Q: I drive a 2019 Acura MDX A-Spec with a 9-speed automatic with sequential sport-shift paddle shifters. Can using the paddle shifters harm the transmission? I use the paddle shifters to shift up for gas efficiency.
In the movie “Freaky Friday,” Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis played a mother and daughter who — via a magical fortune cookie — switched bodies. Confusion ensued.
TUCSON — The Honda CR-V is all grown up. The unassuming little model that confused many buyers when it debuted in 1997 with less off-road or towing capacity than other SUVs is now effectively Honda’s flagship. The CR-V outsold the Accord midsize sedan by 116,601 last year, and a loaded hybri…
Who do we admire anymore?
Q: I have a 2006 Honda Odyssey with driver and passenger temp controls. When the A/C is turned on, the passenger vents put out cold air. The driver’s side vents put out heat. If the temp controls are turned down to the lowest setting, the dash reading is “LO,” then cold air comes through bot…
Q: How serious is it to drive with your check engine light on? My car starts and runs perfect so it can’t be something very serious? Everyone I’ve asked tells me something different.
Ford is about to enter the truck-based SUV market with the Ford Bronco, and I get it. People are passionate about these things.
DETROIT — As General Motors and Ford Motor Co. bet the farm on electric vehicles, European manufacturers are pulling vehicles from the U.S. market for lack of demand.
2020 Nissan Versa SV: $18,745 as tested. Just floor mats as an option, $210.
We’ve all seen it happen: luxury brands that lose cachet after confusing class production for mass production solely in the name of profits.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kia bottles some of the magic from its hit Telluride in a smaller, more affordable package with the 2021 Seltos, a small SUV that delivers plenty of features and value.
Q: Do you recommend the installation of an aftermarket blind spot sensor? It would go on a 2012 Camry. If so, what are recommended brands and who installs them?
A spacious electric Cadillac designed to redefine American luxury and a battery-powered Chevy pickup were among the stars as GM unveiled an unprecedented 11 vehicles — and the technology to make them work — in a high-security briefing at its engineering center this week.
These are interesting times.
Q: I have a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Diesel. My problem is that the heated seat on the driver’s side comes on with no demand. I removed the door panel and disconnected the plug at the switches. The seat is eliminated from heating, but the rear back cushion heats up, sometimes intermi…
LOS ANGELES — Do you remember what your life was like 23 years ago, the year Great Britain ceded control of Hong Kong to China, President Bill Clinton started his second term in office, and Princess Diana died in a car crash.
Q: While using adaptive cruise control at highway speeds, any vehicle that cuts in front of me can cause my car to slow down rather quickly. I can see that this could present a problem for any cars behind me. Are brake lights activated when ACC is slowing the car down to give a warning to ca…
Q: I have a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Diesel. My problem is that the heated seat on the driver’s side comes on with no demand. I removed the door panel and disconnected the plug at the switches. The seat is eliminated from heating, but the rear back cushion heats up, sometimes intermi…
DETROIT — Joe Nickowski has worked at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant for 27 years and on Thursday both he and the car he built reached the end of the line.
Companies that build performance sports cars, trying to sell steak and sizzle at the same time, continue to offer vehicles that increasingly erase the space between street cars and track cars.
The mid-engine Corvette C8 Stingray is a new performance paradigm. Everyone has their own aha! moment. For many of my media peers, it was the $59,995 starting price announced at C8’s unveiling last July that elicited gasps from the audience.
2020 Toyota Sienna SE Premium AWD: You won’t but you should.
Q: I have been reading about the “must haves” for 2020. Several articles have stated that portable car diagnostic tools are one of the must haves. When I go to my dealer or gas station, they use a car diagnostic tool to tell me what is wrong. Can these portable tools do the same thing? Are t…
Since its development of the Model T in 1908, Ford Motor Co. has been synonymous with building affordable, entry-level vehicles for the working class. By 1924 the price of a Model T Runabout had fallen to just $260 — the equivalent of about $3,900 in today’s dollars.
2020 Subaru Outback Premium: A new take on love?
Dodge expands the high-performance Charger lineup for 2020 by adding a Widebody exterior to America’s only four-door muscle car.
