Edmunds CarPool

My girlfriend is looking to buy a car. Her current mode of transportation consists of a Honda 750 Shadow with saddlebags and whatever car I have to drive her around in. The bike is cool, but when she has to transport something like, say, an avocado tree, it becomes problematic. Her budget is limited (let's say in the $15,000 neighborhood) but she's got sporting intentions.

The current car that's got her attention is a used Mini Cooper S, with a manual transmission. I think it's a safe bet to assume any of her choices should be offered with a stick-shift. Looking at Edmunds TMV, even a Cooper S that's only three years old is in the target price range. Other concerns are insurance (no super sporty cars) and maintenance (it'll have to be reliable or at least something I can work on).

It's going to be tough to beat the Mini, but here are my top three.

Continue reading…

Categories: Ford, Honda, MINI, Volkswagen, Weekly Top 3

First, Americans decided they didn't like wagons. They bought minivans instead. Then the SUV came along. That was fine until people got tired of paying $80 to fill up on gas every week. So now we're all keen on the crossover. But already automakers are pushing a possible next big thing: wagon/hatchback-like crossovers. Is it a viable new trend, or one automotive niche too far? Finding an answer is something that Face-Off lives for.

The Honda Accord Crosstour is the latest example of the wagon-y crossover. Senior Automotive Editor Brent "Rockin'" Romans takes up its cause. Senior Editor Bryn "Maximum" MacKinnon, however, thinks Brent is drinking too much Honda KoolAid and touts the Nissan Murano as a more traditional yet superior choice.  Which one is better for somebody wanting a decent-handling vehicle with utility? Per usual with Face-Off, you vote to decide.

Continue reading…

Categories: Face-Off, Honda, Nissan

Last time around I discussed Ford and described them as "the most tortise-like" of the domestic manufacturers, meaning the most stable in their overall product quality and success over the history of the company. Ford's import counterweight in terms of methodical approach and success would have to be Honda.

Actually, much more than any other automaker on the planet (including Ford) I would badge Honda as the most stable player in the game. But does rock-solid stability have to mean boring and lifeless product? Thankfully, no.

Continue reading…

Categories: Honda, Karl on Cars

(photo courtesy of Flickr)

I was shooting pool a few nights ago with a friend. Among conversational tidbits like "How far would you go on the Olympic ski jump if you didn't jump at the end?" and "They're remaking Clash of the Titans? Really?" my friend let it be known that he was selling his 1974 Porsche 914. I just about whacked him with my pool cue. Dude, why?

Actually, he bought the 914 for his girlfriend (now wife) a couple of years ago. She loves the car and uses it as her daily driver, but they're thinking of selling it. He says it's not the most reliable car, and while he knows the mechanical basics, he isn't knowledgeable enough to do any major repairs. They haven't got the money to keep taking it to a specialized shop. Plus, his wife says she might like something a little bigger and with a backseat.

So I told my friend I'd use the infinite resources and powers of the WT3 come up with a few used-car suggestions that might still allow his wife to keep her car enthusiast credentials. I searched via the following criteria: 1) Fewer than $6,000 (that's the most they can spend); 2) Fun to drive; 3) Practical via a backseat and/or hatch; and 4) a reputation for at least decent reliability.

Here's what I came up with.

Continue reading…

Categories: Ford, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, Weekly Top 3

If you've been reading my "Karl on Cars" blog entries for any length of time, you already know how I feel about modern vehicles. Essentially, there are no truly "bad" cars today. Sure, there are some subpar cars, but even they aren't truly bad.

(I could Focus on such vehicles, but that would be a low Caliber and unPatriotic approach to this topic, and might annoy people living in Colorado -- or in a Canyon. BTW, Cobalt blue is a nice color).

Anyway, saying there are no truly bad cars isn't news, but I think we've hit another paradigm shift in the last 12 months or so: There are an increasing number of downright great cars.

Sure, the "just fine" part of the graph is still the fattest, but the top part (representing "great cars") is taking on mass and could threaten to topple the whole thing over if things keep going in this direction.

Continue reading…

Categories: BMW, Cadillac, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Karl on Cars, Lexus, Volkswagen

If you're a diehard Weekly Top 3 fan...alright, maybe I'm making a false assumption there. But in case you're interested, I did say a few words about my 2001 Honda Prelude in a column when I bought it last April. And now that we've got our Editors' Personal Cars series going, I get to keep talking about it. Which is fine by me. I kind of love my 'Lude.

For budget-minded fans of high-revving naturally aspirated engines, an old VTEC Honda's the next best thing to something like an M3. The fifth-generation Prelude is rather mild-mannered by Honda standards -- redline's 7,400 rpm; Integra GS-R, e.g., winds out to 8,100 rpm -- but it also has 200 horsepower and a relatively accessible 5,200-rpm VTEC crossover.

Truth is, Honda just doesn't make cars like this anymore, and that's a large part of the 'Lude's enduring appeal. More on which below.

