8 people can ride in style in this upscale Calligraphy model ... Think stylish vehicles and you’d be wise these days to first turn your attention to Hyundai or Kia. The two South Korean carmakers have been breaking the staid auto world’s styling molds for several years now. Case in point, the tested Hyundai Palisade... Continue Reading →
2022 Ford Maverick Lariat FWD
Ford returns to the compact pickup market with a hybrid ... Finally, finally, finally the nation’s leading truck maker has returned to the compact pickup market as Ford introduces the Maverick pickup. Oldtimers will recall the original Ford Maverick as an inexpensive compact car that did not distinguish itself, but this Maverick is gonna be... Continue Reading →
2022 Kia Stinger GT-Line RWD
Power, handling, looks, Stinger as swanky as European makes ... Swanky European luxury sports sedans often crest $50,000, but they deliver the looks and performance that command a premium. Most also have earned a reputation for quickness and precision handling over decades of development. So what happens when a newcomer sidles up behind the established... Continue Reading →
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness
Wilderness trim moves Forester further off road ... I’m not sure it’s ever totally fair to test a vehicle in Wisconsin in January, but then we all DO have to drive here in winter and Subaru designs its cars for our climate with full-time AWD. So I guess I shouldn’t feel too sorry for the... Continue Reading →
2022 Genesis GV70 3.5T Sport Prestige
A new ute that Bond, James Bond, could love ... If James Bond were to drive a crossover/SUV (and I pray he doesn’t … ever) I’m convinced it would be a Genesis GV70, just for its looks. This compact luxury SUV’s looks ooze confidence, sexiness and swagger, very Bondish. They seem to say to all... Continue Reading →
2022 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD
Pathfinder adds third row seat, 20-inch tires, 2-tone paint ... Can mid-size SUVs get any bigger? Well, sure as buyers move away from minivans they find 5-passenger SUVs are too tiny for many of them. Marketing and design folks listen, so here’s another, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder with a third row. Pathfinder started out like... 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 Volkswagen Taos SE
Taos another newcomer in expanding small crossover market ... Oh my, the burgeoning small crossover market just added another competitor, the Volkswagen Taos (rhymes with House), and if value is your main shopping criteria the Taos should be near the center of your bull’s-eye. Just in the last year I’ve reviewed the following tiny crossover... Continue Reading →
2022 Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Advanced
Can a luxury sport sedan be a value leader? Yes, if it's a Genesis G70 ... In the olden days, 1980s and 1990s, there were a few grunty sport sedans that wouldn’t send a buyer to Uncle Guido for a small loan. That was then, this is now, and a loan is a near certainty.... Continue Reading →
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic (AWD)
Mercedes delivers a sporty small crossover with its GLA250 ... Life is getting harder for premium brands. For instance the small crossover market is flooded with snazzy options, the Lexus UX, Volvo XC40 being two I’ve tested, while the pressure is coming from the likes of Mazda’s near perfect CX-30 along with Subaru’s Forester. Into... Continue Reading →