News and Features

TRANS-FANS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

In honor of the upcoming summer blockbuster, General Motors is hosting an LGBT community meet-up called “Chevrolet’s Gay Day at the Movies TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen” on Sunday, June 28, 2009. If you didn’t believe there were LGBT Transformers fans, think again. Meet Travis D. Bone. He’s a 34 year-old, Los Angeles resident who not only has a tattoo of an Autobot on his shoulder and more than one thousand Transformer action figures in his collection, he also proudly attended this year’s Transformers convention. And believe it or not, all fans (straight or LGBT) are known as “Transfans.” Click through to get more information on the event and to read the confessions of a gay Transfan….. [...]

Road Trip in a 2009 VW Touareg V6 TDI

I just spent a week at the helm of the 2009 VW Touareg V6 TDI. The week included a trip from my home in Northern NJ to Atlanta, GA via Greensboro, NC. The stop in NC was to pick up three nephews that helped work on my home in Hotlanta for a few days. When the Touareg was scheduled, I had no idea that I’d be putting so many miles on it. Lucky for me, it coincided with a free week in my schedule and I couldn’t have been happier with its combination of luxurious comfort, room and excellent highway fuel economy. And according to three 16 year-old boys’, the Touareg kicks as*. Their words, not mine. [...]

A Pefect Gift for your Dad(dy)

If you have a true car buff in your life, you are probably familiar with the obsession of keeping their ride clean. For me, it used to be a weekly ritual to wash my car and I am still to this day convinced that cars drive better when they are free of dirt and road scum. So when Turtle Wax offered to send me some samples of their new ICE line of products, I agreed to try them out. The plan was to bring back the shine on my sister’s 1973 VW Bug. Alas, in my life plans are fluid and as my schedule quickly filled up, I decided to give the products to the perfect test market; the car-obsessed twenty-something sons of our neighbors. [...]

2010 Chevrolet Equinox – First Drive

GM has just begun restructuring their business to better compete in the current global economic climate. While all the lawyers, accountants and congressmen push paper and argue over the particulars what will ultimately redefine GM is product. Luckily for them (and the consumer!) they have a long line of promising new cars and trucks coming down the pipeline. The first to launch post “realignment” is the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox – a very important vehicle for GM in a hot segment that has been dominated by the Japanese. I am in Michigan today to drive the Equinox and will be using Twitter to share my observations and ultimately feed the posting. [...]

2010 Kia Forte – Preview

What do you get when you cross a peacock with a turtle? How about a giraffe with a cheetah? No, not another weird name from that German “people car” manufacturer. These questions come from Kia, the supplier of highly styled, affordable people movers. Yes, I just used “highly styled” and “Kia” in the same sentence. Check out what I had to say during my day with the newest hottie from Kia. Yes, KIA. [...]

Car Shopping with Your Partner

Two heads are better than one. When approaching the car buying experience we suggest a few strategies when going to the dealership with your partner. Car buying advocate, Anne Fleming Women-Drivers.com suggests it really works for you to have your partner join you. After all, they can add support – a second opinion, or be the better voice of reason – a reminder that you that you don’t necessarily need the $3,500 upgrade package. [...]

GM Bankruptcy – News Conference

While the rest of the world was watching GM’s every move today, I was in the midst of my own personal planes, trains and automobiles saga. While I recover, you can watch the press conference below care of GM. You can also visit GM’s site, GM Reinvention (http://www.gmreinvention.com/) to get their perspective. [...]

2009 Mazda MX-5 PRHT – Quick Trick

I’ve always said, “Cars before boys,” and people usually don’t believe me (especially those who know how boy-crazy I can be), but the MX-5 really does prove that adage. If I could trade my boyfriend in for some cash-monies to put toward an MX-5, I would in a heartbeat. I kid you not. This car has such a neutral chassis and handling dynamic, paired with a perfectly balanced and light transmission, and just-heavy-enough steering. [...]

Ford Transit Connect – Preview

While most of the coverage of the Transit Connect focuses on its utility and appeal to the small business owner, this little box can be configured to carry up to 5 people with loads of room to spare behind the second row of seats. In addition to the small business owners that will rejoice at its size and price, I think there will be a lot of sports enthusiasts (cyclists, skiers, surfers etc.) that will find the commodious and bare-bone interior very attractive for their lifestyles. [...]