The Bottom Line: General Motors has had their up's and down's lately. Once the largest automotive manufacture in the world, they are now ranked fourth, behind Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and then General Motors. To get lean and trim, and be profitable, they closed down several nameplates over the years. Gone are Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer. Today GM sells only Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC trucks.
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 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer RS
The Bottom Line: Here are the non luxury full size SUVs, in sales order, for the first three months of this year: Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, Nissan Armada and Chevy Suburban. GM holds 3 of the top 5 sales positions in the full size SUV class, and the Chevy Tahoe is the best selling full size SUV in the United States.
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2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 4WD
The Bottom Line: Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational company that has been around for over 100 years, and in that time span they have learned a thing or two. Foremost is that American car buyers really like SUV's sport utility vehicles, and CUV's crossover utility vehicles. Mazda knows what sells and now builds 5 cars and 5 SUV's. As the US car market is split 50/50 with cars and SUV's, Mazda has both ends of the spectrum covered.
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2020 Mazda CX-30 AWD Premium
The Bottom Line: Volkswagen is the second largest car company in the world, trailing Toyota now by less than 100,000 units in worldwide sales. That said, VW took a big hit a few years back with Dieselgate, and that cost them billions of dollars in fines and customer restitution. Today they are the most competitive car company in the United States, working hard to win back consumer confidence, by building quality cars with more content, at better prices.
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2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL 4Motion
The Bottom Line: Every now and then I get a press car that is just a lot of fun to drive every day. Easy to get into, easy to get out of, easy to park, easy to load, easy on gas too. This week Mitsubishi sent me a 2020 Outlander Sport GT to review. This is the younger brother of the Mitsubishi Outlander that is their signature larger SUV.
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2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT
The Bottom Line: Lately Kia has been competing above it's weight class. First they came out with the 2020 Kia Telluride SUV, and it was awarded the "Best SUV Ever" for it's size, content and price. Next it was made the “SUV of the Year” distinction by Motor Trend Magazine, and then Consumers Reports Magazine picked the Kia Telluride as a "Top 10 Pick" as one of the best 2020 vehicles to buy today out of the 250+ cars, trucks and SUV's that they tested.
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2021 Kia Seltos S Turbo AWD
The 2019 Volkswagen Atlas Review: Volkswagen is expanding into new markets , quite literally, as it continues to roll out its biggest vehicle in the United States, the aptly named Atlas. Large, family-friendly vehicles remain wildly popular, and this spacious, three-row SUV is carrying the weight of profitability on its shoulders. Volkswagen is investing heavily in electric vehicles for the future, but gas-fueled vehicles like the Atlas are actually paying the bills, at least for now. And after driving it for a week, it’s easy to see why.
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2019 Volkswagen Atlas
The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T AWD Review: It only takes a short time driving the new for 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe to realize one thing: this vehicle isn’t satisfied to be known as a “value leader” any more. Hyundai has long packed its cars and crossovers with an overabundance of content to woo buyers at every price point, a strategy that, along with higher quality products, has helped lift this Korean brand out of the economy-car doldrums and in to the mainstream prosperity.
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Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate 2.0T AWD
The 2019 Kia Sorento SXL AWD Review: These days, there’s a new kind of racing in the automotive world. It’s happening on the features list for every vehicle on dealers’ lots. Across all types of vehicles, but perhaps most noticeably in SUVs and crossovers that have exploded in popularity in recent years, car brands are rushing to roll out features faster and cheaper than their competitors. Horsepower wars are out. Content wars are in.
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2019 Kia Sorento SXL AWD
The 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Review: There’s something to be said for contrast, and the Toyota 4Runner definitely provides that on the showroom floor. Parked next to Toyota’s more refined and freshly designed Highlander, the 4Runner offers a dramatic lesson on the difference between 1990's style SUVs and today’s wildly popular crossovers. For people who want, or need a real SUV, with both the capability and drawbacks that entails, the 4Runner offers buyers a choice that many brands have abandoned. Designed first and foremost for off-road driving, the 4Runner feels heavy, huge and tall.
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2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL Premium Review: This vehicle carries a lot of weight on its shoulders. It’s called the Atlas, and it bears the burden of Volkswagen’s longtime dream for the American market: offering a full-size SUV for full-size families.
