Motors’ Pontiac division on the map–memorable, exciting vehicles around which the Pontiac brand forged its image of sporty, near-luxury substance–and one of those was the Bonneville. The Bonneville name was first applied to a pair of Pontiac concept cars introduced at the 1954 General Motors Motorama. The moniker was first applied to a production model in 1957, when it became a topline version of the Star Chief convertible.
Test Drive: 2020 Kia Soul X-Line
2020 Kia Soul X-Line in Gravity Grey
2020 Kia Soul X-Line
Class: Subcompact Crossover
Miles driven: 790
Fuel used: 24.9 gallons
Test Drive: 2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i
2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i in Mineral White Metallic (a $550 option)
2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i
Class: Premium Midsize Crossover
Miles driven: 381
Fuel used: 17.7 gallons
1972 Plymouth Satellite four-door sedan
Summertime is car-show season, and we always try to take in as many automotive get-togethers as we can. Local cruise nights, marque-specific dealership-lot shows, fancy concours gatherings, or what have you… it’s all good. Our Chicagoland home base has plenty of these kinds of events to offer, and in the upper Midwest, car folks know to take advantage when the weather is warm (or, let’s face it—flat-out hot), because it won’t be long before summer’s over and the cold and snow come again.
2019 Nissan Murano SL FWD in “Sunset Drift” orange (a $395 option)
2019 Nissan Murano SL FWD
Class: Midsize Crossover
Miles Driven: 89
Fuel Used: 5.1 gallons
Review Flashback! 2006 Cadillac XLR
2006 Cadillac XLR
In terms of total production, Cadillac’s second attempt to sell a modern-era 2-seat sports car was less successful than its first effort. Indeed, the total build of 1986-1993 Allantés came to 21,430–almost 5000 units more than our topic here: the 2004-2009 Cadillac XLR. But in the case of Cadillac sports cars, sales volume may not be the best measure of success.
2019 Hyundai Elantra Limited in Scarlet Red
2019 Hyundai Elantra Limited
Class: Compact Car
Miles driven: 615
Fuel used: 19.8 gallons
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
by Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the October 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Remember how Dodge’s new-for-2015 Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcats were headline grabbers with their 707-hp supercharged Hemi V-8s? Now that’s yesterday’s news, and the story Dodge is selling for 2018 stars an 840-horsepower Challenger. Let that 840 number soak in as we consider the latest Future Collectibles pick, the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon.
2019 Maserati Levante GTS in Grigio
2019 Maserati Levante GTS
Class: Premium Midsize Crossover
Miles driven: 169
Fuel used: 11.9 gallons
I am a shade under 6 feet, 7 inches tall. No, I don’t play basketball. Yes, the weather up here is fine… ha-HA! Good one. Now that that’s out of the way, let me pass on a few pointers I’ve picked up over the course of 17 years of test-driving new cars and trucks. If you or your loved ones are long of limb, these might help you out the next time you’re car shopping.
