Don't worry... I still love my big burley trucks, but EVs fascinate me. They are, without a doubt, the future of personal transportation. However, the future is here already. While it can be challenging today while charging infrastructure catches up, even in a less than ideal environment, a weekend getaway in an EV is possible. To illustrate this, Nissan sent me a Leaf S Plus and we drove up to Oceanside, CA.

Electric Vehicles have been something I've been enamored with for the past several years. Ever since I got my first tasted during a launch of event for the Kia Soul EV back in 2014, the promise of smooth, quiet, rapid acceleration has been a dream that would one day finally be practical. Back then, we were excited to have an approximate 90 mile range and the concept of "range anxiety" has continued to be a major obstacle to EV adoption. Vehicles such as the Mustang Mach-E though are beginning to prove that EVs can be practical and compete head to head with ICE cars and that makes me very excited!

One of the things I absolutely love about Joshua Tree National Park is that it is a near perfect spot for people to learn how to drive off road vehicles. You can dip your toes in the sand rolling along Geology Trail or get the adrenaline going in the Old Dale Mining District and still have a great time. This park is your place to advance skills at a pace that you are comfortable with and that matches personal experience and technical abilities of your vehicle. Over the years I've done exactly that, first having explored trails with a Jeep Cherokee and now, earlier this month I returned with the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. 

One of the joys of our National Park System (and affiliated monuments, seashores and other protected spaces) is that they offer a chance to learn and explore. Unfortunately, while some are popular destinations such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Glacier... others are less appreciated. That's the case of Organ Pipe National Monument but it represents some of the most gorgeous natural landscapes anywhere in the South West. We had a chance to visit for a brief stop on the way back from our road trip to Tucson last month and we think it's worth going out of your way to visit.

There's absolutely no rational reason why the Durango SRT exists other than because some engineers at Dodge said they wanted to be the fastest dads (and moms!) in the PTA pickup line. With 475 hp and a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds, this three-row SUV is the most fun I've ever had with a family car. 

Our time spent with the Nissan Armada was an interesting one. I say this not only because the brand is in the middle of a transition as it updates some of it's older products, but also in that compared to vehicles like Chevy's Tahoe it provides some nice design elements that make it more practical for a suburban family. This is immediately noticed when you first step into the driver's seat but continues throughout the ride.

There area a huge number of cars, trucks, and SUVs available on the American market today. Despite this though, there are dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of vehicles that most of us have never heard of but would be nice to be able to drive here. While not an exhaustive list of vehicles that I'd one day like to try, hopefully this list helps open some eyes and imaginations.

Genesis is one of the newest luxury automotive brands and frankly I wasn't terribly excited about it from what I had seen at the Chicago Auto Show Last year. While the cars were pretty, elements of the car simply didn't feel "luxury" even if they looked phenominal. Despite this, I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to test out the GV80 last month and put it through it's paces for a week. After a day or two of driving, my opinion changed completely and my view now is that Genesis is one of the most exciting car brands on the market.

The BMW X7 has built a reputation of luxury, power, and quality that makes it a symbolic high-end vehicle for individuals such as diplomats, politicians, executives, and VIPs. The vehicle’s OEM specifications make this model the perfect base for armoring, turning this luxurious SUV – the symbol of status – into a symbol of safety and protection. INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing is proud to release the world’s first armored BMW X7, offering exceptional protection and ultimate comfort.

Toyota has done wonders for the look and feel of it's vehicles over the past several years while refreshing almost its entire line. The brand is undeniably conservative and that's ultimately why you buy a Toyota - dependability. However, at a certain point a car needs to offer the chance to make an emotional connection with the buyer and that's never been more true for the 2021 Highlander XSE. 

Well... it's official now and while we're thrilled to see the Raptor evolve, we're still looking for the V8 version that will hopefully be here next year in the Raptor R. That being said, the current Raptor is still the king of offroad trucks as far as we're concerned since it is as nimble as it is aggressive. I've been in several tight squeezes where the maneuverability was more important than raw horsepower, so we're excited to see how this new version performs in situations like that as soon as we can get our hands on one!

E.C.D. Automotive Design, known for its bespoke Land Rover Defender rebuilds, has delivered a California Compliant Series IIA with a range of modern elements and classic features.

Trucks get a bad reputation for gas mileage, or at least they have historically. This is starting to change in the past two model years and will continue to accelerate going forward as trucks are seen as a competitive option to cars and especially full-sized SUVs such as the Chevy Tahoe. It is truly remarkable that you can take a 5,000 pound vehicle down the highway at a rate 29-mpg without using a hybrid powertrain, but that's exactly what they've done with the new 3.0 L turbo diesel. This makes it a great option for long road trips so we decided to test it out on a drive from San Diego to Paso Robles, CA to check out some Central Coast wineries.

For some, a car or truck is a static item that only receives updates when something breaks. For others though, the initial purchase is just a starting point. Over time you'll want to improve your axels, suspension, maybe add a turbo. Sometimes things unfortunately just stop working and it's time to replace a part or two. While there are some fantastic OEM part options on the market as well as custom aftermarket parts manufacturers, in some instances, buying used parts can be a great option too that will save money while delivering maximum value.

Driving games are a great way to spend a few minutes blowing off some steam and today, they are also a lot of fun to watch people stream online too. While we hope to soon be back in the paddock of some races surrounded by the sounds and smells, these games continue to help keep us excited about driving, while we wait.

Santa is in the final stages of preparing for his legendary around the trip coming up at the end of the month and the folks at Chevrolet wanted to put their latest hauler up against his beloved but aging sleigh and magical reindeer. While they've worked well for thousands of years... sometimes the allure of comfy seats, a great sound system, and plenty of space for toys during delivery times and enough seats to take the best elves on vacation merit switching things up. Plus, while Santa isn't normally concerned with gas mileage, being able to travel like normal folks and avoid frequent fill-ups is pretty cool so he's excited about the new 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel too!

Bulletproof glass has always been more of a cautionary and reactionary investment; this means that its demand is mostly related to the situation, crime rate, violence, etc. The global bulletproof glass market is expected to reach $7.65 billion by 2022 which is a 13.6% increase from 2017.

While a big truck or SUV has got comfort and power going for it, not everyone lives in the suburbs or rural America. Others of us simply can't afford the price tag on those big beautiful machines. At first glance, the all-new Chevrolet Trailblazer looks like it is "just another small SUV" that is trying to fill another nice further dividing the ever more competitive SUV market. While that's true, Chevy's designers and engineers did a great job making this a vehicle that sufficiently differentiated itself from competitors and was a vehicle I truly enjoyed driving for a week.

Have you ever thought about taking a trip to Europe but you really do not want to waste all your time just walking around seeing the tourist spots and looking at museums and old government buildings all day?

 Sometimes it is silly fun games that are the best distractions. You know, those games where you simply pick up the controller and connect with a friend and play for half an hour and then go back to work. That's the experience that I had when checking out Monster Truck Championship recently and it renewed my passion and interest in racing games... something I had lost many years ago due to them being overly complicated.