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2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL Premium
The 2017 Dodge Durango R/T RWD Review: If you want to find another vehicle like the Dodge Durango, good luck. Yes, it’s a three-row SUV, but it’s nothing like, say, the Ford Explorer or Honda Pilot. That’s like assuming, because they both have two legs, that an ostrich is the same as Jennifer Lawrence. Drive one. You’ll see. The Durango has carved out a niche that no other vehicle occupies, perhaps for a good reason: it’s a weird mixture of half truck, half muscle car. Nobody else builds a vehicle quite like this one.
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2017 Dodge Durango
The 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Review: The Nissan Pathfinder has been around since 1987, and over those nearly 30 years has grown from a small pickup truck with a roof and rear seats to a big family hauler that weighs in at well over two tons. The fourth-generation Pathfinder, which debuted for the 2013 model year, gets some significant updates for 2017. To the eye, the face is redone, with a fresh iteration of Nissan’s V-Motion grille, surrounded by an updated hood and front bumper. At the other end, the taillamps get tweaked.
More important than the new suit, however, is the new power plant. Nissan has been well known for its award-winning V6 engines, but this new Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) 3.5-liter unit contains more than 50 percent new parts, including a new combustion chamber design, pistons, intake manifold, and more. This update helps push horsepower from 260 to 284 and torque from 240 to 259.
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2017 Nissan Pathfinder
The 2016 Lexus RX 450h Review: In the space of a single year, the Lexus RX has gone from being one of the most innocuous, almost invisible SUVs to one of the most daring.
Check out its new nose. It looked so big, so aggressive and so over-the-top in photos that I was worried Lexus might have ruined the driving feel of this vehicle, long known for being soft, silent and inoffensive, with a body to match. Driving the new RX for the first time, though, I was relieved to find it still had the smoothness and ultra-quiet ride of its ancestors. Given the dramatic new styling, I half expected it to have a wailing engine and sports-car suspension, but no. Thank goodness.
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2016 Lexus RX 450h
The 2016 Chevrolet Trax Review: A war is heating up over the next generation of economy cars. Just like mid-size, tough-looking crossover vehicles have replaced the four-door sedan as America’s family car of choice, the same thing appears to be happening to efficient compact cars. A whole new category of vehicles is cropping up called subcompact crossovers that offer good gas mileage along with the practicality and style of a tiny SUV. And if the car companies’ predictions are right, vehicles like this, the Chevrolet Trax, will soon be dominating the entry-level market.
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2016 Chevrolet Trax
The 2015 Ford Expedition Review: Big SUVs and V8 engines go together like peanut butter and jelly, but Ford is rocking the sport-utility world by eliminating the V8 from its full-size Expedition for 2015. Taking its place is a heck of a power plant: the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that delivers a whole lot more power while burning less fuel.
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2015 Ford Expedition
The 2015 Chevrolet Suburban Review: The Chevrolet Suburban turns 80 this year, making it the oldest nameplate in the automotive world, and I can’t think of a better way to mark its birthday than with an all-new design. I just spent a week driving the 2015 Suburban, and while there are plenty of upgrades and cool doodads to like on this fresh generation, I’m even more impressed with the fact that it stays true to its roots after eight decades.
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2015 Chevy Suburban
The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe Review: General Motors has a lot riding on the Chevrolet Tahoe. Along with the Suburban, its longer-wheelbase sibling, it generates tremendous revenue for the corporation’s 103-year-old mainstream brand. Periodically, it gets updated to keep its position as the leading full-size SUV in the market. For 2015, it’s that time again.
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2015 Chevy Tahoe
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee Review: The Jeep Cherokee name goes back to 1974, but it became a pioneer in the SUV market in 1984, when the second generation offered rugged Jeep characteristics in a more comfortable package. It was one of the main reasons that Chrysler bought Jeep back in 1987.
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2014 Jeep Cherokee
The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder Review: As an answer to Ford's Explorer, the original Pathfinder, based on Nissan's successful pickup truck, moved people with sport and utility. Now, more than 25 years later, the fourth generation of 2013 jettisons its truck platform for a unibody and becomes a crossover, and the timing is right.
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2013 Nissan Pathfinder
The 2012 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X Review: Most families want a quiet, comfortable, spacious car for driving down the road, which is exactly why crossover vehicles have become so popular. A smaller number of people, though, prefer capability over practicality, and that's why the Nissan Xterra exists.
