My Favorite Vehicles of 2019
Another editorial year has come and gone. This year may not have been full of excitement, but it had its highlights.
Another editorial year has come and gone. This year may not have been full of excitement, but it had its highlights.
Tweet All Photos by Randy Stern The summer may be turning its hottest corner, but that does not mean there’s no cooling down of content. In this batch "As Published Elsewhere" Quickies reviews, the selection of vehicles turn towards the headlines. Vehicles that are found elsewhere with my byline, reviewed fully on those pages. They …
Tweet You know what they say: "just when you least expect it…" At a private media event in Atlanta, Chevrolet rolled out their latest addition to its lineup of SUVs and crossovers. It was an ongoing rumor that the nameplate would return, but it speculated that it would be a capable SUV built off of …
Tweet All Photos by Randy Stern So, the 45th Twin Cities Auto Show…how was it? In my opinion, it is much better than before. Perhaps the best that I attended since 2005. I saw more engagement with two interactive ride-along events from Jeep and Mitsubishi, the new Luxury Ballroom and Acceleration Alley, and other expanded …
TweetWhen #VOTY09 was awarded, it went through the ringer with another close victory. For the third straight year, it just seems that the #VOTY process got more interesting with winners decided on a mere fraction of a score. #VOTY07 was won by the Hyundai Sonata, as it squeaked out its award over the Toyota Prius …
TweetA Victory & Reseda Throwback Review of the 2009 Saturn Outlook How could I discuss another automotive nameplate being euthanized? How should I honor it? It would depend if there were any of said nameplate’s products around to drive. Well, I found one. It's not a Pontiac, but rather a Saturn. You remember Saturn? You …
Tweet 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT Coupe – All Photos by Randy Stern A Victory & Reseda Throwback Review of the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt You know, YouTube is a good place to get material for my writing. For example, I watched a clip from the BBC's "Top Gear" featuring a celebrity interview from Jeremy Clarkson with …
Tweet 2005 Buick LaCrosse at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show. Photo by Randy Stern A Victory & Reseda Throwback Review of the 2005 Buick LaCrosse When you hear someone talk about the "near-luxury market," which brands do you think of? That will depend on the type of buyer you are. Foreign-oriented buyers will tout the …
Why the reference to the Ford Taurus? With the exception of the reconstituted Chicago-built Five Hundred, the Taurus was the automotive equivalent to comfort food. Maybe not the last couple of examples of fleet-only afterthoughts, but every Taurus I drove like a comfy old friend bound for adventure.
I had a habit of renting cars in lieu of actual car ownership. They were expensive forms of therapy that enabled me to explore the place I call home. In the first several years of my life in the Twin Cities, General Motors provided a particular car that would be a staple of anything I attempted to do to explore and be social.