2012 Chrysler 200- Life Is A Beach

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Ryan Glass

If there were a car that captured the essence of Coney Island, it would be the Chrysler 200.  Both the modest convertible and world-famous amusement park offer the promise of some beachside fun in the sun, cheap thrills, and are unashamedly American.  Sure, they’re old-fashioned and traditional in some ways, but as our friends in Brooklyn would say: faaahhhhggeeetttaboutit!  What matters most is that they offer lots of smiles and bang for the buck.    The main difference between the two is that the Chrysler doesn’t have an annual hot dog eating contest, although it could be an excellent marketing strategy…..on second thought, maybe not.
 
If the name “Chrysler 200” doesn’t ring a bell, don’t feel bad because you’re not alone.  You may know it better as the Chrysler Sebring.  Introduced in 1995, the Sebring replaced the immensely popular LeBaron and Chrysler continued to hold onto the niche mid-size convertible market with solid sales for over a decade.  However, a disastrous redesign in 2007 made the Sebring ungainly and undesirable.  Buyers stayed away in droves and the car’s popularity took a nose dive.  By 2009 sales were a third of what they were only three years prior.  With the Fiat merger and government mandated restructuring in 2009, a hasty restyle of the Sebring was pushed out to market in an attempt to regain sales and the name was changed simply to “200”.  The new moniker was to distance the car from the blundered outgoing model and to ride the coattails of Chrysler’s successful flagship; the 300.  The move has seemed to have paid off and sales are near to what they were in the Sebring’s glory days.

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2011 Nissan Cube- Not The Box It Came In

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Japan can be a bizarre place.  So much so that I often refer to it as “Planet Japan.”    If it’s cute, quirky, or just plain weird, odds are that it’ll receive a cult following among the Japanese.  This is a country that has given the world Pokemon, karaoke, Godzilla, diet water, Hello Kitty, and anime.  Another unique oddity that is prevalent in the Land of the Rising Sun is the box vehicle.  Short in length, tall in stature, and square as a…er…box, these cars take advantage of offering maximized interior space while leaving as small of a footprint as possible on Japan’s crowded and narrow streets.  However, will a nation with plenty of open land, such as the US, accept a vehicle that was the answer to nobody’s question?

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2012 GMC Acadia- It’s Not Easy Being Everyone’s Friend

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Geography geeks out there will know that Acadia, which clings to Maine’s Atlantic coastline, is the easternmost national park in the United States. And not only that, the 1532 ft. tall summit of Mt. Cadillac, located within the park, is the first spot that sees the sun rise every morning in the country. Fascinating facts, right? Similarly, some car geeks out there will know that the GMC Acadia represented a new direction for GM’s truck brand when it was introduced in 2006. Think of it as a new dawn as well.

The GMC marque was created in 1912 and since then has exclusively sold trucks. Give GM credit for staying true to the same, proven formula for the past century and although most of GMC’s offerings have been nothing more than rebadged Chevrolets, they have resisted selling passenger cars. Even during tough economic times along with periods of spiked fuel prices, walk into a GMC dealer and you‘d only see pickup trucks, vans, and SUV‘s. The last decade has brought much change to the brand- firstly being consolidated into the same dealer network as Pontiac and Buick, then being only one of four brands to survive GM’s restructuring, and then selling a vehicle such as the Acadia.

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2012 Ford Focus- A Real American Reunion

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Ryan Glass

When the original European-designed Focus was introduced for the 2000 model year in hatch, sedan, and wagon guises, it became a game changer within the compact car segment almost overnight.  At the time, the small car market was full of bland, soulless appliances that had no passion, no excitement.  The Focus was revolutionary, proving that an affordable small car does not have to feel cheap.  It did everything well- offering plentiful room for five full-size adults, superb driving dynamics, and looked good- boldly expressing Ford’s then-current “New Edge” styling theme.  It was such a good all-around package that it was hard to imagine that the car was developed on a tight budget.  Critics raved and the Focus received numerous awards, including European Car of the Year and scoring a place in Car And Driver’s coveted “Ten-Best List” three years in a row.

The Ford Focus always brings back fond memories.  Coincidently, that Focus debuted in the midst of my senior year of high school.  It became the “must have” car during the twilight years of being a teenager.  If the Focus were a person- it would’ve been the captain of the school football team; handsome, athletic, taut, envied, and extremely popular.  It was a car that could do little wrong and had its whole life ahead of it.
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2011 Nissan Altima- Filling Some Big Shoes

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Americans love the word “big”.  We’re a big country with big mountains, big rivers, big portions of food, and big people.  We invented the Big Gulp, Big Mac, Big Lots, Big And Tall, Big KMart, Bob’s Big Boy, and the Notorious B-I-G. If it’s not ridiculously large then it’s not worth wasting time over.

The original Nissan Altima faced this dilemma when it was introduced in 1993.  Its mission was to compete head-to-head with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Taurus of the time.  But it was more compact than its rivals and had tighter interior quarters.  Although it was a competent car, buyers stayed away in droves.  Nissan, not one to be bullied out of the market, rethought its strategy when it redesigned the Altima for 2002.  The car was not only striking in design, but was much larger in almost every dimension.  Sales skyrocketed and the Altima has consistently been one of the 10 best-selling cars in America since then.  Bigger really is sometimes better.

