Shifting Into Second: The 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SR

The 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SR.

The Nissan Altima was the third-best selling mid-size sedan in America in calendar year 2015, behind Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.  But for the first two months of 2016, it's been in second place, outselling the Accord.

That might have something to do with the significantly refreshed 2016 model, which improves on what was already a very good car.

How Soon Is Next Time? The 2016 Kia Sedona SXL

The 2016 Kia Sedona.

There is very little to feel sorry about for Kia these days.  The onetime punchline of a car company has made enormous strides in the past seven or eight years, to the point where their products are now legitimate competitors to Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda.  Here in California, there is no stigma to owning one of these South Korean machines.  They seem as thick on the ground as their more established Japanese competitors.

But there's one place where Kia hasn't brought its "A" game.  And that's the Sedona minivan.

Ready For Battle: The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu.

I had just begun my career as a professional TireKicker (automotive journalist) when Chevrolet announced it was bringing back the Malibu. The name, first used in 1964 for the top-of-the-line midsize Chevelle, was retired in 1983 and replaced by the now-unloved, unmissed Corsica.  Needless to say, as a child of the 60s and 70s, I was excited...until I saw the 1997 Malibu.  If ever a car was destined to be seen more often at airport rental car lots than in the driveways of actual car-buying people, the '97 Malibu was it.

Each generation of the Malibu since has been an attempt to crawl out of that hole and make a car that Americans would choose to spend their hard-earned money on instead of a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Subaru Legacy,  Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Ford Fusion or Chrysler 200.

It appears the fifth time could be a charm.

S Is For "Sinister": The 2016 Chrysler 300S

The 2016 Chrysler 300S.

It was a trick first learned decades ago, most likely by hot-rodders.  The right tires, wheels and trim can make a four-door sedan---well, some four-door sedans---look like a race car.

A Long Last Drive With An Old Friend: The 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL

The 2016 Mitsubishi Lancer.

It's seconds till sundown for the Mitsubishi Lancer.  On the market relatively unchanged for a decade and stripped of its high-performance EVO model, time has caught up with this generation of Mitsu's compact sedan. Still, it is a car not without charms, as we learned to our surprise during a North Coast roadtrip two years ago.

One Step Further: The 2016 Toyota Avalon Touring

The 2016 Toyota Avalon.

With its 2013 re-design, Toyota moved the Avalon away from its decades-long image of being the sensible car choice for retirees---the car most often found in Luby's Cafeteria parking lots at 4:30 in the afternoon.  It has been a successful strategy.  Perhaps too successful.

In toughening up the Avalon, Toyota made it too tough for returning customers, who Toyota does not want to scare off while it brings the car into the here and now.  So for 2016, most Avalons will get a softer suspension.  The Touring model, on the other hand, gets an even stiffer one.

UPDATED: What I Drove On My Spring Vacation: The 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring

The 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring.

Regular TireKicker readers know we love roadtrips.  Anytime I can get behind the wheel with Navigator sitting to my right is a good time. The grandaddy of them all (so far) was 2014's eight-day, 1,800 mile camping trip through Nevada and Utah. Our just-concluded Spring Break trip is a close second...five days and 1,100 miles.  We had the one-size-larger Kia Sorento for the summer trip, which was only two people, but included a tent, firewood and food and supplies for the entire eight days.

This time, it was four people, three of them female (Navigator and her two daughters). We'd be sleeping on the sofa and in sleeping bags at a friend's apartment in Santa Monica, so we could skip the tent and the firewood, but there's still five days of clothing for four people, sleeping bags, pillows, an air mattress and road food for a 20-year-old and a 15-year-old, which is a lot more boxes and bags of profoundly unhealthy things than you can imagine...plus whatever would be picked up along the way and brought back to Folsom.

Good Things, Small Package: The 2016 Lexus NX 200t F SPORT

The 2016 Lexus NX 200t F SPORT.

It's been a very good first year for the Lexus NX line.  The small luxury crossover is handily outselling the BMW X1, Lincoln MKC, and every other direct competitor save the Acura RDX.  

What's In A Name? The 2016 Honda Accord Sport

The 2016 Honda Accord Sport.

You could be excused for thinking the phrase "Honda Accord Sport" is an oxymoron.  Some of you might think the words "Honda Accord" and "Sport" would act like magnets that push each other apart.

As with most things in life, and especially in automobiles, the word "Sport" here is relative.