Automotive Reviews
Four Doors
2011 Ford Focus
Oct 20th
It’s hard to believe it took this long for the Focus to get here. If you’re not a car person, you might not realize that the Europeans have been getting the “good” version of the Ford Focus for many years. The Focus sold here was something of a dinosaur, first developed in 2000 and allowed to soldier along with significant updates but missing out on the whole-car redesigns that the European version benefitted from. There was talk of bringing the “Euro-Focus” to the United States, but it’s been a long time materializing.
For 2012, the Focus finally appears in the same form as overseas, and the result is a significant upgrade. The all-new 2012 Focus spans the range of the compact spectrum, with affordable entry-level versions and enough amenities available to turn it into a premium compact.
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2011 Toyota Avalon
Aug 20th
This is one of those cars that many people forget still exists. The Toyota Avalon is known for inspiring phrases like “competently boring.” Toyota’s answer to just about every car Buick ever built could be said to have transcended its source material.
Then again, Buicks aren’t all that boring these days. Redesigned for 2011, the Avalon soldiers on as prime bridge-club transportation though, with a big back seat, plenty of power and appliance-like operation. It started out in 1994 as a slightly cushier Camry clone and aimed at mid-luxury brands like Buick, Mercury and Oldsmobile. In the years since, it’s outlived two of those marques and over the years the Avalon has become a very distinct and different vehicle from Toyota’s bread-and-butter sedans. More >
2011 BMW 550i
Jul 13th
This is an automotive truth: BMWs are happier with manual transmissions. I have yet to drive a BMW that wasn’t dramatically more fun when equipped with a stick. I sampled the all-new 550i last spring and came away generally unimpressed; it was a competent luxury sedan that could tackle the twisties with aplomb, but not markedly cooler than a comparable Audi A6.
Drop a six-speed manual transmission into the equation, however, and the 550i is transformed into a serious piece of driving equipment. BMWs aren’t about being comfortable when stuck in rush-hour traffic, in the end. This is a car that demands driver engagement. Even the cupholders are inconvenient, an afterthought. More >