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 →
2016 Ford Escape SE 4WD
Ford's Escape a looker and a handler ... Ford’s Escape is popular because it looks good, comes in a range of prices that meet a wide array of consumers’ needs, and is an extremely sporty handling crossover. None of that changes for 2016. Escape is handsome with enough of a swept-back look to appear quick and... Continue Reading →
2016 Kia Sorento SX Ltd. Turbo AWD
Handsome turbo-packing Sorento near faultless ... Several drives in Kia’s handsome Sorento crossover during the past couple years still has me searching hard for its faults. There aren’t many. Most test drives leave me wanting a little more, or less, of something, but Sorento just keeps impressing. First, it has the ability to carry seven... Continue Reading →
2016 Lexus RX350 F Sport
Snazzy Lexus RX350 leaves me wanting more ... The Lexus RX350 has set the tone for mid-size luxury SUVs, now mostly crossovers, for about 20 years and with the 2016 model being totally restyled inside and out, I was expecting more of the same. That is, I expected to be wowed by the segment leader’s... Continue Reading →
2016 Subaru Forester Limited
Subaru Forester remains spunky, sure-footed Subaru’s Forester remains one of my favorite small SUVs because of its handling, spunky power, smooth CVT, quiet interior and sure-footed AWD capability. That doesn’t even get at its other attributes, like reasonable starting price, good gas mileage, comfortable interior, top-notch safety rating and its overall usefulness. The Forester was... Continue Reading →
2016 Acura RDX AWD Advance
Acura RDX couples luxury, power with AWD Smooth, quiet and useful, with a strong interior luxury quotient. That’s the new Acura RDX AWD Advance, the top-of-the-line model that should be making European makes nervous. Why? Well, it’s awfully nice and for substantially less cash than equally equipped German makes, such BMW, Mercedes and Audi. There’s... Continue Reading →
2015 Buick Encore AWD Premium
Buick Encore surprisingly nimble The Buick Encore and Chevy Trax are kissin’ cousins riding on the same platform with the same engine and transmission, but aimed at different markets. Not surprisingly the Chevy aims at value-minded and younger buyers, while the Buick aims more upscale, at empty-nesters who demand luxury and feel they’ve hit a stage... Continue Reading →