Automedia.com - Reviews - 2007 Articles

2007 Acura MDX

A lot has changed in the SUV world since Acura introduced its seven-passenger luxury model for 2001. Crossover models like the MDX have been edging aside traditional sport-utility vehicles. As fuel prices escalate, all SUVs face hard realities...

2007 Acura RDX

As the SUV market matures, it's getting sliced and diced into finer and finer sub-segments. What started long ago as a tiny niche of backwoods log-hoppers has evolved into a great swath of sport utes covering a myriad of uses. SUVs now range from tiny, tough off-roaders to huge, station wagons on steroids, minivans in mountain boots and quite literally everything in between. In the considerable gap between those extremes are dozens of variations and thousands of buyers, with more behind them. Acura's research projects 23 percent growth in the luxury SUV segment in the next five years and a 500 percent increase in entry premium crossovers—a number made slightly less jaw dropping when you stop to consider that, at the moment, that class is a class of two: the BMW X3 and the new Acura RDX...

2007 Acura TL Type-S

Dating back to 1995, the TL sedan from Acura, Honda's luxury division, has turned into the company's top seller. Developers of the 2007 edition couldn't tamper with that success, but they have given the TL a new group of potential customers among the enthusiast crowd...

2007 BMW 3 Series

Most agree that BMW's 3 Series is the gold standard of Euro-sport compact sedans—not to mention wagons, coupes and convertibles. Not surprisingly, the all-new 3 Series sedan that hit the U.S. market in May, 2005 was honored by multiple magazines and named World Car of the Year by an international jury of 46 automotive journalists...

2007 BMW X5

Some advocates of sporty German motorcars scoffed when BMW decided to enter the growing SUV race. Released for the 2000 model year, the first-generation X5 flaunted familiar BMW styling cues, especially up front. Still, this was a shocking departure for a company so widely known for its rear-drive sport sedans and serious two-seaters...

2007 Cadillac Escalade

Style and substance. So much about Escalade is tied to the former, that you almost forget the latter. The big Cadillac has become ingrained in pop culture as a symbol of upscale living. It's a role that the truck plays easily. The oversized dimensions make it a comfortable conveyance for large, pro athletes, and it's doubtful that anyone or anything has had more appearances in more music videos than this big ute. The familiar, chunky form is a rolling blank slate for customizers; just a set of monster rims, a trick grille and a cabin makeover away from a one-off, driving statement...

2007 Chevrolet Silverado

GM's full-size truck engineers and designers knew they had their work cut out for them. Ford's latest F-150 had raised the bar for interior refinement and chassis dynamics, and Dodge's Ram for cabin roominess and performance. Then came Nissan with a tough-as-nails full-size Titan, and Toyota was soon to follow with an outstanding new Tundra...

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevrolet's Tahoe, America's best-selling full-size SUV, is redesigned and vastly improved for 2007. But with gas prices as high as they are and potentially still climbing, some might ask, "Who cares—"..

2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS

Q. Name three words not normally associated with SUVs...

2007 Chrysler Sebring

The 300 has been a key car for Chrysler in a couple of ways. Since its introduction in 2004, the 300's classy, brawny blend has resonated with buyers to the tune of 300,000 sales. The 300's other contribution, while more subtle, has been no less important. It put Chrysler back on the map again as a builder of cars—not just trucks and minivans. With the road freshly paved for new product, the first entry just rolled out, as Chrysler debuts its new, midsize Sebring...

2007 Dodge Nitro

In some respects, we wear what we drive. So, when we change rides, the replacement has to fit not only our driving style, but also our personal style. That's the dilemma many SUV owners have found themselves in recently. Forced by sustained, high gas prices to abandon their large utes, they downsize to economize, looking for the right fit—and the right look. The first question is, how small is big enough? The other issue is image. What a lot of people liked about big trucks and SUVs in the first place was their rugged, bad boy attitude—even if the driver wasn't exactly bad—or a boy. New, smaller SUV's and crossovers are flowing into the marketplace every week. But, while there are lots of good choices, there really aren't many with bad attitudes. Dodge's latest entry seems to qualify on both scores. The Nitro is a midsize SUV that's not too PC...

2007 Ford Edge

There are small crossovers, large crossovers and a fast-growing phalanx of in-between crossovers, each offering its own combination of attributes and character. Where Ford is on the leading edge with Edge is in its unique blend of style, size, function, features, fuel efficiency and driving dynamics at a surprisingly reasonable price. It's on the high side of midsize—big enough to be roomy for up to five full-size folks, small enough to feel taut and maneuverable on the road...

