2008 MAZDA5: Less is More

Mazda has had a string of notable successes lately. The MAZDA3, CX-7 and CX-9 have all exceeded corporate sales expectations and have planted the Japanese automaker firmly on the map. With the 2008 MAZDA5, Mazda hopes to continue the positive sales trend.

The 2008 MAZDA5 Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV), if marketed correctly, should re-write [...]

2008 Chevrolet Malibu Video

The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is being heralded as the vehicle that can help save the Big Three from their current slump, and well, after getting some seat time in the new Malibu, we’d be inclined to agree.

The 2008 Malibu is wrapped in a neatly styled package with a price that can’t be referred [...]

2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid Video

Though the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid is only available in the eight states that have accepted the California Emissions standards, the Altima Hybrid is desirable to those who just want to save money on ever-rising gas prices. If getting 43 city/36 highway isn’t enough of a bargain, the $2,350 tax credit on the 2007 [...]

2008 Nissan Altima Coupe First Drive

You may be wondering why Nissan is bothering to launch a new car (the Altima coupe) into the auto market when they are already doing so well. The warranty claim rate on Nissan vehicles has dropped 60% in the past two years. The company hopes to launch a 3-liter, Nissan-original hybrid that gets [...]

2007 Mazda CX-7-First Look

Mazda has released details on the new CX-7 crossover SUV, a 2007 model which should be in dealerships this spring. Production of the CX-7 began last week in Hiroshima, Japan. Pricing will start at $23,750, making the curvaceous newcomer a quite comely competitor in the small SUV segment—where style is often secondary to shape.

Ahead [...]

2006 Mazda5: Pint-Sized People-Mover

Those wacky Japanese-thanks to them we get those neat t-shirts (you know, the ones that read “Super Happy Fun Boy!” or “Winning is for me #1!”), and that cool script that less-imaginative gaigin use to tattoo platitudes on themselves. We also get a glimpse of what their roadways must look like-pint-sized, grinning machines straight out [...]

Renewed Assault - Hyundai Azera Declares War on the Near-Premium Segment

Toyota’s Avalon, Buick’s LaCrosse and cars of their ilk have just been put on notice. Hyundai, the South Korean brand that has blasted its way into the economy car and small SUV segments–after a total 180 from their early days of disposable Excels–is at it again. The new target is the sub-$30K near-premium class, and [...]

2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS…Bow Down?

Mitsubishi has been pumping out some seriously self-confident advertising these days. Seems the corporate financial woes haven’t put a damper on the mood in the advertising department. Still, you can buy all the TV time you want, showing competitors cars bowing down (or even frightened into incontinence), but what matters is the product. And there’s [...]

Improving on an Original: All-New ‘05 Mazda MX-5 Miata

It was this reporter’s birthday, and one of the last weeks of warm sun and late days–the kind of week that just begs for a fun car. Perhaps it was kismet that the all-new Miata–the newest version of the car that practically *invented* fun–was in our driveway. Perhaps it was the pleading emails we sent [...]

A Surprising Sonata: Hyundai’s New Midsizer for 2006

Hyundai this year debuted their all-new high-volume midsize Hyundai Sonata sedan, at what CEO Bob Cosmai called “the most important launch in our history.” We first experienced the car in the San Francisco Bay area, at a generous junket that couldn’t help but leave a favorable taste in our mouths. Since then, we’ve had a [...]

Chevy Tunes a Cobalt: The 2006 SS Kicks aSS

It’ll be a long time coming, but sooner or later, the public at large will realize that GM really has screwed together some decent automobiles of late. The base Cobalt is a case in point–sure, its Cadavalier predecessor was so bad they had to drop the name altogether for the economy car’s replacement, but this [...]

Detroit Builds a Lexus? Buick’s LaCrosse: Surprisingly Good

Let’s get this out of the way right now. You may see the Buick LaCrosse (stripped-down versions, at least) populating your local rental-car outlet’s lot-but if you’re set thinking about the LaCrosse as a rental-car, you’d better change your perceptions of rental cars. This Buick-maybe for the first time-actually hits the targets set for it [...]