Driven: 2014 Kia Sorento SX-V6 by James Hamel Introduction First off, let’s get beyond the whole notion that Kias need to be ridiculously inexpensive in order to be appealing as new car purchases. How do we know that Kia can sell cars merely based on the merit of their design, build and engineering excellence? Well, all it took was about five minutes behind the wheel of a 2014 ...[Read More]
Driven: 2014 Audi Q7 TDI Review by James Hamel No doubt the question that most 2014 Audi Q7 shoppers have is whether to diesel or not to diesel. You can order your 7-passenger Q7 with either a 3.0 liter turbocharged gas engine good for 272 horsepower/295 lb. feet of torque in regular trim levels or with 333 horsepower/325 lb. feet of torque in S-Line trim. But what if you want better fuel e...[Read More]
2014 Nissan Rogue SL Review Video – by James Hamel Overview While it doesn’t really break a whole lot of new ground in any particular category, the 2014 Nissan Rogue SL sure is a sweet compact family SUV from Smyrna, Tennessee where it is now built. It’s handsome with muscular exterior lines, has a pleasingly upscale interior with all of the latest gadgets, is affordably priced and is...[Read More]
2014 Honda Civic Si Coupe Review Written by James Hamel Introduction It seems that Honda pulls something magical out of the ether for its iconic Civic compact each model year ever since it was stung by criticism that a 2012 redesign was disappointing due to insufficient soft touch plastics on the dash and the fact that the Hyundai Elantra got 1 mile per gallon more on the highway EPA scale....[Read More]
2014 Kia Optima SXL Turbo Review – by James Hamel When you think of a family sedan do you think of a car with sexy, svelte lines, tire smoking turbocharged performance, luxurious elegance or is it something more along the lines of your father’s Oldsmobile? Admittedly, the state of the affordably priced family sedan has improved a lot in recent years with models like the Mazda6 proving...[Read More]
2014 Ford Explorer V6 Limited Review written by James Hamel Introduction Upon its introduction, the Ford Explorer was one of the true trailblazers of the modern day SUV/crossover genre and at that time this iconic nameplate had far fewer competitors to deal with other than the decidedly truck-like 4Runner and Pathfinder. Oh yes, and that pesky Jeep Cherokee too. Fast forward to 2014 and the...[Read More]
2014 Nissan Maxima SV Review Written by James Hamel Introduction A long time ago when the Grunge movement was reaching its zenith in the early 1990’s, Nissan not only launched a luxury brand in Infiniti that would soon become the Japanese BMW but they were also mad enough to still keep building a true four door family sports car in the form of the Maxima. Sure, it was front wheel drive but f...[Read More]
2014 Ford Fiesta SE Review Video Written by James Hamel Humans have a funny habit of going to utter extremes when they feel the majority opinion is that what they are thinking of doing is not only impossible but possibly a bit insane too. This could be said of Ford’s recently retired leader corporate savior Alan Mulally who came into his leadership position at the Blue Oval right when the c...[Read More]
2014 Ford Escape Titanium AWD Review Video by James Hamel The first thing we noticed about our 2014 Ford Escape that we tested for a week was that it was actually strikingly handsome especially in the Deep Impact Blue exterior paint job ours was wearing. This is rarely something we say about compact, utilitarian family SUVs but the 2014 Ford Escape looks downright sexy. And to our way of th...[Read More]
2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR Review By James Hamel First Impressions According to Mitsubishi’s own advertising, apparently restraint is not the 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR’s strong suit. You don’t say? We would have never guessed from the huge whale tail spoiler on the trunk or from the frenzied howl of the standard 2.0 liter turbocharged 291 horsepower/300 lb. feet of torq...[Read More]
2015 Honda Fit Review by James Hamel First Impressions With each successive generation of Honda Fit, this subcompact hatch has revolutionized its market segment with class leading levels of space efficiency, value of that indescribably fun to drive Honda pizazz found in so many of the brand’s small car offerings over the years. Now, with the introduction of the all-new 2015 Honda Fit it ap...[Read More]
2014 Acura MDX SH-AWD Video Review Written By James Hamel / Video by MaryAnne Wendt Totally redesigned from the ground up for the 2014 model year, the Acura MDX luxury SUV does bear some resemblance to the previous generation but there is good reason for that. Not only has the MDX been Acura’s hottest seller since it surpassed the TL sedan a few years back but it also still was the best sev...[Read More]