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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday They got algorithm Posters about missing teen will be distributed Competition keen at first city chili cookoff Alice Hardesty shares healing memoir Education Ashland schools expand chicken pox exclusion rules Students go behind the scenes at hospital Ashland robotics team aims to build a winner AHS ranked No. 7 by Niche College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? Environment The top five conservation success of 2014 Protestors want Keystone pipeline plans stopped New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Turning fire fuel threat into wood stove heat Ashland watershed trails would change under proposal Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Brammo bought by Polaris They have a plan Ashland coffee roasters win nationwide honors Chamber's Business Resource Portal offers tools for success Politics and elections Chief Holderness retiring, wants to help find successor State News New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon Police officer shoots armed driver near Reedsport Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Elizabeth Hope Garrett Death Notices Harry Theodore Hertz Death Notices Marvin Leo "Bud" Gettling Shareable Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Sports Latest Stories Respect: sock it to him A Grizz sweep Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Comets press past Grizzlies Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones High school A Grizz sweep Comets press past Grizzlies Raiders put on a show Graham sparks Grizzly rout Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist Southern Oregon University Heisman winner Mariota says he's going to the NFL Buckeyes won title behind line play, Elliott and Jones Sayre says character key to SOU's success Ducks grounded Raiders put on a show Opinion Latest Stories Kent Bush: Capital punishment raises questions Our View: A matter of survival Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Other Views: Get GMO rules right Editor's Notes: We were wrong Editorial Our View: A matter of survival Other Views: Get GMO rules right Our View: No benefit from LNG pipeline Our View: Putting slash to work Our view: Protect Ashland's crown Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Bikes, hikers/equestrians need separate watershed trails Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: City hiring policy is fair, unbiased Another view: Cheney defends nation's journey into darkness Herb Rothschild Jr.: Fury impedes justice Revels Latest Stories Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Best Bets: Jan. 15-22 A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. 'Spotlight' highlights Orbison's life, music 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Theater Insights into the gifts theater offers off the stage Theater is an act of co-creation ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Music Jeff Kloetzel at Belle Fiore The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Visual Art Schneider winter exhibits on tap: 'Baker's Dozen' and 'New Works' First Friday kicks off a new year Movies Movie review: ‘Blackhat’ is a frustrating 404 error Movie review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is a gritty look at oily dealings in ’80s New York Movie review: Clint Eastwood shines as director in ‘American Sniper’ 'Selma' struggle remains relevant today Interview: Bradley Cooper discusses working with Clint Eastwood on ‘American Sniper’ Food and Drink Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Dr. Murray Feingold: How reliable is the medical information we read? Looking Up: Comet passes by the Pleiades Suzette Martinez Standring: Chance advice was eerie Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business NEWS NOW Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... Our View: A matter of survival ... Posters about missing teen will be distributed ... Brammo bought by Polaris ... Silvio Calabi: The cars of the year Comment By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Jan. 12, 2015 @ 6:39 am By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Jan. 12, 2015 @ 6:39 am » Social News Of all the cars reviewed here in 2014, these are the ones — the ones that bubbled up when someone at the Christmas party asked, “Hey, what have you been driving?” It was a fine year. Car in which we would pick up QE II at the big house and run her up to Sandringham: Bentley Flying Spur. There’s ample room for a couple of Corgis and an Asprey trunk full of tweeds and shortbread. Scotland Yard’s Protective Services Unit would just have to keep up. (We recommend the supercharged V-8 Range Rover Sport.) Car in which we’d pick up the Duchess of Cambridge, aka Kate Middleton, the Royal Sweetheart, and run her up to Sandringham: Aston Martin Vanquish. It would have to be without the duke or the little prince, as this is a two-seater. We’d go the long way. Car we’d drive to Sandringham, or anywhere else, on our own nickel: Jaguar XJ — the one with the supercharged, 340-horsepower V-6 (25 mpg counts, where gas costs $9/gallon) and AWD. Olde Worlde opulence plus modern driving dynamics at one-third of the Bentley’s sticker. We’d even take the stretch “L” model. But look out, Britain (and Germany): Hyundai’s top-rung Equus and Genesis sedans together muster 16 cylinders and 869 horsepower, adjustable everything, swanky cabins and the latest in digital doodads and safety nannies, and cost $124,700 — for both, that is. Enough said? Meanest SUV of them all: BMW X5. How can “only” 445 horsepower feel so muscular? And a tall, two-and-a-half-ton luxury “truck” feel like a racecar? The twin-turbo xDrive50i has a gilded chip on its shoulder. Now there’s a 567HP X5 M — lock up the wimmen and children! Most interesting Ford of 2014: Fiesta SFE. With just three cylinders, a clutch pedal and a 5-speed manual gearbox, Ford’s baby EcoBoost is so far behind the times that’s it’s out in front again. Expect 32 mpg in town and 45 on the highway, plus old-fashioned, hands-on, pay-attention driving. Still the top greenie hybrid: Lexus GS450h — so smooth, so quick, so comfortable, subtle and well appointed, so technically advanced and posh, yet so surprisingly frugal. It’s a luxury car for today. A sign of things to come, we hope: The Volvo V60 wagon isn’t a new model, but it’s the closest thing to one we’ve seen since the Chinese took over — in 2010! The R-Design with the turbo V-6 is really good. (Keeping fingers crossed for the new XC90.) Look, ma — no hands: Infiniti Q50, the AWD one with the Technology Package that can take over the steering wheel, brakes and gas pedal. If we all operated these things, there’d be far fewer accidents. Much less road rage, too. Imported from Detroit: Its more glamorous cousin, the Grand Cherokee, gets the awards, but don’t overlook the three-row Dodge Durango. It has the technological and dynamic chops to go with its handsome restyle, and demographically it’s midway between Sam Adams and chardonnay. No longer just for baby boomers: The C7 Stingray is faster and more agile than the C6, yet also easier to drive and more civilized in every way. The best, most refined Corvette ever. Why do we like it? Oh, but we do: The angle-iron Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is an ox cart among spaceships, yet it bristles with personality and even charisma. Pricey as the Sahara model is, it’s still a whole lot cheaper than a G550. High tech done just right: The Audi SQ5 delivers crisp performance and all manner of electronic adjustability and adaptability while still letting the driver feel like he’s in charge. Brilliant! The AWD hatchback for families that can afford the insurance (for starters): Ferrari FF. It’s much faster, much quicker, much lighter and much more awesome than you even imagined. More expensive too, but Ferrari throws in seven years of oil changes. Speaking of Ferraris, there’s another car from that family that we’re dying to get our hands on this year: the Alfa Romeo 4C, which appears to be a Lotus with an Italian accent. We’d also like a turn in BMW’s futuristic new sports coupe, the hybrid, high-performance i8, and the Tesla Model S P85D. (Any Tesla is an amazing car, but this one looks to be amazing-er yet.) Also the Cadillac ATS-V, VW’s latest Golf GTI, the Lexus RC and many more. May all our driveways be filled with interesting cars in 2015! Silvio Calabi reviews the latest from Detroit, Munich, Yokohama, Gothenburg, Crewe, Seoul and wherever else interesting cars are born. Silvio is a member of the International Motor Press Association whose automotive reviews date back to the Reagan administration. He is the former publisher of Speedway Illustrated magazine and an author. Contact him at [email protected]. By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Jan. 12, 2015 @ 6:39 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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