Ken Glassman

2017 Polaris Slingshot SL – First Drive Review – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman  

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Taking a ride out to Nielsen Enterprises, in Lake Villa, IL is always a treat. They’re the ultimate big boy toy store.  You can buy anything from ATV’s, UTV’s personal watercraft, snowmobiles, all four Japanese motorcycle brands, Can-AM Spyders, and Polaris products. If it’s fun, and it goes fast, Nielsen’s got it. Today’s mission is to take a Polaris Slingshot out for a test and find out why they can’t make them fast enough. The Slingshot is a three-wheel vehicle, with two wheels in front, and a single wheel in back.  It is 150” long, which is 4” shorter than …

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2017 KIA Soul Turbo – Road Test Review – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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Kia sells a full lineup of excellent vehicles, from small economy sedans and crossovers, to mid and full size sedans and Suv’s . They even build a luxury sedan rivaling some of the best from Japan and Europe.  They have many hybrid models, and even a fully electric car.  But their best-selling model is the Soul. This compact crossover is designed to appeal to the young Millennial generation, but even this old greybeard find it an engaging vehicle that provides a lot of features, roomy interior, gas mileage economy in a fun package. For 2017, Kia has upped the fun …

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2016 Mazda MX-5 Club 6MT 3

Road Test Review – 2016 Mazda MX-5 Club 6MT – By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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  In the spring of 1971, I was almost finished with my freshman year at the University of Iowa, and it was time for me to get my first new car.  My father and I were to split the cost.  His idea of the perfect car for me was a low mileage, 1969 Chevrolet Impala, 4-door.  And my idea was a 1971 MGB rag top.  While my friends were into muscle cars of the time like Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and Barracudas, I was more interested in small British cars that, while not fast, were known for handling prowess, rather than …

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2016 INFINITI QX80 Limited AWD Review - EXTERIOR PHOTOS 3

Road Test Review – 2016 INFINITI QX80 Limited with Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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2016 INFINITI QX80 Limited AWD Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman   The first thing I noticed when the Infiniti QX80 arrived in my driveway was how big it is.  It’s HUGE.  How huge is it?  I think the front bumper resides in a different zip code than the rear bumper. (Rim-shot)  You don’t look for a parking space as much as a mooring. (Another rim-shot).  If you are not Shaquille O’Neal, you better get a ladder if you want to wash the roof. The QX80 is a full five-inches longer than a Cadillac Escalade, and has a five-inch longer wheelbase.  That’s …

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2016 Scion iM Review by Ken Glassman 10

Road Test Review – 2016 Scion iM by Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman

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Road Test Review – 2016 Scion iM By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman In 2003, Toyota created the Scion brand to appeal to younger buyers with small fuel efficient vehicles that were entry level, but without making the buyer feel like they were entry level. Also, Toyota was never known to push the styling envelope, so Scion was supposed to be the new brand that would put more hip styling on display without upsetting Toyota’s core customers. As it turns out, young buyers prefer the Toyota brand over the Scion brand.  Over the years, Scion had built some interesting vehicles, but they …

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Review 1

Hawkeye Drives – 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited 1.6T Review

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman Two years ago, I needed to replace the wife’s aging Hyundai Santa Fe.  Since the new Santa Fe models had grown considerably in size, and she still wanted a small SUV, I went to the dealer to buy the Tucson.  We were a Hyundai family, as both daughters and a son-in-law owned Hyundai various models, and everyone was happy with their vehicles.  But I found the generation II Tucson was the first Hyundai I had ever been disappointed in.  So disappointed, we wound up with a Nissan Rogue, which we’ve been happy …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Lexus RX350 F Sport AWD

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2016 Lexus RX 350AWD F Sport Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman   Sixteen years ago Lexus introduced us to the RX – a midsize luxury SUV that seated 5 people, had a very usable rear cargo area, and was based on a car chassis, so it drove more like a car than a truck.  It had a pleasant ovoid or jelly bean shape, and was reasonably priced.  It struck a chord with the buying public, and quickly became Lexus’ best-selling vehicle, and it has remains their top selling vehicle as it now launches the fourth generation for 2016.  The RX …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Toyota AVALON Touring