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2012 Chevrolet Malibu- Finally, A Car That’s Found Its Place In The World

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Manufacturers love to name boring cars after exciting places.  The Dodge Monaco, Mercury Monterey, Kia Rio, Suzuki Verona, and Chevy Corsica come to mind.  They may be fascinating destinations, but all of those cars  have the sex appeal of a rainy Wednesday in Buffalo.  The Corsica’s replacement, the Malibu, faced a similar problem when it debuted in 1997.  The town of Malibu is known for its 27 miles of sandy beaches and being home to many of Hollywood’s movie stars.  That four-door family sedan didn’t quite conjure up mental images of such an upscale area.

Now, don’t think that I have a grudge against the Malibu.  On the contrary, I personally have a soft spot for the car.  My parents had a 1999 Malibu while I was in college and the car proved to be reliable and served its intended purpose as a family hauler well.  I grew to really like the car and it became my vehicle of choice to cruise around in.  However, my folks didn’t quite warm up to it and I ended up driving it more than they did.  Why?  In the generic white color that it was graced in, the only thing missing on our Malibu was a city or public works logo on the side.  It wasn’t exciting to look at, and if my parents were to ever visit Buffalo, they would be reminded of that car.

But this Malibu is different from the dowdy one we had.  It’s the seventh generation that debuted in 2008 under the direction of GM Vice Chairman and car guru, Bob Lutz.  It was to be as good as the Japanese competitors and was awarded the highly revered title of North American Car of the Year.

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2010 Chevrolet Cobalt- Bye, Bye Miss American Pie

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Ryan Glass

It’s always good to be the home team during any sports game.  There’s the unmatched support of the fans, familiarity of the turf, and a feeling of honor from hosting the game.  Of course, there’s also the added pressure of letting down your most loyal followers.  It can be intense and overwhelming.  That must be something similar to how my inconspicuous Chevy Cobalt may have felt.

I picked up my Cobalt from Cleveland Hopkins Airport on a chilly March morning.  This is an area that the Cobalt is very well acquainted with.  All of these compact Chevys were built only an hour away at GM’s Assembly Plant  in Lordstown, Ohio.  There’s a huge sense of pride among residents of the Buckeye State that the car was assembled there.  I emphasize “was” in the past tense, as the last Cobalt rolled off the assembly line on 23 June, 2010.

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2012 Hyundai i20- The Revolution Begins In Sriperumbudur

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Ryan Glass

It’s no secret that Hyundai is on a roll in the US.  Starting with the redesigned 2010 Sonata, the company has gone through a renaissance with a continual surge of all-new products in the last two years that offer lofty fuel economy figures, daring styling, and a long-time Hyundai favorite; aggressive pricing and an industry-leading warranty.  Consumers have noticed and sales increased 29% in 2011 over an already successful 2010.  Gone is the stigma that Hyundais are cheap, cheerful cars that disintegrated soon after being purchased.

The car you see in these photos was not part of that resurgence.  At least in the US it wasn’t.  It’s called the i20, and although it may not be a car that will ever see American soil, it still plays a very important role for Hyundai.

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2012 Jeep Liberty- Begging To Be Released Into The Wild

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Owning a Jeep Liberty could be likened to possessing an exotic animal, such as a tiger or a serval.  Sure, it’d be fun and a little wild, and your neighbors would think of you as being adventurous and fearless.  Heck, they may even be a little envious.  But life with a Liberty, or that aforementioned serval, could get tiresome and unwieldy once the novelty has worn off.

Like any exotic critter, the Liberty doesn’t belong in the city.  It’s natural habitat is in the great outdoors.  All Libertys, and most Jeep models, proudly wear a “Trail Rated” badge on their flanks.  That isn’t just some overcrazed marketing hype- it’s the real deal.  Any Jeep model that can pass the challenging Rubicon Trail in the high Sierras or overcome Moab is given the lofty status.  The main idea of the Liberty is to be a serious off-roader first and a comfortable boulevard cruiser second.  This is both the Jeep’s biggest strength and also exposes its most obvious flaws.

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2012 Chevrolet Cruze- Is It Ready For World Domination?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ryan Glass

Someone at Chevrolet must’ve paid close attention to the episode of  “Sesame Street” that featured the letter “C”.  Throughout the decades Chevy has always featured a compact model whose name began with that special third character of the alphabet- namely the Corvair, Chevette, Citation, Cavalier, and Cobalt. The majority of them sold well- mostly due to low pricing, an extensive dealer network, and demand from fleets. None of them were cars that you’d want to recommend to a friend while keeping a clear conscience.

Ahhh….but today we have the Cruze.  And although this new compact Chevy still continues the same compact “C” tradition- it represents something new for GM.  Unlike the others which were targeted solely for the North American market, the Cruze is a true world car. Designed in Korea, engineered in Germany, and built in eleven different car plants on three continents, it’s a car designed to appeal to everyone, no matter which country they live in.  A car that is so good that it’d be desirable to anybody, not just the folks in Iowa.  It was time to see if it could live up to the hype.

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