Tag Archives: review

Full Review of the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze by txGarge

Posted on by
1
The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze 2LT reviewed by txGarage

The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze 2LT reviewed by txGarage

We’ve been looking to get into the Chevrolet Cruze for a full week review for a while now. We’ve actually driven a few different models of the Cruze at some events, but have never had the time to really check out the details. Well, we finally got our hands on one, so what’d we think?

The last two times I was behind the wheel of a Cruze, one was a base and one was an eco model. Both had cloth seats and a lackluster performance. Our tester was a 2012 Cruze 2LT. This afforded us leather seats, navigation, 17” alloy wheels, remote start, and a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine matched up to a 6-speed automatic transmission. This decked out Cruze has a window-sticker of just under $24k (23,980) and is spec’d out the exact way I’d want one if I was dropping the money. But would I drop my own money for this car? Let’s get more into the driving, looks, and feel and find out. Continue reading →

Sonic the Turbo – Review of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic 1LT TURBO

Posted on by
3
2012 Chevrolet Sonic turbo - reviewed by txGarage

2012 Chevrolet Sonic turbo - reviewed by txGarage

First and foremost, let’s do some house cleaning. The Sonic is a replacement for the Chevrolet Aveo. Don’t look on this site for an Aveo review, because there isn’t one. I have driven a few versions of the Aveo. Back when running a small local dealership in Dallas we would stumble across an Aveo or two. This was always a tough sell as there was nothing particularly good about these cars, except maybe it’s price. I could never recommend it to anyone; not as a teenager’s first car or a cheap family car. There were just too many other products you could get that were much better.

Now we have the Sonic and GM says that it’s not really replacing the Aveo because it’s a whole new car. You see the Aveo was a car built by Daewoo and badged in the U.S. as a Chevrolet. The Sonic on the other hand is all Chevy and assembled in Michigan. So did Chevy do it right this time? Can I finally recommend a Chevrolet, compact hatchback, to friends and readers? Continue reading →

2012 Mazda 2 Full Review:

Posted on by
2
The 2012 Mazda 2 reviewed by txGarage

The 2012 Mazda 2 reviewed by txGarage

Small, compact cars are really making a comeback in America, and we’ve driven quite a few here, including the new Ford Fiesta. The all new Mazda 2 is based on the same platform as the Fiesta, so you’d assume they are pretty similar cars. While they’re similar in size, that might just be where the similarities stop. We’ve had the opportunity to drive a few different models of the Fiesta and on every occasion we’ve come back with the same opinions. It’s a great car for the money. Lots of fun to drive on tight, twisty roads and economical. So what did we think about the Mazda 2?

Mazda obviously has roots in racing and they have been branding their portfolio to remind you of that fact. So the first area where the Mazda differs from the Ford is in the weight of the car. Mazda knows lighter is better. The Mazda 2 is only a few hundred pounds heavier than the Lotus Elise, one of the best handling and fun cars you can buy. It’s also a few hundred pounds lighter than it’s cousin, the Ford Fiesta. Continue reading →

2012 Mazda 5 full review

Posted on by
Reply

Family wagon, mini-mini-van, crossover, people carrier, or standing in a class of it’s own? The Mazda 5 was introduced in the American market back in 2005. Although small family cars like this are popular in Europe and Asia, they are not prevalent in America. There isn’t much here that competes directly with the Mazda 5 and it’s not terribly hard to see why. We love our SUV’s. If you’re looking for a vehicle to carry 6 people, there are a slew of options that are bigger and have much more interior room. What if you’re looking for fuel economy and price point though?

Being a driver in Texas, you keep in the back of your mind, while car shopping at least, that you never know what kind of terrain you may encounter. The idea of a taller, more rugged SUV is a very appealing one for a family. But SUV’s are expensive, and even the ones that are good on fuel economy, aren’t that great. The Mazda 5 on the other hand is a bargin for a vehicle that can seat 6 people in comfort. In the 2012 model, Mazda implemented more of their flowing design style. This makes the 5 appear smaller than it actually is. So as you stand outside of it thinking, how am I going to fit anyone into that third row, it’s easy to doubt this cars appeal. Continue reading →

