With open air freedom and a large interior, Eclipse Spyder is an answer for sports car owners with more than one friend - Good value and sleek design completes the package.

Mitsubishi is using the ad campaign, “Wake up and drive” to tout its cars to enthusiasts. In their lineup of cars and Sport Utility Vehicles, the Eclipse Spyder GT represents the pinnacle of its current sports car efforts.

If anything, younger buyers will like the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse simply because there are so few affordable sports car still produced by automakers. The latest generation Eclipse, introduced in the 2000 model year, is one of the last of dying breed of reasonably priced sports cars.

Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX and Toyota Supra are just a few of recently departed cars, while rumors have been circulating for a while that the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird will also go the way of the dinosaur.
Changing tastes of the market aside, the new Eclipse has exciting exterior styling and a reasonable price that will appeal to younger buyers but an engine that will turn off people looking for a high-performance vehicle.

Ford swung for the fences with the radical restyling of the Taurus in 1996. Some think the result was just a long out. The radical oval theme did not catch on with buyers in the way Ford had hoped. So recently, they did a major restyle of the body and interior. This time instead of trying to knock the cover off the ball, they made good solid contact and may have hit a home run.

The Taurus faces fierce competition in the mid-size market from two very serious imports, the Camry and the Accord. Both of those cars are well respected by consumers, consumer groups, and the automotive press. Ford had intended with the ?96 redesign to meet (or exceed) the quality of both the Accord and the Camry and to surpass them in styling. Well, they soon stumbled on the quality end and in hindsight they went a bit too far with the styling.

A field of black asphalt on a lot overlooking San Francisco Bay works as a temporary track to test the sure-footed stance of the XC90, a new sport-utility wagon from Volvo of Sweden.

Orange plastic traffic cones aligned in two rows define a narrow path set up to simulate an emergency lane-changing maneuver. At the mid-point of the chute, the cones move abruptly over to an adjacent lane because a barrier blocks the straight path.

To paraphrase a slogan from another automaker, the S40 is not your college professor’s Volvo. No boxy, unstylish station wagons here. Volvo’s looks have vastly improved in recent years, and though far from the sexiest or most daring designs on the road, the new Volvos are contemporary, good-looking vehicles.

2002 Buick Rendezvous CX

The moment you step into the Rendezvous, notice I didn?t say step
up, the General Motors mantra of going beyond the ordinary becomes
apparent. Buick has given us a new take on the SUV, providing all the
qualities of a fine sedan, but wrapping it up in the body of a
versatile van ready to go play in the mud.

Internally, Buick refers to the Rendezvous as the Palm Pilot of the auto industry. Its form follows function for the mobile generation who?s wired and on the go. Available with 5, 6 or 7 passenger seating, the interior is style conscious and crammed full of innovation. The center armrest is just one example of the many great features waiting to be explored. With unmatched storage and convenience, it?s possible to house a purse, cell phone, laptop and planner all in the same location, while still having room for an armful of CD?s, coins, two coffees, sunglasses and an ash tray. In total, the center console provides 14 litres of ingenious cargo space.

The Pontiac Grand Am’s flashy styling is toned down for 2003. Pontiac calls the Grand Am “sports car excitement with room for everyday life.” It is practical, particularly in the form. Obviously, this combination appeals to a lot of people because the Grand Am is one of the 10 best-selling vehicles in the U.S.