AUTOS

May 16, 2015 AUTOS

2015 Mini Cooper S Hardtop 4-Door Automatic Tested: Practicality with a Hard Edge

-The denizens of the Mini publicity mill are fond of making go-kart allusions in describing their brand’s products, and those allusions have some foundation in fact. Consider our test car, the new four-door version of the Mini Hardtop, in 189-hp Cooper S tune. It has gunfighter reflexes, hardly a trace of body roll, transient responses reminiscent of a mongoose tormenting a cobra, and steering that’s both quick (2.5 turns lock-to-lock)

May 16, 2015 AUTOS

2017 Ford Escape Spy Photos Reveal Edge-like Updates Headed Its Way

– What It Is: Ford’s Escape crossover, photographed here with camouflage covering styling changes that’ll arrive with the model’s mid-cycle refresh. Today’s Escape debuted roughly around the same time as the Ford Focus compact sedan and hatchback back in 2013, and all share the same platform. While still handsome, the crossover’s look is falling out of line with the younger faces in Ford’s lineup, such as the most recent Fiesta

May 16, 2015 AUTOS

Google’s Self-Driving Car Begins Public Road Testing this Summer

– After months of testing in private captivity, Google is ready to release its koala-esque autonomous pod into the wild. The Silicon Valley giant announced in a blog post today that its self-driving bubble-mobile will hit the streets of Mountain View, California, this summer. – The next step in autonomous testing will bring a human along for safety, Google assures us. “[D]uring this next phase of our project we’ll have

May 16, 2015 AUTOS

Here’s Your Chance to Buy 10,500 Pounds of America

– If you want a truck to let the neighbors know that you’re the baddest mofo this side of the Mississippi, do you get a Ford F-150/Chevy Silverado/Ram 1500? You do not. Nor do you get the F-250/2500HD/2500 versions of same. A Ford F-650 Super Duty or a Chevy Kodiak C4500 is getting closer but still isn’t quite right. No, the savvy choice is an International MXT, like this one

May 16, 2015 AUTOS

Oh, the Frugality! Hyundai Adds Value Edition to 2016 Elantra Lineup

– We’re almost to 2015’s halfway mark, which means the flow of 2016 models increases from an intermittent spurt to a ragin’, full-on firehose stream. Hyundai slips into the flow with the 2016 Elantra, adding features and a Value Edition, which bundles in a suite of oft-requested options while saving you money! – – Starting at $17,975, the Elantra line sees some changes: The Limited-trim cars now come standard with