Carmel Cruiser: The 2015 Volkswagen CC R-Line

The 2015 Volkswagen CC.

You know how good it feels to get dressed up when you're going someplace special?  It holds true for cars, too.  So it was sheer good fortune to have an invitation to write about a rather unique inn in Carmel-By-The-Sea and find that it coincided with a week in the 2015 Volkswagen CC.

Based on the Passat, the CC (which stands for Comfort Coupe) has bodywork that takes it out of the realm of pedestrian family sedans.  If you mistook it for an Audi just from glancing at the photo above, you're forgiven.

But beauty is as beauty does, so how'd the CC do?

"THAT's A Subaru?": The 2015 Subaru BRZ Series Blue

The 2015 Subaru BRZ Series Blue.

So I'm driving home Tuesday afternoon on Sacramento's busy Howe Avenue, heading south toward U.S. 50, when my peripheral vision picks up some motion to my right. I look and it's a thirty-something woman leaning out her driver's window waving frantically.

Expecting to hear that I have a flat tire or flames are shooting out from under the car, I hit my passenger-side window control and hear a question I haven't heard in a long time:

"Hey mister! What kind of car is that?"

"Subaru BRZ", I replied.

"THAT'S a Subaru?", she yelled, incredulously.  "I've never seen one of those!"

What Price Power? The 2015 Dodge Charger R/T

The 2015 Dodge Charger R/T.

Two and a half months ago, I reviewed the 2015 Dodge Charger SXT,  and found it to be a remarkable value.  Where else might you find a full-size rear-wheel-drive American sedan with a 292 horsepower V6 capable of 31 miles per gallon on the highway for roughly $30,000?

But what if that's not enough?

Ahora Nismo: The 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo.

It having been a few decades, there are only a handful of phrases from high school Spanish that I remember off the top of my head.  One is "ahora mismo", which means "right now".  And thus, the headline of this review...because when you put your right foot down on the accelerator pedal of the 2015 Nissan 370Z Nismo, things happen right now.

Nissan's Jewel: The 2015 Nissan Murano

The 2015 Nissan Murano.

Pardon the headline.  The town of Murano, Italy is known for its glass work, but "Nissan's glass" doesn't have the same ring to it.  And Murano glass is jewel-like.

The Murano has always been Nissan's fashion-forward crossover SUV. It's hard to imagine a direct competitor for it, apart from the Lexus RX350, which is a more luxurious vehicle and begins with a base price more than $10,000 higher.

Newer Than It Looks: The 2015 Ford Expedition

The 2015 Ford Expedition Platinum.

Cars, trucks and SUVs---maybe especially trucks and SUVs---are in large part a fashion purchase.  So when a large SUV shows up with an 8-year-old body, a new grille and some trim changes, there's a potential problem.  The Ford Expedition's job is to keep Chevrolet's Tahoe from walking away with every single non-luxury large American SUV sale.

How Do You Spell "Bwahahahaha"?: The 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T

The 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T.

One second before starting the engine of the 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T, I thought what I'd always thought about the Challenger: Namely that it was a big, dumb, brutish appliance for men in their 60s who missed out on having a muscle car back in the day. An over-the-counter supplement that could be bundled with Centrum Silver, Viagra, Minoxidil, Super Beta Prostate and Osteo Bi-Flex.

Then I started the engine.

Improving With Age: The 2015 Dodge Challenger SXT Plus

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SXT Plus.

Incredibly, it's been five years since our last week in a Dodge Challenger. Walking up to the '15, I was stunned by how great it looks.  Like an old friend you haven't seen in a while.  And, like many of those old friends of the human variety, the Challenger looks that good after all this time (an eternity in the automotive world) because she's had some work done.

One Car, No Waiting: The Immediate Payoff of the 2015 Buick Regal eAssist

The 2015 Buick Regal. 

Our so-fresh-the-pixels-aren't-dry-yet reviews of the 2015 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the 2015 Lexus ES 300h hybrid illustrate the wide range of time it can take for the fuel savings of a hybrid to pay for the extra cost over the gasoline version of the same vehicle. The Highlander's small difference in fuel economy and large difference in price result in an 11.6 year wait to break even, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Hybrid Cost Calculator.  A narrower price gap and bigger gain in fuel economy cuts the wait to just 4.6 years for the ES 300h.

But what if you could cut the wait to zero?  Start saving money immediately? What would that take?