Daily Drivers : Car News And Reviews

Toyota Racing Development (aka TRD) is charged with making the highest performance versions of Toyota’s production vehicles, though in recent years, their focus has been on trucks and SUVs. So what exactly happens when you let TRD tinker with a couple of family sedans?

The newly-updated-for-2020 Nissan Versa is no longer the least expensive new car on sale in the United States, but it does retain the title of least expensive new Nissan. On the other end of the spectrum, the 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO is the most expensive Nissan in the company’s lineup, and the most expensive GT-R to date.

Many of the best bands of all time have great front men. And the best of them have stage presence, personality and showmanship. Well, if my review vehicle were a front man, it’d be Freddie Mercury.

As momentum continues to shift more and more towards SUVs here in North America, it seems as if every major automaker wants to flesh out its lineup with an SUV at every size class. Last year, Cadillac took care of the compact crossover market with the release of the XT4, and now it’s created a 3-Row model to serve as a bookend for the popular XT5.

It was only a couple of weeks back that I got to spend sometime behind the wheel of the Kia Telluride, and I thought it was a very good vehicle indeed. Now that I’ve driven its Hyundai cousin, the Palisade, it’s clear the Koreans have a winning platform on their hands.

I first came face to face with the Kia Telluride back in 2016 ago at the Detroit Auto Show, where it debuted as a concept vehicle. At the time, I was impressed with the SUV’s striking exterior design and its slick, ultra-modern interior.

The MINI Cooper is a fun little car for getting around the city. It handles like a go kart, and fits just about anywhere. But if you’re mostly sticking to urban areas and short commutes, it only makes sense to consider an electric vehicle.

Over the years, many automakers have taken aim at sport luxury brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz to see if they could knock one of these long-reigning champs off of their pedestal. Just as many have failed to do so.

The notion of a Toyota Avalon being tricked out by TRD has always seemed a bit odd to me. I mean sure, it’s now got a powerful 301hp V6 under the hood, and the chassis is stiffer than it’s ever been, but still, the Avalon is one of those cars that’s ideal for long road trips, with its cushy, whisper quiet interior, and comfortable suspension.

Driving should be a fun experience. This includes SUVs and the families who drive them. Thank goodness Ford recognizes this and has introduced an ST trim for the 2020 Ford Explorer. The popular full-size SUV was turned over to Ford Performance who created a truly sporty version of this SUV for the first time starting in the 2020 model year.

With Americans crazy over SUVs and shunning station wagons, cool cars like the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 Shooting Brake rarely make it stateside. The wagon uses a 301 hp 2.0-liter turbo-four paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and AMG Performance 4Matic AWD.

Before we get too far into this review, a little transparency first. For the last year, I’ve been writing my second book – about the history of the Ford F-Series pickup. So when I got the 2019 version of America’s best-selling vehicle to drive, I was excited.

Acura plays in a very competitive sandbox vying for the premium crossover and SUV market. So with the release of the latest generation of its mid-size RDX crossover, it was dedicated to the notion that they would not just offer the same features as their challengers, but that they would outdo them on performance, technology, and luxury, all while beating them on price and overall value.

As their top-selling vehicle in the US (and the number 3 vehicle in US sales overall), it wasn’t an absolute necessity for Toyota to redesign the RAV4. People were already quite happy to buy this compact SUV as it was.

Plenty of Jeep Wrangler owners and Gladiator hopefuls want to know why Jeep doesn’t offer the Hemi V8 or the blown Hellcat V8 in their off-road. It turns out the V8 fits like a glove, and that is the problem.