We tried the Mazda CX-90 PHEV last fall while moving in San Diego and fell in love with the vehicle. It was the first time that I began to consider the possibility of selecting a luxury 3-row crossover instead of a truck. However, to be completely honest... that rapid two-week whirlwind of packing and moving also wiped our mind clear of some of the specific details so when we got the opportunity to try it out again we jumped at the opportunity. Doubly so since we were going to be doing a bit of a road trip to Port Clinton, OH to watch the eclipse from near the center of the path of totality.

For years I've looked at the opportunity to get a truck to take care of those periodic needs that I have where I need to haul a lot of "stuff". I don't have kids and so a three-row SUV had been something I never really paid attention to or had a desire to actually own. During our recent move from San Diego though I had the opportunity to test two very similar - but also very different - three row SUVs back to back. The first is the 2024 Toyota Highlander Limited and it was impressive if for no other reason that it showed just how far Toyota has come in terms of refinement. We already know that Toyota excells in terms of practicality and dependability but I was truly impressed by how well it handled and how easy it was to load during those dozens of trips between our loft and various places around town.

In the world of three-row family haulers there's an almost infinite number of options. It's a category that tends to lean towards practicality over fun and performance but leave it to Mazda to turn that on it's head with a vehicle that was as fun to drive as it was practical for loading donations and supplies during our move from San Diego a few weeks ago. During this gauntlet we quite literally took multiple trips each day where it was loaded to the gills but then needed to take breaks before doing it over again. The 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plugin Hybrid filled the bill so well that Heather and I immediately added it to our short list of vehicles to consider buying.

Jeep has been a brand more closely associated with capability than luxury for most of its life but after spending a week driving the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, it is clear that luxury is just as important as off-road capability under the new strategy lead by Stelantis. 

Have you ever driven a big truck through a city? If so, then you know the pain and fear that I had a few weeks ago when I got off the plane in San Francisco and was told that the beginning of our test drive of the all-new 2023 Hummer SUV would be a jaunt through tight urban roads and through traffic across the Golden Gate bridge. Shockingly though, the experience was far easier and more manageable that I had expected and thankfully I managed to avoid scratching this beautiful $100,000 behemoth as we rolled north to our hotel in Napa.

If you are looking for a three-row SUV right now... there are TONS of options but honestly, very few are actually SUVs. Most are crossovers and the ones that remain are giant truck-frame based vehicles that frankly are bigger than most families need. Unfortunately there were few options in the middle and that's where the Jeep Grand Cherokee L comes in. 

Mazda is a brand that we haven't had much exposure to recently but it continues to fill a very nice niche of affordable luxury and because it isn't focused on serving a mass-market customer, it can deliver a different design experience than other manufactures. For some people this is the right fit and understandably for others it isn't right. That's why test drives are so important and why I enjoy spending time driving these vehicles over a series of days on different terrain. For this road trip, we took the Mazda CX-9 up to Palm Springs and tested it on a mixture of suburban streets, high-speed interstates, and twisty mountain roads. What we found was a very enjoyable and comfortable ride that while not a standout in terms of power or luxury amenities - hit a very attractive price point that is thousands less than comparable 3-row SUVs from luxury brands like Cadillac.

Let's face it, the EV space hasn't been all that exciting outside of nerds and tech geeks as well as environmentally minded folks who supported the movement as an alternative to burning fossil fuels. For decades, the notion of "Electric Vehicles" meant compromise after compromise... lighter, cheaper feeling cabins with less sound deadening and a rougher ride, anemic acceleration, and then to top things off... the dreaded "range anxiety". With the launch of the Blazer EV those old ways to think about electric vehicles are almost in the rear view mirror.

Maybe you are already a VIP who travels the world evading nefarious gangs and international spies trying to kidnap you and steal industrial secrets - if so, you probably already have your procurement department reaching out to INKAS to inquire about when your new armored SUV will be available. For the rest of us though, we can only dream of riding around in style knowing that we're fully protected in this beautiful Lexus LX 600 that comes complete with ballistic protection designed to withstand simultaneous attack by 7.62mm assault rifle ammo and not just one but up to two grenades at the same time.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is more than just a luxury SUV. It takes all the best elements inherent to the Jeep brand and wraps them up into an unbelievably posh but high-performance vehicle. Some people might be familiar with past iterations of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. They likely have fond memories of the wood trim and hybrid station wagon-SUV look. While the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer has a much different overall appearance than it’s elders, it embodies the same combination of ruggedness and civility.

