Auto journalists love to bash on Toyota products, but that doesn’t seem to hurt their sales numbers. On paper, the Corolla is the laughing stock of the compact class. It’s not as cheap as a Nissan, lacks the zoom-zoom handling of a Mazda, and looks downright dowdy next to a Hyundai. Yet somehow 313,009 buyers raised their hands in 2011 to park one in their driveway. Follow the jump for a quick drive and some impressions.
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Before binging on turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, we made a trip out to the 2012 SF Auto Show. Located in the Moscone Center in downtown SF, this annual auto show typically gets the scraps from other better known auto shows. Nonetheless, it’s still a great event to bring family to during the holidays. Follow the jump for a rundown of the fast, the slow, and everything in between.
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Last Saturday, I attended my first Cars and Coffee, an informal gathering of auto enthusiasts and their oh-so-sweet rides. While I was busy running from car to car like a headless chicken, Ben kept a level head an took some amazing shots.
Here in ‘merica, we like things big. Big burgers, big houses, big linebackers, big state fairs. To keep all that big moving, it’s no wonder we love our big trucks. So when Volkswagon asked what Americans wanted in a midsize family sedan, we answered “make it big”. After spending four days with a 2012 VW Passat 2.5 SE hopping between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it seems that the Germans have delivered a big car in more ways than one. Follow the jump to see how our super-sized Jetta fared on the road.
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Subaru has a long reputation of being a quirky, niche vehicle. Their philosophy is simple, and it consists of AWD and boxer engines in all their vehicles. The standard AWD has helped crown Subaru as the national car of Colorado, but the boxer engine hasn’t helped to define the brand much. Boxer engines (ie. horizontally-opposed engines) are simply engines with horizontal cylinders that face away from each other. This makes them exceptionally low compared to traditional inline and Vee engines that are prevalent in industry. By concentrating the weight down low, the boxer engine lowers the center of gravity of the car, and is said to improve handling. However, the boxer engine also has trade-offs that may be acceptable in a Porsche (who also use boxers), but just serve to complicate the life of a Subaru owner. Read on to find out why I would hate to own one of these!
Years ago, right around the time I got my license, I fortunate enough to be given a car by my parents. We bought a simple, 99 Honda Accord EX (5 years old at the time), with over 100K miles. It was a bland as bland gets: 4-cylinder, gold exterior, beige interior, no modifications. Despite all that, the price was right, it was in great shape, and it was mine. I thought it would be mine until it crumbled into dust – which might have taken a long time, given that I never had any issues with it. Well, that was certainly a pipe dream. I now have a good paying job and an aging 07 Accord nearing the 130K mark. Although it’s really not that old and hasn’t shown signs of giving up, I don’t have any illusions about keeping it forever. The newer generation of family sedans have really caught my eye, literally and figuratively. The obvious solution was to drive some, and see if I was missing much – so that’s exactly what I did. A 2013 Ford Fusion SE with the 1.6 EcoBoost was my primary interest, with the 2013 Honda Accord LX being tested immediately afterwards for comparison purposes.
When Honda introduced the new 2013 Accord, it quietly introduced a luxury technology to mainstream car buyers. That technology is called Adaptive Cruise Control, and the 2013 is the first time that a bread-and-butter family sedan will offer this technology. However, don’t go looking on Honda’s website for any information on Adaptive Cruise Control, because they barely even mention it or what it does, and they won’t even offer it in Canada. Essentially, the driver can set cruise control at a particular speed – let’s say 70MPH. Sensors (usually radar or laser) on the front of the car then looks for any obstructions, like slower moving vehicle. The sensor automatically communicates with the drivetrain to slow down if necessary, then speed back up when the driver changes lanes. Why wouldn’t a carmaker promote this technology if they’re the only ones to have it in a particular segment – especially in the hotly contested, low profit segment that the Accord competes in?
There’s a crossroads in every car relationship to part ways. Whether it’s because the car is in the shop too much, or there’s a new baby on the way, or you’re just plain bored and shopping for something better. When that cross arrives, there’s always the problem of selling your car. You have several options to get rid of your car, and today I’m going to cover the fastest and most convenient way of selling your car. Follow the jump to find out.
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One of the first things that car owners ignore when gas prices start to climb are maintenance items that they don’t often hear about. Besides for oil and brakes, what else is there to do on a car that still runs great, right? Well, here is a little wake-up call for car owners of all kinds: the brake fluid and power steering fluid in your car is totally filthy, and if you don’t change them, they could cost you thousands down the road. I have no idea how this even happens, considering that the brake and power steering systems should be sealed with limited moving parts, so there shouldn’t be a whole ton of wear. But, if you still are not a believer, take a look after the jump to see exactly what I found in my all-highway-miles 2007 Accord.
Honda engineers have been working overtime lately as a punishment for slacking off in the last few years. Lackluster reviews of the new 2012 Honda Civic brought them a much deserved black eye. The entire bash-fest was capped off by Consumer Reports pulling the Recommended rating from the Civic, due to it no longer keeping pace with the segment leaders. Yet, as recently as August 2012, the new Civic was selling like hot cakes, with 60% more sold year-to-date than the hot Hyundai Elantra. How bad could the car really be? Could they really fool that many consumers? There was only one way to find out – get behind the wheel of a 2012 EX-L Coupe with the 5-speed auto.
