Jeep has come a long way from its original vehicle, the Willys MB, a tough and durable car for wartime. Sold to the US Army in the 1940s, the Jeep 4×4 became one of the enduring symbols of World War II, and the first commercial Jeep, the CJ, was introduced immediately post-war, to great acclaim. The original price? $738 per unit. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $12,000. Suffice to say, when Jeep invited me to…Read More

The compact SUV space is hot, and there are a lot of great options for today’s car buyers, from the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 to the Mazda CX-5. In the Chevrolet lineup, the compact but roomy Chevy Equinox offers yet another solid option, though whether it’s truly competitive is another story entirely. In fact, people still view companies like Chevrolet as based in America to compare with foreign car companies like Toyota and Honda,…Read More

One benefit of being a car writer is that I get to spend lots more time behind the wheel of various vehicles than a regular Joe. When I decided to trade in my Toyota Highlander a few years ago, I leveraged that experience to choose what has proven a really great compact SUV for my needs: A 2017 Mazda CX-5 Limited. While it’s become a bit small as my kids have grown up to be…Read More

Honda has been selling rugged, off-road vehicles for decades and its Passport is one of the most popular Honda vehicles with a young, male demographic. It’s clear that the vehicle is intended to take on the Toyota 4Runner head-to-head and much of the Honda marketing material focuses on the differences between these two vehicles. With Toyota falling behind in its interior redesign efforts over the last few years, Honda’s well poised to redirect lots of…Read More

I’ve spent the last week driving a Graphite Shadow 2023 Infiniti QX50 Sport AWD and while I found it a comfortable, enjoyable ride, it was also rather forgettable. Perhaps it’s a problem with comparing hundreds of cars over time; they start to blur together. Pick a category like Sports Utility Vehicles and you’ll begin to be convinced that any given vehicle is a mashup of the elements of previous vehicles you’ve evaluated. There’s nothing at…Read More

Most car writers have a preference for big, fast, expensive vehicles, and I get it. There’s something about the design and drive experience of a $100K+ vehicle that is pretty delightful. And those admiring looks you get from fellow auto enthusiasts aren’t bad either. But most people don’t drop $100,000 or more on a vehicle, and a whole category of buyers seek the least expensive auto that will work for their families and get them…Read More

Imagine the early days of motorcars. Every manufacturer had a few different styles, but for the most part, each brand had its spot in the hierarchy of functional sedans to luxury motorcars, with many of those brands still around today. Manufacturers didn’t tend to spin off completely different lines, but instead expanding through acquisition and consolidation, hence conglomerates like General Motors. Autos also used to be more regional, with Americans buying American cars, Germans buying…Read More

Some car brands are iconic in the luxury and racing world. Ferarri, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz. And Jaguar. I’ve always admired the lines of a classic Jag and it’s hard not to wax poetic about the XK line from the 1950s, absolutely iconic convertible sportscars that were all about the engine and drive experience, eschewing all comfort for the driver and much of any space for a passenger. Back seats? Puhlease. The company’s been producing…Read More

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