The Audi A4 sticker comes with the slogan: “Truth in Engineering”. After test-driving the 2009 A4 for a full week on short trips and long hauls that took me from the Civil War battlefields of Pennsylvania and Maryland, to the farm communities, capital cities and waterside getaways of the two states, it is apparent that 8th generation luxury sedan – known internally as a compact executive car – is a German-engineered delight. Assembled in Necka . . . read more

What happens when you take a cute, but unassuming sportwagon, hitch it up to a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and add electronics and handling advances? You get a vehicle that can thrill the performance and style crowd, excite tuner enthusiasts and pump up the adrenaline in even the most sedate drivers. You also get the 2009 MazdaSpeed3: a hatchback with “zoom-zoom.” A high-performance compact with enough styling to appeal to college-age driv . . . read more

The Dodge Journey Crossover is a sporty, small-sized CUV designed to be fun for young drivers, functional for married-with-children parents, easy to maneuver around town and attractive enough to take mom and dad and their friends out for a night on the town. If Dodge pays attention to its own demographics, they’d realize that the Journey is also a Scout-mom car or a vehicle of choice for young women who want a vehicle that serves as a family h . . . read more

The Acura TSX was first introduced in 2003 as an entry-level replacement for the under-selling Acura C and has filled the void created with the discontinuation of Integra in 2001. Apparently included in Acura’s plans for the future, TSX may survive the Acura RSX after that marque ceases production. Prior to this year, the TSX was only sold in North America, but it will travel South of the Border to Mexican dealerships this year. The smallest . . . read more

Chrysler has been an American automotive giant since Walter P. Chrysler founded the company in 1925 (the Chrysler 70 was put on display in 1924). After 83 years, its current foray into the SUV world is the Chrysler Aspen (some call it Chrysler’s first SUV, but the Pacifica predates it and some even consider the PT Cruiser a small SUV). While Aspen is a twin to its sister, the Dodge Durango, Aspen still represents a series of firsts for the Winged . . . read more

Mercedes Benz debuted its stunning CLS only three years ago, introducing the world to its first luxury four-door coupe. Barely in need of a freshening, Mercedes Benz has chosen not to mess with a good thing and has made only subtle changes in this exciting, lavish driver’s vehicle. A sleek new nose and stunning 2-bar grille with a mesh background (replacing the outgoing 4-bar grille), larger exterior mirrors, built-in arrow-shaped turn signals . . . read more

Gas-pump prices have made the automotive world “green” conscious. So much so that even cars with fuel-friendly histories have gone hybrid. One of those automobiles, the Honda Civic, has been a conservation car for 35 years, and it has evolved from being a no-frills transportation vehicle to a stylish, high-tech driving pleasure. Many people believe the name Civic came from its CVCC (Controlled Vortex Combustion Chamber) engine, but that powerp . . . read more

The truck arm of the GM Empire is GMC, and a GMC truck generally means power, torque and ruggedness in a work-truck universe. Sometimes, however, GMC assembles vehicles that are essentially indistinguishable from its Chevrolet siblings with the exception of the proud GMC badge and a few options. In the 2008 GMC Sierra 2500 HD, the General has created a very good, tough, sturdy truck with some interior accouterments, but one that is fundamentally . . . read more

Historically, Volvo has been known as the Swedish car company that produces solid, dependable, reliable vehicles that don’t break down. But they also gained a reputation for building boxy cars with uninspired lines – the 1800S used in “The Saint” TV show from the 1960s, notwithstanding. Its cars were built with quality and were workmanlike, but generally were not considered to be “fun” cars. The “quality”, “non-breakable” assertion still holds . . . read more

The “Super” badge has been returned to the Buick stable for the first time in 50 years and it has been placed on the body of the 2008 Lucerne. Buick brought the Lucerne into the automotive world in 2006 as a replacement for the LeSabre and Park Avenue and it became the fourth Buick vehicle to begin with the letter “L”, joining LeSabre (1959-2005), Limited (1936-1942, 1958) and LaCrosse (2005 - Current). The Lucerne Super represents the third vers . . . read more

