Car Reviews and Ratings

2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 Review

By Sajeev Mehta
August 27, 2008 - 4,662 views

One of the cornerstones of TTAC's existence is reminding the auto industry that "those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them."  As a corollary we can say that learning from history's successes forms part of the recipe for a flat-out victory in today's highly segmented, price sensitive market.  We have seen almost two decades since the boring sheetmetal of the Lexus LS400 hit our shores, forever changing the way we think about luxury cars. Fast forwarding along that school of thought brings us to the new, V8-powered, Hyundai Genesis 4.6.

2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 Review continued »

2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Hyundai | 83 comments

2009 Subaru Forester XT Review

By Megan Benoit
August 25, 2008 - 5,329 views

The Forester XT is living, breathing proof that Subaru has lost its way.  The Toyota-fication of the brand has now reached its pinnacle in the redesigned Forester, and it stands tall (really, really tall) as the perfect example of how to alienate the hippies and hoons that bought Subaru after Subaru.  To put it succinctly, driving the new Forester XT is like answering the door expecting Ed McMahon with a check for a million dollars and finding your mother-in-law standing there instead.  At least the MIL eventually goes home.  The Forester XT just hangs around and keeps disappointing.

2009 Subaru Forester XT Review continued »

2009 Subaru Forester XT rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Subaru | 83 comments

2009 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Review

By Justin Berkowitz
August 22, 2008 - 6,887 views

Sean Connery's Bond, James Bond, would punch you in the face while kissing your girlfriend. His Aston Martin DB5 was beyond cool. By the 1990s, Bond drove a range of product placement-mobiles, and Astons looked like Jaguars (and vice versa). While devastatingly quick, Astons handled like trains. And then the Vanquish, DB9 and V8 Vantage restored a sense of dignity. But-- the Vantage's 4.3-liter V8 stumped-up "only" 380 hp. When critics questioned, Aston did the English version of flipping them off: nodded their collective head and shrugged their shoulders. But now, finally, Aston unleashes the 2009 Vantage with a 4.7-liter V8. Power jumps from 380 to 420. Torque is up, and the dashboard is new. I recently exercised the convertible version, the Vantage Roadster, for a few hours on a sun-drenched day to see if Bond's whip is suitably... nasty.

2009 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Review continued »

2009 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster rating summary and performance review

Posted in Aston Martin | Car Reviews | 43 comments

TTAC’s Ten Best for 2008

By Frank Williams
August 20, 2008 - 19,204 views

The e-voting booths are closed and the votes are in. You've selected TTAC's Ten Best Automobiles for 2008. Five of the ten are repeat winners from last year-- but only one of them stayed in the same slot. Three of our winners slipped in the ratings, and one moved up. GM, Mazda, Nissan and BMW all have two winners on the list. Honda and Audi each have one. There are sedans, sports cars and econoboxes. In fact, the only thing that seems to bind this group of cars together is the "fun to drive" factor (anyone who doesn't think that's important can click here). The rest of you can make the jump and help celebrate/kvetch about TTAC's Ten Best for 2008

TTAC’s Ten Best for 2008 continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | 139 comments

2003 Ford Thunderbird Review

By William C Montgomery
August 18, 2008 - 6,773 views

First impressions last. Wrong. Psychologists say humans develop their strongest positive feelings to someone or something if they hated it at first. For instance, I once detested Hondas. After spending some time driving various Hondas, the brand earned my no-longer-grudging respect. The converse is also true: we reserve our most negative assessments for someone or something that we loved at first. The human psyche doesn't like to be disappointed.  Sadly, the 2003 Ford Thunderbird falls into this latter category.

2003 Ford Thunderbird Review continued »

2003 Ford Thunderbird rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Ford | 61 comments

2009 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI Review

By Justin Berkowitz
August 15, 2008 - 18,178 views

In the past five years, Volkswagen has had its pants around its ankles. Gas tripled in price, Al Gore invented the environment and the brand once known for frugality didn't have U.S. products that could compete on fuel economy. Volkswagen’s diesel-powered Jetta and Passat weren't even legal in VW-friendly California, NY and Massachusetts. After miles of regulatory legwork, VW brought one of its new generation European diesels up to fifty-state compliance. The Jetta 2.0 TDI hits dealers this fall. So is it The One?

2009 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI Review continued »

2009 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Volkswagen | 131 comments

TTAC’s Ten Best for 2008: Time to Vote!

By Frank Williams
August 13, 2008 - 7,160 views

TTAC's Best and Brightest have spoken. You provided us with 81 nominations for our Ten Best award, from the Aston Martin Vanquish to the HUMMER H2. From this cornucopia of cars, our ever-eager writers selected the short list of 20 finalists. As you might expect, the final list leans heavily towards vehicles notable for their performance and driving excellence. Half of this year's contenders were also finalists last year [indicated by an asterisk]. So here they are, along with some of your more "colorful" comments. Once you've had a look, please step into the e-voting booth and choose TTAC's Ten Best.

TTAC’s Ten Best for 2008: Time to Vote! continued »

Posted in Car Reviews | Editorials | Ten Best | 85 comments

2008 Scion xB Take Two

By William C Montgomery
August 11, 2008 - 5,807 views

“Hot enough to boil a monkey’s bum!” I don’t know exactly what that means, but it was that hot in North Texas the afternoon I picked up my 2008 Scion xB. How appropriate that the old Flying Circus reference should flash through my mind; the xB looks like something out of a twisted Terry Gilliam animation. Now that Graham Chapman resides in an urn, all of the Pythons could fit in the xB, although 6’4” tall John Cleese would be uncomfortable in any seat.  But the newly redesigned boxy Scion is more than a surreal comic sketch. Or is it? And now for something completely different…

2008 Scion xB Take Two continued »

2008 Scion xB Take Two

Posted in Car Reviews | Scion | 51 comments

2008 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Review

By Sajeev Mehta
August 8, 2008 - 6,974 views

This website has long argued that automakers should spend the majority of their resources nurturing existing autos. Introducing new models on a regular basis, constantly reinventing the wheel to follow fads and fashion, is an inherently expensive and dangerous game. Nissan's 350Z proves the point. It's a four-wheeled personification of not fixing what isn't broken. Better yet, it's a proper Nissan sports car at a price that shames the Ebay-adjusted, oversexed GT-R. Thankfully, the Z is still crazy after all these years.

2008 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Review continued »

2008 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Nissan | 89 comments

2008 Ford Focus SE Review

By Sajeev Mehta
August 6, 2008 - 8,348 views

Selling an SUV in today’s market is financial suicide. Residual values have dropped by double digits— and that was just last week. Buyers who somehow managed to complete the SUV exodus better watch out for the next auto da fe: fully-loaded versions of entry-level whips. Expect a serious depreciation hit for these luxury econoboxes at trade-in time. Still, checking the options list wisely works wonders for your driving pleasure. To wit: the lame duck Ford Focus.

2008 Ford Focus SE Review continued »

2008 Ford Focus SE rating summary and performance review

Posted in Car Reviews | Ford | 117 comments