Why The 2014 Scion tC Co-Exists With The FR-S

Pretty is as pretty does, and the 2014 Scion tC is definitely more of a looker than the '13.  No, this isn't an all-new car, or even that much of a comprehensive makeover...the changes this year are a much more aggressive-looking nose with projector beam headlamps and LED accents and a re-styled tail (which, really is a different set of taillights, some fake vents in the rear bumper and a black panel in the bottom middle).

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6 Can Run With Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, But Can It Dance?

The 2013 Toyota Camry XLE V6. Handsome, roomy and quick.

Hot on the heels of our recent reviews of the 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL and the 2013 Honda Accord Touring, Toyota has sent us a V6 version of the Camry.  It's a 2013 model (Toyota seems to be booking a lot of journalists into last-minute '13s), but there are no major changes in the '14s, so what the heck.

When the first Camry came along for the 1983 model year, the competition was the Honda Accord and the Nissan Stanza, which stood where the Nissan Altima is now in the lineup.  And as unlikely as it seems given the juggernaut Toyota has become in the three decades since, it was an uphill climb.  There was a waiting list for Honda Accords.  And Consumer Reports found the Nissan Altima more reliable than the first-generation Toyota Camry (ouch!) for four years running (1983-1986, inclusive).

Well, Toyota learned fast, and grabbed not only the sales but the reliability crown and has never looked back.  Until recently, the Camry was in an enviable if not glamorous position...the safe bet in a segment known for boring cars.  In fact, it was deep clover for Toyota for most of the past decade, with Honda having seemed to lose its mojo and Nissan keeping costs down to the point where its cars were starting to feel like cheap goods.

But now, as we've chronicled in this space, we're in something of a renaissance of the family sedan.

The Americans are a mixed bag...Ford's Fusion looks fabulous (Ford: You really need to get us in one, because I'm driving and writing about everyone else's), especially from the front, the Chevrolet Malibu is better than anyone thought a Chevy Malibu could be, and the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 are still rental cars you'll want to upgrade out of.

The Koreans are fully competitive and credible with cars like the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima.  The Germans have a contender in the Volkswagen Passat.
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And even sleepy Subaru is sleepy no more, with market share that goes up month by month and a strong candidate in the Subaru Legacy.

So how does the Toyota Camry stack up?

How The 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL Makes Family Sedan Buying Hard

Yes, you will actually want to drive the 2014 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL on roads like this.

Attention new car shoppers....especially mid-size family sedan shoppers.

Do you know how good you have it?

Do you have any idea?

Five years ago this was one of the most bland and boring segments in the industry.  Camry, Accord, Malibu, Fusion, Altima, Mazda 6...some were better than others, but none were inspiring, none were aspirational.
But now, every one of those cars has been re-designed and choosing has become very hard.

In January, we drove the 2.5-liter four-cylinder version of the 2013 Altima...and it landed immediately on TireKicker's Best Cars (see the list in the right-hand column).  In June, the 2013 Honda Accord Touring landed one notch ahead of it. Not really a fair fight, given that the Accord had the V6 (enthusiasts should note that the 2014 Mazda 6, with almost 100 horsepower less and a four-cylinder engine, landed squarely at #5...several slots ahead of both the Altima and Accord).

New Car Review: 2014 Acura RLX

Rarely have I approached a car with such trepidation as I did the new Acura RLX.  Not only has Acura followed parent Honda off the clearly-defined path that once delivered great cars like the original Legend for a similar decade-long walk in the wilderness (plus $10,000 per car and more buttons on the dashboard), but consider this:

The RLX is replacing one of the dullest cars known to man, the RL.  Anything should get a "most improved player" award.  Yet enthusiast magazine and online reviews have largely been yawns and, scarier still, Consumer Reports, in its rave review of the Chevrolet Impala, a car costing $20,000 to $35,000 less, depending on how you option the cars, said in its print edition that the Impala was competitive with the RLX.  Yeah, they also said the Impala could run with the Audi A6, Lexus LS460L and Jaguar XF, too...and as much as we love the 2014 Impala, that's really just CR needing to call the doctor because it's been more than four hours.

New Car Review: 2013 Toyota RAV4

They grow up so fast.

The Toyota RAV4 was among the first wave of small SUVs, then called "cute utes", more than a decade ago.  It was set apart from the rest  (which came to include the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevy Equinox, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage) by it's somewhat stubby profile, rounded edges and the spare tire mounted on the tailgate.

The others have matured, grown and moved on in terms of materials and technology.  In 2013, it's the RAV4's turn.

New Car Review: 2014 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv

Big changes rarely happen in year two of a new vehicle. But Mazda’s not known for coloring within the lines and, frankly, it can’t afford to hold good stuff back for the mid-cycle refresh three or four years down the road. It needs your attention now. And if the 2014 Mazda CX-5 doesn’t get that attention, it’ll be your loss as well as Mazda’s.

The big news is a second engine option:  A 2.5-liter SKYACTIV-G mill brings 29 more horsepower and 35 more pounds per foot of torque to the party than the standard 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G, but gives up only one mile per gallon, dipping from 26 city to 25 and 32 highway to 31 (EPA estimates for automatic transmission front-wheel drive models).

New Car Review: 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe



The 2013 Mustang V6 Coupe.

Way back when....a few months shy of 49 years ago, the Ford Mustang was the originator of a segment called "Pony Cars". Never mind that the other cars in the segment were named after a fish (Barracuda) and, well...nothing that actually existed (Camaro). The Mustang was the standard, with a formula that allowed owners to option the three body styles that eventually were available in the first model year (coupe, fastback and convertible) from, as Ford literature put it, "mild to wild".

In fact, in year one (model year 1965), there were six-cylinder engines making as little as 105 horsepower and V8s delivering 271, allowing for some room between the Pony Car and Muscle Cars like the Pontiac GTO, which in 1965 offered a choice of 335 or 360 horsepower (from the Tri-Power engine, which had three 2-barrel carburetors).

Throughout its life, even as Shelby GT 350s, GT 500s, Mach 1s, Boss 302s, Boss 351s and Boss 429s were brought into the Mustang corral, there was always the "mild" option.

It's not so anymore. For while it looks like a small number in the shadow of the 2013 Mustang GT's 420 horsepower, the 2013 Boss 302's 444 horsepower and the 2013 GT 500's 650 horsepower, the most basic, humble Mustang you can now buy packs 305 horsepower.

New Car Review: 2012 Acura TSX




The 2012 Acura TSX.

If your age begins with the numbers "3", "2" or "1", you might wonder why people whose ages begin with "4", "5" or "6" seem to think so highly of Honda. And you probably wonder just what the heck Acura is supposed to be.

It was not always thus.

As we noted in our review of the CR-V, Honda's not building bad cars, they're just not meeting the incredibly high expectations of people whose first Honda experiences were in the 80s and early 90s, when just about everything they did was a revelation in terms of engineering, efficiency and ergonomics.

So...wanna know what all the fuss was about, Milennials and late-Gen Xers?