2019 Honda Civic 1.5T 2dr Touring – Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

Love at first sight. Okay, not at first sight. The Honda Civic coupe has been around for a while now, but there’s something special about our tester that keeps us coming back for more. And we have an idea why. It starts with choosing the right Civic We have tested a wide range of Civics, and being enthusiasts, we’ve gravitated to the hi-po models like the Civic Type R, the Civic Si and the grins-for-the-buck Civic Sport.  The first thing we noticed, they’re all 4-doors. And in the case of the Type R (or CTR for those in the know) …

Keep reading

2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL 1.5T S-AWC – Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

What’s in a name? Well, if you’re Mitsubishi, that’s a good question. Until recently, the company has kind of languished in the market place, with fewer dealers and a small line-up of vehicles. All of that changed recently with the purchase of Mitsu by Nissan. Deep pockets, advanced engineering, and massive resources mean good things ahead for the brand. There are a couple names that do stand out, Evo – the high-performance rally-bred four-door sedan that’s a legendary giant-killer in performance circles. No longer in production. And then there’s Eclipse, an equally legendary front wheel and all-wheel drive sport coupe …

Keep reading

2018 Honda CR-V 1.5T AWD Touring – Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

It’s amazing how time flies in the auto industry. Especially in the compact SUV segment. We tested the all-new 2017 CR-V less than a year ago, but it’s got loads of competitors nibbling at its heels, from an all-new Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Toyota RAV4 plus a heavily-revised Jeep Cherokee. And don’t forget the Nissan Rogue Sport, Hyundai Kona and other ilk, that are a little smaller, but still in the hunt. How you holdin’ up? Being such a competitive segment, most manufacturers seem willing to be more expressive in their styling – you don’t want to be …

Keep reading

2018 Chevrolet EQUINOX 1

2018 Chevrolet EQUINOX Premier – Road Test Review – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

Car manufacturers apparently do not use the same calendar as the rest of the world. I know this because I found myself in Asheville, North Carolina last month — before the end of the first quarter of 2017 — road testing the new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. I’m not sure why they time-shift like this, but I guess the folks at Chevy thought this new groundup re-make was so good, they just couldn’t wait to get it into customer’s garages.  And after spending the day with the new Equinox, I can say that they’ll have a lot of happy customers. In 2016, compact crossover …

Keep reading

2016 Honda Civic 1

Road Test Review – 2016 Honda CIVIC 1.5T Sedan – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

It seems like Honda has been making Civics forever.  It could be because that from the very first one, the Civic has been an outstanding small compact car with a reputation for value, reliability, and excellent gas mileage among other virtues.  It was loved by journalists and buyers, alike. However, the last generation Civic (2011 through 2015) was received with tepid enthusiasm from the press, and from customers.  That led to a very unusual second-year update, but even that didn’t do much to help keep the Civic near the top of the competition that got fiercer every year. For 2016, …

Keep reading