Dodge (bless ‘em) hasn’t abandoned ship . . . not just yet. The redone 2011 Durango may be sitting on a unibody chassis now instead of the body-on-frame deal it used to have – but it’s still a real-deal SUV – with a big V-6 or an even bigger V-8 driving the rear wheels...
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The 2011 Volvo S60 – just redesigned – doesn’t want me to use my radar detector. More accurately, it won’t let me use it. The car’s built-in laser pulsing “safety” equipment triggers my Valentine 1 detector’s laser warnings – in traffic, every 10-15 seconds or so. That means I have to turn off the...
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Here’s to the last of its kind, the Grand Dame of American luxury liners – the Lincoln Town Car. Nearly 19 feet long (that’s more than a foot longer than a 2011 Benz S-Class). Three-across bench seats. A solid axle rear – and a profile as conservative (and frozen in time) as Ronald Reagan’s...
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Apparently, station wagons are not cool. And “crossovers” are becoming … commonplace. So what do you call a new vehicle that’s based on an existing sedan and has most of the characteristics of a wagon – but you don’t want to call it a crossover? Toyota calls it Venza. WHAT IT IS Toyota says...
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The just-redesigned 2011 VW Touareg offers direct-injected, diesel – and combination direct injection-hybrid-electric powerplants. You can get as much as 425 lbs.-ft.of torque – and 380 hp. But you won’t get more than 28 MPG – 24 MPG if you pick the hybrid. Yeah, I have questions too… . WHAT IT IS The Touareg...
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Johnny Cash “walked the line” – and that’s pretty much Land Rover’s task, too. People expect LR vehicles to be leaders in off-road capability – as well as on-road civility. The two are not easy to reconcile. It’s an especially acute challenge for Land Rover’s entry-level LR2. It’s the only Land Rover model not...
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The ’60s had muscle cars; the ’70s had disco cars. The ’80s and ’90s had SUVs and crossovers. So what’s the new in thing? Punchy, boxy little “attitude cars” like the 2011 Scion xD. WHAT IT IS The xD is a subcompact hatchback sedan sold by Toyota’s youth brand spin-off, Scion. Prices start at...
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Sometimes, second-best can be the smarter choice. It all depends on what you’re after. The Chevy Aveo, for example. It’s not the highest-mileage economy compact on the road. That honor goes to the 40-plus MPG (on the highway) 2011 Ford Fiesta. But the Fiesta starts out about three grand higher (for the hatchback; the...
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Why do they always do this? And what is “this”? No doubt you’ve noticed it, too. A new/updated version of an existing model comes out – in this case, Acura’s 2011 TSX Sportwagon. A very sharp looker, with everything the sedan version of the TSX has except one thing – its optionally available 280...
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Last one out, please turn off the lights! Chrysler retired the PT Cruiser last year after a ten-year run, the first half of that a very successful run. But by 2008 or even 2007, the PT was obviously getting old – and not just looks-wise, either. Underneath, it was all Neon. Remember the Neon?...
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