2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Outlander Sport SE AWC = smooth looks, ride Maybe I’m becoming more tolerant as I age, but I liked the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport better than I had the first time I drove it three years ago. What I liked was its looks, a smooth sophisticated body, and its smooth well controlled ride, something one comes to appreciate... Continue Reading →

April 18, 2014 0

2014 Land Rover LR4 HSE

Land Rover's LR4 designed to hit the trail ... off trail Outside of the panache that driving a Land Rover delivers, due to their relative rarity among the sea of sport-utility trucks that cover our roads, the main reason to buy one is to go off-roading. You say you don’t plan to go off-road with... Continue Reading →

April 9, 2014 0

2014 GMC Sierra 1500 AWD Crewcab SLT

Luxurious GMC Sierra the Cadillac of pickups GMC is the Cadillac of pickups, juicing up the chrome levels on the exterior and adding a bit more finery to the interior, compared to its kissin’ cousin, the Chevrolet Silverado. Make no mistake, both trucks can be equipped and decked out much like any fine luxury sedan,... Continue Reading →

March 29, 2014 0

2014 Ford Escape SE

2014 Ford Escape SE FWD Ford’s Escape is a pleasant compact sport-ute with quick handling and edgy stylish looks. The tested metallic blue SE is the mid-level model, with the S being the base and the Titanium being the high-end model that I’d previously tested. Starting price is $25,550 for the SE and it features... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2014 0

2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude 4×4

New Cherokee brings modern look, but same off-road capability Some folks had their doubts about Chrysler and Jeep when Italian carmaker Fiat assumed control of them a few years back. Now Fiat owns them outright and the new product parade can’t have been more impressive. Latest on the list is the new Jeep Cherokee. It’s an old... Continue Reading →

March 18, 2014 1

2014 Lexus RX 450h

H = hybrid in luxurious 450h crossover for a smooth quiet cruiser Lexus makes quiet, comfortable and reliable vehicles as well, if not better, than most car makers and its RX crossover has been a hit for years, being an early entry into the crossover, or tall wagon, market. Certainly Lexus does nothing to embarrass itself... Continue Reading →

February 8, 2014 0

2014 Audi Q5 TDI quattro

Audi Q5 blends luxury, utility with clean turbo diesel Luxury sport-utility vehicles all pretty much look alike, and all are loaded with luxury and high-tech features, so it’s in the blending of all these features where excellence outs itself. Even in high-end utes it has been uncommon for me to be fully comfortable with the size,... Continue Reading →

January 17, 2014 0

2014 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Ltd. 4X4

Hefty Tundra ready to take on the Big 3's Big Boys Toyota needn’t worry about folks pooh-poohing their full-size (and then some) Tundra pickup as not manly enough, or strong enough to take on the Big 3’s big boys. Heck, the tested metallic black Tundra CrewMax Limited 4X4 is nothing if not big. First, it’s U.S.-built... Continue Reading →

January 3, 2014 0

2013 Toyota RAV4 Limited AWD

Lackluster new RAV4 underwhelming Underwhelmed, that was how the new Toyota RAV4 left me. Oh it looks fine, pretty much like every other compact ute out these days, and with all the features and electronic options and doodads you’d want. But given Toyota’s history, I was surprised by how lackluster it felt and it had fit... Continue Reading →

November 10, 2013 0

2014 Acura MDX SH-AWD

New MDX lighter, loaded with gadgets galore Acura put its popular MDX sport-utility on a serious diet, tweaked its dimensions a bit and in the test version, attached every electronic gee-whiz feature its engineers could muster – hence the $57,400 price tag. First, the sport-ute added considerably to its use of high-strength steel and a new... Continue Reading →