Electric VW well thought out, well-executed crossover ... Electric car haters might as well tune out right now as this review of Volkswagen’s new ID.4 all-electric crossover/SUV might melt your battery pack and explode your motherboard. That’s because the ID.4 is an extremely well-thought-out and executed EV that most families would enjoy. Like other crossovers... Continue Reading →
2022 Lexus ES250 AWD F Sport
Lexus ES250 a rare luxury sedan with AWD ... Sedans are nearly as rare today as a functioning VHS tape player, even in the luxury market. Rarer still are sedans with all-wheel-drive and a starting price well below $50,000. I never thought I’d say this, but Lexus offers a cost leader, a high-value premium mid-size... Continue Reading →
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD
Well-timed compact pickup reflects crossover roots ... Few ideas are totally new in the auto world, but often they feel new, or simply put, the time is right. Take Hyundai’s brilliant new Santa Cruz, a crossover’s crossover, a mix of crossover comfort and convenience and a pickup’s utility. Meshing the two most popular forms of... Continue Reading →
2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX
Hybrid Sorento a family hauler with a smaller carbon footprint ... Families looking for economy, but needing people-hauling ability, and whose social consciousness nags them about cutting their carbon footprint, should be dancing a conga line toward Kia dealers for a Sorento Hybrid. This family hauler was redesigned for 2021, along with its cousin, Hyundai’s... Continue Reading →
2022 Infiniti QX55 Sensory AWD
New QX55 a fun mix of fashion and luxury ... Mixing fashion and fun in a luxury SUV/crossover is about as commonplace as legislators agreeing on something. Yet Infiniti has done it with its new QX55 for 2022, and this comes after its launch of the near perfect QX50 for 2021. That SUV/crossover also slots... Continue Reading →
FALL RALLY DRIVES & Videos
MAMA Fall Rally: So many vehicles, so little time ... Once or twice a year, lately depending on the Covid threat, Midwest auto writers gather their helmets and egos before snagging seat time in the latest new machines from the top automakers. I use that term loosely because, to be honest, most of the vehicles... Continue Reading →
2022 MINI Cooper S Convertible
Wild paint, cool ragtop make MINI S an extrovert's dream ... Extroverts love MINI Coopers and they should, people chat you up when you’re driving a Zesty Yellow (looks like neon green) MINI Cooper S Convertible. Tony was one. He stepped right up in the Woodman’s parking lot to declare the near glowing MINI a... Continue Reading →
Ford’s Maverick hybrid pickup earns top EPA city MPG rating
New hybrid rated 42 MPG city, 37 MPG combined … A 2022 Ford Maverick at Road America, with Indy Lights racer on track. Last week a bunch of us Midwest auto writers got to give the new 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid pickup a spin up at Road America, and trust me Ford is gonna sell... Continue Reading →
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e
Smooth plug-in hybrid adds power, better fuel economy to SUV Luxury and power are as ubiquitous as peanut butter and chocolate. BMW knows that and blends the two with just a smidge of social consciousness in its latest X5 mid-size SUV/crossover. Its full name is X5 xDrive45e. What that means is that the power now... Continue Reading →
2022 Hyundai Kona Ltd. AWD
New Kona ups the power, yet remains cute high-value crossover ... Roughly three years had passed since I last tested Hyundai’s small crossover, the Kona. I’d almost forgotten just how much fun it is. That can’t be said for all the little crossovers, plus Kona offers AWD and remains friendly to your bank account. For... Continue Reading →