I am embarrassed to confess the joy of driving a fancy army rig, one that is the choice ride of cinematic villains (and some heroes), along with an assortment of obnoxious celebrities. Let me explain. The truck is the infamous G-Wagon and my tester was the G550 V-8 biturbo. Of course, there are other versions of …
2016 Volt: remade into a sporty city car that happens to have a plug
The original Chevrolet Volt was an intriguing, progressive, thoughtful and wonderfully utilitarian plug-in hybrid. It truly was a ground-breaking vehicle and it should have had a profound impact on the market. But it didn’t. The Volt that went on sale in the United States in late 2010 fizzled. It failed to capture the imagination of …
Review: 2016 Buick Encore deserves respect; 2017 version looks better
If you spend five seconds in and around the Buick Encore, you will understand why Buick is killing the Verano compact sedan in the Canada and the U.S. The Encore, a small crossover wagon aimed at slightly upscale buyers – perhaps even over-achieving Millennials, if you believe the ads — is a completely sensible rig …
The way forward for tarnished VW: electrification
It’s easy to chastise the Volkswagen Group for Dieselgate — for gaming emissions tests — and for management’s tone-deaf responses to systematic malfeasance at the giant German automaker. VW, of course, has been trained by friendly and lenient German authorities to take only a passing interest in government mandates and policing. German car companies and …
June 9, 2016 | Commentary, First on the Grid 1 Comments (0) |
Plug-in hybrids: from novelty to mainstream, seemingly in a blink
Plug-in hybrids were once a novelty. But no more. Battery-electric cars with on-board gasoline generators are rolling into dealer showrooms in growing numbers. Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, McLaren (if you have $1 million-plus to spend) — pick a car company and you’ll find it in the plug-in hybrid business. What an amazing development. At the …
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