Last year, Lexus debuted a long-wheelbase, three-row version of its RX midsize crossover. These new “L” models give Lexus an efficient alternative to the company’s two truck-based, three-row SUVs, the midsize GX and full-size LX. They expand the RX’s lineup to five models: the RX350…
Out there somewhere is a power-mad soul who needs a three-row crossover that tows 8200 pounds and runs the 0-60 sprint in 4.4 seconds. Not at the same time, obviously. But still. There's only one rig that can lay claim to such feats, the 2019...
Acura’s three-row MDX luxury crossover seems to land in our driveway at opportune times. One year, it carted us safely over a snow-choked Snoqualmie Pass. Once, we carefully made our way up a Sunset Hill so slick the roadside was littered with cars in ditches.…
Volvo continues to release intriguing new products. This time, it’s the company’s first-ever subcompact crossover. The all-new 2019 XC40 slips into a segment that emerged, post-recession, when automakers discovered buyers would pay a premium for little rigs with luxury chops. Like the other builders already...
Following a full makeover in 2018, Chevy’s three-row Traverse crossover ($30,460) enters the new year with more horsepower and trim-level revisions that offer buyers greater flexibility. Last year’s Traverse marked a major departure for the big crossover. Planted on a new lightweight chassis, it lost…
If you’re a car company whose customers are of a certain vintage, your survival depends on your ability to adapt. You’re likely to begin building cars that are more dynamic, more aggressive and more tech-heavy. Not to name names, but if you’re Lexus, you might…
Recently, a friend inquired about my ride d’jour. I told her I was driving Volvo’s new S60 midsize luxury sedan. “I don’t like Volvos,” she said. “Too clunky.” Next thing she knew, she was on the receiving end of my Volvo mini-lecture. Volvo isn’t the...
Automakers labor to shelter us from the hard-working machinery that hides away in places we never see. We like our cabins quiet and our rides gentle. There’s no need remind us of the messy, noisy and generally uncivil activity happening in our cars’ nether regions.…
In its 42-year lifespan, the Honda Accord has exemplified the art of the family sedan. Year in and year out, it wins high marks for its mastery of things that matter. Basics like safety, creature comfort, reliability and a low cost of ownership. Accord even…
As its advertising has it, Toyota wants us to go places. So we did. We went to Wisconsin. We didn’t drive. But we did pick up a 2019 Corolla sedan in Chicago and headed north into Wisconsin. Anyone who has driven in the Midwest knows...
Subaru plugs a big gap in its lineup this year with the debut of the new Ascent crossover. A three-row gap to be precise. The midsize 2019 Ascent ($31,995) is Subaru’s largest vehicle and its second attempt to crash the three-row party. A previous effort,...
Before the crossover was the minivan. Before the minivan was the station wagon. Time was that a station wagon was proxy for America’s family values, writ large. Load the family and hit the road. But now, with crossovers ascendent, minivans are endangered and wagons are...
Last year, GMC reinvented its Terrain crossover. When it debuted in 2010, the Terrain was a ‘tweener — bigger than a compact crossover and smaller than a midsize CUV. For 2018, GMC planted the Terrain on an all-new, lightweight chassis and shrank it to compact...
Before Toyota shuttered its youth-focused Scion brand in 2016, it had built up a pipeline of cars too good to abandon. So they grew up and became Toyotas. The last of these Scion orphans, the C-HR subcompact crossover, arrived last year. Arguably, because it’s available...
Don’t let its crisp styling and well-furnished cabin fool you; Ford’s full-size Expedition SUV is a brute at heart. That heart being a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that makes as much as much as 400 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. It powers the 5400-pound SUV…
Kia may not bring Goliath to his knees, but it’s not above aiming a swift kick at his shins. Kia’s newest model, the 2018 Stinger luxury-sport sedan, takes direct aim at a segment dominated by Germans. Specifically, it’s dominated by BMW’s 3-series cars and is...
Over the years, Toyota’s Avalon has evolved from roomy-and-docile family sedan to a near-luxury piece with athletic overtones. And when we say, “near-luxury,” what we really mean is “so-close-to-luxury-it’s-hard-to-tell-the-difference.” The all-new 2019 Avalon ($35,500) finds Toyota’s flagship four-door pushing against old boundaries. Deep sense of…
For some automakers, the rise of the crossover has meant the death of sedans. Most notably, Ford and Fiat Chrysler have signaled their plans to slash their sedan lineups. It’s a different story at Honda. As sedan sales slump elsewhere, its two mainline sedans —…
Toyota’s 4Runner is one of a handful of true sport-utes still plying America’s byways. The 4Runner is a throwback, a reminder of an era before the time that crossovers rose up to bring the mighty breed to its knees. Unlike a sedan-based crossover, the midsize...
In 2014, Lexus slipped an audacious new coupe into its lineup. The RC represents Lexus’s debut in the luxury coupe segment, which was then experiencing a growth spurt. It’s a small but richly populated cohort, with players from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Infiniti. Stylish, luxurious...
Having shouldered its way into the fraternity of mainstream automakers, Kia is acting like one. For four consecutive years, the upstart Korean company has earned the No. One spot among non-premium makers in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study (fewest quality problems in the first 100…
My introduction to a test car usually takes place on the dirt road that separates our house from the highway below. You learn a lot about a car that way. You learn which colors look best under a layer of dust. And you learn which...
When it launched the RDX compact crossover in 2006, Acura paved the way for the coming wave of small luxury CUVs. But, while the RDX anticipated the Next Big Thing, its taut suspension and peaky turbocharged four-cylinder engine limited its appeal largely to enthusiasts. In...
Gas-electric hybrids account for a tiny fraction of U.S. auto sales, but automakers aren’t backing off. Every year, it seems, some new hybrid debuts, and companies like Honda and Volvo have announced aggressive new electrification strategies. Toyota was an early leader in the movement. It...
Here in the S-R Auto pages, we tend to focus our efforts on vehicles that are locally available. Every now and again, though, we set the locals-only embargo aside. Today is one of those days. On a recent family visit to Wisconsin, we were given...
