Lexus IS 250 AWD

Lexus IS 250 AWD

Everything You Need and Then Some   

    When Lexus debuted the IS 300 way back in 2001, it was love at first drive for me. It was fun and quick, and as a watch collector, I especially appreciated the chronograph-style speedometer. It was a peppy little rear-drive sport sedan that had a lot of character.

    The IS went through some changes here and there, taking on a more elegant, Lexus-type look. A 4-cylinder engine was added to the lineup, and it lost the chronograph.

    Then, for 2014, the IS got a major makeover. It is both sophisticated and bold, boldness being a style element that had gone missing from the IS family for a while. It gets the Lexus nose -- the spindle grille, framed in chrome. The wheelbase increased by almost three inches and it grew nearly a half-inch wider, which adds to its aggressive stance. With 17-inch aluminum wheels, the IS 250 is a standout.

    As for the engine, the 2.5-liter V6 checks in with 204 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque. While not an overwhelming amount of showiness, it’s definitely enough. If you’re looking for some growl, consider the IS 350. But, if you’re looking for something that purrs, something with spunk, then the IS 250 fits the bill. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic which becomes fun to control with the paddle shifters. The 250 has plenty of pick-up, whether you’re rounding a corner or passing on a hill. It responds to pressure on the accelerator without hesitation, and before you know it, you’re cruising along at 85 without a second thought.

    Between the all-wheel drive system and the double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, this car has plenty of grip. To say it hugs the road is an understatement. As a driver, I always felt in complete control of the car, because it seemed so buttoned up. Front to rear, side to side, the IS is a well balanced, well-proportioned daily driver. There’s no torque steer to speak of, no understeer, and -- to invent a word -- there’s no squirelliness. Yes, there are other cars that would run circles around it on the Autobahn, but this is the real world. In other words, the IS 250 AWD is a well-behaved vehicle, great for people who like performance blended with a little luxury.

    Luxury comes in the form of heated and cooled perforated leather seats, among other things. My favorite feature (for my always-cold hands): the heated steering wheel. There’s some definite motivation for keeping your hands firmly planted at 10 and 2! Like other cars in the Lexus family, this one has enough technology to keep you learning for years. There’s Park Assist, Navigation, Bluetooth Apps, and a Multi-Information Display to name a few of the perks. But I say turn up the 15-speaker Mark Levinson sound system and just drive.

    That’s because this car is great to drive. If you strip away all of the flashiness, what you’re left with is a solidly built chassis that gives you just enough of what you need and even a little of what you don’t. Now, if we could just convince Lexus to bring back the chronograph speedometer...

    Base price on this vehicle is $38,485. As tested, it rolls in at $45,140.

2014 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

2014 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X
What Would Grandpa Say?
 

