#comparison

Sometimes, decisions in life can be tough.

Mid-level luxury sedans are to working professionals what Toyota Camrys are to normal folks. They’re go-to vehicles and safe options for cash-laden customers who crave generous amenities, good performance, and the status of an upmarket brand. What does your child’s orthodontist drive?

Seventy-odd years ago the United States and Japan were bitter enemies, embroiled in a titanic struggle that played out across vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. Today, these great nations are on more-than-friendly terms, though there’s still a rivalry churning away beneath the surface. Instead of guns and incendiary bombs it involves pistons and suspension tuning.

Compact luxury crossovers are all about the D – diesel.

Small crossovers continue to pop up like bunnies on an unregulated breeding farm.

Mention the term “family sedan” and most people probably think of the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

It was raining on the day that I fell in love with wedge shaped supercars. The halls in my elementary school stank of cleaning chemicals and the smell of books hung thick in library.

The 2015 Ford F-150 is a big deal. This totally redesigned truck sports a lineup of powerful yet efficient engines, class-leading technologies and an aluminum body that cuts a massive amount of weight. Underscoring its importance this pickup was just named the “Truck of Texas.”

Last month most of the AutoGuide.com crew uprooted to our test track for the better part of a week to assemble our largest performance test ever.

Until the mid-1980s, those with large families usually bought station wagons with a who-cares-about-safety rearward facing third row of seats. But then the minivan was introduced and everything changed. For the next fifteen years, troops of kids were transported here and there in these pragmatic boxes on wheels. As is often the case though, consumer taste’s changed.

Midsize sedans represent a massive slice of the automotive pie. These four-door cars almost single handedly (or wheely?) form the backbone of America’s personal transportation network, shuttling people practically everywhere they need and want to go. Yeah, they’re kind of a big deal, and as a salute to these hard-working automobiles they’re the subject of this week’s installment of Ask AutoGuide.

The compact luxury sedan market is an interesting place. When designing a new entry, manufacturers are constantly trying to find the perfect balance between sport and luxury. Although most cars end up skewed one way than the other, these vehicles typically offer a plethora of trims and options that allow potential customers to tailor their rides with as much sport or luxury as they want.

It’s Friday and another work week is slowly…  drawing… to… a… close. Like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s epic musical CATS, this string of five days feels like it’s never going to end. At least people aren’t prancing around the AutoGuide offices in leotards and leg warmers. Meow!

America is the land of the free and the home of large sedans. With miles and miles of miles and miles, drivers don’t have to contend with congested urban parking or dreadful highway traffic like their European counterparts. We’re free to relax and stretch our legs clear across the continent if we so desire.

Ask anyone older than 55 how cars have changes since the ’70s and they’ll probably mention, among many other things, that they’ve shrunk considerably.