4Runner is old school and that's OK ... Technophobes and off-roaders have a rare opportunity to live life large aboard Toyota’s rough trail loving 2018 4Runner. That’s because this off-roader has not yet been updated to include all the electronic gee-whiz gadgets that fill most others in the segment. Some might say the 4Runner is... Continue Reading →
2018 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4×4
Toyota's big ol' Sequoia overdue for a restyling … Toyota’s big Sequoia sport-ute is overdue for a restyling and needs a few interior upgrades to compete for class leader in this market dominated by the likes of Chevy and GMC’s Suburban, plus Ford’s Expedition and Nissan’s Armada. All are big boys in a big boy... Continue Reading →
2018 Nissan Titan XD Diesel Pro-4X 4×4
Nissan Titan XD diesel, the locomotive of pickups . . . Let’s be honest, all the large heavy-duty pickups are pretty much alike in how they drive and the features they pack. Pricing is also very close. But some just look more serious than the others and I think of this week’s test truck, the... Continue Reading →
2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4×4 Double Cab, long bed
Toyota's Tacoma TRD a big mid-size pickup for off-roading ... There was a day, not all that long ago, when Toyota’s Tacoma, along with the likes of Ford’s Ranger and Chevy’s S-10, was a small, personal-sized pickup. These were young guy “first cars” because they were inexpensive wheels, macho enough to get the... Continue Reading →
2017 New Jeep Compass Latitude 4×4
New Jeep Compass leapfrogs its predecessor ... Jeep has remade its Compass and moved it from near the bottom of the small crossover sport-utility list to much nearer the top. The former Compass didn’t impress in any way, while the new Compass starts by looking like a miniature Jeep Grand Cherokee with a handsome 7-bar grille... Continue Reading →
2017 Toyota 4Runner 4×4 TRD Off-Road Premium
Tough Toyota 4Runner is anything but a TRD ... Let’s face it, you’d better have a pretty strong, competent vehicle if you’re going to give one of its models the TRD moniker. We all know what that sounds like, but in Toyota’s case it means Toyota tough, as in Toyota Racing Development. And that’s why... Continue Reading →
2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd. 4×4
Jeep's Grand Cherokee touts power, toughness and luxury ... What could be more patriotic than a Jeep? And the brand, now part of Fiat-Chrysler, is celebrating 75 years of Jeepdom, although the test model wasn’t specially adorned. This was a dark metallic gray Grand Cherokee Limited with 4-wheel-drive, starting at a relatively sane $39,895 and... Continue Reading →
2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4×4
Ford Explorer less trucky, more luxury Long gone is the truck-based Ford Explorer that fueled the SUV craze that begot today’s crossover craze. The 2016 Explorer while tall and muscular is car-based and luxurious, which explains both its popularity and in the tested unit’s Platinum trim, its price. A base Explorer starts at $31,595... Continue Reading →
2016 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew
Sorry Chevy, lighter Ford F-150 still a strong hauler The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States virtually forever and there’s a reason for that, it’s a darned nice truck. Now that it has an aluminum body and notwithstanding the funny Chevy commercials poking fun at it, it’s even better. It’s... Continue Reading →
2015 Ford Expedition King Ranch 4X4
Ford's Expedition King Ranch a big, luxurious hauler More than 10 years have passed since I last reviewed a Ford Expedition, which tells you something about how little Ford’s biggest sport-utility truck changes. Like the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon it competes with, the Expedition is a steady Eddie. It’s truck-based and... Continue Reading →