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 →
2021 Ford Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4×4
Mid-size pickups are now bigger than full-size used to be .... When is big only mid-size? Well, today, when in the truck world mid-size means big, just not huge, like a “full-size” pickup. Case in point the mid-size Ford Ranger, which is actually two-plus inches longer and has a wheelbase 7 inches longer than a... Continue Reading →
2021 Land Rover Defender 90 First Edition
2-door Rover a retro rock star in looks, off-roading ... OK, I say Land Rover and what do you picture? Boxy, utilitarian off-roader running through tall elephant grass or African Savanna grass, a photographer’s head and camera poking from the open roof. Maybe an elephant, giraffe or even a lion wandering in the background? That’s... Continue Reading →
2021 Buick Envision Essence
Front-drive Envision the essence of entry-level luxury ... Buick has been evolving the last five years or so. It’s still a solid entry-level luxury vehicle maker, but it has been transitioning away from cars to crossovers and SUVS. Currently there are three models, the Encore and Envision that I’d classify as crossovers and the Enclave,... Continue Reading →
2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat AWD
Crazy fast Hellcat SUV a demonic delight ... Some things simply make no sense, seem coo-coo crazy, yet are so much fun that a person ignores their lunacy. For instance, Dodge’s Durango SRT Hellcat with its 710-horse supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8. Any engine oozing that many adjectives is sure to be a demon. This wild... Continue Reading →
2021 Kia Sorento X-Line AWD
New Sorento X-Line ups the SUV ante ... Choices are rife in the mid-size crossover/SUV market and Kia is not making it any easier. The fourth generation Sorento is another fine offering from the South Korean car maker, this one offering a third row seat to tempt buyers away from its kissin’ cousin, the Hyundai... Continue Reading →
2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Caligraphy
Fourth gen Santa Fe grows into a sharp looker ... Time flies. Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV proves it. Santa Fe debuted 20 years ago as the South Korean automaker’s mid-size SUV. It was nothing special, just economical and reliable. Hmmm, reminds me of how Toyota, Honda and Nissan started out in this country, except with... Continue Reading →
2022 Acura MDX SH-AWD Advance
Acura doctors up its MDX , prescribing excellence ... Rare that an automaker skips making one of its best-sellers for a year, but Acura did that - sort of - with its popular MDX luxury sport-ute to ensure its 2022 MDX was a winner. It is. To be accurate, Acura didn’t skip a whole... Continue Reading →
2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 63 S Coupe
Mercedes' racy GLE Coupe is really an SUV ... This new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is a whale of a vehicle and I mean that in mostly the nicest way, beyond its obvious looks. The GLE Coupe is essentially a large SUV with a whale-like rounded rear end. If you don’t care for the look, Mercedes... Continue Reading →
2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands 4×4
New Bronco Sport a just-right size, mild-cost off-roader ... Ford’s new Bronco Sport is going to be a winner for the blue oval folks, but it has a major challenge ahead of it: how to avoid grow too big or too luxurious. In theory that’s what the new bigger Bronco will bring, whenever it finally... Continue Reading →