Automedia.com - Reviews - 2005 Articles

2005 Acura RL

While we've been minding our own business these past four years, Honda's upscale Acura arm has been revamping its product line. First came the 2001 MDX SUV and '02 RSX coupe. Then the sporty TSX and luxury TL debuted as '04s. Not coincidentally, U.S. Acura sales have swelled 77 percent from about 110K in 1998 to 195K in 2004...

2005 Buick LaCrosse

Funk and Wagnalls defines "lacrosse" as "a ball game of American Indian origin... the object being to advance the ball into the opponent's goal." Buick defines "LaCrosse" as an "all-new premium mid-size sedan" the object being to steal some of the competition's sales...

2005 Cadillac CTS-V

No one can deny that GM's Cadillac Division has engineered an astonishing turnaround of its competitiveness and image, beginning with the edgy, stealth-fighter-looking CTS sedan, and continuing through the XLR roadster, SRX sport crossover and new-for-'05 STS sedan. Those who have driven them or read their reviews will agree that these are seriously good cars and competitive in every way. Even the hulky truck-based Escalade SUV has evolved into a cult classic among A-list athletes and celebrities...

2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Coupe

Some have called the new C6 Chevy Corvette the "C5.5." They clearly don't get how new and how much better it is compared to its already excellent C5 predecessor. The 1997-2004 C5, good as it was at its relatively modest price, was less than perfect. Critics complained that its interior fell short in material quality and design, its ride was a bit too noisy and its backside (like some of theirs) was a tad too bulky...

2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx

At Detroit's 2003 North American International Auto Show, Chevrolet rolled out a trio of all-new, high-volume and critically important 2004-05 products for the assembled media: the Colorado compact/midsize pickup, the Equinox compact SUV and the Malibu midsize sedan. Most in the audience thought all three looked pretty good...

2005 Chrysler 300C

Launched way back in 1955, Chrysler's original C300 was a factory-stripper hardtop with a then-outrageous 300-hp Hemi V-8. The name came from the car's hemispherical combustion chambers—their crescent shape encouraged oversized valves and efficient combustion. At the time, it was the most powerful engine you could buy. Packing twin 4bbl carburetors, a hot camshaft, and a raucous exhaust note, the C300's distinctive checkered flag emblems underscored its performance potential. Its top speed, in an era when most cars were hard-pressed to top 100, was over 140 mph...

2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster

Once DaimlerChrysler got its Crossfire two-seat coupe out and running, it didn't take long to pull the cover off its next pleasant surprise, the sexier-yet roadster version. While we love the coupe's looks and the way it drives, we think the Crossfire looks even better topless...

2005 Dodge Caravan

Just over two decades ago, Chrysler rolled out its first minivan—and, my, how things have changed. Since the introduction of this innovative, segment-busting design, the company has sold more than 10 million units, and inspired numerous imitators. Many of these "me too" vehicles actually improved on Chrysler's concept, so it comes as no surprise that for 2005, Dodge refined and upgraded the Caravan design in order to stay competitive in this now crowded category...

2005 Dodge Magnum

Dodge is full of surprises this year. First, the new Magnum has rear-wheel drive instead of the front-drive layout that's gone on all Chrysler/Dodge passenger cars for the past 15 years. Secondly, it's available with DaimlerChrysler's hearty Hemi V-8, as well as a pair of V-6 engines. Most shocking of all, this replacement for the full-size Dodge Intrepid sedan isn't a sedan at all. Of all things, it's a wagon...

2005 Ford Escape Hybrid

With its clever Escape Hybrid SUV, Ford Motor Company minimized a popular complaint—that contemporary sport-utility vehicles are hopelessly fuel-inefficient and thus symbolic of the biggest challenge facing internal combustion technology. The Escape Hybrid offers front-wheel drive or automatic intelligent four-wheel drive, along with impressive 31/36 city/highway fuel economy. That figure compares well with a 20-mpg city rating in a V-6-equipped Ford Escape...

