Flash forward to Ford's 2012 lineup and Focus emerges in edgy new designs constructed on a front-wheel-drive platform with the wheelbase stretched some six inches longer than previous iterations. Styling of the body appears aerodynamic and different in a rounded form but with sharply creased planes and a steeply raked windshield. Read More »
Boxy square with chiseled shoulders and a flat roof floating over the five-passenger cabin with narrow windows in the image of an armored military vehicle, Toyota's dedicated off-road SUV looks like it came out of the Auto Nouveau School of Chunky Car Design. Read More »
Fact is, Volkswagen's Tiguan, an agile and downright gutsy Crossover SUV which bears a peculiar name, has attitude. The sleek five-door hatchback wagon, with seats for five in a well-stocked cabin, has a tight structure and precise mechanical components derived from German engineering, plus the muscle of a high-tech turbo-charged four-cylinder engine. Read More »
The name comes from the goddess of the dawn in ancient Greek mythology and the revamped vehicle from Volkswagen adopting this moniker makes the sun come up every time you tap a console toggle and switch it from a retractable hardtop coupe (with built-in sunroof) to a streamlined open-top and airy convertible. Read More »
It teams a thrifty but conventional 1.8-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine that sips gasoline with a pair of high-voltage and high-torque electric motors -- one to turn the front wheels and the other to work so many power accessories as well as crank up the four-pack engine and recharge a load of on-board batteries. Read More »
Aimed at young shoppers seeking a fuel-thrifty small car packing high-tech hybrid hardware, the new subcompact-size Prius c employs Toyota's proven Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system and earns downright impressive fuel economy numbers of 53 mpg City/46 mpg Highway. The itsy-bitsy economy car provides room for up to five riders on comfortable seats with a pair of buckets in front of a bench for three and room at the rear for cargo due to the hatchback roofline. Read More »
This twisty two-lane road seems like it was designed expressly to show off the four-wheel agility of the redesigned 2012 Acura TL sports sedan equipped with Acura's SH-AWD (Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive) equipment. The computer-managed SH-AWD system can disburse the powertrain's considerable torque not only to wheels fore and aft but the left or right ones too. It's always engaged and enables the vehicle to maneuver on wet or dry pavement with the uncanny agility of a wily sports car. Read More »
It holds six people in a family-friendly layout like a minivan, but it's infused with the fun-to-drive Mazda spirit. The sliding doors and small size make it great for urban environments. Read More »
The new Hyundai is epitomized by its range-topping Genesis models, which come in two flavors: the luxurious sedan and the sporty coupe. While the sedan has drawn a lot of attention for comparing favorably with pricier cars from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, it's the coupe we're interested in today. And it's just as tasty. Read More »
The new Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon has a classy, European-inspired body that's as practical as it is stylish. It has the cargo space of a crossover vehicle along with the great performance of a sports sedan. Inside, the CTS Sport Wagon shares its front-seat layout with the CTS sedan. It's very driver-oriented and has the kind of build quality and styling detail that make it feel upscale and comfortable. Read More »
