New Honda Ridgeline redefines pickups Honda has reinvented the pickup and it’s a darn sight nicer than whatever you’ve driven before. To be honest, it’s a suburban cowboy’s pickup, but that’s what so many pickups are used as anyway – kid haulers and the occasional run to a home improvement store or big-box garden center.... Continue Reading →
Audi Q7 3.0T Quattro
Audi's Q7 ute lives up to its hype ... I’d read some early reviews of the Audi Q7 full-size sport-utility and thought them suspiciously glowing, like a parent telling how great their kid’s violin concert had been. Well, count me among the converted. Big sport-utes are generally luxurious land barges that’ll pull a load and haul... 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 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 Kia Sedona SXL
New Kia Sedona improves on solid package I had driven the new Kia Sedona early this year and frankly, it had a few issues. I liked much the minivan had to offer then, and now. But I’m most impressed that all of my earlier concerns seem to have been tended to within the first year.... Continue Reading →
2016 Mazda CX-3 Touring AWD
New CX-3 a spirited, fun, small crossover Mazda isn’t the first car maker with a small personal-sized SUV, but it certainly has one of the most stylish and fun to drive with its new CX-3. The CX-3 continues the tone set by Mazda’s slightly larger CX-5 that competes with the likes of Toyota’s RAV4, Subaru’s Forester... Continue Reading →
2016 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC
New Outlander good, but doesn't raise SUV bar Mitsubishi doesn’t sell many models in the United States, so when it re-launches one, as with the new 2016 Outlander, it had better be good. The Outlander is good, but it sets no new bar for small sport-utilities, or crossovers. Yet it does raise the bar considerably... Continue Reading →
2015 Nissan Rogue SV AWD
Rogue grows to happy medium in SUV/crossover market Nissan restyled its entry-level crossover, the Rogue, last year to give it a less trucky appearance and smooth its ride along with its appearance. It works and offers a little more interior room and overall length than most small SUVs, like Toyota’s RAV4 and Ford’s Escape. Rogue... Continue Reading →
2015 Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop AWD
Durango R/T is SUV that looks like a racy minivan Dodge generally doesn’t try to blend in as a brand, favoring bolder styling than most competitors. That’s what some of us like about Dodge. Dodge’s Durango though is a bit different in that it stands out from other large SUVs, especially with its wide... Continue Reading →
2015 Lincoln Navigator 4×4
Lincoln Navigator a restyled Expedition for a lot more Back-to-back test drives of Ford’s Expedition and Lincoln’s Navigator proved both are extremely comfortable, luxurious large sport-utility trucks, but also highlighted the folly of marketing. These were close to identical trucks, both loaded with technology and luxury touches, the Ford being the near top-end King Ranch edition.... Continue Reading →