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Open the door of certain 1980s or early 1990s cars and a small buckle begins travelling along the roofline. Sit down, close the door and the shoulder belt glides toward the B-pillar, hopefully passi
Speed has become ridiculously easy to buy. A modern electric crossover can pin its passengers to the seats while carrying three children, a week’s shopping and a suspicious amount of sports equi
Turn into a side street, loosen the grip slightly and the steering wheel begins feeding itself back through the hands. The front wheels straighten, the car settles into its lane and the driver rarel
New tires arrive covered in information. Numbers identify their size, load capacity, speed rating and date of manufacture. Then, among all that serious molded lettering, someone appears to have atta
The emergency jack in a car’s trunk rarely inspires confidence. It is narrow, awkward and usually accompanied by a handle that looks as though it escaped from flat-pack furniture.Then ther
On a cold morning, the rear window begins clearing as expected. Most of the condensation disappears, but one neat horizontal stripe refuses to move.That stripe is useful evidence. The window has p
The key slides into the ignition normally, but refuses to turn. The steering wheel feels almost solid. Trying harder only makes the key flex in a way no piece of metal that small should ever flex.
The old-fashioned car antenna made no attempt to hide what it was. It was a long metal whip sticking proudly out of a fender, ready to catch radio stations, snag a car-wash brush or disappear overnigh
There are plenty of things inside a trunk that nobody pays much attention to. A jack that has never left its plastic tray. A spare wheel that may or may not contain air. A collection of reusable shopp
A car accelerates away on screen, clearly traveling forward, while its wheels begin doing something ridiculous. First, the spokes slow down. Then they appear to stop. A moment later, they are rotating
The engine stops. The dashboard goes dark. The radio continues playing as though it has decided the journey deserves an encore.For a driver unfamiliar with the car, this can produce an immediate r
The car drifts gently toward the shoulder, and suspicion immediately falls on the alignment.That is understandable. A car should travel where it is pointed, and anything that seems to tug at the s
A cold engine starts, and a pale cloud rolls out of the exhaust. The sight is particularly dramatic on a winter morning, when the plume hangs behind the car as though the engine has chosen a new caree
Most people call it a headrest, which makes it sound like somewhere to relax during a long traffic jam. Its proper name is head restraint, and that description is much closer to its real purpose.T
The engine is off. You push the brake pedal once, then again. Each push feels a little firmer than the last. After several presses, the pedal barely wants to move.That sensation can make it s
The key fob worked perfectly that morning. A few hours later, it has apparently decided that opening the car is no longer part of its job. The unlock button does nothing. The door handle ignores
The Toyota Land Cruiser has built its reputation on toughness, reliability, and the ability to survive just about anything. But when it comes to the latest IIHS crash tests, the rugged SUV did not qui
Nobody really thinks of a car as a computer until it starts acting like one.It unlocks from an app. It gets updates while parked. It remembers routes, phones, settings, payments, sometimes even wh
Here’s the part that feels almost unbelievable: for decades, car safety was built around a body that looked mostly like an average man.Not a small woman. Not a pregnant woman. Not the person
A full paint job sounds fun right up until someone says the price out loud.That is why car wraps have gotten so popular. They give people the part they actually want, the color change, without tur
