Drive Review – 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic

A thorough video blast-off for this all-new GLC.  Nearly a quarter-hour of hard starts in Sport Plus for the nine-speed auto and 270-some foot-pound boosted tourbo four. Along with the video? A gorgeous photoset of more than three score.  All alongside a gorgeous yacht club on Lake Lanier, Georgia.               2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic

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Road Test Review – 2016 Lexus CT200h – By Carl Malek

  Looking for a luxury branded vehicle that can deliver Prius grade levels of fuel economy without telling the world that you’re driving a Prius? Lexus thinks that it has the solution with the 2016 Lexus CT 200h, but can this sporty looking eco warrior successfully deliver stellar fuel economy while also living up to the lofty expectations that comes with donning the iconic Lexus badge? The exterior styling of the CT certainly does a stellar job of hiding its Prius roots. Wheras the Toyota’s styling can be best described as being boring and outright amorphous, Lexus designers went for …

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Drive Review – 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata – by Ben Lewis

There are people out there not enamored by the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. And you can include me. Well, sort of. Let me explain. First of all, a disclosure. A well-worn 1990 Miata lives in the Ben Lewis garage. I’ve had it over 15 years. And yes, it’s red. So I’m a fan. And when the Second Gen (NB to you and me) bowed in 1999, I liked it. But I was amazed that even though it only lost an inch of legroom, I didn’t fit comfortably. And really, I’m not that tall. I was personally happier when the …

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2017 Chrysler PACIFICA Limited – First Drive VIDEO Review + 78 Photos

Feast your eyes on this beauty! The most premium minivan… ever.  The 2016 Pacifica Limited is impressive from all sides. Its drive is a nice showcase of the line.  The vehicle feels fast and quite rigid in the chassis.  This lets the ride be extra supple, and is a rarity in the van segment versus the Honda Odyssey, in particular.   No wobble around back is a delight to report in this next-gen Chrysler.  The nine-speed auto and potent V6 are terrific on hard throttle. The exterior styling is a huge hit.  It is smooth but sleekly aero-honed.  Panel gaps …

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2016 Highlander Hybrid 3

2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited – Road Test Review – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

Tell the truth: when you see one of the big SUV on the road, the first thing you think about is how much the gas costs to run it. And while we are currently enjoying relatively low gas prices right now, trust me, the oil companies are working night and day to reverse that trend.  And they will invent some reason to scare us into believing that gas prices are justified in going up.  But I digress . . . When the Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited showed up in my driveway, I was amazed to look on the Monroney Label and …

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Road Test Review - 2016 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring Sedan (6MT) - By Carl Malek 2

Road Test Review – 2016 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring Sedan (6MT) – By Carl Malek

With the recent surge in CUV sales, it is easy to forget that the compact car segment is still one of the hottest segments in the automotive market. From the Ford Focus to the venerable Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra, the segment has a wide range of talent to choose from. Bucking the trend is the 2016 Mazda3 which has always offered buyers a spirited driving experience in a sensibly priced package. But has its stellar road manners blunted the 3’s ability to rise above established compact car benchmarks? Looking at its exterior styling, it appears that the 3 is …

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Best Ride-Share Cars – By Anthony Fongaro – Featuring 2016 Toyota PRIUS

  By now, you’ve inevitably heard how easy it is to make a little extra cash driving for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. All you have to do is sign up, sign in and get paid to drive people around whenever you want. You probably even know a couple people who moonlight as drivers using their own vehicles. And if you’re like a lot of cash-strapped Americans, maybe you’ve considered signing up yourself. But not all cars make for great ride-sharing vehicles. Usually, the car has to be a 4-door and 2001 or newer unless stated otherwise in major …

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Widescreen Gallery – 2016 Lexus GS-F Meets 1700s Carolina Angel Oaks

The spidery shadows of the Angel Oak Trees lining the Carolina coastline make for a cool respite from 330 sunny days a year.  That was their purpose, of course, when planted in neat rows on the major plantation driveways around Charleston. Bursting with leaves year-round, these trees even wear a layer of Spanish Moss to keep things cool — centuries before AC made this climate live-able for a Chicagoan like myself. The GS-F is quite a sight under the speckles of sunrays that can break through. The intricate grille detailing, purity of surfaces and absolutely perfect proportions on the wide-body …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Lincoln MKX AWD – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

Ford has been producing Lincoln vehicles for 98 years, but I’m sure Henry Ford never envisioned making a crossover as great as this one. There is a lot of competition in this luxury crossover space, and this MKX is right up there with the best of them, from Japan, Europe, and cross-state rival Cadillac. It’s obvious that Lincoln is shooting to make a new name for itself as being a company that builds vehicles that can pamper its customers in luxury, and also make their customers smile with invigorating performance and handling.   The standard engine in the MKX is a …

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Drive Review – 2016 Lexus GS-F – By Ben Lewis in Los Angeles

  Not Godzilla. More like T-Rex. To paraphrase Sally Field, “Lexus likes us. They really, really like us!” At least enough to let us spend some more time in the GS F. But we have some different perspective here, as this time, your humble scribe spent a week partaking in the GS here in sunny LA-LA land. And it ends up netting some mixed results. First, a quick rehash of the technical pleasantries. Like BMW’s M division, with models ranging between M235i’s and M2,3,4, and 5, there are F-Sport cars, and then there are F-Sport cars. F-sport is Lexus’ catch-all …

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2016 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC - By Carl Malek 1

2016 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC – Road Test Review – By Carl Malek

2016 has brought a stormy spring to our beloved Mitsubishi. From the firm’s recent troubles with emissions, to the ensuing merger with Nissan, the company has forged through some pretty turbulent waters. But can models like the recently updated 2016 Outlander allow Mitsubishi to tap into the recent surge in SUV/CUV sales? Or does it get lost in the shuffle? The exterior styling of my Cosmic Blue tester is certainly an improvement over past iterations of the Outlander, but it ends up being disjointed and unbalanced. On the one hand, the front fascia embodies the sporty spirit that once defined some …

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Review – 2016 DODGE Journey CROSSROAD – By Tim Esterdahl

For years now, larger vehicles have dominated car sales with families putting a premium on space and seating over handling and fuel economy. The 2016 Dodge Journey is a perfect example of this with its third-row seating offering room for seven while sacrificing great handling and power. Yet, after driving it around for a week, it is clear why it has perennially been one of Dodge’s best-selling models. The extra space in the smaller size (easy to park and easier to drive for most) with a seating position that fits many people is quite honestly precisely what the American buying …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring – By Carl Malek

The CUV sales boom is in full force. Many automakers are revamping their product plans to take advantage of this renewed level of demand. Mazda is one of these companies and has invested large amounts of money and effort into revitalizing its CUV lineup. The 2016 Mazda CX-3 is the first fruit of this renewed effort, and promises to bring Mazda’s trademark levels of sportiness and vigor to the compact CUV segment. But has this focus on driving perfection blunted its capabilities in the process? The exterior styling of the CX-3 incorporates many of the cues that made their debut …

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