May 22, 2013
Wondering why you haven't read any updates on our 2012 Subaru Impreza?
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May 22, 2013
There's a lot to like about the SLS AMG's styling. The long hood and stubby tail give it classic roadster proportions. It gives a nod to Benzes past, while offering a thoroughly modern interpretation. But there's one thing that bugs me...
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May 22, 2013
There is no shortage of varying opinions regarding the 2013 Infiniti JX35 in our long-term updates. With 35 or so unique drivers taking a turn behind the wheel, there's bound to be disagreements about any vehicle's strengths and flaws.
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May 22, 2013
Our long-term Cadillac ATS has had a string of small issues lately. A couple of them were simple warnings from the on-board computer that something was wrong. In both cases, everything seemed fine to us, so it's hard to tell if the computer was acting up.
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May 22, 2013
Our 2013 Porsche 911 has driven through freezing temperatures, ice and snow, thanks to its trip to New York. Now, a couple of months later, you can add "forest fire!" to its check-off bucket list.
Actually, it was more of a 4,100-acre wildfire that I encountered about 80 miles north of Edmunds' Santa Monica, CA, office. There was no imminent danger to motorists at the time, but it made for some very interesting scenery.
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May 22, 2013
After nearly 900 miles of California and Arizona desert driving — including windy stretches in 100-plus degree heat with bikes on the rack — our long-term Mazda CX-5 averaged 23.9 mpg. Its best tank was 29.3 mpg on a largely downhill stretch. Its worst tank was 20.6 mpg in the wind and heat.
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May 22, 2013
All hail the backup camera, the parking aid of the century! Our 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye has one, and mostly that's a very good thing.
But the image at night suffers from bad resolution. Those who remember analog TV sets fed by rooftop antenna might call it "snowy." The guide lines are not peppered with any snow, so the issue is with the camera, not the display.
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May 21, 2013
Possibly you've heard about the BRZ's tires. You know, the 215/45R7 Michelin Primacy HP rubber it shares with the JDM Toyota Prius Sport Package? These rock-hard pizza cutters keep the Subaru BRZ's limits low and its fun factor fairly high.
They also squeal. A lot.
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May 21, 2013
It's easy to forget how big our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 is compared to an average sedan, or even a small SUV. But every once in a while it reminds you that, yes, it's a big ol' SUV.
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May 21, 2013
If you have to use your 2013 Lexus GS 350 to shuttle some family/friends/coworkers around, the people sitting in back should be pretty comfortable. The outboard positions are nicely contoured and are raised to offer useful thigh support. There's also plenty of padding on the rear door armrests and center armrest. The center position isn't suitable for adults given its high perch and the hump on the floor, but that's pretty typical for this class.
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May 21, 2013
As a visibility hog, I am made crazy by this decade's trend of less and less visibility in cars. Sure, I appreciate a good rear-view camera when an SUV's heiny is huge, but when your average family sedan or hatchback often requires one, it makes me frown. So I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up to the rearview mirror in our 2013 Dodge Dart and noticed I could see the entire back window in the reflection. The whole thing. And that's not a tiny slit of a rear window, like in the Camaro we had a while back.
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May 21, 2013
Looking at this message one might think they had a headlight out. That's not quite the case in this Cadillac.
I was a little surprised when I saw this message in the morning darkness as the headlights appeared to be working just fine. After looking closer, the light pattern on the right side did look a little bit different than the left, but again, this was only if I stared awhile.
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May 21, 2013
I decided to rotate the tires on Project Miata recently, and in doing so was reminded just how much chassis stiffness is afforded by its 6-point GT3 roll bar by Blackbird Fabworx. See that? In the picture above, there's a scissor jack supporting the front jacking point, and that's it. Both the front and rear tires are dangling in space.
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May 21, 2013
Several weeks back I packed our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 to the gills with everything a family of four could use on a weekend adventure in Arizona. Then we drove 350 miles across the California and Arizona deserts to Prescott, Arizona. Because we had bikes, we also had bike gear which filled the cargo hold. However, the CX-5's flexible mesh cargo cover handily stretched to accommodate our oversized load.
Still, we used every inch...
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May 21, 2013
We recently had a service message pop up in the instrument cluster of our 2013 Ford Focus ST. The odometer had ticked a few hundred miles past 10,000 and the car was politely reminding us that it was time for some love.
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May 20, 2013
My brother drives a 2012 Toyota Prius V and loves it except for one thing: the driving experience is "squishy." By that he means the soft suspension and the disconnected feeling of the CVT. My brother says the squishy feeling doesn't bother him because he's getting amazing fuel economy.
I took our Prius C to reacquaint myself with the driving experience of this little hybrid and here's my open email to my brother.
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May 20, 2013
As you've read before, finding the correct tire pressures for our 2013 Porsche 911 is no easy task.
We're currently running our tires at 31 psi front and 34 psi rear according to the "comfort, part load" specifications. In conversations with Porsche, they suggested that we use this tire pressure for our testing as well as it should give us the best results.
We could take their word. Or we could try it out for ourselves.
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May 20, 2013
This warning popped up on the instrument display of our 2013 Cadillac ATS when I climbed in this morning. I did not notice any associated issue with the power steering, and the warning did not stay illuminated. And I have not seen it again since. We'll keep an eye on this and have it addressed at the dealer if necessary.
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May 20, 2013
Our 2013 Scion FR-S was due for its 15,000-mile service, so we stopped off at the dealer for maintenance. The oil and filter change was a quick job. Toyota of Santa Monica took care of it while we waited. According to the invoice, it should have cost us $130. But since the FR-S still falls under the free maintenance program offered on new Toyotas, this didn't cost us a dime.
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May 20, 2013
Some long-term cars leave our garage and I won't even notice. I'm pretty sure it was a month and a half before I realized the Honda Crosstour was gone. There are others, however, where I'll wistfully stand at the driveway and wave as it departs for the last time, a wash of fond memories floating through my mind to the dulcet tones of Barbra Streisand and "The Way We Were."
The 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged fits into the latter category, and as its time with us is coming to a close, I thought I'd share those fond recollections in that age-old, time-tested Top 10 format...though sans Babs.
In no particular order...
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