Minivans aren't sexy or cool... right? Well not exactly. While minivans of your youth were more focused on utility than comfort, technology and design, today's current generation of minivans - especially the 2022 Toyota Sienna are a different breed. While utility is still paramount, minivans are truly my top choice of vehicle for long road trips where you'll be riding only on paved roads. Just because the roads are paved though doesn't mean you can't have a great adventure though and that's what we did while exploring Southwest Florida Everglades with a Toyota Sienna.

When people ask me why I like minivans so much for road trips the answer is easy - they are practical, drive nicely, and park easily. I'm not always looking for the most stylish and technology filled solution when my objective is getting from here to there with a bunch of bags and people. On a recent road trip through the Eastern part of Florida's Everglades with the all-new 2022 Kia Carnival I was extraordinarily impressed since not only did it have everything I expected from a minivan... it also looked great and had plenty of creature comforts too.

Toyota's Land Cruiser is one of the most iconic vehicles that I've ever driven. From a purely objective perspective, the 2021 model year Land Cruiser was expensive, slow, horrendously fuel inefficient but it was also one of my favorite SUVs to drive. Sadly, while the rest of the world is getting an updated model on a completely new platform... here in the United States we only have our memories and dreams of what might have been.

Toyota is still the master of hybrid cars and crossovers and when the current generation of RAV4 launched in 2019, we were immediately drawn to the hybrid version. Not only did it offer a more exciting driving experience but it also offered the obvious boost in mpgs too. Now, with the RAV4 Prime, Toyota takes it to the next level with a combined 302 hp, 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and an EPA-estimated 42 miles of range on battery alone... resulting in an EPA-estimated 94 MPGe!

While most people are eagerly awaiting the launch of availability of the full-sized Bronco, the Bronco Sport is earning a special place in my heart. Initially I joined the chorus calling it the "baby Bronco" because it appeared to be a vehicle simply riding on it's big brother's legendary branding. After putting it through it's paces though and talking with Bronco Sport owners, I'm convinced that this may be the perfect off roader for all but the most die-hard and technically skilled adventurers.

So, you’re looking for a sub-compact crossover. Well, your choices in this class are numerous! Every manufacturer has at least one and more are on the way this fall.

Generally speaking, my preference in automobiles leans strongly towards vehicles with big powerful engines (or motors), technology, and off-road chops. The Buick Encore GX offers the technology but neither of the other two... but that's ok. It is possibly one of the best balanced, perfectly designed vehicles for young professionals who live in urban areas.

The 2021 Kia Telluride SX is a mid-sized SUV that offers an edge. It provides all the power of a traditional SUV at an attractive price point with plenty of technology and amenities like heated seats, connectivity, safety features, and even a 5,000 pound towing capacity that makes this a great option for budget conscious shoppers.

The all-new 2021 Kia Sorento X-Line is the brand's latest iteration of their popular mid-sized SUV. With the addition of the X-Line package, Sorento promises off-road adventure options that normally you might not consider with a vehicle like this. Like all Kia SUVs, it is packed with plenty of tech and safety features and plenty of interior space for your passengers in the third row too. Is X-Line purely cosmetic for the aspirational off roader or is this something that you can use to go places you wouldn't normally take other unibody SUVs? Let's take a look!

Last week, the folks from INEOS Automotive brought me to a mountain top on the Appalachian Trail near Fairfax, Virginia to check out the INEOS Grenadier. Now when I first got the invite, like most of you, I had never heard of INEOS or the Grenadier before. But a quick Google search turned up some photos of a pretty rugged looking truck, so I was excited to learn more about the Grenadier and see what it was all about. Since the vehicle we were previewing was an early pre-production prototype, we didn't get a chance to drive it. Hopefully I'll get the chance to take one off-roading in the future.