Automotive Reviews
Road tests
2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser
0339 days
The thing about the FJ Cruiser is that it’s not really bred for knocking about the city, even one with half-destroyed roads like Detroit. This means that its best attributes–mountain goat-like hill climbing ability, stable handling on uncertain terrain and a multi-mode four-wheel drive transfer case–could be more or less superfluous at best and cumbersome at worst. Thankfully, the FJ Cruiser manages to be an entertaining drive around town as well.
Introduced in 2006 as both a nod to the Land Cruiser’s off-roading heritage and a chance to give headaches to Jeep Wranglers, the FJ Cruiser has soldiered on without obvious changes. For 2011, a locking rear differential is standard on six-speed automatic-equipped models, and the FJ Cruiser’s annual Trail Teams Special Edition is available in Army Green with matching trim. That’s about all that’s changed. But change isn’t necessarily a good thing, considering that the FJ Cruiser has survived the collapse of the giants, as burly SUVs like the Hummer have fallen out of vogue and disappeared from the market. Of the hard-core off-roaders, this is perhaps the easiest to live with, considering its permanent hard top and four-door layout. (more…)
2011 Volvo S60
0351 days
A sexy, ultra-modern sedan showed up in the driveway, painted a handsome metallic burnt-orange and looking like it had been driven out of a science-fiction movie set four or five years in the future. Without any overt performance styling tropes like massive fender flares or spoilers, the car communicated a quiet sense of capability that was backed up by the familiar circle-and-arrow logo in the grille. Remember when Volvos were boxy, forgettable cars?
Volvo’s S60 gets a style update for 2011, as well as a horsepower boost and a bunch of new technology. Though the tweaks are subtle, they’re telling ones, and this capable European luxury sedan is suddenly looking like a show car come to life. (more…)
2011 Jaguar XJ Supersport
0358 days
Elegant though it was, I have to admit that the Jaguar XJ was getting to be a bit of a hard sell. Its retro styling and sleek, cigar-shaped body were the epitome of cool twenty years ago, but Jaguar’s constant upgrades on the same theme just weren’t in keeping with the changing face of the luxury-sport sedan breed.
So, for 2011, at long last, Jaguar threw out the template completely. This was a big step for the British brand, whose lineup has always been strongly steeped in tradition. For the new XJ, Jaguar’s managed to produce a clean-sheet update that manages to incorporate just about everything that makes the cars identified by the chrome cats awesome. The 2011 XJ is close to being just what a modern Jaguar ought to be, in fact. (more…)