Less money, less weight, same personality. Three years ago, the compact-luxury-SUV segment had but two entries: the BMW X3 and the Acura RDX. Now, of course, the segment has gotten rather crowded, so the time is right for the originals to get freshened. The X3 is due for a full-scale redesign soon, but the RDX is receiving a mid-cycle… Read the rest

When the government finalized its plans for the CARS rebate program, I was admittedly torn on the issue. I knew it would temporarily help automakers and dealers, but as an enthusiast, I couldn’t stand the thought of good cars being destroyed. I figured it would only be a matter of time before we heard stories and saw pictures of… Read the rest

Acura goes a little, well, funny in the head. And we don’t mind. The Acura ZDX is endearingly weird, the sort of vehicle you might expect Citroën to produce, were it still doing business in America and hoping to slake our countrymen’s thirst for an all-in-one crossover/sports coupe/sedan/SUV. What the ZDX is not, philosophically, is a Honda. “This isn’t… Read the rest

Honda has reached this stage of importance here in India solely due to the City, this being its smallest offering until the Jazz was launched. Right from day one the City has evoked a lot of interest among buyers looking for the latest technology and others who intended to take their ride to the next level with alloys, body… Read the rest

Toyota’s dominance in the hybrid car game (which seems to be a game that they invented) continues unabated. Take the Lexus HS 250h. It’s hugely popular in Japan, so popular in fact that Toyota is going to triple production output for the car. But Toyota didn’t triple production just for the home market alone, no. It would seem that… Read the rest

The newest Lancer is the five-door Sportback, which for 2010 comes in mid-range GTS and zesty Ralliart trims. The GTS model with a 2.4-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission is $19,910; the optional CVT bumps cost to $20,910. The sportier Ralliart model packs a 2.0-liter turbo engine with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and starts at $28,310. Ralliart trim can… Read the rest

The Honda Civic Si—and its even more unapologetic sister model, the Type R—used to be one of the ultimate hot hatches. A Japanese counterpart to the likes of the Volkswagen GTI, the Civic Si and Type R came close to being motorcycles on four wheels. Designed for Europe, Honda has found out that the three-door Type R’s appeal is… Read the rest

From the “weird stuff we found while bored on a Friday” archive comes this priceless gem. Discovered on Chinese automaker Chery’s media site is the all-new action/adventure video game, Can Not Dull . In addition to having absolutely no idea what the title of the game means, we’re also baffled by the gameplay itself. The object of the game—much… Read the rest

The U.S. Government is Spending your tax dollars on cars…. Still ! Are they trying to help Obama Motors or just see how much debt they can create. Time will tell. Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for “cash for clunkers,” the economy-boosting rebate program that caught the fancy of car buyers… Read the rest