Styling

Which cars are beautiful? Plenty of vehicles are undeniably handsome, or good-looking, or at least styled well. And then there are those that deserve a pile-on of adjectives: timeless, crushworthy, gorgeous. Those cars merit some special attention--and at The Car Connection they merit the highest...Read More»

Automotive styling tastes can be more fickle than fashion; and it only takes a quick look at how cars are seen as a sort of extended fashion statement here in the U.S. to understand why. ALSO SEE: 2015 GMC Yukon Video Road Test Most shoppers want a vehicle that fits in, yet one that stands out just...Read More»

J.D. Power and Associates' annual Avoider Study offers an interesting look at car shoppers' habits. The study not only asks customers why they were drawn to certain vehicles, but also -- as you might guess from the survey's name -- why they avoided others. According to a press release, Power...Read More»

This might come as a shock if you've spent the last 10 years behind the wheel of a cutesy Mazda Miata or a snuggly Volkswagen New Beetle and thought all cars were like rolling versions of Hello Kitty characters--warm, fuzzy, and somewhat squishable. Now, the wonders of science have studied how cars...Read More»

With Hyundai’s recent, and successful, resurgence here in the U.S., it is no surprise that India’s second largest automaker, Hyundai India is predicting a 20 percent increase in domestic sales. Hyundai has began to reap the benefits of its turnaround with better reliability and a new emphasis...Read More»

What's it take to get a perfect 10? Back before she became a thinky conservative, Bo Derek laid it out the rules for us all. Actually it's just one rule: you don't have to be particularly talented or smart, just quintessentially, no-excuses gorgeous. Get it right, and you can even put noisemakers...Read More»

Already popular on the other side of the Atlantic, sport wagons have been gaining attention here on U.S. soil in recent years. With attractive styling and agressive performance and handling, the wagon can shed its traditional "family vacation" image and begin to attract enthusiasts. But, why bother...Read More»

Sales of the 2010 Ford Mustang are trailing the 2010  Chevrolet Camaro by a significant margin through April. Ford sold 20,836 Mustangs, while Chevrolet sold 29,907 Camaros. The last time a Camaro outsold a Mustang was in 1985. Ford doesn’t want to see that record broken anytime soon, so they...Read More»

As much as we’ve all missed Bob Lutz in the few weeks since his retirement from GM, it seems that the folks over at the automaker are still managing to do some things right. For example: the recently announced pricing of the upcoming 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe.   Scheduled to go on sale in early...Read More»

The new Hyundai Sonata sedan is the boldest styling stroke in its class. It instantly makes the Toyota Camry look overwrought, especially with its pseudo Bangle butt, and the Honda Accord sedan looks downright dowdy in comparison. Recently there has been speculation that Hyundai might build a coupe...Read More»

As we reported last week in a first drive of the new 2011 BMW 5-Series, BMW has returned to form with an all-new 5er that's not only a more focused driver's car but also one that will fit right in, design-wise, to traditional BMW loyalists while also winning new friends. Although the...Read More»

There is something about the way Mazda builds its engines that gives them a divinely unique character. Whereas so many competitors have four cylinders that drone and six cylinders that are as exciting as Tupperware, Mazda makes motors that truly give new meaning to "zoom-zoom." They are mechanical...Read More»

One of the highlights of trucks and SUVs is a high hip point (known as the 'H' point in design parlance). The height of the seat makes it easier for driver and passenger to enter and exit (with the exception of some truly stilted 4x4s). That elevated 'H' point will be driving sales of cars to aging...Read More»

In 1963, Carroll Shelby's Cobra racecars had dominated almost every race on United States tarmac. This included overtaking the Ferrari GTO racecars at the 12 Hours of Sebring. However, the Cobra roadster could not compete with the mighty GTO when the races moved into the European battlegrounds. You...Read More»

Pictures and specs of the newest Sonata from Korea have finally surfaced and it looks very familiar. In fact, everything besides its headlamps and front grill resemble the new Volkswagen CC and Subaru Legacy models (which is not a surprising move from Hyundai). All styling thefts aside, the new...Read More»

Price: starting at $18,700 Mileage: 22 city/32 highway Someone really needs to explain this to me: why is the bulbous jellybean styling of both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry somehow acceptable to so many new car buyers? And how on earth did it come to pass that the most coherent exterior (and...Read More»

Price: starting at $22,295 If you have ever lived in one of the Snowbelt states like Colorado then no doubt you have seen them puttering around the streets in all their hyper-reliable all wheel drive glory. More so even than Audi, a company that has also built a name from building highly competent...Read More»

General Motors announced today that Buick will launch a five-passenger crossover next year, with a plug-in hybrid version to follow in 2011. And it looks to us like the Saturn Vue is getting a three-shields makeover. GM released an image of the new Buick crossover's grille. Which looks a whole lot...Read More»