Introduced in 2003, the XC90 is the Volvo’s’ first entry in the SUV market. The XC90 is a mid-size luxury SUV built on the same P2 large-car platform as the S80 luxury sedan. The Crossover SUV segment – in this case the cross is between a passenger car and an SUV -- is crowded with competitors like the Lexus RX 330, Acura MDX, Mercedes M Class and the BMW X5. Read More »
2003 Saab 9-3 Near Luxury Compact Sports Sedan
The Saab 9-3 Sedan is an all new vehicle for 2003. It is the first in a series of new cars to be based on the 9-3 platform. Although the 9-3 is longer, wider and roomier than its predecessor, it is lighter, has dramatically improved handling and better performance than the model it replaces. Read More »
2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet Mid-Size Luxury Convertible
The CLK has been a favorite in the mid-luxury segment from 1999 through the end of its model run in 2003. Its entry into the Mercedes lineup provided an open-air car to a larger audience because of its lower cost. The previous CLK Cabriolet was a great cruiser which performed well as a spirited commuter car, but not as a sports car. We thought the BMW 330I was a more exciting ride. That however has changed with the 2004 CLK Cabriolet. Read More »
2004 Buick Rainier Mid-Size Sport-Utility Wagon
Ride with us as we steer a Rainier, the new sport-utility wagon from Buick, up a winding mountain road to Rainier, the ice-capped cone in the state of Washington. Read More »
2004 Chrysler Crossfire Compact Sport Coupe
Stomp that throttle on rare straight stretches but tap the brake before turning into all of these tight curves as we rip up California 79, a wiggly line of wrinkled asphalt that climbs over humps of the Laguna Mountains to scenic Lake Cuyamaca pitched about a hundred miles east of San Diego. Read More »
2004 Ford F-150 Full-Size Pickup Truck
Gruen Texas - Driving the 2004 Ford F-150 on Texas Hill Country roads is like putting on a favorite old sweater; it feels comfortable and familiar, it has plenty of room, and is a reliable standard. This truck is meant for country roads and heavy work. But it can do anything you ask it to from carrying a load of wood, pulling a loaded horse trailer or taking the family out for burgers and a movie on Saturday night. Read More »
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Compact Sports Sedan
Zipping through a narrow canyon course etched into walls of granite, a street-legal rally car flows with the twisties on the Ortega Highway, California 74, which runs across the Santa Ana Mountains from the Pacific Coast at San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore. Read More »
2004 Cadillac XLR Luxury Mid-Size Sports Coupe
On Scottsdale Boulevard we're cruising through the posh suburb of Phoenix with the warm desert sun shining into the two-seat cockpit of a stunning new roadster convertible. Read More »
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Compact Sports Sedan
It appears to be an impromptu street chase: A vintage Toyota Supra Turbo with race-ready bodywork sticks tight on our tail through suburbs of the Big Easy as we wind our way out to the middle of nowhere and Grand Bayou Raceway for some fast track time in a street-legal version of Mitsubishi's hot new rally-racing sedan the Evolution VII. Read More »
2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
(New Orleans, Louisiana) - We are in the bayou country near the Big Easy test driving the all-new, 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor, their new, mid-size, crossover Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV.) This is a great region for test driving vehicles. It is scenic, the roads conditions range from horrendous to spectacularly smooth , and weather conditions change all the time, providing ample opportunity to see what a vehicle can handle. Read More »