The same words have applied to the Toyota Corolla for nearly all of its 12 generations on sale in the U.S.: economical, practical, dependable, or smart. Sporty? The Corolla has felt lazy like Sunday mornings sometimes. The 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback may change that. This year, Toyota will sell...Read More»
Dark clouds above. Snow flurries falling. Gloomy view ahead. Seat heater engaged. It may be the end of April, but Colorado Highway 72—known locally as Coal Creek Canyon Road—isn’t ready for spring. The diesel-fueled 2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke I’m piloting up this winding...Read More»
First, the Toyota Avalon came for old luxury buyers with old-school ideas. It had stretch-out space, comfortable ride, and it was quiet like the No. 17 tee box at Sawgrass. Then it came for the rest of us. Lagging racier competitors, including the Nissan Maxima, the Avalon looks to shed a stodgy...Read More»
Two decades ago, ubiquitous would have been too soft a word to describe the Volkswagen Jetta’s presence on the manicured grounds of a prestigious college like Duke University. I recently found myself dodging students with backpacks on the narrow roads surrounding the stately campus in leafy...Read More»
Sometimes two rows just isn’t enough. Strollers are getting bigger, car seats are bulkier, and nuclear families may as well need a battleship to go out to the movies for a night. Lexus gets all that. Meet the “U.S.S. 2018 Lexus RX 350L”—or at least it feels that way. With...Read More»
Make way for a big addition to the Hyundai crossover family: the pint-sized 2018 Hyundai Kona. This small crossover has big ideas—including some future powertrains that’ll have us buzzing soon—but it’s the basics that we’re in Hawaii to discover. The Kona sits at the...Read More»
Some of us remember when dirt-cheap hatchbacks were the first stop for first-time new car buyers. Freedom was a fold-down rear seat, longboard, and sleeping bag for the only weekend vacation we could afford. The small cars only asked that we compromise our expectations for a tall ride, decent...Read More»
The 2019 Ram 1500 has fully adapted to the way most drivers use their trucks: livability trumps utility. Sure, the latest Ram is powerful enough to lug a trailer weighing up to 12,750 pounds, but that didn’t matter to me as I took in the warm scent of leather and ran my hand across the...Read More»
The 2019 Kia Sorento is not a German crossover SUV. It’s far from Teutonic. But the 2019 Sorento Kia assembles in Georgia is beginning to feel less like a cut-rate Audi and more like a real one. Tweaks made to the three-row crossover’s steering and suspension for the 2019 model year...Read More»
There was molten lava under my feet, and it was relaxing. Harmonious, even, as it thumped gently to the music. It wasn’t a trippy dream, but rather bright orange felt-like carpeting and a Harman Kardon subwoofer hidden behind the dashboard supplying mellow bass tones. The unconventional...Read More»
Jeep didn't get it right with the Cherokee when it revived the revered name in 2014. The six-eyed styling bugged us—mainly, it looked like an insect. The base 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine was gutless, and the 3.2-liter V-6 was a neutered version of the strong 3.6-liter V-6 found elsewhere...Read More»
The 2018 Buick Regal TourX is a muddy vehicle. Not just because it is aimed at the hiking boot-wearing active-lifestyle set that marketers covet. Buick would like to see its new tall(-ish) wagon, which shares a nameplate, powertrain, and interior with the Regal Sportback hatchback, covered in dirt...Read More»
The way engineers talk, the 2018 Honda Accord evolved from inattention. A decade ago when money for research was expensive and hard to find, Honda skated on its reputation. Call it a byproduct of conservatism, not laziness. Cars like the Civic and Accord didn’t thrive—just survived...Read More»
Cars get heart transplants all the time, but whole brands? It doesn't happen very often. When Lexus launched with its LS sedan in the 1990 model year, its success hinged on the flawless replication of the Mercedes model. That first sedan was an homage to Benz titans like the W123, and it was a...Read More»
With 400 horsepower on tap, you’d think that the 2018 Volvo XC60 T8 Plug-In Hybrid would be the right choice for carving your way through a winding canyon road. The ingredients are mostly there: a lot of power, a balanced chassis, grippy all-wheel drive, and nicely weighted steering...Read More»
You can be forgiven for not remembering the Fiat 500X. Underneath its cheeky body, the 500X is basically the same thing as the Jeep Renegade. Both share the same engines and transmissions, and their structure is largely identical. Through the first six months of this year, 53,000 Renegades have...Read More»
You can remember your first car. I bet you don’t have to think hard. I’ll make another safe bet that the name of that car is clearer in your head than the name of your best friend from the same time. Like friends, memories, and first cars, we forget the flaws of things we love. Or, more...Read More»
Beauty is no longer merely skin deep when it comes to the 2018 Hyundai Sonata. Last year's dowdy model has given way to a more evocative, interesting design for 2018. It's a study in restraint—both fiscal and stylistic. The 2018 Sonata's basic design dates back only a few years, to 2015. That...Read More»
As the more dapper and international of the automaker's two compact cars, the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT speaks many languages. It wears a crisply tailored European suit not unlike the car that's in its sights: the Volkswagen GTI It mostly succeeds in imitating, but not besting, that German stalwart...Read More»
Latest Car News
More Car News »
More News and Reviews
