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Review: 2011 Scion tC

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Scion, Reviews

Changed For The Better, But Not Quite Enough

2011 Scion tC – Click above for high-res image gallery

Historians William Strauss and Neil Howe are known for their theory that America goes through a repeating cycle of four periods: a High, an Awakening, an Unraveling and a Crisis. Depending on who you believe, we could be in an Unraveling period about to fall headlong into a major crisis, which our two historians call the Fourth Turning. But if we persevere and turn the corner, we’ll find ourselves back in High times once again.

We reckon the Scion brand is in about the same spot. It hasn’t had much positive to report lately, so the redesigned 2011 Scion tC gives the brand something to talk about while it works out how to improve on its initially strong showing in the U.S. Does the new tC portend a return to High times for Scion, or is it leading a parade lap right into the Fourth Turning?

Gallery: 2011 Scion tC: Review

2011 Scion tC

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Review: 2011 Scion tC originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Volvo S60

Filed under: Sedan, Volvo, Reviews

How Volvo Got Its Groove Back

2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

During the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show keynote, Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby discussed his plans to shift the Swedish automaker away from the rest of the premium segment. This doesn’t mean that the quality of materials or craftsmanship is going to suffer, but instead of creating products that are specifically engineered to compete with the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Volvo will be working to reaffirm its own unique Swedish brand identity.

The 2011 Volvo S60 points the way forward for the brand’s new groundwork. The ‘naughty’ new sedan is stylish, luxurious and has the guts of a true sporting sedan, but it just doesn’t come close to the sort of precision we find in an Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series. Fine, then, that the Volvo has plenty of other impressive qualities to give it a unique edge over the competition. Consider it a premium sport sedan for people who don’t want the stereotypical premium sport sedan.

We recently welcomed a Blazing Copper S60 to the Autoblog Garage to see if Volvo’s recipe for uniqueness has created a delicious dish of Swedish engineering.

Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60: Review

2011 Volvo S60

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Review: 2011 Volvo S60 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Nissan Juke

Filed under: Budget, Performance, Crossover, Hatchback, Nissan, Reviews

Funky Hatch Is The Perfect Nissan Middle Child

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Nissan seems to be on a war path to fill every last ounce of white space in the automotive spectrum. The company has unleashed a barrage of vehicles that range from playful to downright confusing. At first blush, the 2011 Nissan Juke would seem to fit into the latter category. With styling that’s two shakes away from robo-reptilian, the small crossover packs plenty of power, a tall ride height and a small footprint into one sub-$20,000 package. If you can avoid pigeonholing the Juke, you’ll find that the engineers at Nissan secretly managed to bring their own interpretation of the hot hatch to market without raising the ire of the company’s accountants.

We wouldn’t blame you for thinking we’re one stud short of a lug pattern on this one, but point your peepers to a few specs and you’ll see what we mean. The Juke weighs in at less than 3,000 pounds in front-wheel-drive guise and packs a turbocharged, direct-injection 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that’s good for 188 horsepower. For reference, the company’s own Sentra SE-R hits the scales with an extra 88 pounds on its waist and 11 fewer ponies at its command. Opt for the manual gearbox in the Juke, and things get even lighter. Intrigued? We were too.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke: Review

2011 Nissan Juke

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Review: 2011 Nissan Juke originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne

Filed under: Sedan, Bentley, Reviews, Luxury

A Century Of Automotive Passion Delivers A New Flagship Sedan

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

2011 Bentley Mulsanne – Click above for high-res image gallery

Do not press the start button. Take a deep breath. Savor the craftsmanship. Take it all in.

Begin by examining the four brightly-polished organ-stop vent plungers. The stainless steel knobs situated high on the dashboard are easy to miss at a cursory glance. However, each is tasked with the important role of shutting down airflow from one of the bulls-eye air vents. Decades ago, the smooth metal rods would have been connected directly to the mechanical flapper. Today, with the physical connection severed by technology, a series of electronic micro switches sends orders to digital servos that handle the job. Understanding the tactile significance of that age-old mechanical movement, Bentley engineers painstakingly replicated the gratifying feedback of a precisely polished steel rod sliding over smooth felt to pull a soft leather damper closed. Their accomplishment is all but flawless.

Tasked with building an all-new flagship that captures the essence of the Bentley marque – incomparable coach-built luxury and a passion for power and speed – the engineers and designers in Crewe left nothing to chance. The result is the 2011 Bentley Mulsanne.
Now… press the start button.

Gallery: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne: Review

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

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Review: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Honda Odyssey

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Honda, Reviews

A Minivan Screams For Vengeance

2011 Honda Odyssey

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While we shouldn’t be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hear Honda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That’s right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?

While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda (“If you think you’re going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming!”), the truth of the matter is that Honda’s ad agency nailed it. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it’s not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.

