Tag: review

Review: 2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video]

Filed under: Truck, Ford, Reviews

Rollin’ With The F-150’s New 5.0

2011 Ford F-150 4x4 SuperCrew

2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew – Click above for high-res image gallery

As a race, we humans are obsessed with the notion of “best.” Whether it’s generations of on-point marketing or a strand of latent genetic code that pushes us to shack up with a better mate, we just can’t shake the disposition. It’s what drives our society forward – the quest for the latest product that promises a slightly improved experience or that one feature that eclipses the competition. It’s why we can happily saunter up to the feeding trough at the local buffet instead of poking at wild boars with pointy sticks. It is, simply put, a good thing.

The domestic full-size truck segment provides perhaps the greatest study in “best” available. Each new model year gives the Big Three one more shot at outdoing each other in the areas of power, towing capacity, interior room and fuel economy. Neither Ford, General Motors nor Chrysler skips the chance to brag about its latest advancements over the other two. But as with everything, there can be only true king. In this feudal system, it’s Ford F-150, which has attracted more buyers than the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 for years. Why? We took to the saddle of Ford’s latest entry-level F-Series equipped with the company’s new 5.0-liter V8 to find out.

Continue reading 2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video]

2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder

Filed under: SUV, Nissan, Reviews

An Aging SUV Stalwart Sizes Up Its Crossover Competition

2011 Nissan Pathfinder

2011 Nissan Pathfinder – Click above for high-res image gallery

Would you describe yourself as an optimist? Someone who can always find the good in something that others fail to see? It’s an admirable quality, and one we’re going to try and keep in mind while putting down our thoughts on the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder.

We could write a thousand-word essay on the demise of the large, three-row, body-on-frame sport utility vehicle, but that hardly seems helpful. Instead, we’ll do our best to point out exactly what penalties you’ll be signing up for by choosing this type of vehicle over one of its newer crossover competitors.

Yes, a pessimist could surely find plenty about the aging Pathfinder to complain about, but the deep-seated, glass-half-full optimist can take that 4,800-pound bag of lemons and make some sweet-tasting lemonade. It took the entirety of our week with the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder, but we finally figured out exactly who this vehicle is for. Could it be you? Continue reading…

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2011 Nissan Pathfinder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 May 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Mercedes-Benz, Reviews

How AMG Does Suburban Winter Assault

2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

No one needs a 503-horsepower SUV capable of 155 miles per hour. In the real world, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG makes no sense whatsoever. But you want one all the same. We understand.

All it took was one glance at its massive tailpipes out back for us to fall in love. The ML63 is fitted with equal parts absurdity and brilliance, and almost immediately, our minds filled with images of blasting the AMG SUV along the snowy roads of southeastern Michigan, its 6.2-liter V8 bellowing at full volume, ricocheting off the concrete overpasses looming above metro Detroit’s Interstate 696.

Senior editor Damon Lavrinc appropriately described this behavior as “suburban winter assault,” but as we found during our week-long winter test, the ML63 AMG is perfectly equipped for battle no matter the weather.

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Photos copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

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Review: 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Kia Optima EX

Filed under: Sedan, Kia, Reviews

The New Benchmark, For Now

2011 Kia Optima EX

2011 Kia Optima EX – Click above for high-res image gallery

Nobody remembers the 2010 Kia Optima, but just like that, the 2011 model may be the mainstream sedan to beat. While some consumers – the uninformed and brand-bigoted – might remain skeptical, the 2011 Kia Optima is the new benchmark. How could the Optima go from warmed-over also-ran to the segment’s latest front-runner?

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Photos copyright (C)2011 Dan Roth / AOL

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Review: 2011 Kia Optima EX originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

Filed under: SUV, Nissan, Reviews, Off-Road

A Bonafide SUV That Refuses To Be CUV-ified

2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X

2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X – Click above for high-res image gallery

There was a time when body-on-frame SUVs dominated American roads, with nearly every major automaker offering some kind of four-wheeling fighter to suburbia’s off-road pretenders. Nissan was no different, and at its peak in 2000, the eminently capable Xterra sold some 88,000 copies – the same year our colleagues at Motor Trend crowned it Sport Utility of the Year.

But unlike so many hardened off-roaders that have evolved into unibody crossovers, the Xterra has soldiered on nearly unchanged since its refresh in 2005. And according to our sources, this latest variant – the Pro-4X – could be the last of an orphaned breed. We got our hands on Nissan’s most capable SUV for a week of highway drudgery, big-box shopping and even a little time off the beaten path to find out if it deserves to live on.

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Photos copyright (C)2011 Chris Shunk / AOL

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Review: 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Reviews, Electric

Achieving Super MPGs In The Automotive Missing Link

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery

There’s something to be said for being at the right place at the right time. Had our primordial ancestors evolved legs and lungs while the entire globe was still awash in warm sea water, they would have gone belly up and we might have never made it to the top of the food chain. At this point in history, our entire species can thank generations of ancestors for not being squished, drowned, beaten, eaten or stabbed before cranking out offspring that would further the human race. One misstep to the left could have been all it took to eradicate entire lines of Homo sapiens progress.

