First Drives

Starting out in the passenger seat is one of the better ways to acquaint oneself with the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander. Car critics tend to fixate on what's new and fast and thrilling from the driver's seat, and here, it pays to 'recalibrate' first—by taking stock of the ride, the ambiance, the...Read More»

The Nissan Maxima was cocky and cool when it was young—they even called it the four-door sports car. But for the past decade, the Maxima’s been in limbo. Is it a sport sedan with Infiniti influences, or an Altima with attitude? The picture gets a little clearer this year, as the 2016...Read More»

We’ve been fans of the Honda Pilot since it was brand-new, back in 2003. The first one was a big hit—but the next one had a rugged SUV look that was out of step with its on-road talents. There’s a new Pilot for 2016, and it’s making a big U-turn. But is it big enough to pass...Read More»

Call it a pint-sized invasion—a slew of small SUVs is hitting the streets. We’ve driven the Jeep Renegade and Chevy Trax, and soon we’ll see the Mazda CX-3 and Fiat 500X. But maybe the most anticipated small SUV is this one--the 2016 Honda HR-V. MORE: Read Our Full 2016 Honda HR-V...Read More»

Fiat kick-started itself here in the U.S. with a pair of European twins--the tiny 500 hatchback and the bigger 500L. Now it has a real chance to win over American car buyers with its first small crossover SUV. Will the new 500X be big and bold enough to tackle the Jeep Renegade and Honda HR-V? We...Read More»

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen is a wagon version of the new VW Golf--and that's essentially the major thing you need to know about the car. One of very few genuine wagons in the compact-car segment, the SportWagen shares all of the virtues and the few vices of the seventh-generation Golf...Read More»

Does the 2015 Ford Edge stay true to its badge? Not exactly; it’s always worn its edge—or edginess—with a sort of irony. Far more than when it was first introduced in 2007, this tall utility wagon is on solid ground, at the heart of Ford’s crossover lineup, and it brims with...Read More»

Much has changed in the three years since the Acura ILX first arrived. The Mercedes-Benz CLA has the market rapt, and a new sedan-inclusive generation of Audi’s A3 looks poised to sell well. Meanwhile Mazda has gone far more upscale with its latest Mazda3; the current Jetta has quite the...Read More»

Is the BMW X6 a niche vehicle, with space and versatility compromised in favor of a more rakish roofline? Some will rush to that conclusion. But anyone who makes such claims is more than a little misguided—and they clearly haven’t crawled around inside the latest X6, let alone taken one...Read More»

Without question, the 707-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the member of the Charger sedan lineup that’ll attract the most attention this year. But if you’re not headed to the track or looking to wow friends with timed performance runs and Hellcat bragging rights, you could save...Read More»

The Nissan Juke is headed into its fifth model year, yet it’s no closer to blending in with the rest of the compact crossover market. Rather, it looks and feels as defiantly different as ever. We’ll soon have more vehicles on the market with which to compare the Juke—models like...Read More»

Stoic. That’s how I’d sum up our first drive of the 2016 Kia Sorento. It’s not just because this completely redesigned, third-generation Sorento felt mostly unfazed, driving through a Sierra Nevada winter "storm of the decade" that brought 100-mile-an-hour wind gusts and made some...Read More»

As we’re getting acquainted with the 2015 Nissan Murano for the first time, it’s eye-opening to note all that this mid-size crossover doesn’t have: There are no multiple drive modes here, no variable steering assist settings, and no steering-wheel shift paddles, no low range or...Read More»

Is the 2015 Mini Cooper S overwrought or just cheeky? Is it a trend-setter or a fashion victim? And does it still continue to build on the heritage of the classic Mini? Those are tough questions, we know. But when driving the Cooper S—the new-generation Cooper S that made its debut this past...Read More»

With nearly 200 hp for just 2,700 pounds of city-savvy hatchback goodness, and a base price of $22,195, the Ford Fiesta ST has to be one of the best-value driver's cars available today. ALSO SEE: Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado Are The Least-Recovered Stolen Vehicles In America And really, it...Read More»

The 2015 Toyota Yaris is one of the better-looking subcompacts on the market; yet in too many respects—especially from the driver's seat—it feels like a small car from another era. Putting it tersely—after driving several versions of it this past week, on the mostly leisurely...Read More»

“Can't the Camry look a little more exciting?” To paraphrase chief engineer Monte Kaehr, that was a message so commonly heard in focus groups with owners of current 2012- and 2013-model-year Camrys—when they were asked what single thing they’d like to change about their...Read More»

Heavy, family sized three-row crossover vehicles like the 2014 Infiniti QX60 probably don’t come to mind as particularly fuel-efficient picks—even when they have the Hybrid badge. But considering the very reason for being for hybrids—to recapture some of the energy in braking and...Read More»