Brands don’t realize customers notice their lack of consistancy. Look at the back of a Mercedes-Benz right now.. besides the logo, is there any long standing design vibe? No. The grooves that were quietly famous for keeping MB tail lights clear in bad weather are gone. Any one of their lights could look at home on a…

Why is safety not sexy? Is breaking your pelvis and whiplash sexy from a poorly designed, ugly car in a mild accident? Is getting out of a car after a long ride half crippled from lousy seats sexy? It ain’t sexy to me. Smart, fast, fun, incredibly comfortableand safe is sexy to me. Volvo checks boxes for me. Way…

As they say, ‘Money shouts, wealth whispers’. In San Francisco, where I live, the best neighborhoods, Pac Heights, Sea Cliff.. I see far more MINIs, Priuses, Sienna Limiteds, MDXs than S-Classes and 7 series. When you’ve got it, you don’t need to shout it.

Yikes. That sinister black plastic ‘mesh’ looks real, REAL scary!!! That’s some fancy (I mean TOUGH) styling up front. They really wanted to convey strength with this model. Sadly, cliché design gimmicks mearly illustrate the pathetic failure of il Levante and Maserati styling in general. NO high end vehicle should…

The Mazda3 has rain sensing wipers on some models… since at least 2012.

The Kia Soul offers venitlated seats on all but the least equipped model. It starts at $18,70oish so… if that’s econo enough for you, you’re set

Nissan hasn’t killed the Quest. Build one right now on their website.

Nissan didn’t “kill the Quest”. Ill-informed. You can buy one today, brand new. And I just rented one and it’s kind of a LOT better than I expected and I own two Sienna Limiteds.

The second row seats DON’T fold down? Success with the ‘sport’ in S.U.V. but that is seriously lame for the ‘utility’ quotient.

To ascertain the Metris’ size, it’s one inch shorter than a caravan, an inch narrower… so that gives y’all a sense of dimensions. Not remotely near a Promaster or Sprinter. It’s minivan sized.

In some definitions, luxury is: Space. Indulgence. Not having to do anything yourself. Kicking your feet up. Safety. Capability. That would be a Sienna Limited. Open doors with a button. Two sunroofs. Leather. Reclining, leather, lounge seats with footrests. Built in TV. Durability. Presence. Confidence that it won’t…

Isn't that why it's intersesting? Who'd bother writing about a Camry vs Taurus vs Malibu? We're currently comparing the following: 3 series wagon, Prius, X1, Ct200h, V60, Clubman. Why not?

Sienna. Period. Makes a space in Suburban look like an early Rav4 2-door. Filled with seats you can't fold flat with the load ffloo. Lousy haulers. Made for mommies- not people who really need to fill their rigs up.

Good move VW. I was trying to build out a Golf and GTI for a friend who was downgrading from an Audi A3 hatch- she didn't 'get' why VW didn't let you build and just got frustrated. She thought it meant VW was a much lesser brand because of it. Brand perception is important in all ways -especially with conquest…

In fact, Volvo has had a long run of numeric or alpha-numeric names -though without researching I can think of two letter-only names: 'Coupe' for a year or two of the 780 and 'Duett', though that never appeared on the cars so it is negligible. Coupe certainly did though.

When a Highlander Hybrid can easily be $51,000, I'd say this price for a Volvo is no problem. Further, most of the XC90 owners I've known had real money who didn't want to appear gauche (by driving a BMW or MB).

Wagons and butched up minivans. That's what I'm missing. It's bizarre to me that none of the van makers have tried to ape what the Outback, Cross Country and Allroad did to wagons. SUVs are just insecure station wagons.. but a jacked up van is opportunity on wheels. Do it.

I've been casually (constantly?) car shopping for a few years to replace our super 2002 BMW 325it. Considerations: must be narrow (cars are too wide for our old garage), gotta get better mpg (easy), must have hatch. Considerations: BMW X1, Lexus CT, Volvo V60, Prius.. it's an odd bunch but who cares? Each has virtues,…

In the same breath.. will hatchbacks replace utility starved sedans? They already look like hatchbacks. They just lack the nice big lift back…

… and the submission to blecky CVTs.