Shorter Cross Sport aims at slightly different buyer ... Rarely are two vehicles as similar as the Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. Rarer yet is my getting to test such a duo within weeks of each other. A little more than a month ago I enjoyed the Atlas, which is about 5 inches longer... Continue Reading →
2021 Volkswagen Atlas SEL
New VW Atlas is a 3-row Easy Rider ... Some vehicles stand out by not standing out. They are what I call Easy Riders, or maybe more appropriately Easy Drivers. Such is Volkswagen’s restyled Atlas, the German firm’s mid-size crossover and one of its best-selling models in the U.S. market. VW restyled its nose and... Continue Reading →
2020 Toyota Highlander Platinum AWD
Highlander gets bigger and better ... I’m not a bigger is better sort of guy. My parents used to tell me the best things come in small packages. So I’m not one to automatically rave about Toyota’s new Highlander because it has grown dimensionally, about 2.5 inches of wheelbase and overall length. But if you’re... Continue Reading →
2020 Nissan Pathfinder SV (Rock Creek Edition)
2020 Nissan Pathfinder SV 4WD Do you prefer old school or retro to an overabundance of digital doodads? Do you prefer driving your vehicle to your vehicle driving you? Nissan has an answer for you if you’re an SUV lover. Its name is Pathfinder. This is a fine SUV with room for seven passengers, but... Continue Reading →
2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
4Runner TRD Pro a muscular drive ... My wife calls Toyota’s 4Runner a manly man’s truck, and it certainly is. Tall, muscular looking, big tires and wheels, a hood scoop, a husky luggage rack on the roof and an engine that growls along with knobby tires that rumble on the road. Yes, manly and a... Continue Reading →
2019 Lexus RX 350L AWD Luxury
Lexus RX 350L, when you're entitled to more luxury ... There’s no doubt we’re an entitled society from top to bottom. But when one slides behind the steering wheel of a Lexus RX 350L it’s hard not to feel a strong urge of entitlement, and contentment. Granted, I’m lucky to get such a chance, but... Continue Reading →
2019 Honda Passport AWD Elite
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... Continue Reading →
2019 Audi Q8 quattro
Audi Q8 quattro a loaded fancy-pants SUV ... Luxury and prestige have their price, and for Audi’s largest SUV, the Q8, that starts at $68,395. Luckily that includes delivery charges, and to be honest, quite a lot else. Think of this as the SUV version of Audi’s fancy pants A8 sedan, which as a top-line... Continue Reading →
2020 Kia Telluride SX AWD
Kia Telluride a perfect people mover, a slam dunk … Kia’s first big SUV is a perfect game, a hail Mary touchdown pass, a buzzer beater, whatever superlative sports metaphor you’d choose, the Telluride is all that. It’s harder to write a glowing review than one that picks a few nits, yet I found none... Continue Reading →
2019 Honda Pilot AWD Elite
Well-rounded Honda Pilot a stellar SUV ... Not that long ago Honda’s Pilot was a boxy ol’ thing that frankly was as stylish as a shoe box jacked up on 20-inch wheels. But like its chief rival, Toyota, Honda seems to have suddenly gotten the word that blah styling doesn’t help you stand out in... Continue Reading →