My expectations were pushed to extraordinary heights at the very first glance. The 2019 Mazda3 Sport GT, painted in a rich, blood-red metallic with just a hint of orange, took my breath away. Mazda calls this colour “Soul Red Crystal Metallic” and it’s an extra $450. Gorgeous. It’s the sort of eye-catching look you’d expect …
Honda Ridgeline pickup: excellence you pay for
I want to introduce you to a car-like pickup built on Honda’s Global Light Truck platform. Yes, it’s the Ridgeline, a clever and versatile rig based on a lightweight unibody structure with a four-wheel independent suspension. For novelty, it’s equipped with a lockable trunk in the nicely lined bed. At the rear is a dual-action …
BMW’s X4 will knock you out — literally and figuratively
BMW’s X4 SAV (sport-activity vehicle) is a fastback version of the boxier X3 and a smaller version of the first BMW SAV, the X6. The concept in play here pits the Bimmer against rivals such as Jaguar’s F-Pace, the Range Rover Velar, Mercedes-Benz’s GLC, Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio and Porsche’s Macan, to name five. My choice? …
Honda owners remain loyal despite quality issues
I Googled “Honda infotainment issues” the other day. Up popped 866,000 results in 0.45 seconds. Wow. Honda has a problem. No, problems. I learned this first-hand. I have suffered Honda’s infotainment woes during recent tests of the Honda Ridgeline pickup and the Acura ILX compact sedan. For instance, every time I started up the ILX …
July 11, 2019 | Commentary, First on the Grid 1 Comments (0) |
Has Mazda missed the chance to become the Japanese BMW?
For the better part of two decades, Mazda has timorously tried to reinvent itself as the Japanese BMW. Mazda’s caution has brought disappointing and even worrisome outcomes, though I admire the honesty of the effort. Let’s be very clear. Mazda is a pipsqueak automaker with a lineup of quite affordable cars and SUVs (sport-utility vehicles) …
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