SUVs

,

PRESS RELEASE: 2020 Range Rover big, pricey, plush

PRESS RELEASE Range Rover is renowned for combining peerless luxury and refinement with traditional all-terrain capability. The 2020 Range Rover now offers higher levels of performance, refinement and responsiveness with the latest 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder Ingenium gasoline engine. The 2o20 Range Rover 3.0L inline six-cylinder engine is available in 355hp and 395hp outputs, badged P360 and P400 respectively and delivers up to 406 lb-ft of torque that powers the new Range Rover from 0-60mph in as little as 5.9 seconds (0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds) and to a top speed of 130mph (209km/h)4. In the U.S., the new P360 engine will be available on the 2020 Range Rover and the P400 engine will be exclusive to the HSE trim level. The

Read more
,

PRESS RELEASE: 2020 Infiniti QX50 rules as luxury SUV

PRESS RELEASE The 2020 Infiniti QX50 was completely redesigned for the 2019 model year, becoming arguably the most compelling Infiniti to date with world-first technologies, standout design, enhanced interior space and an entirely new platform. For 2020, the QX50 continues to provide the highest level of versatility, efficiency and performance in luxury mid-size crossovers. The 2020 Infiniti QX50 luxury mid-size crossover is now offered in five well-equipped grade levels and in a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The 2020 Infiniti QX50 Pure comes equipped with standard features and equipment including the 2.0-liter VC-Turbo engine, paddle shifters, 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, LED headlamps and LED signature Daytime Running Lights, leatherette seats, Intelligent Key, power liftgate, Infiniti InTouch dual display system,

Read more

PRESS RELEASE: 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB 250

PRESS RELEASE The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB  250 is the highly anticipated all-new addition to the Mercedes-Benz SUV lineup. A durable and practical SUV with powerful proportions yet compact dimensions, the GLB provides a generous amount of space for up to seven passengers with an optional third-row — a first from Mercedes-Benz in the compact segment. The all-new GLB is equipped with the latest safety technology and the intuitive new MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system. Arriving in U.S. dealerships by late 2019, the 2020 GLB 250 will start from $36,600 and the GLB 250 4MATIC is priced from $38,600. The all-new 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 offers an attractive new entry option to the Mercedes-Benz SUV lineup, while also expanding the

Read more
,

2020 Mitsubishi Outlander improved SUV still lags leaders

Mitsubishi for years has been among the lowest-selling mainstream manufacturers. It doesn’t offer flash, much innovation and its marketing campaigns are restrained. Still, the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander, the carmaker’s stalwart SUV, combines a few worthy attractions. The Outlander, which debuted in North America in 2003, is among the least expensive compact crossovers. It has three rows of seating and with Kia and Hyundai offers the industry’s best powertrain warranty, 10 years/100,000 miles. For buyers interested in value over brand prestige and who are not particularly concerned about performance or a luxury ride, the redone Outlander Sport GT is intriguing. The idea appears to have caught on. Mitsubishi sales have increased for seven straight years, including about 2.5 percent in 2019.

Read more
,

Big, badass and beautiful? Hummer set for 2022 return

It may be hard to imagine, but the pending resurrected Hummer will have 1,000 horsepower and is being marketed to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in three seconds. The truck was “teased” during the recent yearly Super Bowl extravaganza of commercials and is the idea of General Motors. The new Hummer is scheduled to arrive in dealerships next year. The resurrected Hummer will be made and sold under the GMC brand at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck factory. The automaker is investing $2.2 billion into its mass production of electric vehicles. With the country’s continued increase in truck sales and electric vehicles, don’t be surprised if the new Hummers are the vehicles of choice for pulling small RVs as well

Read more
,

2020 Volvo XC40 T5 review: no more SUV malaise

The amalgamation of sport utility vehicles has continued in 2020. About half of the new vehicles sold this year in the United States will be full-on SUVs or crossovers. Many brands are interchangeable, but Volvo has emerged from the cluster of sameness. The Volvo XC40 was introduced last year and for 2020 has a few updates, including varying upholstery and other equipment tweaks and a more efficient interior with new storage areas. But this year’s edition is largely the same vehicle the debuted last year and gained plenty of attention for automotive watchdogs and prominent review sites. A two-row, five-passenger crossover, the XC40 features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with either a T4 or T5 designation. The T5 offers 248

Read more

#119, Pro cycling teams rely on team cars’ assistance

Professional road cyclists were once self-sustaining athletes. Vehicle support wasn’t allowed in races like the Tour de France unless via unscrupulous means. Catching a rider getting assistance from a car meant disqualification. Much has changed. With various other company relationships for bicycles, helmets, sunglasses and energy food, vehicle sponsorship is as much part of a team as its riders. Race organizers rely on manufacturer vehicles to keep the race intact and safe as it progresses along country roads and into mountain ranges. Andrew Bajadali, a former pro cycling and director with the Rally Cycling Team, is our guest this week on Episode #119 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. We discuss how pro cycling teams rely on team vehicles to assist

Read more
,

2020 Cadillac XT6 worthy newbie, won’t alter buying trends

Cadillac entered the sport utility vehicle segment 21 years ago to compete with several luxury rivals new in the family mover revolution. It’s now further expanding its presence in a saturated SUV segment with the 2020 Cadillac XT6. It’s the manufacturer’s first three-row crossover, joining the stately, apartment-sized Cadillac Escalade. It has three rows of seating as a truck-based SUV about weight 1,200 pounds more than its new sedan-like smaller sibling. Cadillac’s debut in the class — the Audi Q7, Acura MDX, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Volvo XC90 are main rivals — is presented refreshingly. It has only two trim levels. Who needs to make a car purchase based on too many confusing choices with only nuances as differences?

