All-Wheel Drive Surprise: 2019 Nissan Altima

The Altima carries the fight forward, adds available all-wheel drive. Car manufacturers find themselves in a bit of a quandary — do they continue to build more crossover utility vehicles as customers demand or do they hedge their bets with their tried-and-true sedans? When it comes to the top manufacturers, … Read more

2019 Kia Forte (At a Glance)

2019 Kia Forte

Kia’s Forte compact sedan is big on style. Son of a Stinger! At first glance, the 2019 Kia Forte looks a lot like the premium Kia Stinger performance sedan. Those ported design elements provide the Forte with perhaps the most handsome sheet metal amongst small cars, something certain to capture … Read more

Nissan: Out With Juke, In With Kicks

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

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Mitsubishi’s smallest SUV makes a statement. Straddling the white space between subcompact and compact SUV is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, a model big on value in a segment where prices continue to rise. The 2018 Outlander Sport comes in three grades, has available all-wheel drive, and provides two engine choices. … Read more

2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO Review (Compact Performance)

2017 Nissan Sentra Nismo

Top-end Sentra model offers NISMO touches, enhanced performance. The 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO offers the look of the brand’s motorsport division, but it falls short of expectations. That doesn’t mean the Sentra NISMO isn’t a fun car, rather the production version is a step-down from the Sentra Concept shown a … Read more

Full Disclosure: 2018 Toyota C-HR

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

Compact High Rider: 2018 Toyota C-HR Preview

2018 Toyota C-HR

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

Refreshed 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Excels

Nissan’s roomy midsize Pathfinder receives numerous improvements. The 2017 Nissan Pathfinder has been refreshed, the first significant change since the current-generation model debuted in 2013. More forceful styling, enhanced safety and technology features, and an updated engine are among the changes evident in this three-row, midsize crossover SUV offering room … Read more

2017 Nissan Rogue Review

2017 Nissan Rogue

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

2017 Nissan Maxima SR Review

2017 Nissan Maxima SR

Nissan’s flagship sedan throws down 300 horses. The 2017 Nissan Maxima defies easy description. Or categorization. On the one hand, it is a mainstream midsize sedan. On the other hand, its upper-end trims rival the high-quality interiors you find in some luxury models. Adding further confusion to the mix is … Read more

Out and Back With the Subaru Outback

2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium edition.

The hot-selling Subaru Outback welcomes an all-new Touring edition. Long before crossovers became popular, the midsize Subaru Outback has established and maintained its own slice of the market. More wagon-like than SUV, the Outback brings in such utility attributes as an elevated suspension, standard all-wheel drive, and versatility — features … Read more

2016 Nissan NV200 Review (Tiny Cargo Transporter)

2016 Nissan NV200

A small cargo van for a niche market. Did you know Nissan has a burgeoning commercial vehicle business? This Japanese automaker with a huge manufacturing and distribution presence in the United States has pickup trucks, vans, and taxis designed with commercial customers in mind. With this particular sales division, Nissan … Read more

2017 Ford Fusion Energi Review

2017 Ford Fusion Energi

Ford’s PHEV is surprisingly reasonably priced. Three model years passed by and I finally got behind the wheel again of a Ford Fusion. Just like the last time, this model was the Fusion Energi, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle based on Ford’s popular midsize car. Now in its fifth model … Read more

Style Maker: 2016 Honda Civic Coupe

2016 Honda Civic Coupe

Honda’s compact coupe delivers style, pluck, and determination. When it comes to model names, the Civic is one of the most enduring ones of all. Introduced to North America in 1973, this one-time subcompact has morphed into a sizable compact model now bordering on the midsize range. Honda remains one … Read more

Refreshed 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Takes a Bow

Nissan’s seven-seat, midsize utility vehicle receives a significant overhaul. Nissan’s three-row Pathfinder crossover utility vehicle was fully redesigned in 2013, shedding its previous body-on-frame SUV roots to assume a car-like unibody layout. The transition has been a sales boon for a vehicle now in its fourth model year. But it … Read more

2016 Honda HR-V Review

2016 Honda HR V review

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

Driven: 2016 Subaru Forester

Corrected MPG on Dec. 29, 2018. Should Subaru still be considered a niche car manufacturer? In some ways, it still is as its product line and sales are skewed toward utility vehicles. At the same time, this manufacturer has seen its US sales triple since 2007, an amazing trajectory that … Read more

Refreshed Nissan Altima Poised to Move Up

Updated Jan. 14, 2016 to reflect IIHS crashworthiness results. Nissan Altima SL grade (photo copyright Christopher Brewer). These certainly are heady days for Nissan, Japan’s second largest car manufacturer. The automaker is poised to overtake Honda in the US, the lone major market where its smaller competitor maintains a sales … Read more

2016 Nissan Rogue SV Review

2016 Nissan Rogue SV

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

Nip/Tuck Keeps Mitsubishi Lancer Going

Updated: Mitsubishi announced on Oct.5, 2015, that it would produce 1,600 copies of a 2015 Lancer Final Edition model, making 303 horsepower and 305 foot-pounds of torque. Mitsubishi carries the dubious “honor” of possessing the smallest market share amongst mainstream manufacturers in the ultra-competitive US market. With Suzuki, Isuzu, and … Read more

Flagship Nissan Maxima Revived, Ready

Of all the car segments available, large or flagship sedans have taken a punch. Most of the larger mainstream brands still offer them, but they’ve been overshadowed by midsize sedans for years. Then there are those boring crossovers that seem to be everywhere. Chevrolet has its Impala, Ford markets the … Read more

Eight Key Facts About the 2016 Nissan Maxima

The full-size sedan segment is a modest one, but Nissan has committed the company to it as it introduces an all-new Maxima. Audacious, if not controversial styling marks this five-passenger conveyance, dubbed a “4-door sports car” by the manufacturer. The 2016 Nissan Maxima is now in US showrooms. The Nissan … Read more

2014 Ford Fusion Energi SE: Green Dreams

You can make your green dreams a reality with the Fusion Energi. ===MPG figures updated June 12, 2014 per the Ford Motor Company.=== We’ve heard it all before: for just under $40,000 you can get behind the wheel of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and receive a sizable federal … Read more

Subaru Legacy Delivers Quality and Reliability

The 2014 Subaru Legacy will likely not win many beauty pageants. However, its “looks” deficiency might not disappoint fans who are accustomed to driving a midsize sedan that is well built, reliable and safe. Indeed, like all other Subaru models, the Legacy routinely achieves top safety recognition, in part for its standard … Read more

2013 Nissan Sentra Review (the Baby Altima?)

2013 Nissan Sentra

One look at the Sentra and can you say, “Altima?” The compact vehicle market is competitive, one where every car manufacturer has at least one model present. The Nissan Sentra is one of the best known and longest running model names in this segment, introduced in 1982 just as Datsun … Read more

Now Introducing the 2014 Toyota Corolla

The 2014 Toyota Corolla has been introduced, the latest iteration of the world’s best-selling model. The five-passenger front-wheel drive Corolla is now entering its 11th generation and will appear in Toyota showrooms this fall. Introduced in 1966 in Japan, the Corolla showed up in the United States two years later … Read more