Auto News & New car review

My hearing is taking a pounding! Now, my work colleagues would place the blame directly on my love of all things rock, but the sound I’ve been exposed to isn’t music to my ears. Read the rest of this entry »

A while back, my wife and I decided we would become parents. As soon as I saw the little wand TURN blue, I knew we’d need a bigger car. That was almost three years ago. We still need a bigger car. The problem with knowing a little bit about cars is the dizzying plethora of choices and the rumored promises of what’s on the horizon. We didn’t want the soccer-mom stigma of a minivan, or an SUV that Read the rest of this entry »

Engineered like no other car in the world. At some point in the 90’s, Mercedes dropped their longstanding ad campaign. And no wonder. The promise had become a snigger-worthy ironic joke. That said, it stopped being funny when it started being you making regular pilgrimages to your local dealership. Read the rest of this entry »

If you don’t fancy a 4×4, then how about a 2xTucson? Hyundai has revised the Tucson line up for 2009, including an all-new two-wheel drive model priced at a level that would normally only buy you a compact family hatchback. Read the rest of this entry »

The Saturn Astra is an all-new car. At least it’s new to the American automotive landscape: Astra has been offered for years in Europe under the Opel flag, where it’s been giving the VW Golf a run for top-seller bragging rights. The new Astra is so much better in every respect than the Saturn model it replaces that we’ve forgotten the earlier compact’s name. Read the rest of this entry »

Driving
In the past, we have had issues with the suspension set-up of the DB9 – but we still ended up loving it. However, when you are spending so much on a supercar, you want it to be perfect. So, in the spring of 2008, Aston issued a range of updates to make it better than ever. New dampers and retuned suspension bushes improved the ride quality, and although it’s still firm – particularly over small bumps – the pay-off is far better body control at high speed. Read the rest of this entry »

From behind the wheel, the GreenLine is as good as any other Fabia, with a grown-up feel in and out of town. The ride is comfortable and the supple suspension irons out rough surfaces with ease. The pay-off is excessive body roll through corners, while the steering is lifeless, but overall the Skoda is safe and composed. The chassis also isn’t that affected by running on narrow eco-tyres, which can lead to a shortage of grip. The buzzy three-cylinder engine is mated to a long-ratio five-speed gearbox. Around town, it’s hard to detect much difference, but the longer fourth and fifth ratios are noticeable when accelerating. Read the rest of this entry »

Used to be, to accommodate their specific vehicular needs, medium- and large-size families were relegated to penalty-box minivans with questionable styling, or behemoth full-size SUVs with trucklike handling and abysmal fuel economy. The introduction of midsize and large crossovers, like the 2008 Saturn Outlook, has changed all that. Now, soccer moms, NASCAR dads and everyone else with a brood to chauffeur (and cargo to move) have a viable and — dare we say — desirable domestic alternative to the family mobiles of the past. Read the rest of this entry »

Building eco-friendly models is at the top of most car makers’ hit lists these days. But Hyundai is working on combining fuel saving with technology to help reduce injuries to pedestrians in collisions. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s six years since the current 7-Series kicked off BMW’s controversial ‘flame surfacing’ styling. With its avant-garde lines, typified by an abstract, jutting boot lid, the model divided opinion – especially in the traditionally conservative executive saloon class. Read the rest of this entry »