When you think of the Chevy Blazer name, an image of a burly full-size SUV may come to mind. That representation would be correct, especially if you had in mind the first model sporting the Blazer inscription. Indeed, when the Chevrolet K5 Blazer rolled out in 1969, it immediately made … Read more
Circle the wagons as the Jaguar XF Sportbrake has arrived. The 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake is a midsize luxury wagon, a model that joins the existing XF sedan. Jaguar’s new model blends the best of a sedan with a crossover, giving customers a fresh choice in the luxury sphere. The … Read more
The CX-5 supplies a powerful presence among small SUVs. Mazda may be a small player in the automotive sphere, but not one model fails to garner the attention it deserves. Credit goes to Mazda designers for delivering a fetching design across its entire model line. That model line now includes … Read more
The second-generation Buick Enclave takes a bow. It took 10 years, but the long wait for the second-generation Buick Enclave may have been worth it. Buick’s midsize, three-row SUV is all-new for 2018, delivering a look that is sleeker and more polished than the model it replaces. Its expressive design, … Read more
The Highlander family SUV for those who don’t want a family minivan. Midsize, three-row sport utility vehicles are the conveyance of choice for millions of American families. Indeed, in large part, SUVs have supplanted minivans in the people-carrying department, which itself displaced station wagons from an earlier era. Toyota, however, … Read more
Subaru’s small Crosstrek is big on available advanced safety features. What on earth is Subaru doing?! This once niche automaker is tearing up the market, consistently so since the Great Recession. Subaru continues to expand its product mix and will soon have four lines of utility vehicles when its largest … Read more
Updated May 8, 2018, to include pricing details. New Kicks model debuts next June. Strange looks aside, the Nissan Juke was a fun little crossover, one of the first models of its kind. Since its 2011 debut, nearly every manufacturer has jumped in and with designs much more subdued than … Read more
Ascent: All-new turbocharged 2.4-liter BOXER engine for Subaru’s largest model. The 2019 Subaru Ascent made has made its debut at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, the largest model ever produced by this once niche Japanese automaker. Available in seven- or eight-passenger configurations, the all-wheel-drive 2019 Ascent should keep Subaru … Read more
The Kia Sorento seats 5 or 7, offers 3 engine choices & tows up to 5,000 pounds. The midsize crossover market is awash with competitors, with the Kia Sorento one of the few offering two- and three-row seating capacities. Its elegant looks and available premium features make it a strong … Read more
Hyundai’s largest SUV in Ultimate form. Hyundai is just a few months away from welcoming a fourth SUV to its product line, the subcompact Kona. And it can’t come soon enough. Indeed, with sales of its compact Tucson up 26.8 percent year-to-date through September, strongly suggesting another small model would … Read more
Infiniti takes on the bottom end of the luxury market. America’s insatiable appetite for crossovers hasn’t been lost on manufacturers, including luxury brands such as Infiniti. The Infiniti QX30 is the latest model from Nissan’s luxury brand, a compact crossover with a strong hatchback vibe. Introduced in 2017, the QX30 … Read more
Made-in-Tennessee SUV offers a longer bumper-to-bumper warranty. An atlas may describe a collection of maps, but in Greek mythology, he is the titan condemned to hold up the sky for eternity. More commonly, we see statues of Atlas holding up the earth, including the one on display in front of … Read more
Updated February 1, 2018, to include pricing. Hyundai Kona: Make that four Hyundai SUV models by March 2018. Hyundai’s US sales are down this year and for one significant reason: the automaker lacks a tiny SUV, a model occupying the red-hot subcompact range. This week, the Korean automaker introduced the … Read more
Kia’s unique Soul is now in its ninth year. The Kia Soul defies easy categorization, but that’s not a bad thing. In a market where so many small cars look the same, the Soul is not quite a car nor is it a crossover SUV. In fact, it is a … Read more
The Atlas brings strength to Volkswagen’s product line. The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas is a midsize, three-row crossover SUV, the first model of its kind from this German automaker. Sure, the Volkswagen Group has produced sizable SUVs before, but Audi and Porsche claimed them. For reasons not quite known, the eponymous … Read more
