Categories: Car Reviews

So it's finally dawned on you: You're halfway between youth and retirement, and you're starting to miss the endless optimism that you had as a kid. Back then, everything seemed possible, and your hair was located on your head, instead of your chest and ears. You miss that feeling of freedom you got when the DMV literally gave you a license to go anywhere you pleased. That first car became your escape pod, your faithful companion with which you explored the world. And you finally discovered what it felt like to be an adult.

Now that you've gained some perspective on life, you want to get a car that'll give you back that carefree feeling. Except you actually have the money to do it right this time. Luckily, the 2013 model year has seen many unprecedented advancements. Ford unveiled a tiny 1.0-liter turbo-3 which is capable of churning out an 123-hp. On the other end of the spectrum, McLaren released a wild looking new supercar called the P1, and it comes with, wait for it, a 903-hp gas-electric hybrid powertrain! This is certainly our “Golden Era” for cars. And if you're itching for a fun new car, that can divert attention from your rapidly growing bald spot, you've got a fantastic lot to pick from. So put down the Rogaine, go trim your ear hair, and get ready to become a stereotype!

Once upon a time, people actually wanted some Sport with their Utility Vehicle. It's not that they were really going to venture far from the pavement. But knowing you could added to the 'invincible' image of owning an SUV. For automakers, this new segment was like manna from heaven. All they had to do was screw a wagon body to one of their existing truck chassis. No mufti-million dollar development project here. Just take a cheap truck frame and make it look tough... or luxurious. Such was the case with the first Nissan Pathfinder.

Originally, the Nissan Pathfinder was an 'exotic' Japanese off-road wagon, and it had some panache. First of all, it looked tough and purposeful. It was based on the Nissan Hardbody pickup, so it could actually back up its go-anywhere looks. And those hidden vertical rear door handles were a real conversation piece. Two decades later, gas is expensive, and people would rather go explore cyberspace on their smart phones. So automakers ditched the off-road bit, and started making car-based people haulers that looked like a rough & tumble SUV. Think truck-shaped minivans.

"Far more flexible than a sedan but more affordable, maneuverable, and fuel-efficient than a larger SUV, today's compact SUV is a masterful mix of practicality," describes Kelley Blue Book on its website KBB.com. Indeed, the small SUV, commonly known as the crossover or CUV, has been a popular and growing segment of the auto market. With an increasing number of options to choose from, it can be difficult to find the right one. KBB has identified the 10 choices that it believes are better than the rest.

Every once in a while a car comes along that we term a "crossover". Now, when we say crossover, we are definitely not talking about a Buick Enclave or a Toyota Venza here. Make no mistake, in no way are we referring to a car that crosses over two different vehicle genres. Oh no, when we talk about a car that can be termed a "crossover-car", it means something else entirely. A crossover-car is a car that is so beautiful, so special, that it can take a die-hard enthusiast from one car company and make them crossover to become a true lover of another car company. These cars don't come along too often, but when they do, they are something special. The most recent addition to the crossover-car list is none other than the 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series.

Both diesel and hybrid gas/electric cars now offer much better fuel economy than the traditional gas-only option; however, they deliver under different circumstances: hybrids make best use of their electric motors at low speeds around town—indeed, used in a certain way, the Chevy Volt need never use any gas at all—whereas diesels do well over longer distances. It is therefore ironic that in Europe, where driving distances tend to be short and populations highly urbanized, diesels rule, outselling gas-powered cars, while in the USA, with longer driving distances and a highway infrastructure suited to cruising, it is the hybrid which has taken hold. All the major manufacturers offer diesels in Europe with better fuel economy than their hybrids—often more than 50mpg, something few hybrids can aspire to—and now we are starting to see these diesels coming to the US market, amongst them VW, Audi, and BMW with their 335d.a

The average price for unleaded gas has been over three dollars a gallon since late 2010, and, despite recent drops, chances are good that gasoline will remain pricey for the foreseeable future. Because of this, millions of motorists across the country are showing keen interest in vehicles that promise better mileage for each drop of fuel, and automakers have been busy offering models to meet this demand.

