Time for a road trip

So many drives. Only one lifetime.

2010 Jetta TDI SportWagen: Turbocharged clean diesel

Photo by Volkswagen




Most cars, like most people, are a mixed bag. They do some things well, and others, well, not so much. (Of course, you can find real lemons in both groups.)

The new Volkswagen Jetta TDI SportWagen bucks the trend. There isn't much the car doesn't do extremely well.

I spent a few days driving the sporty little wagon around town. At 42 mpg, the mileage rivaled the Toyota Prius hybrid, but with a more traditional profile.

By the time I had to give it back, I was a believer in clean diesel:
No stinky diesel exhaust. No significant rattle in the engine.
Lots of power. And - because whether or not we admit it, looks count - the car is cute as all get out.

With the coming launch of the Nissan LEAF, hybrid power, clean diesel and electric vehicles are duking it out on the market. On the plus side: It's nice to have choices. On the minus side: The consumer faces the choice of limited travel range for the electric, disposing of hybrid batteries the rising price and availability of diesel. It will be interesting to see where it all goes.

Because I still need room to carry cargo from time to time, if I had to vote with my checkbook right now, I'd go with the Jetta.

You can read my print review of the 2010 Jetta TDI SportWagen here.

For Don's take...

Outlandish Performance

Photo courtesy Mitsubishi

The 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander:
Get in. Get ready. Get up and Go.

It wouldn't be hard, in this business at this particular time for the market, to become a little crossover-weary. I mean, every manufacturer is riding the craze. Some work better than others.
The Outlander compact crossover worked for me. I liked the size, the power and the flexibility.
Wasn't so crazy about the third seat, and I'm not a fan of the Mitsubishi red instrument lights. But other than that, I was a fan.

You can read my review of the Mitsubishi Outlander here.
Don's take.

Maxima Satisfaction

Photo courtesy Nissan

The more I drive, the more I've come to realize that not all automobile manufacturers are created equal.
Some just don't seem to understand the link between what drivers - particularly female drivers - want and what they demand. Hey, we're not just in the car because we've got nothing else to do. Most of us drive because we're driven by jobs, families and time-crunched schedules. But that doesn't mean we don't care about how we get there. We do.
Nissan gets it. Case in point? The 2010 Nissan Maxima.


You can read my review of the Maxima here

Don's take.

When you don't want to just spin your wheels

All too often, manufacturers try to create vehicles that can be all things to all people. And, all too often, they fall short.
But Honda, with the 2010 Crosstour, may have hit on the right formula.


You can read my review of the Honda Crosstour here...
For Don's take...

Snow Bunny

Sure, winter in Spokane has been hit or miss this year. Snow has been followed by rain.
Right now, the streets are dry and there isn't any white stuff around. But, memories of last year (the record-breaking, frozen, snowiest-winter-of-all-time) are still fresh. When winter arrives, I don't want to be on the road without the right car.
Well, let me introduce you to Mr Right...
The 2010 Audi Q5 isn't just another pretty face. It's a very good car for winter driving.
And, as luck would have it, I got to drive it around town during the first snowfall of the year.


You can read my review of the Audi Q5 here...

And, for Don's take...

Hey, did you see the way that car looked at me?

At first glance, Lincoln's new MKT let's you know what to expect. That grille. That sexy, sexy, grille...And, once inside, Lincoln doesn't skimp on the luxe.
So, if you like 'em big and smart and powerful, this might be the car for you.





My lowdown on the Lincoln MKT
And for Don's take...

Work, kids, sex and transportation...

Women have a reputation for being hard to figure out. And, why not? We're pretty complex creatures.
But you get two or three women in a room and we don't mind telling one another what's on our minds. And sometimes, all we really want is a great set of wheels. But that car has to take us in all the different directions a busy woman travels in a day.
This week's review was the new Mazda CX-9. On the whole, I thought it was a good car for women who know what they want. And, how they want to get there.




You can read my Mazda CX-9 review here.
And, for Don's take...

I'll pass on the Prius. And I mean that in a good way!

So, when I took to the Montana highway in the 2010 Prius, I expected a gas-sipping ride and a pretty view through the windshield. Naturally, I got more than I bargained for.

You can read my review here.

And, for Don's take...

Ready to fly Air Laramie?

So, I recently spent some time behind the wheel of the '09 Ram 1500 Laramie Quad 4X4. Once I got up to the wheel, I had a great drive. But, without running boards, that first step is a big one...

You can read my review here. And for Don's take...

