L.A. Times' Car Reviews

Auto review: 2013 Subaru BRZ is an honest-to-goodness sports car

You look fat in that. Of course I'll be late. Your baby reminds me of Gollum's uncle.

Review: Infiniti JX offers comfort even in the third row

Jerry Seinfeld once said, "There's no such thing as fun for the whole family." Ask anyone who has tried cramming himself or his kin into the...

Review: Hyundai Azera perfectly parked in large sedan segment

In a quiet, forgotten corner of the automotive landscape there is a segment of vehicle called the large sedan. These cars tilt toward luxury...

Car review: Mazda builds fun, efficiency into CX-5 compact SUV

If there's an ideal vehicle for every buyer, consider matching Mazda's 2013 CX-5 with Zeus or better yet, his kids' baby sitter.

Buick Verano isn't up to running with a younger crowd

The Verano is a new compact sedan from that near-luxury nameplate, Buick. It's an impressive, competitively priced car; a stellar cut from...

Car review: Porsche 911 takes an evolutionary leap

One hundred years from now, when auto historians go all Charles Darwin dissecting the evolution of Porsche's 911 sports car, they may notice...

BMW 328i takes new path, raises the bar

Imagine if Orson Welles was expected to improve on "Citizen Kane" every six years, or if Kobe Bryant's contract demanded that every time...

2013 Lexus GS 350's passion found in its performance, not looks

Like first-timers at a key party or a cheesehead's trek to Lambeau, Lexus is on a quest for passion and it couldn't come at a more...

Car review: 2012 Subaru Impreza adds fuel economy

The recipe for Subaru's compact Impreza is getting a rewrite for 2012.

2012 Honda CR-V sports all-new looks inside and out

If one of your New Year's resolutions was to be more honest and you just bought Honda's new 2012 CR-V, you may be up a creek without a spark...

Range Rover Evoque is cool and sophisticated

If the parking lot were high school, the all-new Range Rover Evoque would throw the best parties, vacation in places we mispronounce and...

Chevrolet Sonic is a sound subcompact

This may come as a surprise to some motorists, but Chevrolet, a brand celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has only now figured...

Hyundai Veloster is filled with value but low on power

Hyundai Motor Co. recently put on sale its all-new Veloster three-door coupe, and without pledging any affinity for their music, the car...

Volkswagen puts testosterone in revamped 2012 Beetle

You have to hand it to Volkswagen.

Scion 2012 iQ review: Everything's compact except the price

When thinking about the all-new iQ microcar's origins, imagine engineers at Scion and parent company Toyota Motor Corp. grabbing a shrink...

2012 Mercedes ML350 offers a lot of finery, a la carte

If a mid-size luxury SUV is in your fall wardrobe, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 may be the cable-knit sweater.

First drive: 2012 Porsche Cayman R

Keats has his "Ode to a Nightingale." Pope has his "Ode on Solitude." And Porsche now has its "Ode to the Sports Car."

2012 Camry: Sharper angles, but nothing edgy in this update

Say you wake up tomorrow and decide you want to learn to play tennis. Maybe you like Serena Williams' method of anger management, or perhaps...

2012 Audi A6 is ready for the limelight

Poke around a little into the biographies of history's well-known names and you'll find a few who had siblings whose own successes were...

2012 electric Coda sedan: Not showy but packed with substance

When electric car maker Coda Automotive Inc. introduces its first model this year, the independent Southern California manufacturer will...

2012 Volkswagen Passat: Germany's take on a big-ol' American car

An earthquake recently cracked the Washington Monument. Billionaire Warren Buffett wants to pay more taxes. Volkswagen is building a big-ol'...

Toyota ratchets up the room with 2012 Prius v

As the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric car, the Toyota Prius has become the iPod of hybrids. More than 2 million of these...

Sorry, VW, but Hyundai Accent is 'the people's car'

Apologies and all due respect are in order to a certain German automaker, but it seems the term "the people's car" has been appropriated...

2012 Mazda5: A multi-utility vehicle that's budget-friendly

Never underestimate the significance of doors. More specifically, the significance of sliding side doors on a type of vehicle that doesn't...

Mercedes Benz SLK350: Remodeled roadster is well-rounded for 2012

The Mercedes Benz SLK is and always has been the pied-a-terre of the company's lineup.

A Charger for road and track

There will always be a segment of the driving public that feels an undeniable need for speed.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is an elegant off-road dominator

Imagine Batman and the Joker are interested in fractional ownership of the same pickup truck. The caped crusader would want it all-black,...

Infiniti combines fuel economy and luxury in M Hybrid

Shuddering in anticipation of increasing federal fuel economy standards, luxury car manufacturers that traditionally paid little attention...