Last week, I shared certain details surrounding the 2018 Toyota C-HR. Some of the information was under embargo and that meant me honoring Toyota’s request to keep three points under wrap until 4 a.m ET on March 8, 2017. Well, the time has come and those three points about the … Read more
Previewing Toyota’s latest model. As of this writing, I’m in Austin, Texas, putting on the finishing touches to your review of the 2018 Toyota C-HR. This all-new model rolls into US showrooms in April and will slot just below the RAV4 in Toyota’s SUV product line. But I can’t tell … Read more
Limited initial availability for the competitively priced Rogue Hybrid. Pay just $26,240 for the 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid? That’s only $2,420 more than the starting price for the standard Rogue model. Perhaps more important, the Rogue Hybrid costs $2,790 less than the RAV4 Hybrid, the best-selling compact SUV. Talk about … Read more
A compact crossover with a growing audience. The Nissan Rogue was a latecomer to the compact SUV segment, but has certainly made up for lost time. Introduced in 2008 and overhauled in 2014, the Nissan Rogue is now one of the top sellers in the segment, trailing only the Honda … Read more
Flagship CX-9 turns heads, stirs hearts. Three-row, midsize SUVs are popular models, taking over largely where minivans left off. The Mazda CX-9 is one of several models in the segment and is now in its second generation. In many ways the CX-9 is the flagship of the Mazda fleet, offering … Read more
With fresh product in and more on the way, Volvo is enjoying record sales on a global scale. It wasn’t too long ago some analysts had suggested the Volvo Car Corporation might exit the US market, if not give up on the business of building passenger vehicles entirely. In 2014 … Read more
The second-generation GMC Acadia is 700 pounds trimmer than its predecessor. Ten years is a long time for a vehicle to remain on the market without a clean sheet redesign. Introduced in 2007 and continuing through 2016, the first-generation GMC Acadia managed to stay relevant throughout its 10-year run, benefitting … Read more
The market for premium wagons continues to shrink in the US, but that isn’t stopping Volvo from introducing a second model in 2017. Consumer interest in all things SUV puts the Swedish automaker, Volvo, in a peculiar position. The automaker has its share of crossover-like models, but the company also … Read more
The smallest Lincoln model is the most original one yet. The Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln marque has fallen far since 1998, the last year it was the top-selling luxury automotive brand in the United States. These days, the segment is dominated by BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz with Audi, Cadillac, Acura, and … Read more
Mazda does it again, serving up a new model with its fun-to-drive characteristics in place. The CX-3 is the smallest of its three SUVs, a crossover that might be mistaken for a hatchback. The Mazda CX-3 makes for yet another entry in the small crossover SUV segment. This emerging class, … Read more
Mazda has had much success with its small utility vehicles, selling the Tribute from 2001 to 2011 and the CX-7 from 2007 to 2012. Still, the automaker had lacked a strong competitor to go up against the likes of the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and the Toyota RAV4, and a … Read more
Honda has enjoyed much success with its first two utility vehicles. Notably, its compact CR-V leads in that segment, while its larger, three-row Pilot competes effectively in its own space. A third model, the subcompact HR-V, was introduced on May 15 and six months later it is tearing up an … Read more
Lexus has introduced to the world an all-new RX series, the latest rendition of its popular two-row, midsize SUV. The new model, available in gasoline and gasoline-electric hybrid configurations, follows other Lexus vehicles by adopting a more masculine visage. Its all part of a plan to demonstrate a more assertive … Read more
Car manufacturers sometimes choose odd names for their vehicles. Most such names, including the Mazda Bongo and the Mitsubishi Pistachio, never make it to the US as marketers wisely intervene and demand changes. The Nissan Rogue has one of those names that slipped through the cracks, although it is doubtful … Read more
The Tesla Model X is here and this electric vehicle manufacturer has once again thrown down the gauntlet in front of luxury manufacturers the world over. The first SUVs have already been delivered to six eagerly awaiting customers. Three and one-half years is a long time to wait for a … Read more