Jonathan McGrew, Contributing Writer
Articles
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The new car buying process can be quite the task in today’s market. This is especially true with the growing numbers of hybrid and electric cars added to the pool of choices.
While hybrids and...
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2012 Fiat 500C: Driving The New Minicar At High AltitudesWe won't soon forget our 2009 Smart ForTwo road test in California last year, in part because we found the little car serviceable even over the mountain passes between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. That memory came flooding back when we had the chance to drive the 2012 Fiat 500C at altitudes up...
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How Mini Is Too Mini? Profit Tough For BMW On Tinier MinicarWhen BMW launched the new MINI back in 2001, the U.S. market wondered if anyone could actually sell a car that small. The proof has been in the pudding--the new MINI sold quite well--but the company hasn't stopped there, adding models left and right. Now, leave it to the folks over at MINI Central...
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Whole Foods Plus Prius Equals New Westside LA Hybrid RapThe phrase "west side of LA" conjures images of the surf at Malibu, high-dollar real estate and, on the grittier side, the gangs from the bad old days of Venice Beach. Park those images next to the little video below from Smog and Fog Films. On the west side, apparently even mock-gangster rappers...
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NanoCab: Sri Lanka To Use More Than 200 Tiny Tatas As TaxisThe world's least expensive car, the Tata Nano, is now seen in increasing numbers on the streets of its home country, India. But Tata is also sending the car into new markets, including Sri Lanka--where you might be surprised to see the tiny cars used as taxis. Why Sri Lanka? That country's taxi...
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Small Cars Dominate TheCarConnection.com’s Efficient Convertible ListWith the rising gas prices it may seem like you have to give up things in order to save money at the pump. You can combine trips to save fuel, keep your tires inflated properly, make sure your car is tuned up and drive to maximize your mpgs. With the latest top of top list from TheCarConnection.com...
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Memorial Day weekend is a time of year where we honor veterans, look forward to the three-day weekend and for some in Colorado run the BolderBoulder 10K. This year in a newly announced...
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Nissan Takes New Advertising Angle With Insight Into a Gas Powered WorldIn automotive news the electric car is like the sci-fi section of a bookstore—full of technological advances and experiences that some might think were alien. That said, Nissan is trying to put their all-electric, zero-emissions LEAF in a new light. The latest round of commercials from Nissan...
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Milestone Achievements: Mazda3 Reaches 3 Million UnitsFor years the question has been asked, “How long does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.” Ultimately the answer was three and similarly Mazda has hit a milestone that also uses the numeral three in it. This month marked the production of the 3 millionth Mazda3 or Axela as it...
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IIHS Changes View Of Small Cars With Six Top Safety Pick AwardsTwenty years ago small cars were generally seen as low cost transportation that would generally only get you from point A to point B. Small cars have come a long way from that in today’s automotive market with manufacturers like Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet, BMW and Audi just to name a few. Why...
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GM Adds New Styling Cues To Concepts For Transformers “Dark of the Moon”Who doesn’t love a good action flick? We especially love them when they have some good chase scenes with some pretty cool modern automobiles. Then if you ad superhero transforming cars from outer space into the mix, well you have the Transformers franchise. As you might remember, the first...
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One-Off MINI Cooper For Life Ball Charity Wets Taste For Off-Road VariantThe MINI is a car that has captured audiences for decades from the original MINI Cooper to today’s modern edition. In a country where people didn’t believe that a small car would do well, err except for the Miata, the MINI proved that this small car had style, speed (in the S) and a...
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When it comes to recalls they can generally come about in one of two ways: the government requires a company to recall a car due to a number of safety complaints or the auto manufacturer voluntarily...
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2012 Fiat 500C: Worth the Soft Top?So we have written about the 2012 Fiat 500 and a little bit about the 500C Cabrio. However, the thought came to our mind through a recent First Drive completed by our partner site, TheCarConnection.com, that maybe the Cabrio isn’t worth the extra cost. Now hang in there with us; the thought...
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Mazda 1.3-Liter Engine Boasts 50% MPG Gain Over Current 1.5-LiterIf you have driven by the gas pump recently then the interest in cars with more fuel-efficient gasoline habits probably doesn’t surprise you. Most manufacturers are trying to accommodate the change in consumer perspective, especially in the U.S. automotive market. Mazda is onboard with their...
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2011 Nissan Juke: Why Nissan Is Doing Right By Their Customers With $400 CheckTruth in advertising might seem like fiction to some, but the there is such a thing as being accountable for misleading advertising. The automotive industry has a lot of facts to keep straight when it comes to this, especially when some cars can have 100s of option combinations. Unfortunately for...
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Sounds of Civic Contest Gives Artists a Chance To Win A 2012 Honda CivicEveryone likes a good competition right? Honda seems to agree with the release of a new web-based songwriting competition. The subject matter—the 2012 Honda Civic family of cars. The prize—a 2012 Honda Civic valued between $15K and $27K and the bragging rights and tour appearances...
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BMW i3 Will Add Sporty Competition to Electric-Car MarketFor the last couple of decades, the electric car was something that most people saw as part of the automotive landscape of the future. With the introduction of the 2009 Tesla Roadster, we saw a high-end electric sports car come on the market that was viable. Now, with cars like the 2011 Chevrolet...
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If you never saw or heard of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG then you have missed out on a piece of automotive design that reminds us that not all cars have to be practical or void of exterior beauty. Oh...
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All-New Ford Focus ST: Prototypes Put Through Their Paces From California to NürburgringThe all-new 2012 Ford Focus launched this year and you probably have started seeing them out on the road where you work and live. The 2012 Ford Focus has been acclaimed for having class-leading technology like Self Park in a car that can start at as little as about $16K and maxes out near $23K...
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Bow Tie or Blue Oval: Camaro Out Paces Mustang Sales In 2011When it comes to performance cars there is always competition; you might be thinking the competition is mostly on the street or at the track, but there is another place that competition is ramped. The Office. And by office we mean the sales floor. Neither Chevrolet or Ford would come right out and...
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Porsche Boxster E: Dipping a Toe In the Electric Sports Car ArenaWhen we look towards the future what do we see? Well, it might not be the flying cars of the “Jetson’s” or “Back to the Future II,” but it certainly does seem to have the presence of the electric vehicle (EV). We figure ten years from now range anxiety is going to mean...
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2011 Ford Fiesta: May 2011 NADAguides Car of the MonthEarlier this month a familiar name in vehicle pricing and information gave an award to a subcompact that some question as even being relevant for the American automotive market. Yes, NADAguides gave the 2011 Ford Fiesta, Ford’s first try at a modern global car platform, the Car of the Month...
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Fiat Announces Market Launch of 500 TwinAirThe excitement for the Fiat brand is growing in the U.S. now that we know we will be able to purchase a Fiat 500 in the near future. Maybe it is the unique size or the cache of the brand from the past, but there is a definite air that the Fiat 500 will be a popular car in the U.S. even when...
Jonathan McGrew