Kia’s Forte is Good Value http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130617/BLOGS/306179999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:47:42 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130617/BLOGS/306179999/-1/blogs01 How do you like the sleek new nose? The 2014 Kia Forte EX Sedan is cheap to own and run, but comes with a lot of extras. Kia photo

How do you like [...]]]> Is a Bigger Lexus a Better Lexus? http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130610/BLOGS/306109999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 10 Jun 2013 9:00:43 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130610/BLOGS/306109999/-1/blogs01 In an LS460, the neighbors will see you coming. Lexus photo

In an LS460, the neighbors will see you coming. Lexus [...]]]> Honda’s Accord Coupe is Handsome & Swift http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209998/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:31 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130520/BLOGS/305209998/-1/blogs01 The Accord Coupe is as close as Honda comes to a grown-up sports car, at least until the mid-engine NSX re-appears in 2015. But that will be badged as an Acura and cost Porsche money. Honda photohttp://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130512/BLOGS/305129988/-1/blogs01 There’s something about a Lexus that makes me want to shower and put on a suit before I fire it up—or, in this case, energize its circuits—and go for a drive. Lexus photo

Enclave is the Good News, Bad News Buick http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130505/BLOGS/305059980/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 5 May 2013 4:23:47 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130505/BLOGS/305059980/-1/blogs01 Yes, but: For every one of its strengths, the Buick Enclave has a corresponding weakness. Buick photo.

Yes, but: For every one of its strengths, [...]]]> Audi A8L Does More With More http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130428/BLOGS/304289983/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:20:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130428/BLOGS/304289983/-1/blogs01 If your shareholders won’t let you buy a jet, one of these might be an acceptable alternative. Planes don’t have Quattro all-wheel drive, either.

If [...]]]> FR-S is a Tasty Treat from Toyota http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130422/BLOGS/304229999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:00:43 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130422/BLOGS/304229999/-1/blogs01 Toyota & Subaru have recreated the sports car: light, nimble, quick, fun, sharp-looking and barely $26,000.

Toyota & Subaru have [...]]]> Cadillac’s XTS Needs a New Name http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130415/BLOGS/304159999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:02:52 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130415/BLOGS/304159999/-1/blogs01 With a bit of ironing out, the handsome XTS could become a proper Cadillac flagship.

With a bit of ironing out, the handsome XTS could become a [...]]]> Azera, the Gentleman’s Express http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130407/BLOGS/304079986/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 7 Apr 2013 17:20:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130407/BLOGS/304079986/-1/blogs01 Elegant, yes? The view from other angles is just as pleasing. Hyundai’s 2013 Azera is as pretty as sedans get, and the beauty is more than just skin-deep.

Elegant, [...]]]> Ford SHOws How It’s Done http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130331/BLOGS/303319976/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:20:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130331/BLOGS/303319976/-1/blogs01 Dancin’ in the rain: The all-wheel-drive 365HP 2013 Taurus SHO is Ford’s affordable all-weather fighter-bomber.

Dancin’ in the rain: The all- [...]]]> H-Drive is a Mixed Blessing in Infiniti’s M35 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130324/BLOGS/303249985/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 24 Mar 2013 17:20:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130324/BLOGS/303249985/-1/blogs01 Infiniti M-series sedans turn heads. Now there’s a stretch version too, but only for China, where big back seats and chauffeurs are the rage among the new Capitalists. Hyundai Santa Fe Comes in Medium and Medium+ http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130317/BLOGS/303179986/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:20:00 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130317/BLOGS/303179986/-1/blogs01 The three-bar grille tells us that this is the shorter of Hyundai’s two distinct Santa Fe lines, the 5-passenger Sport.

The three-bar grille tells us that [...]]]> Jeep Wranglers Bristle with Character http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130310/BLOGS/303109994/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:05:00 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130310/BLOGS/303109994/-1/blogs01 The Jeep Wrangler Moab Edition is most at home in the rocks, and that’s probably where it should stay. But as a daily driver, it puts a little excitement back into life. http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130304/BLOGS/303049998/-1/blogs01 The 2014 Forester still looks a bit like an enclosed shopping cart, but a very roomy one, and the Forester is better equipped than ever.

The [...]]]> BMW X1 35i is a Snow Machine http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130224/BLOGS/302249983/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:05:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130224/BLOGS/302249983/-1/blogs01 This is the Powder Ride Edition of the X1, BMW’s pavement-eating snowmobile for well-heeled young couples or empty-nesters.