2012 BMW 650i convertible: Muscular yet flexible

Flex. To you and me, it's just a harmless word. To the engineering team charged with producing a convertible, the very mention of flex,...

2012 Acura TL improves with makeover

In its prior incarnation, the grille was hideously toy-like. And the car, as a whole, lacked the sort of styling panache buyers of luxury...

More refined Chrysler 300 is still a knockout

Five years ago, Chrysler's then-new 300 sedan walked into the ring and delivered a knockout blow to the rest of the full-size car market....

Outlander Sport shows Mitsubishi is driven to compete

The relative rarity of Mitsubishi cars these days confirms the company's status as an underdog automaker. Mitsubishi ranks sixth out of...

Nissan takes wrong turn on Quest

Nissan nails unconventional. One has only to spend some time driving the all-electric Leaf, the spunky Juke crossover or the anomalous...

First Drive: 2011 Lotus Evora S

Lotus' faster variant of its Evora sportscar adds some weight and even more excitement.

Countryman is a more grown-up Mini but still playful

Back in the day, vintage Minis were so narrow they could drive on sidewalks. They were so short, the only view out the driver's side...

2012 Audi A7 has power, tech and a style that draws double takes

A businesswoman in the parking garage was the first. The next day it was a landscaper at the gas station. Then the balding guy in the...

2012 Honda Civic is a model of extreme sensibility

It depends perhaps upon one's affection for cars, but the biggest compliment to be paid to the 2012 Honda Civic is its utter lack of flash.

Bentley Continental GT geared toward wide-open spaces, including parking spots

Saying it became a chore to drive a particular car probably wouldn't catch your attention. Telling you that car was the 2011 Bentley...

Garia LSV offers electric luxury at 25 mph

As gas prices escalate toward $5 a gallon, one novel fuel saver is generally overlooked: the street-legal golf cart.

BMW's X3 xDrive35i is an SUV that acts like a sports car

Your life is about to change, and your sports car is terrified.

With B-Class F-Cell, Mercedes rolls out an impressive steppingstone

The only Mercedes hatchback on the U.S. market, the 2011 B-Class F-Cell, wouldn't be recognizable as a Benz if it weren't for its premium...

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet combines open air with utility

Convertibles aren't known for their utility. Cars that can be driven as open-air vehicles or hermetically sealed at the push of a button...

Lexus CT 200h is a multifaceted hybrid

Lexus recently introduced an all-new car, the CT 200h, and it's a hybrid in more ways than one.

2012 Fiat 500 adds Italian style to subcompact class

My first reaction upon seeing the new Fiat 500 was "Ciao bello!" It's about time a little Italian style entered the subcompact...

Chrysler finally has a mid-size contender

Before Chrysler's new 200, the company's mid-size car was on its deathbed.

Hyundai Elantra can please both sides of the brain

Shopping for a compact car is typically an exercise for your left brain. This hemisphere of your mind where logic resides delights in how...

Camaro Convertible is a sports car built for cruising

It's a rare car that can lose its top. Only the most iconic, and sporty, of vehicles are typically selected for the retractable roof...

Dodge Durango SUV: A behemoth whose soul belongs in a bygone era

So you're in the market for a 2011 Dodge Durango SUV. Congratulations. After amassing nearly 500 miles on a top-end Citadel model recently,...

Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Half the car for nearly twice the price

In the hullaballoo surrounding last year's debuts of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, one new electric vehicle was mostly overlooked: The...

Update pushes 2011 Lincoln MKX to the top

With all due respect to your bald neighbor in the sports car, the 2011 Lincoln MKX knows how to deal with a midlife crisis.

Ford packs a lot in all-new 2012 Focus compact

When Ford Motor Co. set out to redesign its Focus, it did so with a laserlike intensity. Improved fuel economy was the No. 1 priority in...

Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid's selling point is power, not fuel economy

Volkswagen recently put on sale the second generation of its mid-size sport utility vehicle, the 2011 Touareg. Sitting at the top of the...

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG: Efficiency and performance in a breathtaking package

When it comes to luxury sport cars, efficiency and performance have been terminally at odds. Twinning the two ideas is akin to pulling...

Honda combines agility and utility in 2011 Odyssey

In the supermarket of automobiles, minivans occupy the fruit and vegetable section. Their vehicular nutrition comes from gobs of...

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon shows parenthood can have perks

Wagons are typically a practical purchase — an investment often dictated by a change in life circumstance. In other words, babies.

CAR REVIEWS: BEST OF 2011

Awards season is at hand, so it's only fitting to salute top performers in one of L.A.'s favorite categories: autos. Our work as Times car...

Volvo S60 T6 packs sporty power and safety features

A decade in the automotive industry is like the passing of the Mesozoic era; a lot changes. In 2001, Hyundais were questionable and Toyota...

