2012

2012 Honda Civic

WASHINGTON, D.C. — My daughter peered over my shoulder looking at the large picture of a red 2012 Honda Civic coupe on my computer screen. "Hey, that's my car," she said. She owns a 2007 Civic coupe. Her mistake points up a good thing for Honda.

Acura TL — Fun to drive luxury

By Al Vinikour
MotorwayAmerica.com

Generally a mid-model run will receive freshened looks and some mechanical and technical tweaks. In other words it’s different but you probably have to be a car nut to see the subtle differences.

Apparently Acura didn’t get the memo because their newly-refined 2012 TL — while bearing a familial resemblance to the 2009 model, (which experienced a complete from-the-wheel-up redesign) — is like saying Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger  really were twins in their movie of the same name.

2012 Acura TL

 

AUSTIN, Texas — The beak is back. There had been speculation that the guillotine blade grille on the current-generation Acura TL would be eliminated with its 2012 mid-cycle refresh. The answer is in — and it's no.

2012 Ford Focus

LOS ANGELES — For some time Ford has been on a real roll. A group of us had the good fortune to be among the first to put the 2012 Focus through its paces and as we rolled through Southern California it didn’t disappoint us one bit. In fact it was sweet.

2012 Mazda5

SAN DIEGO — Arguably the first sport utility vehicles were actually minivans, a new segment ushered in by Chrysler in 1984. These vehicles were versatile and family-oriented and somewhat diminished the onus that began to surround the description “station wagon.”

2012 Fiat 500

SAN DIEGO — Italian design, be it chairs or toasters or cars is fraught with color and style. As a society they have an eye for cool, contemporary and chic. Even Fiat’s 500 extols the virtue of its artful masses not only as a mass market car but as a statement of simple artistry.

2012 Nissan NV

MIAMI — Although Nissan has been building commercial vans for 75 years in the global market, this is its first product for the U.S. "As the first non-domestic nameplate to design, manufacture and sell CVs in the United States, we bring a more than seven-decade tradition of durability, quality and reliability to our products,” said Joe Castelli.

2012 Smart Fortwo Electric

NEW YORK — The 2012 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is best described as a two-person golf cart that’s not big enough to carry any clubs. A group of auto journalists were given the opportunity to be among the first to test the all-electric car.

It can actually seat two Big & Tall guys in relative comfort. And there’s a storage area above the rear bumper that will hold a backpack and computer bag if it feels like it.