It's no big news that Subaru really knows how to make a car. As far as good all-rounders that can haul a lot of stuff, take whatever mother nature throws at them, last forever and be had at an attractive price, it doesn't get much better. Particularly for people in winter climates, Subaru's bread and butter all-wheel-drive has been praised and celebrated for years. And for those who are just a tad bit more … [Read more...]

NISMO has actually been around since the 1980s, but only recently has the name worked its way into mainstream car culture. An abbreviation of Nissan Motorsport International Limited, this naturally racing-oriented branch of Nissan is now expanding its presence to more street cars, and with products like this Juke and the 370Z NISMO, it's becoming a Japanese equivalent of BMW's M and Mercedes-Benz's AMG. And like … [Read more...]

The Japanese had already turned the US car market on its head in the 1970s, and by the mid-'80s they were ready to take things a step further by offering not just eco-boxes and the occasional sports car, but also world-class luxury vehicles. Honda was the first, launching Acura in 1986, but Toyota and Nissan weren't too far behind. In 1989, Nissan launched Infiniti with two models, the Q45 and the M30, for the 1990 … [Read more...]

Ram is Chrysler's newest brand that focuses on trucks. The big, towing, working, manly kind of trucks. Ram isn't exactly new, though, is it? Their models are ones we are all quite familiar with already, so it's pretty much a case of Chrysler just taking away the "Dodge" part of the name. The 1500 half-ton especially has been a familiar sight everywhere from hauling hay bales at ranches to pulling trailers at race … [Read more...]

The Pathfinder is a long familiar name in utility and sturdiness. Its very name implies forging trails ahead and going the road less travelled. Over recent years, though, the Pathfinder has gotten softer, less rugged, and more appealing to suburban housewives than anyone thinking about going off road. For 2013, we have the new fourth generation Pathfinder, and Nissan is describing it as the "perfect family adventure … [Read more...]

If you're reading the title and "1LE" sounds familiar, that’s because it was a special options package from way back in 1988. And if you do remember the old 1LE, you probably may very well want to forget about it like the rest of the world has and move on to this newer, much more exciting version. Today’s 1LE is a performance package added onto the SS, and it fits neatly in the lineup between the aforementioned and … [Read more...]

The Infiniti QX is now in the third year of the current design, and it’s still as imposing as ever. What do we mean by that? Well, the main takeaway from the QX is its incredible size. It looks huge. It feels huge. It is huge. But that’s not all there is to it with the QX. In a lot of ways it makes the most of all that bulk, and the total package is a luxurious, tractable and strong machine. We were able to test its … [Read more...]

The new Z-Car has been with us since 2002, and though it's never made as much of a splash as its ancestor the 240Z, it's sold quite well and outlasted Japanese peers like the Honda S2000 and the Mazda RX-8, all the while maintaining relevance in the performance car market. Part of the reason why Nissan is able to do this is with the various special and limited editions of the 350 and 370Z they've come out with over … [Read more...]

Let's not beat around the bush. This is a minivan. It looks like a minivan, it feels like a minivan, and it is equipped like a minivan. It's a familiar one, too, as the Dodge Grand Caravan has been a mainstay of soccer moms and suburban families for years. This is the R/T version, though, and while no amount of tuning or tweaking could hide the minivan identity, this is simply as good as it gets in the people carrier … [Read more...]

Right away, it's obvious that Buick is trying to go in a different direction with this year's Verano. The model has been out since 2011 and was introduced as Buick's attempt to get into the growing market for premium compact sedans. Verano is of course Spanish for summer, but the first Veranos were anything but hot. Introduced in 2011, it was a well-appointed small luxury car. For 2013, though, the Verano gets a … [Read more...]

The eighth generation Malibu is all-new for 2013, and is designed to be Chevrolet’s first global midsize sedan. Built with a diverse customer base in mind, it will eventually be sold in almost 100 countries and starts at around $22,000 if equipped with base trim and powertrain. In the US market the Malibu comes in LS, LT and LTZ packages. Our 2LZ and LTZ-trimmed test car came in at around $35,000, but with nice power … [Read more...]

GM's brands are and have been rethinking a few things. Buick is no exception, and this is no more obvious than after taking one look at the new Encore compact SUV. If it weren’t for the grille, few would be able to guess that it is a Buick, and it’s the same story with the tiny engine behind it. This may not provoke much excitement, but it is a curious little machine. … [Read more...]

The Jeep Patriot was introduced in 2007 to slot in between the tiny Compass and the larger Liberty, which will soon be replaced by the all-new Cherokee. Chrysler advertises the Patriot as “the best-priced 4X4 in America”, and with an MSRP of just $15,995, it pretty much is. Our test car was equipped with the middle of the range Latitude package, which sits in between the Sport model and the more luxurious Limited … [Read more...]

When we think of the new, cool, sporty side of Cadillac that has emerged over the last few years, the CTS, and specifically the CTS-V, is the car that comes to mind. The CTS-V has been with us since way back in 2004, and has been a reigning super-sedan ever since. For the 2011 model year, GM expanded the appeal of the second generation CTS-V with a neat sport wagon and a very distinctive coupe. For 2014, Cadillac … [Read more...]

Little by little, Hyundai has started to make cars that people might actually want to buy. No longer is the Korean brand the butt of jokes and no longer is it a brand for people who don’t care anything at all about cars, driving, or build quality. Even in the luxury sedan segments, they’re confidently taking on the established names by offering decent looks, luxury, and incredible value. It really does seem that … [Read more...]