BMW has launched the next chapter in its EffecientDynamics initiative and it arrives in the form of a plug-in hybrid on the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle. Arriving in showrooms is the X5 xDrive40e that mates the TwinPower turbo 2.0-liter I-4 gas engine to a synchronous electric motor powered by a high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack.
If spending an afternoon cruising along the California coast in December sounds like your idea of fun, you’ll understand why I had such a great time recently while taking the 2016 Chevy Malibu for a spin. Now only is the car fun to drive, it’s loaded with state of the art tech.
A few months ago we introduced you to a few new midsize vehicles from the Volvo portfolio, namely the S60 Inscription and Cross Country sedans and the V60 Cross Country wagon. The sedans were all new at that time while the V60 actually snuck in here midway through last model year, and recently we spent some more time in it.
One of the most polarizing vehicles since its original launch has been the Nissan Murano crossover utility vehicle. While it practically invented the midsize crossover segment its unique styling has always pitted consumers against one another and for the new third-generation model things are no different, and it introduced the world to Nissan’s new V-motion design direction.
In 2013, Chevrolet performed a major overhaul on its bestselling model, the Silverado 1500. Just two years later they have given the pickup a makeover along with a few new technology items. We reviewed the top-of-the-line High Country Silverado last year and earlier this year we tested the Z71 1500. We spent last week driving the 2016 Silverado High Country.
Do you own a four-wheeler, a snowmobile, a motorcycle, a golf cart, or any vehicle that doesn’t have LoJack, OnStar, or some other form of real-time GPS tracking? If so, then you’ll be interested in the SPOT Trace GPS Tracker. And guess what? It will even work in backpacks, luggage, or other moveable objects that you need to track.
TripIt says I’ve made 20 trips over 96 days in the last year, and I still have two trips left before the end of 2015! With nearly 1/3 of this year spent traveling, I’ve figured out a few items that definitely make the voyage easier. Do you have a favorite traveler on your holiday gift list? Here’s help.
Repeats, reruns, redundancy. Sorry for the run-ons but that is what automakers have been doing to me lately as for the past month or so every vehicle sent over for review has been reviewed here in the past year, and there is very little – if anything at all – new with these vehicles.
The ‘teens appear to be banner years for Mazda. Not only did it just garner a new overall brand award but the automaker has been introducing stylish, fuel-conscious vehicles that are meeting and exceeding the needs of the next generation of drivers and families. Among those is this all-new subcompact crossover utility vehicle dubbed CX-3.
Last year it was more, this year it’s solid to the core. I am speaking of the advertising mantra for the Nissan Frontier midsize pickup. I reviewed this vehicle less than a year ago and now a 2016 model year rolls into the test driveway, but the only thing that’s really new is three more body color choices.
While stopping short of calling the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander all new, the automaker has given its flagship vehicle more than 100 improvements to engineering and design while also updating technology and safety. And it was done with a small price reduction as well as the new three-row crossover racks up honors as being one of the best values out there.
‘Twas not even a year ago that I last drove the Yukon XL Denali from GMC, yet here I am behind the wheel of the 2016 model year schooner. I am not afraid to say that I like the size and heft of this vehicle, although I do feel a bit guilty when riding in it all by my lonesome.
I live in Texas, AKA the land of Super-Duty trucks and oversized SUVs, but I can still appreciate a comfortable sedan that’s fun to drive. I recently tested the 2016 Kia Optima, and in case you can’t tell by the big smile on my face, it was a great experience.
About a year ago I brought you my first impressions of the all-new RC 350 and RC F coupes from Lexus. I went over each model offered by the automaker and discussed the vehicle’s driving virtues both on local streets and at the track and here a year later I spend a week behind the wheel of the RC F.
It’s not everyday that automakers get do-overs but that is what Acura has done with its smallest family member. For 2016, the entry model to Acura, ILX, sees a slimming of powertrain choices and a freshening of styling and technology – all for the better. A few years ago I thought Acura lost its way with this model but no more.
A minivan is a minivan is a minivan. It is not a sport utility vehicle, it is not an activity wagon and it does not have swagger. But as I recently reminded myself during our week with the Toyota Sienna, the minivan is one of the most useful vehicles on the road today.
I was recently among a small group of auto writers who gathered in Portland to check out the all new fourth generation 2016 Lexus RX 350. You know it as the Lexus luxury utility vehicle, I came to know it as a fun and sporty vehicle that was heavy on good looks, creature comforts, and technological features.
It looks like Honda has done it again. Without asking permission or begging any pardon, the automaker has brought a vehicle to market that is most likely going to dominate its segment. I am speaking of the all-new HR-V compact crossover utility vehicle and I predict that Honda is going to sell a boatload of them.
A new style sedan arrived on the automotive scene a few years back in the form of a coupe/sedan and the A7 is Audi’s entry into that category. From the B-pillar forward the vehicle appears to be a traditional sedan but from that point aft there is a long slope to the trunklid giving this styling its signature look.
This week was all about the 60s. Volvo Cars of North America is preparing to celebrate 60 years of bringing it’s Swedish-born vehicles to this continent. As part of the festivities the automaker is delivering some new 2016 models on the 60-series line–namely, the S60 Inscription sedan, the S60 Cross Country sedan, and the V60 Cross Country wagon.
If this 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport looks familiar it is done so by design, literally. Hyundai employs the “Fluidic Sculpture” theme in all its vehicles and our recent Santa Fe Sport CUV tester had us feeling a bit of déjà vu all week back to the all-new Tucson we recently visited with.