Toyota RAV4

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2023 Mazda CX-50 challenges SUV icons

The sport utility vehicle market is so strong, Mazda decided it needed two similar vehicles, the CX-5 and the debuting 2023 Mazda CX-50. The combination gives the unheralded manufacturer quality and quantity in likely the most competitive automotive segment beyond pickup trucks. Key rivals, besides its CX-5 sibling, include the redesigned Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. The Toyota RAV4 was the country’s 4th best-selling vehicle in 2021, the CR-V was fifth and the Rogue seventh. The CX-5 placed 18th. With the CX-50, Mazda offers a more rugged alternative to the CX-5, first offered in 2012. The newbie’s exterior features a slimmer grille and more notable fenders. It’s more catered to off-road treks

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#250, The Weekly Driver’s 2022 Cars of the Year

Selecting the cars of the year helps celebrate another year reviewing new cars and trucks, visiting auto shows and talking with vintage car owners, book authors and industry experts about their cars of the year. There are always great and not-so-great moments driving vehicles. The industry is always abuzz. There are always changes, oddball statistics, recalls and new models and makes. What has Elon Musk done now? Will autonomous driving and EVs ever make a significant difference? Will low-profile tires stop blowing while negotiating small divots in the road? Will Audi ever change its front-grille design? As much as the automotive industry changes, sometimes not much happens. In 2007, the year the iPhone debuted, the starting price of the Toyota

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#246, New Ferrari, LA Auto Show, Dumb Car Names

As we do periodically throughout the year, on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast co-host Bruce Aldrich and I get caught up on the automotive industry news. There’s always a lot happening, and our topics cover a wide range. First, car names can mean a lot toward the success or failure of an automobile. We found a recent list on a prominent auto site that lists the top-25 worst car names in history. The list comes to mind with the not-too-long-ago naming of the pending new Ferrari sport utility vehicle. It will be called the Purosangue. Ferrari, of course, has long been associated with horses and its “Prancing Pony” logo. The new Ferrari is named after the word

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2022 Los Angeles Auto Show promises electricity, tradition

The Los Angeles Auto Show has lots of bright lights and bling, concept cars and customized cruisers from yesteryear. It’s the annual first major industry showcase uniquely held at the end of the calendar year. Global debuts of the newest Aston Martin, Hummer and Porsche are fine. Concept cars are great, although many may never be made for consumers. The latest electric vehicle innovation are the industry’s future. But much was made of the Bollinger, Byton, Canoo and Elio and none have been manufactured. The 115th The Los Angeles Auto Show will be held Nov. 18-26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Charge Cars, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, ElectraMeccanica, Fiat, Genesis, GMC, Hummer, Hyundai, INDI EV, Jaguar,

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2022 Hyundai Tucson: new, bold, worthy

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson, the debut of the small sport utility’s fourth generation, is the South Korean manufacturer’s finest effort to compete against the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It’s a worthy challenger. Unheralded and 13th in small SUV sales in 2021, this year’s Tucson has been redesigned with a sculptor’s bold ideas. It has squared wheel arches, sharp bodywork creases, a radical headlight design and a snarky-looking front grille. More important, the Tucson for the first time is available in three powertrains, a gasoline engine, a standard hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. The latter has a maximum 28-mile electric-only range; the standard hybrid is rated at 37 miles per gallon in city driving, 36 mpg on the highway. Seven

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Best Compact SUV? CarsForSale.com lists top-10

A compact SUV is about as ubiquitous as it gets on American roads. As tastes have shifted away from minivans and sedans, those seeking a blend of practicality and drivability have flocked to the smaller, more car-like version of the hulking SUV. Choices in the segment are diverse, from decent off-roaders to stylish canyon cravers to people-moving champions, there’s something here for every buyer. Compact SUVs excel at being the ultimate all-rounders, capable of serving as your weekend adventure vehicle and daily commuter, shipping kids to soccer or taking on the trails with equal aplomb. CarsForSale.com rates the 2022 Mazda CX-5 as its top compact SUV. “It should come as no surprise that the company that brought you the Miata

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2021 Ford Escape PHEV delivers as new SUV option

Following global semiconductor delays, the long-promised 2021 Ford Escape PHEV debuted a few months ago, adding to the longstanding sport utility vehicle’s lineup. It’s a strong addition to the always-expanding segment of family-oriented vehicles. Sales of SUVs are nearing 50 percent of yearly vehicle sales in the United States. With the new Escape, buyers can combine the utility of a family and small business vehicle with the economy of electricity for short excursions. It also continues Ford‘s early entry into the hybrid SUV marketplace, an option that began in 2005. The Escape is powered by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. The SUV has a 14.4 kWh battery pack with an EPA-estimated 37 miles of electric-only range and

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#212, 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost named Car of the Year

Early in 2021, a teenage boy witnessed a colleague and me exit a 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost at a local sandwich shop. He approached us, looked at my friend and said: “Excuse me, sir. What kind of job do I need to get to afford a car like that?” A few hours later while waiting in the Ghost at a stoplight two men in a vehicle to my right that may not have made it to its destination, caught my attention. Before the light changed, they uncorked a jubilant dance of synchronized hand signs and body gestures. I didn’t know what the display meant, but I’m certain it was a good thing. Far more expensive vehicles exist. But the Ghost, with

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2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid: country’s best new car value?

