TireKicker Will Return Thursday, September 4

Look for new posts every Tuesday and Thursday beginning Thursday, September 4. Coming up: Well, the picture's a hint. Have a great (long) holiday weekend!---Michael Hage...

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Chrysler PT Cruiser Review

There are very few vehicles that run as long on as few changes as the Chrysler PT Cruiser. For nearly a decade, this 7/10ths replica of a '37 Ford has been out there on the streets. The novelty of seeing them (people actually took pictures of the first tester I had) has long since worn off, and you wouldn't be blamed for asking why it's still around. But drive one and the answers begin to reveal themselves. It's still economical, still reasonably energetic, and still a design offering a lot of room for people and things in a small package. And Chrysler's had long enough to get the bugs out of them...it was impossible to nit-pick during the week...

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Ford Flex Review

I'm really looking forward to comments on this one, because I want to see if you have the same reactions to the Ford Flex that I did. One moment I see a lowered Range Rover, the next a stretched and chopped Scion xB, and yet another, I got flashes of 1960s and 1970s Ford wagons.If you haven't seen one on the street yet (and apart from the one I tested for a week, I haven't), your first surprise is likely to be how big the Flex is. Photos and video don't adequately capture that. Once you get inside (easy because the Flex is so low...it's like stepping into a sedan), it seems even bigger. It's a long way back to the third row of seats...and there's...

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Saab 9-3 Turbo X Sport Combi Review

WWDVD?What would Darth Vader drive?From the right angle, the Saab 9-3 Turbo X Sport Combi looks a bit like Lord Vader, all-black and menacing. What's the X for? It's Saab-speak for all-wheel drive. Saabs have been front wheel drive since....well, forever...but when you put enough, or too much, power through the front wheels, you get the phenomenon known as torque steer...the steering wheel going through some nasty motions as it tries to deal with all that oomph.All-wheel drive balances that out nicely...applying the power equally to all four wheels. Tromp on it and it simply goes, no dramatics apart from the G-forces and the reactions of your...

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Volkswagen Tiguan Review

Small sport-utility vehicles, or what used to be called "Cute-Utes" (think Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester and Ford Escape) weren't great candidates for the premium treatment at first. Their size and relative austerity kept the price tag significantly under $20,000 for years...making anything more expensive a losing proposition when it came to value.But now the small SUVs have grown in size and refinement, and going a cut above no longer requires a huge leap from the heart of the segment. Which makes this the right time for the Volkswagen Tiguan.Drivers who've found the VW Touraeg SUV to be too big, too expensive and too thirsty should...

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Kia Rio 5 Review

As I noted in the Ford Escape Hybrid review, if you want to know how good a car really is, spend some time in the least-expensive base model with as few options as possible. That way, you're not being swayed by the add-ons.The same holds true with entire car lines. Wanna get a good sense of how well company "A" builds cars? Drive the cheap one first. Ever since its alliance with Hyundai, Kia has been on the most improved player list, with a really steep accomplishment curve. And while they deserve credit for the refinement they've put into ever-larger and more luxurious SUVs, minivans and sedans, the proof of how good Kia's getting comes in the...

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Toyota 4Runner Review

Well, 4Runner sure turned out to be a prophetic name, didn't it? The Toyota 4Runner was one of the earliest SUVs...little more than a 2-door pickup truck with an enclosed bed and a second row of seats at first, it morphed into the prototype for the SUV as we know it, and opened the gates for a flood of imitators.As bigger and bigger and still bigger became better, the 4Runner got written off by a lot of SUV buyers as "small". Now, with the memory of $4.25 a gallon fresh in our minds, the 4Runner looks like a reasonably-sized machine.A week in the newest 4Runner recently reinforces that view...suddenly, the 4Runner is right-sized...five people...

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Volvo C30 Review

Now that the great wave of retro auto design (Chrysler PT Cruiser, Volkswagen New Beetle, Ford Mustang and the already gone Ford Thunderbird) has subsided (Dodge Challenger and the still-to-come Chevrolet Camaro excepted), we're starting to see modern cars with subtle reminders of the past...the automotive equalivalent of the kids or grandkids of people we knew and loved.The Volvo C30 is a completely contemporary car, but the designers incorporated the large glass backlight from Volvo's previous sporty coupe, the late 60s-early 70s P-series. I always loved that car and its unique look (enough that I bought a '78 Toyota Corolla liftback, which...

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Mazda 3 Review

One of the great mysteries in life is why Mazda isn't one of the top 5-selling automakers in the United States. There are no bad Mazdas and only one mediocre one (the B series pickup, a rebadged Ford Ranger from the previous millenium).The great ones are really great. If you're of a certain age, you might remember that Mazda once sold a subcompact called the GLC, which the advertising told us stood for "Great Little Car". Well, the 2009 Mazda 3 is the direct descendant of the GLC and it is, more than any GLC or 3 before it, a great little car.The five-door that leaves tomorrow after a week-long loan was roomy, smooth, quick, refined for its...

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Infiniti FX50 Review

390 horsepower, 7-speed transmission, 21-inch wheels...0 to 60 in 5 seconds flat. What kind of SUV is this? Infiniti calls the new FX50 a "luxury SUV with the heart of a sports car", which is probably as good a description as any. The luxury assertion can't be argued with: Quilted leather-appointed seats, hand-stained maple wood trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, XM NavTraffic, Around View Monitor, Voice Recognition, Advanced Climate Control, climate controlled front seats, moonroof, 8-way power front seats, an 11-speaker Bose audio system with two subwoofers, an interface for iPod, XM Satellite Radio, and a 9.3 gigabyte hard drive to store...

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Ford Escape Hybrid Review

Q: What does Bill Cinton drive?A: (bypassing any number of cheap jokes)A Ford Escape Hybrid.Barack Obama, according to current campaign coverage, drives one too (though how much time either of those guys actually spends at the wheel is open to protracted debate). Politics aside, the Escape Hybrid is a very strong candidate for hybrid shoppers. Ford was an early adopter, following the first-gen Toyota Prius and the now-discontinued Honda Insight. They picked the right package to go with...a small, but not toylike, SUV with enough room for most people and most of the things they need to carry on a regular basis. Getting the gas mileage on even...

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Audi A5/S5 Review

It's hard to remember now, but 20 years ago, Audi was on the ropes...its relatively unsexy image (think German Volvo) bludgeoned by the ham-handed crew at CBS' 60 Minutes, which breathlessly informed the world of a problem called "unintended acceleration"...where no matter how hard the hapless driver stood on the brakes, the car went roaring off...usually through the back wall of the garage. Rational, sane and thorough investigation (not performed by 60 Minutes) revealed that the drivers were in fact standing on the accelerator. Oops. The truth, of course, didn't make for a good screaming weeklong set of promos and a 17-minute lead story by Mike...

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BMW 128i Convertible Review

Post One on TireKicker...and the logical choice from the past few weeks of press vehicle loans is the One...officially known as the BMW 1 Series.I had the best possible BMW baptism long ago...the first one I ever drove was a school friend's big brother's 2002tii back around '73 (we were sent up to South Lake, near Bishop, California, to retrieve his dad's friend's Benz S-Class, and since he was older, he got the flagship...but I got the sweeter ride).The 2002tii was a revelation for a kid raised on Fords and Mercurys. Light, tight, responsive and quick,without being overpowered or nose-heavy. If this is what BMWs are about, I thought, then I...

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