When I had the chance a few years ago to drive the 2020 Chevy Bolt, I really enjoyed it quite a bit, naming it one of my favorite cars. Here’s my writeup if you want to get the full scoop: One of My Favorite Cars: The 2020 Chevy Bolt EV. The problem with the Bolt EV is that it’s pretty small. Not quite SmartCar small, but still, quite cozy even compared to my Mazda CX-5….Read More

We’ve come a long way from the days when pickup trucks were utilitarian work vehicles with minimal comforts, driven by people who needed them for work or couldn’t afford a car. There’s no better demonstration of this evolution than the beautiful 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab AT4X, as is immediately obvious by its $76,700 price tag (without dealer upcharges, as has become common nowadays). Figure at least $85,000 out the door with taxes and…Read More

Most people are familiar with the differentiation between budget, mid-range and luxury vehicles, but it turns out that there’s a tier or two above the standard luxury car in the marketplace. Supercars, for example, can have pricetags that exceed the value of most houses, and really high end ultra-luxury vehicles offer an extraordinary experience for drivers, but particularly for passengers. The fifth generation 2022 Range Rover “L460” is at this rarified level, the top of…Read More

Ever peeked at a real estate listing for a multi-million dollar mansion and marveled at how it’s kinda like your own living space, just much, much bigger? That’s the same experience I had driving the 2022 Infiniti QX60 SUV as the owner of a modest Mazda CX-5 compact SUV. It’s like someone fed my car way too much Miracle-Gro and it expanded in every dimension. It also dialed up the plush luxury interior amenities and…Read More

Most of the vehicles I drive are either internal combustion engines, hybrids, or plug-in hybrids that offer some of the best features of an all-electric vehicle, but with the gas-powered engine once the battery runs outta juice. Fully electric vehicles are a bit harder to find in the auto journalist fleets, suffice to say, partially because they require more expertise from the journalist: Ya gotta know where and how to charge them if nothing else….Read More

Mitsubishi has been making automobiles far longer than you realize. Over 100 years, actually, starting with (and I’m not making this up) the Mitsubishi Model A in 1917. It wasn’t until 60 years ago that Mitsubishi first sold a car in the United States, and that was rebadged as the Dodge Colt. It took another eleven years for a Mitsubishi vehicle to be sold in the USA under its own name, the Tredia, Cordia and…Read More

Of all the different vehicle types on the road today, I most like compact SUVs. The overall size, the interior dimensions, the high seating, and the space for passengers and cargo, all add up to a great form factor for solo drivers, couples, and smaller families. It’s no surprise then that the 2022 BMW X3 was a fun drive experience with a size almost identical to my daughter’s Audi Q3 and so many other compact…Read More

It’s been an interesting fortnight of Toyota vehicles, starting with the 2022 Toyota Tundra, the big brother, followed by the rare 2022 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro 4×4 Double Cab. Since they’re at different points in the Toyota design cycle, it’s been very informative to see just how much difference the rumored Tacoma remodel will have on this already ridiculously popular light truck. And that difference is reputedly quite significant. But here’s the thing: The Tacoma…Read More

I’ve been reviewing a lot of pickup trucks lately, which is great because it really lets me see how different manufacturers tackle some pretty basic requirements for a vehicle that ends up possessing both a work and play identity. Pickup trucks have this dual identity more than a typical SUV or sedan, even if “real” commercial trucks are a different category of vehicle (and almost always bare-bones with barely a radio, let alone a fancy…Read More

I had a vehicular epiphany many years ago when I went to school to pick up my three kids and their musical instruments – including a 3/4-size cello – in a Toyota Prius. There was no way to deny the fact that we just didn’t have enough room for everyone and everything we wanted in the vehicle. In response, I upgraded to a much bigger vehicle, a Toyota Highlander. Sedans might be great for when…Read More

Honda sells a lot of Civics, around 300,000 annual in the United States alone. Get into one and it’s immediately obvious why they’re so popular; it’s a solid combination of sleek design, very good fuel efficiency, a zippy drive, and an entirely reasonable price tag, making it a splendid first new vehicle for many young families. What most startled me about the 2022 Civic 1.5T 4D Touring car that Honda Motor Co. loaned me for…Read More