The 1940s meets the 21st century with Chevrolet’s 2008 HHR SS Turbo, an homage to the past with a performance eye toward the present. Listed in several surveys as one of the Top 10 “College Cars” on the market, the HHR is a retro celebration aimed at younger drivers. That marketing thrust is paying off to the tune of 100,000 units sold per year. Named for its “Heritage High Roof,” and looking like a like a modern version of the 1949 Chevy Subu . . . read more

Now in its second generation, the Lexus IS luxury sport sedan tandem (the IS 250 and IS 350) have become more refined, more luxurious and have added increased sportiness and drivability. The suffix numbers relate to engine size, with the 250 driven by a 2.5-liter engine, and the 350 by a 3.5-liter powerplant. A product of the Lexus L-finesse design program, the IS 350 is a rear-wheel-drive ride that emphasizes sporty athleticism. Displaying a . . . read more

The Corvette, arguably the first American sports car, was introduced at the Motorama Car Show in 1953, and for 55 years, the ageless Chevrolet-badged head-turner has reigned supreme as the American car that has captured the imagination of automotive enthusiasts around the world. Last week, some 5,000 of them cruised in and around Central Pennsylvania to attend the annual Corvettes at Carlisle extravaganza. Among them were a group of 2008 Corvette . . . read more

The 2008 GMC Yukon is a full-size sports-utility vehicle that puts the “full” in full-size. Akin to its sibling, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the Yukon is a truck-based SUV that shares its underpinnings with the GMC Sierra and the Chevrolet Silverado. Often, onlookers find it difficult to determine whether an SUV is car-based or truck-based, but with the Yukon, there is no doubt that this vehicle is designed on a truck platform. Weighing in at a massi . . . read more

The Pontiac G8 is an all-new offering from the Chief that doesn’t replace the G6, it lives alongside it, and perhaps above it in terms of styling, luxury and status. Often, vehicles with numbers attached to them, make engine sense. A car ending in 500 could have a 500hp engine or a 5.0-liter engine. A vehicle ending in 4 could have a 4-cylinder powerplant. But my test G8 was confusing, as my test vehicle sported only a V-6 engine, instead of t . . . read more

The traditional sports car on the American scene is the little red coupe with power to spare, an aggressive spirit and curves that turn heads. Nissan’s luxury-sports group, Infiniti, adds some size and luxury to the equation, but carries on the sports-driving legacy on U.S. roadways with the 2008 G37. What was the G35, with a 3.5-liter engine, has now grown into the G37 and its 3.7-liter powerplant. The extra .2 liters also adds about 24 horse . . . read more

Mazda’s slogan is: “Mazda, always the soul of a sports car.” Its zoom-zoom approach resonates with today’s young buyer as well as with those of us who remember and drove true muscle cars and genuine old-school roadsters that blazed down the drag strips and sauntered confidently around town on cruise nights. Mazda’s sports car soul is exemplified in its Miata, a car that appeals to the high school-college-young adult niche as well as with those . . . read more

The obvious line would be: If Ozzie and Harriet were Swedish, they’d drive a Volvo V70. Well, they’d drive one if Ozzie were status-conscious and wanted an up-market, luxury wagon to take David and Ricky on a family vacation. Or perhaps the Bradys could take a very Brady vacation in a V70. OK, maybe today’s young families aren’t hip to old-school allusions, so suffice it to say that today’s soccer moms and Little League dads and those familie . . . read more

The annual international summit meeting of governments, the Group of Eight, or G8, recently met in Hokkaido, Japan, with global hunger and the oil crisis receiving the most attention from the environment ministers. With oil and gas consumption and the ecological damage caused by pollutants receiving so much international concern, the current automotive market focus couldn’t be more favorable for an inspired hybrid niche. And when the entrant h . . . read more

