2019 Hyundai Santa Fe- The Zia Sun Still Shines

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Ryan Glass

It was only befitting that our test car in the proud state of New Mexico was the all-new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. Refer to your geography books, or what you learned in sixth grade, and you’ll recall that Santa Fe is the capital of the self-proclaimed “Land of Enchantment”. Aside from sharing the same namesake, the city and the vehicle each have historical significance. Founded in 1610 by Spanish colonists, Santa Fe retains its title as the oldest U.S. state capital after it became the seat of government for the new colony of Nuevo Mexico. Debuting for 2001, the Santa Fe marked a major shift for Hyundai when it became the brand’s first, and currently longest-serving, SUV. But that’s where the similarities end. One is made of abode. The other is primarily steel. The city has 65,000 inhabitants. The car can only hold a maximum of five. But wait! Isn’t the Santa Fe capable of holding seven?! While that was recently true, it’s also marks a change in the Santa Fe’s evolution as it enters its fourth generation, and like the city, reflects back on its humble roots.

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2019 Hyundai Elantra- Bizarre Triangle Love

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Ryan Glass

There’s a death chant for the sedan across America. More and more car buyers are discovering the attributes and conceived rugged image of crossover SUV’s and migrating from the traditional sedan in droves. Case in point, Ford has pledged that they will discontinue all of their cars (bar the Mustang) to…ahem….focus solely on trucks and CUV’s by 2020. Rumours circulate that GM may follow suit. But don’t tell Hyundai and their buyers. Of the seven vehicle lineup that they offered in 2018, including three SUV’s, the Elantra was easily the best selling model for the brand and 7th best selling car in the country. Over 200,000 found homes last year, outpacing the next runner-up, the Tucson compact crossover, by more than 65,000 units. Of all the Hyundais sold in the U.S., one in four was an Elantra. For every Velostar that left the dealer, they were able to move 20 Elantras. You get the idea; the Elantra sells! Against all odds and the writing on the wall, the second-smallest Hyundai is tenaciously bucking the trend. But what makes buyers keep coming back for this compact sedan? Let’s find out.

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2018 Jeep Renegade- Please Like Me

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Ryan Glass

Ahhhh…… the Renegade. There’s already a collective, uncontainable tribal chant from diehard Jeep devotees with this car, and this review. “That isn’t a real Jeep!” is the universal outcry.

“It’s a Fiat! It’s not a real Jeep!”

“It’s not American! It’s not a real Jeep!”

“It can’t off-road! It’s not a real Jeep!”

Okay, okay! Let’s get all of this out in the open before discussing the Renegade any further. No, it is not a Wrangler. It never was intended to be and never will. The Wrangler will always hold the title as the most iconic and capable Jeep out there. But, with Wrangler prices skyrocketing north of $40k and becoming unobtainable for the masses, this little critter starts below $20k and is intended for budget minded buyers and soft-roaders who can’t afford the “real Jeep”. The two products do not overlap or compete, and the Renegade is not replacing the Wrangler anytime soon (unlike the situation 30 years ago when Ford planned on replacing the beloved Mustang with the Probe). Sure, it’s built in Italy on a platform shared with the Fiat 500X. Yet Jeep has beefed up the suspension, raised the ground clearance, and added the same 4WD systems that are shared with other noteworthy Jeep models, namely the Cherokee. Sure it’s the first Jeep product ever built outside of North America, but this is becoming a globalised world. Now that all of our panties aren’t in bunch, let’s move on…..

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2018 Kia Forte- The Name Game

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Ryan Glass

What’s in a name? Well, according to Kia; a lot. Their compact sedan offerings have gone through a slew of names over the past two decades. Released for 1994, their first compact player in the U.S., the Kia Sephia, not only sounded like a car from a Dr. Seuss story, but was equally fun to read out loud. That car lasted two generations until being replaced by the more serious Spectra in 2004. The more grown-up moniker reflected on Kia’s ambitious goals to be a major contender in the industry. Finally, the Spectra was replaced by the Forte in 2008, and the name has since tenaciously stuck through three generations. The definition of “forte” is a strength or skill, and Kia would like to make you think that their small car as a strong competitor. But does the name stack up?

