Sep 5, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS< 2010 Kia Soul+ The car is the 2010 Kia Soul. Designed in Southern California, it's the Korean automaker's entry in the "urban" car niche, and like its competitors from Scion and Nissan, the Soul is the box it came in, all the better to fit friends and stuff in style. A now-convent ... Continue reading
2010 Lexus RX 450h and Lexus HS 250h: Two New Hybrids From Lexus
Aug 28, 2009
By Carey Russ A decade ago, when I first drove a Toyota Prius prototype, I could tell that its gasoline-electric power system would make a fine power source for a luxury car. Even that rather unrefined engineering test car was remarkably smooth and quiet when operating in electric mode with the gasoline engine off. So ... Continue reading
2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 SL Review
Aug 14, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 SL Want to be the center of attention as you drive, but don't want to spend exotic car megabucks? Get a Nissan Cube. I've been driving one for the past week, and a most entertaining week it has been. Any seat inside a Cube is a people-watcher's paradise - watch ... Continue reading
2009 Volkswagen Routan SE Review
Aug 10, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Volkswagen Routan SE What had started in the 1950s with the venerable Type 2 Microbus and continued with the Vanagon and EuroVan came to an end, in the US at least, in the early `00s. By that time the VW van had morphed from a relatively inexpensive workhorse to a pricey if we ... Continue reading
2010 Mazda3 5-Door Grand Touring Review
Aug 2, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2010 Mazda3 5-Door Grand Touring Dare to be different. If Mazda is not one of the major Japanese import-brand manufacturers, no worries. Instead of attempting to compete with mass-market blandness, Mazda carves its own niches by building cars with character. Case in point: the seco ... Continue reading
Jul 26, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Nissan Rogue SL FWD When SUV demand went from rugged outdoors fantasy to comfortable suburban reality, macho truck to family crossover, Nissan scored big with its midsize Murano. Named after a type of Italian glass and with its "Adventures in on-roading" introductory tag line, ... Continue reading
2009 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV Review
Jul 19, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Nissan made sports cars. The best-known was the Z-car, then known as the 300ZX in both naturally-aspirated and ferocious turbo form. At a lower level of performance was the 240SX, four cylinders, 2.4 liters, and still spo ... Continue reading
Jul 19, 2009
by Carey Russ The sun is shining, and I'm driving on the Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County, California, just south of Los Angeles. With the top down, in a Lexus. If that sounds like a Hollywood dream scenario, the reality is a bit different. In the movie, there would be no traffic, and the road would be perfectly ... Continue reading
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Review
Jul 12, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROADWITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Diesel is not what it once was. If your association with Dr. Rudolf Diesel's namesake engine includes the words "underpowered", "slow", "noisy", "smelly", or "sooty", you need to be brought into the 21st Century. Modern diesels, as exemplified by Volkswagen ... Continue reading
2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid Review
Jul 9, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid If Nissan is not be the first automaker to come to mind when you think of advanced drivetrain technology, maybe it's time to change your thinking. Nissan has tested the hybrid market for the past couple of years with the Altima Hybrid, and that's only the ... Continue reading
Jun 28, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 BMW 128i Coupe What is a "sports car"? The classic definition once was: a two-seat roadster, a car stripped to the essentials for going fast. Which meant minimal weather protection, in purest form not even a folding top or side windows, never mind passenger heating or cooling. ... Continue reading
Jun 14, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Acura RL CMBS A Legend is a tough act to follow, but that's what the first RL did in mid-1996 when Acura replaced its original Legend nameplate with the alphabetic designator. As Acura's flagship luxury-performance sedan, the RL has always combined a high degree of technology, ... Continue reading
2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro Review
Jun 7, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Audi A6 3.0T quattro Need an example of excellence in a mid-sized luxury sedan? Look no further than the Audi A6. And in particular, look at the 2009 Audi A6 3.0T quattro. The 3.0T quattro is a new addition to the A6 sedan lineup this year, fitting between the front-wheel driv ... Continue reading
2009 Nissan Versa 1.6 Sedan Review
May 30, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Nissan Versa 1.6 Sedan Review The usual specification for a vehicle in the press fleet is top of the line model, fully optioned, or reasonably close to that. With a Nissan Versa sedan, that would mean a 1.8 SL with all possible options. But times are tough... What I've just sp ... Continue reading
2009 Mazda6 i Sedan Grand Touring Review
May 17, 2009
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2009 Mazda6 i Sedan Grand Touring Say "mid-size sedan" and you'll likely immediately think of one of the two or three most popular cars in that most popular of categories. Cars designed by committee, with input from focus groups and customer clinics to ensure the broadest possible ... Continue reading
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