Sat., Nov. 30, 2019
Hyundai made hay during the Great Recession selling its affordable and economical sedans. But once the economy began its recovery, buyers fell back in love with crossovers. Saddled with a portfolio rich in sedans but thin on CUVs, the Korean maker’s fortunes sagged. But ever...
Wed., Nov. 27, 2019
Toyota pioneered the crossover category when it debuted the RAV4 in 1995. Two years later, its Prius kickstarted the hybrid revolution. The inevitable marriage of the two was consummated in 2012, with the advent of the RAV4 Hybrid. Now, buyers could enjoy the utility of...
Sun., Oct. 20, 2019
Two years ago, Chevrolet rolled out the second generation of its full-size Traverse crossover. Over the previous decade, the three-row Traverse had built a reputation for its agreeable ride, roomy cabin still and immense cargo capacity. With legitimate seating for eight, the Traverse was —...
Sun., Sept. 29, 2019
A few weeks ago, we recounted how, in 2017, Toyota’s RAV4 crossover became the country’s best-selling vehicle that’s not a pickup. RAV sales soared past the 400,000 mark, familiar territory for Ford’s F-150 but a first for a crossover. We didn’t mention that another small...
Sat., Sept. 21, 2019
Something interesting happened as the Great Recession faded from view.
Sun., Sept. 15, 2019
When Kia debuted its Telluride crossover last spring, you knew that a Hyundai version would be along shortly. Now, it’s here. Hyundai’s midsize, three-row Palisade arrived in showrooms this summer. Hewing to corporate strategy, the Kia presents as a more rugged crossover, while the Hyundai...
Mon., Aug. 26, 2019
There’s a sweet spot in the luxury crossover segment shaped just like the midsize Lexus RX 350. It’s a sizable sweet spot and Lexus populates it with four distinct models: the bread-and-butter five-passenger RX 350 ($43,820); the RX 450h ($46,245) hybrid; the three-row RX 350L...
Sun., Aug. 11, 2019
In 2017, the Toyota RAV4 made history by selling 408,000 units and displacing its Camry stablemate as the country’s top-selling non-pickup. Now, the RAV4 gets its first full makeover since 2012. The fifth-generation 2019 RAV is built on an all-new platform and gets a more...
Fri., July 26, 2019
I needed a little time to reset my perceptions and accept that the big crossover in my driveway was a Kia. A big, all-new three-row Kia. The 2020 Telluride ($31,690) is the largest vehicle Kia has ever built. And easily among the best. How good...
Fri., July 12, 2019
Lately, Mazda, the brand that added Zoom-Zoom to the automotive lexicon, has been quietly slipping upstream. In the past few years, its crisply designed interiors have grown quieter and more finely crafted. Ride quality has improved with each generation. Safety and driver-assist features are liberally...
Wed., June 26, 2019
Infiniti’s all-new 2019 QX50 crossover takes a deep dive into new technology. Its turbocharged four-cylinder engine is a ground-breaking effort that could alter the future of the internal combustion engine. As is often the case, though, it’s not the high-tech owners will appreciate most but...
Sun., May 26, 2019
Thanks to its uncanny Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system, Acura’s MDX won our love on a white-knuckle drive over Snoqualmie Pass several Christmases ago. Like most crossovers, the MDX ($44,300) is built on a front-wheel-drive platform. But here in snow country its torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system...
Fri., May 17, 2019
In the years following the Great Recession, automakers discovered an appetite for luxury among small-car buyers. Never blind to an opportunity to boost profits, they began stuffing their compacts with leather seats, genuine wood trim, terrific audio and assorted driver-assist and accident-avoidance tech. This trend...
Fri., April 26, 2019
For 2019, Honda’s pint-sized HR-V receives a flurry of enticing updates. The HR-V ($20,520) is known for its solid build quality, frugal appetite and segment-busting utility. This year, it gets a mild facelift, adds two new trims and piles on a raft of new technology....
Fri., April 12, 2019
Last year, Mitsubishi introduced its first all-new vehicle since the launch of the Outlander Sport compact crossover in 2010. The 2019 Eclipse Cross ($23,595) is a small CUV that slips into the Mitsubishi lineup below the Outlander and above the subcompact Outlander Sport. This troika...
Sun., March 31, 2019
If there’s one three-row crossover that’s always welcome in our driveway, it’s Mazda’s CX-9. Regular readers know we like vehicles that are responsive rewarding to drive. And here is where the CX-9 burns brightest. Its well-tuned chassis and precise and communicative steering justify Mazda’s “Driving...
Fri., March 15, 2019
It’s not obvious at first blush but the 2019 Subaru Forester emerges from the crossover shop this year a fundamentally changed vehicle. It rides on a rigid and lightweight new platform that enhances ride quality, bolsters passenger safety and cuts noise, vibration and harshness. Its...
Sat., March 9, 2019
Hyundai has long campaigned two crossovers under a single nameplate, the compact, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport and the midsize, three-row Santa Fe. This year, Hyundai hopes to reduce confusion by renaming them. For 2019, the Santa Fe Sport is rebadged Santa Fe ($22,750), while the...
Sun., Feb. 24, 2019
Toyota came out of the gate early in the great three-row crossover race. It launched its Highlander in 2001, setting off a wave of seven- and eight-passenger CUVs. In 2005, Toyota added a hybrid powerplant to the mix, making the Highlander the first electrified seven-passenger...
Sun., Feb. 17, 2019
The Outlander was last made-over in 2013 and though a series of updates have kept it in the hunt, it’s one of the segment’s senior members. It isn’t as refined — or as capable — as the segment leaders. Still, it offers budget-minded buyers a...
Sun., Feb. 10, 2019
Automakers angling for profits in the midsize crossover segment can’t rest on past glories. The segment changes so quickly and has so many capable players, that just keeping up is a full-time job. Take Honda’s three-row, eight-passenger Pilot. The Pilot debuted in 2003 and has...
Sun., Jan. 27, 2019
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...
Sun., Jan. 13, 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....
Sun., Jan. 6, 2019
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...
Sun., Dec. 30, 2018
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...
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