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2016 Toyota Avalon Touring Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman We recently tested a 2015 Toyota Avalon, the first Avalon we had tested in quite a few years.  And the full size car impressed us with its roominess, performance, and its luxury look and feel. But before I had a chance to write the review, the 2016 model became available, so I decided to wait a little bit, and write about that one, to also report on the subtle changes for the 2016 model year. This year, the Avalon’s grill gets a bit larger, and sports a little downturn at the …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Buick Encore AWD Premium with Ken Glassman

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2015 Buick Encore AWD Review By Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman   The marketing folks at Buick have identified a large group of auto buyers who are looking for cars that have a prestige image, contemporary styling, and nicely appointed comfortable cabins. These shoppers want luxury amenities, but are also environmentally conscious and don’t require strong gas guzzling performance. The 2015 Buick Encore was designed with those attributes in mind. The handsome, rugged exterior styling features sculpted lines from the front clip and steeply raked hood (complete with Buicks iconic Venti-ports) to the character lines running just above the beltline, and door …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Lincoln MKC AWD with Ken Glassman

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2015 Lincoln MKC AWD Review by Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman The Lincoln brand has been trying to find itself and find its place in the market for years now. They have produced some fine vehicles, but their focus has been a bit blurry. They need to appeal to younger buyers who for years have only considered German or Japanese luxury brands as being the real deal. But this compact crossover may be just the vehicle to boost the Lincoln cachet, and puts the brand on a path to growth and prosperity. The MKC has handsome, sophisticated exterior styling, performs well , …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4 with Ken Glassman

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2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4 By Ken Glassman   The Jeep came into existence during World War II, when the US Government needed a small agile 4-wheel drive vehicle that could get through mud, snow, and sand, and carry 4 soldiers, crawl up and down hills, ford small streams, tow a light artillery piece, and be reliable and easy to service. Millions of them were built, and they saw action in the forests of Europe, and the sands and jungles of Asia in World War II, as well as Korea, and even Viet Nam. And millions of soldiers drove …

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2015 Dodge Journey Crossroad AWD

Road Test Review – 2015 Dodge Journey Crossroad AWD By Ken Glassman

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  2015 Dodge Journey Crossroad AWD Review By Ken Glassman The Dodge Journey is a bit of a sleeper in the conversation about compact SUV’s. Some of that may be due to the fact that it’s larger than the likes of the Nissan Rogue, Honda CRV, or Toyota Rav 4, yet still not up to the size of full sized SUV’s, like the Highlander, Pathfinder, or Pilot.  But this Dodge “tweener” has some good features, and for those looking for a larger family vehicle, which can be had with a third row seat, there’s a lot to look at. There …

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2015 Subaru Outback Limited 4

Road Test Review – 2015 Subaru Outback Limited By Ken Glassman

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  2015 Subaru Outback Limited By Ken Glassman Since nearly 25% of Subaru’s total vehicle sales, or around 120,000 copies, comes from the Outback model, Subaru understood that radical changes would be a risky proposition. Outback buyers are a fiercely loyal group, and that’s because they have been happy with the package that Subaru has been offering for many years. So while the 2015 model is based off the new Legacy sedan, the Outback changes have been evolutionary, not revolutionary. The result is a better vehicle, with mild styling changes, and improvements. PERFORMANCE Two engine options are available, and while …

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2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited Review

Road Test Review – 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited – By Ken Glassman

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2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited Review By Ken Glassman The first Hyundai Sonata appeared on the scene way back in 1988. It was a small, homely looking sedan, but a capable, economical car with a lot of content found only on cars costing a few thousand dollars more. And it may be best remembered for having a five year bumper to bumper warranty, and 10 years on the powertrain. Hyundai in those years were trying to impress the buying public that their cars were ready for prime time, and they were willing to back them up with the best warranty in …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Kia K900 V8 – By Ken Glassman

