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2021 Toyota Camry TRD Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh People don't often associate the Toyota Camry with driving excitement, but not because Toyota's engineers and marketers haven't tried to offer a sporty midsize family sedan. Way back in 1992, they added an SE variant with a DOHC V6, sport suspension, sport seats, and spoiler to the line (which began... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Nissan Maxima |
2020 Hyundai Venue Denim Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh I recently tested Kia's smallest, least expensive crossover, the new-for-2021 Seltos, and found it to not be a penalty box. Well, sister company Hyundai recently introduced a crossover that's considerably smaller than the Seltos--159 inches long on a 99.2-inch wheelbase, vs. 172 inches longer on a 103.5 wheelbase, 69.7... Comparison vehicle: 2021 Ford EcoSport |
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2021 Kia Seltos SX Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh For many car buyers, the best car for their money will be the least expensive crossover with enough space for their family and their family's stuff. In recent years, this has been the Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, and their direct competitors. These also used to be the smallest crossovers.... Comparison vehicle: 2021 Hyundai Kona |
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2020 Honda Insight Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Two decades ago, Honda introduced the first hybrid car to the American market, the teardrop-shaped, two-seat, three-cylinder Insight. But Toyota's Prius, with twice as many seats and a much stronger electric motor, arrived soon afterwards and quickly overshadowed the original Insight. Then, for 2004, Toyota introduced a much-improved second-generation Prius,... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Toyota Prius |
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2019 Hyundai Veloster N Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Back when I was a young man, Volkswagen introduced the GTI. Even then it was clear that, for a combination of real-world functionality and driving fun, a good hot hatch was the way to go. Which makes it puzzling that the Koreans, despite their great strides in recent years, have... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Volkswagen Jetta |
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2019 Kia Forte Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh All three Detroit-based automakers have abandoned the compact sedan segment in favor of more profitable compact crossovers. Kia, on the other hand, redesigned its Civic-competitor, the Forte, for 2019. While the Forte was previously offered in three bodystyles, the coupe and hatchback did not make the jump. I hadn't planned... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Honda Civic |
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2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Who is failing to acknowledge reality? Many auto enthusiasts dislike crossovers because, taller and heavier than cars, they inherently handle with less agility. Yet an increasing number of high-performance crossovers have been finding buyers. Do the laws of physics force a choice between utility and driving enjoyment?... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Porsche Macan |
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2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature Turbo Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Mazda, after failing to conquest many Honda and Toyota buyers, has decided to reposition itself as a semi-premium brand. But can its products support the new position, or is this just wishful thinking? In the case of the updated 2018 Mazda6, I found the sedan worthy, with an interior... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Acura RDX |
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2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh A compact crossover with a hybrid powertrain should hit the sweet spot for many buyers. And Toyota is the master with hybrids. Yet the company's first stab at a RAV4 Hybrid underwhelmed, with EPA ratings of just 34 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. In a suburban test drive... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Subaru Forester |
2019 Lexus LS Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh I recently spent a week in the latest Lexus LS for two reasons. First, my father once owned both a 1991 and a 2009. Although he now drives a Tesla Model S, he sometimes misses the greater refinement of those large Lexus sedans. He helped me cover the 2017... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Mercedes-Benz S-Class |
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2019 Lexus ES 350 F Sport Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh When I posted photos of the updated Mazda6 in Signature trim, some people remarked that had the appearance and interior materials of a $50,000 car, especially inside. But how does the Mazda6 (reviewed here) stack up against an actual $50,000 car, the redesigned-for-2019 Lexus ES? Comparison vehicle: 2018 Mazda Mazda6 |
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2018 Mazda6 Signature Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Something had to change. To survive, Mazda has to either sell more cars or earn more money per car, preferably both. Its traditional focus on creating cars that are especially enjoyable to drive thanks to innovative engineering and skillful tuning wasn't getting it anywhere. But what should it do differently?... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Honda Accord |
