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Auto review: Corvette Stingray may be too fast and furious for mere mortals
2020 Corvette Stingray Coupe: Is this the most fun to be had for 60 grand? Price: Well, you can, in theory, have one for the starting price of $58,970. My tester cost $80,315. Options include adjustable height, $1,495; aluminum wheels, $995; sueded microfiber steering wheel, $595; and much more mentioned below. Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver liked the "performance that rivals exotic cars, comfortable enough to drive daily, nicely trimmed cabin," but not that the "exhaust note is only exciting at full throttle, limited driver-assistance features, manual transmission not offered." Marketer'...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Auto review: McLaren’s new GT is mesmerizing despite its semantics
There are so many terms in English that make no sense, particularly in the category of food. Consider that Boston Cream Pie isn’t a pie but rather a cake. Or that white chocolate isn’t made from cocoa, so it’s not chocolate. Then again, hot dogs aren’t made from canines, and Buffalo wings aren’t made from bison. But there are other language traps for those new to the English language. Why do we park in a driveway and drive on the parkway? How come retail signs say, “all items on sale”? Aren’t they always available for purchase? This comes to mind when considering the McLaren GT, the brand’s ne...
Tribune News Service
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Auto review: Electric or gas? Audi e-tron vs. Audi SQ5
Cadillac Lyriq. Ford Mustang Mach E. Polestar 2. New, premium electric cars are coming and they will inevitably be compared to Tesla, the baseline for battery-powered success. But to sell in volume, these challengers must also outperform the gas siblings across the showroom floor. Take the electric Audi e-tron Fastback and Audi SQ5 SUVs I just drove to Hell and back. Hell, Michigan, that is. My favorite southeast Michigan drive route, the 120-mile journey tests a vehicle's tech, handling and range. The gas-powered, $45,000 Audi Q5 is the brand's best-selling vehicle, and its SQ5 performance ve...
The Detroit News
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Auto review: The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 proves to be a potent new EV
DORAL, Fla. — Until now, keeping up with the Joneses and their Tesla Model Y meant buying a, well, a Tesla Model Y. Or possibly the Hyundai Kona Electric Vehicle. But unless you live in a communist country, what’s so great about buying the same vehicle as everyone else? It’s like saying, “Yes, but my Trabant is newer.” Come March, there will be another choice, the Volkswagen ID.4, the first in a series of Volkswagen EVs under the company’s new ID brand. Now, you’re probably wondering what ID stands for. In this case, it means Intelligent Design, rather than the part of your psyche that respond...
Tribune News Service
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Larry Printz: Looking back at this year’s top ten test drives
Few of us will look back on the year 2020 with any relish. Despite its many challenges, the past year has proven how essential cars, trucks and SUVs have become in modern life. They are our escape machines, able to make us forget about our worries as we indulge our passion for the joy of the open road. There have been some wonderful test drives during the past 12 months, and these are the ones that have proven to be the most memorable, in order by base price. 2020 Mazda CX-30, $21,900 A svelte little automotive bonbon sure to win the hearts of automotive enthusiasts and design junkies, the CX-...
Tribune News Service
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Auto review: Toyota Avalon gives richer Lexus cousin a run for the money
It's hard to miss the Toyota Avalon. It's the sedan with the biggest grille on the planet. How big is the Avalon's kisser? On the car ferry across Seattle's Puget Sound, two whale-watchers mistakenly identified it as a humpback whale. In the Seattle Seahawk stadium parking lot, two fans asked if they could cook brats on it. Parked next to a mega-grille Lexus RX350, you won't notice the Lexus. I get it. Mainstream sedans need to stand out in an SUV-dominated world, and the Avalon demands attention. It's a strategy followed by Avalon's close competitor, the VW Arteon sedan. Indeed, the stunning,...
The Detroit News
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Auto review: Is Acura’s 2021 TLX good enough to be Legend-worthy?
For too long, Acura has purveyed perfectly bland sedans with equally bland names, a far cry from when the division was selling Legends, Vigors and Integras, sports sedans that satisfied driving enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. And while the automaker has recently fielded fun-to-drive crossovers, its sedan lineup lacks the spark that was a hallmark of the brand. With the arrival of the redesigned 2021 Acura TLX, that has finally changed, and not a moment too soon. In the U.S., sedan sales peaked in 1991 with a market share of 44.8 percent. Since then, that slice of the pie has dwindled to...
Tribune News Service
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Auto review: Ford Mustang Mach-E goes toe-to-hoof with Tesla Model Y
A 1910-era Model T sits on a farm just off North Territorial Road outside Unadilla, Mich. I pulled my battery-powered 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E alongside for a picture. A century ago the Model T buried its electric-car competition with superior range and affordability — and revolutionized 20th-century transportation. At the dawn of the 21st century, the Mach-E SUV wants to bring EVs back from the dead. To achieve its goal, the Mach-E not only must prove itself superior to more affordable gas-powered Ford sport-utilities — it also has to catch the Tesla Model Y. Silicon Valley's EV king delibera...
The Detroit News
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2021 Mustang Mach-E electric SUV is everything most of us could ask for
If you care about cars, technology or climate change, it’s impossible not to feel a thrill walking up to a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. Not that the first electric SUV to bear the legendary Mustang pony badge is a big deal, or anything, but hey, the first edition is sold out, and the waiting list for others isn't getting any shorter. The sleek, five-seat newcomer successfully transfers the magic of the Mustang to the vehicle that launches Ford’s transition to electric power. It’s a handsome, tech-rich vehicle. Like the classic Mustang coupe and convertible that created the pony car’s mystique, bu...
Detroit Free Press
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Mark Phelan: Quick takes on high-mpg diesel Suburban, quirky Genesis, excellent Elantra
You’d have a hard time finding three vehicles more different than those in my driveway recently: A high-mpg version of the year’s biggest new SUV; a contender to be 2021’s best new small car, and a brand-defining luxury vehicle. My neighbors recognize this congestion: It’s Vehicle of the Year season, when contenders for best new car, truck and SUV make their last pitches before journalists cast their votes. Here are some brief impressions of the latest trio: 2021 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD Premier diesel The broad strokes of the new Suburban’s story are well known by now: Bigger, smoother, more ad...
Detroit Free Press
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