By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(August 18, 2016) CHARLESTON, S.C. — Ask almost anyone in America about Mercedes-Benz and they’ll immediately reference German luxury and sporty automobiles and utility vehicles. Few, if any are aware of the big push the German auto manufacturer is making in the commercial van business with their two product offerings: the larger Sprinter and the smaller Metris vans.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(August 14, 2016) Lexus is the latest auto manufacturer to throw itself into the rarified segment of high-performance luxury sedans. Notable warhorses in this class include the 605-horsepower Audi RS7, the 557-horsepower Mercedes-Benz AMG E 63, the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V, and, arguably the best known and class leader of the assemblage, the 575-horsepower BMW M5.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(August 8, 2016) When a car earns accolades from sources as diverse as Hagerty (the leading network and insurer for classic car owners) and Playboy (no definition needed), it must be something special. Such is the case for the Alfa Romeo 4C; the 4C Spider was added to the Hot List of future collectibles by the former, and the 4C Coupe was named 2015 Car of the Year — Sports Cars and Convertibles by the latter. 

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(July 12, 2016) SAN DIEGO — This summer, nearly 50 years after the original Pininfarina-styled Fiat 124 Spider roadster launched in Turin, Italy, Fiat revives the legendary nameplate. The original Fiat 124 Spider came to the United States in 1968, and 170,000 were sold when it was discontinued in 1983. There are 8,000 still registered in the U.S. today and 40 percent of those are owned by millennials and Gen Xers.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(June 1, 2016) The Subaru BRZ along with its nearly identical twin sibling, the Scion FR-S, was first introduced in late 2012 as a 2013 model. As a point of reference, the Scion, a Toyota brand, was discontinued earlier this year. However the FR-S was rebadged as a Toyota and is now sold as the Toyota 86.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(May 15, 2016) It isn’t sexy, nor sporty and definitely absent any measure of cachet yet the Toyota Prius has become ubiquitous on American roads and byways with well over a million of them sold. Eight million have been sold worldwide.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(May 9, 2016) Roman author Seneca once said, “Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms — you’ll be able to use them better when you’re older.” So to put it briefly, I’m taking his advice. The 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang is the evolution of the Shelby Mustang GT350 first introduced in 1965, and the racing version, the Shelby GT350R, which followed shortly thereafter.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(April 18, 2016) MOAB, Utah — It’s a military vehicle in most of the world including the U.S. Marine Corps and in the civilian market it’s hugely popular with the likes of the Russian mafia, professional superballers who can consistently hit 3-point falling away jump shots, cardiothoracic surgeons (for some odd reason) and heavily armed gun toting bad guys in action movies.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(April 3, 2016) I spent the last week driving the tumultuous 707-horsepower supercharged license-loser Dodge Challenger Hellcat. It’s street legal and so powerful, you can expect to turn the quarter mile at the drag strip in close to 11 seconds at just over 125 mph on Pirelli P Zero summer tires. Swap for drag radials and you’ll record times in the 10-second range.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica

(March 25, 2016) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — For the most part, minivans live out their existence lonely and unloved, with owners who are all too self-conscious of and embarrassment associated with driving one. To be sure, the minivan is not an aspirational vehicle. Nope. They are strictly life-stage vehicles, ready to fill the void between the third-trimester and the age when the kids no longer want to be seen with their parents — especially in a minivan at Wal-Mart.