The Nissan Altima can trace its lineage back to the Datsun (Nissan) Bluebird in 1957. Sitting in the Nissan line-up between the Sentra and Maxima, the Altima began as a compact, but is now a mid-size that is as luxurious, quiet and upscale as many full-size flagships. The name Altima was first employed as a trim line of the Nissan Laurel mid-size sedan sold in the Caribbean before 1992. In 1993, when Nissan ended its Stanza line, the U.S.-made . . . read more

Celebrating 60 years as an off-road innovator, Land Rover has created a vehicle that will accept any terrain challenge and fulfill the driver’s need for adventure, while being adorned with all the luxury, electronic advancements and power worthy of an upscale vehicle. Those attributes embody the 2008 Range Rover Sport HSE, and if automotive enthusiasts believe that $4/gallon fuel is sounding a death knell for the SUV, consider recent sales result . . . read more

The Ford Focus 2-door Coupe SES first introduced in 1998, has gained a slow, steady following, and its time might have come now, given the fuel and economic climate in America as well as the buying trends of its target market. Built in Wayne, Michigan, the Focus is the hottest-selling vehicle in the Blue Oval arsenal, with sales rising by 44 percent in May and continuing at the same clip in June. The current market has turned Ford purchases ba . . . read more

Jeep, arguably the first and oldest sports utility vehicle has become almost a generic term for any vehicle with the shape, style and function of a sports-ute. In fact, the term “jeeping” is a currently used verb employed to describe off-roading or driving an SUV in particularly tough conditions or environs. But there really is only one proper use for the word “Jeep,” and that is as it pertains to any of the vehicles manufactured by the Jeep b . . . read more

Billed as “The driver’s SUV,” Acura’ s flagship sports-ute, the MDX, blends functionality, technology and luxury in a package that is fun behind the wheel. While driving the 2008 MDX for a week of testing, I heard more than a dozen positive comments about the car’s design, look and abilities and not a single negative retort, and I found that the crossover is a vehicle that begs to be driven. Acura, Honda’s high-tech, luxury division, has s . . . read more

I was questioned recently by an automotive enthusiast who wanted my opinion on those smaller car manufacturers who don’t have the illustrious and storied pasts of the major carmakers. These lesser-known manufacturers typically build lower-cost vehicles and have reputations for creating low-frills cars with suspect quality and lots of plastic. I gave the questioner my honest impression, after test driving hundreds of cars over the past four yea . . . read more

When Mazda came out with its first rotary engine vehicle in 1967, the buzz was that the Wankel engine would revolutionize the auto industry. With fewer moving parts, better gas mileage, fewer contaminants dispersed and smooth power delivery from a compact, lightweight engine, the 4-stroke power plant first used by Mazda in its Cosmo Sport (known as the 110S overseas) was the innovation car-buyers were looking for. Mazda used the hype to propel it . . . read more

Noted conservationist Paul McCartney, the former Beatle, was in the news recently for having his 2008 Lexus LS 600h Hybrid shipped to him by cargo plane rather than by ocean vessel. Environmentalists complained that he offset any ecological gains he would have made with the car, by using an airplane. Shipping aside, if this vehicle is good enough for a billionaire conservationist, it certainly is worthy of a strong look by the rest of us. The . . . read more

As an influx of English cars parade through Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for the British-themed Import-Kit/Replicar show at the Fairgrounds, one car stood out from the rest, an ultra-luxury vehicle that carries the winged-B badge of James Bond’s first car. Most 007 fans believe that the Bond car is an Aston-Martin, but before James Bond drove an Aston-Martin (in Ian Fleming’s books), he drove a Bentley. In fact (actually, in Fleming’s fiction), the . . . read more

Almost everything on the asphalt today is marketed as a crossover, but when you look at the 2008 Suzuki SX4, you see a vehicle that seems to exemplify the genre. Is it an SUV? Is it a crossover? Is it a small hatchback? The answer is “yes.” The SX4 is all of those things and it is priced to sell. Assembled in Kosai, Japan, the SX4 is arguably the most affordable all-wheel-drive vehicle in America, as it is stickered under $17,000. When . . . read more

