Automotive Reviews

Dodge Grand Caravan--Maxi Minivan by Jim Bray, TechnoFile Magazine
Monday, April 3, 2006

It may not be the most fun minivan to drive, but when it comes to hauling your stuff and making your life easier, the Dodge Grand Caravan is a real winner.

Then there's Toyota's 800 pound gorilla of a pickup, the Tundra.

The Tundra was the sequel to the T100, Toyota's first attempt at tackling the full size truck market. It's bigger, better and brawnier than the T100, but apparently that wasn't enough because a new Tundra is coming for 2007 that's supposed to up the ante even more. So what we have with the 2006 Tundra is the last hurrah for a very nice truck that will probably be even nicer shortly.

If the "garden variety" Tacoma isn't butch enough for you, you can go upmarket to a couple of TRD versions that, depending upon which one you choose, add extra off road or sport capabilities. Or you may be intrigued by the Tacoma X-Runner V6, a mucho macho machine that's as much of an eye and ear grabber as it is a practical hauler. It sports no TRD labels, but it sure "sports".

One of the cutest of the cute utes has been reborn, not quite as cute, and a little more of a brute, but still all "ute".

The new version of Toyotas popular RAV4 looks as if it has been on a work out regimen that has left it larger and more muscular than before. And the bulk up hasnt only been on the outside; the not-so-little SUV is now available with a 3.5 litre V6 engine that cranks out a healthy 269 horsepower.

It may look like a shuttlecraft from the starship Enterprise, but the Nissan Quest is an Earthbound minivan through and through.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Ah, Porsche, the legendary marque with the glorious racing heritage. High end performance stuff, this, even at what could laughingly be called their entry level.

That entry level would be the Boxster currently, the mid-engined, two seat open top roadster that's guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of any car buff. For a base price of a mere $64,100 Canadian, you can strap yourself into this road rocket and be treated to zero to 60 in under six seconds from its 240 horsepower, 2.7 liter flat six.

It isn't as racy as the TSX or RSX, but Acura's new CSX is a fitting successor to the now-defunct EL as its Canadian market entry level sedan.

Take one of the best looking four door sedans on the market, add a turbocharger and a bunch of other tweaks and what do you have?

Very nearly driving heaven, if sporty performance is the Holy Grail for which youre searching.

BMW took its share of abuse from some reviewers when it unveiled its current generation 7 series a few years back.

Mazdas new six seater looks like a mini-minivan (a microvan?), but Mazda prefers to call it "the Zoom-Zoom MAV."

The 2006 4Runner continues to show that Toyotas long-running SUV franchise is a fine vehicle with legendary off road capabilities that would undoubtedly make it suitable for taking just about anywhere short of the surface of the moon.

Mercedes Benz may not want its new R Class to be known as a minivan, but it sure seems like a minivan to me and a darn fine one at that.

The only real difference I can see between the R 350 I drove for a week and a garden variety minivan (other than M-Bs high end trappings and technology, of course) is the fact that its centre passenger doors are hinged to open outward like the front doors instead of sliding backwards the way most minivan doors do.

I think I may have a new favourite car.

Once in a long while I find a vehicle that almost seems as if the manufacturer took my measurements and built the car to fit me specifically. My old 1983 Toyota Supra was like this, as was my 1972 Datsun 240z. Infinitis M35x comes very close, as does the Acura TSX. Theyre cars I could easily drive the daylights out of for many happy years, and in the case of the Supra, I did exactly that for 20 years.

If the Toyota Camry were a flavour, it would have to be vanilla.

Not that theres anything wrong with vanilla. Far from it; vanilla is extremely popular and is a fixture in kitchens where it performs beautifully in any number of applications.

If the Toyota Camry were a flavour, it would have to be vanilla.

Not that theres anything wrong with vanilla. Far from it; vanilla is extremely popular and is a fixture in kitchens where it performs beautifully in any number of applications.

Suzukis popular Grand Vitara has received a complete makeover for 2006, and the resulting SUV is a nice unit that offers good value for the dollar.