Cube Rubrics

Who says a sexy car has to be all big and bad? Not me. Not the Cube.
The new Nissan Cube packs a whole lotta attitude in a petite package and it's a kick to drive. With its funky design, and satisfactory get up and go, I thought it was a great urban ride. Perfect for pulling into tight parking spaces or for hauling gear, the Cube makes city driving fun again.

Read my review here.


For the technical view, you can get Don's take here.

Order up!

Some things just work. They meet all the requirements and do it with a little style. That's my assessment of the 2010 Toyota Camry.

This little dish serves up dependable transportation and comfort, and it looks good, too. I thought the newest model had everything it needed to keep its status as America's favorite passenger car.

Read my Toyota Camry review here.

Don's take.

Talk to me, baby...

You know how it is. You know there's something going on in there but he won't say a word. Ask him what he's thinking and the reply is usually something like, "Huh? Oh, nothing."

I'm not saying I want a long-term relationship with the new Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback, but I do like the way it communicates...

Read my review of the Ralliart here.

Don gives his view.

A Crying Jag

Last month I spent a couple of days driving the new 2010 Jaguar XK-R convertible around town. Not a bad way to pick up the dry cleaning.

It's almost impossible to go anywhere in this car without getting a lot of attention. I didn't leave the house without checking my make-up first. Not that I needed it. Nobody was looking at me. All eyes were on the machine. And with good reason.

The XK-R is a beautiful thing.This is a car for drivers. For drivers who demand performance, quality and who expect to be the center of attention wherever they go. It powers up, drives hard and pulls you into the wind. The interior was everything you'd expect from Jaguar. Rich and luxurious and very, very good looking. At just over $100,000, it ought to be.

Like I said, it's a fun drive. But there were a few negatives:

For some reason, they decided to put a backseat in the car but it's really useless. I'm short. Under 5'4" tall. I have to pull the seat up close to put the pedal on the floor. But even with the seat adjusted for my height, there wasn't room to put anyone back there.

And, putting the top up combined with the super low profile leaves the driver with no good way to see out the side or back windows.

Still, when it was time to give it back, I hated to say goodbye. It was one sweet ride.

You can find all the specs and details for the XK-R convertible here

The view from the hot seat

I know I should say the first thing I want out of a car is speed. Or, performance. Or, even status.

But, to tell the truth, one of the first things I look for when I get in a car is the switch for the seat heater. I love a nice warm seat. And in this part of the country, with the exception of about 8 weeks every year, even if the day turns hot and sunny, the mornings can be a little chilly.

I just picked up a new Subaru Outback to review. I admired the exterior and commented on the roomy interior. I hopped in, buckled up and hit the button. Ahhhh. True happiness is a heated seat.

I've written about my fondness for heat before, in a 2005 Home Planet column

It's not my fault. I'm just driven that way...

You should have seen his face when I drove up and stopped the car at the door of the hotel. He trotted out to meet me like a puppy looking for a treat.

Sure, I’m old enough to be his mother. Or, his mother’s older sister. But, at the moment, that didn’t matter to either of us. I had something he just couldn’t wait to get his hands on.

You can read the rest of my Hyundai Genesis Track review here

You gotta be Flexible

Everything deserves a second look, right?

Read my review of the new Ford Flex, here.

Mr. Wonderful

Imagine you can have the thing you already love, just newer and better. Younger, fresher, rejuvenated, but still the same.

That's the longterm relationship fantasy, right? The comfort and reliability of the familiar, but the excitement of a younger model.

You can read my review of the 2010 Subaru Forester here.

Manual Transition

When the first car I was to drive and review for my new assignment with The Spokesman-Review was delivered, a new BMW Z4 convertible, I ran out to get a closer look. Oh, man, was it pretty.

There was only one problem. And, at the moment, it was a very big problem.

The car was a stick. And I hadn't driven a manual transmission in a long time. A very long time. Like, 20 years.

I realized I had two choices. One meant quitting and I'm not a quitter. So, I got back on the horsepower and rode. I sat there a minute getting the feel of the clutch and the stick. I pulled forward and then rolled it back. Forward and back, forward and back. Finally, at the driveway, my 14-year-old daughter hopped in the car and told me to go. And, I did. I did it without stalling, bucking or dogging the clutch.

We drove down the street and for the next few days I didn't stop driving. I flew down the Palouse Highway. We powered up the mountain. I cruised downtown at night and around curvy neighborhood streets by day. Top up, top down, it was all good.

By the time I had to give the car back, I'd made a transition. A manual transition.

You can read my review of the BMW Z4 here.