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!

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.

Cadillac hit it out of the ballpark with the all-new 2021 Escalade. Truthfully, the entire new family from GM has been an absolutely exceptional experience to drive over the past few weeks. While each share a lot of similarities dimensionally, the new Escalade took that package and created a unique experience that makes me even more confident that Cadillac is back. Simply put, while other vehicles that I've driven from the brand this year have been enjoyable... the Escalade 100% represents the brand promise that I have been craving.

From Brats to Outbacks, Subaru has been in the crossover game since the 1970’s. But back then they were not called crossovers and today Subaru prefers the “SUV” designation which conjures up visions of say, a Tahoe, Explorer, or Grand Cherokee. So, regardless of the label here’s my take on the 2020 Subaru Outback Touring XT SUV..

I recently got a chance to do a quick one-day preview of the all-new 2021 GMC Yukon Denali and it is everything I loved about the all-new Tahoe, but better. That's sorta what GMC is as an extension of the Chevy brand though. It's everything you love but just taken to the next level and with an understandably higher price tag too. Simply put, the new Yukon drives great, is comfortable, looks amazing, and has more room in the places that the previous generation needed it.

When the folks at Cadillac put the three-row-SUV XT6 Premium on my agenda a few weeks ago I wasn't sure what to think except that it is probably popular with the folks that need a mini-van but don't want the stigma. Let's face it, three-row SUVs are hugely popular and practical if you have a family but I've never once experienced one that was enjoyable to drive and made you smile while approaching it in the garage. That is, until now. The moment I first tapped the accelerator when leaving my garage I realized this was not merely an upbadged Traverse.

 The Jeep Grand Wagoneer that has been rumored for months now is finally public and official. Set to launch next year this king of the Jee's will be priced at more than $100,000 and is designed to compete with other full-sized luxury SUVs on the market including Cadillac Escalade. Jeep will also be offering a less grand model named unsurprisingly simply the Jeep Wagoneer as well.  I can't wait to hear more soon.

By this point in the year I normally would have racked up 10s of thousands of miles in the air and have wrapped up at least a few different road trips. This year, is different. While we've been doing a lot of auto reviews recently, the focus has been distinctly different and focused more on local driving. However, I'm glad that I got a chance to let the Hyundai Palisade stretch it's legs a bit because it was one of the best all-around SUVs that I've driven in a long time.

When we look at cars, many are completely unique - for instance, the Toyota Sequoia doesn't have a Lexus version and there's sadly no Toyota version of the Lexus LS. Other models though have near-identical twins and sometimes you have the same bones but completely different personalities. That's what I discovered recently while testing out the 2020 Lexus LX followed by the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition. These two vehicles are fundamentally the same but have been configured to feel completely different with each having a unique personality. 

Chevy's Tahoe SUV is historically one of the favorite full-sized SUVs. When you lump it together with stablemate GMC Yukon these brothers are absolutely my favorites. While the industry has brought a huge amount of innovation to the world of 3-row family haulers, nothing can touch the poise and presence of these two truck-based SUV giants. When Chevrolet invited me to be among the first to drive the 2021 Tahoe Z71 this month I was thrilled for the opportunity. Here are my thoughts...

Some vehicles are iconic for the sizzle and sex appeal, others are legendary for simply being dependable and the last of their breed. Sadly, the 2020 Toyota 4Runner is in that last category. I say sadly because I wish there were more "compact", reliable, refined SUVs out there with as high performance on and off-road as the 4Runner. I don't get as much time to profess my love for this vehicle as I'd like to, so when Toyota offered this to me for our road trip to Vegas for the Mint 400, I jumped at the opportunity.

Today, the Chevrolet Suburban became the first vehicle ever awarded an Award of Excellence star at Hollywood & Highland. Presented by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and unveiled at a ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard, the award recognizes Suburban for its 67-year career in Hollywood film and television.

As Americans, we have a reputation for being loud and boisterous. We rock boats and break the law, we're rebels. Driving a car from Dodge - or in this case, Jeep reminds me of everything great about this country because it's about pushing the limits of power and design. Sure, most of the Jeeps sold today are road vehicles designed for soccer moms and that's ok. But the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is something special. While you have some fine SUVs Chinese, Indians, Germans, and Italians - no other country has the balls to take luxury SUV and drop a 707 hp motor in it and still keep the price affordable. That's what's great about this country and why I love driving the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk every chance I get!

This summer I've had the fortune to borrow a Toyota Sequoia from their PR fleet twice. We did a road trip around Irving, Texas (suburban Dallas) earlier this summer and just a few weeks ago we drive around Punta Gorda, Florida. On initial glance, the SUV is old, outdated, and simple inside and out. After giving it some time though, it's become one of my favorite full-sized SUVs. 

If there's one crossover that is polarizing right now, it is the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer. Inspired by Camaro but designed to still serve as a family mover, Chevy decided to resurrect a badge that once stood for off-road fun and freedom. Today that same Blazer name represents a new form of driving freedom for a new generation looking for a fantastic road trip experience while looking sharp and delivering just enough sport to make you forget for a moment that you are driving a mid-sized crossover.

Ford is doing something special for drivers looking for something different than the typical SUV. With the launch last year of the Ford Edge ST they introduced a new segment, the "Performance SUV" and along with that they created an entire driving experience designed specifically for those owners. To give us a taste of what it was like, they invited us to experience exactly what Ford Edge ST owners will on a one-day school in Park City, Utah. With a combination of driving some of America's most beautiful roads combined with instruction by awesome instructors and a chance to safely test features of the Edge ST, this was a pretty awesome experience.

The Ford Explorer is one of my absolute favorite SUVs since it first debuted in 1991. It has represented a sense of American style and freedom as the ultimate road trip vehicle able to adeptly transverse paved and unpaved roads. Now in it's sixth generation the Ford Explorer has added a new version to the line - the Ford Explorer ST. A performance version that we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with last week in Park City, Utah. 

When it comes to modern SUVs, few are good at both on and off-road. They are focused on tuned to compromise and lean towards fuel efficiency on-road - or all out off-road ability. While I can talk for days about the need for more true, body-on-frame SUVs, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the epitome of what an awesome SUV should be. It offers a solid, perfectly refined driving experience with no compromises and brings you back to an era when sitting in the driver's seat of an SUV made you feel special. We took the 2019 Land Cruiser on a road trip to Scottsdale, AZ for Spring Training and it was one of my favorite driving experiences in a long time.

This custom Defender 90 Convertible from E.C.D. Automotive Design is outfitted with a five-speed manual transmission and powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 engine.

How to you make the Cadillac Escalade is already an SUV with attitude and is one of my favorite luxury rides. Now it's gotten a bad-ass upgrade from the folks at AddArmor who turned it into an absolutely stunning executive protection vehicle. I dream of one day rolling through the streets in one these but for now I'll just have to be satisfied by the photos...