Nitro is an explosive (nitroglycerin). It is also a rollercoaster at Six Flags, New Jersey that is 230 feet high, 5394 feet long and travels at 80mph …diving 215 feet. It is billed as “the most explosive coaster on the planet.” So when Dodge chose to name its first mid-size SUV Nitro in 2007, it had to present a bold, aggressive, hearty vehicle with explosive performance to match. Well, its features are certainly attractive enough to succ . . . read more

People who are serious about their trucks and who see these vehicles as necessarily functional for work, but who also want to use them for play and for refined, upscale activities, are looking toward the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 LTZ Crew Cab. A full-size ¾-ton body-on-frame truck, the Silverado 2500 was created as a blend of power needed in a work truck with the ability to pull and carry cargo, the muscle and stability to take on off-road . . . read more

"SAAB," is an acronym for "Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolaget," which is Swedish for "Swedish Aircraft Company”. Established in 1937 – with roots hearkening back to 1911 with the merger of Swedish automobile company Scania and railroad car and automobile maker Vabis – Saab has endured several mergers and re-organizations, and in the 1940s, the company produced the Svenska B-17 dive bomber. In 1947, Saab Automobile began producing automobiles and gaine . . . read more

Some SUVs and crossovers are car based and others are truck based. Often it is difficult to tell which are which. You have no such problem when seeing or driving the Acadia. Oh, and it weighs about 5,000 lbs. Take one look, or drive it around the block once and you’ll know --truck. While it is not a traditional body-on-frame truck, GMC, the General Motors division that has spent the last century building its reputation as a truck-building gian . . . read more

Cerberus, the new corporate owner of Chrysler has indicated that it is considering cutting costs by re-branding some of its badges. If that comes to pass, loyal Dodge owners might have to reconcile driving Chrysler musclecars with the winged medallion replacing the stalwart Ram insignia. A Chrysler Viper or Chrysler Charger might be seen on the streets in years to come, but for now, Dodge is still home to some of the most iconic and exciting v . . . read more

Spring is here and that means it’s time to get out your convertible roadster, take the top down and drive like the wind, with fresh air flowing through your hair and in and around the topless cabin. If you don’t already own a convertible, it’s time to check a few out. For my first press fleet car of the spring, I was fortunate enough to test drive the 2008 Honda S2000 CR in sunshine and 60-degree temperatures throughout central Pennsylvania an . . . read more

Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, was the winged messenger, known for his speed. In the 1930s, Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, sought to increase the “Blue Oval’s” commerce by adding a brand in between the average-man’s car, The Ford Deluxe, and the luxury car of the rich-and-famous, the Lincoln Zephyr. Designers came up with a new division, called Mercury, and its first vehicle, a distinctively styled and innovative car called the Mercury Ei . . . read more

Saturn has developed a car that is built in Antwerp, Belgium and brought to market in America to replace the Ion as the GM Division’s smallest compact – the Astra. It is an international vehicle – a Euro-car filled with safety features and sportiness with econo-car performance. Marketed in the United States and Canada as the Saturn Astra, and available in three- and five-door hatchback versions, the car is sold in Europe, the Republic of Irela . . . read more

If you are old-school, “Pathfinder” to you, is a novel by James Fenimore Cooper that is set in the Great Lakes of the 1750s and traces the adventures of the Leatherstocking Deerslayer, Natty Bumppo, a woodsman and champion of Native Americans. If you are rocket-age and more likely to look skyward than in the pages of a book, then Pathfinder to you, relates to the Mars Pathfinder, launched December 4, 1966. It was equipped with an alpha proton . . . read more

