Transportation

The truth is this: There is nothing economical about this vehicle. It is a pure indulgence, plain and simple, but it is one of the most magnificent vehicles I have ever driven.

“Affordability” and “Lexus” don’t usually appear together, and if this vehicle had been more expensive it wouldn’t have dampened my experience. But the price actually floored me.

The automobile business these days is a confusing mess, one driven by psychology more than anything else. There are cars termed “luxury” or “near luxury” because they are badged by one automaker's “luxury” brand.

The Subaru Outback is not the sexy. But it just might be the absolute best Colorado vehicle anyone could have.

And over the years, I have appreciated BMW for driving and performance. I have never driven a BMW that I didn’t think was up to the line’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan.

I’m in a Toyota frame of mind, having driven several of the line’s vehicles this late winter and early spring, and I have decided to deal with these three together in one review basically because there is very little here that deserves its own review.

Almost no one else would link these two vehicles, but the truth is, for me at least, they are very similar. Both the Lexus GX 460 and the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro are mid-sized SUVs, and they are both handsome, durable and capable vehicles.

If I don’t like a car on any given test drive, I will say so, but the next time I might have a different opinion. Such is the case with this 2016 Subaru WRX STI.

It has been an absolute revelation to see what has been happening to me because I have temporary access to a handicapped parking card for my car. Here’s how it came to pass.

The whole week I had the Highlander Hybrid, from the very minute I got into it the first time to the last day when I begged the agency to give me another week or forever (unsuccessfully), I wanted it.

When I saw that the now 14-year-old Toyota division Scion was sending me its sporty tC coupe with a manual transmission, I was a little surprised. You don’t see many sticks these days, don’t meet many people under 40 who know how to drive a stick. Maybe it’s a trend.

If you want to compete against “The Ultimate Driving Machine (BMW),” and I assume that is what Cadillac is after, then you better make it drive like a BMW. This ATS does not.

Scion, the lower-priced Toyota line launched in 2002 and targeted toward Generation Y (those people, generally, who came of age around the year 2000), has always struck me as a kind of enigma.

The only difference between this vehicle and a nice mid-sized SUV is that, as a pickup with a double cab, it is a bit longer, and you need to think about that when you round corners.

When making a major purchase like a car, one really needs to do the kind of test drive that I get to do – usually a week long.