Epinions Recent Reviews for mkaresh

A vs. S: what does a letter mean? (2010 Audi S4 review)

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 15:43:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - What's in a letter? A decade ago Audi took an A4, added a couple of turbos to the V6, stiffened up the suspension, and named the result the S4. A special experience that became even more special (if less moddable) when the 250-horsepower turbo V6 was...

The new 2010 HS 250h: a Cimmaron for Lexus?

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 23:07:54 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Every luxury car brand seems compelled to explore how low it can venture in the American market without hopelessly devaluing itself. Mercedes no longer offers the C-Class Coupe and has shied away from offering the A- and B-Classes in the United...

Is the 2010 LaCrosse good enough to save Buick?

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 17:30:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Usually when a car reviewer says that a car company's survival depends on the success of a new model, I don't buy it. Even if the new car fails, the company will manage to scrape by. But the 2010 Buick LaCrosse might warrant such an extreme statement, at...

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: competitive advantages?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:20:16 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - I'm old enough to remember when Mercedes used the tagline "engineered like no other car in the world," and no one questioned it. When the 1986 W124 E-Class was introduced, Car & Driver called it simply "the best car in the world."In the...

2010 Chevrolet Camaro--big, bold, and unapologetic

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:59:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - I first became fanatical abo
ut
cars back in the early 1980s, and the Gen 3 1982 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird were among the main reasons. I wanted one, badly. They were so swoopy, so outrageously sporty, so far beyond anything else...

Audi Q5: does it stand out above the crowd?

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:52:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - We've yet to see any signs that there's much of a market for premium compact SUVs. Lexus has done well with the (now midsize) RX, but neither the BMW X3 nor the Acura RDX, the first to follow the RX, has met its sales targets. Nevertheless,...

2010 Ford Fusion Sport AWD: best midsize value for enthusiasts?

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 01:08:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Years ago I owned--and loved--a Ford Contour SE V6. I've been waiting ever since for Ford to create a midsize sedan that was equally fun to drive. For 2010, they've refreshed the Fusion, adding a new Sport model in the process. With a 3.5-liter V6 and...

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: as good as an Infiniti G37, for thousands less?

Sun, 31 May 2009 22:05:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Sport coupe buyers with less than $30,000 to spend have had two choices in recent years. Either a Ford Mustang, or a front-driver based on a mainstream sedan. Want rear-wheel-drive for superior handling, but don't want a Mustang (or the recently...

2010 Mazda3: an improvement over the 2004-2009?

Wed, 27 May 2009 01:11:12 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Over the years, Mazda has wavered this way and that, never quite making it into the first tier of Japanese manufacturers. In recent years, they've had one mass market hit, the Mazda3 compact, introduced in 2003 as a 2004 model. Though the original Mazda3...

2009 Pontiac G8 GXP review: the steering wheel is redundant

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:01:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - I reviewed the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT last year, and was impressed. For 2009, just in case 361 horsepower wasn't enough, Pontiac has added the 415-horsepower G8 GXP. More appealing to me than the extra power: the availability of a...

2010 Honda Insight: what's the point?

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 11:31:19 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Honda introduced the first hybrid to the American market. The original Insight, a teardrop-shaped two-seater, failed to sell. Honda later added the Civic Hybrid. Without the distinctive styling or radical technology of Toyota's Prius, it sold...

2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X: greatest Saab ever, but good enough?

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:21:24 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Volvo did it. Acura still does it. Audi has been doing it for a long time. And last year Saab gave it a shot: start with a front-wheel-drive platform, add a powerful engine and an all-wheel-drive system (hopefully with a few tricks up its...

2009 Subaru WRX STI: what's been gained, what's been lost?

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:40:41 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - The original Subaru Impreza WRX STI (well, STi until a few years ago) was a legend that was not originally available in the United States. Which of course increased its allure. Still, even once available here many more people lusted after an STI than...

2009 Infiniti FX35: how do you improve on an original?

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 19:52:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Give Nissan credit for not simply developing me-too products. Case in point: the Infiniti FX, introduced in the 2003 model year. While other SUVs emphasize visibility, interior room, and utility, with the Infiniti FX Nissan explored what an SUV would be...

Comparison review: Ford Flex vs. Chevrolet Traverse

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 01:25:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - With the full-size SUV market all but dead, General Motors and Ford are counting on large crossovers (and a few pennies from Washington) to keep them afloat. While large crossovers aren't as profitable as large SUVs were in the 1990s, they are far more...

2009 Kia Borrego: way late to the SUV party

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:45:40 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - For the 1990s and much of the 2000s few segments were hotter than conventional midsize SUVs. The last couple of years, though, the segment has been dying, and in recent months it has been all but dead.So clearly Kia picked a wonderful time to...

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS: How good can a Cobalt be?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:11:45 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Many cars are so middle-of-the-road in so many ways that nothing about them, good or bad, is memorable. Then there's the Chevrolet Cobalt SS.Chevrolet Cobalt SS StylingThe Cobalt isn't a bad-looking car...if you stand 50 feet...

2009 Chevrolet Traverse: what does it offer that GM's other crossovers don't?

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:54:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - After GM realized that large crossovers were much more profitable than minivans, and that truck-based SUVs were on the way out, it introduced the 2007 Saturn Outlook, soon followed by the 2007 GMC Acadia. A few months later the 2008 Buick Enclave was...

2009 Audi A4: a major improvement with the redesign?

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 17:53:43 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Often the style leader in the compact premium sedan segment, Audi's A4 has usually had to take a backseat to the BMW 3-Series in terms of driving enjoyment. Eager to top the segment on both fronts, Audi has again redesigned the A4 for 2009. Does the...

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X: does the song remain the same?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:20:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Anyone who's driven one of the first nine iterations of the Mitsubishi Evo is bound to approach the tenth with an odd mix of very high and very low expectations. Sure, the engine and chassis are bound to be top-notch. But will the ride quality and...

2009 Mazda6 -- now fully competitive with the midsize sedan leaders?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:40:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Back in 1987, Mazda wanted a big piece of America’s midsize pie. So the semi-independent Japanese company bought an idle plant from write.html/. For two decades, even with heavy fleet sales, Mazda’s family sedan has struggled to utilize a...

2008 Smart fortwo passion: smart fortwo: is it the right car for you?

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:18:06 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - The original smart was a tiny, two-seat car developed by Mercedes working with Swatch, the watch maker. Powered by a rear-mounted 600cc engine, It was designed for Europe's congested cities, where it could be parked nose to the curb. Figuring there...

2009 Lincoln MKS: does Ford's luxury brand have a future?

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:10:32 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - Eight years ago, Ford was on top of the world. At least one prominent journalist wrote that Ford passing GM to become the top-selling car maker was a matter of if, not when. Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand, displayed concept cars, most notably a striking...

2009 Nissan Maxima: is "return of the 4-door sports car" merely hype?

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 18:26:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - The Nissan Maxima, and the 810 before it, was a fairly popular car. But it was the 1989 redesign, complete with subtle "4DSC" decals in the rear door windows (for "4-door sports car", that really launched the model and proved that Japan could create a...

2009 Hyundai Genesis: a $50,000+ car for $40,000?

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:49:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author mkaresh - General Motors and Ford have both put on hold, perhaps forever, plans to offer V8-powered rear-wheel-drive sedans fully competitive with the best from Germany and Japan. They're running short on resources, and with gas prices around $4 future demand...