Reviews : Car News And Reviews

Scion may be dead, but their inspiration is not. To further bring home the point that Toyotas of the future aren’t going to be boring, Toyota introduced the all-new CH-R crossover. I spent a few days recently driving it around Austin, Texas, and if this is any indication of future Toyotas, the future is bright from the brand.

The idea of spending more than $90,000 on a vehicle you’re going to use to haul kids and groceries in isn’t exactly something most of us would consider doing, nor is it the kind of money most of us would spend on an off-roader.

Last year, when Akio Toyoda unveiled the LC 500 in Detroit in front of a room full of jaded automotive journalists, he vowed that the words “Lexus” and “boring” would never be used in the same sentence again.

“Special” is a word often thrown around haphazardly. It’s one step above “unique.” As an auto journalist, I only pull out that word on rare occasion. Because, let’s be honest, many of the vehicles I review are forgotten about the moment I turn the keys back in.

The Land Rover Discovery has a long and illustrious history, dating back to 1989. Throughout its nearly 30 year run, the Discovery has always been a rugged and spacious vehicle, though this time out, the Discovery has knocked it out of the park on all fronts, delivering on the brand’s promises of versatility and capability without exception, and wrapping it all in a modern, appealing, and luxurious package.

If you’ve followed my writing and reviews, you’ll know I’m not a big hybrid guy. Generally speaking, I’ve found them sloth-like and pretty unenjoyable to drive. Likewise, crossovers generally leave me feeling uninspired and unimpressed. Enough with the generalizations, especially after the week I spent with the 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Let’s cut to the chase. If you’re buying a V6 Challenger for whatever reason, and you live in a part of the country where it snows, this is now the base Challenger to buy. The rear-wheel drive shouldn’t even be a consideration for you.

You might think that the car I was most looking forward to driving this year might be a supercar, or some luxo barge, but the vehicle I’ve been most anticipating since it broke cover is the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

The BMW 5 Series may not be the brand’s most popular sedan, but it may be its most important. Having a mid-size sedan that 3 Series buyers can move up to is critical to keeping young couples in the brand as their families grow.

Before I get into this review, I want to state that I generally am not a fan of Scandinavian things. ABBA makes me beg for silence. IKEA means an all-day battle with allen wrenches, missing parts and impossible directions.

With recent luxury-performance releases like the RC F, GS F, and LC 500, it’s easy to forget that Lexus’ bread and butter is still its SUV lineup. While its best-seller is still the RX, there’s also the sporty NX, the limo-like LX, and the surprisingly rugged GX.

There’s nothing quite like a proper rear-wheel drive sports coupe. The way they push you down the road, and have a tendency to oversteer, they’re almost always more fun than their front-wheel drive (and often all-wheel drive) counterparts.

Kia boasted a record sales year for 2016. Most of the 3.5% increase in sales volume can be chalked up to their smaller cars including the Forte and Soul. This leaves my tester this week, largely overlooked – sadly.

Not that long ago, Mazda changed its tagline to “Driving Matters,” and in a rare case of a product living up to its marketing message, I think Mazda has truly delivered on that promise. I can’t name another full-line manufacturer whose entire line-up has such consistent concern for the driving experience.

A couple of years back, I had the opportunity to test drive the car then known as the Hyundai Genesis, and I thought it was an absolutely brilliant premium mid-size sedan. Hyundai had such confidence in the new Genesis that it recently spun it off into its own brand, focused exclusively on luxury vehicles.