Car Reviews
Judi McLeod, Editor
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CFP AUTOMOTIVE SECTION
To view all our older reviews please visit CFP Automotive Reviews
Cadillac
The 2008 CTS – Cadillac’s Terrific Sedan
By Jim Bray Monday, February 18, 2008
Remember when calling something “The Cadillac of (whatever)” really meant something? Those days may be dawning again, if the new Cadillac CTS is any indication.
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Chevrolet
Chevy’s Little Red Wagon Appeals to the Inner Child
By Jim Bray Saturday, July 26, 2008
It’s wonderful when utility and fun combine in a vehicle. And combine they do in the HHR SS, the “abnormally aspirated” version of Chevy’s little utility wagon.
Chevrolet Crafts a Winner with New Malibu
By Jim Bray Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Its name has been around for decades, but it seems like decades since the Malibu moniker was applied to a really interesting and compelling car. But it has now: Chevy’s Malibu is a car that deserves respect.
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Dodge
Dodge Dakota Deigns to Drink Differently
By Jim Bray Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Talk about making a fuel of yourself. The Dodge Dakota midsized pickup is a heavy duty beast that for 2008 is capable of driving right past the gas pump – and straight to the ethanol one.
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Ford
Car Enthusiasts Converge for Classic Ford Fiesta
By Jim Bray Wednesday, July 30, 2008
They called it a “T Party,” and that description suited the event to, well, a T.
Ford Sharpens its Focus
By Jim Bray Saturday, June 14, 2008
It has just about everything you could ask for, including the kitschy Sync.
Ford Escape Hybrid – Cheap on Gas, With Room to Haul
By Jim Bray Thursday, May 22, 2008
The unit I drove may have been a pretty “Light Ice Blue Metallic” color, but to Ford its Escape Hybrid is all green.
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GM
Springtime for GM in Foothills Country
By Jim Bray Monday, June 2, 2008
With the grass finally rizzing in my area, it’s safe for companies that make outdoors-oriented stuff to show off some of their latest wares without worrying excessively about getting snowed out.
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Honda
Variations on an Automotive Theme: Honda Civic Hybrid, Acura CSX Type S
By Jim Bray Tuesday, April 29, 2008
What’s even better than a garden variety Honda Civic? How about a gas-sipping hybrid or a souped up, luxurious version.
Pilot--ing a Straightforward, Unassuming Honda SUV
By Jim Bray Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Though its name may be inspired by the high flying world of aviation, Honda’s Pilot SUV is a decidedly down-to-earth vehicle. And though it may come off as a tad bland, it’s really just a straightforward, no nonsense imagining of the eight passenger SUV niche.
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Mazda
Mazda SUV A Tribute To Days Gone By
By Jim Bray Thursday, December 13, 2007
Mazda’s Tribute small SUV is one case in which the manufacturer’s famous “zoom zoom” slogan doesn’t quite apply. It’s probably because the vehicle is a victim of time – it’s from a time now past.
Mazda MX-5 Tops Its Own Act!
By Jim Bray Monday, November 19, 2007
Mazda’s little bundle of joy was reborn about a year ago, moving beyond the loveable and classic Miata with a new look, new power, and a new, shorter name: just plain MX-5.
At heart, it’s still the joyful little Miata, the two seat roadster that turned the automotive world on its ear by taking everything that was great about affordable, open top motoring as personified by classic MG’s, Healeys and Triumphs and bringing to the mix the legendary Japanese dependability.
Mazda CX-7 Hauls People, Stuff, Butt
By Jim Bray Monday, November 19, 2007
Minivans are out, at least if you’re Mazda, and that may not be too bad a thing.
Mazda’s MPG minivan did about as good a job of putting “zoom zoom” into the little bus-like creatures as possible, and the last time I drove one I liked it quite a bit--as a minivan. But the MPG couldn’t hold a candle to the CX-7 which, while it may limit the tallness of objects you can carry compared to the minivan, ups the driving reward ante considerably while being just an all around more modern vehicle.
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Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Takes Drivers Around the Benz
By Jim Bray Monday, June 16, 2008
Take some world class cars from one of Germany’s top marques, add a day on a road course race track learning and honing your driving skills, and what do you have?
New “Baby Benz” Blends Luxury, Comfort and Technology
By Jim Bray Monday, March 31, 2008
Mercedes-Benz’ C class is the most affordable of the German carmaker’s sedan line, but that doesn’t mean it feels like an entry level vehicle.
It is, after all, a Mercedes. And that means even its lower end cars are upper echelon in the grand scheme of things. So it is with the new C.
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Pontiac
Pontiac’s Compact Crossover Gives Good Vibes
By Jim Bray Monday, September 29, 2008
Pontiac’s little wagon is back, with new looks, new features and new power. It’s a nice car, too, roomy and reasonably fun to drive.
Catching the Vibe, West Coast Style
By Jim Bray Tuesday, April 29, 2008
They called it the “Catch the Vibe” Challenge, and it was definitely challenging.
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Saturn
Saturn’s Looking for a Few Astra-Nuts
By Jim Bray Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Saturn Astra, according to a radio commercial in my neck of the woods, is the top selling car in Europe.
Really? It’s certainly not a “disAstra”, but the bestselling car of any sold in all of Europe? I don’t get it.
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Subaru
Subaru Forester a Clear Cut Choice
By Jim Bray Tuesday, July 15, 2008
My favorite Subaru is back, with a new set of clothes and fresh make-up for the 2009 model year. But are the changes enough to keep the Forester in the hunt for consumers’ small SUV dollars?
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Toyota
Toyota Sequoia – Surprisingly Capable and Civilized Brute
By Jim Bray Monday, June 30, 2008
Talk about a vehicle with an appropriate name!
Toyota’s Sequoia is an immense motor vehicle, a “full sized SUV” that seems about the mass of an Airbus A380, it’s large enough to haul a family of eight and a lot of their stuff. It also makes a heckuva statement on the road.
Reborn 2009 Toyota Corolla Still Screams “Value”
By Jim Bray Monday, March 31, 2008
It has an all-new body, more room inside, and many other upgrades, but at heart it’s still a Toyota Corolla. And that should please millions of people.
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Volvo
New Volvo Crossover Worth a Look
By Jim Bray Sunday, January 20, 2008
Before I give you my impressions of Volvo’s newly-redesigned crossover, I’d like to correct some misinformation I disseminated in my piece on the Mazda Tribute a few weeks ago. I wrote that it has disc brakes on all four wheels, which isn’t true: it has front discs/rear drums. I apologize for this sloppy reporting – though on the other hand it also helps to make my point that it’s time the Tribute were dragged into the 21st century.
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Car Accessories
Photo Radar Gadget and Plastic Work Seat Make Life Worth Living
By Jim Bray Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Whether high tech or low tech, there’s a gadget for just about every occasion these days. It seems that, wherever there’s a need perceived, there’s an inventor who wants to fill it.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue – Say Goodbye to Productivity
By Jim Bray Friday, May 23, 2008
If you’re a car nut and you buy this game, forget about getting any work done. You might as well start looking up marriage counselors in the phone book, too.
And this isn’t even the full game!
Groovy Gadgets for Gearheads
By Jim Bray Sunday, January 20, 2008
Horntones. I don’t know if it’s the greatest gadget for the car since the turbocharger – or the worst example of a company chasing profits at the expense of public good. One thing I do know is that it made me laugh so hard when I first discovered it that I just had to share it with you.
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Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 2008 the individual authors.
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