Archive for February, 2009
Review: 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
There’s no arguing that, at least currently, automotive design is all over the map. And one of the swoopiest designs to ever leave the drawing board and end up in sheetmetal is as polarizing as it is appealing. Herewith, we bring you the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG.
Review: 2009 Audi A5 S-Line
First, there was the older gentleman on the busy main street. As I rolled past in the Audi A5, he stopped dead in his tracks and made quite a show of pointing out the red sports car to his companions. There was a look of bedazzlement on his face. Or perhaps the Viagra choose that [...]
Review: 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8
Back in 1970, Dodge’s answer to the Pony Car Wars was the Challenger and its sister, the Barracuda. These twins could have been uttered in the same breath as Chevelle, Mustang and Camaro, but the trouble was that Chrysler was too late to the game – by about five years or so. Fast forward to [...]
Review: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Z51
Now in its sixth generation, Chevrolet’s Corvette has earned the ultimate accolade from enthusiasts: It’s said to be a track star that can be comfortably used as a daily driver. To the staff here at Leftlane HQ, that praise has always sounded too good to be true. We’ve enjoyed driving Corvettes on closed courses before, [...]
Quick Spin: 2009 Pontiac Vibe 2.4
The Pontiac Vibe is a bit of an anomaly in General Motors’ product portfolio. Built at NUMMI, a Toyota-GM partnership facility in California – Toyota’s only UAW plant – it neither looks nor feels like anything else in Pontiac’s slightly confused lineup. On the surface, it’s a Toyota with Pontiac badges. Is this another example [...]
Review: 2009 BMW M6 Coupe
It’s six in the ay-em, on a Monday morning. We’re passing through 85-miles-per-hour on Ontario Provincial Highway 22 in an Interlagos blue metallic BMW M6. The V-10 is purring sweetly underhood. There is not another car in sight. Steve McQueen had it right when he uttered the phrase that is emblazoned in the mind of [...]
Review: 2009 Dodge Journey R/T
Chrysler LLC is like that Rocky Balboa character from the epic movie series of the same name. Hobbled, bloodied, and grasping for the ropes, he is only hoping for a sudden burst of aggressive adrenaline, a desperation move like throwing in the towel, or sympathetically, the final ringing of the bell.
Review: 2009 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited
In the world of automobiles, you’ll find the well-known top dogs, a handful of just plain dogs and, at the bottom of the heap, you’ll find the underdogs: The unexpected, often overlooked and sometimes scrappy contenders that won’t meet the sales acclaim of the top dogs but rather revel in enthusiasm from the lucky few [...]
Dodge to launch hybrid version of Ram pickup
Chrysler’s hybrid lineup has been conspicuously sparse –consisting of only the now-dead Dodge Durango Hybrid and Chrysler Aspen Hybrid — but the Michigan-based automaker will soon revive its two-mode hybrid system in another truck-based model. Earlier on Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show Chrysler announced that its light-duty Dodge Ram pickup truck will soon be [...]
GM to make Saab independent by end of February?
A new report indicates that General Motors and the Swedish government have worked out an agreement that would see Saab become an independent, Sweden-based automobile manufacturer. Apparently, GM and the government have “agreed in principle” to the deal, which would not force the government to take a stake in the automaker.
