EPA ratings: 25/34mpg; 28mpg 0-60mph: 6.1sec Price as tested: $30,995 In a subtly ironic twist, Lincoln has been modeling the Japanese success of Lexus—which poached many of the customers who used to buy U.S.-made high-end vehicles—as it reinvents itself as an “American luxury” brand. This strategy seems to be working, with sales up and each … Read more
I love Range Rovers. I love diesels. And I loved the Range Rover Td6 when I drove it last year on its launch in gorgeous Sedona, Arizona. At the time, I remember thinking that the Td6 diesel’s lazily powerful nature suited the more relaxed vibe of the fullsize Rangie better than the Sport, but that … Read more
The Altima has recently undergone its midcycle refresh, known informally as a facelift. The newer Nissan corporate face looks terrific on it and integrates nicely with the Altima’s sweeping forms. The 2.5 SL’s decent sized wheels make sure it doesn’t come across as rental spec either, in terms of stance. Its interior updates are nicely … Read more
While VW didn’t actually invent the hot hatch, we can credit the company with making it successful and popular. I can vividly remember lusting for one in high school, and the GTI, now in its seventh generation, has reached a level of honed excellence that still engenders respect. It retains a look of restrained purpose. … Read more
Time has finally caught up with the Infiniti QX50; car-like crossovers are now much more popular than the more old fashioned body-on-frame SUVs that dominated when it first arrived as the EX35 in 2007. A recent freshening sees new front and rear fascias and wheels, and a 3.2-inch stretch in wheelbase that makes it not … Read more
EPA ratings: 22/29mpg; 25mpg combined 0-60mph: 7.1-7.4sec (mfg) Prices as tested: $82,625 (Sport); $106,325 (fullsize) With VW’s “dieselgate” well underway, it would seem the timing of Land Rover’s release of diesel versions of the full-size and Sport Range Rovers is off. I disagree. I tend to see it as a positive for the British company, … Read more
EPA ratings: 18/27mpg 0-60mph: 6.7sec (est.) Price as tested: $63,910 Cadillac’s new large sedan, the CT6, is so unapologetically athletic that it seems as though we now live in some kind of alternate reality—one where BMW builds cruisers for cities and the open interstate, and Caddy makes sports sedans to blaze pretzel-like alpine passes and … Read more
The A3 has been a great success for Audi, bringing new buyers to the brand in droves. And while we seem to be going crossover crazy, with sedan and hatchback sales dropping over five percent from early 2015, time spent driving a 2.0-liter, turbocharged model of this sleek sports sedan, equipped with all wheel drive … Read more
Living in a place with thin air that really degrades the performance of most crossovers, I was very excited by the idea of the new Tucson Sport, which comes with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. By and large, it lived up to my expectations, and is one of the more compelling small CUVs on sale right … Read more
For at least a decade the Toyota Tacoma has owned the midsize pickup truck segment, as others (including GM) pulled out or left their offerings to languish. With a 70 percent market share and the best long-term resale value in basically the entire car industry, it was hard to argue against it—at least from a … Read more
