Sedans, New Car Reviews

Ford’s “Car of the Year” The Ford Fusion hit the jackpot for awards this year. The Hybrid model was named “North American Car of the Year” by a panel of 49 auto journalists in Detroit, and the Fusion (all models) was named Motor Trend’s “2010 Car of the Year.” One of the reasons Motor Trend [...]

2010 TL Gets 6-Speed Manual I don’t know if the styling of the Acura TL has grown on me in the last year, or whether my test car, which was painted white, made the design look more subtle. From some angles the TL is quite attractive, but that massive nose is a polarizing styling cue. [...]

Sized To Challenge Accord and Camry The last generation Mazda6 was a fun car to drive, but it’s sales were lackluster, compared to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. One of the reasons for this was size—the 6 wasn’t as large as those segment leaders. Another problem was that the Mazda’s engines weren’t as [...]

Better Than Ever When I first drove the Infiniti G sedan in 2003, I was blown away. This car had excellent power, phenomenal handling, sleek styling and a reasonable price. I nearly bought one. Had I done so, that 2003 model would still be sporty enough to contend in today’s market. However, Infiniti didn’t rest [...]

Stripped Versa Is A Good Value When I learned that the new base model of the Versa was coming my way, I had trouble suppressing a groan—I was not enthused. But when the car arrived, I was pleased to see that it looked a lot like the higher priced Versa sedans. It had full-size wheel [...]

Does The Civic Hybrid Have a Future? With the introduction of the new Honda Insight hybrid, you have to wonder what the future might hold for the Civic Hybrid. The Insight is more stylish, and almost the same size. More importantly, the Insight costs up to $3850 less than the Civic. However, some buyers might [...]

Sports Car Performance, Everyday Usability The BMW M3 coupe and convertible are sports car that many driving enthusiasts would give their eyeteeth to own. But supposing you’re a hot shoe with a family, and really need a sedan. Well, now you can buy an M3 with four doors. After a hiatus of over a decade, [...]

Luxury and Low Emissions If you’re a person who wants V-12-type power in your luxury sedan, but low tailpipe emissions as well, Lexus has a car for you. That is if you have 100 grand to spend. The car is the LS 600h L. It’s the hybrid version of the full-size Lexus LS 460 L—the [...]

Looking For Respect The Acura RL has been the Rodney Dangerfield of the Mid-Premium Luxury segment—it’s gotten no respect. Competitors, like the Lexus GS350 and the Infiniti M35, have sold three times as well. There are several possible explanations for this—some say the styling was too bland—others criticized the lack of a V-8 option. Whatever [...]

An Overlooked Gem The Infiniti M35 and M45 may be the best mid-size luxury cars that get overlooked by new-car shoppers. Competitors, like the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes E-Class, top the wish list for most buyers. Yet, the Infiniti M is a perennial favorite of Consumer Reports, and a car that garners high marks [...]