What business does an SUV have with nearly 600 horsepower? It’s not my job to rationalize that, but it is to go and see what it’s like. Enter the 2019 Masterati Levante GTS and Trofeo, both packing a Ferrari V8, like all SUVs ought to have.
For the past 20 years, the BMW X5 has had the tech and the gadgets to make it at least somewhat competent when the pavement ended, but it’s no secret that it was no Range Rover. This “Sports Activity Vehicle” was always meant more for the streets, and its scores of owners didn’t ever seem to care. Now the new 2019…
Once upon a time, a Mercedes-Benz inline-six was the very model of smoothness and opulence and grace. It went away for some time, but now it’s finally back and boasts some impressive power and tech. Then the mad scientists at AMG got their hands on it. Meet the 2019 Mercedes-AMG E53, one of the more interesting AMG…
The wickedly fast, ridiculously expensive, please don’t call them sedans even though they’re totally sedans segment has blown up in recent years. “Four-door coupes” like the Audi S7, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and Porsche Panamera all fight for damn near $200,000 from your well-diversified portfolio. Mercedes has had an…
It may not look too different, but the 2019 Subaru Forester is all-new, with better handling, reduced road noise, an impressive amount of standard features and an almost ironically-named new Sport trim that altogether almost make up for its desperately slow acceleration. But there’s still plenty on offer if you’re…
The 2019 Cadillac XT4 is late to the game. It is only Cadillac’s third crossover entry on Day 6,419 of the SUV/crossover onslaught and comes at a time when probably most of Cadillac’s competitors are far ahead in the Big Cars race. So it’s got some catching up to do. Fortunately, it’s a luxury crossover with an…
The 2019 Honda Pilot is as comfortable as a generous dose of anesthesia and doesn’t mind if you’re allergic to packing light. This SUV is so family friendly it even helps you yell at your kids. But actually–there’s an intercom you can use to bark from the front seat to the back, like, a pilot.
Back in 2004, Mercedes defined the modern four-door coupe with the very first Mercedes-Benz CLS, which was basically an E-Class intentionally bent out of shape in a tragic styling exercise incident. Now there’s a third generation with an exciting new straight six engine, and it’s a hoot to drive and much easier on the…
At first I had no idea what this all-new 2019 Honda Insight was supposed to be. Was it an Accord? Why would Honda re-use the name of a car nobody really liked? And would it bring any joy to drivers? But I found out what it is. It’s a hybrid for the Normals among us.
I love the way the 2019 Volvo V60 layers luxury car fanciness with station wagon usefulness. It might look a little faster than it is, but what the V60 lacks in sheer adrenaline it makes up for in versatility, comfort and safety. Long live the longroofs.
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace is quite an achievement. While the entire automotive industry is scrambling to get electric vehicles out by the end of the decade, Jaguar will begin delivering its new EV crossover before the end of this summer with the performance, style and range to challenge Tesla and everyone else.
Both the 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS and its convertible sister the 2018 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS are built around angry little mid-mounted engines juiced to make more noise and power than they have a right to. If that sounds like a good recipe for great driving... Yes. Yes it is.
Crossovers and SUVs are all the rage—“all the rage” as in the lame way to say they’re what people call cool, and in that their astonishing sales numbers are causing a lot of rage among those of us who still appreciate small cars. But crossovers and SUVs are what sells, and the 2019 Acura RDX will be no different.
Though Subaru’s sales game has been unstoppable in recent years, even as it keeps making fun and good things for us to drive, there’s one lucrative segment it has yet to conquer—the big three-row crossover one. The 2019 Subaru Ascent aims to change that, and unlike the black sheep Tribeca it actually looks and feels…
The 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T is like a Ghost of Good Cars Past. Except it’s real, and here to restore your faith in the current state of cars. This is the new lightweight 911 and it’s easy to enjoy but difficult to master. It’s a little too intense for casual use and pretty much the perfect modern Porsche.
It used to be with The Cars, you got in, turned the key, and drove, stopping for gas on occasion. You had one driving mode, and life was simple. The 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid is different. You have six driving modes, and life can be very complicated.
The new-for-2019 Volkswagen Jetta is good example of a car type that’s unfairly falling out of favor: the practical, everyday, compact non-crossover four-door sedan. Also, it’s one of the few cars like this you can still get with a manual, and that feels good.
There are some who are into cars for the wrenchin’. The idea of spending time, money and sanity resuscitating an old Willys Jeep speaks to them. But some of us just want to drive a working vehicle. If you want classic CJ looks without having to keep an old Jeep alive, the Mahindra Roxor was made for you.
I was about to call this $98,000 2018 BMW M550i with Dinan’s Stage 1 tune a “sleeper”, but the quartet of fatty exhaust pipes and 20-inch Forgeline wheels will definitely wake you up. It’s a lot more low key than an M5, though, and on the highway it’s pretty much a low-flying private jet.
I’m not ready to call the 2019 Ram 1500 the best half-ton pickup truck, but I think it’s my new favorite. Even after the novelty of the 12-inch touchscreen wears off, the cab is so comfortable and well organized that I felt like I could live in it. Or, at least, truck off on a 1,000-mile adventure in it.
