ROAD TEST: Finally, a Pontiac with personality: the G-8

May 9, 2008

What typifies a Pontiac in 2008? A GTO? Nope, it's gone. Bonneville? Gone. Firebird and Fiero? Long gone. Aztek? Also, mercifully, gone.

Recent columns

• Speedy Audi S5 not for the faint of heart, or wallet

  May 2, 2008

  The latest in toys from Germany for the price-is-no-object and global-warming-is-not-my-business crowd arrived in dealerships in November: the Audi S5 coupe - a continental version of an American muscle coupe.

• ROAD TEST: Quicker payback with the Altima hybrid

  April 25, 2008

  Is a hybrid car right for you? The question is easier to answer in the affirmative if the hybrid in question is the Nissan Altima.

• Land Cruiser still a gas-guzzler

  April 18, 2008

  Official Disclaimer: The publication of this review of the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser should not be construed as an endorsement by the author, Newsday, Tribune Co. or any other of its subsidiaries, creditors, casual passersby, delicatessen delivery people or potential buyers, heretofore known as "Us," of a fuel-guzzling vehicle that gets no better than 18 mpg at a time of record and still-rising gasoline prices and growing concern over global warming.

• Classy Volvo XC70 remains a safe family choice

  April 11, 2008

  Some refreshingly classy car ads have been running on TV lately, courtesy of Volvo. Maybe you've seen them: Soft music plays and people walk about a car and admire it. There's no screaming and no fine print on the screen saying things like "No one with a credit score lower than Bill Gates' can get this deal."

• ROAD TEST: BMW 1-Series saves on size and price, keeps great drive

  April 4, 2008

  There's another alternative now to tears on your pillow when your heart says "BMW" but your wallet says "Not this year, pal": the 1-Series, which reduces by $3,800 the ticket price for a new BMW - or $6,700 for a BMW coupe.

• ROAD TEST: Mazda’s CX-9 is a stylish way to haul lots of people and stuff

  March 28, 2008

  When "minivan" is a four-letter word but its seven-passenger seating and furniture-capable cargo room suit a shopper's lifestyle, the growing number of three-row crossover SUVs are worth considering.

• Toyota's Corolla and Matrix are practical but plain

  March 21, 2008

  For a practical, probably reliable, reasonably priced and easy-to-live-with car, consider the redesigned Corolla or Corolla Matrix wagon.

• ROAD TEST: Subaru STI packs a lot of muscle (and price)

  March 14, 2008

  Subaru's hottest model has matured for '08 - gotten a little bigger and more powerful and been given some new electronics to control the engine, the all-wheel drive and the stability control. Happily, though, the Impreza WRX STI's personality remains the same: It's a serious car for serious driving, not luxury grand touring, and it's not for everyone.

• ROAD TEST

  March 7, 2008

  Their availability in hybrid version this year is no reason in itself to buy a sport utility vehicle as large and heavy as a Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon. About 20 mpg probably is the best you'll get out of it in the real world.

• Porsche switches up styling, power on its '08 Cayenne

  February 29, 2008

  The idea of a Porsche sport utility vehicle might have seemed about as incongruous as a Rolls Royce pickup truck five years ago. Some could have wondered how can a company renowned for dashing little sports cars put its name on an SUV?

• Road test: Audi TT changes should please owners

  February 22, 2008

  A shudder seems to go through some drivers when they hear that the car they love is about to be redesigned. The fear is that it will be so changed that the reasons they bought it will be lost.

• Review: Saturn Astra comes up a little bit short

  February 15, 2008

  In the beginning, Saturn did battle with Japanese automakers by doing what they did - building reliable cars - but adding an ingredient they didn't offer: dealerships committed to a no-haggle, no-hassle sales experience, with no monkey business.

• Toyota’s retro-styled FJ Cruiser takes aim at the youth market

  April 7, 2006

  You might think the last thing Toyota needed in its lineup was another sport utility vehicle, what with eight already - 11 if you include Lexus models.

• Slick new Honda Si will raise the heartbeat of gearheads

  March 31, 2006

  Although car buyers by the millions drove one home, the previous-generation Honda Civic reputedly was a disappointment to enthusiast types. Most disappointing of all was the Civic that was supposed to be built for them - the Si, whose styling was uninspired and horsepower output unexciting at 160.

• New Tahoe makes driving a big truck easier, more pleasant

  March 24, 2006

  General Motors didn't make the Chevrolet Tahoe the most powerful in its class when it redesigned it for 2007: The Dodge Durango's available Hemi holds that distinction, with 335 hp. GM's own Hummer H2 has 325 hp. under its hood.

• Jeep commands a bigger SUV, but with little wiggle room

  March 17, 2006

  Among the Jeep Grand Cherokee's most likable features is how it handles: It's light on its feet, almost car-like. Another has always been its svelte shape.

• For $100G+, a yacht with radar and inflatable ‘seat bladders’

  March 10, 2006

  A new Mercedes S-Class is more than just another luxury car that most people can't afford. It usually offers a hint of what we'll find one day in cars and trucks for the rest of us.