Nik J Miles

Archive for February, 2010

She – If blindfolded and riding in the front passenger seat of the entry-level Lexus ES 350 sedan and then the top-of-the-line Lexus LS 460, I am not sure I could tell the difference.  True the ES is, in theory, a gussied up version of the Toyota Camry and the LS is a sophisticated V-8-powered rear-drive luxury sedan.  Plus the LS is almost twice as expensive as the ES, however, when it comes to riding down the freeway at 60 to 70 mph both cars are as comfortable and quiet as about any car I’ve been in.

He – She, you certainly make a compelling argument for saving $30,000 or more by buying the ES instead of the LS, but you are right.  For an entry-level luxury car, it certainly has many of the attributers of the Lexus flagship sedan.  I guess that’s why this entry-level ES is the best selling Lexus sedan. Read the rest of this entry »

We don’t normally think of the Acura TL as a performance car, rather we categorize it as one of the better entry luxury sedans on the market.

However, with the addition of a new six-speed manual transmission, the mid-level Acura takes on a little different perspective.  Evidently, Acura engineers are a bunch of car buffs, and they convinced top management that a manual transmission version of the all-new TL, which was introduced last year, would make a good addition to the lineup. Read the rest of this entry »

With the SUV market transitioning to “soft roaders” and away from the vehicles designed to climb over rocks and logs or wallow through the mud, the Nissan has remained true-to-course providing a vehicle that is truly designed to blaze its own trails.

The Nissan Xterra was originally designed for the active young people we see in the lifestyle commercials, climbing rocks, racing down dirt roads and fording streams and it still does all those things. Read the rest of this entry »

She – I cannot remember a Honda that has turned heads like the new Accord Crosstour.  On the highways, we watched dozens of people watching the Crosstour as we passed them.  In parking lots, we had questions from a wide variety of people from a soccer mom standing in the rain with three children in hand to the young guys at the gas station asking about the engine. Read the rest of this entry »

She – The Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is like the George Clooney of wagons — extremely handsome, with classic masculine lines and a hint of tradition topped with understated elegance.

My vehicle evaluation process has a strong bias for styling, elegance and comfort, and the Cadillac wagon gets top scores on the first two, with a slight reservation on comfort. Read the rest of this entry »

He – For some reason we had been having trouble getting our hands on a new Ford Flex to drive.  I had spent a little time in the Flex at a couple of the press introductions, but we like to live with a car for a week to get a better impression.  She hadn’t even had a chance to sit in one, so she was anxious too.

To remedy the situation, we arranged to borrow a 2010 Flex EcoBoost for a few days during a recent trip to California and I came away more impressed than ever.

She – With you always blurting out “Flex” every time we passed one on the road and after coming back from the two introductions raving about them, I was getting excited about finally getting to spend some Flex time. Read the rest of this entry »

LaJolla, Calif. – The 2011 Hyundai Sonata presentation was at 8:35 am.  The Sonata has almost 35-inches of rear legroom.  The turning radius is just over 35 feet.  Did I mention it gets 35 mpg on the highway?  And, that’s just the icing on the cake for Hyundai’s latest midsize sedan.

The previous generation Sonatas didn’t reach out and touch me, but the new Sonata does and I think it is as good or better looking as anything in its class.  These beautiful lines started right here in the Hyundai Design Center in Irvine, CA.  Equally impressive is that the design excellence carries through to the very heart of the car, the mechanicals. Read the rest of this entry »

He – Each time a new vehicle arrives, I play a game with She when we first drive it.  “What’s the price?” I ask.  Invariably, she is right on, or within a few thousand of the sticker price.

I finally got her on the 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL, though.  After looking at the stylish lines and opulent interior with plush leather seating, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, French seam stitching on the dash and door panels, she answered confidently, “$45,000.” Read the rest of this entry »

She – It would be a challenge for one of the high-kicking Rockettes from Radio City Music Hall to get a leg up into the cab of the 2009 model Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup, so imagine what it was like for an old, out-of-shape, short (five-foot-three) person, like me to climb into the tall cab.

Once in, I was rewarded with a spa Read the rest of this entry »

San Francisco – It had been three years since we’d driven the quirky-looking Honda Element, so we decided to borrow one while in the Bay area visiting family for the holidays.

Introduced initially in 2003, the Honda Element was one of the first of the distinctive boxy looking wagons, which include the Scion xB, Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.  Of the group, the Element is the largest, heaviest, most powerful and most expensive.  A couple of other features that set the Element apart from the competition is it is available with all-wheel drive and has the ability to tow a small trailer (up to 1,500 pounds). Read the rest of this entry »