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The 2012 GMC Acadia Denali Review: For the third week in a row, I'm driving a General Motors crossover that costs somewhere around $50,000.
Back in the olden days, say, 10 years ago, that would have meant I was driving the exact same vehicle three different times, only with different badges on the hood. GM was notorious at the time for "badge engineering," which was the thing lazy car companies did when they wanted to design one vehicle and sell it at several different dealerships.
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2012 GMC Acadia Denali
The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ Review: The Chevy Equinox was a knockout when it was introduced two years ago. It was a good-looking, five-seat crossover vehicle with all the best attributes of the "new GM" cars that have been launched in the past couple of years. It had a dramatically nicer, quieter cabin and better driving feel than GM vehicles of old.
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2012 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ
The 2011 Nissan Murano Review: They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, the Nissan Murano ought to be blushing from all the compliments it's getting. When it was introduced in 2003, the Murano looked freakish. It was curvy and sleek at a time when SUVs were more likely to be boxy. It was also a sales hit because of its car-like ride and suave interior, both of which were a rarity in '03.
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2011 Nissan Murano
The 2011 Ford Explorer Review: The Ford Explorer arrived with the 1990s and became America’s favorite family transporter. Based on the popular Ford F150 pickup truck, it was rugged and roomy and wore sleek and attractive styling. A huge hit, and it defined the segment.
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2011 Ford Explorer
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review: For the past few years, the Chrysler Corporation has made a lot of cars that looked great on the outside, but disappointed on the inside. As it entered its later years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee was the same way. It had rugged good looks on the outside, but inside it was putting on pretensions of luxury. It won people over for its off-road ability more than its cabin construction.
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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Infiniti FX35 Review: In its
second year after a major redesign, the FX35 model offers you lots and
lots of, well, everything. This tall wagon / crossover piles on the
luxury, safety, and high tech features, while treating you to true
comfort and upscale aesthetics.
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2010 Infiniti FX35
Jeep Patriot Review: Depending on
your point of view, this is either one of the best Jeeps ever produced,
or one of the worst. If you're a Jeep purist who thinks it's impossible
to improve on the Wrangler, that off-road beast that feels like it could
drive right over your house, then you probably think the Patriot is
watering down your perfect brand. It's soft-spoken and polite when
everyone knows Jeeps are supposed to be fueled by adrenaline and human
blood.
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2010 Jeep Patriot
SUV Review: This
isn’t the best of times for sport utility vehicles like the LR2. Despite
a drop in fuel prices to a five-year low over the last few months,
people’s minds are still focused on economy, if they’re car shopping at
all, so buying an SUV today takes impeccable credit and perhaps an act
of faith.
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2009 Land Rover LR2
SUV Review:
Diesel engines have a well deserved reputation of being noisy and
smelly. We normally think of them clattering under the enormous hoods of
industrial haulers. Or we may have friends who use diesel pickups for
heavy-duty hauling. Remember the Diesel Rabbit? Slow. Recall
Oldsmobile’s failed experiment with Diesels in the 1980’s? Sigh.
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2009 Mercedes ML320
SUV Review: There's nothing
particularly unusual about how the new 2009 Kia Borrego looks. It's a
big, traditional SUV with a truck-style frame. The Kia Borrego can be
summed up simply: It's a really good SUV at a really bad time.
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2009 Kia Borrego
SUV REVIEW:
On one hand, Land Rovers are legendary off-road performers. On the
other, they are luxurious cruisers for the well-to-do. As the newest and
smallest Land Rover, the LR2 attempts to blend the best qualities of a
fine sedan with the rugged off-road ability of an SUV.
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2008 Land Rover LR2
SUV REVIEW:
Mazda's seven-passenger SUV, the CX-9, got rave reviews and racked up
more awards than any other SUV last year. It was named the North
American Truck of the Year, Motor Trend's SUV of the Year, Kelly Blue
Book's Best New Family Vehicle, Cars.com's Family Car of the Year, and
probably a thousand other "of the years" that I can't remember.
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2008 Mazda CX-9
SUV REVIEW: The
Jeep Liberty sits in the middle of a rapidly growing lineup of SUVs from
the company that has made them for a very long time. Now all new for
2008, the new Jeep Liberty assumes more of the chunky, squared-off look
of the Jeep Wrangler.
