Published by Jason February 29th, 2008
in 3.5 Stars and Subaru.
I was excited to drive the all-new 2008 Impreza 4-door sedan. Recently, a friend of mine had driven WRXs and STIs through the frozen tundra of the Yukon Territory of Canada. He raved about it’s performance, on-snow driving, and how fun it was to rally those cars through breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the opportunity to take it through such dramatic landscapes, nor was I driving the sport-packed engines of the WRX or STI.
The introductory price of my Impreza was $17,000 and includes a 170-hp engine that is unfortunately under-powered. With such a rich heritage of rally car champions, getting into a Subaru and feeling the sluggish, unresponsive weight of the throttle disappointed much more than when driving an even more under-powered car but from a lesser pedigree. And as I remembered from driving Imprezas past, the seats were firm and uncomfortable. The final negative was the car looked and felt very cheap inside. The first glance around the cockpit revealed plastic-looking and feeling levers, knobs, and dash panels that aren’t inappropriate for an entry-level car, but again, with such a rich heritage of making great cars, it was disappointing to see how cheap this Subaru was.
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Published by Jason February 8th, 2008
in 3.5 Stars and Ford.
You don’t get into a Ford F250 Super Duty, you climb into it. Opening the door, and hoisting yourself into the driver’s seat, you suddenly become a “truck driver”, whether you started out as one or not. Turn on the engine, hear the diesel engine grumble to a roar, and put it in gear. Everything about this truck says “Big and Tough,” and as the driver, you begin to take on that persona as well.
I really wish I had a trailer of horses to tow, or a flat-bed filled to the brim with quads and toys, because I’m sure this truck would have delighted in the extra work required, not stopping for a moment to complain, but happily taking whatever you threw at it and asking where you wanted it delivered. It was certainly up for the task. Instead, I was stuck driving it through downtown Portland, navigating smaller cars like a Godzilla avoiding screaming people. For that purpose, I didn’t have as much appreciation for the size and power of the vehicle, as it did me little good (accept to annoy hybrid drivers with my gas guzzing–not that I like doing that.)
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Published by admin January 20th, 2008
in 3 Stars and Kia.
by Holly Glaspey
Okay, so I didn’t take a picture of myself sprawled out over the hood and send it to all my friends when I was granted a week with the Kia Spectra5. However, we still shared some happy memories. This Kia is a really great size—plenty of room for four and the camping gear, yet I still felt like I was driving a compact car.
The interior again is nothing flashy, but all the essential features are there, and very user-friendly. I like it when I can get in a car for the first time and have virtually no “training time”. All the features I needed were right where I expected them to be, and worked exactly how I expected them to work–no brain required. There is a jack for an external audio player, which I did not use but do appreciate for longer trips. Sure, I miss the heated seats, but the car won bonus points with me for the quick acting heating vents. It warmed up before I finished my 6-minute drive to the office.
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Published by admin January 3rd, 2008
in 4.5 Stars, 3.5 Stars and Subaru.
The Subaru Tribeca is one of those cars that garner three reactions. 1. Surprise; “I didn’t know Subaru made a SUV”. 2. Disdain; “Wow, that is one funny looking car”. and 3. Confusion; “Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about it. It’s kind of weird.” While, only 1/3 the responses were outright negative, it’s hard to find people who just love this vehicle.
To look at it, you’re going to either love it or hate it. It’s incredibly unique shape, curves, and features make it stand out like few other $30,000 cars do right now. However, that uniqueness is the main problem people have with this car. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the rear 1/3 of the car. The front is pretty unassuming, but from behind it always has reminded me of an alien head. I think that Subaru would have had a real winner on it’s hand if they hadn’t handicapped themselves by giving it such unusual styling which people could disagree with. However, the 2008 model addresses these issues and it looks much better. But this review is about the 2007, so let’s get back to that.
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Published by admin November 20th, 2007
in 3.5 Stars and Kia.
The first time I saw a Kia Amanti, before I knew it was a Kia, I thought to myself “What car is that? Is that some new Mercedes or something?” It actually fooled me into believing it was a true luxury car by it’s outer styling and established grill. When I saw who made the car, I blushed and quickly changed the subject. In retrospect, I think it’s the biggest compliment I could have given it. It confused me into thinking it was a true luxury car.
The Kias are coming a long way, and they’ve been winning the hearts of people across the country, but it still seems weird to me to call a Kia a luxury car maker, even though the Amanti is entering into that class.
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