Reinventing the vehicle that launched a segment might be headlines news all unto itself, but what Chrysler has done to the minivan segment is absolutely electrifying. Really. Chrysler designers and engineers have delivered the best minivan yet in the new 2017 Pacifica, and it is now offered with a hybrid gas/electric powertrain.
For some reason it seems as if the arrival of spring has been marked by the arrival of the newest GMC Sierra Denali pickup in our test driveway and this year has been no different. Last year, the model received some styling and technology upgrades. That trend continues for model year 2017.
A year ago I brought you the review of the all-new Titan XD pickup from Nissan. This truck is placed in between light- and heavy-duty models on the market with the truck maker calling it “Every-Duty.” At the time of release it was only available as a crew cab model, but now the Titan XD lineup has expanded.
After spending a week behind the wheel of the 2017 Kia Cadenza, I would swear the Korean automaker hired Buick engineers and designers to build this car. Traditional sedan buyers choose a brand or model because it fits their exact needs and the new Cadenza is the perfect sedan model.
While the word prime can be defined as being of greatest relevance or significance it can also describe something basic or fundamental. The latest member of the Toyota Prius family has been named Prime and I believe it encompasses many of the definitions of the word.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Genesis G80 – the car formerly known as the Hyundai Genesis. It is still built by Hyundai but with it comes the spinoff luxury division from the Korean automaker as this large midsize luxury sedan begins the new chapter in Hyundai history.
A little over a year ago, I gave Acura serious accolades for the improvements made to its ILX entry luxury sedan. We have now had the 2017 Acura ILX in the test driveway and little has changed – with my opinion or with the car.
Last week, along with a group of other auto writers, I attended the National Press Introduction for the 2017 Kia Niro in San Antonio, Texas. The Niro is Kia’s new crossover hybrid, poised to take on Toyota Prius customers who are ready for more passenger room and utility space.
In the fall of 1966, Toyota began building what would become the world’s best-selling nameplate – Corolla. Now forty-three million cars later, the automaker brings us its 50th Anniversary Special Edition model of the 2017 Toyota Corolla.
Mid-size sedan sales have taken a bit of a dip over the past year or so with consumers opting instead for vehicles on the crossover utility side of showrooms. But it is not for lack of trying as sedans such as this 2017 Mazda6 from Mazda are some of the best yet produced by automakers.
Fiat is no longer a one-model (number) showroom. Joining the myriad of Cinquecento (500) models the Italian automaker has already brought to America, Fiat has revived its 124 Spider roadster just in time for the model’s 50th birthday.
So, who’s excited for Lego Batman? Apparently, Chevy is, since for a cool $48,000,000, they’re listing the all-new Lego Batmobile on their site. The whole landing site is really an excellent marriage of car and movie marketing, with lots of winks to the movies but also played as a deadpan legitimate site. My favorite is the car comparison chart, but the whole site is great! Now all we need is the release of Lego Batman…
I fibbed…a little. In my opening remarks in the last auto review, I stated that was my final rerun review for a while. Turns out, THIS is my last rerun review for a while. It is not a rerun for moi, but a rerun for GearDiary readers – the 2017 Volvo S90 sedan.
The final vehicle in the recent round of rerun reviews is the Honda HR-V. It launched just a little more than a year ago and we recently spent time behind the wheel of the 2017 EX-L AWD model with Navi that featured the only thing new for this year – the Lunar Silver Metallic paint job.
Next in our series of déjà vu reviews is the 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander. We drove the then completely remade three-row family crossover from Mitsubishi a little over a year ago and, like so many other vehicles these days, the newest model receives some technology upgrades.
KENWOOD, known mostly for their car audio products are making their case of branding out far and wise here at CES 2017 with their Combo Camera for your automobile.
It’s been barely 18 months since we last drove a Golf Sportwagen from Volkswagen and recently they sent us the 2017 model. VW moved Sportwagen from the Jetta line to the Golf family for MY2015 and since then they have given the model a few tech upgrades.
When Lexus launched the sixth-generation ES premium midsize sedan a few years back it used the tagline of ‘Impossible to ignore, impossible to forget.’ More recently, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Company has given the ES lineup a mild makeover, and over the holidays we took delivery of the 2017 Lexus ES 300h hybrid sedan in the test driveway.
It still surprises me just how many vehicles grace the test driveway each calendar year. It also surprises me what has not yet made it down our way when I look at the number of new or refreshed vehicles that have hit the market this year. Here is a look at my top five faves from 2016.
I finish out the class of 2016 with a vehicle that features a legendary name but actually arrives from a little boot-shaped country in the Mediterranean. The Jeep Renegade compact off-roader came to be thanks to the corporate influence of Fiat and proved to be quite a surprise of a vehicle.
Kia’s funky little runabout gets some new “soul” for 2017. The Soul urban activity vehicle sees the addition of a turbocharged 1.6-liter GDI engine this model year along with a new 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox. It arrives in the Exclaim model and puts more fun in funky.