LAS VEGAS — Evading helicopter surveillance and channeling the spirit of the “godfather of the Corvette” were business as usual for GM engineers developing the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, code-named C8 because it’s the eighth-generation of the sports car.
WASHINGTON — Only one domestic model, the Tesla Model 3, was named tops in its price category in the annual Consumer Reports top picks list, an influential designation for shoppers looking for new cars. And no U.S. brands, including Tesla, were ranked in the Top 10.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — It’s fitting that Kia’s newest crossover, the Seltos, takes its name from Celtus, the son of Hercules, for certainly Kia finds itself in a position of strength right now.
Q: My 2010 Subaru Forester needs a catalytic converter. The car has a California CARB-compliant cat. I live in Connecticut. Do I have to replace it with a California unit or can I use a 48-state one?
Q: Regarding my 2000 Acura model TL, I’ve been told my front light shields need cleaning. I am wondering what you would recommend for improving nighttime safety. I could clean them myself, but I was told that is hard work and I’m in my 80s. The car-wash does cleaning at $89. I am hoping ther…
As new car prices increase faster than consumers’ paychecks, the nation’s auto dealers are finding they can make more money focusing on used car sales.
There are things in life you never notice, but they’re there. And you realize that someone not only invented them, but made a handsome pile of money from it. Think of the zipper, the ballpoint pen or the paper clip — items designed out of frustration with the existing order.
There’s a pickup war coming, and it’s going to be electric.
The Hyundai Venue is a tasty little snack box. Loaded with standard features, a remote smartphone app and perky styling, it’s as Mini Cooper-cute as it is utilitarian.
2020 Cadillac XT6 Premium Luxury: A smaller three-row Cadillac crossover.
How good are your headlights? Probably not as good as you think.
The 2021 Cadillac Escalade SUV doesn’t go on sale till late this year, but here are three features customers may love:
The Nissan Rogue for 2020 has lots to offer to buyers looking for a small crossover: smart styling, spacious and comfortable cabin, plenty of standard and available amenities, and competitive pricing.
Q: My tire pressure monitor light is constantly on for one or more of the original tires on my 2009 Subaru Impreza with 40,000 miles. We love the car and plan on keeping it as long as possible. My repair shop said that there is a limited life on the sensors and the batteries, and when we rep…
I remember picking up my 2001 BMW M3 like it was yesterday. The sleek coupe hugged the ground with its front spoiler just inches off the asphalt. Its 330-horsepower, naturally aspirated inline-6 cylinder 3.2-liter engine put out a rare 100 horsepower-per-liter through the rear wheels at a sc…
It’s remarkable how often the automotive industry forgets one essential truth in car design, best expressed by the late industrial designer Raymond Loewy: “Between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.”
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — All-wheel drive is back on the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica minivan after a 17-year hiatus as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV seeks to continue its dominance in the shrinking segment.
The auto industry is betting hundreds of billions of dollars that this is the decade you’re going to buy an electric vehicle.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR will dole out a record $23.6 million to the 40 drivers racing in the Daytona 500.
Once upon a time, Volkswagen (translation: people’s car) lived up to its name in America making Bugs and Rabbits and Jettas and other fun fare that appealed to average Americans.
Q: I took my car to my mechanic for the check engine light being on. He checked the codes and said it’s an “EGR fault” He said it would be a couple of days before he could get to it. He said I could keep the car but shouldn’t drive very far until he fixed it. Can you explain what this is abo…
The Ford F-150 is the top-selling vehicle in America, and has been for four decades. For folks who don’t want a Ford, there’s the Chevy Silverado, which for years has been the country’s No. 2 pickup.
2020 Volvo XC60 T8 E-AWD Polestar: A high-performance, luxury SUV with a bit of fuel economy on the side?
Q: In 2015, I purchased a 2015 BMW 328i. In 2019, during an oil change at 19,500 miles, the dealer recommended I replace the tires due to tread wear. I did the penny test, checked around and needed to replace the tires, which I did. Afterward, I returned to the dealer and asked why new car t…