Ford refines its Escape crossover . . . For 2017 Ford has restyled its popular Escape inside and out, plus developed two new engines for the entry-level sport-utility, er crossover. There’s no mistaking the Escape for something else as its profile remains much the same, but there’s a new hexagonal grille, LED trim headlights and revised... Continue Reading →
2017 Audi A4 Premium
Audi's new A4 is the epitome of fun driving ... Here’s a simple truth. It’s fun to drive a car that’s fun to drive. That may seem silly, but let’s break it down. First, cars have taken a back seat to trucks for years now as first SUVs and then crossovers replaced the family sedan... Continue Reading →
2017 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring AWD
Mazda CX-3 flickable fun, but practical too Small hatchbacks have always been fun to drive and practical too. So why shouldn’t a small crossover with a hatch be much the same? Well, more and more tiny crossovers are being made and mostly they are pretty entertaining to drive. This week’s bright metallic blue (dynamic blue mica)... Continue Reading →
2017 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD Inscription
Volvo's new XC60 sporty, powerful Hey, this newfound idea of putting some sport into small sport-utility vehicles, or crossovers, is getting to be a trend. Now Volvo joins the sportster market with its 2017 XC60, a compact ute crossover that handles like a sports sedan and kicks some booty with 302 horsepower. And get this, that... Continue Reading →
2016 Lexus RX 450h
Lexus restyles, upgrades its RX 450h The Lexus RX series has been ruling the luxury mid-size crossover roost for nearly two decades and there’s no reason to think the new RX will sully that record run. Lexus and its mainstream counterpart Toyota wised up and started restyling its vehicles and giving them some personality the... Continue Reading →
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Ultimate AWD
New Santa Fe seats 7, looks better, roomier Hyundai developed its Santa Fe into two vehicles a couple of years ago, the Sport which has a midsize 106-inch wheelbase and the straight-up Santa Fe that’ll seat seven with its longer 110.2-inch wheelbase and more interior room. The 2017 Santa Fe looks even better than its... Continue Reading →
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD The luxury crossovers, the Mercedes, Lexus, BMWs may have a hard time convincing some of their buyers that Mazda’s new CX-9 isn’t a better value. At $45,215 the Signature AWD model I tested is within an eyelash of offering the same goodies those luxury brands tout, while also offering more... Continue Reading →
2017 Kia Sportage SX AWD
Larger Sportage maintains styling edge ... Kia has upgraded and enlarged its Sportage small sport-ute to keep it competitive with the likes of Subaru’s Forester, Honda’s CR-V, Ford’s Escape and Toyota’s RAV4. This is an extremely competitive market with many good products, but Kia maintains its strong styling edge and then lengthens Sportage’s wheelbase from 103.9... Continue Reading →
2016 Toyota RAV4 SE AWD
Restyled Toyota RAV4 gets even better ... Toyota has restyled its popular RAV4 crossover to give it a sleeker more modern look while maintaining its solid underpinnings. Like most Toyota offerings, RAV4 doesn’t change much from year to year, it simply remains a good reliable machine that does what you’d expect of a small crossover. The engine... Continue Reading →
2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLT 4WD
GMC Sierra strong, powerful, luxurious, roomy ... No matter the TV truck commercials, be they for Chevy, or its cousin GMC, if you have a bear chasing you you’ll pick ANY big ol’ pickup you can haul your tushie into and away from the beast. Ah, but there’s the joke, any quarter-ton pickup you buy... Continue Reading →