2005 Ford Escape XLT V6

Those above a certain age will fondly remember a 1963 movie called "The Great Escape." Perhaps its most memorable scene was Steve McQueen jumping an old German motorcycle over a high fence to escape a World War II prison camp...

2005 Ford Five Hundred

Ford says 2005 is its "Year of the Car," and this is their "car." Their new flagship Five Hundred is the 2005 equivalent of its revolutionary Taurus in 1986. Like Taurus 19 years before, it redefines the American car. But while Taurus was mostly about styling and character, Five Hundred redefines the interior package and powertrain...

2005 Ford Freestyle SEL

Following terrific success of its new 2004 F-150 pickups, Ford has been telling everyone who will listen that 2005 is its "Year of the Car," and has backed that up with fall introductions of its all-new Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans and a hot retro-look new Mustang. Now comes this equally all-new and hugely significant Freestyle...

2005 Ford GT

I had to do it. I wound-up the monstrous engine, just 10 inches behind my head, to 3,000 rpm and snapped the light clutch pedal out. Instantly, we were gone—charging past 60 mph in well under 4 seconds—and passing 100 mph by the end of the short back straight at Gingerman Raceway in Western Michigan. Grateful for the headrest on the bucket seat, nothing I've previously driven has pinned my head back with the G-forces that stretched my enthusiast grin even wider...

2005 Ford Mustang GT Coupe

Forty years ago, Ford's 1964-1/2 Mustang was an overnight smash. The Mustang virtually invented the soon-to-explode ponycar category, with sharp-looking coupes, fastbacks and drop-tops that could be optioned and accessorized from a simple tourer, with an economic little six, to the thundering Shelby GT350, a purpose-built, race-ready V-8-powered road rocket. To its surprise, Ford sold over 400,000 Mustangs in the car's first extended year, cleaned up in SCCA Trans Am racing and created an American icon that's beloved by fans everywhere, even overseas. Although the racing horse in the Mustang's grille is often thought to be the inspiration for the model's name, it was actually borrowed from the World War II P-51 fighter airplane...

2005 GMC Envoy XUV

Sometimes you feel like a truck. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you feel like an SUV. Sometimes you won't. Decisions, decisions...

2005 Honda Accord EX V6

The true mark of success in the sedan business is not the total number of vehicles produced or even sold, but the total sold to retail customers—folks who walk into a dealership and buy a car because it's what they want. While many domestic sedans begin their lives by trundling out the factory door and heading straight into an airport rental fleet, only in small numbers do Honda Accords end up schlepping around weary business travelers. Accords are sold in large numbers to people who want to buy them, and with good reason...

2005 Honda Accord Hybrid

Innovative engineering has been a Honda hallmark for decades. The same corporate mindset that gave the world the revolutionary low-emission CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) cylinder head design back in 1977 and will likely have ASIMO turning cartwheels and whistling Beethoven's 5th Symphony by the next Frankfurt auto show has struck again, and most impressively to be sure. This time, the H-Team has taken hybrid technology first seen in its petite two-place Insight to the heart of the midsize sedan market in the form of the new Accord Hybrid...

2005 Honda Odyssey

Even more than in other vehicle categories, minivan makers play a game of virtual "leapfrog." Each new and redesigned model is meant to leap ahead of the competition. Some barely manage to nudge themselves forward, but others deliver a healthy lunge...

2005 Hyundai Tucson

Sales of big SUVs might be sinking as fuel prices rise, but smaller models appear to be doing fine at dealerships. Hyundai launched its first sport-utility vehicle, the compact Santa Fe, back in the 2001 model year. Now, for 2005, the South Korean automaker has added the smaller Tucson SUV to its lineup...

2005 Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon

First it was station wagons. People and cargo friendly, they defined family transportation for decades. Then came the minivans. They were popular because they did what wagons did, only more so (and they weren't what your parents drove). Next up were the sport-utility vehicles. They were larger yet, with tons of room and the ability to climb rocks. Many people bought them because, well, many people were buying them; and, besides, you never knew when you might want to climb some rocks. Soon, though, owners discovered those big SUVs drank more than a frat house on a Friday night. And, when it came down to it, most folks weren't as interested in climbing rocks as they were in not getting stuck in the snow. Bigger, they decided, wasn't necessarily better. What was really needed was something with all-wheel drive (to avoid getting stuck) that drove like a car (and less like a truck), which brings us full circle to the new age station wagon...