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2008 Jeep Liberty
SUV Review:
While it shares a platform with
the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, the Buick Enclave looks more
seductive than both its siblings.
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2008 Buick Enclave
SUV Review: At the large end of the SUV
market is the Nissan Armada, a competitor to the likes of the Chevrolet
Tahoe and Ford Expedition. I tested an Armada a couple of years ago and
was impressed with it then. So how has it held up over the years?
Relatively well I would say.
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2008
Nissan Armada
SUV Review: Nissan’s Pathfinder
debuted in the mid-1980s as a real, truck-based sport utility vehicle.
Like its numerous competitors, it has grown and expanded its offerings
over the years. Now, for 2008, Nissan has introduced the first
V8-powered Pathfinder.
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2008
Nissan Pathfinder
San Francisco: Kia
is one of those car companies that is under appreciated. Whenever
someone thinks Kia, they envision inexpensive cars for the income
limited or cost conscious. Too bad, because Kia builds some darn fine
vehicles.
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2007
Kia Sorento
San Francisco: Hummer
didn't tone down the styling on its smallest vehicle, the H3. Owning up
to its militarized look, it's still a rolling billboard that screams, "I
want to melt the ice caps." But thank goodness to at least the interior
in the H3, as it is by far, the best in any Hummer product. And at
$30,000, it's also the cheapest.
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2007
Hummer H3
San Francisco: The
MDX, Acura’s first SUV, debuted in 2000 as a 2001 model. For 2007, it is
reborn. Other than the trademark caliper logo inside the pentagonal
grille, not much was carried over from the ’06.
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2007 Acura MDX
San Francisco: Chrysler
has felt left out of the full-size and large SUV market. Despite
fielding the Dodge Durango, there was no luxurious large SUV in the
fold. Now there is. Taking the Durango’s form but giving it a Chrysler
style, the Aspen is designed to take the feeling of the wildly
successful 300 sedans and pump it up to SUV status.
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2007 Chrysler Aspen
San Francisco: It's
an open secret that most people who buy SUVs never take them off-roading.
Oh, sure, they might find comfort in the fact that their
four-wheel-drive American MegaCrusher is capable of scaling the Andes in
six seconds flat, but in reality the furthest they go off pavement is in
the grass parking lot outside their kid's Little League baseball field.
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2007 Nissan Xterra
San Francisco: With
the popularity of large luxury SUV’s on the wane, it is the smaller, but
still substantial midsize crossover vehicles like the Cadillac SRX that
are becoming the new choice for many family buyers. Offering much of the
utility of an SUV, these tall station wagons are based on car platforms
so they ride more comfortably and handle more like sedans.
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2007 Cadillac SRX
San Francisco: There
are few things more depressing in the automotive world than driving a
new Isuzu. Oh, I suppose wrecking your Ferrari might top it, or perhaps
having to trade in your beloved sports car for a minivan - or even
having to carpool with Richard Simmons. Those things would make you want
to swallow the business end of a shotgun.
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2007
Isuzu Ascender
San Francisco: Back
at the end of the last century, Nissan introduced a special offroad
ride. The first generation Xterra was truckish, strong, and independent,
not an SUV for soccer moms or family vacations, but a real
transportation module for active lifestyles. You want leather seats?
Better look elsewhere!
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2006 Nissan Xterra
This Week's MiniVan Articles:
San Francisco: The
Nissan Pathfinder looks like a truck, and guess what? It is one. Unlike
crossover vehicles that use a car-like frame to improve comfort on
pavement, the Pathfinder has a truck-like ladder frame designed for
off-road performance. It's becoming rare to find a truck that's truly a
truck.
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2006
Nissan Pathfinder
San Francisco: Unless
you’ve been living under a rock or hiding in a Pakistani cave, you know
by now that gasoline will never again cost less than $2 a gallon and
that hybrids are selling like hotcakes, for a niche market. You also
know that the worst vehicles for fuel economy are big, heavy SUVs and
ultra-high-performance sports cars. Enter the 2007 GMC Yukon.
Click below for Full Article
2007
GMC Yukon
San Francisco: Pulling
out all the stops on redesigning its fleet of cars and trucks, Chevrolet
is making it clear that it will not lose any more ground (nee, market
share) to any and all of its rivals by bringing more new product to life
this year. We got a chance to spend a week with the all-new 2007 Tahoe
and what a ride it is.