2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

Ford may not have been first to market with a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, but it was first with a full-hybrid SUV. The 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid is also the first American-made hybrid. Launched two years ago, the Escape Hybrid—also the first full hybrid offering four-wheel drive—was named North American Truck of the year by an impartial jury of journalists at Detroit's 2005 North American International Auto Show...

2007 Ford Expedition

Some may question why Ford is introducing its newly redesigned full-size SUV when the segment has declined due to persistent high gas prices. Many people who used to want, but didn't really need, those vehicles are moving into smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient cars and car-based crossovers, including Ford's own Fusion, Freestyle and soon-to-come all-new Edge...

2007 Ford Explorer

How do you improve a time-honored class leader? And, if it's already that good, why bother?..

2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The Ford Explorer Sport Trac is a true original. A sport-utility truck with versatility, the Blue Oval tailored this rugged yet refined rig from their finest stock, the popular Explorer SUV. But while the Sport Trac may garner much of its style and finesse from its similarly-sculpted siblings, the all-new 2007 Sport Trac has a personality all its own...

2007 Ford F-150

Big, dirty hauling jobs. Family night out at the movies. Getting that half cord of seasoned oak. And the Monday-morning commute—with looks worthy of a second glance in the parking lot. These are the capabilities of the 2007 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew, a straight-shooting, all-purpose pickup that's as versatile as it is attractive—and the reasons why the F-Series has been the best-selling pickup in America for an amazing 29 years running...

2007 Ford Fusion

"Fusion" implies a coming together, a blending—and this car certainly is. In size, it fits neatly between the compact Focus and the (near) full-size Five Hundred. In power, it offers a choice of spirited 4-cylinder or more muscular V-6 engines. In architecture, it adds increased stiffness, smoother ride and American character to the well-respected platform of (Ford Japanese partner) Mazda's Mazda6. So respected is the Fusion as well that it recently received highest ranking in its segment honors for 2006 from the J.D. Power APEAL Study, which recognizes Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) of all-new and redesigned models...

2007 Ford Mustang GT

Ford's new-generation Mustang is an amazing blend of the best of two different worlds. It looks very much like the late-'60s Mustangs that were so popular in their day, while it drives exactly like the fully contemporary performance coupe it is...

2007 Ford Ranger SPORT

Despite a lot of new competition, Ford's Ranger has remained one of America's best-selling compact pickups. It has also been honored five times for the highest level of loyalty in that segment. Must be some good reasons...

2007 Ford Shelby GT500

Following a four-decade separation, Ford's Mustang and racing legend Carroll Shelby have reunited. The first products of this new collaboration between Shelby and Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) are a pair of Shelby GT500s, a coupe and a convertible. Modern interpretations of the Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s motivated by a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 that pumps out 500 thoroughbred horses, they are the most powerful production Mustangs ever built, and certain future collectibles...

2007 Honda CR-V

Honda built its first small car-based SUV for the Japanese market, but it trailed Toyota's RAV4 to the States by a couple of years. Arriving here in 1996 as a '97 model, it soon became a top seller in the fast-growing class known as "crossover" utility vehicles (CUVs), and has become Honda's most widely distributed vehicle with more than 2.5 million sold in 160 countries. They call it CR-V, which stands for, one U.S. Honda rep tells us, "Comfortable Runabout Vehicle."..

2007 Honda Fit

Small cars were almost counted out a few years back. Gasoline was still comparatively cheap. SUVs promised utility mixed with glamour. Sporty road behavior seemed to draw more customers than high gas-mileage figures. Then came a new wave of fuel price hikes, which escalated in early 2006. Not unlike the reaction that occurred more than three decades ago, in the wake of the first "fuel crisis" of 1973-74, sensibly sized cars have started to look good again...

2007 Hummer H3

One size does not fit all. This revelation comes to mind as we drive the Hummer H3, and think of other Hummers we've also tested. Other, larger Hummers, let's add, and that's just the point. No one's ever questioned the gutsy, go anywhere attitude that pours from the pores of the original, civilian Hummers; but, in the cold light of real world driving, the H1 suffers mightily. Its enormous cost and excessive mass made it more caricature than car; a superhero SUV, remote from all but the few who don't have to worry about driving between the lines or spending within their means...

2007 Hyundai Veracruz

Sport-utility vehicles are nothing new for Hyundai. Ever since the 2001 model year, the South Korean automaker has offered a modestly sized Santa Fe SUV. In 2005, a compact Tucson SUV joined the Hyundai group...

