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SUV/Truck Reviews

2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL AWD

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Palisade, like Telluride, a first rate family SUV …

I declared the Kia Telluride the finest SUV I’d driven in ages and an absolute winner in every way when I drove it last June, but its kissin’ cousin, the Hyundai Palisade is equally as praiseworthy.

I know us reviewers are supposed to pick at the loose threads that generally fray from any new make or model, but first I’d have to find one. Don’t make me choose between Palisade and the Telluride, although on price the Hyundai seems to have a slight advantage. Continue reading 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL AWD →

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SUV/Truck Reviews

2019 Honda Passport AWD Elite

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Dandy new Passport hauls a lot of gear …

A loaded-down road trip to Minnesota was the perfect test for Honda’s latest crossover/SUV, the midsize Passport.

You may recall Passport as a midsize SUV offered earlier by Honda until 2002. It was a revamped version of Isuzu’s Rodeo (Remember Isuzu?). This is a whole new beast and a dandy one at that. Continue reading 2019 Honda Passport AWD Elite →

SUV/Truck Reviews

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T ULT AWD

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Hyundai’s Santa Fe Sport still a leader …2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

Hyundai continues to pace the small to mid-size crossover segment with its Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport.

A few years back Hyundai split its Santa Fe crossover lineup with the larger being the Santa Fe and the smaller, sportier model being the Santa Fe Sport. The test drive was a dark metallic blue version of the Sport with AWD and the Ultimate trim level. So this is the top-shelf model and therefore becomes a bit pricey. More on that later.

The Sport Ultimate looks and feels luxurious and features all the electronics you’d expect on a top-level vehicle. But unlike some utes and crossovers, the Sport handles well, rides well and has enough power to make it interesting.2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

This has the more powerful of Hyundai’s two engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, which generates 240 horsepower and a torque rating of 260. The base front-drive model features a 2.4-liter normally aspirated engine that creates 185 horses.

At that level the Sport lists at $26,245, but this top-line model starts at $38,250, plus an $895 delivery fee. Add in some options and the test crossover hit $41,355, a bit much in my book.

But there’s plenty of value, even at that.

Start with the power. The I4’s direct injection and turbocharger give you power when you need it, but allow the four-cylinder to work more efficiently when you’re just running errands. So you can get 240 horsepower tromping the gas getting on the highway, but power feels more modest around town. Continue reading 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T ULT AWD →

SUV/Truck Reviews

2017 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD Inscription

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New Volvo XC90 packs in a lot … 2017 Volvo XC90 T6

Honestly, the new Volvo XC90 is a bit overwhelming.

It’s a big luxury crossover or ute, whichever you prefer. It looks buttoned-down collar sharp and has nearly every conceivable electronic doodad, safety device and feature one could expect. But there’s just so much here to enjoy and learn it’s a bit like going to flight school straight from junior high shop.

There’s no denying Volvo has been a fuddy-duddy brand for years, the square car in the round hole that is the wagon and now crossover marketplace. Safety was its gig, which is laudable, but styling and luxury were, let’s say, well down Volvo’s best practices list.

The luxury bit has been addressed in the past several years, but the XC90 brings Volvo up to and beyond some peers in the luxury market and now its sophisticated styling is a big help.2017 Volvo XC90 T6

First, the XC90 ranges from moderate luxury to full-on eye-popping price tag luxury. The base T5 Momentum starts at $46,745 in front-drive mode and still features the potent 2.0-liter, supercharged and turbocharged I4 that runs throughout the lineup. It creates 250 horsepower in the base model and 316 horsepower in the tested T6 model with all-wheel drive. Both feature a smooth shifting 8-speed Geartronic automatic transmission.

The tested T6 AWD Inscription lists at $51,600, plus $995 delivery, but the Inscription package adds another $5,600. The metallic black test ute ended up at $72,805 after adding nine more options and packages.

Now hold on for the upper end. Volvo’s plug-in hybrid, the T8 Excellence lists at $105,989 with delivery. You read that right, but it adds an 80-horse electric motor to the equation to boost gas mileage to a still mild 25 mpg, but can run 25 miles on an electric charge. It also includes heated and massaging rear seats, a built-in fridge and a 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo.

OK, back to reality, sort of! Continue reading 2017 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD Inscription →

SUV/Truck Reviews

2017 Lexus LX 570

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Pilot wannabes will like button-happy Lexus LX 570 …2017 Lexus LX 570

If you’ve always dreamed of being an airline pilot, but never got the training, you should try landing the new Lexus LX 570.

Lexus has created a cockpit fit for a pilot wanna-be with buttons galore. About the only thing missing is an altimeter.

Here’s a quick count of what you’ll get for nearly $100 grand. The center stack has 15 buttons plus four temperature control buttons, and two knobs for the radio. The console features 11 buttons, two toggles, and two knobs, plus a small park brake lever.

Need more? Oh there’s more. The power adjusted tilt/telescope steering wheel’s hub has 10 buttons, plus a 4-way directional pad and there’s a cruise control stalk behind the wheel. There are another 8 buttons on the dash’s face, plus the start button. Ironically the foot-wide screen atop the dash is not a touchscreen, but controlled by Lexus’s awkward and touchy mouse pad on the console.

If ever there were an argument for an autonomous car, this would be the starting point.2017 Lexus LX 570

Once you’ve mastered the maze of buttons, toggles and screen controls you’ll find the LX570 is the luxury version of Toyota’s Land Cruiser, a big beast of an SUV with serious off-roading capability. It has a wheelbase of 112.2 inches and is a full 199.4 inches long. The Lexus weighs in at a stout 6,000 lbs., but will tow 7,000. Continue reading 2017 Lexus LX 570 →

SUV/Truck Reviews

2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4×4

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Ford Explorer less trucky, more luxuryexplorer2

            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 in two-wheel-drive mode, or $33,595 for a four-wheeler, but the Platinum comes equipped like a rock star tour bus and lists at $52,600. Add in a $945 delivery fee, second row bucket seats and the test ute’s spiffy bronze fire metallic paint scheme and this one hit $54,635. Continue reading 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4×4 →