Buick ditched its poor-selling SUV wannabe Rendezvous and Rainier in 2008, along with the Terraza minivan. Taking their place was the all-new crossover SUV, the Buick Enclave — a luxury crossover sport utility. It seats up to eight, features the passenger and cargo room of truck-based SUVs, utilizes car-like unibody construction for a pleasant ride read more »

The all-new 2011 version of Kia’s venerable Sportage Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) was completely redesigned, and is significantly more stylish than its predecessor. And like Kia’s Soul and Forte models, it offers the latest in-vehicle technologies.

Arriving in showrooms right about now, the 2011 Sportage offers more power, improved fuel economy along with many new options. read more »

“Everything you need. Nothing you don’t,” was the tagline for the versatile Nissan Xterra some years back. It still applies today. The Xterra is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) engineered for serious off-roading that easily does double duty as a comfortable daily driver.

The Xterra is a truck-based, body-on-frame SUV, not a crossover. read more »

There’s more than one reason the Honda Civic has a lock on its position at the top of the compact class — reliability, refinement, and a broad model line ranging from the eco-friendly Civic Hybrid to the racy Civic Si. For 2010, the Honda Civic is essentially unchanged from 2009 when styling was freshened up after the last redesign in the 2006 model year. We’ve had opportunities to drive all the sedan and coupe versions of the Civic, except the natural gas powered GX. read more »

When you look at the myriad of choices for midsize sedan’s and coupes, the Nissan Altima stands head and shoulders above the rest as a real driver’s car. If you appreciate, good looks, power, and sharp handling you need to check the Altima out.

The 2010 Nissan Altima lineup offers significant changes read more »

I confess, I fell in love with the Infiniti G37 convertible the first time I drove it. Of course, I was cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway just north of Malibu, with the top down, the long version of the Stones, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” blasting crystal clear from the premium, 13-speaker Bose Open Air audio system — after descending from an exhilarating ride through the legendary hills and canyons to the northeast, that began in Beverly Hills. read more »

As Chrysler’s biggest styling hit since the PT Cruiser, the 2010 Dodge Challenger looks very much like the 1970 version. It’s all about attitude — the in-your-face kind that’s been the hallmark of every high-performance Dodge as long as anyone can remember. After a hiatus of almost four decades, the rear wheel-drive Challenger is back, sharing its platform with the four-door Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger.

Walkaround: Dodge stylists got this car right read more »

The 2010 Infiniti FX is the second generation of this stylish performance crossover SUV from Nissan’s luxury division. The FX was redesigned for 2009 with a new engine and transmission, as well as even smoother styling. Based on the same platform as the Infiniti G37 and Nissan ZX sports cars, the Infiniti FX is a rear-wheel-drive based vehicle with available All-Wheel Drive (AWD).

The 2010 Infiniti FX comes in three models read more »

I’ve had three different opportunities to put the 2010 Buick LaCrosse through its paces since it debuted last year, and every time I drive it, I like it more.

The LaCrosse not only marked the beginning of a more luxurious and stylish era for Buick — it was also the most important vehicle GM had launched in a generation. With China the world’s largest potential car market, Buick survived GM’s reorganization read more »