2007 Jeep Compass

This new 2007 Compass is probably Jeep's first car, at least in a lot of years—if it is a car at all. Jeep calls it a compact SUV, but it's really a car-based "crossover" utility (CUV), a competitor to the likes of Toyota's RAV4, Honda's CR-V and many others of that ilk. Your interpretation depends on your definition. Compass shares its architecture with its corporate cousin, Dodge Caliber. Caliber arrived last year, followed by Compass, then (surprisingly) a mechanically identical Jeep platform-mate called Patriot...

2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

What has four doors and flies—out of showrooms? Happily for Jeep, the answer to that question is the Wrangler Unlimited. Since its debut earlier this year, the four-door version of the classic, small Jeep has been selling at a brisk clip. February 2007 sales of Wrangler were up 63 percent over a year ago, and the new model has been the difference maker. Currently, the take rate is two-thirds Wrangler Unlimited, one-third Wrangler. The new, stretch Wrangler is offered in two or four-wheel drive and three trim levels: Unlimited X, Sahara and Rubicon...

2007 Lexus ES 350

Sport or luxury? That's the question, according to Lexus, and the answer is—both. In Lexus' view, the near-luxury market is drifting more and more toward the "sport" side of the sport-luxury continuum. But, while automakers (including Lexus) feed this need for speed on high-end models, there remains a steady demand for sedans that key on traditional luxury-car values...

2007 Lexus IS 350

Welcome to entry-level luxury, one of the most competitive segments in the auto industry. It's important not only because a lot of folks can afford to buy in, but also because the manufacturers hope that if you like what you get, including the image, you'll be a loyal buyer for life as you move up the ladder...

2007 Lexus LS 460L

The mantra at Lexus has always been "The Pursuit of Perfection." Actually it used to be the "relentless" pursuit, but over the years, that's been changed to "passionate" pursuit—maybe a point more for the marketers than anyone else. Whether you're relentless or passionate, or both, we'd have to say that with the all-new LS 460 flagship sedan, if Lexus hasn't achieved perfection, it's come as close as any car we can think of...

2007 Lincoln MKX

The only time most all-wheel-drive vehicles ever venture off-road is when their drivers misjudge a u-turn and plow through the neighbor's petunia patch. For most buyers, lousy driving conditions, not rock hopping, is why they opt for four driven wheels. Which brings us to today. Here in the northeast, it's windy, snowing and 18 degrees. Not ideal for much of anything, except, of course, test-driving. For an all-wheel-drive hybrid like the Lincoln MKX, this is where the rubber hits the road—the slushy, snow clogged road...

2007 Mazda CX-7

Vehicles once had well-defined missions and personalities. Cars transported people in comfort and style. Trucks hauled big, heavy cargo. Minivans sacrificed car dynamics for big-space utility. Sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) built on truck frames carried people and a fair amount of their stuff to off-road adventures—or at least looked like they could...

2007 MAZDASPEED3

Mazda's Mazda3 hatchback in standard dress is a pretty cool little car. This compact handles the rigors of daily life really well while making those trips to and fro more enjoyable. However, the real fun comes to the road now that the MAZDASPEED3 ups the ante considerably with more power and capabilities...

2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450

When we tested the all-new Mercedes ML in 2006, we were impressed. It had a great combination of comfort, looks and performance, and was a huge step ahead of the somewhat truck-ish model it replaced...

2007 Nissan Quest

When an automaker makes a mistake with a new model, it's not always admitted. Nissan has taken the tell-all route with its Quest minivan, whose sales have scored feebly compared to expectations when it debuted as a 2004 model. Although the exterior was "generally well received," according to senior marketing manager Kelly Hamilton, the distinctive interior soon came to be seen as "polarizing." Nissan promoted the 2004 Quest with an "urban loft" theme, branding it "funky" compared to other minivans on the market. Yet, the center-mounted instrument panel, in particular, appeared to turn customers away...

2007 Nissan Sentra

Like so many vehicles these days, the newly redesigned Sentra is bigger and more powerful than its compact fifth-generation predecessor. Buyers also get a new powertrain choice: Nissan's highly capable continuously variable transmission (CVT)...

2007 Pontiac G5

Pontiac has long been the sporty division of General Motors, though recent models have tended to be tamer than in the past. Body-sharing between Chevrolet and Pontiac is nothing new, either. So, it's no surprise that Pontiac's new entry-level G5 compact coupe is closely related to the Chevrolet Cobalt...

2007 Porsche Cayman

Porsche has carved a legend for itself by winning large numbers of races and hordes of high-speed hearts since its earliest VW-Beetle-based efforts not long after World War II. And it has done so mostly with tail-heavy rear-engine sports cars that in recent years, through superb chassis engineering and development bolstered by the modern magic of electronic stability control, have become so dynamically good that they seem to defy the laws of physics...

