Category: Car Reviews (Page 27 of 30)

Car Review: 2013 Hyundai Sonata Limited

May 22, 2013 / Staff

When Hyundai released the latest Sonata a few years ago, the design was cutting edge, and now that the current design is running close to the end of its cycle, the design still holds true to this day. For 2013, Sonata built on its trailblazing recipe of high-design and high fuel efficiency with more features, higher value and better residual value than ever before. That’s important, as the midsize segment is more competitive than ever, with new competitors borrowing pages from the Sonata playbook with improved fuel economy and design.

EXTERIOR

First and foremost, you can’t help but notice the panoramic sunroof which is now part of the Limited Premium Package for 2013 as tested. Fluidic Sculpture is a consistent, cohesive design language that is used throughout the entire Hyundai showroom. It considers the interplay of natural, fluid elements with more rigid surfaces and structures to create the illusion of constant motion.

The exterior of the Sonata is long, light and low. The high beltline allows for a long, sleek roofline accented by a third window. A monoform side profile includes flowing lines highlighted by a Hyundai signature chrome accent that spans the length of the car. Normally, this type of trim is only found around the windows. On the Sonata, this trim extends out from the headlamps, juts up along the hood and through the beltline. The face is bold with a large powerful chrome grille and headlamps that integrate precise details. The stance is completed by 17-inch alloy wheels on our Limited edition. It’s amazing how the Sonata design has influenced competitors and reshaped the midsize sedan marketplace.

INTERIOR

The sleek design, combined with Hyundai’s expertise in interior packaging, delivers class-leading interior comfort, functionality and practicality. A sleek roofline typically compromises headroom and interior volume, but at 120.2 cubic feet, the Sonata has more interior volume than many of its key competitors. It is so spacious that Sonata continues to be classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a large car, truly a “class above” other categorized midsize cars. The Sonata shines even in trunk volume, with 16.4 cu. ft. of trunk space that gives it a 6.1 percent advantage over direct rivals. Our test model was upscale and loaded with features, including leather seating surfaces with heated front and rear seats, power driver seat with power lumbar support, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, XM Satellite radio, Dimension AM/FM/CD-MP3 with iPod/USB input, HD Radio technology with multicasting, integrated Bluetooth hands free phone system, navigation with high resolution touchscreen display, rear backup camera, and a booming and crystal clear Infinity premium audio system with subwoofer and amplifier.

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Car Review: 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport LE AWD SUV

May 15, 2013 / Staff

The sharp looking Outlander Sport Limited Edition compact crossover was a great choice to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mitsubishi Motors entering the North American marketplace. Our laguna blue test model was very sleek and sporty and stood out from the crowd.

EXTERIOR

Mitsubishi designers and engineers have given the 2014 Outlander a fresh, contemporary face that is both appealing and functional with reduced aerodynamic drag. Further aiding fuel economy is a lightweight body that tips the scales approximately 200 pounds less than that of the outgoing Outlander – all while providing a high level of collision safety and structural rigidity through use of high-tensile steel.

Manufactured at the company’s automobile assembly plant in America’s heartland in Normal, Illinois, the 2013 Outlander Sport Limited Edition makes quite a visual statement with its distinctly ominous look, thanks to its blackout side mirrors, center bumper, wheel arch trim and roof rails, accompanied by special argent Limited Edition alloy wheels. Rounding out this exquisitely styled package is special “Limited Edition” badging, black roof rails, front bumper with black center, black side view mirrors, black wheel arch moldings, 18-inch alloy wheels with chrome finish, super wide range and HID headlights.

INTERIOR

With its sleek, new interior design direction and high-quality cabin materials, the all-new 2014 Outlander is an affordably priced crossover that is an ideal vehicle for the cost conscience automotive consumer. The 2014 Outlander’s new interior design emphasizes ergonomics, aesthetics, comfort and quality. From the new soft-touch instrument panel, to the eye-catching gloss black center waterfall, to the lovely wood grain trim, the interior of this handsome crossover exudes opulence. In addition to the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander’s long list of welcome standard amenities, our Limited Edition (LE) model sported features like a next-generation navigation system, a state-of-the-art 710-watt Rockford-Fosgate sound system, the latest version of Mitsubishi’s extraordinary Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, rear camera system, engine switch with chrome accent, Fuse hands free link system with USB port, one-touch engine start and stop, fast key entry system, steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, full color multi information display, ECO driver indicator lamp, rain sensing wipers, leather wrapped steering wheel, leather wrapped shift knob, keyless entry with panic alarm and much more.

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Car Review: 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited 4WD

May 9, 2013 / Staff

We drive a lot of cars, and sometimes, redesigned aren’t always much better than outgoing models, but that’s not the case with the 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited 4WD. The first-generation Highlander pioneered the midsize crossover utility vehicle segment, ushering in car-like performance, comfort and fuel efficiency with SUV-like roominess and versatility. The current, second-generation Highlander amplifies those attributes and is among the leaders in the segment in standard active and passive safety features. Toyota has really taken serious steps forward with the Highlander as this is one very impressive vehicle.

EXTERIOR

The Highlander now has that wow factor that you don’t regularly see in an SUV, but it’s real. Designed at Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, Calif., the second-generation Highlander conveys a contemporary, dynamic presence via clean, sculpted lines, a wide, stable stance and muscular contours. The Highlander grade could be mistaken for an upgrade model with its six-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels, color-keyed power outside mirrors and silver-painted front grille.

