Secondhand Saint: Jeep Wrangler TJ
Posted: March 30, 2012 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 4x4, Boxy, Convertible, Jeep, Jeep Wrangler, Mind over motor, Off-Roading, PowerTech, reliable, Secondhand Saint, Showcase, Sport Utility, SUV, TJ, Wrangler 1 Comment »
Jeep can be considered the inventor of the SUV in America. The Wrangler, still in production today, is a reminder of where the original SUV came from. The TJ model, produced from 1997-2006, is, in my opinion, the best interpretation and the best mix of modern technology and old-style design, with time-tested engines, classic styling, and unlimited ability to go anywhere. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2009 Chevrolet HHR SS
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2.0, 260, 4, back, Chevrolet, Chevy, cylinder, Drive, ecotec, FWD, GM, Hatch, HHR, hp, manual, milk, Mind, motor, Over, review, Small, space, SS, steer, SUV, T, Test, Torque, Truck, turbo, Wagon 2 Comments »
Chevy HHR SS
The HHR is a car that is definitely overlooked by most people. It was a reaction to the Chrysler PT Cruiser, but it took GM 5 whole years before it was in showrooms. The HHR was often referred to as a small SUV, but honestly its proportions are only slightly larger than those of a Mazda3, and it lacks the ground clearance of a true crossover. It is a bit of an oddball car, and it looks like an old milk truck to boot. That however does make it more interesting than the average car, especially the SS, where Chevy decided to throw in the same turbocharged 2.0L motor from the Cobalt SS. In fact I got the idea to do this review off of a whim when a bright red HHR SS pulled up next to me at a light. The car looked cool, and it peaked my interest enough that I went out and found one to test drive. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5XT
Posted: March 21, 2012 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2.5XT, 2004, Automatic, AWD, Compact, Crossover, CUV, Flat-4, Forester, H4, Impreza, Mind over motor, review, Subaru, SUV, Test Driven, turbo, XT Leave a comment »
The WRX can be considered a car that turned Subaru’s image in America around virtually overnight. Once a seller of slightly staid, yet nearly unbreakable AWD sedans and wagons, they are now a seller of reasonably priced AWD vehicles and rally sport specials such as the Impreza WRX, STi, and the Legacy 2.5GT. By 2005, every single model Subaru built had the turbocharger option available, as Subaru saw fit to make the WRX’s legacy work across the board. The Forester, a Subaru staple since 1995, received the turbo engine in 2004. The example I drove was a 2004 2.5XT Limited with about 80,000 miles, in average shape. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 Lexus RX 350 FWD
Posted: March 15, 2012 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3.5, 350, Arizona, AWD, Cross, Drive, FWD, Leather, Lexus, Luxury, Mind, motor, Nick, Over, review, RX, smooth, soft, SUV, Test, V6, Walker, wood 1 Comment »
Lexus RX 350
The Lexus RX has been a solid seller in the luxury crossover segment since its debut in 1998. The current model seems to be the best RX yet in many ways. My grandparents, out in Arizona, got an RX 350 in 2010, and they loved it so much that they went and bought an additional one in 2011. During a recent visit they were kind enough to let me take their 2011 out for a spin to see why they loved the car so much. Read the rest of this entry »
Spotted! Army-modified Jeep Cherokee XJ, New Brunswick, NJ
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: Modded, SPOTTED!, Unique | Tags: Army, Cherokee, Jeep, Mind over motor, Modded, Modified, Mud Tires, Spotted!, SUV, Unique, XJ Leave a comment »
I saw this very cool Jeep on George Street before leaving for Spring Break on Friday.