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2007
Chevy Tahoe
San Francisco: With
gas prices passing the $3 mark in America and heading upwards, interest
in gas-guzzling behemoth SUVs is waning precipitously. What better time
for Subaru to introduce an alternative to the old-fashioned SUV?
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2006
Subaru B9 Tribeca
San Francisco:
Until now, it's been easy to compare the Mercury Mountaineer to its
near-identical twin, the Ford Explorer. Mercury's new 2006 Mountaineer,
though, would make a better comparison with the bigger Lincoln
Navigator.
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2006
Mercury Mountaineer
San Francisco: While
its basic, boxy shape is unchanged, the front end of Ford's all-new
Explorer is slightly more aggressive. It's an example of how the
Explorer is evolving into a more refined, less truck-like vehicle over
time. Ford's top-selling SUV gets a major makeover for 2006 and now the
Explorer is better than ever.
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2006
Ford Explorer 4x4
San Francisco:
The Grand Cherokee has fulfilled its role as a rugged, yet luxurious,
family wagon for nearly a decade and a half. Now in its third
generation, it adds power to its list of accomplishments. The Grand
Cherokee now comes with Chrysler’s popular Hemi V8 engine.
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2006
Jeep Grand Cherokee
San Francisco:
In the ever-increasing world of high-priced ad campaigns and catchy
catch phrases, Pontiac did it again with it's latest barrage of ads by
proclaiming their new SUV as the first ever Pontiac Torrent, following
the first ever G6...Call me when it's safe to watch TV again.
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2006
Pontiac Torrent
San Francisco:
How many of those SUV drivers really go off road? Is it five percent?
Three? The Nissan Murano is meant for people who would like to carry
some cargo now and then but want a car, not a truck, for their daily
driver.
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2006
Nissan Murano
San Francisco:
Toyota is the current leader in automotive
hybrid technology and to keep that lead they just introduced another
vehicle in their hybrid lineup, the 2006 Highlander Hybrid SUV. This SUV
comes in 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive models and gets 32-MPG city and
27-MPG highway for a combined EPA rating of 30 MPG.
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2006
Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV
San Francisco:
If you’ve been craving the macho power of a Hummer but are waiting until
Hummers become drivable in normal traffic and more affordable, you’re in
luck. The new H3 is here, delivering much of the Hummer go-anywhere
talents and brick-house styling in a much more accessible package. Click below
for Full Article
2006
Hummer H3
San Francisco:
I've always liked driving Acura’s. There's
something about the way they mix precision, comfort and value that makes
them a perfect compromise - a step above ordinary cars, but not so
expensive and outlandish as to make you feel guilty.
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2005
Acura MDX
San Francisco:
The
GMC Envoy Denali is the latest addition to the wide-ranging Envoy
lineup. It offers more luxurious features and a quieter cabin to give it
the Cadillac treatment with a GMC badge. Good interior materials and
construction make the Envoy feel upscale, especially in the Denali
models.
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2005
GMC Envoy
San Francisco:
As Honda introduces, for 2006, a great big pickup truck, it’s probably a
good time to take a fresh look at another remarkable truck in the
company’s arsenal, the 2005 Honda Pilot SUV.
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2005
Honda Pilot
San Francisco:
Back in 1995, I tested drove my first Kia, the Sportage mini-SUV. While
cute, Kia was still a work in progress. Fast forward to the all-new 2005
Kia Sportage and you can see how far the Korean automotive industry has
come in a few short years.
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for Full Article
2005
Kia Sportage
San Francisco:
A couple of years ago when Volvo introduced the XC90 I asked a Volvo
executive what was the point? Volvo has always been known as a "winter"
car. With the XC90, was Volvo introducing a winter, winter car? The
answer of course was marketing. SUVs were hot and getting hotter. All
Volvo had were sedans and station wagons, so the easiest thing to do was
change a car into an SUV.
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below for Full Article
2005 Volvo XC90
San Francisco: The
archetypical Jeep may be the rock crawling, go-anywhere Wrangler, based
on the vehicle that helped win World War II. But today, the top of the
Jeep heap is the Grand Cherokee. Designed to fit in at the country club
or on backcountry off-road venues, the Grand Cherokee offers comfort and
amenities that Beetle Bailey can only dream about.
