by Tim Healey | Oct 10, 2011
Let’s see if we can get through this review without too many references to Ford focusing on its new 2012 Focus, or how the focus is on compact cars these days, or how the Focus focuses on fuel economy. You get the idea. What Ford would prefer you to focus on (sorry)...
by Tim Healey | Oct 3, 2011
When one thinks of compact cars, the name Impreza probably doesn’t leap to the top of the mental list, unless the one doing the thinking is a Subaru loyalist. The small Japanese maker is looking to change that with the updated 2012 Impreza, which is restyled inside...
by Tim Healey | Sep 19, 2011
Road trips are usually undertaken in roomy sedans or crossover SUVs. One would not normally select a sports coupe for a 250-mile slog from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan, but then, one normally doesn’t have tickets to see one of college football’s best rivalries being...
by Tim Healey | Aug 31, 2011
Automotive journalists may hate the phrase “design language” due to its prevalence in the industry, but there’s a reason so many designers, executives, and PR people use it. Most automakers are looking to create a unified theme throughout their brand, hence the use of...
by Tim Healey | Aug 29, 2011
Domestic makers often get slammed for the poor fuel economy of their sport-utility vehicles and crossovers, but Ford hopes to win kudos – and new buyers – as it expands the use of its new EcoBoost powertrains, a new 2.0-liter version of its high-mileage engine going...
by Tim Healey | Aug 20, 2011
There is such a thing as car-geek heaven, and it’s in southeast Michigan. One can only imagine the conversation between a ghostly hot-rodder and the poor kid working the counter at the Coney dog stand. Ghost: “Is this heaven?” Kid: “No, it’s Oakland County.” OK, OK,...
by Tim Healey | Aug 8, 2011
Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, has been struggling of late, leading more than a few skeptics to wonder whether it’s time to abandon the once-grand marque, much as Ford recently dropped the long-suffering Mercury. The Dearborn maker insists it remains committed...
by Tim Healey | Jul 19, 2011
Chrysler has brought performance back in a big way with its SRT brand, launching four new models—the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8, the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, and the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8—but can the company bank on it? Is SRT...
by Tim Healey | Jul 12, 2011
Infiniti has unleashed a new weapon in its war with other luxury brands—a personal assistant. No, Infiniti buyers won’t get their own personal concierge riding shotgun, but they will be able to call one 24/7. Accessible either through the car’s Bluetooth system or the...
by Tim Healey | Jul 8, 2011
Nissan joined the crossover game with the Murano in 2002, and since then, the Murano has spawned smaller clones such as the Rogue and the Juke urban ute in Nissan’s lineup. The Murano was last redesigned in 2009, and for 2011 the big news is the addition of the...
by Tim Healey | Jun 14, 2011
Volkswagen is betting big on the United States, as evidenced by the construction of a brand-new plant just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. That plant, which will build the North American version of the new 2012 Passat (Europeans will get a slightly different...
by Tim Healey | Jun 3, 2011
Competence may be a virtue, but not necessarily at the expense of personality. This is the lesson of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, a perfectly capable crossover SUV that inspires nothing of note in those who look at it or drive it. That’s not necessarily bad, there’s...
