2014 Chevrolet Sonic Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2013 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Sporty RS joins fresh lineup. Introduction Among the best of its class, the Chevrolet Sonic is a newly designed subcompact built in the U.S. on a new General Motors global platform that offers refinement and sporty handling. Sonic comes in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback versions and offers a choice of four-cylinder engines. Launched as a 2012 model, Sonic comes in LS, LT, and LTZ models. For 2013, a sporty Sonic RS model joins the lineup while the rest of the 2013 Sonic lineup benefits from technology upgrades and additional features. The 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS offers sportier handling and performance. Sonic RS comes with the top-of-the-line 1.4-liter turbocharged engine along with a sports suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seating surfaces and special exterior and in...
By AOL Posted Saturday, June 15, 2013
2012 Audi TT Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2010 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Unique sports car with all-wheel drive, Bauhaus styling. Introduction The Audi TT offers quick acceleration, crisp handling, remarkable efficiency and a beautiful interior, all wrapped in a stunning, highly distinctive body that will not be mistaken for anything else on the road. For 2010, Audi has simplified the TT lineup. All 2010 Audi TT models come with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and Audi's S-tronic DSG transmission. The six-speed transmission works like a conventional manual without a clutch pedal, and can be operated as a full automatic, or as a manual via the gearshift or steering wheel paddles. (The V6 is no longer available.) Quattro all-wheel drive gives the TT enhanced handling tenacity and, with an appropriate choice of tires, excellent bad-weather capabilities. (No front-drive models are offe...
By AOL Posted Saturday, June 15, 2013
2014 Audi Q5 Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. A rising star in an expanding game. Introduction Audi is a latecomer to the luxury crossover game, but the company's engineering and product planning staffs seem to have used their late arrival to good advantage. The second of Audi's three crossover SUV offerings, the Q5 was introduced for the 2009 model year, and has been a popular player amid a steadily growing group dominated by German makes, in particular the BMW X3. Classified as a compact SUV, the Audi Q5 structure is consistent with contemporary crossover engineering, a unitbody incorporating the frame rails within the body shell. This approach keeps curb weight down while simultaneously yielding higher structural rigidity, which pays dividends in fuel economy and handling response. The old body-on-frame tradition is a better bet for durability in rugged off-road...
By AOL Posted Saturday, June 15, 2013
2014 Audi A7 Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. All-new sedan with practical liftback looks like a coupe. Introduction The 2012 Audi A7 is an all-new model. It's being touted by Audi as the next step in the evolution of the automobile, being a sedan that looks like a coupe with the functionality of a wagon thanks to its fastback fifth door. But it's more like the evolution of the 2007 Audi A5 Sportback. Actually, Mercedes first presented the style with the 2004 CLS, which for 2012 will enter its second generation already. The A7 is a new competitor of the Jaguar XF or Porsche Panamera, as those three cars are the same wheelbase and overall length, within one inch. The Mercedes CLS, making it four strong luxury performance coupe sedans, is a couple inches smaller. Other fastback four-doors are the bulkier Acura ZDX, although it's considered more of a crosso...
By AOL Posted Saturday, June 15, 2013
2014 Audi A6 Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Redesigned with a new chassis, exterior and interior. Introduction The Audi A6 has been redesigned for 2012. The all-new 2012 Audi A6 has a longer wheelbase than the previous version but it's shorter and wider, by small but noticeable amounts. A new body is better balanced and more athletic. It's a bit taller but improves the coefficient of drag of 0.26, as good as it gets. It's a very lovely car, especially in charcoal. The A6 seats five, but it's a stretch. The rear center seatback doubles as a fold-down armrest so it's not contoured for a human back, and it straddles a driveline tunnel so spreads the unlucky passenger's feet. It's more comfortable for four people. Rear legroom of 37.4 inches isn't bad. By streamlining the A6 fleet, Audi has redefined the car. Only two engines carry the ...