Continue reading…

Categories: Editors' Personal Cars, Honda

Originally, this was going to be a thematic comparison -- the "Battle of the Boxes" wherein we'd put the new-for-2010 Kia Soul up against the Nissan Cube. But we subsequently expanded the test to include the Honda Fit (the winner of our last subcompact hatchback comparo) after realizing many shoppers would likely be taking a look at all three.

Can the Fit retain its title belt against these two unconventional competitors? The answer lies beyond the jump. 

Continue reading…

Categories: Comparison Test, Honda, Kia, Nissan

This list isn't very long, but it's getting longer every year.

The first vehicle to earn the distinction of "Cars I Want to Hate...But Can't" was the BMW X5, and I still consider it the poster child for this category.

Why would I want to hate the BMW X5? Because it was slower, heavier, bulkier, thirstier, costlier and less space efficient than a BMW 5 Series wagon when it debuted in the late 1990s. The car made no logical sense on any rational level.

Then I drove one and quickly realized that, as slower, heavier, bulkier, thirstier, costlier and less space efficient 5 Series wagons go, the X5 was an awfully nice vehicle.

Since then I've experienced a similar love-hate relationship with several models, including the (new) Dodge Challenger, the Porsche Panamera and -- as of last Thursday -- the Honda Crosstour.

Continue reading…

Categories: BMW, Dodge, Honda, Porsche, Talk Back Tuesday

Categories: Car Buying Advice, Dodge, Honda, Mazda

One of my friends is ready to buy a new car. As you might imagine, when you're in my position and a friend or family member is ramping up for a car purchase the phone often rings (or, as in this case, the "New Email" folder goes bold).

My friend currently owns a 2005 Acura TL, which he purchased because of its combination of luxury, technology and quality. He's a successful lawyer, and financially capable of buying a much more expensive car, but he puts a lot of value on...well, value. When he asked me about the TL four years ago, and told me what his priorities were, I said, "The TL will absolutely serve your needs." He bought it and has had no regrets. But his driving habits rack up the miles quickly, and after four years his TL is pretty worn out.

So he's ready for a new car, and the just-redesigned 2009 Acura TL would be the obvious choice. After all, it still offers all the luxury, technology and quality of the previous version. However, in my friend's words, it is "quite ugly."

His girlfriend drives a 2006 Lexus RX, which he really likes except for one characteristic -- he HATES how the navigation system goes dead once the car is in motion. So he asked me in his email, "You're the car expert. Can you tell me if the new 2010 Lexus RX navigation system can be used while in motion or is it a completely useless upgrade like it has been to this point?" To which I replied, "Lexus=Toyota, and Toyota=nanny-ism. In other words, NO USING NAV WHILE DRIVING!"

This made him very unhappy and put him in a state where I can't reprint his next reply. It also made him write a no-nonsense letter to Lexus; a letter that generated a very corporate response. Follow the jump to read it.

Continue reading…

Categories: Acura, Car Audio and Technology, Honda, Lexus, Safety Systems, Talk Back Tuesday, Toyota, Traffic Safety

Remember when buying an Acura or Audi or BMW or Lexus or any other premium brand meant you got a premium car? The idea was pretty simple: If you wanted a premium car ownership experience you had to pay a premium price and purchase a premium vehicle.

As I drove the new 2009 Volkswagen CC recently it occurred to me the only thing separating this car from its Audi brethren was the emblem on the grille. Interior materials, performance, high-tech features, heck even exterior styling and "presence" were all up to Audi standards.

So was the price, of course, with a VR6 4Motion model starting at $40,000 (though $27,000 will get you into a base 2.0T car, which is still quite nice and a much better value).

Continue reading…

Categories: Acura, Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Talk Back Tuesday, Toyota, Volkswagen

The 2009 Honda Fit is all new this year, though you have to look pretty close to see any differences. It's a little bigger, a little quicker and a little more expensive (about $600 to $800 more, depending on trim and tranny). Fuel mileage didn't go up at all, but horsepower and (more importantly) torque did.

The last version was basically a Japanese-market car with the steering wheel moved left. Yet even with this minimal amount of re-engineering it offered a solid combination of fuel efficiency, interior space and excellent design/function features.

Continue reading…

Categories: Fuel Efficiency, Honda

In case you haven't noticed, fuel prices have dropped recently. Some would call the latest price drops a drop in the bucket (why do I have trouble getting excited over gas costing "only" $4.33 a gallon in Los Angeles?), but a price reduction of 5 percent over the past two weeks is better than the constant gas price hikes we've seen since early spring.

However, as with most things, there are two sides to this reduction in coin. Specifically, as the price of fuel drops so does the advantage of hybrid powertrains over traditional gasoline versions.

Continue reading…

Categories: Chevrolet, Fuel Efficiency, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, Lexus, Toyota

I recently drove five crossover vehicles back-to-back. They were: Buick Enclave, Honda Pilot (2009), Hyundai Veracruz, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander. We'll cover the results in an upcoming comparison test, but I can tell you my personal feelings regarding the all-new 2009 Honda Pilot in relation to these other vehicles. In short, I was disappointed.

Continue reading…

Categories: Honda