Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Hummer H3, Part 2

The H3 looks like a Tonka toy, in a good way. It also looks exactly like how you'd expect a Hummer to look, although other than styling cues the appearance isn't close to the H1 or H2. So the aggressive, tough look of the H3 is a success. It only...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Hummer H3, Part 3

You already have an H1 and an H2 and want to complete the set. You want a car that "feels safe." You're genuinely interested in off-roading. You want an SUV that actually looks like a truck instead of some warmed-over tall wagon. It's slow as molasses, fuel economy is terrible,...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Jeep Compass, Part 1

Jeep has always signified a go-anywhere-and-damned- if-I'm-not-allowed-to mentality. It's a marque that's retained the muddy patina of its roots as a military vehicle, despite post-decommissioning hazards that included rotating ownership and a raft of spotty offshoots. It even survived (and flourished amid) a more "feminine" — as some would say...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jaguar XJ Super V8, Part 1

First, the good news. The Jaguar XJ Super V8 is as fast as its V12-engined competitors for more than $25,000 less. (You could pick up a used X-Type with the spare change, but why would anyone do that?) At any rate, the long-wheelbase XJ comes with the supercharged, 4.2-liter V8...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jaguar XJ Super V8, Part 2

The Jaguar XJ is stylishly retro, much in the way of a Fila or Izod shirt. The proportions are well matched front and rear, and it is instantly recognizable as a Jaguar. It is also instantly recognizable as something that is related to an X-Type, which is bad. (Fine, the...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Jeep Compass, Part 2

The Jeep Compass takes all the good hot-hatch looks of the Dodge Caliber and chops them off. The sweet-looking crossbar front-end is gone, replaced by what looks to be leftover front ends from the first-generation Liberty. The rest of it appears far too low to the ground to be of...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Jaguar XJ Super V8, Part 3

All that watching "Top Gear" has you believing British cars truly are the best in the world. You want a classy, fast, comfortable full-size luxury car that doesn't have an aftertaste of bratwurst. It's four cylinders short of over-the-top luxury. Ford hasn't exactly fixed Jaguar's questionable quality issues. It's still...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Jeep Compass, Part 3

You're the type of person who thinks "Jeep" is a cartoon character named Eugene from the 1930's Popeye comic strip. You're someone who doesn't give a rat's ass what other people think about them and wants an inexpensive and useful vehicle to go from one place to the next —...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hardtop, Part 1

Despite being a megaseller and perennial favorite of pen-toting pistonheads, the Mazda Miata is still considered a chick car. Make that was. The new MX-5 resembles a lightweight power lifter — tiny but bulgy, with flared wheel arches rising out of the hood and the trunk, aggressive swells around the...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hardtop, Part 2

She's a beaut. First of all, massive kudos to Mazda's design team for having the balls to let a Japanese car look like a Japanese car. No one is aping Germany here. The front end is the best Schnoz to spring from the land of Tentacle-Rape Anime since Commander Bond...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hardtop, Part 3

You are passionate about driving. You like embarrassing Solstice drivers. Power slides are your thing. You drift in your sleep. You understand that for the money, this is the best car on the road. You absolutely need to lug around surfboards and half-stacks. I can't really think of another reason....

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8, Part 1

Fire up any vehicle that breaks the 400 hp threshold — no matter who makes it — and you know you're in for a hoot. But it takes more than an engine tuned by ADD cases to create a car that's truly exciting — one that makes cartoon wolves turn...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T, Part 1

You've already read the review of the (or at least you looked at the pictures). Well, the Dodge Caliber is a Jeep Compass with a Dodge grille grafted on. Actually it's the other way around. I'll just say the Dodge is the car DCX was supposed to build, while the...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T, Part 2

Unlike the polarizing design of the Dodge Magnum, the Caliber goes for universal opinion. Unfortunately that opinion is not very good. The Caliber does, however, succeed on two fronts: It's not girly, nor does it have the bland, jellybean-space-shuttle shape of other hatchbacks like the Mazda5 or Honda Fit. While...

Nov 15, 2024

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Dodge Charger SRT 8, Part 2

***** From that mean n' nasty front end that's slung so low to the ground your sister could use it to press her garters, over the hood scoop and all the way back to the tips of the dual-exhausts, you either love it or you hate it. We love it....

Nov 15, 2024