Armada beastly big with soft luxury interior With a name that promises size as well as exclusivity, the Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve delivers on both while coming in at what has become a mid-luxury large SUV price. The Armada, made in Mississippi along with Nissan’s luxury make Infiniti Q56, is a beastly big vehicle with... Continue Reading →
2013 Land Rover LR2
Land Rover's LR2 modest in price, but boasts off-roading capability Land Rover’s proud and adept off-roading history assures you that you’ll be getting a terrain crunching vehicle with any model, but the expectation of luxury is surely just as great. So it is with its entry-level sport-ute, the LR2. With a modest starting price of... Continue Reading →
2014 Jeep Patriot Latitude 4×4
Inexpensive new Patriot fills roll as soft-roader I like the Jeep Patriot for what it is, an inexpensive sport-utility truck that’s available with four-wheel-drive. In that, it’s simple and straight forward and has a much Jeepier look than its twin, the Jeep Compass. Let’s get this out of the way up front. Compass and Patriot are the... Continue Reading →
2014 Subaru Forester 2.0XT Premium
Subaru adds some macho to its 2014 Forester Simply put, I have a new favorite small sport-utility vehicle, the 2014 Subaru Forester. While the rest of the small ute world is going toward crossover status and swoopy designs, the Forester, one of the early crossover/utes with AWD, is going away from that. It’s going all... Continue Reading →
2013 Infiniti FX37 AWD
FX37, a love-hate relationshipInfiniti’s racy FX37 sport-ute is a classic case for a love-hate relationship.If you enjoy performance, and don’t really expect such from a sport-ute, you’ve got to love how the FX37 responds. It feels like a tall Porsche, with oodles of power from its new 3.7-liter V6. In fact, Infiniti rates it a... Continue Reading →
2013 RAM 2500 SLT Crew Cab
CNG powered RAM aims at farms and fleets There are big trucks and Monster trucks, no not those with the giant wheels that crush cars in arenas around the Midwest all winter, but Really Big trucks, like the RAM heavy-duty beast I just drove.I’ve been on the commercial test truck list for Chrysler Corp. of late. So... Continue Reading →
2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.0i Limited
 Attractive Crosstrek a bit of sedan, wagon, crossover Subaru’s new crossover, the XV Crosstrek, is an attractive vehicle that splits the difference between sedan, wagon and crossover, with many of the good characteristics of each. But the Crosstrek, which rides on the compact Impreza platform, is underpowered, so keep that in mind if you plan to... Continue Reading →
2013 Nissan Pathfinder SL AWD
No longer truck-based, Pathfinder a softer, more civilized crossover            Back in the day, which wasn’t long ago, Nissan’s Pathfinder was a sport-utility truck that was truck tough and set for off-roading and hauling gear. Today, like many of us as we age, it has gotten a little softer and is tailored now more for comfort.... Continue Reading →
2013 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD
Sporty looks, but handling falls short I’ve always liked Mazda vehicles because they look and drive a little sportier than most brands that us average middle class folks can afford. That’s why I’m disappointed with the new Mazda CX-9, the large sport-utility/crossover I just tested. It only delivers on half the equation. It still looks... Continue Reading →
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport AWD
Good-looking crossover/SUV loaded with tech goodies There are a lot of mid-size SUVs (crossovers) to choose from and now Hyundai has gone and redesigned its Santa Fe, to help complicate your choices. First, it’s a good-looking reskin with an edgier look and Hyundai continues to refine its vehicles to make them more upscale to fill... Continue Reading →