Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of our time with the 2008 Toyota Sequoia

Gigantor. The 2008 Toyota Sequoia arrives humongously revised from the already beefy first-generation. The Timberland Mica (Metallic Green) example that Toyota lent us for a week definitely deserves whatever size-related superlatives you can dream up. It's big, it's powerful, it doesn't sip fuel. There is a need and a market for this type of vehicle, however. If Sequoia buyers don't actually utilize its considerable capabilities, that's not Toyota's fault. This year marks the migration of Toyota's full size Sport Utility to the same mechanicals that underpin the new Tundra, ladling on capability to an already fairly competent and refined vehicle.


All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

click the picture to view the video

Here's a little something we've been cooking up for a while. We've seen your cries for more video reviews, and it's on our minds, too. We've been trying to bring you more video in a lot of ways lately; Chris Shunk recently walked us through the new Grand Caravan, and Damon and Sam shot some video when they went to visit Tesla to drive the Roadster. You can visit our YouTube Channel to see just how many videos we've been producing lately.

We decided to try our hand at producing an In the Autoblog Garage new car review on video, and you'll find our results after the jump. Let us know what you think of our first video review, which stars the 2007 Scion xB, as we hope to make it a regular feature. Also check out Sam Abuelsamid's review of the 2007 Scion xB in written form.

click above image for a high-resolution gallery of the Lexus LS460L

It's tough to pity Lexus LS owners. After all, Executive-Class luxury sedans don't exactly suck. We wouldn't blame LS drivers for feeling pangs of over-inconspicuousness whenever they see a Camry, though. Understated luxury is one thing, but when you're devoting something like two years of the average worker bee's salary to a frivolity such as a luxury sedan, it'd be nice to have at least some indication to the Serfs that you're the better man.

"Look at Me!" posturing is not what we have in mind. There are Lamborghinis and Excaliburs for that sort of disgusting bourgeois putrefaction. Exuding a bouquet of fine taste, class and craftsmanship shouldn't be out of the question for a car such as the LS, however. The LS 460L we drove failed to portray itself as what it aspires to be; the ne plus ultra shark in the S-Class pool. Spend a few more seconds looking and the sheer size of the big Lexus sinks in, but gosh, from 30 feet away you need to concentrate to see something more than a Camry (or the new Hyundai Genesis for that matter).

All photos ©2007 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

click image above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Impreza Outback Sport

The standard new generation evolution usually goes like this: bigger, roomier, longer, wider. For some models, it's not such a big deal to go fiddling with the specs, on certain cars it's even a welcome improvement. Subaru, however, has a conundrum on their hands when they go messing with the Impreza formulation. There's a loveable quirkiness to the recipe; start tinkering too much, though, and you'll end up with New Coke.

Thus, it's with trepidation that we sampled the 2008 Impreza. It certainly looks different than those which came before. New duds don't mean an expanded waistline here, the 2008 model actually twirls out considerably less measuring tape in several dimensions than its forebear, while gaining inches and tenths where they make the most difference. Better doesn't have enough depth to fully convey the marked improvements Subaru has made in their entry-level model for 2008. Even stretching to "a lot better" leaves more to be said



All photos ©2007 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

click above image for high-res gallery of the BMW 335i Convertible

Thanksgiving is when I put the snow tires back on the cars. Here in New England, you never know what's going to happen; we've had our first snowfall already. Freezing temperatures also tend to herald the end of convertible season, though there still may be one or two Indian Summer days where dropping the top without freezing your earlobes is possible. Sadly, the BMW 335i convertible left our driveway long before the first frost, leaving us only memories.

The Thanksgiving holiday also heralds the beginning of the special hell that is the holiday shopping season. Don't know what to get that special someone? Drawing a blank when composing your wish list? Pencil this in: BMW 335i Convertible. Done and done.

click above image to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

A car's design is simply a composite of curves, creases and kinks. A good design will elicit an emotion that urges people to buy the car. The affected just have to have it, often blind to any faults the car may exhibit by the way it makes them feel. The design of the 2008 Ford Focus makes us feel an emotion, too. Unfortunately, it's pity.