    All together now, in your best “grandpa” voice, repeat after me: When I was your age, trucks are what people bought when they couldn’t afford a car.
    There, now, wasn’t that fun? If I were going to offer a rebuttal to my “grandpa” voice, it would be this: Gramps, back in your day, trucks weren’t outfitted with shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive, or equipped with SiriusXM Satellite Radio, or loaded with heated leather bucket seats!
    And then my inner grandpa would tell me to go have a bowl of ice cream and all would be right with the world again.
    The 2014 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X is also about as right as a bowl of ice cream -- in the compact pick-up segment, that is. And while we’ve seen the category shrink over the past decade (Ford Ranger is gone, Colorado and Canyon are on the comeback, Tacoma remains) the Frontier holds steady, offering maneuverability and utility in a world dominated by 20-inch wheels and clean mud flaps. My own grandpa would have called that “all sizzle and no steak.” Well, the Frontier has sizzle AND the steak to back it up. The body remains unchanged this year, but comfort options and upgrades are new. My test vehicle was outfitted with the PRO-4X Luxury Package, which added a navigation system with a color display and voice recognition. My son enjoyed placing a call to his dad, literally without lifting a finger. The touch display, though nice, was often hard to read in daylight, even accounting for brightness adjustment. The package also includes very comfortable heated leather seats, heated side mirrors, a power moonroof, and a roof rack with cross bars.
    Off road, the Frontier handles easily and confidently, whether on snow-covered surfaces or muddy roads. A simple twist of a knob, and I was Queen of the Hill. Cruising around town or down the highway, the 4.0-liter V6 seemed thirsty, but performed just fine, picking up speed as needed and maintaining speed down winding canyons. The ride was trucky of course, but not abusive. The cabin remains quiet even at higher speeds. Having tested a very beefy and brawny full-size pick-up the week before, I especially appreciated the maneuverability and easy agility of this small truck. I will say that it was definitely much easier to park! Ride height was comfortable for my 5 1/2 foot frame, especially with power adjustable seats. The kids had plenty of space in the back, with 38 inches of headroom and 25 inches of legroom.
    Knobs and controls on both the steering wheel and center stack were user-friendly without being intrusive or cumbersome.
    On one particular trip, I made good use of the bed extender when I brought home a media console table for my basement. The factory-applied spray-in bed liner made loading it worry free as well as slip free -- a big plus here in the freezing mountain-top winters.
    All in all, I’d say the Frontier is a small truck capable of doing big jobs. The V6 is rated to tow up to 6300 pounds and has a payload capability of 1,215 pounds. Fuel economy is rated at 21 city and 15 highway. The trip computer told me I averaged about 17 mpg during my week with the PRO-4X.
    In the compact truck segment, the Frontier can get the job done. Pricing on my test vehicle topped out at $36,050. Base pricing, however, starts under 20K.

2014 Buick Regal GS Turbo

2014 Buick Regal GS Turbo
No Age Restrictions Here

    On the day the Regal GS was delivered to my house, Katie Bjoerk, Buick Communications Manager, sent me an e-mail highlighting some of the features of this turbo-charged sedan. The one that stood out to me was that the average age of the Regal GS customer is 43 years old.
    Ha! I thought to myself, I’m too young for this car!
    I just won’t tell you by how much.
    The next day, a friend and I decided to go on a snow shoe hike, so we took a drive up into the snow-covered hills near our homes --the GS is an AWD -- and she commented that it was really nice to ride in a sedan for once. As moms with growing families, she owns a full-size SUV, while I own a cross-over. She was right. The Regal’s cabin is low-slung and wraps itself around you in style and comfort. The heated leather seats are the warmest I’ve ever had -- and I use heated seats until April around here. Unlike other sport sedans whose bucket seats are sometimes hard and flat, the Regal’s seats offer just the right amount of support and hold you in when you kick up the throttle; yet, they don’t have the pillowy expansiveness of other sedans driven by people over the age of, um, 43. 
    Features like the the eight-inch touch screen with next-generation IntelliLink add to the overall luxurious feel of the interior. Never mind that the D.J. on my favorite Sirius XM satellite station called my music classic alternative. It was another small chink in my anti-aging armor, so I romped on the gas pedal to remind myself that I still like to drive fast.   
    And fast it goes. The 2.0-liter I-4 turbo is quick off the line, delivering 259 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque. Hit the gas, and its response is immediate. The high school carpool crowd was impressed when I demonstrated this for them on the way home one day. They giggled at being thrown back into their seats and one enthusiastic 14-year-old said, “I would do that ALL THE TIME if I owned this car.” I felt a little younger at that moment, so I did indeed, do it again. On the freeway, the Regal GS cruises along without any effort. The 6-speed transmission clicks through the gears without any lag. In fact, I would say the Regal GS is a perfect touring sedan. You get power and performance from the mechanics of it, while the cabin offers quiet and refinement. Factor in that you get 27 mpg on the highway, and this car suddenly becomes a head turner. Sport mode tightens up the suspension and makes driving downright fun. It has three selectable modes, called the Interactive Drive Control System. Standard, Tour, and Sport damping modes offer three ways to enjoy the ride.
    I mentioned that the GS comes standard with all-wheel drive. I took it up some pretty slick roads, where the snow and ice had been packed down pretty well. It was hardly a challenge for this sedan as I don’t recall slipping or spinning once. Throw in the fact that the Regal also comes with StabiliTrack with full-function traction control, and winter road conditions become much less of a worry.
    Outside, the Regal gets an updated design, with wing-shaped LED lighting. 18-inch alloy wheels round out the sportiness of this sedan.
    Safety features include blind zone alert (a little too bright of a reminder at night), cross traffic alert, collision mitigation braking, and lane departure alert. I tried to activate this alert purposely (on a deserted road, of course) but it must have known I was trying to trick it. Nevertheless, it’s good to know it’s there. I did appreciate the fact that my test vehicle came with rear-seat side-impact airbags.
    The combination of turbo power, all-wheel drive, and excellent gas mileage makes the Regal GS a tough competitor in the luxury-sport segment. As tested, the Regal GS priced out at $40K and change. So yes, even though I am too young for this car, I did enjoy driving it. I wonder if I’ll like it even more when I turn 43...which won’t be for a long, long time.
   

