A year ago, in a modest revamping of the CX-9, Mazda decided to abandon its V6 engine, a move that left some wondering if this sport utility vehicle would remain a suitable family hauler. Apparently, the Mazda team knew what it was doing. After one week of driving the 2017 Mazda CX-9, we became pretty […]
Travel/Golf/Auto reviews
2017 Honda CR-V: Redesigned and better than ever
Completely redesigned this year, the 2017 Honda CR-V is slightly taller, wider and longer. Keep in mind, this is a five-passenger compact crossover sport utility vehicle, so don’t expect the popular CR-V to suddenly become cavernous. But the overall dimensions can only help the CR-V retain its status as the king it its class. The […]
2017 Kia Forte a great bargain
Kia continues to improve its brand up and down its lineup. There’s not a bad vehicle in the bunch. The 2017 Kia Forte is just one of the examples. Redesigned two years ago, the compact class Forte gets noticed right away. There is a lot to like since the redesign – it’s longer, lower and […]
Gotta love the 2017 Mazda Miata convertible
The primary consideration for people who want to buy a convertible: Fun. No doubt, it can be considered a rather selfish approach to buying an automobile. Yet it remains a guideline for folks who like the top down, wind blowing slightly in their face, and taking drives for pure enjoyment. One of the standard bearers […]
Justin Timberlake returns to Tahoe celebrity golf tournament
Northern California fans of multi-talented Justin Timberlake will be happy to know he’s returning to Lake Tahoe this summer. For the third consecutive year, the actor and musician will join star athletes and entertainers at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in South Lake Tahoe. The highly-decorated performer is an avid golfer who plays […]
2017 Volvo XC60: changes arrive next year
Volvo’s top-selling model – the XC60 – needs revamping if it wants to remain relevant in a crowded field of upscale compact sport utility vehicles. The 2017 Volvo XC60 is showing its age. Recognizing the existing model kept losing ground to strong competitors like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Lexus NX 200t, and […]
2017 Kia Niro: impressive new Hybrid
There’s no disguising the goal: provide a vehicle that challenges the Toyota Prius, the current undisputed king of the gas-saving cars. The folks at Kia believe they may have developed a worthy rival in the 2017 Kia Niro hybrid. Kia labels the Niro a compact hybrid crossover sport utility vehicle. Not everyone agrees with Kia’s […]
2017 Acura MDX: versatile and classy
There are two sides to the Acura MDX. It can serve as the cool three-row sport utility vehicle that laboriously can take a carload of kids to various destinations, or be the comfortable, classy mode of travel for a small family. Now in its eighth year of production by Honda’s luxury division, the 2017 Acura […]
Annika Sorenstam golf weekend at Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
Guests of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe will once again be able to receive golf tips from Annika Sorenstam. Arguably the best woman to ever play on the LPGA tour, Sorenstam will be at The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe for a third straight year, offering an exclusive golf weekend July 21-23. Members of the The Ritz-Carlton Rewards […]
Redesigned 2017 Hyundai Elantra keeps improving
Just because a vehicle goes through a redesign, don’t assume that means new is better. In some instances, that’s not true. However, that’s not the case with the 2017 Hyundai Elantra. Give it up for the Hyundai engineers, who equipped the redesigned Elantra with three new engines, a freshened exterior styling, added a seven-speed dual-clutch […]