Spotted by: Albert Davis
Test Driven: 2011 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Posted: January 17, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, Off-Road Able, Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: big, Cadillac, Escalade, Escalade Hybrid, Full-Size, Gray, Hybrid, Mild HYbrid, Mind over motor, PA, Platinum, SUV, Test Driven, Truck Leave a comment »
I’ve gotten used to hybrids in the four years I’ve driven them. They aren’t glamorous, they aren’t designed to make you feel like Ayrton Senna in the mountains, and they’re certainly not designed to tow a boat. That is, of course, until General Motors decided otherwise. Meet the Cadillac Escalade. It’s the most expensive, most blinged-out, and most conspicuous SUV GM offers, and it now comes as a hybrid. I wonder what Greenpeace thinks? Well, in reality, I don’t give a damn what they think, so I decided to see what this V8-powered mild hybrid, full-size, full-frame truck was all about at the Radnor Hunt Concours last September. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Range Rover Evoque, Nick’s Take
Posted: December 30, 2011 Filed under: Off-Road Able, Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: all, AWD, Beach, beauty, California, Car, Concours, Cross, Crossover, cylinder, design, Drive, driving, Evoque, four, fun, Impressions, Inline, Land, Luxury, Mind, motor, off, Over, Pebble, Range, review, Road, Rover, Style, SUV, Test, turbo, Turbocharged, versitile, wheel Leave a comment »
Range Rover Evoque
As soon as I first laid eyes on the Evoque I knew it was going to be a game changer. It was a completely new formula for a luxury SUV that, not only, drastically redefined style, but also drivability and usability as well. Being the founding member of what seems to be an emerging segment in the high end market, the Evoque sets the precedents for future entries. I have pointed out this segment before in articles concerning the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman, however the Evoque represents the first full on luxury offering of this sort. This past year, at Pebble Beach, Land Rover was holding Evoque test drives, so having been eager to try it out since I saw it, I signed the papers and took one out for a spin. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Posted: December 6, 2011 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: Blind Spots, FJ Cruiser, Mind over motor, Off-Road, Retro, review, SUV, Test Driven, Toyota, Truck, Trucklike, Utility Leave a comment »
It won’t win beauty contests, but at least it looks like a proper truck, and has the credentials underneath.
Toyota is one of three major automakers still offering an off-road biased SUV, the other two being Nissan (the Xterra) and Chrysler (the Jeep Wrangler). The FJ Cruiser calls up Toyota’s heritage of offering tough-as-nails trucks to go anywhere and do anything, no matter how hard the task or the climate. The old FJ40 Land Cruisers are some of the most famous trucks in the world, but on the surface, the FJ Cruiser seems to be a different story. When I first saw it on sale, I thought it looked like an oversized Tonka Truck, but thanks to the FJ40′s reputation, I figured it was worth a drive, so that’s exactly what I did. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 Jeep Wrangler Sport
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: Off-Road Able, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3.8, 4WD, Chrysler, Droptop, Jeep, JK, Mind over motor, NJ, Off-Road, Red, Rock Crawler, SUV, Test Driven, Truck, Wrangler, Wrangler Sport Leave a comment »
Jeep has the reputation that a good many other brands dream of–durability, reliability, and timeless appeal. The Wrangler is probably their best-known product, and having never driven one before, I took a chance and grabbed the keys to a brand-new, 2011 Sport model, in red. While the Wrangler isn’t for everyone, I’ve been appreciative of it for a long time now, and its appeal has not dropped that much even in these times of higher fuel economy and a high demand for safer cars. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: 2006-2009 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS
Posted: September 21, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: Chevrolet, Corvette, GMT360, LS2, Mind over motor, Secondhand Saint, SS, SUV, Trailblazer, Truck Leave a comment »
High performance SUVs were a strange thing back in the early part of the new millenium. General Motors had just launched their newest midsize SUVs in 2002, the GMT360 lineup. The lineup included the new Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy (which would go on to win Motor Trend‘s 2002 SUV of the Year), and the Oldsmobile Bravada (notably, the last new Oldsmobile, which eventually became the Buick Rainier). But, no one quite knew about the trick that GM had up its sleeve for the TrailBlazer. Read the rest of this entry »
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show
Posted: September 14, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: 2011, 4.0L, 450h, 458, 4C, 991, Alfa, AMG, Audi, Auto, C-X16, Cars, E-tron, Eterniti, Ferrari, Focus, Ford, Frankfurt, Gallardo, Germany, GS, Hemera, Hybrid, Jaguar, Kubang, Lamborghini, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes SLS, Mind, motor, new, Over, Porsche, R8, Roadster, Romeo, S6, S7, S8, show, Spider, ST, Stradale, Super, SUV, Torfeo, turbo, V8 Leave a comment »
The Frankfurt Auto Show is on now and there are many new models coming out. I will go through my thoughts on each one that I found to be notable and interesting. Read the rest of this entry »
Mercedes MLC? Tread lightly, Mercedes-Benz.
Posted: September 9, 2011 Filed under: INDUSTRY TALK | Tags: Benz, BMW, CUV, Germany, Industry Talk, Mercedes, Mind over motor, Rumor, SAV, SUV, Upcoming, US, X6 4 Comments »
Mercedes-Benz, long a leader in making new segments and forcing others to follow its lead, has changed course with one of upcoming model. Very recently, Mercedes-Benz North America announced the expanstion of one particular USA plant, for the production of the upcoming MLC, which has already been rumored to be a competitor to the already-on-sale BMW X6, a car that hasn’t exactly set the automotive world on fire. Read the rest of this entry »
