Car model names are an interesting thing. They don’t happen by accident, and these days, there are almost certainly entire teams of people working on choosing a name for each model. The results can vary in terms of impact and quality because this kind of marketing and brand labeling isn’t an exact science. Sometimes, the […]
Imagine you’ve been stranded on a remote island in the Indian Ocean for the past 39 days. In that time, you’ve been forced to eat bug larvae, compete in grueling challenges, and even listen to your fellow castaways play ukulele. Despite disturbing the rest of the group with your predilection for nudity, you manage to […]
While the “Worst Cars Ever Made” series has allowed us to take a look back at some of the most infamous and amusingly bad models in automotive history, some tales are a little heavier than others. The Yugo certainly had its problems, but ill-advised American import aside, it largely lived up to its goal of […]
The Geo Prizm—and the Geo brand as a whole—has become little more than a minor footnote in automotive history. First debuting in 1989, General Motors’ compact sub-brand was conceived as a way of allowing the automaker to compete with the new wave of small, efficient compact and subcompact models emerging from Japan and South Korea. […]
The midsize 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander has been specially designed to provide a larger version of the Highlander for anyone who loves the original but wants a bit more space for their family, friends, and cargo. The interior space is significantly more extensive than the original Highlander, with more than adequate legroom, headroom, and cargo […]
If there are two things I love besides cars, they’re science and a good comeback story. That’s good news for me because the automotive industry is full of awesome comeback stories this year, and thanks to science, I can tell you which one is the most exciting revival of 2022! A Scientific Method Allow me […]
Everyone wants the best car possible. There’s just one problem with that: how do you define the “best” car? For some, that means usefulness – the ability to haul large amounts of equipment or navigate quickly from Point A to Point B. For others, that means reliability. No one likes breakdowns, but having a vehicle […]
The Ford Edge is one of many midsize crossover SUVs in what could be considered an overcrowded market. There are a lot of different SUVs to choose from within the segment, and it seems like there’s always a new one being introduced when you’re not looking. But for the ones that are there, how do […]
One of the first things that come to mind when someone mentions the Jeep brand is that they are good for off-road adventures. All you need to do to prove this is check out any Jeep forum, Jeep dealer, or other places Jeep enthusiasts hang out, and that is all they talk about. In fact, […]
Kia has been on a tear in recent years and has released some of the most compelling vehicles on the market. They have made the red-hot Telluride and new K5 sedan, but in between those two freshman offerings is another newcomer. The 2021 Kia Seltos is an all-new subcompact crossover that has many of the […]
The Honda CR-V has been around as long as almost anyone can remember and has been getting better every year since its inception. The 2020 model year is no exception, as Honda rolled out a new Hybrid model that bumps fuel economy dramatically to 40 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway. […]
There are plenty of things in life that never change. They stay exactly as we remember them and become almost comforting because everything else is changing so fast. Toyota and Lexus SUVs have become one of those things, and continue on, relatively unchanged for several years at a time. That can absolutely be a comfort […]
The Honda Civic is a survivor in every sense of the word. It has been on sale continuously for nearly 40 years, and cars from all of those years regularly last for hundreds of thousands of miles. That doesn’t mean that Honda hasn’t continued improving the Civic over the years, and the latest––the 2020 Honda […]
Sedans, in general, are a dying breed here in the United States, but that hasn’t kept some automakers from developing newer and better versions every year. Recently, those improvements have taken us down the path of renaming classic shapes to make them more appealing and modern. The best example of this is luxury carmakers’ […]
For the past 15 years, the Chevy Equinox has been ever-present in Chevy’s SUV lineup. Originally manufactured as a midsize crossover, today, you’ll find it in the small or compact range. The SUV craze across the world, particularly in the United States, doesn’t seem to be letting up, which means it’s up to manufacturers […]
Annnnd we’re back. AutoInfluence with all of your current auto news headlines for the week of June 28th. And FINALLY. What a week it was! We have rumors of one iconic muscle cars’s retirement, FCA change-ups, Tesla firefighting, results of this year’s American Made Index, Porsche electrification and the rumor of one model’s death […]
Many people assume that pickup trucks are only useful if you live out in the country or if you’re in a blue-collar industry. In reality, a pickup truck has many uses in big cities like Cincinnati, too. The Chevy Silverado 2500 is an especially good choice given the car’s features and capabilities. It has 360 […]
While Hurricane Harvey may have caused a slump in car sales here in the U.S., Mazda and Toyota are betting big in 2018. A $1.6 billion assembly plant is slated to be built near Huntsville, Alabama, which when fully operational by 2021, will produce up to 300,000 vehicles a year. However, some commenters have expressed […]
There are a number of impressive SUV options that are currently on the market. If you’re hunting for a vehicle that falls into this particular segment, you may find that it’s particularly difficult zeroing on a specific nameplate. Well, your decision truly shouldn’t be that difficult, as the 2018 Jeep Renegade delivers all of the […]
In the grand (no pun intended) scheme of things, you don’t always think of your grandparents as badasses. In this regard, they’re not entirely unlike a Ford Focus. Bear with me on this one. After all, when visiting a Ford Dealership, drivers might be quick to overlook the potential of a car like the Focus, […]