Quick Drive: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

Posted on by

I’ve always been a big fan of small, sporty hatchbacks. As a matter of fact, as many of our readers might already know, my first car was an 88 Honda Civic hatch. My next car was an 88 Acura Integra Special. They were both great little cars and lots of fun to drive. In the past few months, we’ve driven a slew of new, small, sporty cars that look to reinvigorate the compact car in America including the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Honda Civic Coupe, Kia Forte 5, Fiat 500, Scion tC, and Suzuki SX4. While I like all of these cars for their own reasons, I think that the Ford Fiesta is one of the best. When I first read about the Hyundai Veloster, I already knew that it’s toughest competition would be coming from Ford with the Fiesta. So let’s see how it stacks up. Continue reading →

The 2012 Honda Civic Coupe Reviewed

Posted on by
2012 Honda Civic Coupe reviewed by txGarage

2012 Honda Civic Coupe reviewed by txGarage

We had a chance to do a Quick Drive review of this 2012 Honda Civic Coupe back during the Texas Auto Roundup where to be quite honest, we were fairly unimpressed at that time. It didn’t help that just before driving the Honda Civic Coupe we took the Kia Forte 5 out and thought it was everything we wanted the Civic to be. We now have this car for an extended period where we can really check it out and let you know what we think.

Exterior
At first glance it doesn’t seem like the 2012 Civic is much different looking than the 2011 model. Take a closer look though and you’ll see the lines are much cleaner and more swoopy. It’s more wedged and has a more aggressive stance making it look more sporty. After spending some time really studying the lines and design of the car I actually quite liked it. Continue reading →

2011 Ford Explorer reviewed

Posted on by
2011 Ford Explorer reviewed by txGarage

2011 Ford Explorer reviewed by txGarage

In the time leading up to us reviewing the 2011 Ford Explorer, I was already quite excited about it. All Ford products we’ve driven in the last few years have been getting better and better and there is no getting away from the fact that this is one nice looking SUV. Continue reading →

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed w/ Video

Posted on by
2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed by txGarage

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon reviewed by txGarage

I’ll admit, after selling my Acura Integra in 2002, I really didn’t pay much attention to the Acura brand. Their styling seemed to go from bad to downright ugly. Their performance seemed to run away after letting the Integra go and featuring the RSX. At the Main Street in Motion event, I test drove the new Acura TSX in comparison to the Buick Regal turbo and was quite shocked at how well I liked it. Then I drove the 2012 Acura TL around the infield track at Texas Motor Speedway. Again, I was shocked at how well the car handled, how balanced it was, how nice the steering was, and how good the paddle shifters on the automatic transmission were.

After seeing the commercials for the new TSX Sport Wagon, my first impression was amazement that they’d bring this to America. My next impression was that it couldn’t be as good as the TSX was. Of course now we have the chance to test it out and see what’s really what. Continue reading →

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander GT full review

Posted on by
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander GT reviewed by txGarage

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander GT reviewed by txGarage

A car manufacture tries to instill in his brand a certain look and feel to help distinguish that brand from many others in the market. The idea is to have a consumer instantly recognize that vehicle as being a part of the brand, even if they couldn’t see the badging on the car. This is a good thing to strive for as a company, but it also helps progress the design and style of cars over the world. Where these ides sometimes go awry is when a manufacture is so dedicated to it’s design that it crosses car design with SUV design, or truck design with car. Two big examples are the Porsche Cayenne and the first design of the Ford Fusion. In Porsche’s case, the Cayenne is made to look like a huge 911, and it’s never really worked. In Ford’s case, they tried implementing their trucks “three bar” grille design into a car. Although the Fusion isn’t a terribly ugly car, I would say that keeping a distinguished design like the one found in the new Focus is a better way to go. Continue reading →

2011 GMC Terrain SLT-2 Full Review

Posted on by
2011 GMC Terrain SLT-2 review by txGarage

2011 GMC Terrain SLT-2 review by txGarage

Writing and editing for txGarage has its perks. I had a very special trip planned to one of my favorite destinations on the Texas coast, Port Aransas, and needed something that could haul me and my friends down there in comfort, plus handle the terrain when we got there. We considered a few different options for this trip, but when GM offered to us the GMC Terrain, we thought it sounded like the perfect choice.

We actually test drove the Terrain at it’s launch in Las Colines back in 2009. Adam had the opportunity to swing it around the urban roads of the area and said he really liked the looks and the way this SUV handles around town. That’s great to hear, but we are taking it on a long cruise to the coast and then looking for some “on the sand” abilities. So how did it fair? Continue reading →