Gallery: 2011 Honda Odyssey: Review

2011 Honda Odyssey

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Review: 2011 Honda Odyssey originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 BMW Alpina B7

Alpina Delivers Its Best Impression Of An M7

2011 BMW Alpina B7

2011 BMW Alpina B7 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Try as it might, the BMW M3 Coupe can’t lose the Alpina B7. The two of us are an unlikely automotive pair, playing cat-and-mouse on one long road to nowhere deep in the reaches of an unincorporated area of the California coastal mountains. The air is cool and the canyons are mostly quiet. Only the sound of two wailing V8s breaks the silence.

While the M3 dives into the corners with confidence, the B7 launches out with ferocious conviction. The M3 pulls energetically on the short straights, but the B7 puts its power down with resolve and steadily reels the smaller coupe back in. Even mid-corner, when the M3 is in perfect step, the B7 clenches a slightly wider line but still holds its ground.

We’ve been at this game for more than an hour, and neither of us is willing to raise a white flag. Only the illumination of the low fuel light in the smaller coupe has us calling it quits. Want to learn what it takes to harass an M3 owner?

Gallery: 2011 BMW Alpina B7: Review

2011 BMW Alpina B7

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Review: 2011 BMW Alpina B7 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Toyota Highlander

A Refreshed Mainstay Glides into Middle-Age

2011 Toyota Highlander

2011 Toyota Highlander – Click above for high-res image gallery

After more than a decade of wild growth and nearly limitless prosperity, Toyota experienced an unthinkable 2010 – the bandwagon derailed in a very ugly, very public way. Embarrassing recalls played their role in the Japanese automaker’s uncharacteristic slide, but even though that public black eye is beginning to heal, Toyota is still grappling with an aging product lineup. The Camry and Corolla still sell in massive numbers, but they’re growing long in the tooth. Admittedly, the latter received a very mild refresh for 2011, but the competition has caught up with each in every category that counts. It’s much the same story for Toyota’s truck and SUV portfolio, where the RAV4, Tacoma, FJ Cruiser and Tundra are hardly spring chickens.

Compounding the issue is the lukewarm response to some of its newly refreshed. The styling remains staid. The interiors are no longer class-leading. The powertrains and fuel economy have done little to separate them from the rest of the pack. Still, not all Toyota models are headed off the reservation. The redesigned Sienna has been well-received and is doing good work on the sales floor. The same can still be said for the Prius and the redesigned 4Runner, which is selling far better than its predecessor. The subject of Toyota’s latest refresh and the vehicle featured here, the 2011 Highlander, has been consistently successful over its lifespan. Will new tweaks to the seven-passenger crossover help this perennial top-seller stay near the top of the pack, or could the lack of a more comprehensive redesign relegate this CUV to also-ran status?

Gallery: 2011 Toyota Highlander: Review

2011 Toyota Highlander

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Review: 2011 Toyota Highlander originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 Mazda2

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Mazda, Reviews

Mazda Perfects the Fun-to-Footprint Ratio

2011 Mazda2

2011 Mazda2 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Bigger used to mean better, but in the modern era, that old chestnut no longer applies. Mobile phones aren’t the size of a brick, we can fit 2,000 songs in our pocket and this review was written on a computer that fits neatly on an airplane’s tray table. Sometimes smaller is better, and here’s a vehicle that proves it.

While the 2011 Mazda2 might not be out to redefine the subcompact segment, it does offer something largely lacking from the rest of the pack: fun. But are Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom driving dynamics enough to overlook its shortcomings in power, packaging and amenities? Find out after the jump.

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2011 Mazda2

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Review: 2011 Mazda2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper

Filed under: Chrysler, Jeep, Specialty, Reviews, Off-Road

Treads Where No Pop-Up Has Tread Before

Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper

Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper – Click above for high-res image gallery

All that stood between us and our chosen camping spot was 100 yards of loose rock – Precambrian granite that formed slippery masses of pebbles and shards, which ranged in size from as small as a quarter to larger hunks resembling a freshly sharpened axe head. It’s difficult to walk on with hiking boots, let alone drive across.

Did we mention we had no intentions of pitching a tent? No, what we had in mind was a fire, a few hot dogs and a nice warm bed with a roof over our heads. There are only a few vehicles in the world that we would trust with the success or failure of our weekend getaway, and the Jeep Wrangler happens to be one of them.

Better still, we were piloting one of Jeep’s shiny new Trail Edition Campers, which was firmly attached to the trailer hitch of a Deep Water Blue 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. This, boys and girls, is how camping is done properly.

Gallery: Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper: Review

Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper

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Review: Jeep Extreme Trail Edition Camper originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Real Racing 2 for iOS

Filed under: Toys/Games

Real Racing 2: Review – Click above for high-res image gallery

“Real” racing on a cellphone? Turn up your nose all you like, but after millions and millions of downloads, the original Real Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch is certainly the real deal when it comes to sales performance. A sequel arrived in the iTunes Store this month that adds a suite of licensed cars, 16-player online racing and a new career mode promising 10 hours or more of mobile gearhead engrossment. Despite the game’s name, it’s hardly a hardcore driving simulator for your phone, but read on to see why it’s just about the best $9.99 a car-loving iPhone or iPod touch gamer can spend.

Gallery: Real Racing 2

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Review: Real Racing 2 for iOS originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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