SUVs

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.

Lincoln is currently in the middle of a transformation. No traditional luxury coupes, and no new luxury sedans going forward. So, if you want a new Lincoln, you must go the SUV route.

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.

Volvo used to stand for one thing only - safety. I remember a story from when I was a kid growing up where a truck carrying cinderblocks overturned on a family driving a Volvo and they all survived. This was the car if you didn't care about looks but wanted a well designed safe car for your family. Flash forward a few decades and Volvo got sold to Chinese automaker Geely and I had my doubts on if the brand could survive. Thankfully, it has and the Volvo XC90 T8 that we drove last month still maintains that safety reputation but it is now fun to drive and has a uniquely Scandinavian luxury design, especially in the cabin.

When Ford, in 2017, formally announced that they were bringing Bronco back, the off road enthusiast world lost their shit. This was one of the biggest brands in off road history and now it was coming back in exactly the right time where we have the most advanced suspension technology in history and a wide variety of engines that are designed to be robust enough to handle virtually anything we can throw at it on the trail. Then... a year later a new "Bronco" emerged and that quickly got derided as simply the "Baby Bronco", a vehicle simply riding on the big brother's coat tails. In many ways, that is accurate since I'm not sure the Bronco Sport would survive on it's own if it were called something else - for instance if it were simply called the Escape Sport.

Volkswagen's offerings in the United States have changed significantly over the past several years. While the brand was once defined by the classic VW Bug and similarly small sedans, today the company has two of the best SUVs on the market and we can hope that one day the Amarok mid-sized pickup will make it here as well. Sadly though, that's much more of a challenge due to tariffs and an increasingly competitive mid-sized truck space. In my previous experience with VW the cars were "nice" but skewed feminine and honestly something that just didn't appeal to my tastes. Then at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show I had a chance to check out the Atlas, but it took me a year to actually secure one for a road trip review.

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.