2007 Saab 9-3

Saab is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2007. The Swedish automaker has long been known as the "aircraft" company. That's because its automobiles were heavily influenced by the firm's early years as a manufacturer of airplanes. Aerodynamics, for instance, was emphasized long before it began to affect designs of most other motor vehicles...

2007 Saturn Aura

Saturn was founded in 1985 as a separate subsidiary of General Motors with its own refreshing vision and leadership. Its mission was to attract buyers of small fuel-efficient cars who would not consider a Chevrolet or other GM product then head them off on their ways to import brands. Among other ideas, its products would be substantially different from other GM cars of the time, and its customer treatment would be the envy of the auto industry...

2007 Saturn Sky

Halo cars add colors to a company's pallet—a Hawaiian shirt in a closet of grey flannel suits. Their benefits are both direct and indirect, as the rest of the lineup gets to bask in their reflected glow. Sky is Saturn's first halo car. The two-seat sports car is cousin to the Pontiac Solstice. While similar in size and performance, the two are far different in appearance. Where Solstice is curvy with nary a flat panel, Sky is more angular and edgy looking...

2007 Suzuki SX4

Japanese auto and motorcycle maker Suzuki has been on a roll, especially in the U.S. American Suzuki sold more than 10,000 vehicles in May, 2007, its best-ever May, led by a 31 percent increase in SX4 and Aerio small-car sales. The SX4 was also one of five econocar finalists for Ward's Auto World magazine's "Interior of the Year" award...

2007 Suzuki XL7

Americans can be forgiven for knowing little about Japanese automaker Suzuki, which has not enjoyed much visibility or presence in this country. But that is changing. Known mostly for minicars in Japan and motorcycles here, Suzuki has been coming on strong of late with a raft of new U.S. models and a serious marketing effort. Among those new models is this XL7 midsize CUV, Suzuki's largest and most powerful vehicle ever...

2007 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry, America's best-selling car for seven of the last eight years, has a solid reputation for quality and reliability. But it's also been considered solidly unexciting by some. Those preferring something less mainstream and commonplace in the sea of sameness have opted for something else among the many excellent choices, foreign and domestic, in today's midsize family sedan market. The Camry, like the Honda Accord, set the bar high in this competitive class...

2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser

Long before the SUV acronym became a common expression, there were sport utility vehicles, whether they knew that term or not. Consider the Toyota Land Cruiser, for instance. Introduced in 1960, it was simplicity personified, an all-grunt, take-anywhere rig. Despite its susceptibility to rust, this backcountry bruiser was just plain tough, taking on all sorts of rough-and-tumble terrain and then begging for more...

2007 Toyota Prius

Toyota, along with Honda, paved the way for hybrid-powertrain vehicles in the American market. Just as the 21st century began, both automakers launched hybrids: a lightweight two-seater for Honda, followed by a small sedan from Toyota. Both the Insight and Prius ran on a blend of gasoline engine and electricity, but their powertrain systems differed. From the start, Toyota made battery power dominant, with the gas engine kicking in when extra power was needed...

2007 Toyota Tundra

It's a watershed year for pickup trucks in general, with significant changes taking place in all the major brands, which means the range of choices has never been better. But for Toyota that also makes the launch of its redesigned Tundra all the more challenging. In years past, the company has done well with its smaller trucks, especially the Tacoma, which consistently captures the highest resale values on the market. But capturing a large share of the full-size segment has proved to be more difficult...

2007 Toyota Yaris

When gasoline was cheap and plentiful, many Americans showed little interest in subcompact cars. For roominess, cargo, safety and image reasons, most preferred larger vehicles over cramped little cars derisively dubbed "econoboxes." But gas is no longer cheap, and future price and availability are unpredictable...

2007 Volkswagen Eos

It's 30 degrees outside and the sky is spitting wet snow—perfect convertible weather! Perfect, at least, for part of our road test: the top up, winter-in-the-snow-belt portion. But, we also drove an Eos at a different time in a warmer clime: the traditional weather when open cars are enjoyed. Together, we've logged enough seat time in enough seasons to see how the new VW stacks up as a year 'round, daily driver. And that four-season flexibility is key to what's sparked the recent rash of hardtop retractables like the Eos...

2007 Volvo C70

Coupes are the new convertibles. It seems that the latest trend in ragtops is to make them hardtops. Hardtops that retract, that is, thereby sidestepping a stumbling block for many prospective convertible buyers. Where canvas or vinyl tops can be drafty and chilly, hardtops are safer and more snug. Retractables promise all of the advantages of a convertible, with most of the perks of a conventional hardtop...