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2016 Kia Sportage- The Ultimate Battle of Sport VS Utility

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Ryan Glass
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Ask any Kia enthusiast (and yes, they do exist) which model is the longest running nameplate in the brand’s history, and the easy answer is “the Sportage!”.  Sure, the Kia brand has been around since 1944, but didn’t reach U.S. shores until five decades later; 1994.  The Sportage arrived a year later and has been a common sight in Kia showrooms ever since.  That first Sportage, along with the Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker twins, and the Toyota RAV4 shortly after, helped kick-start the small “cute-ute” SUV craze that continues to this day.  That inaugural Sportage was indeed cute, adorable even, and being based on a Mazda truck platform, was a rugged, capable off-roader.  A random, useless triva note is that it was also the first production vehicle ever to have a knee airbag, way back in 1997.  Despite all of that, a lot has changed with the Sportage and Kia since then.  That’s our excuse to look at Kia’s most well-established model.

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2016 Hyundai Elantra GT- Kimchi with Euro Fusion

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Ryan Glass

thumbnail_image16“Whoa Cowboy!” You may exclaim.  “You already tested this generation Hyundai Elantra way back in 2013.  What’s the point of testing the hatchback version?”  While it’s easy to dimiss the Hyundai Elantra GT as being just an Elantra with a humpback, it’s not quite that simple.  Sure, the two share the same engine and most Hyundai dealers will group the sedan and hatch together in the same corner of the sales lot.  But unlike the sedan which was designed from the get-go for the Korean and American markets, the hatch was intended for European consumers and is based on the German-engineered Hyundai i30.  There’s enough of a unique, Euro flavor in the GT that it was worthy of its own separate review.

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2015 Ram 1500- The Beast Has Been Tamed

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Ryan Glass

There’s always been that tidbit of manly advice that a guy should have a truck at least once in his life.  The reasons behind it are still unknown.  Maybe it’s too reassure us of our masculinity while dealing with a back-breaking ride.  Or maybe to prove our dominance while peering over every car on the road.  Or maybe this advice was started by someone who was trying to coax their friends into helping them move.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, trucks are fun.  Memories of learning to drive in my Dad’s 1968 Chevy C10 Pickup always come streaming back when I think of the word “truck.”  Like most pickups at the time, that Chevy was designed for utilitarian purposes.  It was loud, it was minimalist, it guzzled fuel, the steering was about as precise as the trajectory of a North Korean missile, and I swear the suspension was made of masonry bricks.  Although it refused to pamper its passengers, that truck had character and proved its worth as a workhorse.

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2014 Holden Commodore- The Greatest Car That You’ve Seen But Never Heard Of

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Ryan Glass
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Imagine a land where the family car of choice is not a silver Toyota Camry or gold Honda Accord.  Where the prevalent sedan on the road comes with rear-wheel drive, the choice of a V6 or potent V8, the availability of a manual transmission and a station wagon, and offers up to 576 adrenaline-infused horsepower.  Oh yeah, and can be had in provocative colors such as “red hot” and “fantale orange.”  It’s a land where the geriatric “Camcords” of American highways are relegated to being slow sellers.  This place sounds like an enthusiast’s wet dream, but it really does exist.  If you’re thinking Germany, you’d be making a good guess.  But you’ve got to think a little further south; as in all the way to Australia.  For years, the land Down Under has been a place of fascination for American car buffs; both for it’s isolation, obscurity, and the shared love for large cars with big engines.  But unlike in the US, Australia’s top sellers have prominently remained these cars.  And no large car gets more attention in Australia than the Holden Commodore; the local pride and joy.