Hyundai has really thrown down the gauntlet with its new Sonata sedan.

The Korean automaker, which was once the butt of jokes, has been working hard to overcome that past and has been doing an excellent job of it. Such vehicles as the Tucson SUV, the second generation Tiburon and even its updated Elantra and Accent, have gone a long way toward ensuring the company is taken seriously.

Toyotas new entry level car may be a little funny looking, with a funny name and, at least in Canada, a bizarre "Uncle Yaris" ad campaign the designer of which should be sacked, but that doesnt prevent the little bugger from being far more fun to drive than youd think it has any right to be.

Time was when Dodges Dakota was being marketed as almost a compact pickup truck. It was bigger than trucks like the Toyota Tacoma or Mazda B series, but not as big as the full sized trucks like the Dodge Ram, Ford F150 and the like.

Since its inception in 1984, the Dodge Caravan has been at or near the forefront of the minivan market both in terms of actual sales and innovation. With the introduction of Stown Go seating in the 2005 Grand Caravan, DaimlerChrysler hopes to maintain its position atop the Canadian minivan sales pyramid.

Its the battle of the hybrid SUVs!

In the green corner, the Ford Escape, a nice if somewhat bland vehicle thats pretty good for hauling, if pretty boring to drive. In the other green corner, the Toyota Highlander, a Camry-based SUV that feels more like a car than a truck, and which is not quite as boring to drive.

Porsche. Like the Maltese Falcon, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of. People fantasize about Porsche, lust after Porsche.

Okay, I get it. Finally.

Ive never been a Corvette fan, at least not since the late 1960s. Though car buffs regularly bow and scrape at the temple of Vette, it always seemed excessive to me, showy and bloated, a brute.

Subaru has jumped into the so-called SUV market with both feet, offering a terrific new vehicle thats at least as nice to drive as any other SUV Ive tried.

It was just like having a midlife crisis, then being able to get back to reality again without having ruined my life in the meantime.

Dont take the title of this column to mean I think Chevys replacement for the Cavalier is a bomb in the sense of it being a failure. Instead, take it to mean this car is a blast, a lot of fun to bomb around in that it offers megatons of driving entertainment behind the wheel.

I recently spent a week under the hot summer sun behind the wheel of Mazdas turbocharged Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata. I spent so much time roaring around the back roads with the roof down that I ended up being broiled medium well, which for a guy who doesnt like the sun beating down on him, is quite something. And, other than the sunburn, I loved every minute of it!

Well, is my face red.

I like to pooh-pooh political correctness, and things apparently designed to appeal to the liberal mindset. Hence my built-in aversion to hybrid cars, which at first bloom seemed to be a case of pandering to the enviro-whacko fringe.

For the 2004 model year, Hyundai offered a major upgrade to its popular Santa Fe SUV: a top of the line model that sports a bigger engine and five speed automatic transmission also found in the company's XG350 luxury sedan.

Mazda's "cute ute" Tribute is a nice small SUV with good performance both on and off the road, plenty of features, and good value overall.

I first had a chance to drive the Tribute when it debuted at a media event where they sent us off roading up a "road" I probably wouldn't have even tried walking up if given my druthers. That experience showed me that the Tribute is as truly happy to perform off road as on city streets.

How do you turn a good and popular compact wagon into a racing car?

Well if youre Toyota and youre talking about the Matrix, you offer a couple of minor upgrades, slap on a few logos, and Bobs your uncle.

And thats the problem.

Acuras top-of-the-line sedan is all new for 2005, offering a handsome new suit of clothes inside and out, more power, and enough technological goodies to please the most rabid technophile.

It also comes with a nifty new all wheel drive system that strikes a balance between Acuras penchant for front wheel drive with the market segments penchant for rear wheel drive vehicles.

Infinitis new M series is a spectacular vehicle. Its attractive, fast, loaded with luxury and technology, and a real blast to drive.

For what more could anyone ask?