Those same laws of luck and fortune dictate which automotive traits will survive into the future and which will be left to be bookmarks of curiosity in the mechanical fossil record. General Motors knows this all too well. The company infamously birthed the EV1 in the mid-’90s only to find that its high costs of development meant the short-range electric couldn’t keep its head above water in a sea of relatively cheap fuel prices. At the time, there just wasn’t any land in sight for the electric movement.

What a difference 15 years make. Thanks to the trailblazing efforts of the hybrid fleet, more and more Americans now associate efficiency with electric power, and General Motors has given rise to what could possibly be the perfect evolutionary species to bridge the gap between hybrid and full-electric motivation – the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

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2011 Chevrolet Volt2011 Chevrolet Volt2011 Chevrolet Volt2011 Chevrolet Volt2011 Chevrolet Volt

Photos copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

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Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Airstream Avenue

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Etc., Chevrolet, Specialty, Reviews, Luxury

A Deluxe Apartment On The Move

2011 Airstream Avenue

2011 Airstream Avenue – Click above for high-res image gallery

This is the time of year when you can’t help but realize that you’ve been tucked away in an office while the desk calendar has been the only one getting a workout. It’s time to look at a map and pack a bag. Coincidentally, my friend Tom had the same thing in mind. He’s about to have his first baby, doing work on his first home, and he’s getting a look in his eye that suggests it’s time for a breather. For me, the open road is always calling and, when a friend is ready to join in, it means the stars have aligned for a road trip.

Those two little words create all kinds of questions, the first of which centers upon what type of vehicle to use. We’re both 30, so we’d like a little luxury but… we’re both 30, so we’d like a little adventure too. Thankfully, a brief call from Airstream put my name on the keys of a 2011 Avenue slumbering in a Los Angeles parking lot.

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Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeff Glucker / AOL

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Review: 2011 Airstream Avenue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD

Filed under: Sedan, Lexus, Reviews, Luxury

A Vanilla Sport Sedan In Need Of Some More Sprinkles

2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD

2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD – Click above for high-res image gallery

Your available options in the entry-level luxury sedan segment rival the variety found at your local Baskin-Robbins. Interested in all-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive? Nearly every automaker has you covered. Want to row your own gears, or sit back and let the silicon chippery do the work? The car of your dreams awaits. There’s an option for all of us, and if you prefer a good vanilla to rocky road, then you’re going to love the 2011 Lexus IS250 AWD.

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2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD

Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeff Glucker / AOL

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Review: 2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Shift 2 Unleashed [w/videos]

Filed under: Toys/Games, Reviews

Need For Speed Gets Real

Shift 2 Unleashed Review – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was a risky proposition: taking a series as fabled for its antics as Need for Speed and placing it into the cold, calculating hands of a simulation developer. That developer is Slightly Mad Studios, which has roots to the SimBin team that created the groundbreaking GTR on the PC. The resulting game was the first Need for Speed: Shift – truly a fresh title and, more importantly, a truly great racer, managing to straddle the console racing and simulation genres and do both admirably well.

Now, it’s sequel time. Ian Bell, sim-racing guru and co-founder of Slightly Mad, said that this game has the “most advanced physics system ever released.” We’re not sure we’d go quite that far, but in testing this one we’re quite confident in saying that this is certainly the most realistic Need for Speed game yet, which is perhaps why it’s officially shedding that prefix and just billing itself as Shift 2 on the PS3, xBox 360, and PC. Still, not everyone will enjoy the punishment this game can offer, so read on to see whether this is one supercar sim that’s for you.

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Review: Shift 2 Unleashed [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC

Filed under: Crossover, Mitsubishi, Reviews

A Larger Lancer For These Crossover-Obsessed Times

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC – Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi has a problem with its current lineup. Unless you’re looking for a Lancer, your options are limited to the Galant mid-size sedan and the Endeavor and Outlander crossovers. Right now, the Galant is contemplating seppuku and the Endeavor hasn’t been fully redesigned since it first went on sale back in 2003. The Outlander, however, has something positive to offer. It seats up to seven passengers (in a pinch), has been named an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, and tops out at 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

Mitsubishi knows having just two competitive vehicles to choose from isn’t enough to compete in an industry eager to fill every niche, and the company appears focused on evolving the two lone bright spots in its lineup. The Lancer has spawned many variants, the latest being the Lancer Sportback, a fun-to-drive wagon that doesn’t step on the toes of the top-trim Lancer Evolution. The Outlander, meanwhile, recently gave its name to the smaller 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, a five-passenger crossover looking to make its mark in a currently crowded segment.

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2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC

Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeff Glucker / AOL

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Review: 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE AWC originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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