The Crank: When “new” doesn’t necessarily mean “improved”…

By John LeBlanc New car buyers have religiously looked towards the U.S. not-for-profit Consumer Reports annual automotive issue to get one of the more objective views on new showroom fare. And one of the features in this year’s annual is the calling out of a half-dozen new-for-2011 models that simply don’t measure up to their […]

Road Test: 2010 BMW 750Li xDrive

[svgallery name=”2010_BMW_750iL”] Seven x four Does adding traction to all four of its wheels hurt or hinder BMW’s V8 luxobarge? By John LeBlanc I’m sure if we all lived in some kind of civilized climate—like say the more humid American south, the warmer Mediterranean, or the drier Middle East—the concern of having traction at all […]

Bye-Bye 2009: Most Influential Cars of the Decade

By John LeBlanc These weren’t the best-selling, best-looking or best-performing new cars from the past decade. But these were the vehicles that set trends and had other automakers scrambling to play catch-up. Chronologically, here are the 10 most influential cars:

First Drive: 2009 BMW 750 i/750 Li

Story and photos by John LeBlanc DRESDEN, Germany–It was a textbook display of understatement: at the launch of the new 7 Series, BMW’s sales and marketing head Ian Robertson conceded that the styling of the previous version of the company’s flagship luxury sedan was “not without controversy.” No kidding.