Does the world really need another compact crossover utility vehicle? Hyundai thinks so and has launched the all-new Kona for the U.S. market. Compact, cute, and capable…and designed for the “urban adventurer.”
New and improved! Oh, how I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard that phrase. Now we get to hear it from Infiniti as they introduce the 2019 QX50 midsize premium luxury crossover. New? Yes, including an all-new type of engine. Improved? You betcha!
(Sigh) They grow up so fast. I am talking about the 2018 Tiguan crossover from Volkswagen and the release of the all-new second-generation model. It has grown more than 10 inches for North America and now boasts a third-row seat and includes all of the latest technology.
When I first reviewed the next-generation Acadia three-row crossover from GMC I questioned the decision to have a four-cylinder engine as the base powerplant. Recently, the automaker sent me another Acadia and this time it rolled in with the V-6 under the hood. Better, but GMC still needs to upgrade one thing.
The last time I reviewed the compact luxury X3 crossover from BMW I proclaimed it the best in its class. Recently I drove the all-new third-generation 2018 BMW X3 and despite the competition rising to the challenge of the Bavarians, BMW has seen to it that this model remains the class leader.
Toyota has introduced a revamped RAV4 model at the New York International Auto Show. The all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4 is focused on offering premium tech to the popular small sport utility vehicle. Toyota has also introduced an all-new Sporty Hybrid Grade model, the XSE Hybrid.
Despite the popularity of new smaller crossover utility vehicles, large, luxurious SUVs are still holding their own quite well. These are the modern examples of craftsmanship, design, engineering, and opulence. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident right now than in the new 2018 Infiniti QX80.
The compact crossovers at General Motors have undergone major makeovers and they are now better than ever. Given the surge in CUV sales lately these improvements could not have come at a better time for the automaker. We recently tested the all-new 2018 GMC Terrain Denali.
If there is still any doubt about the selling power of crossover utility vehicles, let us take a look at luxury automaker Lexus. For 2017, its popular RX CUV outsold the entire car lineup and the compact NX outsold the ES midsize sedan. We recently tested the new 2018 Lexus NX 300.
This just in – Mitsubishi is still selling automobiles in North America. I know, right? There may not be very many different nameplates in the showroom but you can still purchase new Mitsubishi vehicles here in the U.S., and the 2018 Outlander is one of them.
If anyone doubts the popularity of crossover utility vehicles one has to look no further than the current list of best-selling vehicles. Vaulting ahead of stalwarts Camry and even CR-V is the Nissan Rogue that has climbed to No. 4 in recent months. And for 2018 the Rogue is even better.
You can’t go down a single highway in Texas without passing at least one GMC Yukon Denali; they are as ubiquitous as deer on the side of the road and pick-up trucks. There’s a reason for this: The Yukon Denali (or simply Denali, as we call them) is the vehicle of choice for anyone with a family.
It was about this time last year when we got our first look at the newest nameplate in the Jeep family (via Italy) in the form of the Renegade Trailhawk. This time around, we spent a week with the Renegade Limited.
Subaru is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in our fifty states, and as they do so they are rolling out the second-generation Crosstrek utility vehicle. Launched earlier this decade, Crosstrek now rides on a new global platform with a new design, and it’s busting at the seams with new features, capability, and comfort.
In case any of you have been living off the grid for the past few years, the Jeep Cherokee is back. Jeep brought the familiar nameplate back to the midsize SUV segment to replace the Liberty model they shuttered a few years ago.
Three-row crossover utility vehicles are popular and they are putting a real pinch on minivan and sedan sales across the showrooms. And while they have been around for some time now there apparently is still room for competition as Volkswagen has just rolled out its entry into the segment, dubbed Atlas.
The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport crossover seems to be making itself at home in the Gear Diary test driveway. This model launched a few years ago and now we have seen our third SF Sport in nearly as many years, most recently the new 2018 model.
What is Nissan’s best-selling vehicle these days? Sentra? Altima? Wrong on both accounts. Car sales have been slumping industry-wide in favor of crossover utility vehicles and the top seller at Nissan is now the Rogue. And that model is now being joined by the new Rogue Sport.
How is it possible that I have never been to Yellowstone National Park? Until a recent media drive for the 2018 GMC Terrain Denali, if you’d told me about traffic jams caused by bison crossing the road or that steam from geysers could be thick enough obscure everything around it, I’d have only given you a blank look.
A while back, I recommended the new Acura MDX to those of you shopping for a new premium utility vehicle. Now less than a year later, I am back to recommend its greener sibling, the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid complete with four motors and electronic all-wheel drive.
If you want to blame anyone for the rise in popularity of crossover utility vehicles in America, blame Honda. And blame its uber-popular CR-V. For 2017, Honda has delivered the fifth-generation of this mid-size family utility to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the nameplate – and it is going to be as popular as ever.