This is the Powder [...]]]> Ford Flex Deserves More Respect http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130217/BLOGS/302179984/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:23:03 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130217/BLOGS/302179984/-1/blogs01 The Ford Flex casts a big shadow and has a unique look and mission.

The Ford Flex casts a big shadow and has a unique look and mission.


Wouldn’t [...]]]> Too Much Winter! http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130211/BLOGS/302119999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:01:24 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130211/BLOGS/302119999/-1/blogs01 Nemo at his worst. This Lexus GS has AWD, but it didn't budge for 24 hours.

Nemo at his worst. This Lexus GS 350 has AWD, but it didn’t budge for 48 hours. [...]]]> Toyota’s Tacoma is the Everywhere Truck http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130203/BLOGS/302039973/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 3 Feb 2013 2:23:13 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130203/BLOGS/302039973/-1/blogs01 Snow, sleet, rain or mud, a Tacoma 4X4 will get you to the jobsite, the beach, the cabin or the opera.

Snow, sleet, rain or mud, a Tacoma 4X4 will get you to the [...]]]> F Sport Transforms the Lexus RX 350 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130128/BLOGS/301289999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:10:01 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130128/BLOGS/301289999/-1/blogs01 These 19-inch five-spoke wheels are exclusive to the RX F Sport. The 'Predator' snout is the new look of Lexus.

These 19-inch [...]]]> Dude, Your Ride is Here: Nissan’s JUKE http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130113/BLOGS/301139990/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:05:00 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130113/BLOGS/301139990/-1/blogs01 Elegant, hardly; useful and entertaining, certainly: Nissan’s 2013 sport-cross JUKE.

Elegant, hardly; useful and entertaining, certainly: Nissan’s [...]]]> Dodge Leaves the Durango Alone—Wisely http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130106/BLOGS/301069990/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 6 Jan 2013 17:15:05 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20130106/BLOGS/301069990/-1/blogs01 From the job site to the opera, Dodge’s Durango is a splendid workhorse.

From the job site to the opera, Dodge’s Durango is a [...]]]> Car-Wise, 2012 Was a Very Good Year http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121221/BLOGS/312219990/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:15:06 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121221/BLOGS/312219990/-1/blogs01 2013 Honda Accord LaneWatchBest Gadget: Honda’s LaneWatch shows us (on the dashboard monitor) the entire right side of the car and whatever we’re about to cut off.


Each December my In box fills up with email from one carmaker after another, reminding me of the awards that [...]]]> The Lexus GS 350, Then and Now http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121216/BLOGS/312169989/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:15:04 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121216/BLOGS/312169989/-1/blogs01 2013_Lexus_GS_350_14


Get used to it—variations of the GS 350’s snout are appearing on all Lexus cars.


Twelve months ago Lexus slipped a few pre-production examples of this car out the back door and handed them around as sneak peeks of a new 2013 model they were proud of. Last February [...]]]> Hyundai Hatches a 5-Door Elantra GT http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121210/BLOGS/312109999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Sun, 9 Dec 2012 23:15:03 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121210/BLOGS/312109999/-1/blogs01 36533_1_1


Who expected a 5-door hatchback to be this sleek?


You and I may wonder just what “Elantra” means, but to Hyundai it means sales. This year the Korean kolossus came out with a koupe—er, a coupe version (two doors) of its popular Elantra econo-sedan (four doors) plus this front-wheel- [...]]]> Porsche’s Boxster Grows Up http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121203/BLOGS/312039973/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 3 Dec 2012 16:20:11 +0000 Silvio Calabi http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121203/BLOGS/312039973/-1/blogs01 The new Boxster S is the best-handling and best-looking of all Porsches.

The new Boxster S is the best-handling and best-looking of all Porsches.


Remember that episode of Two and a Half Men where a Boxster [...]]]> The ATS is Cadillac’s ‘Roads Scholar’ http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121126/BLOGS/311269999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Tue, 27 Nov 2012 8:15:29 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121126/BLOGS/311269999/-1/blogs01

There’s never been a Cadillac like this one. The ATS is, in many ways, a Bimmer-beater.


The [...]]]> The Plug-in Might Be Toyota’s Best Prius http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121119/BLOGS/311199993/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:40:07 +0000 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121119/BLOGS/311199993/-1/blogs01 Image


The 2013 Plug-in Prius will soon be available in all 50 states.