2014 Toyota Tundra Preview
Like a Kid in a Candy Store

    Bear with me, here. Do you remember when Charlie Bucket went on the tour of Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate factory? Remember all the choices and options there were? Lickable, flavored wall paper. Everlasting Gobstoppers. Chewing gum that packed a 3-course meal into one delicious treat. Then, at the end, there was the great glass elevator with hundreds of buttons that took you not just up and down, but sideways, and frontways, and diagonal, too. 
    I think Tundra’s designers took a cue from Mr. Wonka himself. Tundra is now offered in five trim levels, with a slew of options available within each grade. Flavored wallpaper (darn it) is not one of them. What is offered, however, is the opportunity for every Tundra consumer to get exactly the pick-up truck they need. With three engine choices, various cab configurations, and a host of bells and whistles, the American-built 2014 Tundra should give Ford, Chevy, and Ram a run for their money.
    I had a chance to take the 2014 Tundra for spin through Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I spent time behind the wheel of an SR5, a Limited, and a 1794 Edition Tundra.
    Toyota engineers listened to their customers when it came to designing this latest iteration of the 1/2-ton pick-up. Owners wanted a less bubble-like look and designers answered with stronger horizontal lines, a more chiseled body, and a front fascia that looks like it means business. The hitch connector was moved next to the license plate light, where it is both easier to see and access. The front bumper is now a 3-piece modular outfit, which should help out the guys who are always pulling something out of both the proverbial and literal ditch.
    Inside, soft-touch materials give the SR and SR5 versions a more refined feel. Leather options deck out the interiors of the Limited, Platinum, and 1794 Edition. All trucks I tested were double cabs, which offered spaciousness and comfort; as well as plenty of room to stretch out in back. One innovative feature is the “tip-up” back seat, which sounds exactly like it is. When you need to secure something within the interior of the truck, the back seats tip up and out of the way, meaning lower load height and increased cargo capacity.
    The Tundra handled beautifully on hills, highways, and off road. The cabin remained quiet. It accelerated with little effort. Depending on which model you choose, the Tundra is capable of towing up to 10,500 pounds. I towed a 5000-pound trailer, and while it was a little slow to reach cruising speed, it did so easily and smoothly. It was absolutely no effort to steer, maneuver, or turn -- even on unpaved surfaces.
    The 1794 Edition is definitely the star of the line-up, though not any more or less capable than any of the other trim levels. Its name pays homage to the founding year of the ranch that the San Antonio Toyota Plant now calls home. With special badging, 20-inch wheels, and Lexus-quality leather, the 1794 Edition is a workhorse in show horse clothing. Toyota designers wanted the 1794 to reflect the truly American truck it is. The Tundra is designed, engineered, and built entirely in the U.S. and is mostly made from American-made components.
    With so many choices, features, and options, when it comes to the Tundra, you might just find yourself feeling like a kid in a candy store. Pricing ranges from $25,920 for SR to $47,320 for Platinum and 1794 Editions. 

