Posts with tag autoblog review
Posted Jun 7th 2008 8:01PM by Dan Roth
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Economy, Hatchbacks, Toyota

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Yaris.
Read a few car reviews and it's easy to walk away with the impression that we're a jaded lot; only interested in performance, luxury, and price. Any vehicle that doesn't have stupendous amounts of the first two for the tiniest pile of the latter gets kicked to the curb. It's true, driving cars that don't belong to us facilitates a certain view into how the other half lives that could definitely ruin one on lesser vehicles. On the other hand, there's an entirely different type of enjoyment to be extracted from cars that forego ostentation without ratcheting up the crap factor. Toyota's Yaris will never be mistaken for a Lexus, but it's neither the absolute nadir, nor ultimate zenith of autodom, meaning it has a shot.
Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: 2008 Toyota Yaris Liftback
Posted May 18th 2008 2:04PM by Dan Roth
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Suzuki

Suzuki's swapped the ladder frame architecture of the past to create a more civilized XL7, a welcome change from the Vitara roots of the original. The XL7's unitized Theta II platform, on loan from General Motors, also serves as the basis for the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. Suzuki also borrows the General's 3.6 liter V6, trying its very best in this application. The XL in the name is an apt descriptor, this is a lot of vehicle, and the price makes it a lot of value. So, what had to be sacrificed to bring such family friendly acreage in for the $22,000 of our trial unit?
Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: Suzuki XL7
Posted Mar 31st 2008 12:00PM by Dan Roth
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Coupes, Honda
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Honda Accord CoupeHonda's
Accord has grown at every redo since the model's inception, and this latest version is no different. We've already tried out the
sedan, so we borrowed the two-door version to sample the Coupé lifestyle, wherein you actually pronounce those acute accents. Our first impression is that the Accord Coupe is the best Monte Carlo never made, while retaining a fundamental core of Hondaness. Accords have always been half cool, half dorky, with the scale tipping one way or another depending on the generation. This latest one continues that trend, and we wanted to find out if the 2008 Accord Coupe is crushingly cool or heavily
noisome.
All photos © 2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe
Posted Mar 17th 2008 11:58AM by Dan Roth
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Hatchbacks, Volvo
Click above for high-res gallery of our time with the 2008 Volvo C30We've been told for so long that hatches don't sell here in the U.S., so it's surprising to see a new crop of two-box premium cars going on sale. MINI started it with its R53 Coopers; retro flash met modern dash and it sold successfully enough to warrant an upgrade to the
R56. Volvo's got the same lust for entry-level customers to its premium wares, so on the scene rolls the
C30. Based off the
S40, the C30 reaches back over three generations of boxy-but-good styling to a time when Swedish cars wearing the alchemist's symbol for iron had curves and a shooting brake profile. Hatch/wagon/brake/estate - call it what you will, Volvo's hoping it can call the C30 a success.
All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading In The Autoblog Garage: 2008 Volvo C30 V2.0