Sat., May 16, 2020
Mazda’s CX-5 is Mazda’s best-selling vehicle in the USA. It’s a solid, mid-pack seller in the country’s hardest-fought segment and tops more than its share of the year-end Top 10 lists. This is not a big surprise; the people who write best-of lists tend to...
Sun., May 3, 2020
Two people live in this household. Both have opinions, but only one is compensated for committing them to the page. Where’s the justice? Turns out that the person whose opinions normally go unpublished has strong ones about today’s tester. Midway through our week-long test of...
Thu., April 23, 2020
Lexus invented the luxury crossover in 1998, when it debuted the midsize RX CUV. Seven years later, in 2005, Lexus dropped its gas-electric hybrid system into the RX, producing the world’s first electrified luxury vehicle. Lexus’s aggressive strategy has stood the test of time. Today,...
Sat., April 11, 2020
Honda is a lower-case automaker in an all-caps world. Better known for its engineering prowess than its marketing chops, it tends to do things quietly. In its understated way, Honda has set some big energy-efficiency goals for itself. By 2030, it plans to be selling...
Sat., April 4, 2020
There’s a new flagship in the Audi fleet, a flagship crossover. The 2019 Q8 is a midsize, five-passenger crossover that embodies the key attributes of the Audi brand. It has a fashionable, coupe-like profile, cutting-edge tech and an elegantly appointed cabin with room for five...
Sun., March 22, 2020
Not all that long ago, most of us thought we’d have to suffer to be frugal. You know; hair-shirt stuff. Tinny cars, noisy cabins, weakling powertrains. But once again the auto industry has proven us wrong. Our tester, the 2020 Lexus LS 500h, is the...
Sat., March 14, 2020
Thanks to a lineup rich in affordable sedans, Hyundai survived the Great Recession in fine shape. But when the Recession ended, buyers switched their loyalties en masse to crossovers. Overnight, Hyundai’s sedan-centric strategy lost its steam. As it has proven over the years, Hyundai is...
Sun., March 1, 2020
The more things change at Subaru, the more they stay the same. Yes, it’s an old cliche, but it’s worthy. It pertains in spades to the all-new 2020 Subaru Outback. The sixth-generation wagon ($26,645) moves to a stronger, more modern platform this year and gets...
Sun., Feb. 16, 2020
If we’ve learned anything from the post-recessionary auto boom, it’s that small and luxurious are no longer mutually exclusive. The Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class is a fine example; the two-row crossover is the company’s best-selling vehicle. In 2019, it outsold all other luxury-compact CUVs. Five models campaign...
Sun., Jan. 26, 2020
“This doesn’t feel like other Subarus,” my wife said, buckling herself into the 2020 Subaru Ascent. “It’s so tall,” she said. She cranked her seat heater to Scorch. “And it just feels different.” Diane is the family’s certified Subaru expert; she’s been driving her Impreza...
Sun., Jan. 5, 2020
On one hand, Toyota and its Lexus sub-brand campaign several large, gas-guzzling crossovers and SUVs. On the other, no other maker promotes green tech more aggressively. After popularizing hybrid technology with the Prius, Toyota is electrifying its entire lineup. Today’s tester, the 2020 Lexus NX...
Tue., Dec. 24, 2019
If weeks were refundable, I would have asked for one when I last tested Acura’s RDX crossover. The RDX is a luxury-sport compact CUV that strikes all the right notes. It’s quick, responsive and engaging but never punishing. Its tech-rich cabin is roomy, comfortable and...
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...
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