Clanging Bell

The redesigned Subaru Forester: An adventure in driving and tequila

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(January 21, 2013) My second trip to Tucson in five months was a gift from Subaru. It's where those impresarios of all-wheel drive chose to introduce the latest generation Forester to the motoring press. My telling you that I like it might be construed as breaking the driving-impression embargo that doesn't expire until the end of the week. So I will refrain from gushing over its utility and off-road prowess.

All-new Dodge Dart: A far cry from 'Big Green'

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(January 7, 2013) When I was a kid, you might get a punch in the nose if you made a disparaging remark about a Ford or a Chevy. Boys were fiercely loyal to either Roy Rogers or Gene Autry, and to either Fords or Chevys. There were a few Mopar loyalists out there as well; but, for the most part, they either kept their heads down or were in such small numbers that they barely registered on the playground radar.

A little beach, a little rain and some VW Beetle Convertible

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(December 6, 2012) Southern California is known for, among other things, sunshine and balmy temperatures. I saw no evidence of either on a recent trip to the Golden State. Volkswagen chose Santa Monica to introduce its redesigned Beetle Convertible to the motoring press. (Doesn't "motoring press" sound elegant? Almost as though we are doing something worthwhile.)

Remember the Avalon — Out and about near San Antonio

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(November 14, 2012) Toyota invited me to drive its redesigned Avalon at a shindig it threw in San Antonio recently. San Antonio being the location of the iconic Alamo, as in, "Remember the..."

Jetta'ing across New Mexico

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(November 6, 2012) Once upon a time, I had a love affair with New Mexico.

When younger, I often dreamed about landing that high-paying job or hitting the lottery and buying a ranch there. I even had a name for it: Renova. As it has become ever more apparent that neither of these things was likely to happen, I had to instead settle on N.M. as a place to retire.

Some Pappy Van Winkle — and a redesigned Sentra and Pathfinder

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(October 21, 2012) You may find it odd that I often don't know exactly where I am going to end up when embarking on one of my auto events. This is particularly true when they follow one another in machine-gun succession as they have this past month or so. I tend to be more concerned about departure times and departure airports — am I leaving from Atlanta or Greenville/Spartanburg? — than I am about exactly where I will end up.

Bourbon-infused beer and a turbo-infused Buick

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(October 15, 2012) I had a wicked two days of micro-beer drinking in Louisville last week. I'm more of a wine sipper, er, gulper these days; but when faced with several micro brews that I can't get at home, I'll go the hops-and-barley route. More on that in a graph or two.

Because Buick paid to haul me to Louisville, I feel compelled to make mention of the $29,105 Verano Turbo — an all-new model. I don't mention it grudgingly; it is a fine little car. It is, after all, the king of the hill of Veranos.

My black Lincoln MKT: Herman Munster would be greener with envy

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(October 8, 2012) Ford was kind enough to lend me a Lincoln MKT for the duration of my recent visit to Florida. It was waiting for me when I walked out of the terminal at Palm Beach International.

It was a black 2013 variety, which means it sports a few design tweaks and a more powerful V6.

Living with the Kia Rio and Cadillac XTS — Something to love with both

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(September 16, 2012) One of the cars in my driveway this week has been the 2012 Kia Rio. It overlapped a few days with the 2013 Cadillac XTS. Moving back and forth between these wildly different vehicles required the flexibility of a human pretzel in managing expectations, to say the least. But I found something to love with both.

Even a Jaguar XK convertible couldn't overcome this traffic jam

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Clanging Bell

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(August 13, 2012) I had a Jaguar XK Convertible waiting for me when I arrived at the Atlanta airport from an event in Nashville, Tenn., last week. It made me happy. I wasn't prepared to drive a convertible home, which translates: I didn't have a cap with me. But skin cancer be damned, I was going to drop the top. I mean, if you are going to drive a $100,000 convertible — the actual price with about $8,500 worth of options and delivery charge was $99,350 — you want to enjoy the whole enchilada.