You’ll hear no complaints from me when the Ride of the Week can make the following claim: under the hood of this little sedan is the most powerful production 4-cylinder engine in the world. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG builds on one of the luxury brands newest models, the compact CLA sedan. It’s another so-called “four-door coupe” that joined the […]

“It doesn’t have the badge.” My car recommendation to a friend flunked his test drive, even though he reported no specific dislikes about his experience behind the wheel. He wanted something swankier, and the budget allowed it. Chalk one up for the Germans. They do make a damn fine automobile. I understand the sentiment. But I also know this: for […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, a 2013 Toyota 4Runner Trail. The 4Runner is one of the few remaining true SUVs. It’s a body-on-frame vehicle with available part-time or full-time four-wheel drive, a powerful standard V6 engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. Optional third-row seating allows space for seven passengers, but most 4Runner drivers will […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE fwd. Compact SUVs and crossovers like the RAV4 are right-sized. They’re big enough to be practical but small enough to be fuel-efficient and easy to drive and park. In fact, shoppers in the mid-size sedan category should consider a smaller, 5-passenger SUV as well. […]

Light rain seemed to come and go in 20-minute intervals just before the start of yesterday’s race at Road Atlanta. As teams debated tire choices — slicks or wets — we went behind the scenes with SRT Motorsports at Petit Le Mans. The factory team was preparing to run two SRT Viper GTS-R race cars in the GT class of […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2014 Toyota Tundra 4×4 Limited CrewMax. I’ve had an opportunity to drive several Tundra models lately, including the 2013 Tundra that was the Ride of the Week back in July. But for the 2014 model year, Tundra is redesigned inside and out – although platform and powertrains remain […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week: the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. A small badge that reads “2.0TD” is mounted on the decklid of this compact Chevy sedan. It’s the only indication that this Cruze runs on Europe’s favorite fuel. To the casual observer, the diesel-powered version is identical to it’s gasoline counterpart. Drivers, however, will notice three significant […]

Imagine never paying for gas again. For drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) like the Nissan Leaf, that’s a reality. Sure, they pay for the electricity to charge their vehicles, but that costs pennies on the dollar compared to fueling a gas-powered vehicle. Low operational costs has helped to make the Leaf the best-selling EV in history. And in August, Atlanta […]

Last Sunday, my wife and children and I were headed to a kids’ birthday party in nearby Decatur. We were riding in the 2013 Buick Encore, a compact crossover vehicle, when an erratic and unpredictable move by another driver very nearly caused a crash. Once our vehicle came to a complete stop and each of my passengers assured me that […]

The latest Ride of the Week is a 2013 Buick Encore Premium FWD. The Encore is a compact 5-passenger crossover that debuted for the 2013 model year. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to get an up-close look at the Encore and take a short drive, but it wasn’t enough exposure to really get a sense of what this […]