When I responded to friends' and coworkers' inquiries about what my wheels for the week would be with "the 2013 Buick Verano Turbo," I was usually met with odd looks and replies.

"Ugh, I'm not a fan of big cars." "You must not be happy with that one." "Wow, they still make Buicks?" It seems that Buick has an uphill battle to get past all of these preconceived notions. Fortunately, while it's not a perfect car, there is much to like about the 2013 Verano Turbo.

What sort of Buick … Read more

Air bags, antilock brakes, and stability control. CD players, power locks and windows, and air conditioning. These are all features that at some point were optional (and sometimes costly) in vehicles, but over time we've come to expect them in every new car on the road -- whether that's due to legislation or changing buyer tastes. As cars continue to evolve, so grow our expectations of what should be included in the sticker price. I've rounded up a few optional car tech features that I'd like to see make the jump to being standard equipment.

Bluetooth … Read more

This is not a whopper of a tale: Jeep is the second big brand this week -- after Burger King -- to have its Twitter account hijacked.

The American automaker's official Twitter account was the victim of a hacking attempt early Tuesday. Jeep's Twitter profile was updated with a description that said the Chrysler-owner brand was sold to Cadillac, a General Motors company, which is not true. The account was restored to its original state at around noon PT.

The temporary account holders also posted several disparaging updates saying the brand was sold to Cadillac because the CEO … Read more

Nissan opened a new research center in Sunnyvale, California this week, where it will develop autonomous and connected car technologies. The new center is expected to have a staff of 60 within four years.

Nissan held a launch event for the new center, with presentations by Professor Alex Pentland, Director of the Human Dynamics Laboratory at MIT, and Professor Chris Gerdes, Director of Stanford's Center for Automotive Research.

Gerdes focused his talk on his development of steer-by-wire technology at Stanford, undertaken with the assistance of Nissan. That type of technology enters production with the Infiniti Q50.

The new research … Read more

Previous generations of the LS were loved or hated for their somewhat stodgy aesthetic. Some would call them boring; others might say classy. All would, no doubt, agree that the early LS models seemed to echo a bit too closely the German style it wished to displace. No longer is that the case.

The 2013 Lexus LS 460 features a design that is proudly Japanese and notably its own. The L-Finesse design language that has slowly been filtering down from the automaker's concept cars and into production models is in full effect here. The sheet metal seemingly peeling back … Read more

This week's Tesla versus The New York Times flap came to a climax yesterday when Tesla released the logs it promised on its Web site, and the newspaper responded with a point-by-point refutation.

Tesla's post says that New York Times environmental reporter John Broder misrepresented the Model S' performance. Broder argues that he was simply following advice from Tesla personnel during the drive.

The original New York Times story painted the Model S with a negative brush, but as I wrote Wednesday, a close reading of the article shows that the Model S operated exactly as you'd … Read more

The largest number in the current lineup of Pioneer Electronics' DEH CD receivers is 9500, which means that the DEH-X9500BHS is the top of the line, but there is more information that can be gleaned from the model name. The X designates that Mixtrax functionality (more about that later) is, for better or worse, baked in, B is for Bluetooth connectivity, H is for the HD Radio tuner, and S indicates that the DEH-X9500BHS is SiriusXM Satellite Radio-ready.

What's in the box? The DEH-X9500BHS CD receiver comes with a remote control, a USB extension cable, a microphone for hands-free … Read more

The 2013 BMW 750Li may seem like the perfect luxury car, but it did not organize my financial portfolio for me. Nor did it shine my shoes. It did not even bother to buy me a winning lottery ticket. But those are about the only services it failed to perform.

The 750Li overwhelmed me with everything it did offer, from driving modes to connected features. It delivered on BMW's reputation for excellent handling and served as a superbly comfortable freeway cruiser. It abounds with tech from stem to stern, improving its fuel economy and entertaining the driver's every … Read more

Tesla, the electric car maker, has made good on its promise of releasing logs connected to the contested New York Times' review of its Model S.

In the review, published Sunday, the Times' John Broder criticized the Model S for range issues and for problems in low-temperature environments. Tesla's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has wasted no time trying to discredit the review, claiming that Broder's account of what happened was not factual.

Here's a brief list of issues Musk gleaned from the logs: