Everyone drives in L.A. – and the Mazda 6 fit right in. I’d been to Los Angeles 3 times before my latest trip, but I’d never had to drive there. For this visit, a car was necessary and I was bracing myself for the experience. I picked up the pretty Mazda 6 Grand Touring at…
2017 Kia Cadenza Limited review: This Luxury Sedan Might Be Kia’s Best-Kept Secret
Its luxe touches and unassuming sleekness will surprise you. In my next life, I’m going to pursue a career in car color naming. For example, the 2017 Kia Cadenza Limited I took on a recent road trip was dubbed Gravity Blue. Doesn’t that evoke a sense of floating above Planet Earth, looking down on its…
2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo Review: A Thrill-Filled Cutie Pie
A classic, affordable sedan with a little extra juice As a young college graduate I wanted my first car to set the stage for my future: An elegant sedan that exuded the feel of success, but at a price I could afford. At the time the Nissan Sentra was not a contender; it had the…
Get It While You Can: The 2016 Chrysler 200 Sedan
This Might Be the Best Deal In Town, But It’s Not Here For Long. There are many things we love about the Chrysler 200: Its elegant exterior, which resembles more expensive European cars. The luxuries that come standard. The innovative features like the dial shifter, the arm rest that offers flexible space and its self-parking technology (yes,…
2016 Honda Accord Review: An Elegant, Reliable Sedan
Reliable doesn’t have to mean frumpy. The thing we love about Japanese cars is they are like a great pair of sensible shoes: They’re reliable, they go a long way and and they hold up well. But here’s the thing about sensible shoes: They’re boring. But do they have to be? Of course not. Especially…
Say Hello to an Old Friend: The 2016 Buick Regal
The 2016 Buick Regal, both comfortable and comforting. Do you follow fashion trends and buy the latest outfits, or do you replace your classic black dress with…a new classic black dress. If you fall in the latter camp, the 2016 Buick Regal is for you. This mid-size luxury sedan updates its look every year, but…
2016 Nissan Maxima: The Marriage of Sport and Luxury
The 2016 Nissan Maxima has it all. Marriage is often about compromise: he wants to sit on a beach and you want to ski down a mountain, so you find a vacation that you both can enjoy. The 2016 Nissan Maxima reminded me of this; it envelops you in luxury, yet it zips around like a…
2016 Toyota Camry XLE Review: A Ton of Wow for the Price
If you saw me driving around with a smug grin on my face last week, that’s because I was driving the 2016 Toyota Camry. Pulling up behind BMWs, Mercedes Benzes and Lexuses, I had a distinct feeling of superiority. I was ensconced in sublime, incognito luxury. And, for the price tag of the 2016 Toyota…
2015 Buick Regal: Driving in Understated Luxury
The 2015 Buick Regal AWD GS quietly impresses. Teenage rom-coms are dominated by the nerdy girl who removes her glasses, lets down her hair and reveals a surprising (to everyone in the movie – we saw this coming) smoldering body. The 2016 Buick Regal is that girl. It looks like a regular sedan, but under…
2015 Ford Fusion: Sweet Ride, But Plain Cookie?
The ‘regular’ 2015 Ford Fusion. In a bakery, the guy in front of me ordered a cookie. “What kind of cookie?” he was asked. “A regular one,” he responded. The Ford Fusion is the regular cookie of the car world. Neither performance nor luxury, not expensive or a bargain, but solidly middle of the road….