2011 Ford Explorer is a tech-heavy SUV more suited to on-road adventures

Confronted with rock-strewn hills, or pavement that is flat, straight and most likely located in Illinois, drivers of vehicles that easily...

Nissan Leaf: A revolutionary vehicle that drives like a car

No one loves lofty rhetoric and prosaic hyperbole more than car manufacturers. With a dollar for every time a mundane car was described as...

Car review: Icon FJ44 custom off-roader has <i>all</i> the bells and whistles

It's long been said there are only seven basic story lines in all of literature. Increasingly, the same might be said about cars, whose...

2011 Kia Optima drives toward top of its class

You know you like a car when the only thing you would change is the hard, uncomfortable seats.

Chevrolet Cruze review: A car off the value menu with some upscale ingredients

As the economy stumbles along in recovery, bargains continue to define the marketplace, whether it's dinner at McDonald's, refreshing a...

Audi A8 review: This V-8 lightweight proves its mettle

Though you may not think of aluminum as a precious metal as you would gold, silver or platinum, the metal certainly had its heyday. Once...

Lincoln stays true to form with MKZ Hybrid

Driving eco is often equated with sacrifice — smaller cars with higher price tags that trumpet under-the-hood efficiencies and skimp...

2011 Volkswagen Jetta: You can feel the cost-cutting

With Halloween around the corner, imagine for a moment Volkswagen's Jetta as a piece of candy. For decades it was the rich German...

Review: Chevy Volt &#8212; electrifying

With most cars, idling at the arrival curb of a major metropolitan airport results in an instantaneous visit from the parking police:...

2011 Scion tC shifts into gender-neutral

Like the Boy Scouts, the waiting line for a midnight release of Halo or tractor trailer-pulling contests, Scion's new 2011 tC is pretty much...

Hyundai enters luxury-car category with 2011 Equus

There's something wrong about a pair of 7-year-olds lounging like sultans in the back of a $60,000 luxury vehicle, downing Go-Gurt from an...

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: Unmistakably American

It appears Cadillac's design studio has finally found a remedy to U.S. automakers' inferiority complex. For decades, the neurosis has...

2011 Bentley Mulsanne exudes exclusivity

"I love that car," sighed the rookie valet at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica.

2011 Kia Sportage EX: Sharp-looking crossover has undeniable German influence

Kia should check the security cameras at its offices.

2011 Corvette Z06: It makes me feel so young

There's just something about speed that makes a person feel omnipotent. Youthful. Alive. If you have any doubt, check out the 2011...

Infiniti QX56 is a luxurious powerhouse in a rotund shell

The good, the bad and the ugly. It's cliche, it's trite — and it's exactly how to describe Infiniti's 2011 QX56.

2011 Mazda2 is an entry-level blast

Drafting is an auto racing art, the trick being to follow another car closely enough to take advantage of reduced air resistance, but not so...

2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid is a sporty eco-activist

Cars typically force drivers to make a choice: sporty but piggish on fuel or efficient and underwhelming.

Volkswagen packs a lot into the compact 2010 Golf 2.5

Before she became President John F. Kennedy's favorite blond birthday singer, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson. Rapper Diddy...

2011 Grand Cherokee comfortably tackles the Y axis

A thought crossed my mind as I rolled the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee over what appeared to be the edge of a cliff: "Why am I doing this?"

Lexus GX 460 offers a stylish ride on main roads or mud

In 1923, famed British climber George Mallory was asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb the yet-to-be-conquered Mt. Everest. His answer...

Review: Infiniti's 2011 M56

This new arrival to the M line is aggressive and shapely at the front and much more tidy in the rear than the outgoing model. And it's a...

Auto review: Aston Martin Rapide

Aston Martin makes time stand still with the dazzling Rapide, its first sedan in more than 20 years.

Car review: Subaru Outback crosses a magical divide

On the outside, the 2010 Outback is a ho-hum wagon. But climb inside and -- presto, change-o -- it's a roomy and rugged SUV.

Ford is thinking big with its little Fiesta

This new, youth-targeted take on an old car seems to have hit the sweet spot of fuel economy and up-to-the-minute technology, wrapping it...

2011 Toyota Sienna review: Family hauler gets a stylish overhaul

Even forgetting it's a minivan (which you can't), the new Toyota Sienna is fun to drive.

2011 BMW 535i: Everything you want, except fun

The one thing you can be sure of when you walk out of a BMW news conference is that you'll have plenty of information. Your head aches...

Ecstasy-to-drive Lotus Evora leaves one question: Take a check?

Every time I write about a high-performance sports car, I'm guaranteed to get letters from readers to this effect: "How can you possibly...

2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: An 'Avatar'-style creature of magnificent grace and power

James Cameron's film "Avatar" dreams a world where humans can telepathically plug into beautiful blue creatures of extraordinary power and...

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