Fifteen months ago, Toyota loaned us a test mule of this car, a pre-production version of what is now available in many states as a 2013 model. Not your ordinary gas-electric hybrid, [...]]]> Ford ‘Escapes’ Compact-SUV Boredom http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121104/BLOGS/311049997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Wed, 7 Nov 2012 15:40:13 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121104/BLOGS/311049997/-1/blogs01

There are new cars that look like the ones they replace, and then there are new cars like the 2013 Ford Escape. [...]]]> Velvet Thunder: Bentley’s Extraordinary Continental GT http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121029/BLOGS/310299995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:00:10 +0000 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121029/BLOGS/310299995/-1/blogs01

Grace, style, power: The Bentley Continental is “a refined GT with the soul of a supercar.”


In recent decades [...]]]> Previewing BMW’s New 328i Touring http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121023/BLOGS/310239995/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:00:20 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121023/BLOGS/310239995/-1/blogs01

The brilliant 2013 BMW 328i Touring (wagon), with or without the M Sport Package, will arrive here [...]]]> The Nissan Z, Four Decades On http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121013/BLOGS/310139997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:27 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121013/BLOGS/310139997/-1/blogs01 Image


The aggressive Nissan 370Z, here in Magma Red, offers 43 years of sports-car heritage.


 


Some of us still fixate on the splendid heritage of certain sports cars while pooh-poohing those from the Orient as newcomers whose [...]]]> The 427 is Corvette’s Best-Ever Convertible http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121009/BLOGS/310099997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:27 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121009/BLOGS/310099997/-1/blogs01 Image


The standard Corvette 427 Convertible is pricey enough at $76,000. This handsome 60th Anniversary edition lists for a whopping $91,320.


When the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible is in sixth gear, at 70 miles per hour [...]]]> Tiguan, Das Klein VW Ute http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121001/BLOGS/310019997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:27 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20121001/BLOGS/310019997/-1/blogs01

The classy “little” Tiguan has it all, right down to the so-cool LED surrounds around the headlights. [...]]]> Hyundai’s Gas-Electric Sonata Needs Help! http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120923/BLOGS/309239998/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:27 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120923/BLOGS/309239998/-1/blogs01 Image


The Bluedrive Sonata Hybrid still needs some civilizing.


Wise men from Shakespeare to Cervantes have noted that “comparisons are odious.” (Shakespeare actually wrote “odorous,” but the point is made.) Hyundai may agree, at least when it comes to stacking up [...]]]> Toyota’s Camry Hybrid is a ‘Real’ Car http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120917/BLOGS/309179997/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:26 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120917/BLOGS/309179997/-1/blogs01 Image


The Camry Hybrid XLE doesn’t make us feel like we’re giving up automotive civility in the name of economy.


The novelty of specialty gas-electric cars has worn off, so now we can focus on them as transportation instead of mere marvels of [...]]]> Fiat’s 500C Lounge is a High-Value Small Car http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120902/BLOGS/309029999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:26 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120902/BLOGS/309029999/-1/blogs01

The 500C Lounge Cabrio is the grown-up Fiat—more deluxe than economy, yet still cheap to run and a delight to drive. [...]]]> Subaru’s Outback Goes Uptown http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120827/BLOGS/308279998/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:26 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120827/BLOGS/308279998/-1/blogs01

Subaru’s 2013 Outback—a small but roomy wagon that anyone could learn to love.


This Subie has equipment that [...]]]> Chariot of the Gods: BMW’s New M6 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120820/BLOGS/308209999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:26 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120820/BLOGS/308209999/-1/blogs01

Mere photos do not capture the BMW M6’s formidable shape and stance.


You might think that replacing the previous V- [...]]]> Acura’s RDX: The Goldilocks Crossover http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120813/BLOGS/308139999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:25 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120813/BLOGS/308139999/-1/blogs01

You’d want your daughter to marry an RDX—or a guy like an RDX, that is.


Five days after getting into Acura’s mid-size, 5-passenger [...]]]> VW Eos: The Runt of the Litter http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120805/BLOGS/308059999/-1/blogs01?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:30:25 http://www.thesuntimes.com/article/20120805/BLOGS/308059999/-1/blogs01

For VW’s Eos hardtop convertible, looks are everything.


Convertibles pose a stiff challenge to auto engineers: That is, how [...]]]>