Car buyers often maintain their brand and style preferences for decades. It’s among the reasons hybrid and all-electric vehicle sales have increased slowly. As an example, the Toyota Prius is now 21 years old. As the first mass-produced hybrid in the United States, it once dominated the country’s alternative fuel vehicle annual sales. But that still represented less than four percent of all auto sales. 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Offer Great Value The Prius’ popularity has waned, but Toyota still maintains its dominance in the hybrid segment. The Toyota RAV4 now reigns with 28 percent of the market share. Key Takeaways 53 mpg city, 52 mpg highway on regular gas: A 1.8-liter four-cylinder paired with two electric motors and a

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Toyota shifts gears, pulls Summer Olympics TV ads in Japan

Financial commitments from television networks, international sponsors and other revenue sources were the biggest hurdle against those calling for the cancellation of the Summer Olympics because of the coronavirus. Now one of the biggest sponsors, Toyota, has decided to withdraw all of its Olympics-related television commercials during the Summer Games — in Japan. Japanese media out reports the decision was made because the car manufacturer fears association already-turbulent Summer Games. The automaker believes aligning its brand with an event the vast majority of the Japanese public is against, could be detrimental to the carmaker’s reputation. Toyota Says No To Summer Olympics Ads in Japan According to media reports, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and other senior executives will not be attending

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2021 Toyota RAV4 expands SUV lead with EV boost

For several years, the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V have paced the keen competition at the front of the small, versatile sport utility vehicle pack. Toyota has further expanded its current lead with the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE. A plug-in hybrid option of the standard five-passenger, the Toyota RAV4 Prime is a small SUV offered in SE and XSE trims. Its 4-cylinder engine combines with a more powerful lithium-ion battery pack and three motors to produce 302 horsepower. Key Takeaways 302-hp plug-in hybrid is the quickest RAV4 ever: The Prime pairs a 2.5-liter four with three motors and a larger lithium-ion battery to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds. 42-mile all-electric range is genuinely usable: Too many

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2021 Mazda CX-5: new, gains on small SUV leaders

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is the 10th year of the small sport utility vehicle. Except for the business-curtailed 2020 pandemic year, the versatile family hauler’s popularity has increased annually. With seven trim levels and the brand’s top-rated reliability designation from Consumer Reports, the CX-5 and several of its stablemates have catapulted Mazda far way from its doldrum years. It joined Alfa Romeo and Volvo as the only manufacturers with increased sales in 2020 from 2019. The CX-5 was the country’s 21st best-selling vehicle in 2020 with 146,420 units sold. The Signature trim covers all modernized areas of the Japanese carmaker once maligned for its rotary engines. There’s nothing fancy or unique about the unassuming SUV, unless value, comfort and consistency

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2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid: bright future now

No one ever calls the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle or a Compact Recreational Vehicle. But like other vehicles known by acronyms, the CR-V is Honda‘s mid-range and most popular sport utility vehicle. It’s quickly likely to become further favored. The SUV segment, according to industry analysts, is expected to approach half of all new vehicles in the United States this year. Which makes it surprising one option hadn’t been previously offered. The Honda CR-V Hybrid, with documented histories to two original given names, debuts this year in a hybrid trim. The Honda CR-V Hybrid has increased in popularity for 11 straight years beginning in 2009 when slightly more than 191,000 sold. Yearly sales more than doubled

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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.

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2019 LA Auto Show: global debuts galore

The yearly LA Auto Show is a must-attend event for experts and those who view automobiles and trucks simply as necessary annoyances. It’s the first major car show of the automotive season despite is unique dates near the end of the calendar year. A multi-floor, multi-hall extravaganza of more than is home for more than 500 exhibits and dozens of manufacturers and the North American or global debuts of their vehicles. The show provides a welcomed automotive overload, and it will be held Nov. 22- Dec. 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s all about entry-level cars, top-end luxury vehicles, the ever-expanding alternative fuel industry, custom made machines and unique concepts. But unlike visiting a car dealership where the

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PREVIEW: 2019 Toyota RAV4 debuts new design, features

The Toyota RAV4 debuted 22 years ago. The new fifth-generation 2019 edition of the sport utility vehicle will debut in dealerships in December in gas models and in hybrid models in March 2019. Gas models will be offered in five grades: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure and Limited. RAV4 HV will be offered in four grades: LE HV, XLE HV, XSE HV and Limited HV. Following the guiding themes from Toyota trucks, the new RAV4 has a revised front end and grille design to create a wider stance. With their polygonal motifs, the wheel arches appear to hold the tires from a high position, emphasizing the lifted-up body and drawing attention to the vehicle’s capability. Ground clearance is increased by

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