Well-timed compact pickup reflects crossover roots ... Few ideas are totally new in the auto world, but often they feel new, or simply put, the time is right. Take Hyundai’s brilliant new Santa Cruz, a crossover’s crossover, a mix of crossover comfort and convenience and a pickup’s utility. Meshing the two most popular forms of... Continue Reading →
2022 Subaru Ascent Onyx edition
Biggest Subaru offers three rows, more comfort ... Subaru has this love-all thing going with the environment, and who can blame it. National Parks and dogs are universally loved and tying your sales to either seems a no-brainer. I mean baseball and apple pie had already been tried. Subie’s latest love is the Ascent, its... Continue Reading →
2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid EX
Hybrid Sorento a family hauler with a smaller carbon footprint ... Families looking for economy, but needing people-hauling ability, and whose social consciousness nags them about cutting their carbon footprint, should be dancing a conga line toward Kia dealers for a Sorento Hybrid. This family hauler was redesigned for 2021, along with its cousin, Hyundai’s... Continue Reading →
2022 Infiniti QX55 Sensory AWD
New QX55 a fun mix of fashion and luxury ... Mixing fashion and fun in a luxury SUV/crossover is about as commonplace as legislators agreeing on something. Yet Infiniti has done it with its new QX55 for 2022, and this comes after its launch of the near perfect QX50 for 2021. That SUV/crossover also slots... 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 →
2021 Buick Envision Essence
Front-drive Envision the essence of entry-level luxury ... Buick has been evolving the last five years or so. It’s still a solid entry-level luxury vehicle maker, but it has been transitioning away from cars to crossovers and SUVS. Currently there are three models, the Encore and Envision that I’d classify as crossovers and the Enclave,... Continue Reading →
2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 63 S Coupe
Mercedes' racy GLE Coupe is really an SUV ... This new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is a whale of a vehicle and I mean that in mostly the nicest way, beyond its obvious looks. The GLE Coupe is essentially a large SUV with a whale-like rounded rear end. If you don’t care for the look, Mercedes... Continue Reading →
2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum
New Rogue evolves back to top of market ... For the past century plus 20 or so years the auto market has seen fits and starts of revolution, but a whole lot of evolution. Electric cars seem revolutionary now, just as hybrids were 20+ years ago. But when a carmaker has a winner, it often... Continue Reading →
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD
Electric Mustang Mach-E a fine crossover, not a Mustang ... Marketing is an interesting and amusing craft and Ford’s marketers realize they really only have two ways to attract attention to their brand. First is the F-150, the longtime best-selling vehicle in the U.S., and second is Mustang, its iconic muscle car that has been... Continue Reading →
2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands 4×4
New Bronco Sport a just-right size, mild-cost off-roader ... Ford’s new Bronco Sport is going to be a winner for the blue oval folks, but it has a major challenge ahead of it: how to avoid grow too big or too luxurious. In theory that’s what the new bigger Bronco will bring, whenever it finally... Continue Reading →