Click below
for Full Article
2005
Jeep Grand Cherokee
San Francisco: No,
we didn't place the wrong picture here. When you've got a sagging brand
like Mercury, what do you do? If you're an executive with Ford Motor
Company, you take the hot-selling Ford Escape, change a couple of things
around, and rechristen it the Mercury Mariner. The new Mariner looks,
drives, feels and even smells an awful lot like the Escape, yet - aw,
heck - that's the whole story.
Click
below for Full Article
2005 Mercury Mariner
San Francisco: I recently spent a week in what may be the best Jeep, definitely the best
Jeep Liberty that Californians cannot buy, at least new. The 2005 Jeep Liberty Common Rail
Diesel (CRD) does not meet California’s strict oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission
standards. Too bad, this is one heck of a nice Jeep.
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2005 Jeep Liberty
San Francisco: Thanks to its near-perfect mix of price, handling and style, the Ford Escape
has been a hit since it was introduced in 2001. No matter. It’s already time for a
new one, Ford says. The 2005 Escape has a new look and feel to match its intense
competition from both domestic and foreign companies.
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2005 Ford Escape Limited
San Francisco: Starting this year, environmentalists will be a little more timid when they
gripe about SUVs. That's because sport utility vehicles - long criticized for their
gluttonous appetite for gas and dirty emissions - are turning green. Several manufacturers
are planning more efficient models for the coming years, and the first to the market is
Ford's 2005 Escape Hybrid.
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2005 Ford Escape Hybrid
San Francisco: With
the boxy look of a traditional Land Rover, the Discovery combines immense off-road
capability with a surprising level of comfort. It can drive almost anywhere, yet it still
feels smooth, quiet, and refined around town.
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2004 Land Rover
Discovery
San Francisco: The Nissan Murano's bulbous shape gives it the practicality of an SUV with
the feel of a sports sedan. It's a luxurious and refined SUV that doesn't even hint at
having off-road ambitions.
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2004 Nissan Murano
San Francisco: Suzuki's XL-7 doesn't just look like a tough, off-road SUV, it's the
real thing. Unlike its car-based competitors, it rides on a truck-style frame that makes
it durable enough for extreme off-road driving.
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2004 Suzuki XL-7
San Francisco: The Jeep Wrangler is one of the worlds best 4 wheel drive vehicles that you
can buy today. No one has ever questioned the Wranglers ability to cross the Rubicon trail
or go off road virtually anywhere in the world. It’s the rather hash ride that most
people complain about. Well that problem has been solved. Meet the new for 2004 Jeep
Wrangler Unlimited.
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2004 Jeep
Wrangler Unlimited
San Francisco: Dodge’s all-new Durango impresses with its size and power, but its
bloated styling could use some work. Thankfully, it has the power to match its big-rig
front end with an available 5.7-liter Hemi engine.
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2004 Dodge
Durango SLT
San Francisco: Mary Poppins would have
no need for a car - after all, why drive when you have a flying umbrella - but chances are
she'd be awfully tempted by the Honda Pilot. Like Ms. Poppins, Honda's latest attempt at
satisfying America's voracious appetite for SUVs is among the best mannered, civilized,
kid friendly vehicles on the road.
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2004 Honda Pilot
San Francisco: If I say to you, "Volkswagen," I’m guessing you picture the
little Beetle in your mind. It’s as likely as if I ask you to imagine a pink
elephant. Decades after the old rear-engine, air-cooled econo-bugs disappeared from
American showrooms, the company successfully introduced the front-engine, water-cooled New
Beetle, and we accepted it. The memories are that strong.
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2004 VW Touareg
San Francisco: Ever since Volvo introduced the first three-point seatbelts in1959, this
Swedish automaker has been an industry leader when it comes to safety. Therefore, when
Volvo developed its first SUV, the XC90, safety was high on the priority list. However,
Volvo showed that very safe vehicles don't have to be dull and boring.
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2004 Volvo XC90
San Francisco: If you want to see an automotive superstar, forget about spotting a Ferrari
or Lamborghini. Just look in your neighbor's driveway. Chances are you'll see a Ford
Explorer parked there, the suburban equivalent of Tiger Woods - trendy, stylish, athletic,
and wildly popular. Americans love this Ford truck enough to make it the world's
best-selling SUV for more than a decade.