The Chevrolet Malibu, named for the trendy, Southern California beach community of the stars and beautiful people, began life as a mid-range Chevelle in 1964. By 1978, Malibu, which had become an FWD car, replaced Chevelle in the Chevy line-up, and in the years since, has had many incarnations as a vinyl-topped two-tone sedan, station wagon, coupe and muscle car. Now in its sixth generation, the front-drive Malibu, built on a platform it share . . . read more

What is American and green-friendly, designed in Korea, styled in Europe and assembled in Mexico? It is the 2008 Saturn Vue Greenline Hybrid, an SUV without a sports-ute appetite or sticker price. Considered a compact cross-over SUV, the Vue is part of Saturn’s line-up that shares styling cues with several of parent-GM’s European children. The Vue is Saturn’s top-selling vehicle in America and is similar in appearance to GM’s international Ant . . . read more

There’s something about the Jaguar that still makes the heart pound with excitement. From its early years as the Swallow, in the 1920s, to its days of domination on the tracks of Europe as a Jaguar in the 1950s, through its highway presence today, as a division of Ford Motor Company (which acquired the Coventry-based motorcar maker in 1989), the Jaguar has embodied the sleek powerful feline after which it is named. I test drove the 2008 Jaguar . . . read more

At Hummer, the division of GM devoted to refining and marketing the rugged civilian truck that was inspired by the military HumVee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle), they continue to make the right moves. Creating an icon that is second only to Corvette in GM’s toy and accessory sales, the latest Hummer incarnation, the H3 Alpha, continues the line of vehicles that are made more user-friendly with each generation. The original HumVe . . . read more

No one can say that Ford doesn’t learn from its mistakes. When it canceled production on a once-popular nameplate and found that its successor didn’t fare much better in terms of sales, Ford also discovered that name recognition for the former badge still ranked high. So the Blue Oval reversed course and brought back the nostalgic name, benching the newer nameplate, and then improving the car in an effort to rejuvenate the line. The nameplates . . . read more

Toyota, the world leader in sales of gas-electric hybrid vehicles, will build its first plug-in hybrid by 2010. That puts Toyota head-to-head with General Motors in the plug-in arena, as GM has plans to sell its own plug-in, the Volt, in 2010. To hit that deadline, Toyota is developing a fleet of plug-in hybrids that run on lithium-ion batteries, instead of the nickel-metal hydride batteries that currently power Toyota’s Prius and other models . . . read more

The old adage from the 1950s, “…homerun hitters drive Cadillacs,” embodied America’s opinion of the Caddy in the mid-1900s. It was the epitome of American luxury, high-tech quality and gadgetry. It was a status symbol. Elvis Presley had one and gave some away as gifts. Sugar Ray Robinson drove one. So did Ike (that’s President Eisenhower, not Ike Turner). By the 1980s, Cadillac had fallen out of favor with some of its audience and its quality . . . read more

While the mid-size sports utility vehicle market may not be on the meteoric upswing that it enjoyed in the 1990s, it is still a solid automotive market in the late-oughts despite rising fuel costs and environmental concerns. Among car-based mid-size sports-utes, the Toyota Highlander, first launched in 2001, and fresh off a complete re-design, is the more family-friendly of Toyota’s three SUVs in the category, balancing the niche with the rug . . . read more

For years, many car enthusiasts mused that Volvo must be the Scandinavian word for “boxy,” though just as many Volvo supporters would opt for a definition of “unbreakable.” Volvo, which began building cars in 1927, is actually Latin for "I roll.” The “unbreakable” reputation still holds, as Volvo continues to produce solid, reliable transportation, but the rip for manufacturing boxy cars no longer holds true, as imagination, inspiration and . . . read more

Scion is the vanguard-thinking, hip-marketing branch of Toyota that produces cars for the young. As a brand, Scion’s demographics are heavily into the 30-somethings, and many vehicles purchased by 50-plus buyers are really being bought for their teen-aged kids. The Scion age profile shows that 42 percent of their sales are to the 36-55 group and 38 percent are bought by the 16-35 demographic. An average age of around 30 puts the marque well unde . . . read more