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Archive for the ‘midsize cars’ Category

The Ford Explorer remains one of the most popular SUVs in America, but the previous-generation model had one thing going against it: age. It entered the market in 2011, and while a 2018 facelift injected some life back to the SUV, it was only a matter of time before Ford ultimately replaced it with a next-generation model. Well, that time has come. The sixth-generation Ford Explorer made its long-awaited debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show, and it didn’t take long for the SUV to serve notice to its rivals. The Explorer is back, baby, and it’s back with a vengeance. That should serve as a warning to Dodge and its Durango SUV. Just like the Explorer is to Ford, the Durango is one of Dodge’s biggest moneymakers. Unlike the Explorer, the current version of the Durango is toiling on the back-end of its generational cycle. The next-generation Durango is coming, but there’s no specific timetable on when it’s poised to arrive. So as the all-new Ford Explorer flexes its muscles in the segment, the current Durango has to resist the Explorer rush, at least until the cavalry arrives. Is it up to the task against the all-new Ford SUV? Let’s find out.

Proudly sitting as the main attraction at Kia’s 2019 Chicago Auto Show stand, the new 2020 Kia Sportage introduced us to a number of novelties, most important of which is its amazing standard safety pack. The subtle facelift touched the 2020 Kia Sportage’s front and back end and gifted low-end models with even more tech. While this is basically all that’s important on the newest Sportage, it seems that this compact SUV really doesn’t need more improvement. It is a value-centered compact SUV, and it does all it should really well. After all, it does have some legacy to defend. Believe it or not, the Sportage was the first car with a knee airbag back in 1998. Heck, it is even the first vehicle to complete the Paris-Dakar rally and the Baja 1000. It did it in 1993 and 1995, respectively. While Kia is not really big on promoting these facts, I can tell you that the new Sportage really does epitomize the safety proves and the sporty character of its predecessors.

Honda established its Swindon, UK plant back in 1985 and it functioned pretty well until the late 2000s credit crunch when the manufacturer closed about half of it. Before the financial crisis that really made its presence felt in 2008, Honda was making the Civic, CR-V, and Jazz in Swindon, but after the restructuring job, it only kept Civic production going at the site – now it looks like it plans on closing the facility for good, in 2021 or 2022.

Four years after dropping jaws on the floor of the North American International Auto Show, we learn the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept could finally come to our lives in the next few years. Just don’t expect the production version to look anything like the concept that caused a ruckus in Detroit back in 2015. Time is the biggest culprit behind this shift. It’s been four years since Hyundai unveiled the Santa Cruz, and a lot has changed within Hyundai during that time. The company’s new decision-makers are taking a different approach from the regime that championed the concept’s production back then. It remains to be seen how the different stylistic approach affects the production model’s appeal, but that’s also just one of many questions that Hyundai needs to answer before the production pickup arrives.

Toyota had an eventful time at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. It was not just the Sequoia getting honored with the TRD Pro badge, or Toyota presenting the 2020 Tacoma. The automaker revealed the TRD Off-road version of the RAV4. Toyota’s trusted compact crossover was beefed-up and launched with more off-road capability. Does the RAV4 TRD Off-Road make a compelling case for itself as an ’off-roader”?

BMW has very recently launched its first ever X7 SUV, a seven-seater that occupies the top position in the manufacturer’s high rider lineup. With a starting price in the U.S. of $73,900, it is $13,200 more expensive than the smaller X5, so it needs a good story to help get sales moving. In this case, it needs one that turns everyday obstacles and situations into fantastically exaggerated mythical encounters.

The new 2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is just right. Presented at the 2019 Chicago Motor Show, the new hot Volkswagen compact sedan gained the much-needed overhaul with a fine upgrade that came from none other than the parts bins of the Golf GTI and the Golf R. It is a thoroughly improved car, with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, gasoline engine, a fresh new look, and a far more advanced suspension compared to the lesser units. Let me just say it – rear multi-link. It has it.

With the new model introduced in Chicago, Volkswagen USA officials actually noted that the new car will come with two trim levels, while the limited edition GLI 35 serves as sort of a high-end model of the GLI world.

Now, we’ve already learned a lot about the new Volkswagen Jetta GLI, but what about the Volkswagen Jetta GLI35?

First arriving on the scene in 1989, the Legacy nameplate has served as Subaru’s flagship sedan for six full generations. Now there’s a new seventh-generation arriving for the 2020 model year, and it’s framed as “the most advanced Legacy in the model’s 30-year history.” Sporting a revised exterior, oodles of new technology and luxury features in the cabin, as well as a new platform and a new turbocharged engine option, the Legacy is feeling fresher than ever. But with segment competition tightening, does the Legacy have what it takes?

Volkswagen has launched a new 2020 Jetta GLI that borrows a lot of Golf GTI visual cues, as well as its powertrain and more advanced suspension. But the new GLI is only so extreme and, in fact, in China and other markets, you can actually get an even more powerful version of it that isn’t branded as anything special. The GLI is only the most powerful Jetta you can buy in North America.

Volkswagen has finally given its Jetta sedan for North America the power, exclusivity, and extra sporting edge that some enthusiasts felt were missing from the package. The new 2020 Jetta GLI has addressed all those concerns and is now a model with enough brawn and sophistication to go head to head with all the sporty sedans in its size and price brackets. If you’re into fast driving, then you will be happy to note the new Jetta GLI gets the exact same engine as the (Golf) GTI, a standard limited-slip differential, and a snappy six-speed stick shift.