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  2015 Kia K900 Review By Ken Glassman For 2015 Kia has jumped into the high end luxury sedan market with the K900, just as their sister company Hyundai has done with the Equus. In fact, both cars share the same basic platform, and mission statement. That is – to build a high quality automobile, stuff it with a long list of standard safety, and luxury appointments and amenities, and offer it at a price that is thousands of dollars less than similarly equipped German, Japanese, and even American luxury brands. Under the long hood, you’ll find a muscular 5.0 …

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2015 Hyundai Genesis 5

Road Test Review – 2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 RWD

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2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 Review By Ken Glassman   If you got behind the wheel of the new Hyundai Genesis 5.0 and didn’t know who manufactured the car, you’d swear you were driving a German luxury car, like the E-class Mercedes, or 5-Series BMW, or Audi A6. Only after looking at the price tag would you know that it couldn’t be one of those European makes, because a similarly equipped German sedan would cost at least 6 to 10 grand more. The Genesis is both an outstanding car in its own right, and an outstanding value. V-8 engines are becoming …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Lexus RX350 AWD

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2015 Lexus RX350 AWD Review By Ken Glassman   Let’s set our way-back machine to 1999, when Lexus created the mid-size luxury SUV market with the RX 300. It was an immediate success, and sent the rest of the industry scrambling to catch up. Within a few years, all the major luxury brands were turning out competitor vehicles, and they all got better and better. Today, the competition is fierce with Acura, BMW, Audi, Lincoln, Cadillac, and Infinity all vying for a share of the pie. But the RX has remained one of the most successful models of all time. …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD

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   2014 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD Review     By Ken Glassman Way back in 1996, Toyota introduced the RAV4 as a small sport utility vehicle that was something different than a stodgy station wagon. It provided the cargo carrying capacity of a wagon, comfort for 4 adults (and a fifth in a pinch), and was fuel efficient and high quality. It was a boxy and homely, but it quickly became the formula for other manufacturers to emulate. It wasn’t an exciting vehicle to drive, but its utilitarian function won over a generation of drivers. Today the 2014 RAV4 is …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5-Door Drives Like BMW!

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By Special Contributor Ken Glassman Mazda has been making some great cars for a long time. And Mazda has been setting themselves apart from the crowd by dialing in more driving excitement. You can always count on a Mazda to offer outstanding handling and excellent performance into all their models. And the 3 series Grand Touring is no exception.  EXTERIOR The styling of this 5-door hatchback is slick and unique. Hatchbacks are not nearly as popular in the US as they are everywhere else in the world, but this one may change how Americans look at a hatchback, and see …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Lexus GS350 AWD Is Quick And Balanced with Killer 835W Audio System

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By Special Contributor Ken Glassman Photos Include the 2015 GS350 F Sport Crafted Line EXTERIOR Refreshed in 2013, the Lexus GS350 remains about the same for the 2014 model year. For whatever reason, the mid-size Lexus has never been a great selling model, maybe because it goes up against some stiff competition from the European models like the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class, BMW’s 5-Series, and even the excellent Cadillac CTS. But the GS350 and its GS hybrid cousin are still very fine automobiles, and should appeal to anyone looking for a mid-size luxury car.     The power comes from …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line Convertible

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  By Ken Glassman Five minutes after they dropped off the new Beetle Convertible R-Line in my driveway, I was out cruising down the road. Perfect sunny day, with temps in the mid 70’s, and I’m loving it. I am a big convertible fan, and will take any opportunity to get into one and enjoy the pleasure of top down driving. Unfortunately, there are precious few convertibles on the market – at least within the price range of average folks. Of course if you want to take out a second mortgage on your house, you can choose from some outstanding …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD Is Solid Drive with Potent V6 and Swanky Cockpit

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  By Ken Glassman A few months ago, I had the chance to spend about 20 minutes in the new Chrysler 200C, and I liked it very much. Now after spending a week with the car, I can confidently say that it will be my choice for Car of the Year. And I suspect that it will garner many votes from journalists for that title. It’s that good. The first generation of 200 sedans was offered in 2011, and were a good improvement over the Sebring models it replaced. But these new 200 sedans, labeled as 2015 models, takes the …

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