We honestly feel bad for the latest iteration of Ford's small car. We fear that its strengths will go largely unnoticed on account of a few bad design choices. Of course, we're speaking of the redesigned front end and those fauxest of faux fender vents. It isn't fair to judge a book by its cover alone, or in this case a car by its design, but a bad first impression is difficult to overcome. Ford has made a lot of improvements to the Focus for 2008, but will anyone notice? Follow the jump to find out.


Live photos Copyright ©2007 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc.

Click the Acura RL for a high-res gallery

Being first to the party is often not a guarantee that you'll be the most popular. Diamond Multimedia was one of the first to introduce a portable MP3 player with the Rio 500, but it wasn't until some other company brought out a device called the iPod that the market broke wide open. Similarly, Toyota's Lexus division is currently the big dog among Japanese luxury car brands, but it was by no means the first. In 1986, Honda opened up 18 new stores with a brand called Acura.

Over the years, the Acura Legend evolved into the RL as Acura changed its nomenclature. Honda seemed to struggle, however, with what its top sedan was supposed to be. It went from what looked like a fancy Accord to a soft and underpowered Lexus wannabe and finally took a sharp left turn with this latest iteration. The current third generation RL first appeared back in 2005 when it was reintroduced as a luxury sport sedan.

We were actually first exposed to the RL in late summer when Acura held its 2008 model preview at the Waterford Hills race track just north of Detroit. Immediately following that session of thrashing the RL on the track, we asked Acura if we could spend more time with an RL and got one for a week shortly afterward.


All photos ©2007 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

click above image for high-res gallery of the 2007 Kia Spectra EX

Time was, buying a small car from an entry-level brand meant you'd end up in the penalty box. Vinyl-swathed interiors, cheap and nasty plastics, medieval seats, etc. Those were the bad parts, but there were some aspects of basic cars that we miss. The widespread availability of manual transmissions, you-wind-em windows, money saving aircon and radio delete options are all things that we at least like to see on the order form.

Forgive us if it sounds like we're asking for a revival of the Escort Pony. Sometimes, though, it's refreshing to get into a car that is self-evident to operate and doesn't cost a fortune to run. After sampling the Kia Spectra EX, we're inclined to think that everything else might be overkill.



All photos ©2007 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

click above image for high-res gallery of the 2007 Subaru Forester Sports 2.5X

Subaru's Forester is well into its second generation, but the styling and driving experience isn't far removed from the unflappable friendly wagon that bowed in 1998. Why mess with a good thing?

The Forester Sports 2.5X is a handsome set of duds that sets you apart from the CUV crowd, even if you don't get the turbo motor. The black mesh grille and more monochromatic color scheme dresses up even the lightly optioned Forester we recently drove for a week. Lightly optioned doesn't mean stripped, there's plenty of equipment here and you'd only want for more if you wanted higher monthly payments. Even a basic Forester is comprehensively equipped. We're happy to report that while Subaru is all grown up from the days of the GL, the spirit of those funky rattlers remains infused in the Forester.



All photos ©2007 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

Anybody that lives on a busy road or has a lot of cars knows that getting vehicles in and out of the driveway can be a logistical nightmare. Traditional options for curing this problem range from widening the driveway to creating one of those horseshoe-shaped driveways. Pouring concrete can get pricey too, but an old auto show staple, the turntable, is now available as a cure for parking problems.

Turntables aren't just for locomotives and auto show displays anymore. You can have an automobile-sized turntable installed in your garage or driveway for around $8,400 and up. There are some very expensive options, too, which need a foundation of poured concrete and can cost upwards of $40,000. For the same price as the car they're spinning, these Lazy Susans had better work as advertised. Apparently some folk, however, are willing to spend a lot of dough to forgo rearranging the driveway at 5 AM. The scribes at the Wall St. Journal even found compiled a list of companies that make and install turntables.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]