One of the new Jetta GLI’s main rivals is the2019 Honda Civic Si sedan, a very hard contender indeed. The Civic Si has a smaller displacement engine than the Jetta GLI, and has less power, but it is also quite a light car, one renowned for its excellent handling and road manners. It also looks somewhat sportier than the Jetta too, especially if you see its trunk lid-mounted wing, the center exhaust, and the aggressive overall design and stance.

If this were purely a visual comparison to discover which car looked more aggressive, that distinction would automatically go to the Civic Si. But it’s not all about the visuals, especially since the Jetta is more powerful than the Civic and it also has a more sophisticated independent rear suspension that VW doesn’t offer on any other Jetta model.

Acura revamped theRDX last year and gave it a more aggressive face coupled with a sporty profile. All that is great, but the new car is lacking when it comes to mid-range torque. That’s where Hondata jumps in with its Flashpro system that gives you the ability to extract 45 more pound-feet of torque at the peak of the curve over the 280 you get from Acura.

Mid-range torque is a very important aspect, especially when we’re talking about SUVs. The RDX is Acura’s compact crossover offering and, while it does offer 28 pound-feet of torque more than the previous RDX with its 3.5-liter V-6, there’s still room for improvement. Hondata has already released ECU kits for the Civic and Accord, and now it’s the RDX’s time to shine with extra torque and, also, more power across the band.

The Rock Creek Edition is a special-edition version of the Nissan Pathfinder that includes new accessories and a few extra features at no additional cost. Introduced at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, it freshens up the somewhat dated fourth-generation Pathfinder, which was launched in 2012 and went through a mid-cycle upgrade for the 2017 model year. Offered on SV and SL grades (no soup for you if you want the base model or the range-topping Platinum trim), it costs only $995. Nissan says it will save you $1,315 compared to a similar vehicle with all those features ordered separately, but is it worth it? Let’s find out in the review below.

It was not just Mazda which brought an anniversary edition model to Chicago Auto Show.The MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition might have stolen the limelight, but Chrysler and Dodge have launched anniversary editions of their minivans as well. Perhaps, they went unnoticed because they are humble minivans and not some fancy roadsters. Oh, automotive enthusiasts, thou art mean.

Don’t get confused by the ASX nameplate on this newly released 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport crossover. The ASX is a name stashed on the back of the European Outlander Sport, and as the new one will be released at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, it is only logical. What seems less logical is yet another facelift for the Outlander Sport. The car has been around since February 2010, and for the past nine years, it received exactly three facelifts (this being fourth). This means that the third generation of the Outlander Sport has exactly five different looks. While previous redesigns haven’t been, what one would call…ahem… exhaustive, the new redesign is. The new 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport received a full visual makeover with the styling cues reminiscent of all new Mitsubishi cars. So, it looks a lot like the Eclipse Cross then.

The 2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is the latest performance-oriented version of the compact sedan. It’s based on the seventh-generation Jetta what was unveiled for the 2019 model year, and just like its predecessor, it rides on underpinnings borrowed from the Volkswagen Golf GTI. More aggressive than ever design-wise, the 2020 Jetta GLI is also the most powerful GLI ever built. Powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, it comes with 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. For the first time ever, the Jetta GLI comes close to the Subaru WRX, although it still doesn’t have an all-wheel-drive system. Find out more about the new Jetta GLI in the review below.

Volkswagen has updated the current Euro market Passat and as with all new products from the German giant, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference. But it is certainly different if you look at details like the Arteon-infused styling refresh as well as the long list of new tech features added along with the facelift.

Strutting its stuff earlier this year at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, the Kia Telluride is poised to hit dealerships later in 2019, and now we’re getting the low-down on how much it’ll cost. Long story short, the 2020 Kia Telluride offers tons of features and equipment for not a whole lot of scratch, starting at $31,690, and tagged at $41,490 for the range-topper.

The Jetta GLI returned to the market at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, and needless to say, it’s cooler than it has ever been. Although the previous model was nothing to sneeze at, the seventh-gen GLI is a proper four-door GTI. The only thing that bugs is that Volkswagen didn’t drop the “GLI” badge for a proper Jetta GTI name. And here’s why I think it should have.

Subaru has revealed an all-new seventh-generation 2020 Legacy sedan at the2019 Chicago auto show, but right off the bat it was criticized for playing it too safe with its design and styling. Some even say it looks nearly identical to the vehicle it’s meant to replace and while that is an overstatement, you really have to look at the fine details to be able to tell them apart.

And that’s what we’re going to do here, put the two models side by side and dissect their differences so that you don’t have to. Besides, Subaru has been doing this whole conservative, evolutionary design approach for most of the last decade now, but if you remember crazy cars like the SVX coupe from the company’s past (as well as the current BRZ), you know it wasn’t always so restrained.

In the press release that accompanied the reveal of the new model, Subaru mentioned it rides on the company’s new Subaru Global Platform it introduced in 2017, its new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer with 260 horsepower, improved interior with extra tech and last but not least the car’s “bold design” that follows a “Dynamic x Solid” philosophy. But let’s see the two cars side by side first, then start judging them.

Buying an SUV you also buy into the idea of a more outdoorsy style and Ford is promoting that idea with the new dealer-fit accessories it’s showing at the 2019 Chicago auto show.The move also aims to hint at the vehicle’s off-road capability and encourage future owners to use their Explorer to… do more exploring.