Comparo: 2011 Kia Sportage SX vs. Volkswagen Tiguan Highline 4MOTION

Sports Crossovers Is the Kia Sportage or the VW Tiguan the best mix of small, fun-to-drive utility? By John LeBlanc Listen up. Today’s subject is the evolution of the car. A self-propelled vehicle that originated 125 years ago in Germany, popularized by American Henry Ford during the beginning of the 20th century, and arguably as […]

The Crank: Are today’s “subcompacts” yesterday’s “compacts”?

By John LeBlanc LAS VEGAS, Nevada – You can’t judge a book by its cover. And you can’t judge a car by its segment name. At least not anymore. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after spending a day driving Hyundai’s new 2012 Accent,  a so-called “subcompact” that, for all intents and purposes, offers the […]

First Drive: 2012 Hyundai Accent

Small, Accent-utated Hyundai’s new subcompact redefines the term “bottom-feeder” By John LeBlanc LAS VEGAS, Nevada — As the spiritual successor to the Korean automaker’s original mega-seller — the Hyundai Pony — the entry-level Accent has been a best seller in its class, based mainly on its super-low pricing. In fact, just few years ago, you […]

Comparo: 2011 Mini Countryman vs. Nissan Juke

Mini Utes Nissan and Mini battle for the Next Big Thing in cars By John LeBlanc In the 1990s, it was truck-based sports-utility-vehicles. During the past decade, it was car-based crossover-utility-vehicles. And now as we zoom into the second-decade of the 21st Century, it looks like compact crossovers may end up as “The Next Big […]

The Crank: Can Germany’s VW become an American automaker—again?

By John LeBlanc CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – You have to admire Volkswagen’s “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” attitude when it comes to building cars South of the Border.

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