Sep 30, 2005
NISSAN VERSA A Timely Addition to the Nissan Family By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau After teetering on the brink of disaster a few years ago Nissan has come back strong under the guidance of the auto industry’s brightest mega star, president Carlos Ghosn (rhymes with bone), who believes any problem can be solved by ... Continue reading
Sep 28, 2005
A Genteel Luxury Cruiser<br> By Steve Purdy<br> Detroit Bureau<p> “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” goes the old adage. The A8 made a great first impression. We only get these test cars for about a week and must develop impressions rather hastily sometimes. This Audi was still impr ... Continue reading
2006 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Review
Sep 14, 2005
VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI On The High Road To Taos By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Auto companies don’t often introduce a new model to the press in northern New Mexico. The elevations begin at around 7,600-feet at Sante Fe and rise from there. Most engines loose power at those elevations making them seem anemic, but the ... Continue reading
Aug 7, 2005
2005 MAZDA6 s<br> By Steve Purdy<br> Detroit Bureau<p> Finally, the flashy Mazda6 arrived here at TheAutoChannel’s Detroit Bureau for a road test. We’ve been looking forward to a little time with it for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is its reputation, gleaned from the mostly glowing reviews o ... Continue reading
2006 Volkswagen Passat Debuts at Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance
Aug 7, 2005
By Steve Purdy<br> Detroit Bureau The traditional Tuesday-before-the-show press conference for the prestigious Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance was augmented this year by the world debut of the new Volkswagen Passat and its fresh and frisky new 280-horsepower V-6 engine. Journalists squinted against the searing h ... Continue reading
2005 Concours D'Elegance at Cranbrook
Jul 27, 2005
Rain, Rain Go Away By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Rain, rain go away. Come again some other day. That was the lament Sunday morning on the beautiful campus of the Cranbrook Educational Community, one of the nation’s premier art and educational institutions, about 25 miles north of Detroit. Anxious collectors and o ... Continue reading
Jul 17, 2005
CADILLAC XLR - EXPLORING MICHIGAN’S GOLD COAST By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau The plan was simple. The sexy new 2-seat Cadillac XLR was to be delivered on Tuesday. At the crack of dawn Wednesday we’d pack a bag and head south, visit the factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Thursday then get half way home. F ... Continue reading
Jun 30, 2005
By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Having watched the step-by-step development of the new Mustang by way of the buff magazines and the Detroit Auto Show I didn’t expect to be quite so taken by the retro charm of this wonderful automobile. When it’s suddenly a hands-on experience rather than an observational one ... Continue reading
Jun 13, 2005
By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Just as Lexus is Toyota’s luxury division Scion is the youth division, aimed at youngsters who like a bit of style, lots of dependability, an affordable price and the ability to accessorize. Scion products do a good job of appealing to that target market. Three models of high content ... Continue reading
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid Review
Jun 5, 2005
FORD ESCAPE HYBRID By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau We’re poised to give the Escape Hybrid a good workout. We’ll use it as the support vehicle on a video road trip featuring the cute little city vehicle called Smart Car made by Mercedes Benz and imported to Canada. (See the Smart Car review here at TheAutoChan ... Continue reading
May 31, 2005
SMART CAR ‘FORTWO’ BY MERCEDES BENZ By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau The buzz at the North American (Detroit) International Auto Show in January included rumors that parent company Mercedes Benz might seriously consider bringing the cute little Smart Car to US shores. They were able to score a small piece of p ... Continue reading
May 16, 2005
FORD FOCUS ST ZX4 Just Plain Fun – Really Plain Fun By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Our pal Pete Olsen at Ford Media Services knew that I had recently reviewed the awesome Neon SRT-4 pocket rocket when he offered a ride in the Focus ZX4 ST. He cautioned me not to expect the little Ford to match up to the little Neo ... Continue reading
2005 Toyota Tundra Double Cab Review
May 2, 2005
Runnin’ With The Big Dogs<br> By Steve Purdy<br> Detroit Bureau <p> “Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch,” was the motto of the first Cannonball One Lap of America Rally – a motto we like to live by. <p> Toyota certainly wasn’t timid about jumping off the porch into the rush of full ... Continue reading
Apr 15, 2005
Easy To Live With<p> By Steve Purdy<br> TheAutoChannel.com Detroit Bureau<p> Is it a car or is it a truck? Is it a sport-utility or a station wagon? Is it a kid hauler or a luxury coach? I guess it’s a bit of all of those. Ford’s fresh new Freestyle is the square backed version of the mass-market Five Hundr ... Continue reading
2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4 Review Street Racer Extraordinaire
Apr 4, 2005
Dodge Neon SRT-4 Street Racer Extraordinaire By Steve Purdy Detroit Bureau Now, here’s a youngster I can relate to! Some may accuse me of being a bit curmudgeonly in my old age. I find it hard to understand modern styles like a two-day growth of beard, the baseball cap as costume worn inside a nice restaurant and ... Continue reading
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