Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus GS 300, Part 3

Because you like the way it looks, love the way the leather feels and revel in the fact that your local Lexus dealer will kiss your ass with brand-appropriate comprehensiveness. It s slow, whiney and hard-riding, with interior touches that serve an unwelcome reminder that you re not in a...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Honda Civic, Part 1

Ladies and gentlemen, Honda is proud to announce the birth of a new genre: the VGC or Video Game Car. The 06 Civic is the first mainstream motor to reflect, represent and personify the Playstation Generation s digitized automotive sensibilities. From its cartoon curves, to its undersized steering wheel, to...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Honda Civic, Part 2

Judging from the concept sketches, Honda decided to transform its plain vanilla Civic into a sleek and sophisticated one-box. It works perfectly — on the coupe. Here, the SUV snout graft and xTreme window rake look as appropriate as a middle-aged WASP dancing to Kylie Minogue. It s a split...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Honda Civic, Part 3

Because you collect Star Wars memorabilia. Either that or you appreciate all the traditional Civic virtues — practicality, frugality, reliability, comfort, value, invisibility, etc. — and want something relatively slow that handles like a go-kart. The view from the driver s seat is on the disco side of disconcerting: an...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jeep Commander, Part 1

So I was heading toward the new Commander when a-million-miles-from-MILF Mommy commandeers me. "Is that the new Jeep?" she asks, cutting off my escape route. Oh crap. She gazes at the Commander s ungainly form like a crutch-wielding supplicant encountering a vision of The Mother Mary polishing the cross at...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Magnum R/T, Part 1

I just saw a guy at a stoplight in a Dodge Magnum with a bad billet grille and a set of overwrought dubs. He looked as if he may earn additional income by starring in bear porn flicks: shaved head, prematurely gray, bushy handlebar mustache, etc. I glanced down at...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jeep Commander, Part 2

Just what the world needs: a large, gas-guzzling SUV with all the aerodynamic efficiency of a flying brick. Why didn t I think of that? Our tester s 4.7-liter V8 didn t have enough to power to motivate this 5273 lbs. behemoth into anything remotely resembling a sprint. Sixty comes...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Magnum R/T, Part 2

Exterior Design **** I'm givin' it a four, mainly because I like the Charger's angry-eyebrows front end more than the wide-eyed, vaguely phallic nose of the Magnum. And of course, the 300's the best of the bunch. That said, I really dig the choptop styling of all the LX cars,...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Magnum R/T, Part 3

V-8 boeuf, solid handling, decent hauling capacity. If you're a family of four or less with at least one enthusiast driver in the mix, the Magnum should definitely be on your list of potential buys. A minivan, an SUV or a luxury car it isn't. For the same money there...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jeep Commander, Part 3

It s a Jeep. It s a well-built Jeep. It s a well-built Jeep that looks like a Cherokee Limited from the late-80 s. If you re a nostalgic outdoorsy-type who doesn t mind torturing that spare set of sprogs, you re good to snow. It s ugly, cramped, thirsty...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Ford Fusion, Part 1

Ford s attempt to regain its place atop the sales charts is looking more and more like the scientific pursuit of cold fusion. Theoretically, The Blue Oval Boys should be able to screw together a nice car for a reasonable price and then sell it to the millions of US...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Ford Fusion, Part 2

The Fusion s three-bar front grill takes us to Infiniti and that s it. The Fusion s sharp, Caddy-like fender creases are distinctly dissonant, as are the oversized (and inexplicably clear) rear lamps. The rest of the car also goes meekly where a bunch of other manufacturers have gone before,...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Ford Fusion, Part 3

For a commodious family four-door, the Fusion s priced right, undercutting its rivals by some margin. (Depreciation is another matter.) The Fusion s also a bit of a handler, both nimble and tenacious through the twisties. If you want to drive a rental car, why not rent one? · Manufacturer:...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus IS 350, Part 1

Now THAT S what I m talking about. After having endured the illusory pleasures of helming The Emperor s New Luxury Car (the GS300), I was delighted to find myself behind the wheel of a truly distinctive automobile wearing the Lexus badge. Actually, the IS 350 is NOT what I...

May 20, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus IS 350, Part 2

The Lexus IS reminds me of the Egyptian goddess Isis. More specifically, my mind casts back to the tale of Nephthys, a less immediately pronounceable Egyptian deity who was sexually frustrated with her husband Set. To seduce Set, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis. The plan didn t really pan out;...

May 20, 2024