2005 Lincoln Navigator

Large and in charge. From the beginning, that's where Lincoln positioned their luxury SUV Navigator. Certainly, no one will argue the first part of that statement. Tipping the scales at nearly three tons (5,822 lb. base weight for 4x4s) and stretching over 17 feet long, the big ute has likely been more than a match for many a small garage. In charge? Lincoln claims that the Navigator created the premium, full-size SUV class when it debuted in 1997. And while the competition might dispute that point, there's no debating the fact that the hi-lux Lincoln has been a remarkably consistent seller since its inception. In a short first year, Navigator rolled up 26,831 sales, and the annual numbers haven't dipped below 30,000 since...

2005 Mazda MAZDA3

Just about every manufacturer offers a low-cost, entry-level car, but how that's defined is what makes the difference. Companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, for instance, have a markedly different idea of "economical" than Toyota or Hyundai. And then there's Mazda, a company that hasn't been reluctant to take the less traveled path, be it with a rotary engine or a V-6 operating on a Miller cycle (used in the Millenia S sedan)...

2005 Mercedes C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan

It's interesting how manufacturers have different cars that symbolize the brand. Take Mazda. Even though they provide a full-range of vehicles, thanks to the runaway success, and deservedly so, of both the RX-7 and Miata MX-5, they're known as a sports car company...

2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI

Diesel power has a checkered history in the U.S. market. In 1982, more than three-fourths of Mercedes-Benz cars sold in America had diesel engines. Volkswagen and others launched diesels. Even General Motors issued a batch of ill-fated diesel V-8s...

2005 Mercedes-Benz S430

Just about every manufacturer has a "flagship" or "halo" vehicle that showcases the best that automaker brings to market. For some, there are even several vehicles, depending on whether your taste runs to sedans, sports cars or SUVs. And when it comes to prestigious sedans, few can come close to the luxury flagship of Mercedes-Benz, the S-Class...

2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK 350

The first-generation SLK was stigmatized as cute, darty, too softly sprung, and somewhat underpowered despite its supercharged four. Happily, that's a thing of the past. The only two numbers Mercedes-Benz want you to know about the new V-6-powered model are these: 5.4—that's the roadster's impressive 0-60 time. We'll attest that the all-new SLK 350 has the looks to go with its velvet punch. You can't miss this comely two-seater's parentage. It resembles a slightly shrunken variant on Mercedes-Benz's high-buck, high-powered McLaren SLR, right down to a pointy beak that thrusts forward the three-pointed star...

2005 MINI Cooper S

Most choices facing the automotive buyer owe their existence to some logical thought, some rational business plan, and a bunch of somber old guys in dark suits and lace-up wingtips sitting around a long table and trying to forecast the cost/benefit trade-offs of retaining the retired employees' medical plan or adding a ninth cupholder to the current sport-utility vehicle. Then there's the MINI, which exists only because there are some people who still believe that driving around ought to be a hoot. If you're looking for some sort of sensible economy car that will provide dutiful if mindless service for the lowest possible cash from your account, you'd be better off looking somewhere else...

2005 MINI Cooper S Convertible

When BMW purchased Britain's now-faltering Rover a few years ago, they soon rejuvenated its best-known car, the legendary MINI, and completely redid the aging icon, updating the original's cheeky styling, competitive performance and great handling with a retro-modern design that's packed with smart engineering and contemporary safety features. Since its re-introduction, over 400,000 MINIs have been sold worldwide, more than ten percent of those in the U.S. The new convertible is the first in a series of model extensions to widen the born-again brand's appeal...

2005 Nissan Altima

Runners-up invariably must try harder in our competitive world. So it is with Nissan, which, while enjoying a surge in popularity, still trails the sales totals of Toyota and Honda in most categories. In the hotly contested midsize-sedan market, Nissan has been selling only half as many Altimas, compared to the rival Camry and Accord...