Read more
, ,

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 paces luxury SUVs

Mercedes-Benz may be the most diverse vehicle manufacturer. It introduced gull-wing race cars and station wagons in the 1950s, about 30 years after the brand debuted. The enduring carmaker’s modern-day sedans still define automotive maturity. The marque also made a hybrid in 1906 and it customized sedans in the 1930s with bullet-proof windows for the WWII German regime. With the 2020 GLC 300, one of its nine sport utility vehicle options, Mercedes-Benz is also at the forefront of the luxury people mover market. It’s the carmaker’s youngest segment; SUVs have been part of the brand since 1997. As a five-passenger, compact SUV, the GLC 300 receives a half-dozen upgrades as the carmaker’s most affordable utilitarian vehicle. But it’s well-disguised as

Read more

Kia President Michael Cole stars with new Seltos SUV at LA Auto Show

The name Michael Cole is shared by a television actor, professional wrestling announcer and a prominent Southern California psychologist. Michael Cole, the recently named President of Kia Motors America, has some of the other Michael Cole traits — all intriguing. The latter Michael Cole was named to his new position two weeks before the just concluding Los Angeles Auto Show, and he was ready. A career automotive executive who previously worked for Toyota, Cole, 55, presented the new 2021 Kia Seltos under the show’s bright lights and theatrics and with the enthusiasm of an actor and showman. After the pending subcompact crossover SUV’s unveiling, Cole, a native of England, was as serious as a psychologist, but forthright and humorous. He

Read more

#112, LA Auto Show, Day 2: Kia president touts new Seltos SUV

The huge banner promotes the 2019 Kia Telluride as the Motor Trend sport utility vehicle of the year. It’s a perfect marketing location for the manufacturer since the signage is hanging above the Los Angeles Convention Center, the site of the 2019 LA Auto Show. Named the 2020 SUV of the year, the Telluride also has a new stablemate, the 2021 Kia Seltos. It’s positioned between the Kia Soul and Sportage as an entry-level SUV. Michael Cole, the newly named President of Kia Motors America, is our guest on Day 2 of The Weekly Driver Podcast special episodes from the LA Auto Show. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and James Raia speak with Cole about two hours after he presided over the

Read more

2020 Hyundai Palisade: worthy newbie SUV despite odd name

With the debut of the Nexo as a 2019 model and the Palisade as a 2020 offering, Hyundai now sells five sport utility vehicles. The South Korean manufacturer doesn’t do much wrong. But making more SUVs isn’t much different than making more traffic. There’s nothing good about more driving congestion. And how is it possible to find some area of the SUV segment that hasn’t been addressed? Hyundai‘s answer? The Palisade is the biggest vehicle it’s made. The carmaker’s flagship SUV, the mid-sized Palisade features a 3.8-liter V6 engine with 291 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Gas mileage averages are 19 miles per gallon in city driving, 26 miles per gallon on the freeway. Available with all-wheel drive and

Read more
,

2020 Kia Telluride: steller SUV debuts in saturated market

More sport utility vehicles cruising down the road look alike. Even high-end, niche manufacturers that once disdained the idea of combining luxury and utilitarian characteristics in one vehicle offer SUVs. And they all look the same. Bentley, Maserati and Porsche sell SUVs. What’s next? Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce SUVs? Yes, they would be the Verekai, Purosangue, Urus and Cullinan. It’s hard to fathom how they’ll fit into the crowded marketplace. The 2020 Kia Telluride debuted in February as a three-row SUV that looks like it could be part of the supercar SUV fraternity. But it costs about 10 percent of some prestigious machines and has a better chance of survival. The Telluride also looks like other SUVs. Designer

Read more
,

2019 Nissan Armada: powerful, safe, guzzles gas

The Nissan Armada is a well-adjusted teenager. It’s positioned firmly in the mix of large sport utility vehicles that remain popular with their massive engines, family comfort, safety and putrid fuel efficiency. The 2019 edition is the vehicle’s 16th year, and its technically and oddly named after a fleet of warships but used in the singular form. It’s also the third year of the Armada’s second generation after Nissan introduced the current model in 2017. Sales doubled. With an unyielding variety of SUVs entering the market as crossovers and other large SUVs improving, the Armada’s sales fell a few thousand last year. Yet there’s still a solid corps of buyers who don’t seem concerned about driving a vehicle that weighs

Read more
, ,

2019 Maserati Levante growls Italian but luxury SUV misfires

A friend has commented for years that older Mercedes-Benz station wagons are contradictory automobiles. The stately sedans offered as utilitarian family vacation haulers? It isn’t right. Some enthusiasts in more recent times have echoed similar thoughts about Bentley, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari (pending) offering sport utility vehicles. Why compromise the wondrous ways of cruising down the highway in a sedan of refined performance and overt plushness? Like other top-line automakers, Mercedes-Benz never uses the word “station” in describing its wagons. But Maserati, a niche seller, has no issue calling the third-year Levante an SUV. The acronym translates into sales. The ever-present family haulers come in econoboxes. And they’re offered as half-million-dollar creations with hand-selected wood trims and

Read more
Previous Next