Vehicles & Gear

2015 Nissan Murano Sharpens the Cutting Edge

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.






2016 Mazda CX-3 Joins the New Subcompact Crossover Craze

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.


2016 Nissan Frontier is More of the Same

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.


2016 Mitsubishi Outlander CUV: Better in More Than 100 Ways

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.


2016 GMC Yukon XL Denali: Biggest Just Got Better

‘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.



2015 Lexus RC F at Home on Street or Track

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.


2016 Acura ILX Puts Automaker Back in the Driver’s Seat

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.



The 2016 Lexus RX 350 F SPORT First Drive

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.



2016 Audi A7: The Perfect Four-Door Coupe?

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.


Volvo: Proving the 60s Are Alive and Well!

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.


2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Will Surprise and Delight

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.


2015 Lexus GS 350 F Sport Worthy Competitor to Bavarians

Which Lexus sport sedan is the least known? My point exactly. Many of you did not even venture a guess toward the GS. Lexus re-launched the midsize luxury sport sedan in its fourth generation several years ago and then ushered it into the background. Shame really, as the GS 350 F Sport is a worthy contender for the German competition.


2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4×4 For the Win

This week’s automotive review is another update of sorts as I had already driven this vehicle within the past year. I am talking about the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 pickup that shook up the consumer truck world by making these vehicles largely from aluminum. The recent week in a King Ranch SuperCrew solidified our impressions from the launch last fall.


2015 Kia Forte5 More Than Four, Much More

Five is more than four. Of course we all learned this early on in grade school but that point was reinforced recently as I spent a week with the 2015 Kia Forte5, the sport wagon version of the Forte sedan. The new Forte5 is certainly more than its four-door sedan counterpart and the number of doors is only the beginning.