The Jeep Compass finds itself in a precarious position, situated among an extremely strong group of competitors in the compact sport utility vehicle class. Two mainstays at the top of the class remain the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The short list also includes some high-quality vehicles like the Ford Escape. Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, […]
Travel/Golf/Auto reviews
Volkswagen GTI still going strong
The anticipation is finally over. The all-new, eighth-generation 2020 Volkswagen Golf was introduced Oct. 24 in Europe. Volkswagen has made a significant departure from its 2019 Golf lineup that has historically included lots of variety. That diversity is not changing. The 2020 Golf has no fewer than 10 powertrains to pick from and includes two […]
Maserati Levante offers major performance
The popularity of sport utility vehicles has definitely made an impact on the upper echelon of auto manufacturers. Try to name one that doesn’t offer an SUV? Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini all sell SUVs. So does Maserati, which added the luxury midsize Levante to its stable of vehicles four years ago. The upscale SUV certainly […]
Vail Resorts in Tahoe begin snowmakiing
The Vail Resorts in Lake Tahoe – Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood – are expected to all be making snow this week and preparing for their late November opening. Thanks to the recent cold temperatures and dry air in Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain began making snow Sunday (Oct. 27) in preparation for a planned opening Nov. 22 […]
Land Rover Discovery a classy SUV
Launched in the late 1940s and once considered a British icon, the Land Rover has a proud past. A longstanding four-wheel drive vehicle, the Land Rover developed quite the reputation for its off-road capabilities. Three years after its debut, King George VI granted the Land Rover a Royal Warrant in 1951. Although the typically box-shaped […]
Jaguar F-Pace offers diesel engine options
The Jaguar 2019 Jaguar F-Pace has some unique qualities, but there’s one quality most people would not expect. It’s a sport utility vehicle that has two fuel-efficient diesel engines – that’s right, diesel engines. The base model four-cylinder offers a diesel option and so does the S model trim that features a supercharged 3.0-liter, V6. […]
Ford Edge a SUV trendsetter
The Ford Edge was one of the initial crossover sport utility vehicle leaders and a dozen years later it’s still going strong. When first introduced in 2007, the Edge was indeed on the cutting edge. It was a competent midsize crossover that became one of the industry’s trailblazers as SUVs veered away from being truck-based […]
Honda Pilot debuts Black Edition
If black happens to be an appealing color, consider going with the upgraded Black Edition trim of the 2020 Honda Pilot. What’s not to like for black-preference car shoppers? The Pilot has a captivating all-black theme that includes a black grille, tailgate badges and black-painted 20-inch alloy wheels. The interior is quite fashionable, featuring red […]
Lexus IS 350 needs more performance
Looks can sometimes be deceiving. A first glance at the attractive 2019 Lexus IS 350 made us think this would be a luxury sedan with lots of power. Wrongo!! The IS 350 scores points in a number of areas, but performance isn’t one of them. And that’s a little perplexing because the engine seemingly has […]
Lexus ES 300h goes long distance
What better way to save a little money on a road trip than to drive a hybrid that can really max out the distance for one tank of gas. Being capable of going more than 550 miles before a fill-up was one primary reason we loved driving the 2018 Lexus ES 300h on a recent […]