Auto News & New car review

Turbocharging has been as much a part of Saab’s DNA for the last three decades as jets. Saab didn’t invent turbocharging, but the Swedish brand has probably embraced it more completely than other carmaker. With 2008 marking the 30th birthday of the first production Saab 99 Turbo, the gang in Trollhattan decided to celebrate with their meanest and fastest iteration yet. Read the rest of this entry »

Although Americans take heat for ordering too many Java Chip Frappuccinos, racking up credit card debt and sustaining the worldwide market for sport-utility vehicles, we have some good habits as well. Driving full-size sedans, for one. As big as these cars are, they’re ideally suited for a country where suburban sprawl is rampant and long-distance travel borders on necessity. Further, they typically represent a more efficient solution for carrying four or five people than SUVs. Read the rest of this entry »

Since its introduction last year, the Nissan Versa has been grouped with the recent wave of subcompact import cars. The association is only natural considering the Versa’s small exterior size, hatchback body style (a sedan followed later) and entry-level status in the Nissan lineup. However, a closer examination reveals that the 2008 Nissan Versa stands a bit apart from — and perhaps above — its peers. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s more to the 2008 Mitsubishi Endeavor than huge fender flares and exaggerated body bulges. That’s saying quite a lot, since this midsize five-passenger crossover SUV is festooned with the type of body adornment that makes you wonder if the folks at the factory accidentally included the prototype’s styling excesses on the production model. Yet between the Endeavor’s love-it-or-hate-it swollen sides is a vehicle that offers solid driving dynamics, a gutsy V6, a roomy cabin and good build quality. Read the rest of this entry »