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With 110 years of sports-car history in its back pocket, Mercedes-Benz has learned a thing or two about what makes these cars and their proud owners tick. And this vast experience is packed into the 2012 SLK roadster that’s due to arrive this summer. Style and substance are necessary ingredients for any sports car, but, for Mercedes-Benz, how the vehicle makes you feel and how others see you behind the wheel are perhaps treated with equal importance. SLK customers will likely feel and look particularly good with this third-generation drop-topper. (LAST UPDATED MARCH 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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For on-the-go families who don’t require massive minivan space, the compact Mazda5 presents a reasonable alternative to a regular-size minivan or even a junior sport utility vehicle. Steadily increasing fuel prices are on many new-car-buyers’ minds these days, along with finding ways to reduce overall operating expenses while maintaining or increasing the level of versatility that their vehicles can deliver. A modicum of driving enjoyment would definitely add some frosting to the cake. The original and somewhat anonymous Mazda5 that was introduced for the 2006 model year managed to deliver on all counts and the updated 2012 edition promises more of the same, except the anonymity part. (LAST UPDATED JAN. 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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Why is the Boss 302 back? Aside from pressing all the right nostaligia hot buttons and providing enthusiasts with a high-performance car that’s good for the road or the track, the real reason might be the engine. Without a “302” there could never be a Boss 302 in the first place. The new Boss wasn’t possible until the 2011 model year when the 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 (302 cubic inches) replaced the 4.6 in the GT model. Thus the road was paved for the revival of the Boss 302. But just what kind of nostalgia are we talking about, here? (LAST UPDATED DEC. 2010). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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There’s something rather odd going on at Hyundai these days. It’s name is Veloster and it has three different sized passenger doors. Yes, the 2012 Veloster is an oddity. The lack of portal symmetry certainly sets it apart from virtually anything else on the road, which is exactly what Hyundai’s designers have been striving for lately. When you consider how dramatically different the latest Sonata and Elantra sedans appear from their respective mainstream peers, it was almost a forgone conclusion that shredding the styling envelope would continue. The Veloster, available late this summer, is the slow-to-arrive replacement for the Tiburon sport coupe that was phased out following the 2008 model year. (LAST UPDATED APRIL 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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The days of North Americans being one step behind the rest of the world seem to be coming to an end. It was assumed that we simply weren’t interested in stylish, firm-riding hatchbacks that Europeans were driving, so they were seldom offered here. After all, we liked soft-riding, pudgy cars with spoilers and plastic body cladding, right? We never did, really, but that’s what we got. The upshot was that our Ford Focus was not the same as the European Ford Focus: not even close. But the cost-saving global-design movement is changing the way the game is played and many excellent European models are now showing up. (LAST UPDATED MARCH 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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Chrysler’s tsunami of new and updated models has been nothing short of spectacular. And among the cars requiring urgent attention was the automaker’s Sebring sedan and convertible, which are now referred to as the 200 series. Chrysler’s new Fiat-controlled management group will replace the 200 with an entirely new car in a few years, but for now a new name, fresh sheetmetal and a major engine upgrade will have to suffice. (LAST UPDATED APRIL 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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Price: $79.00

You might have also noticed the steadily rising pump prices attributed to certain oil-producing-nation strife. This volatility is bad news for drivers of big, thirsty vehicles, but it’s the perfect storm for General Motors which will this fall launch the all-new Sonic series of sub-compacts. The Sonic replaces the Korea-built Aveo that has served as the automaker’s entry model since the 2004 model year. (LAST UPDATED APRIL 2011). By Malcolm Gunn, Wheelbase Media. The AutoPilot feature is a 700-word (the length varies slightly depending on subject) new-vehicle story plus high-resolution artwork, page layout and separate text file for maximum layout flexibility. Specs too! Please note that the .zip files range in size from 20-50 mb.

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