2014 Toyota 4Runner

Happy Labor Day, everybody!
Have I mentioned that I like cars? Have I also mentioned that I sometimes get to write about cars? When you're taking care of house-related projects, you often find yourself in need of a reliable car to haul your project materials. Last week, I got to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to check out the new Toyota 4Runner. Here's my take:

2014 Toyota 4Runner Preview
The Can-Do SUV

    I can’t believe I’m typing this, but the mid-size SUV segment is shrinking. I’m talking about the solid, hard-core, high-riding, go-anywhere SUV. I mean, what happened? Wasn’t the mid-size SUV the bread and butter of the SUV world? Sure, they’re still out there, but in name only. Most of them have been transformed into unitized crossovers, great for getting to soccer practice, found in suburbanite garages all across America. But what about the rock climbers? The mud boggers? The mountain men (and women)? In other words, what’s left for the real adventurers?
    Though the segment may be shrinking, the new Toyota 4Runner is here to answer the call. I got a little taste test recently, during a whirl wind trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Set against the backdrop of the Grand Tetons, I was given a small peek at the can-do 2014 Runner.
    But first, a little history: the 4Runner first rolled off the assembly line in 1984. Since then, nearly two million units of this iconic SUV have been sold. Even more astounding, of those nearly two million, a whopping 75% of them are still on the road today. To say the 4Runner is the can-do SUV is just the tip of iceberg.
    I started out with an on-road test, driving a 4Runner Limited 4X2 in and around Grand Teton National Park. The first thing you notice when sitting behind the wheel is visibility. With a nearly vertical windshield and generously proportioned windows all around, the 4Runner offers that rare combination of ride height and nearly unobstructed views all around. The ride is solid and the cabin is quiet, with just the right amount of road feedback coming back at you through the easy-to-hold steering wheel. Handling feels good, though on gravel roads, the steering seems to loosen up somewhat. The 4.0-liter engine remains unchanged and offers plenty of get-up-go when you need/want it. The 4Runner does come equipped with a new trailer sway control, which used various sensors to detect and therefore suppress trailer sway -- which is a definite plus when towing high-profile trailers in windy conditions.
    Later, I was taken for a ride in a Trail edition 4X4 at the famous Diamond Cross Ranch. If the 4Runner is the can-do SUV, the Trail is the can-do SUV that takes names. We came in at angles steep enough to make your mother swoon -- especially with 2-3 wheels in the air. We pulled up muddy climbs. We rocked our way down jagged crags. Multi Terrain Select, a control knob located over the rearview mirror, allows the driver to input the type of terrain you are approaching. From slippery, muddy surfaces to rocks, dial the knob to select, and the 4Runner does the rest. There are also selectors for crawl control, vehicle skid control, and traction control. And should you decide you need to lock your rear differential, there’s a button for that, too. Needless to say, it would be mighty difficult to get this car stuck.
    4Runner’s new look is much more rugged, much more chiseled, with stronger, better defined lines. The 4Runner is offered in three design grades: SR5, Trail, and Limited. Within each grade is offered an array of options for both inside and out. Of note, my Limited 4X2 came equipped with automatic running boards, a feature to which I have always been partial.
    Inside, soft-touch materials abound, giving it a rugged, yet refined feel. Also new this year is the Entune entertainment system, featuring all the connectivity you could imagine, with apps like iHeartRadio and Pandora. However, I think the 4Runner itself provides plenty of entertainment without the electronic pomp.
    So yes, my first impression of the 2014 Toyota 4Runner is a good one. It’s the last body-on-frame design left in the segment. It looks tough, it’s strong, and it will go anywhere. It’s the can-do SUV.

For more information, visit www.car-data.com.