Following a full makeover in 2018, Chevy’s three-row Traverse crossover ($30,460) enters the new year with more horsepower and trim-level revisions that offer buyers greater flexibility. Last year’s Traverse marked a major departure for the big crossover. Planted on a new lightweight chassis, it lost…
When it comes to driving next year, let’s all resolve to do better!
If you’re a car company whose customers are of a certain vintage, your survival depends on your ability to adapt. You’re likely to begin building cars that are more dynamic, more aggressive and more tech-heavy. Not to name names, but if you’re Lexus, you might…
Drivers often complain that the glare from newer, ever-brighter headlights blinds them.
Recently, a friend inquired about my ride d’jour. I told her I was driving Volvo’s new S60 midsize luxury sedan. “I don’t like Volvos,” she said. “Too clunky.” Next thing she knew, she was on the receiving end of my Volvo mini-lecture. Volvo isn’t the...
There’s always room for improvement — get better — protect your privilege.
Automakers labor to shelter us from the hard-working machinery that hides away in places we never see. We like our cabins quiet and our rides gentle. There’s no need remind us of the messy, noisy and generally uncivil activity happening in our cars’ nether regions.…
… walking while viewing a phone screen is potentially perilous even in your own home.
In its 42-year lifespan, the Honda Accord has exemplified the art of the family sedan. Year in and year out, it wins high marks for its mastery of things that matter. Basics like safety, creature comfort, reliability and a low cost of ownership. Accord even…
When you enter an intersection with four-way stop signs, you haven’t entered a contest, although it often seems so
As its advertising has it, Toyota wants us to go places. So we did. We went to Wisconsin. We didn’t drive. But we did pick up a 2019 Corolla sedan in Chicago and headed north into Wisconsin. Anyone who has driven in the Midwest knows...
Good roads and safe cars are nice, but safe drivers are even more important!
Subaru plugs a big gap in its lineup this year with the debut of the new Ascent crossover. A three-row gap to be precise. The midsize 2019 Ascent ($31,995) is Subaru’s largest vehicle and its second attempt to crash the three-row party. A previous effort,...
…do as much homework as you can before setting foot on a car lot.
Before the crossover was the minivan. Before the minivan was the station wagon. Time was that a station wagon was proxy for America’s family values, writ large. Load the family and hit the road. But now, with crossovers ascendent, minivans are endangered and wagons are...
As the saying goes, “Safety begins by checking the nut behind the wheel.”
Last year, GMC reinvented its Terrain crossover. When it debuted in 2010, the Terrain was a ‘tweener — bigger than a compact crossover and smaller than a midsize CUV. For 2018, GMC planted the Terrain on an all-new, lightweight chassis and shrank it to compact...
An officer may also determine that an act of speed is negligent or reckless.
Before Toyota shuttered its youth-focused Scion brand in 2016, it had built up a pipeline of cars too good to abandon. So they grew up and became Toyotas. The last of these Scion orphans, the C-HR subcompact crossover, arrived last year. Arguably, because it’s available...
The first rule of winter driving (echoed by state troopers) is to slow down.
Don’t let its crisp styling and well-furnished cabin fool you; Ford’s full-size Expedition SUV is a brute at heart. That heart being a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that makes as much as much as 400 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. It powers the 5400-pound SUV…
Who might face the resulting liability claims, meritorious or not?
Kia may not bring Goliath to his knees, but it’s not above aiming a swift kick at his shins. Kia’s newest model, the 2018 Stinger luxury-sport sedan, takes direct aim at a segment dominated by Germans. Specifically, it’s dominated by BMW’s 3-series cars and is...
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concurs with my premise of misguided trust.
Over the years, Toyota’s Avalon has evolved from roomy-and-docile family sedan to a near-luxury piece with athletic overtones. And when we say, “near-luxury,” what we really mean is “so-close-to-luxury-it’s-hard-to-tell-the-difference.” The all-new 2019 Avalon ($35,500) finds Toyota’s flagship four-door pushing against old boundaries. Deep sense of…
The latest news, reviews and commentary about cars, trucks, and more, automotive technology and car culture
| Dec. 2018 | Nov. 2018 | Oct. 2018 | Sept. 2018 |
| Aug. 2018 | July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
| April 2018 | March 2018 | Feb. 2018 | Jan. 2018 |
