2012 Hyundai Veloster Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Hyundai thinks it has solved the Access Problem that's always been a problem for sporty coupes. The 2012 Veloster doesn't merely have three doors – that's been done before. It has three different-sized doors. The functional problem is ...

The Death Of The Spare Tire?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist I recently did a column about the burbling war between the Safety Nazis and the Mileage Mussolinis. Well, here's the first casualty: Your safety. Because your next new car probably won't come with even a mini-spare – let ...

2012 Chrysler 300 Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist With the demise of the Ford Crown Vic (and its sister ship, the Lincoln Town Car) there's only one choice left if you're looking for a traditional American-style roller. You know, something substantial – a big (and ...

Fuel Economy: Here’s What We’re Missing

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Best-case mileage you can get in a new car is 48 MPG – the advertised highway mileage of a 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid. It sucks. If, that is, you can remember... . Back in 1981, the Dodge Omni (and ...

2012 Land Rover Evoque Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist James Bond's Walther PPK was a lot like the new Range Rover Evoque: Compact, elegant – but very capable when called upon. Ditto the Evoque. There's a small but potent (and efficient) turbo'd four under the hood. Almost ...

An Ode To The Two Stroke

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist I'm in the process of restoring an old Kawasaki motorcycle – a 1975 S1C Triple. I love the bike's lines and looks – but I also admire its engineering. Which is startlingly simple. Because it's a two-stroke. There ...

2012 Honda Ridgeline Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Honda's take on the old Chevy El Camino (and Ford Ranchero) probably came along a few years too soon. In 2006, when the first Ridgeline appeared, real trucks (body-on-frame, rear-wheel-drive with real 4WD, not AWD) were like ...

Bye-Bye Saab

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist There will be no bailout for Saab – and so, no bailout for Saab owners. Sweden's other automaker, formerly an appendage of GM, recently filed for bankruptcy liquidation – not reorganization. It no longer builds cars and ...

2012 Audi Q7 TDI Review

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist So, what's the real-world mileage of Audi's Q7 TDI? I wish I could give you an exact number but while I was trying to get the Q's fussy trip computer to spit it out, I inadvertently ...

How Often Should I Change My Oil?

By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist Is it once very 3,000 – or once every 10,000? The articles one finds online try very hard to be definitive – which is why they're often inaccurate. For example, I recently came across an article that ...