Long before there was a crossover boom, Subaru was churning out the practical, four-square Forester. The chunky, all new 5th generation capitalizes on market forces and doubles down on its immediate predecessor’s boxy style while injecting newfound levels of refinement and comfort.
BMW was first with a crossover coupe, the X6. In the decade since, the market has begun to embrace such machines, despite the seeming contradiction inherent in their very nature as smaller, more expensive versions of so-called “utility” vehicles.
Over four generations the MX-5 Miata has become the best-selling sports car the world has ever seen. For this year, Mazda has applied classic hot rodding techniques to take the formally anodyne engine propels the current softtop and folding hardtop RF versions, and turn it into a free-revving, characterful powerplant worthy of this RWD wundercar.
Built on an all-new, aluminum intensive structure, the Ford Expedition and even longer MAX version have interior accommodations to match their footprints.
A lot has changed in the 50 years since Steve McQueen slid and jumped a 390 Mustang into movie history, including a gradual erosion of the social acceptability of fast, loud cars. This Ford, the third to pay homage to Bullitt, does an absolutely terrific job celebrating the joys of such machines and the thrills they make possible.
