New Car Review: 2013 Lexus IS350 C

If you want proof positive that Lexus is serious about building more exciting, involving automobiles for enthusiasts, this is a good place to start.  See the picture above? That's the 2013 Lexus IS350C, a retractable hardtop.

What's so great about it? Well, Lexus chose to make its retractable hardtop using perhaps its best drivers' car...the IS.  And that's an improvement because last time around, Lexus gave us the SC430.  Go ahead, click that link. You'll get a visual reminder of the car that found its way onto Top Gear's "Worst Car In The World DVD", along with a list of the areas in which the long-running SC missed just about every target.

No such worries for the IS, though.  A car that already is so good that non-believers say "This is a Lexus?", the ability to take the top down and enjoy some open-air motoring is just icing on the cake.

New Car Review: 2013 Honda Accord Touring V6

Mojo is a horrible thing to lose. And for much of the last decade or so, it appeared Honda had lost it.  The products became too big, too plastic, too...boring.  And the Accord became all those things.  It was as though Honda decided to out-geezer the 1999 Avalon. I expected to find coupons for the Early Bird Special at Hometown Buffet in the glove box.

Well, forget all that.  The company that won Boomers over 30 years ago by showing that jewel-like quality, advanced engineering and just plain fun could co-exist in an affordable automobile (four of them, actually...Accord, Prelude, Civic and CRX) is back with the 2013 Honda Accord.

New Car Review: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 70s Edition

I have one question regarding the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 70s Edition:

Did they actually ever make them in this color, or anything close to it in the 70s?  I was around for the last decade of the Beetle soft-top, and I remember orange, and yellow and by the final two or three years, very nearly every one was triple-white.  But Toffee Brown Metallic with beige top and beige interior?  Not ringing any bells. Maybe it's an earth tones reference. We were big into those back in the day.

Anyway, despite having no idea what makes this a 70s Edition (where are the Coco Mats?), I have to say the Beetle Convertible is a very nice ride.

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus GS450h Hybrid

A lot of people think “hybrid” and see a small car. Let’s face it, the Toyota Prius has had a lot to do with that over the past 15 years. But small cars generally get pretty good mileage to begin with. If you’re looking to make a difference in fuel consumption, bigger is the way to go…and Lexus has gone there with the new GS450h.