The Highlander Limited as tested has a luxurious appearance with sporty 19-inch alloy wheels, chrome door handles and roof rails, puddle lamps and rear spoiler. The 2013 Highlander Hybrid is distinguished from the gasoline model by its own unique grille and bumper design, color-keyed rockers with chrome accents, plus vertically stacked fog lamps. The projector-beam headlights and taillights feature blue lens covers. Our classic silver metallic test model looked refined and upscale with an overall sleek look.

INTERIOR

Continuing with that upscale feel, the 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited really hit a homerun with the cabin quality, design and fit and finish. All Highlander models feature a standard 50/50 split third-row seat and rear climate control. Generous standard features on the Highlander grade include front and rear air conditioning; eight-way adjustable driver’s seat; power door locks and windows with driver’s window jam protection and auto-up/down feature; manual tilt and telescopic steering wheel; cruise control; multi-function keyless entry system; UV-reduction windshield and rear privacy glass; digital clock; conversation mirror; illuminated entry system; scheduled maintenance indicator light; full-size spare tire and more.

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Car Review: 2013 Honda Accord 4DR Sport

April 30, 2013 / Staff

The new 2013 Honda Accord 4DR Sport is one of many Accord variants produced by Honda, and with a 6-speed manual transmission, it sure is one of the more intriguing. We were fortunate enough to test a sweet, modern steel sport model and came away with some new impressions of the Accord.

EXTERIOR

Crisply styled and aerodynamically efficient, the 2013 Accord Sedan body design is the most sophisticated in Accord history. The 2013 Accord unit-body uses 55.8-percent high-tensile steel, more than in any previous Accord. In addition, 17.2-percent of the steel is now grade 780, 980 and 1,500 – extremely high grades that have never before been used in any Accord. This contributes to higher body rigidity and reduced weight, which directly benefits ride and handling, interior quietness, performance and efficiency and long-term durability.

With its contoured body sides, the Sedan’s exterior design is sleek, bold, decisive and athletic. Extensive use of under-covers improve aerodynamics for increased fuel efficiency, while other advances include available LED headlights, DRLs and brake lights, mirror-mounted turn signals, and the standard Expanded View Driver’s Mirror that increases the driver’s field of vision by 4.2 degrees. Our test model also sported 18-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, power door mirrors, dual exhaust, rear decklid spoiler and auto on/off headlights.

INTERIOR

As with past Accords, the 2013 Honda Accord 4DR Sport offers a cabin that is clean and stylish. There really is something about the Accord interior that elevates this car over her rivals, and it’s been that way for years. A completely new interior provides a level of luxury and craftsmanship never before seen in the Accord. Available in Black, Gray and Ivory cloth or leather, the interior combines welcoming comfort with an impressive range of available technologies. Standard features include redesigned seating, dual-zone automatic climate control and simplified controls and instrumentation.

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Honda Accord

Car Review: 2013 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring

April 23, 2013 / Staff

A moulin rouge mica 2013 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring is a great sight on a cool spring day in the Midwest. Toyota has dramatically altered the chemistry of Avalon’s DNA creating, a new potent and persuasive sedan that helps shift the product’s generational appeal while symbolizing Toyota’s exciting new design and product direction for future sedans. Our test model verified this just from first impressions.

EXTERIOR

As good as the previous Avalon was, the new 2013 model is a much more refined and expressive car, starting with the exterior. For the mission of re-positioning the Avalon brand and shifting consumer perception of the sedan, Toyota fashioned an exterior that offers a much more athletic expression in sheet metal. The new Avalon sedan clearly represents a dramatic styling departure from previous Avalon models. The 2013 Avalon’s elegant and athletic design offers a longer flowing roofline, creating a more appealing side silhouette with a lower vehicle beltline that suggests a sense of motion with a road holding stance. Its chiseled shoulder line sculpted into side sheet metal starts over the front wheels and creates a strong, fluid body side design cue, adding to its athletic stance. The new Avalon exterior is designed to communicate a greater sense of performance and agility to better match the car’s vastly enhanced dynamic capability.

Compared to the 2012 model, the new Avalon offers more compact and athletic exterior dimensions, and with a greater styling sophistication that does not sacrifice interior comfort. The vehicle’s stance has also been improved with more taut and compact exterior dimensions. Overall height has been reduced by 0.98 inch (25 mm), while the overhangs have been reduced by 0.59 inch (15 mm) at the front and 1.77 inches (45 mm) at the rear. Filling the wheel well, the gap between the body and the tires has been reduced by 0.27 inch (7 mm) compared to the previous Avalon model. The new Avalon’s visual stance has been further enhanced by 1.29-inch (33 mm) reduction in width of the rear side rails surrounding the rear glass to tighten the proportions of the greenhouse. Vehicle tread has been increased by 0.39 inch (10 mm) at the front and 0.59 inch (15 mm) at the rear, widening the wheel placement underneath the more athletic Avalon body. Our test model sported heated outside mirrors with turn signals, power tilt and slide moon roof, dual chrome tipped exhaust and quadrabeam headlights with auto on/off.

A stronger, more expressive front-fascia design with larger grille opening creates an aggressive appearance while enhancing cooling air flow and pedestrian impact protection. The new Avalon’s exterior turn signal indicators have been located at the lower section of the front bumper to contribute to the slim and sleek appearance. The 2013 Avalon’s sleek and sculpted rear tail lights utilize LED lamps to help ensure visibility and reduce the gap of unlit dark area between the trunk and rear quarter panel.

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