Luxury cars. Obviously they're not just about options, toys, and an interior swathed with leather. They bridge the gap — figuratively and literally — between the "haves" and "have-nots" on our roads. First they were mostly produced by American stalwarts Cadillac and Lincoln and now by the German carmakers Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. The Japanese, with Infiniti, Lexus, and Acura have also all produced one or two luxury cars that have broken into the "luxury" fraternity.But some models, like the TSX, have been banging their head against a glass ceiling.
It's often been said, that today that you can't buy a truly bad car any more. Well perhaps, but still there are plenty of offerings out there that can best be described as mediocre or dull. The Dodge Avenger, since it's launch for 2008 has come in for a fair amount of criticism, but since we at AutoGuide, like to take much of what we hear with a pinch of salt, we thought it was about time we subjected Dodge's mid-size offering to a proper test.
There's no shortage of choice when it comes to shopping for a new car. Hard economic times might have put a strain on your pocket book, but buying a new car doesn't have to make it worse
Why do we call them SUVs? That's probably a very good question, since most vehicles that fit the category are more like a pair of traditional golf trousers than sweatpants when it comes to sportiness. One that isn't, is the aptly named Range Rover Sport.
Life must be tough for the various design teams at Mercedes-Benz. While Japanese manufacturers work like clockwork to release a new vehicle generation every four years, the German company takes a different strategy. It chooses to launch vehicles into all-new segments (CLS, GLK) while letting its traditional offerings ripen longer. The last generation E-Class sold for eight years (2002-2009) with only a very mild mid-cycle refresh, so the 2010 version had a terribly long gestational period. Lots of time to get it right, then.