By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

Road Test Review – 2016 Chevrolet MALIBU LT – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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Since seeing the new Chevy Malibu way back in February at the Chicago Auto Show, I was anxious to test drive.  I thought it looked outstanding, and the leather interior was both handsome and inviting.  So I was delighted to see the Silver Ice Metallic Malibu dropped off in my driveway for a week. I was disappointed that the model I got was the LT, rather than the top line 2LT or Premier trim levels.  The LT comes with a 1.5 liter turbocharged engine rather than the 2.0 liter turbo.  Heck, I’ve owned motorcycles with larger displacement engines.  In fact …

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2016 Scion iM Review by Ken Glassman 10

Road Test Review – 2016 Scion iM by Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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Road Test Review – 2016 Scion iM By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman In 2003, Toyota created the Scion brand to appeal to younger buyers with small fuel efficient vehicles that were entry level, but without making the buyer feel like they were entry level. Also, Toyota was never known to push the styling envelope, so Scion was supposed to be the new brand that would put more hip styling on display without upsetting Toyota’s core customers. As it turns out, young buyers prefer the Toyota brand over the Scion brand.  Over the years, Scion had built some interesting vehicles, but they …

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2016 Ford EDGE AWD Titanium 7

Hawkeye Drives! 2016 Ford EDGE Titanium AWD Review

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By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman The Edge was dropped off at my house just after a little snowstorm, which made for some unflattering photos because of the street salt residue all over it, but I was fortunate to be able to test the all wheel drive vehicle in the slippery stuff. The first thing I noticed was that the brakes were very touchy and grabby right from the top of the pedal travel.  In fact it caused the ABS to kick in when on my driveway merely rolling it back to park, and when inching forward to leave the driveway.  Naturally, …

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Hawkeye Drives - 2016 Dodge Journey Review 14

Hawkeye Drives – 2016 Dodge Journey Crossroad Plus AWD Review

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The Dodge Journey is mostly unchanged from the previous year’s model. In fact, it’s little changed since its introduction back in 2009. There was a refresh in 2011, but that was mostly cosmetic. Beneath the skin, it shows its age a bit as the other competitors in its class, like the Nissan Rogue, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav 4, or the Kia Sorento, have out classed it over the years. The Journey just isn’t as sophisticated as the others, and feels a bit dated. That’s not to say that the Journey doesn’t have some positive attributes. Unlike the Honda, Toyota, and …

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Review 1

Hawkeye Drives – 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited 1.6T Review

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman Two years ago, I needed to replace the wife’s aging Hyundai Santa Fe.  Since the new Santa Fe models had grown considerably in size, and she still wanted a small SUV, I went to the dealer to buy the Tucson.  We were a Hyundai family, as both daughters and a son-in-law owned Hyundai various models, and everyone was happy with their vehicles.  But I found the generation II Tucson was the first Hyundai I had ever been disappointed in.  So disappointed, we wound up with a Nissan Rogue, which we’ve been happy …

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2016 Acura ILX Review 5

Road Test Review – 2016 Acura ILX Tech Plus – Hawkeye Drives!

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  2016 Acura ILX Tech Plus Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman Acura describes the ILX as a “Gateway” product that allows a customer to enter the world of Acura at a lower price point, in the hopes that more expensive move-up models will be in their future.  Perhaps that will prove true, but there is a lot of competition in the “Near Luxury” segment, loosely defined by sticker prices in the low to mid $30,000 range, and cars like the Buick Verano, or Audi A3 might be better choices, among others. The 2016 ILX is a mid-cycle updated vehicle, with …

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Road Test Review - 2016 Subaru Legacy 3

Road Test Review – 2016 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited

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2016 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman   In the late 60’s Subaru came to the United States.  Like other Japanese brands at the time, Subaru’s were small, oddly styled, and considered quirky, compared to US autos.  In the early 1970’s Subaru chose to set themselves apart by introducing all-wheel-drive.  And while they didn’t invent AWD, but at that time, if a customer wanted a vehicle with all-wheel-drive, they were pretty much limited to Jeep products, or truck models.   By offering all-wheel-drive and introducing economical, small displacement boxer-style engines, Subaru cars appealed to an audience interested in …

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2016 Lexus IS200t F Sport Review Glassman 6

Road Test Review – 2016 Lexus IS200t F Sport

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2016 Lexus IS200t F Sport Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman The Lexus IS series gets a new engine for 2016, a 2-liter, twin-scroll turbocharged inline 4 cylinder that makes 241-hp @ 5800 rpm, and 258 ft.-lbs. of torque @ 1650 rpm.  It replaces last year’s entry level, small 2.5 liter V-6, that made a meager 204 horsepower and a weak 185 ft.-lbs.  of torque.  This new engine is rated for 22 City and 33 Highway mileage figures. If the 200t moniker sounds familiar, it’s because it the same engine designation from the Lexus NX 200t, their small Sport Ute crossover …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Toyota AVALON Touring

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2016 Toyota Avalon Touring Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman We recently tested a 2015 Toyota Avalon, the first Avalon we had tested in quite a few years.  And the full size car impressed us with its roominess, performance, and its luxury look and feel. But before I had a chance to write the review, the 2016 model became available, so I decided to wait a little bit, and write about that one, to also report on the subtle changes for the 2016 model year. This year, the Avalon’s grill gets a bit larger, and sports a little downturn at the …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE Premium AWD

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2015 Toyota Sienna XLE Premium AWD Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman Let’s just get this out of the way right at the beginning . . . nobody wants to drive a minivan. There, I said it. No matter what manufacturers do, they are all pretty ugly and ungainly to look at. And they have a stigma attached to it. Either it’s a “Soccer Mom” image, or an old fart image of Grandma and Grampa snowbirds driving it back and forth each winter from cold climates to Florida or Arizona with a cargo full of luggage. Either way, there’s not a …

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