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2003 Ford
Explorer
San Francisco: When you're an automotive critic, your job is to find the best and worst in
new cars. Sounds easy, right? Take it from me - some vehicles are harder to criticize than
others. Just look at the Mazda Tribute, a cloned version of the Ford Escape.
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2003 Mazda
Tribute
San Francisco: Like Buick's sedans, the Rendezvous exudes a sense of classic American style
without looking blatantly retro. Yards of chrome trim and a handsome body give it a unique
look, while the grille is unmistakably Buick.
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2003 Buick
Rendezvous
San Francisco: Back in the days before car and truck ads were everywhere, rock icons seldom
gave permission for their work to be featured in an advertisement. Sometime in the last
decade or so, all that changed. Look no further than rock icon stalwart Bob Seger and his
now infamous "Like a Rock" slogan that Chevrolet has been using to tout its
pickup trucks for some time now.
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2003 Chevy Tahoe
San Francisco: Mitsubishi has joined the ranks of crossover vehicles that combine the best
features of a car and an SUV with the 2004 Endeavor, already in dealer’s showrooms.
The Mitsubishi SUV lineup now includes the compact Outlander, the Endeavor, the Montero
Sport, and the top-of-the-line Montero.
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2004 Mitsubishi
Endeavor
San Francisco: How's this for a novel idea: an SUV that acts like an SUV. In this crazy
world where automakers try to woo sport-utility buyers with terms like "car-like
ride" and "nimble handling," it's nice to see Nissan is still making a
truly rugged SUV - not one that just looks the part.
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2003 Nissan Xterra
SAN FRANCISCO: Unlike
virtually all other automakers, Isuzu markets only SUVs and minivans in the North American
market – the Rodeo, Axion and new for 2003, the Ascender. The Ascender replaces the
long running Trooper.
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2003 Isuzu
Ascender
SAN FRANCISCO: Hot on the heels of the revamped CR-V small sport utility vehicle
comes Honda's new Pilot. Designed in Ohio and California to meet the needs of Americans,
this new midsize SUV chases the Ford Explorer in a way the Isuzu-sourced Passport never
could.
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2003 Honda Pilot
SAN FRANCISCO: The women's magazines my wife enjoys frequently run articles that
teach canny shoppers how to get the Saks Fifth Avenue look on a K-Mart budget. The $300
purse is replicated for $39.95, the $5,000 dress for $199. It is much the same for the
attractive new Kia Sorento midsize sport utility vehicle.
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2003 Kia Sorento
SAN FRANCISCO: For many years, Mercury has made its livelihood by selling traditional American
full-size sedans. A few years ago, Mercury introduced the Mountaineer sport-utility
vehicle to expand its lineup and to attract some younger buyers. Mercury's sport utility
vehicle arrived with good lineage, being based closely on the enormously popular Ford
Explorer.
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2002
Mercury Mountaineer
SAN FRANCISCO:
The Nissan Pathfinder is a serious SUV, not a pretender like some of its
competitors in the near-luxury SUV market segment. Watch the nightly news long enough, and
you’re bound to see white Pathfinders with UN painted of their roofs.
Four-wheel-drive models are really meant to be driven off road over very rough terrain.
While the 2002 Pathfinder got a revised front facia and grille, it still has a less
"Tonka" truck look compared to the 2002 Nissan Frontier and Nissan Xterra.
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2002
Nissan Pathfinder
2002 Subaru Forester
SUV
SAN FRANCISCO: Riding high on its Outback line, Subaru
took a chance two years ago and introduced its own ground-up SUV, the Forester. Since its
introduction, Forester sales have remained high and its popularity growing. We had a
chance to spend a week in one and we’re here to tell you that you don’t need a
mainstream SUV to get all the SUV advantages.
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2002
Subaru Forester SUV
2002 Chevy Trail
Blazer
SAN FRANCISCO: As the SUV war heats up, with at least 20 new models waiting to be
introduced over the next year, automakers are trying to outdo each other with each new
launch by making their respective vehicles bigger, better, stronger and safer than the
other guys’ products.
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2002
Chevrolet Trail Blazer
2002 Ford Explorer
SAN FRANCISCO: The new-for-2002 Ford Explorer has finally been launched to the general public,
and might we say, it is well worth the wait.
