JIM MATEJA
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AUTO REVIEW: Dodge minivan is still the one 
The Grand Caravan is more enticing when gas prices lean closer to $2 than $3 for two reasons: The tank holds 20 gallons, for a $20 spread between the tabs for a fill, and at a rating of 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway you have to cover the spread a lot.
By Jim Mateja , June 15, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: Honda's reintroduced Insight is roomier, less stingy on gas
Honda offered the first hybrid in the U.S., the Insight, which bowed in December 1999.
Insight is back for 2010, arriving in showrooms now. It soon will have competition from the next-generation 2010 Toyota Prius, the hybrid sales leader.
By Jim Mateja , May 20, 2009
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AUTO Q AND A: Too soon to tell on vouchers for Pontiac owners
Q. When GM closed down Oldsmobile, every Olds owner got a voucher good for $2,500 off the purchase of a new Oldsmobile or $1,500 off any other GM brand. Will Pontiac be doing something similar?
By Jim Mateja , May 19, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: Elantra Touring does most everything right
With crossover and station wagon DNA, Elantra Touring isn't the fastest or highest-mileage or most stylish vehicle in the market. Rather than stand out in a category or two, Elantra Touring simply does a lot of things very well, with almost no shortcomings.
By Jim Mateja , May 11, 2009
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AUTO Q AND A: Let's cut GM a little slack
Q. A reader suggested General Motors and Ford consider moving their headquarters to a more "edgy" city like Los Angeles. He also said Detroit's performance cars contributed to the decline of the Big Three.
By Jim Mateja , May 06, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: Sprinter fashioned for extended uses
To some, like the politically correct police, an eight-passenger Chevy Suburban or Ford Expedition SUV is too big.
But to others, like cable TV's Jon and Kate, even a Suburban or Expedition is too small to hold their brood of eight.
By Jim Mateja , May 05, 2009
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AUTOMOTIVE Q AND A: What are the automakers to do?
Q. I'm shocked you've adopted the view that the Chicago Auto Show exists to sell cars and should continue that mission. Are more car sales good?
By Jim Mateja , April 28, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: Hi-yo, Silverado: Hybrid a way to save gas
The gas/electric version of the full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup is the brainchild of Rick Wagoner, the General Motors chief executive deposed in the Obama administration's restructuring of the company.
By Jim Mateja , April 27, 2009
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AUTO ADVICE: Hubcap hustle won't help income
Q. Is there any scrap metal value to hubcaps that you see around potholes? Enough value, for example, to collect them to supplement my income?
M.H., Cicero, Ill.
By Jim Mateja , April 21, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: Kia baring its Soul before youthful carbuyers
When piloting the 2010 Chevy Camaro sport coupe through the Detroit 'burbs, jaws dropped, eyes popped and one loyalist was so moved he broke into a gallop to try to catch up with it for a closer look.
By Jim Mateja , April 20, 2009
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AUTO REVIEW: Diesel-engine BMW 335d performs without raising a stink
When putting fuel-efficient vehicles on a shopping list, most wouldn't mark down any BMWs, which are better known for 0-to-60-mph performance than for sipping liquid energy.
Take the newest member of the family: the 2009 335 sedan. It takes only 6 seconds to go from standing start to 60, thanks to its 3-liter, 265-horsepower, twin-turbo inline 6 with six-speed automatic.
By Jim Mateja , April 14, 2009
AUTO REVIEW: TriFun far from being a car
Q. I felt extremely impressed with this year's auto show. American manufacturers have made an impressive effort to create great answers to the foreign automakers. In particular, I liked a few models on display by a small company called Tricar. Though very bare-bones vehicles, they're extremely practical, and with their high fuel economy seem like great vehicles for the price.
By Jim Mateja , April 13, 2009
AUTO Q AND A: Muscle cars provide an alternative
Q. While the new Camaro is eye-catching and probably fun to drive, it's precisely cars like this that contribute to Detroit's decline. In terms of nationwide sales numbers, the retro muscle cars are little more than a novelty act. Despite the quote at the end of your column that "not everyone wants to drive a Prius," the majority of Americans will continue to buy hybrid Civics, Camrys and Prius.
For the Detroit Three to survive, they need to get out of Detroit, where they are mired in the past and have lost touch with the tastes of the rest of America. If GM and Ford corporate offices were based in L.A., New York or Atlanta, you might see a cutting-edge American hybrid able to honestly compete with Prius.
K.K., Batavia, Ill.
By Jim Mateja , April 07, 2009
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AUTO REVIEW: Times may be tough, but Porsche makes Carrera hard to resist
Tired of all the dreary news?
Then slip behind the wheel of a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera for a little R&R.
We briefly felt guilty about enjoying a high-performance sports car at a time when some are losing sleep over conserving an ounce of fuel, until we pulled the ruby-red Porsche into a mall lot as a bumblebee-yellow Smart was pulling out.
By Jim Mateja , April 06, 2009
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AUTO REVIEW: Compact GLK delivers in a big way
The GLK that twists and turns through those narrow European byways in TV ads is a well-appointed piece of fine art with craftsmanship worthy of the Mercedes-Benz name.
By Jim Mateja , March 30, 2009
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