2009 Nissan Murano: “Murano-ness” Exemplified

Driving the all-new 2009 Nissan Murano, I had a flashback to winter, 2002, when a blizzard struck the Washington, D.C. area. My niece, who suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia, was having a crisis, and had to be quickly transported to Children’s Hospital in Washington. The only problem was the snow was so [...]

2008 Toyota Highlander LTD Video

The Toyota Highlander has been upgraded for 2008 model year, growing taller, wider and longer by offering 95.4 cubic feet of total cargo capacity, an increase from the predecessor’s 81.6 cubic feet. The Highlander has really packed on the pounds with the added cargo space and some of the new features, making the ‘08 [...]

2008 Subaru Tribeca: Toeing the Line

For 2008, Subaru has significantly re-vamped its full-size Tribeca crossover SUV. The original Tribeca, released in 2005, was puzzlingly called the “B9 Tribeca” and featured what looked like an upside-down Alfa Romeo grille. For those of us with a sympathetic eye toward daring design, the car was fine the way it was. [...]

2008 Nissan Titan PRO-4X

In 2004, the brand-new Nissan Titan was the biggest, brawniest full-size truck from Japan. A 305-horsepower V8 and freight-train styling raised the game, and alerted Detroit to an attack on one of the last segments the American Big Three still dominated. It didn’t offer as much variety as the established lines from Ford, [...]

2008 Subaru Tribeca Video

In its third year of production, the 2008 Subaru Tribeca has come a long way from the original 2006 B9 Tribeca. With styling changes equivalent to allowing Ty Pennington to makeover your home, the 2008 Tribeca (noticeably missing the B9 moniker) has responded to the public’s initial and unkind complaints about styling.

Performance-wise, the 5-speed [...]

2008 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited - A Wolf in Billy Goat’s Clothing

Starting this article is tough. There is no way to properly set my reader up for the surprise I experienced lately without sounding contrived or hucksterish. This experience came behind the wheel of Subaru’s Outback wagon, specifically the 243-hp 2.5 XT variant with the 2.5-liter turbocharged ‘boxer’ four and all-wheel-drive.

When I heard that [...]

2008 BMW 135i First Drive Video

Since its inception in 2004, the BMW 1 Series has generated a lot of buzz, both across the pond and right here in our backyard. But, in July 2007, when the 1 Series Coupe became a tangible reality, we only had a small inkling that the 135i Coupe would/could become the new must-have premium [...]

2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4×4 Video

The 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4×4 is still one of the best off-road vehicles, even with its upgrade to four doors. Our tester came with the optional 4-speed automatic transmission and skid plate (only an $845 upgrade), perfect for the off-road enthusiast. The engine is a 3.8L V6 with 202 horsepower at [...]

Sales Commander? Jeep’s Big New Baby

Depending on your outlook on life, Jeep is either a pioneering symbol of Americana, or a devilish corporate tool of the netherworld. After all, the old ‘General Purpose Vehicle’ just about saved our bacon back there in a couple of overseas conflicts-and yet the Grand Cherokee, sales favorite that it was and is, is often [...]

All-Wheel Driven (to Succeed): Audi A4 2.0T Quattro

Every brand has one–the staple seller; the for-the-masses car on which a corporation’s fortunes rest. Audi’s bread-and-butter line, the A4 comes in sedan, two-door convertible and wagon variants. Of course, with the falling value of the dollar eating profits and ever-encroaching competition from Japanese, German and even American luxury brands, the A4 is more [...]

2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: High Speed Fun in the Sun

Ford Mustang: always an American icon, it was entirely redesigned and re-engineered for 2005, becoming by all accounts one of the best new cars of the model year and an outstanding sporty-car sales success - the likes of which Ford Motor Company hasn’t seen since the original, 41 years ago. We love the Ford Mustang. [...]