The Crank: Toyota’s Prius no longer niche

By John LeBlanc Remember when the original Prius went on sale in the late 1990s? As one of the first, mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid cars, the quirky Toyota was considered a cult car at best. Today, 15 years later, the Prius family—consisting now of four models, the original Prius hatchback, the Prius plug-in hybrid, the larger […]

Comparo: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. Volkswagen Tiguan

By John LeBlanc Few vehicle types can offer the do-it-all capabilities of luxury sports-utilities-vehicles. Spawned from the groundbreaking 1970s Land Rover Range Rover, almost every automaker now has a utility vehicle that can take the family to the cottage and your boss and his wife out for dinner. Here is what I consider two of […]

First Drive & Video: 2013 Acura RDX

By John LeBlanc PHOENIX, ARIZ.—Compact luxury crossover historians will tell you the 2004 BMW X3 was the vehicle that jump-started this new class. Soon after, you couldn’t walk into a new-car showroom without bumping into a small, premium crossover. For Honda’s Acura luxury brand, it was the RDX that debuted in 2006.

Video: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Sedan LTZ Road Test

First Drive & Video: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

By John LeBlanc ARJEPLOG, SWEDEN—Classic car buffs have the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. New car fans have the auto shows in Detroit or Geneva. But if you’re into cars that officially don’t exist — the camouflaged prototypes that automakers don’t want you to know about — you need to be here, in the small […]

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