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2014 Mitsubishi Mirage- The Small Car With A Big Responsibility

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Ryan Glass

CAM00753 Forget about the children.  Today’s cars are also suffering from the epidemic of obesity.  To put it bluntly; they’re fat.  Overweight and plump from being laden with enough airbags for the Mars Pathfinder landing and enough tech goodies to put a Game Stop to shame, and despite the extensive use of lightweight materials, they continue getting heavier each year.  The average car in 1987 tipped the scales at 3,221 lbs, while in 2010, the common car crashed through them at just over 4,000 lbs., or about a 25% increase over 23 years.  Most of us can probably relate to gaining that percentage of mass in the time frame as well.  I often hear car buyers as well as enthusiasts complain that there’s no simple, lightweight cars anymore.  Surprisingly, many clamor for such cult classics like the original Geo Metro of the late 80’s and early 90’s.  With an uncomplicated three-cylinder engine, miniscule dimensions, cheap price of entry, and no luxuries that add a burden to weight, the Metro, along with its Japanese tri-cylinder comrades, the Subaru Justy and Daihatsu Charade, were able to achieve well over 40 mpg without hybrid technology in an era when gas was just peaking over a $1.00 per gallon.  During their tenure, they were little more than just curiosities on our immense American roads and were the butts of many jokes, and the idea just never took off during such good economic times.  The last three-cylinder Metro, which had long outlived the Subaru and Daihatsu, was phased out in 2000.  As they say, timing is everything.  During the recent recession and gas spike, demand for the thrifty old Metros skyrocketed and spawned the famous urban legend of some examples selling for $8,000 on Ebay, or about the same price as they were brand new 20 years earlier.  It also begged the question; why can’t GM, or anyone, introduce a simple, basic, and fuel efficient glorified scooter that offers the same mileage as the hybrids for half the price?  There was obviously a demand.  In that time, with the exception of the puny Smart ForTwo, no one had attempted to reintroduce a three-cylinder car to America.   That was until this 2014 model year, when Mitsubishi stepped up to the plate with the all-new Mirage.

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2014 Chrysler 300- The Lights Are Still On In Detroit

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Ryan Glass

CAM00612[1] Being the smallest of the Detroit “Big Three”, Chrysler has often been regarded as the runt of the litter.  Compared to GM and Ford, the Pentastar brand has the least global influence, fewest models, and the most shallow pockets.  However, being the most diminutive of the American brands means that Chrysler has to be a determined warrior and more creative to make itself heard.  Even though headlines may focus on the turbulent relationship with Daimler or the troubling times that led to a government bailout, Chrysler has had its fair share of success stories to make the company viable throughout the years.  Three decades ago, the brand essentially created a whole new segment, called the minivan, that was revolutionary at the time and has since been copied by car makers around the globe.  The LH full-size sedans, the Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, and Chrysler Concorde, set the standard for “cab-forward design” twenty years ago by utilizing as much interior space as possible and pushing the wheels to the car’s corners long before it was mimicked by others.  Ten years ago, the LH series had ran their course and were ready for retirement.  Instead of doing a mild touchup or going for a more European derived style, as was becoming the trend in Detroit, Chrysler did not shy away from risk and introduced a new series of wagons and sedans that not only grasped good ol’ fashioned American style, but smothered themselves in it like cheese and bacon over french fries.  The 2005 Chrysler 300 and it’s Dodge Magnum and Charger counterparts, introduced at the New York Auto in ’04, basked in the glory of everything American; big, bold, crude, rear-wheel drive, large engines, and exhibiting a chiseled, masculine, retro style that looked like nothing else on the road.  In the true Yankee sense, the 300 had also claimed itself some badass notoriety, being featured in rap videos and serving as Walter White’s ride on “Breaking Bad” once he became a feared and successful meth dealer.  Under the new leadership from Fiat, Chrysler redid the 300 for 2011 to keep things fresh, but sensibly didn’t stray too far from the original formula that made the car an overnight sensation.  Now a decade later, is the 300 still worthy of all the hype?

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