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2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh There have been fun Toyota Corollas, just not recently. But I've been hearing good things about the new Corolla Hatchback, which replaced the Corolla (n?e Scion) iM for 2019. So I decided to check one out and report my findings. The big question: why would someone buy the new... Comparison vehicle: 2019 Mazda Mazda3 |
2018 Buick Enclave Avenir Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Buick, on the verge of extinction, first began regaining traction in North America with the 2008 Enclave. An extra-large, cushy, quiet, and stylish three-row crossover with more interior space for people and their stuff than any other, the Enclave sold well (especially for a 21st-century Buick). Yet Buick... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Volvo XC90 |
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2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh If you're not a top-of-mind brand in the auto business, you'd better offer something clearly better than the others to get shoppers to even remember you exist. Mitsubishi is the opposite of top-of-mind. They were never big in North America, and from 2002 to 2009 their annual sales plummeted by... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Hyundai Tucson |
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2018 Audi TT RS Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh I've reviewed hundreds of cars over the years. Perhaps a thousand. Of them all, two really stand out for being incredibly fun to drive: the 2009-2015 556-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V and the 2012-2013 360-horsepower Audi TT RS. So, when I was recently offered a choice between having an Audi... Comparison vehicle: 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman |
2018 Hyundai Kona Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Many current cars rate a B, even a B+ in pretty much everything. They do nothing especially badly, but they also do nothing especially well. While safe bets, such cars are boring. The new Hyundai Kona isn't such a car. The latest of a growing number... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Honda HR-V |
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2018 Kia Stinger GT Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh What would it take for you to buy a $33,000-to-$53,000 Kia instead of an Audi or BMW? Kia gave this question a lot of thought, and the new Stinger is its answer. Good answer? Kia gets bonus point from me right off the bat for making the Stinger a... Comparison vehicle: 2018 Audi A5 / S5 / RS5 |
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2018 Dodge Durango SRT Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh A certain sort of car enthusiast delights in taking a vehicle not usually associated with driving excitement and stuffing it full of motor. You'll have to go aftermarket to get a Hayabusa-powered smart fortwo or a Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler. But occasionally the factory obliges, as with the Mercedes-AMG G65. You... Comparison vehicle: 2013 Ford Explorer |
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2018 GMC Terrain SLT Diesel Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh If you're like many TrueDelta members, you've decided to buy a compact crossover, but feel overwhelmed by the large number of models to choose from. Jump back 20 years, and only Honda and Toyota offered compact vehicles with car chassis but SUV bodies. But it wasn't long before car buyers... Comparison vehicle: 2018 Jeep Compass |
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2018 Lexus LC 500 Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Lexus has been wanting people to think of its cars as exciting and (to use a word of which the German manufacturers are overly fond) dynamic. But as long as their cars remained much the same, their words seemed like little more than words, claims to be doing something rather... Comparison vehicle: 2016 Jaguar F-Type |
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2018 Honda Accord Sport Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh There was a time, back in the 1980s, when a Honda Accord seemed special. So cleverly designed, so innovatively engineered, so precisely assembled, the Accord was initially purchased by nonconformists with the courage and smarts to diverge from the mainstream (then still loyal to Detroit). But word spread and sales... Comparison vehicle: 2018 Toyota Camry |
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2017 Mazda CX-5 Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Mazda introduced the CX-5 as a 2013 model and updated the compact crossover's exterior styling, interior materials, sound insulation, and advanced safety tech for the 2016 model year. Usually such a comprehensive freshening would mean no full redesign until at least 2018, and more likely 2019. But even with the... Comparison vehicle: 2017 Honda CR-V |
2018 Elantra GT Sport Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh For a mix of driving enjoyment, practicality, and affordability, nothing beats a hot hatch. The one that started it all, the Volkswagen GTI, continues to lead the pack, but many driving enthusiasts want a lower price, fewer long-term reliability concerns, or both. This might open the door wide for... Comparison vehicle: 2017 Honda Civic |
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2017 Kia Niro Review Official TrueDelta review by Michael Karesh Kia has a habit of making clever variations on the products of its sister company, Hyundai. Hyundai recently launched the Ioniq hatchback in hybrid and EV forms. Kia's variant, the Niro, is only offered as a hybrid, but is a few inches taller, enabling it to pass a a crossover.... Comparison vehicle: 2017 Toyota RAV4 |