By AOL Posted Saturday, June 15, 2013
2014 Cadillac Escalade ESV Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Large and luxurious. Introduction The Cadillac Escalade is the ultimate in full-size luxury SUVs. Escalade is capable of towing trailers of up to 8300 pounds and seats seven in its most popular configuration. It's a stylish truck, with a bold and sculpted look. The 2012 Escalade is available in three body styles: Escalade, ESV, and EXT. The standard Escalade is a full-size sport utility sharing the same architecture and roughly the same dimensions as the Chevy Tahoe. Escalade ESV is a long-wheelbase version of the Escalade. Similar in size to the Chevy Suburban, the ESV is 21 inches longer than the regular Escalade. That adds up to more third-row seating room and nearly triple the cargo space behind the third-row seats. Plus, middle passengers get windows that roll all the way down. The wheelba...
By AOL Posted Friday, June 14, 2013
2014 Cadillac Escalade Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Large and luxurious. Introduction The Cadillac Escalade is the ultimate in full-size luxury SUVs. Escalade is capable of towing trailers of up to 8300 pounds and seats seven in its most popular configuration. It's a stylish truck, with a bold and sculpted look. The 2012 Escalade is available in three body styles: Escalade, ESV, and EXT. The standard Escalade is a full-size sport utility sharing the same architecture and roughly the same dimensions as the Chevy Tahoe. Escalade ESV is a long-wheelbase version of the Escalade. Similar in size to the Chevy Suburban, the ESV is 21 inches longer than the regular Escalade. That adds up to more third-row seating room and nearly triple the cargo space behind the third-row seats. Plus, middle passengers get windows that roll all the way down. The wheelba...
By AOL Posted Friday, June 14, 2013
2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Lineup of sport compacts from sensible to sensational. Introduction The Mitsubishi Lancer offers an enticing range of compact cars from practical economy to sensible all-wheel-drive sedan to sporty liftback to rally rocket. The Lancer sports a tidy, sleekish shape with a bold and distinctive shark mouth. Its interior is clean, seating is comfortable, instrumentation is blessedly simple. Good engines give it good value, with its base model bringing 26/34 miles per gallon City/Highway, according to the EPA. Seven airbags, including one for the driver's knee, help make it safe, in addition to anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and the mandated tire pressure monitor. Lancer was last redesigned for the 2008 model year. The 2012 Lancer SE is a new model. It uses Mitsubishi's all-wheel drive system...
By AOL Posted Thursday, June 13, 2013
2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. Lineup of sport compacts from sensible to sensational. Introduction The Mitsubishi Lancer offers an enticing range of compact cars from practical economy to sensible all-wheel-drive sedan to sporty liftback to rally rocket. The Lancer sports a tidy, sleekish shape with a bold and distinctive shark mouth. Its interior is clean, seating is comfortable, instrumentation is blessedly simple. Good engines give it good value, with its base model bringing 26/34 miles per gallon City/Highway, according to the EPA. Seven airbags, including one for the driver's knee, help make it safe, in addition to anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, and the mandated tire pressure monitor. Lancer was last redesigned for the 2008 model year. The 2012 Lancer SE is a new model. It uses Mitsubishi's all-wheel drive system...
By AOL Posted Thursday, June 13, 2013
2014 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Expert Review: New Car Test Drive
The following review is for a 2012 Model Year. There may be minor changes to current model you are looking at. XL means extra long. Introduction The GMC Yukon XL is a great choice for towing cars, boats, horses, and travel trailers when enclosed space is needed for passengers or cargo. Yukon XL is offered in 1500 and 2500 versions. Maximum towing capacity ranges from 7800-8100 pounds for a Yukon XL 1500 model, and about 9500 pounds on a Yukon XL 2500. (Subtract 1500-2500 pounds if the Yukon is fully loaded with people and cargo.) With its long wheelbase and full-size truck construction, the Yukon XL is a stable platform for towing while offering the interior cargo advantages of a full-size SUV. Yukon XL is GMC's version of the Chevrolet Suburban. As the XL suggests, the Yukon XL is extra-long, 20 inches longer than the standard-length Yukon. Like the Suburban, the Yukon XL seats seven to nine people, depending on conf...
By AOL Posted Thursday, June 13, 2013