Kia just keeps improving its luxurious, stylish SUV ... Even perfection can be improved upon, but often it’ll cost you. In Covid-crushing 2020 I selected Kia’s magnificent new mid-size SUV, the Telluride, as my Zoomie Vehicle of the Year. The tested top-level SX AWD version hit roughly $44,000 at the time and was as near... Continue Reading →
2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe
Plug-in hybrid smooths Wrangler power, boosts mpg ... Jeeps come in all sizes these days and with multiple powerplant choices, the latest of which provided the grunt for the tested 4-door Wrangler Rubicon. Here the power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 with plug-in hybrid system using a couple electric motors to help boost gas... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
One of the fastest SUVs on the planet OK, I'll admit, I'm partial to this week's car spot because I'm a Jeep guy and love going fast. A 6.4-liter V-8 pumps out 475 horsepower while a rowdy exhaust note tells you that it's an SRT. So what Jeep did was take a standard Grand Cherokee,... Continue Reading →
2022 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL 2.5 S-AWC
Nissan partnership helps upgrade Outlander, fuel sales ... Pardon Mitsubishi if it feels like strutting a bit, chest out, chin up, wide grin. You see, the Japanese automaker is on a roll, recording its eighth straight year of upwardly mobile sales in the giant U.S. market and its fourth in a row of 100,000+ sales.... Continue Reading →
2023 Honda HR-V AWD EX-L
Larger platform, refined styling make HR-V a better family car choice ... Surprises can be pleasing or concerning, something to celebrate or something to require pulling the bedspread up over your noggin. Honda’s new 2023 HR-V, its small SUV/crossover, is full of the former, yet seeing a starting price of $24,895 I had concerns. I... Continue Reading →
2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Ultimate
Nimble, powerful XC40 Recharge a bit shy on range ... Electric power is coming, and quickly, to some car makes, Volvo being a prime example. Its compact SUV, the XC40, debuted just a couple years back, but now is available with full electric power from twin electric motors, one front, one rear. This version is... Continue Reading →
Mazda CX-9 Signature
Attractive styling, 3 rows make CX-9 a standout ... Family vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, but Mazda’s CX-9 mid-size SUV is among the more attractive 3-row options with its distinctive beak-like nose. So many SUVs and crossovers are so darned boxy that it’s nice to see a distinguishing characteristic. Amazingly the CX-9’s design... Continue Reading →
2022 Cadillac XT6 Premium Luxury AWD
No big fins, but Caddy recaptures luxury in an SUV ... Luxury, and the perception of luxury, dictate price in the auto world, always have. But today the statistical differences between vehicles within a segment often are miniscule, a half inch here, five horsepower there. Exterior or interior styling, and the vehicle’s brand perception are... Continue Reading →
2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT AWD
Mid-level XRT a stylish and primo family mover ... Reviewing the top-tier models, the crème de la crème that each manufacturer rolls into their press fleets is the norm for automotive reviewers. There’s no sympathy for this I know, but somebody must suffer to inform the masses. That’s why this week’s mid-level Hyundai Santa Fe... Continue Reading →
2021 VW ID.4 AWD Pro S
Electric VW well thought out, well-executed crossover ... Electric car haters might as well tune out right now as this review of Volkswagen’s new ID.4 all-electric crossover/SUV might melt your battery pack and explode your motherboard. That’s because the ID.4 is an extremely well-thought-out and executed EV that most families would enjoy. Like other crossovers... Continue Reading →