I drove the 2022 RAM 1500 with the “Big Horn” trim package a few months ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. These big luxury trucks are great to drive with wide, luxurious seats, powerful engines, and a great sound system. When RAM offered me the chance to also drive the RAM 1500 with the “Rebel G/T” trim, I was curious; how much difference does a trim kit make? After all, in most vehicles, the…Read More

Okay, so I didn’t really cross the Serengeti, though it’s Africa where the fabled Land Rover gained its reputation as being unstoppable, even through the toughest terrain on Earth. Heck, I didn’t even go over a curb or hit a mud puddle in my suburban and mountain road test of the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 SE, but it was still a very interesting drive and a unique, albeit somewhat uncomfortable interior design. Range Rover,…Read More

True story, the 2022 BMW M240i xDrive Coupe is the first vehicle I’ve driven from Bayerische Motoren Werke that I feel really embodies their “driving experience” motto. It’s a really fun drive, fast, nimble, responsive, and luxuriously comfortable. Even its curb appearance is terrific, a tiger just waiting to leap into traffic or fly around the next mountain hairpin curve. As always, I drove this vehicle for a full week, a variety of highway, suburban…Read More

From a 10,000 foot view, I definitely live in 4×4 truck country here in Colorado, but zoom in closer on that map and I’m in the ‘burbs in Boulder, Colorado. A few of my neighbors have big trucks but I’m more in SUV land – with a healthy sprinkling of Subarus – than bigger trucks. That’s why it was fun when RAM Trucks reached out and offered me a week behind the wheel of the…Read More

It used to be that American cars were made in America, and foreign cars were made overseas and imported. In that environment, it wasn’t a surprise that many people sought to “buy American” to support American workers. That simple vision has long since become obsolete, with “foreign” cars manufactured in factories based in the United States while “American” cars are manufactured overseas then shipped in for sale. The Chevrolet I’m reviewing is similar, with less…Read More

Prior to the mid 1980s, Japanese cars were defined by the pedestrian brands of Datsun, Toyota, and Honda. All huge manufacturing keiretsu, all producing construction equipment, heavy machinery, even lawnmowers and motorcycles. When Honda introduced its luxury brand Acura in 1986 to compete directly with the European luxury brands, it proved an inspiration for the other two companies. 1986 had Datsun rebrand its American lineup under the Nissan identity, and in 1989 Nissan introduce Infinit…Read More

I’ve driven quite a few Kia vehicles over the last few years and generally have been quite impressed with them all. Like fellow South Korean auto manufacturer Hyundai, Kia keeps improving their cars each year, now delivering some of the best budget vehicles on the road. But the journey to being an A List car maker isn’t without its bumps, and after spending a week driving the 2020 Kia Sportage SX, I have to say…Read More

BMW has been generous with its vehicle loans and I actually wrote extensively about the 2021 BMW 430i just a month or two ago. You can check out my review and road test commentary here: A Week With the 2021 BMW 430i xDrive Coupe. In summary, I observed that it was sleek, comfortable, fun to drive, but marred by the “beaver teeth” front grill and some acceleration problems from a full stop. The acceleration problem…Read More

I just got back a few days ago from my summer road trip: Boulder to Kansas City and thence the Lake of the Ozarks, where I relaxed for a week with my kids and enjoyed both the summer heat and the cool indoor air conditioning. I wrote about the Lake trip elsewhere – see Summer Vacation at the Lake of the Ozarks – but what I didn’t talk much about was the transit. Honda kindly…Read More

Note: This is part 2. Please start here, as needed: The 2021 Rocky Mountain Driving Experience (part 1) I’d enjoyed driving the 2022 Nissan Frontier with Derek, the Nissan product specialist, but generally speaking, I prefer to drive these vehicles solo so I can screw with settings, crank the stereo, stop if I see something interesting (or a good photo backdrop), etc. Next up in the driving queue was a solo drive of the… 2021…Read More