Leading the way are gas/electric hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, which can drive 50+ miles on a single gallon of gas. Backed by aggressive marketing campaigns and government tax credits, it seems clear that hybrids are the way to go for anyone who wants to save money at the pump.

It's a good week to be Tesla. On the heels of announcing its first profit in 10 years of business, the electric luxury carmaker gets a nearly perfect rating on its Model S. After testing the sedan, Consumer Reports slapped a big, old "99 out of 100" on it, a first for an electric vehicle.

The future of car buying is going to get more complicated, at least if you want to keep up with the latest technology. Not only will you need to educate yourself on engine options, standard equipment, safety features, fuel economies, and available packages, you'll need to compare computer systems. Each year, more and more vehicles include advanced infotainment systems that keep you connected to the cloud. Unfortunately, unlike the old car radio head units, which were pretty straightforward to compare and use, each system uses its own hardware and software interface, making them difficult to compare from one brand to the next. Infotainment reviews and awards provide a helpful shortcut toward helping you identify what might work for you. Ford's SYNC system is the latest infotainment system to earn a nod, getting named "Best Traditional-to-Mobile Transition."

In a little less than a year, we Chevy fans are in for a treat of historical proportions. There is a very good chance that we may be privy to witnessing the debut of the single greatest Camaro of all time. Yes, that's right. Now, naysayers will harken back to the great heydays of the 1960s and pull out names like the original ZL1 or Z/28, Yenko, or SS/RS. But if we are going to be honest with ourselves, there is no comparison between a car built 50 years ago and a car built today, at least if you are planning to drive it in anything except perfect conditions.

Before you decide to claim some sort of modern day bias, just know that your humble author was the proud owner of a 1965 Mustang convertible as well as a 2001 Pontiac Trans Am and speaks from experience. Unless you live in San Diego or have a least one or two other cars, a modern 500 horsepower Camaro supersedes a classic most days of the week. Once we get beyond the '60s, there is almost no other Camaro that even comes close to challenging the new Z/28 for the crown. In fact, the only car that does present a sizable challenge to the Z/28 is its very own stablemate, the mighty ZL1. But before we delve into why the Z/28 could very well overtake its more powerful brethren, let's take a closer look at it, shall we?

Flashy red exteriors may get more face time on magazine covers and auto show floors, but the interior is the more important part of the car. The car is designed to drive, and the interior is where that gets done. You're certain to spend more time sitting in the cockpit, fiddling with the controls, and commuting to and fro than you will staring at the perfectly buffed and waxed exterior sitting in your driveway.

WardsAuto recently announced its list of top 10 auto interiors among models that are all new or have a thoroughly redesigned interior. While the Japanese steal the show, and luxury automakers have a predictably large presence, there are some surprises on the list, including the inclusion of one of the cheapest subcompacts on the market.

Since its inception in 1984, the Jeep Cherokee has essentially looked exactly the same for almost its entire life. The tell-tale upright, boxy rectangular 4X4 has exuded nothing but Utilitarian functionality since Journey was all the rage. Even when Jeep officials made a name change from Cherokee to Liberty, they weren't fooling anyone. We know a Cherokee when we see one. Sure, the engines have changed slightly, a few little touch-ups here and there, and Jeep added a few more options over the years, but, if nothing else, Jeep kept it real for the better part of three decades. For its 30th anniversary, however, it seems Jeep wanted to give its second oldest model its first legitimate change of its lifetime.

First and most obvious is the new Cherokee's redesigned exterior that features a much more aerodynamic, sleeked back look that gives a nod to its bigger Grand Cherokee brethren. Not that it would take too much to look more aerodynamic than the outgoing 90 degree angles of the Liberty, but we digress. The futuristic look will no doubt aggravate and, in some cases, infuriate purists. But, objectively speaking, after eight and a half presidential terms, change is good.