By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

A combination of uncertain gas prices, the severe economic downturn, and a flood of competing crossovers sent the once wildly popular mid-sized Toyota 4Runner over a cliff.

Only 19,675 4Runners were sold in the U.S. in 2009, a far cry from four straight years of 100,000 sales or better earlier in the decade.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Toyota brought us a Japanese spec right-hand-drive first-generation Prius hybrid not long before the turn of the century. It was a unique experience. Driving from the right side in a left side country was strange enough. But stopping for the first time on a busy street was even more interesting. The engine cut off. We were told this would occur, but as we waited for the light to turn green, we couldn’t help but wonder if we would be holding up a long line of honking traffic.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Suzuki’s new mid-sized sedan gets most things right, making it a worthwhile investment in practical and comfortable transportation. We might even suggest it is smart investment with touches of unexpected refinement.

But the newest Suzuki will not get equal treatment in the marketplace.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Month in and month out for more than a year there have been new and depressing automotive sales statistics, for one brand or another. While the government’s Clunker's program had a positive impact and things now appear to be stabilizing few carmakers have been as fortunate as Subaru, which has been in the black every month of 2009 showing gains in month over month comparisons to 2008.

By Al Vinikour 
MotorwayAmerica.com

Many vehicles have famous names — like Mustang and Corvette. However, only one is known by single letter — Nissan’s legendary “Z” sports car. From day one it has conveyed a macho image but unlike most other vehicles in the segment, the Z is affordable.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

In the 1980s Nissan proclaimed its upscale Maxima a “premium four-door sports car.” It came with a healthy-for-the-time V-6 engine and a manual shifter for those of the sporting set. The Maxima is still the company’s flagship, but it now offers more luxury than sportiness.

Nissan still builds what many consider a family sports sedan — perhaps the sportiest of all the popular mid-sized brands — but it no longer wears the Maxima emblem. Altima has inherited the sports sedan tagline.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

If you’ve crossed Mitsubishi off your shopping list when looking for a compact sedan or hatchback, you may be making a mistake.

We understand how easy it has become to overlook this Japanese automaker that has fallen on hard times in the United States. With every passing month it seems that Mitsubishi's market share shrinks. You say, thanks but no thanks, you will stick with successful entities such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

When we get a hybrid or other high-mileage vehicle to test drive we have a different goal than perhaps most automotive reviewers. We try to get the worst mileage possible driving with all our bad habits on display.

Sounds crazy huh? But we already know the EPA mileage numbers — which are fairly accurate since the government revised its criteria in 2008 — and we’ve usually already read that some journalist has achieved super out-of-this-world numbers trying to outdo every other writer.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Mercedes-Benz has brought its class act to the compact luxury crossover segment. The German automaker is late to the party, but its entry — the 2010 GLK350 — is enticing from styling to build quality to abundant features, and that’s good.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Mazda hit all the right notes with its first-generation Mazda3 compact sedan and hatchback, introduced for the 2004 model year. The Japanese automaker created a refined, stylish, well made, fun-to-drive compact that for six years has rivaled everything in its class.

Usually during a car’s five-or-six year life cycle, sales peak in the second or third year and start falling off; but people have discovered that Mazda uncharacteristically sold as well in its sixth year of existence as its first.