2005 Nissan Murano

Ten years ago what we now call crossover vehicles didn't exist even in the minds of the most visionary crystal-ball gazers, and now they're springing up like green grass on a ball field in May. If you're looking for something that drives like a sedan but can haul a little more if needed and, if equipped with all-wheel drive, deal with bad weather and slick roads, this might be the vehicle for you...

2005 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V

In 1991, Nissan introduced a concept that proved very radical for its day—an entry level, factory performance, compact sedan. The original Sentra SE-R had a relatively short run, just three model years. The idea of a small performance sedan remained a priority within Nissan and the Sentra SE-R returned in 2002 with a new look, more power and performance...

2005 Pontiac G6

Pontiac bills its newest sedan as "The first ever G6." That implies two things. First, it is very different from its predecessors, and also there are more and better G6s to come. Correct on both counts...

2005 Saab 9-2X

It's no secret that Saab's new 9-2X is essentially a nicely restyled and refined Subaru Impreza wagon, the legitimate love child of a happy union between Japan's Subaru and Sweden's Saab arranged by matchmaker General Motors, full owner of Saab and 20 percent owner of Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI). Both makers, known to be quirky and eccentric, do things different in comparison to their mainstream competitors. They both have extensive experience with turbocharged gas engines (for which Saab is GM's global center of expertise), both have enjoyed success in Euro-style rally racing competition, and each can boast aircraft manufacturing as a segment of its corporate heritage...

2005 Scion tC

The Scion saga may still be in its early stages, but already the first plot twist has rolled into the picture. A marked departure from the Echo-based xA and xB, the new tC has virtually nothing in common with its predecessors, save for upper/lower case nomenclature and an amazing array of standard features included in an equally amazing base price. This front drive lift-back coupe is the first Scion offering designed specifically for the U.S. market. While based on the European Avensis platform and incorporating a number of other existing Toyota powertrain components, the 2005 Scion tC nonetheless moved from finalized planning to full production in a mere 13 months, which is a record for a U.S. Toyota product...

2005 Subaru Legacy

Turbocharging and advanced technology help set the 2005 Legacy apart from its predecessor. Though redesigned and slightly enlarged, Subaru's bigger model hasn't changed too much visually. Most of the improvements are concealed...

2005 Toyota Corolla XRS

Toyota Corolla and sport sedan. Words not likely to appear in the same conversation—let alone the same sentence. Until now, that is. With the arrival of the new Corolla XRS, Toyota has finally given its superbly executed but largely unexciting compact 4-door the kind of image-boost it's sorely needed. In the process, it's also created a car that delivers loads of driving diversion while sacrificing little in the way of functionality or cost-effectiveness...

2005 Toyota Sequoia

All it takes is a drive past any elementary school right before the kids get out to remind yourself that sport utility vehicles remain a stout bastion of the American car business. From the very first moment some returning GI bought a surplus Jeep and his wife stitched up a better set of seat covers, the sport ute biz has been on an upward crank, and the Toyota Sequoia is one of the collective American families' favorites...

2005 Toyota Tacoma

Toyota's Tacoma has turned a corner. Back when it was introduced in 1995, this tough little truck endeared itself to a wide range of pickup enthusiasts, resulting in it having one of the highest resale values on the market. Tampering with success, Toyota wisely noted the general trend of the truck market, where bigger means better. So the new Tacoma is much beefier and more brawny. Instead of a compact pickup, the new Tacoma is a midsize truck that almost looks like a full-size rig...

2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 1.8T

In terms of brand demographics, Volkswagen has what other car companies seem to crave: Legions of young (or at least young-thinking) buyers passionate about European engineering, design and performance. This may all seem like marketing hoopla—that is, until you step aboard the Jetta GLI, grip the leather-covered wheel and plant your Nike cross-trainer on the gas pedal. Halfway through first gear, the 180-hp 1.8-liter turbocharged four comes alive, thrusting the car forward like a tropical storm surge. Waltz through the gears and we guess you'll be grinning just like those other VW cognoscenti...