Clanging Bell

2015 Subaru Legacy kicks the stuffing out of the Pacific Coast Highway

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(May 28, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who has so much adventure in his blood that he merrily hops aboard a plane run by an airline with which he has no clout. For me that basically means any airline other than Delta. I simply don't like doing it, particularly for multiple flights across country or out of the good old U.S. of A.

The affordable every-man's car VW Golf meets snooty San Francisco

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(May 22, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who refuses to bend his own rules here and there. I've been known to do it from time to time. So, when faced with either bending a rule or passing on the recent Volkswagen media launch of the redesigned 2015 Golf in its many iterations, I became as flexible as boiled pasta.

2015 Hyundai Genesis meets Greenville, S.C.: The ideal marriage

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(April 27, 2014) GREENVILLE, SC. — I'm not the kind of guy who shows off a lot. I'm old, bald, fat and broke, which doesn't leave me a lot of wriggle room for showing off. But I did get to show off my city this week to about 60 people – 40 or 50 of them had never been to Greenville before. I was only too happy to bask in the deluge of compliments rained down on me by my media brethren and Hyundai internals attending the two-day function
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Accord Coupe and Hybrid: Honda is trying to make a believer of me

By Russ Heaps
Clang
ing Bell

(April 23, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who gets all giddy over the Honda Accord. I've always looked at it and the other mid-size Japanese super star Toyota Camry as good, dependable cars that are somewhere south of exciting. Owners love them, but aren't usually in love with them. I like them for all the reasons their owners love them, but I've never been passionate about either one. (Insert yawn here.)

The ideal combination: Redesigned Chrysler 200 and Derby City

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(March 30, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who typically looks a gift horse in the mouth. So, when Chrysler chose one of my favorite cities — the place I consider my hometown — for the media launch of its redesigned 2015 200, and issued an invitation, I was all over it.

Ground Hog Day at the Kia K900 introduction

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(February 18, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who says, no, a lot.

 Several years ago I read an interview with Virgin's Sir Richard Branson in which the interviewer asked him something to the effect, “With all your money, why do you continue to risk your life doing crazy things like hot-air ballooning around the world and jumping out of airplanes?”

Heated features in cars are very welcome during a cold winter

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(January 30, 2014) Historically, I'm not the kind of guy who has had to give much thought to heated seats, heated outboard mirrors or heated steering wheels in cars. I mean, I lived in South Florida for 25 years, for crying out loud.

Clanging Bell discusses most loved and hated driving music

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(January 19, 2014) I'm not a big music guy. Yes, I like music; but it's more of a background sort of thing for me. I do go to the occasional concert – usually country – but otherwise it's just something to drown out the road noise when I'm in the car, or whatever crappy music might be blaring at the gym. I rarely have music on at home.

Wheel time with the 2015 Subaru WRX

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(December 24, 2013) In the future, I will think of this December as the “month of the performance car.” It began with the Chevrolet performance-car drive in Palm Springs, Calif. where I drove the all-new Chevrolet SS sedan, the redesigned Corvette Convertible and the Camaro SS Convertible. Currently one of the cars in my driveway is a Porsche Boxster S Cabrio. And just a few days ago, I drove the redesigned 2015 Subaru WRX around Northern California.

Hitting the trifecta: Driving Chevrolet's 'Big Three' performance cars

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(December 8, 2013) Despite including Chevy products in many of the stories I do for my dot-com financial clients, I am not invited to the bulk of the media programs it throws. Consequently, I was doubly stoked when I received the nod to attend its recent performance-car-driving event in Palm Springs, Calif.