May 22, 2013
- Steve Cropley meets Ford Global Product Development Vice President Raj Nair We’re at Ford’s Lommel test track on the Belgian-Dutch border. Raj Nair is talking animatedly with a group of his engineers, making classic cornering gestures with his hands as they walk towards the glassy, chalet-like cabin the dynamics team maintains for conferences and meetings.It is hidden well away from the admin offices, squeezed between an enormous skidpan called The Black Lake and the now-famous Track Seven...
May 20, 2013
- Dodge and SRT fans who have been grinding their teeth over the lack of a weapon to fight off the likes of Ford’s Mustang Shelby GT500 or Chevy’s Camaro ZL1 can breathe a little easier. According to a report in Automotive News, Chrysler is preparing a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 that...
May 18, 2013
- The Ford Mustang is a known quantity. For Americans who care about cars or those who don't, it's likely the Mustang conjures up memories and associations. And like other muscle-car reincarnations like the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger, it takes some of the look, and the sound, of the old pony cars, yet it lives in the present. The...
May 15, 2013
- Strategic Vision has released its annual Total Quality awards, and some of the winners may come as a surprise. To quote Alexander Edwards, President of Strategic Vision, "For the first time in over a decade our comprehensive and complete study of Quality resulted in more domestic winners than imports." That's not to say import brands performed poorly. Volkswagen was voted the best overall corporation in Total Quality for the eighth-straight year, and Audi tied with Lexus for the best...
May 14, 2013
- Choose a domestic-brand car, like the 2013 Dodge Dart or 2013 Ford Fusion, and you might actually be in love. That's what the latest study results from the market-research firm Strategic Vision suggest. The Dart, along with the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Durango, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Chrysler 200 Convertible, Ford Fusion, and...
May 11, 2013
- We are back with this week’s installment of AutoGuide’s newest, interactive weekly feature ‘Commute, Toy or Destroy’. Once again, we present to you, our faithful readers, a choice of three vehicles. We are asking you to decide which one you would make your daily driver, which one would be used to rip up the drag... more
May 10, 2013
- The Nissan Quest is a seven-passenger minivan that feels sportier than the alternatives on the market today. Its primary competitors are the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey, although you could probably also look at vehicles like the GMC Acadia and Ford Explorer, too. See our full review of the...
May 9, 2013
- Making it attractive Houston, TX - It has become ludicrous not to expect something great from the Korean giant that is Kia. At its North American premiere at the 2013 CIAS, the 2014 Kia Rondo was (in my eyes) an instant hit. Having only seen it, I was convinced it was going to be great. The 2014 Kia Rondo pushes the design theme to a whole other level, thus completing the modernization of Kia's entire lineup. The new car is smashing to behold, the cabin is nothing short of stunning with great...
May 4, 2013
- Sub-prime borrowers are buying completely different cars than everyone else, at least according to data gathered by Carfinance.com. This financing company that specializes in helping "below-prime" borrowers finance their car purchases looked at data gathered from between October 2012 and March 2013. According to their numbers, the top 10 new cars bought by sub-prime borrowers during that time are as follows.
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Dodge Avenger
Kia Forte
Kia Optima
Chrysler 200
Dodge Journey
Ford Focus...
May 2, 2013
- It's time to find out if a rookie can turn in a respectable lap time at the fabled Nürburgring with just two days' training I've never been more pleased to be in sunshine. For I am at the Nürburgring circuit in Germany with a driving brief for the first time, about to see if a rookie can be taught to be a king of the 'Ring after a two-day intensive training courseI'll be honest: I doubt Hans Stuck or Sabine Schmidt will have too much to worry about in 48 hours' time, but at least with some...
May 1, 2013
- Strong sales of the Ram pickup and Dodge models helped Chrysler Group post an 11-percent increase in April sales, extending the automaker's streak of U.S. gains to 37 months.
April 30, 2013
- Pros and Cons* Pros This spacious sedan is endowed with a luxurious interior befitting Nissan's high-end Infiniti. It's not as well-equipped but also provides an exemplary ride. Engine performance is both proven and reliable. Cons Even so, this car seems awkwardly positioned in the market, located somewhere between large and luxury sedans. The price of the 2013 Nissan Maxima is uncomfortably close to that of some of the Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz models. Assembly quality must be improved. The...
April 26, 2013
- The domestic muscle sedan wars are heating up! Much to our delight, all three major American automakers are offering high-horsepower four-door performance sedans. Chrysler was first to strike with the Dodge Charger SRT8, Ford fought back with the all-wheel-drive twin-turbo Taurus SHO, and now GM’s just gotten in on the action, with the new 2014 [...]
April 24, 2013
- As I put my “Which Car?” blog together recently, I hit a snafu. As much as I love me a new car (like most of you) my heart often belongs to an older, previous generation car or one that has long been extinguished by its maker. To put it simply: If I were to win a sizeable chunk of change, I'd buy an incalculable amount of cars, old cars, new cars, lots of ‘em. You'll have read words like these many times, but older automobiles have a different character, a level of...
April 12, 2013
- A standard pickup truck is good for standard towing and hauling duties, but when big jobs arise, Canadians often turn to Heavy Duty (HD) pickup models for their extra toughness, capacities and confidence. These capability-enhanced trucks ride on stronger, beefed-up platforms; offer higher limits for payload and trailering, and often come powered by diesel engines with the torque output of a small earthquake. If you're shopping for a “newer” used HD pickup model from one of the Big...