Forget What You've Known About Jeep, All-New Compass Defies it All

I've had more than a few friends who were runaway Jeep advocates over the years, and though I've only had a handful of opportunities to ride in them, I've never much been impressed. Historically these off-road throwbacks have been fun, with curb-appeal on tap, but it isn't the sort of benefit that could make up for the high price, lack of economy and efficiency, or the terrible track record of unreliability. If you're thinking about a Jeep Compass, you can forget what you might have known about Jeep, because this ain't your creepy uncle's mud-wrangler, it's a whole different ride of a whole different breed.
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2007 Volvo S80 Review

I first became a fan of Volvo in 1998 when my sister bought an all-new S70, and loved it to bits. I'd had rich, suburban milf-moms who drove Volvos throughout the 80s because their cash-laden hubbies (who could never give them the wealth of my "auto" experience). My sister's rich as Rockefeller, and today she's still driving the same car, and she still loves it. Folks of means don't usually cling to a brand, let alone a single car, so I automatically gave Volvo an extra ounce or pound of credence.
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2007 Lincoln MKX Review

This year Lincoln came out with its own crossover SUV for the American market. It's a good car that is exactly what it purports to be, but it's faced some pretty harsh attention from the critics. Not because it pretends to be something it isn't, or because it isn't a good car, but I think it's because they just don't like Lincoln. Car critics drive everything, but they don't buy much, and they certainly don't take the town car to the airport. What I'll do, rather than review it straight up or heap on to the nitpicking, is address the gripes raised and give you my take on it.
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2007 BMW X3 Review

Is it just me, or has the market gotten sick of crossover SUVs yet? They're too small to be SUVs and too big to be cars, so how do you build them? You can't go with a truck chassis, but using a car chassis makes them underpowered, overweight and patently incapable of functioning as any sort of viable option in between. The BMW X3 does a better job than most, so if you're bent on a CUV, though I can't imagine why you would be, this is about as good of a choice as any.
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2007 Nissan Altima Review – Style, Comfort, Value and Big-3 Crushing Economy

I've reviewed a lot of cars in my career, and there's always something to like about each of them, some more than others. I went in to the review of the Nissan Altima expecting a hum-drum, mid-sized, mid-range car, but it has more going for it than I expected. It's as comfortable as any Altima has been, more affordable than I remembered, and the damn thing gets 34mpg on the freeway, despite having enough space and comfort to satisfy all but the most eccentric of tastes.
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2007 Nissan Pathfinder Strikes Right Balance

A couple weeks ago I ran a review of my 1987 Nissan Pathfinder, and somebody at Nissan must have suffered a case of the burning ears, because this week I was asked to review the all-new 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. It's a very different car, and a good car, but in very different ways. It's bigger, more deluxe, and a very different animal altogether.
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BMW 328i Review: Lives Up To Every BMW Expectation

BMW has always been legendary for comfort, luxury and uncommon performance. My friend in college had one when we worked at the Olive Garden together, and despite its age it was an eye catching car that was easy to drive, comfortable to ride and as pretty as you'd hope for what he could afford. Times have changed and technology has come a remarkable distance, and BMW is still living up to these impossible expectations.
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Hemi is the Hemi of Motors, and for Good Reason

We've all seen the commercials about the line of Dodge cars with available Hemi motors. If you, like me, are under the age of 40, it's likely you also had no idea what the fuss is about. Short answer, it's an old muscle car engine that made Mopar famous. Longer answer, it's a modern day monster that can burn you off the line, tear down a house, or just make your commute an ounce more bearable… did I say ounce? I meant foot-pound.
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Chrysler Aspen Boasts "300M of SUVs" Status, and It Is

All new for 2007 is the Chrysler Aspen. Chrysler is trying to fill a unique niche with it, in that it's luxurious without all the price, big without all the size, and comfortable without being a land yacht. The total package didn't impress me too much until I saw the sticker. At that point I was pretty much sold.
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2008 Ford F-250 Lariat Review

Ford's Super Duty models are the heavy-hauling monsters in Ford's full-size pickup truck line. Much like the bright orange equipment you find tearing down houses, these trucks are built, at least ostensibly, for work. Not just work, but serious work at that. The F-250 is the three-quarter-ton version, while the F-350 is the full-ton version, but as you'll quickly find, there isn't a whole lot of practical limitation to what you could do with this truck, assuming you were so inclined, which is really your choice. Just saying I haven't seen many being used for work.
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Review of 1987 Nissan Pathfinder Two Decades Past

As a regular reviewer of the widest variety of shiny new cars, I'm better known for my work in those of the brand-spanking variety than those simply "new to me". Every once in a hundred or so blue moons, however, a car is invented twenty-years ago that deserves runaway praise… or ridicule, but this time it's praise.
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2007 Nissan Versa Review; It Ain't Big, But it's Little

If you're looking through your choices amongst the scant few micro-compacts on the market this year, you're not going to find many, but one you will find is the all-new Nissan Versa. It's a little car, and when I say that, I'm not kidding. It packs a gaggle of bigger car options, and at the price point, you might just consider the bigger cousins even if you're in the city, or trying to stretch your dollar.
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2007 Nissan Sentra Balances Economy with Comfort

Nissan has long been reputed as a manufacturer of cars that are inexpensive to purchase, economical to operate and as durable as any car on the road. The 2007 Nissan Sentra seems to be no exception to this reputation, and it looks good too.
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Subaru B9 Tribeca Shows Impressive Value Choice

Last week I was convinced by my editor to take out a crossover SUV, and I have to tell you from the first second that this was entirely against my will. I love a muscle car as much as the next man, and a good, utilitarian car likewise, but a crossover is something I've never even pretended to have time for. This B9 Tribeca, however, blew off my socks, shoes, and even my calf-garters, which I'd not have otherwise admitted to.
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Ford Edge Gives Counter-Sticker-Shock, AKA Surprising Value

When I agreed to review the all-new Ford Edge, I wasn't too excited about it. Sure, I come from a Ford family, own a Ford myself (my third, specifically,) and was surprised when I reviewed the Eddie Bauer Explorer last year. This time, though, I was skeptical, hesitant, and fully ready to say something insulting… but I just can't do it.
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Ford Explorer Blew Me Away, Beat My Expectations

I'm a Ford owner myself, but more out of necessity than choice. It isn't my first Ford either, and everyone from my mother to my brother has had them, so driving one is nothing new to me. What seems new is the pretty rough run of things Ford's suffered in recent years, so I decided to rent one and find out what all the fuss is, or is not, about. I have to tell you from experience, these cars have more going for them than I expected, and I'm awfully critical.
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Lincoln MKZ About as Killer as the US Luxury Cars Come

The extent of my understanding of the Lincoln line of cars has historically been limited to the Towncars that have taken me to the airport and the limousines that have taken me almost nowhere, except for maybe a wayside place of unexpected fun here and there. When I took out the Lincoln MKZ for an exceptionally long drive, I was handicapped by my own inability to foster a preconceived notion, but I have to tell you, it's a pretty nice car.
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