Car Throttle

The Kia Koup (yes, it is spelled with a K by the manufacturer) is the closest Kia has come to a dedicated performance car in recent years. Hyundai has gotten a diverse array of coupes over the years, including the Tiburon, Genesis Coupe and Veloster. Hyundai and Kia are both under one roof, but vehicles between the two have been impressively differentiated. For instance, look at the Sonata and the Optima - you wouldn't be able to tell they shared anything. For most enthusiasts the Optima is the vehicle of choice. It has a driver-focused cockpit and a more aggressive, chiseled appearance. Hyundai is softer in approach, evidenced by its "fluidic sculpture" design language. That carries through to other aspects as well - Kia is more performance-oriented.

Sometimes I imagine the entire Toyota Corporation is a single, evil person. I want to grab them by the lapel, and shake them violently while screaming "You're the biggest car brand in the world!  You can engineer ANYTHING! When the technology to lay carbon fibre in a cylinder for the A-pillar of your supercar didn't exist, you INVENTED it!  Stop building more boring hybrids, and make a car that car people want and can afford!"  It seems like I'm not the only person that feels that way, because Toyota is trying to convince us it's got the point by teasing us repeatedly with FT-86 Toyobaru this, RWD that, and so far nothing has come of it.

My, what a big diffuser you have.

Hard to believe, but the outlandishly styled Dodge Charger has been with us since late 2005. It's been one of a few bright spots in Chrysler's lineup in the past few years, posting good sales numbers every year.  Why?  Simple - it's a large, rear-wheel-drive traditional sedan with a choice of either sensible (2.7L, 3.5L V6) or proper engines (5.7L, 6.1L Hemi V8's).  It's popular with midlife crisis middle class white people because it looks like a thugged-out gangster mobile.  It's popular with recreational pharmacists for the same reason.  It's also popular with law enforcement because, with a 5.7L Hemi, it can catch those recreational pharmacists.  Sure, the headroom in the back's a little tight, the trunk's a little small, and the interior quality is nothing

Honda is a company that has stuck to a pretty consistent philosophy over the years. They've been known for reliability and economical sensibilities. Not much to be excited about, but you know you could depend on them. I'll admit to never being a Honda fan though, especially with the styling we've seen recently - Element, Ridgeline, Accord to name a few. Acura? Even worse. For a while Acura has seemingly faded from the luxury scene, occupying a rung below the segment leading brands.Acura really isn't on the shopping lists of serious luxury buyers and sales have reflected that. Understandably, Honda isn't happy with the results and is starting a new push to make Acura a viable contender in the luxury segment. The aim is to make Acura a Tier 1 luxury brand. If you do it

Rejoice! Is there some thinking going on at General Motors and Cadillac? If a new report from Motor Trend is to be believed, then there actually is! Recent news has said Cadillac was developing a replacement for the DTS and STS, to be named XTS and based on the same FWD platform as the Opel Insignia. I had hoped that wasn't the case. It just makes no sense for what Cadillac is supposed to be and stand for, especially with a resurgent Buick in the equation now. But, I knew from GM anything was possible. Before this recent news about a XTS, GM was planning to produce a Cadillac flagship based on Holden's Zeta platform. Zeta underpins the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro here in the United

Regardless of the technical merits of All Wheel Drive or Front Wheel Drive, there are still some people out there that would rather eat their own foot than drive anything other than a rear wheel drive car.  I can relate. I'd say more than half of the ads for Hyundai's hot new Genesis coupe have shown the car getting ridiculously sideways, and I have to say I approve.  Despite the fact that I'm on my third front-wheel-drive car (they seem to follow me home!) I understand the appeal of RWD.  Like the ability to perfectly balance the car with the throttle just past the limit of adhesion, tires howling and smoke boiling off the rear end in thick sheaths. I think the Genesis' best angle is definetely