Aug 26, 2004
By Carey Russ (c) 2004 I think it started when I made an offhand and disparaging comment about Lotus longevity to a friend who has a Lotus Europa. For those of you unfamiliar with the marque, Lotus is a small British manufacturer of sports and racing cars. Founded by Colin Chapman in 1952, its first few years were spen ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2005 Chrysler 300C
Aug 26, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS The name comes from the past, but there is no nostalgia about the 2005 Chrysler 300C. It is an up-to-date take on the large American car, and a successful fruit of the Daimler-Chrysler merger. Quick history lesson: Set the clock back 50 years, to the first Chrysler 300. It got its ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible Touring Edition
Aug 26, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS Normally, with a test car I drive within a 75-mile radius of home. The driving is likely typical of what you do - shopping and day trips, highways and byways, commute traffic and, if I'm lucky, a chance to unwind on clear back road. But last week was different. I had planned a two- ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2004 Honda Civic Si HFP
Aug 11, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS The Honda Civic is one of the most popular cars with today's high-performance enthusiasts. How did a car that started life as an economical, low-emissions commuter ``econobox” in the wake of the oil shortages of the early 1970s become a tuner’s favorite? Low cost, a sol ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2004 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI Wagon
Jul 29, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS You need the space and comfort of a mid-sized car or wagon, but you'd like better fuel economy. None of the currently-available hybrids are the right size, or you may be put off by hybrid complexity. What to do? Think diesel. In particular, think Volkswagen Passat diesel. The TDI-P ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro DSG Roadster
Jul 22, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROADWITH CAREY RUSS Drivers of Audi's Le Mans-winning prototype racers don't shift gears with a lever, they use paddles located on the steering column that send electronic signals to a hydraulic control unit that changes gears far more quickly than is possible for any human. And now, drivers of the lat ... Continue reading
2004 New Car Review: Saturn Ion Redline Coupe
Jul 15, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS Remember the old Saturn slogan ``a different kind of car company''? The Saturn Ion Redline Coupe is a different kind of Saturn. Say ``Saturn'' in relation to a car, and the word associated will likely not be ``performance.'' Practical, yes. Economical, yes, But high-performance? No ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton W12
Jul 8, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS Some automakers build high-performance sports cars to advertise their technological and engineering prowess; Volkswagen has chosen a premium luxury sedan, the Phaeton. For anyone who still equates Volkswagen with the old Beetle, all that can be said is `` It's time to wake up, Mr. ... Continue reading
Jul 4, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS ``Scion'' is defined by Webster as ``descendant or child.'' It's also the newest brand from Toyota. Lexus was created as Toyota's upscale division 15 or so years ago; now Scion comes online at the other end of the price spectrum. But there is far more to Scion than low price. Few s ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2005 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Jun 24, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS How can excellence be improved? Audi's A4 cabriolet has established a benchmark for structural rigidity among drop-top automobiles. It is subtly different from its sedan stablemate in styling, with smoother, more rounded lines that show a kinship to the company's TT sports cars. It ... Continue reading
New Car Review: 2004 Mazda RX-8
Jun 18, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2004 Mazda RX-8 The legend continues. Mazda didn't invent the Wankel rotary-piston engine, but the Japanese manufacturer has been the most successful in using it for an automotive powerplant, and no other automaker is identified with the rotary engine as much as Mazda. Starting wit ... Continue reading
New Car Review : 2004 Kia Spectra EX
Jun 10, 2004
SYNDICATED AUTOMOTIVE NEWS SERVICES DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS 2004 Kia Spectra EX Kia's second 2004 Spectra dares to compare itself with the established players in the compact class. That's a tough neighborhood. Although price is important - cars in this class are commonly called ``economy cars'' for reason ... Continue reading
Pontiac GTO History and Trivia
Jun 3, 2004
By Carey Russ Back in 1964, Pontiac did not invent the GTO name. They copied it from Ferrari. Ferrari designated its Grand Touring (GT) category race car GTO, for Gran Turismo Omologato, Italian for ``homologated Grand Touring,'' and meaning that is was certified as a production car for racing. The rules of the day sta ... Continue reading
Pontiac GTO History and Trivia Plus New 2004 Pontiac GTO Review By Cary Russ
Jun 3, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS The most revered three letters among the Pontiac faithful are ``GTO,'' and for good reason. Forty years ago, when a 389 cubic inch V8 was dropped into a compact Pontiac Tempest Le Mans, the original Pontiac GTO launched the muscle car genre. It was an immediate American performance ... Continue reading
New Car Reviews : 2005 VW Touareg and TDI Passat TDI - New Diesel Powered Models From Volkswagen
Jun 3, 2004
By Carey Russ (c) 2004 Volkswagen has two new vehicles, the Passat TDI and the Touareg TDI. As you can tell by the ``TDI,'' they're diesels, and, while they join the existing Golf and Jetta TDI models, the new Passat and Touareg models feature some new and very innovative technology that helps make them clean, powerful ... Continue reading
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