I fell under its spell within minutes of having picked up my tester, even though I figured Id be disappointed because it was the "lower" model of the M series; and therefore saddled with a V6, instead of the 4.5 litre V8 of the M45.

Talk about Shock and Awe.

When the Acura RSX debuted as a replacement for the popular Integra, there was a certain amount of shock as people wondered why the company had chosen to introduce an all new model rather than just upgrade the Integra to a new generation.

Well, they certainly arent kidding.

I mean, Mazdas "zoom zoom" slogan can be applied to the real world driving experience of such fun cars as the Miata and even the 6 sedan. But take it to its peak and you have to be talking about the RX-8, the latest generation of the companys rotary-powered sports cars and an absolute blast to take out on the highway.

"Grunt without the guilt."

Thats how Volvo describes the new V8 option debuting soon in its XC90 SUV.

Grunt, thanks to the V8s 315 horsepower and 325 ft. lb of torque, and no guilt thanks to its efficiency and cleanliness, two factors Volvo says were high on its list of priorities for its first eight cylinder power plant.

Can a Hemi engine turn a venerable SUV into a sports car? Can a new V8 turn a longtime Japanese favourite into a Hemi beater?

Those are just two of the questions I asked myself during back to back weeks driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Toyota 4Runner V8 Sports Edition. Both of these SUVs are nothing if not world class, both have been around for years in one form or another, and both are capable off roaders.

Whod have thought a Toyota Avalon would have a claim to sporty performance?

Yet thats the case with the new, third generation of Toyotas flagship. The car not only comes with an attractive new exterior coupled with a comfortable and luxurious new interior; it also sports a new 3.5 liter V6 engine that cranks out a very pleasant 280 horses @ 6200 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4700 rpm. This is enough to propel this big car in a most satisfying manner.

By now most of you have seen or heard of DaimlerChryslers new line up of vehicles. Most notable is the all new Chrysler 300. I was quite skeptical when word of these vehicles began leaking out at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. What a mistake it was to underestimate this car, which was developed with help from Mercedes Benz. The 300 and the HEMI-powered 300C are Chryslers first rear-wheel-drive cars in a long while and since their introduction, the motoring public have embraced them.

Lexus GS 300 Relentlessly Pursuing Passion?
by Jim Bray, TechnoFile Magazine
Saturday, May 21, 2005

Lexus, and to a lesser extent Infiniti, really set the car world on their ears when they first burst onto the market about 15 years ago. Since then, the premium Japanese brands have been serious contenders for the dollars of the reasonably well heeled.

Over the course of that decade and a half, Lexus has changed its marketing from relentlessly pursuing perfection to passionately pursuing perfection. And they continue to make excellent cars that are often considered to be as perfect as a car can be.

Coming to a Lexus dealer near you, the worlds first luxury hybrid SUV.

Its the 2006 RX 400h, the highest-tech and newest version of the popular RX 330 (nee RX 300) that has been selling oodles of copies since its introduction.

Record companies are funny entities or I guess maybe its the free market.

S40: Volvo's Swede heart
by Jim Bray, TechnoFile Magazine
Sunday, March 27, 2005

Volvo. The name is synonymous with safety and durability, and for years it was also synonymous with cars that looked like cinder blocks on wheels.

Hyundai Opens New Doors for '05
by Jim Bray Saturday, February 19, 2005
What do you do to make a good value even better? Add a hatch, if youre Hyundai updating its popular entry level Accent.

When I test drove previous models of the Accent I thought they were nice vehicles that would make a very good first car for someone just getting into the market, or a nice second car for someone who wants a decent commuter vehicle thatll get the job done without making a fuss or breaking the bank. It would also work well for folk who tow a little car behind their behemoth RVs to use for running around once theyve set up shop in an RV park.

Mazda 6 Sport Wagon
by Jim Bray Saturday, February 5, 2005
Can a station wagon be cool? Can it be sporty?

You bet! The days of a station wagon being a stodgy family hauler are long gone and some of todays wagons are wonderful blends of function with form. Take the Mazda 6 Sport Wagon, for example.
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