New year predictions anyone? I've got one. The new Genesis luxury brand will do very well.
I've realized this for some time. Ever since testing the second-generation 2015 Genesis Sedan in the fall of 2014 I knew it would find favour amongst a select group of upwardly mobile luxury buyers, and like many of my auto pundit colleagues I've been proved correct. That car wore Hyundai's stylized "H" on its rear deck lid with a "GENESIS" insignia to the bottom left, the opposite side of the trunk signed "HTRAC 5.0" instead of "5.0 HTRAC" as is done with the new car. The proper name of this model was Hyundai Genesis Sedan 5.0 Ultimate, whereas this new Genesis-branded model merely drops the words "Hyundai" and "Sedan" while adding "G80" to the mix.
Yes, this is either the smoothest transition from mainstream volume-branded near-premium sport-luxury sedan to premium-branded sport-luxury sedan ever, or the most uncomfortably obvious metamorphosis possible. To the South Korean Read Full Story
News & Reviews- Month: January 2018
2017 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition Road Test
Having grown up in the sixties and seventies it's difficult not to like Volkswagen's retrospective editions, and while looking in the proverbial rearview mirror normally has us focusing on VW's Beetle line of compacts, in this case I'm talking about the four-door compact Jetta. Specifically the 2017 Wolfsburg Edition, in Bottle Green with a black, grey and orange interior.
The Bottle Green paint, which is new for 2017, is probably the design element that's most respectful of the past, as this rather normal looking three-box four-door can only be considered retro due to being mostly unchanged for so long, but peek through its windows and you'll start to understand more of what I'm talking about.
Orange is often used to pull memories toward the late '60s and '70s, currently by watch brands like Omega with its absolutely gorgeous 2014 Speedmaster Mark II reissue (a near exact homage to its 1969 namesake), Rolex with its uncharacteristically playful Milgauss (in this case Read Full Story
The Bottle Green paint, which is new for 2017, is probably the design element that's most respectful of the past, as this rather normal looking three-box four-door can only be considered retro due to being mostly unchanged for so long, but peek through its windows and you'll start to understand more of what I'm talking about.
Orange is often used to pull memories toward the late '60s and '70s, currently by watch brands like Omega with its absolutely gorgeous 2014 Speedmaster Mark II reissue (a near exact homage to its 1969 namesake), Rolex with its uncharacteristically playful Milgauss (in this case Read Full Story
2017 Lexus RX 450h F Sport Road Test
There was a time I couldn't understand why the Lexus RX sold so well. It was reliable, inoffensive to look at and finished fairly well inside, but there was no shortage of more alluring mid-size luxury crossover SUVs on the market. Now there are many more, albeit none more capable of eliciting reactions from passersby.
If you haven't noticed this bit of origami folded metal rolling art recently you'd better pay more attention to your surroundings while driving. The RX is everywhere, not only in its stylishly overt new duds, but in its various old models' wallflower attire too. I know the latest version isn't to everyone's taste, but that's precisely why those who appreciate Lexus' daring new design direction are even more enamoured with the brand.
"Is that brand new? It's really cool," said the young woman filling it up at a local gas station. Yes, you heard me right. A young person who thinks Lexus is cool. There are plenty more like her. Truly, the jury is in. Lexus Read Full Story
If you haven't noticed this bit of origami folded metal rolling art recently you'd better pay more attention to your surroundings while driving. The RX is everywhere, not only in its stylishly overt new duds, but in its various old models' wallflower attire too. I know the latest version isn't to everyone's taste, but that's precisely why those who appreciate Lexus' daring new design direction are even more enamoured with the brand.
"Is that brand new? It's really cool," said the young woman filling it up at a local gas station. Yes, you heard me right. A young person who thinks Lexus is cool. There are plenty more like her. Truly, the jury is in. Lexus Read Full Story
2017 Ford Focus Sedan Titanium Road Test
When a car nears the end of its lifecycle two good things can happen, one being discounted pricing and the other improved reliability.
The Focus certainly qualifies for the first, with Ford offering plenty of rebates and its dealers providing healthy discounts for anyone wanting a 2017 model, especially now that 2018 models are arriving. As for the second issue, the Focus continues to struggle in third-party dependability studies, with Consumer Reports saying "it's plagued by poor reliability and, at low speeds, a jerky transmission," and J.D. Power and Associates giving it just two out of five for powertrain mechanical quality and powertrain design, plus the same low score for body and interior mechanical quality. Yikes!
Fortunately the Focus gets mostly good customer reviews, but even reasonable customer satisfaction hasn't been enough to keep it selling well in recent years. Let's face it, you need to update a car every once in a while, especially when the market Read Full Story
The Focus certainly qualifies for the first, with Ford offering plenty of rebates and its dealers providing healthy discounts for anyone wanting a 2017 model, especially now that 2018 models are arriving. As for the second issue, the Focus continues to struggle in third-party dependability studies, with Consumer Reports saying "it's plagued by poor reliability and, at low speeds, a jerky transmission," and J.D. Power and Associates giving it just two out of five for powertrain mechanical quality and powertrain design, plus the same low score for body and interior mechanical quality. Yikes!
Fortunately the Focus gets mostly good customer reviews, but even reasonable customer satisfaction hasn't been enough to keep it selling well in recent years. Let's face it, you need to update a car every once in a while, especially when the market Read Full Story
2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 5.7 Hemi Road Test
Some things make perfect sense, and adding the sporty Trailhawk package to the flagship Grand Cherokee is one of those things.
The Trailhawk follows the latest SUV trend of blackening most everything that was previously chrome, plus it goes one step beyond by almost completely covering the hood with a matte black decal. Other unique details include black "GRAND CHEROKEE" block lettering overtop a red shadowing effect on each front door, plus two red tow hooks set into the black mesh and dark grey centre fascia vent, red "Trail Rated" badges on each front fender, unique machine-finished twinned five-spoke 18-inch alloys with matte black painted pockets, a tiny portion of each detailed out with a little red WWII Willys silhouette, as well as matte grey taillight trim, the same matte grey used for the red shadowed "Jeep" logos front and rear, and finally a big red winged Trailhawk badge (that kind of reminds me of the original Ford Thunderbird emblem) on the bottom-right corner Read Full Story
The Trailhawk follows the latest SUV trend of blackening most everything that was previously chrome, plus it goes one step beyond by almost completely covering the hood with a matte black decal. Other unique details include black "GRAND CHEROKEE" block lettering overtop a red shadowing effect on each front door, plus two red tow hooks set into the black mesh and dark grey centre fascia vent, red "Trail Rated" badges on each front fender, unique machine-finished twinned five-spoke 18-inch alloys with matte black painted pockets, a tiny portion of each detailed out with a little red WWII Willys silhouette, as well as matte grey taillight trim, the same matte grey used for the red shadowed "Jeep" logos front and rear, and finally a big red winged Trailhawk badge (that kind of reminds me of the original Ford Thunderbird emblem) on the bottom-right corner Read Full Story