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2002
Ford Explorer
2002 Olds Bravada
SAN FRANCISCO:
No matter who it is, whether teacher, professor, parent or boss, they always say the
most important thing is the first impression. A good first impression can get you in the
door. A bad first impression might ruin a relationship for its duration. Our first
impression of the redesigned for 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada was mixed to say the least.
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2002
Olds Bravada
2002 GMC Envoy
SAN FRANCISCO: After
years of looking at the rear end of Ford’s Explorer in the midsize SUV sales race, GM
seems primed to move ahead (or at least alongside) with the introduction of its new trio
of trail tamers. The 2002 GMC Envoy, the Chevy Trailblazer and the Oldsmobile Bravada.
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2002
GMC Envoy
2002 Isuzu Axiom
SAN FRANCISCO: The
new 2002 Isuzu Axiom is one of the growing breed of "crossover" vehicles that
combine the versatility of a sport utility vehicle with the styling and luxury of a sedan,
or really a station wagon. Since it received rave reviews as the ZXS concept vehicle at
the 1999 Tokyo Auto Show, Isuzu rushed the Axiom into production with few changes from the
concept version.
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2002
Isuzu Axiom
2001 Ford Explorer
Sport 4x4
SAN FRANCISCO:
This week, we test drive Fords popular two-door Explorer Sport, one of the nicer looking
sport utility vehicles on the road today.
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2001
Ford Explorer Sport 4x4
2001 GMC Yukon SUV
SAN FRANCISCO:
Many people like the go-anywhere, go-anytime capability available with four-wheel-drive.
However, some don't like to turn knobs or pull levers to get in and out of 4WD. The answer
could be the SmartTrak Road Management System that is standard equipment on Oldsmobile's
sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Bravada. Unlike all-wheel-drive (AWD) where the vehicle
is always in 4WD that is offered by other manufacturers, SmartTrak normally operates in an
"all-wheel-drive standby" mode.
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2001
GMC Yukon SUV
2000 Oldsmobile
Bravada SUV
SAN FRANCISCO:
Many people like the go-anywhere, go-anytime capability available with four-wheel-drive.
However, some don't like to turn knobs or pull levers to get in and out of 4WD. The answer
could be the SmartTrak Road Management System that is standard equipment on Oldsmobile's
sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Bravada. Unlike all-wheel-drive (AWD) where the vehicle
is always in 4WD that is offered by other manufacturers, SmartTrak normally operates in an
"all-wheel-drive standby" mode.
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2000
Oldsmobile Bravada SUV
2000 Isuzu Trooper
SAN FRANCISCO:
The sport utility vehicle boom has produced trucklike cars and carlike trucks. The Isuzu
Trooper, neither a pickup-based people mover nor a tall, all-wheel-drive station wagon,
has offered genuine off road ability and a roomy, comfortable on road experience for
fifteen years. The Trooper, Isuzu's flagship, resembles a Range Rover, with a tall, square
roofline, upright windshield, and flat surfaces. The 2000 model receives a revised,
two-slot grille, new taillights, and new paint colors and two-tone treatments.
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2000
Isuzu Trooper SUV
2000 Dodge Durango
SAN FRANCISCO: For decades, dating back to the original "muscle car" era of the
1960s and early 1970s, Dodge has been Chrysler’s, now DaimlerChrysler’s,
performance division. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Dodge’s entry in the
mid-sized sport utility vehicle arena is available with lots of muscle. Based on the Dodge
Dakota pickup, the slightly smaller brother to the very macho Dodge Ram truck series, the
Durango has the muscular good looks to go along with all the muscular V8 engines under the
hood.
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2000
Dodge Durango
2000 Nissan Xterra
SAN FRANCISCO: Nissan thinks sport utilities have gotten too soft and too darn expensive,
so they have introduced the new Xterra, named after the XTERRA Championship off-road
triathlon event. The 2000 Xterra offers rugged, functional, off-road access and hauling
with no frills and no apologies.
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2000
Nissan Xterra
'99 Jeep Grand
Cherokee
San Francisco: Jeep's Grand Cherokee, a major player in the
midsize, upscale sport utility derby, gets a new suit of clothes this year, which, without
sharing a single body panel with the past model still conveys the same rugged image.
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'99
Jeep Grand Cherokee
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