The Golden Age Is Now: 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack

The 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack.

When I was getting my learner's permit, one of the most fearsome and desirable beasts roaming the planet was the 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 426 Hemi.  425 horsepower as measured in those days (they measured gross, not net then...works out to about 350 by today's standards) and a 0-60 time of six seconds. It would do the quarter in 14 seconds at 104 miles per hour.

When the 1972 models were introduced a month later,  the party was over, Thanks to a double-whammy of emissions regulations and insurance surcharges, the Hemi was dead and the most muscle a Challenger could muster was 240 horsepower from a 340-cubic inch V8.

Instantly, anything prior to that moment was regarded as "The Golden Age of Muscle Cars".

We were right, for a while.  Turns out we just had a 45-year intermission. In fact, the 60s and 70s were just a warm-up by comparison.

Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Internet: The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT

The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT.

For two and a half years now, most of my fellow TireKickers (automotive journalists) have been writing about how the Mitsubishi Mirage is the worst car in the world.  Or at least the worst new car for sale in the United States.  Some do it because it's easy and they think no one will ever test-drive the Mirage and discover they're wrong.  Some do it to be funny.  And some, frankly, do it because they wanted a 600-horsepower somethingorother, but that week, the press fleet folks brought them a 74-horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage. The review becomes a 500-word temper tantrum.

They Still Make One Like They Used To: The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab

The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab.

Ten years is an eternity in the car business.  The Nissan Frontier has been with us for 12.  That's right, the midsize pickup truck you see here, has, with very few changes, been with us since 2004.  So, can it compete today?

Limited Edition: The 2016 Subaru BRZ Series.HyperBlue

The 2016 Subaru BRZ Series.HyperBlue.

Okay, first---about the headline (and caption).  No, it's not a typo.  Subaru has named its limited edition of the BRZ sports coupe the Series.HyperBlue....that's "Series-dot-capital H-Hyper-capital B-Blue'.  And it is a limited edition, with only 500 being made this year.

Game Changer: The 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE.

Just over a year ago, in reviewing the 2015 Toyota RAV4, we noted that it seemed stuck in third-place in sales in its segment, behind the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V.    No longer.  The RAV4 is on a roll, selling enough to beat the Ford and Honda, despite not being significantly different from the 2015 RAV4.

Except for one model.

Sonata in Gas and Electric: The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited

The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited.

About a year ago, we reviewed the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Eco, which, with a 1.6-liter turbo four and a seven-speed automatic transmission, managed to turn in some more than respectable fuel economy numbers: 28 city/38 highway.

In 2016, you can do better still.

Goes So Fast: The 2016 Lexus GS-F

The 2016 Lexus GS-F.

No, of course that is not what GS-F stands for.  What we have here is essentially the Lexus GS sedan, which we have reviewed many times as the GS 350, given the full Lexus F Performance, as opposed to F SPORT, treatment.  F SPORT is a package that, depending on the Lexus model it is applied to, brings cosmetic enhancements and/or refinements and improvements to the car's handling capabilities.

F Performance brings power.  More than you'll find in any other non-F Perfromance Lexus.

Surprise! The 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited.

If you had asked me eleven days ago what car I'd want if I were driving 150 miles on mostly two-lane roads after a long day at work, I doubt I would have said "Give me a Hyundai Elantra".

That has now changed.

Luxury With An Edge: The 2016 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT

The 2016 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT.

The Lexus RX was the world's first luxury crossover, and for most of its life, it has been a vehicle that, without apologies, targeted middle-aged women of means, with, as Michael once wrote, shock absorbers filled with whipped cream and styling like a well-used bar of soap.

So why does the new RX 350 look like a fighter jet?