Reviews : Car News And Reviews

A little more than a year ago, I drove the last generation Mazda CX-9, and I rather enjoyed it. But with the completely redesigned 2016 model, the CX-9 has gotten even better – especially when it comes to styling and driving characteristics.

After taking a year off from the lineup, Toyota’s most rugged mid-size pickup is back for 2017, and better than ever. The new 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro not only looks amazing, with its muscular body, blacked out heritage grille, hood scoop and fender flares, but it’s got the driving chops to go with. I recently had the opportunity to take the new truck way, way off road in the rough and muddy countryside of Hana, on the island of Maui.

Is the 2017 Honda Ridgeline, the company’s second-generation attempt at building a truck, a proper midsize pickup truck or not? Many die-hard truckers don’t think so, but there is one thing undeniable that truck people and non-truck people can agree on is that it’s a heck of a utility vehicle.

The Accord Hybrid is back, and better than ever. To account for a change in production, the best-selling sedan in America didn’t come as a hybrid last year. This Accord is now produced overseas in Japan rather than Ohio like all the other Accords.

Some people want their fast cars to be flashy and flamboyant. Others prefer a more subtle approach. If you like the idea of having a pretty quick, fun-to-drive small sedan without breaking the bank or grabbing unnecessary and unwanted attention, the 2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo might just be the car you’re looking for.

“The most powerful production sedan in the world.” Let those words sink in for a moment. Of all the cars in the world that have four doors, this Charger from Dodge has them all beat. It doesn’t matter if the manufacturer is Mercedes-Benz or Rolls Royce, they’re all less-powerful than this Dodge.

Small trucks are trendy again. So it’s not surprising that Honda brought back the Ridgeline after a two-year hiatus. The Ridgeline has always been the outcast of the truck world. It never quite fit in with its weird design, car-like performance, and well-mannered nature.

You can argue that the art of driving is disappearing from today’s world. Whether it be autonomous cars or Uber or millennials more worried about their smartphones than actually wanting to drive, gone are the days of the Sunday drive.

The Ford Escape has one of the longest running histories in the compact SUV space. The original Escape hit the market back in 2000, sharing underpinnings with the Mazda Tribute. Lots of competitors have come (and a few have gone – including the Tribute) from the market over the last 15 years, so I was curious to see if Ford’s been able to keep up with the evolving market for SUVs and crossovers.

Even before the whole Dieselgate scandal broke, Volkswagen was leaving me feeling uninspired. Their recent designs have been so conservative. As much as their luxury brand Audi is exciting both inside and out, many Volkswagen vehicles are too bland for me.

Volkswagen is sitting on an opportunity. Actually, opportunity is not the right word. Considering the outside forces currently acting against them, they have an outcome to determine for themselves. I won’t go into detail about those outside forces, but I’m going to weigh in on the type of outcome they can potentially make for themselves.

When Jaguar first announced that they’d be entering the already crowded luxury SUV market, there were lots of people out there wondering if it would be the right move for a brand whose heritage is steeped in sports cars like the classic E-Type and the modern classic F-TYPE.

Frankly, today’s automotive marketplace offers few choices when it comes to drop-tops. Cruising convertibles for four passengers are particularly rare these days. The days of going for a drive, with no place to go, the top down and the wind in your hair are few and far between.

About a year ago, I had the opportunity to spend a week with a C7 Corvette Stingray, and I absolutely fell in love with the car. The current generation of Corvette not only looks amazing, it’s on a performance level with cars costing significantly more money.

Today’s pickup trucks have to be big and durable and tow an RV, while carrying a palette of bricks in its bed. Right? WRONG! The small truck segment is back and growing, proving that bigger doesn’t mean better.