Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged crossover
2012 Mazda5
Nov 16th
You’re busy. You’re active. It seems like your every waking hour is sometimes focused only on Doing Things. Well, Mazda’s got a vehicle you might want to look into. The Mazda5 is a micro-minivan whose entire purpose in life is to serve as a mobile headquarters for activities of all kinds. From shopping trips to sporting events, cross-country drives to cross-town moves, the redesigned Mazda5 is prepared for just about anything. These days, it looks snazzier doing it too, thanks to a liberal application of Mazda’s flowing, organic styling.
Though the Mazda5 is sort of a three-quarter scale model of a minivan, it’s still subject to the same influences of that particular market, and these days, it’s not enough to be a big box on wheels. Minivans have discovered style in the past year or three, and the Mazda5 was quickly lost in the shuffle, even as a unique vehicle. More >
2011 Lexus RX 450h
Oct 31st
Appreciating the Lexus RX 450h requires a keen sense of the subtle. What Lexus has done with this vehicle is taken the relatively simple process of propelling a car down the road, made it impossibly complex, and then refined it so that it seems simple again.
Confused? Just check out the power-flow display on the dash, a prominent feature in all of the Toyota/Lexus family hybrids. The complicated dance of electric and gasoline power, battery charging and regenerative braking as well as engine shutoff and re-start, is evident only in the constantly changing power-flow arrows of the display. Without it, you’d never know what this luxury hybrid crossover was up to.
2012 GMC Acadia Denali
Sep 26th
This may sound silly, but GMC’s Denali-branded vehicles remind me a lot of the way a Hollywood pirate ship often looks. They’re big, elegant vehicles, almost stately, rife with luxury trappings and plenty of special trim. Up close and under the skin, however, pirate ships and Denali trucks are working vehicles, sturdily-built and designed to tackle arduous tasks.
The new GMC Acadia Denali is no exception. The top-of-the-line Acadia features upgraded interior appointments and a more substantial look, as well as the power and poise that make this full-size crossover one of the most capable vehicles in its class. And what’s the Denali’s class? This truck is a big beast, but it’s not a body-on-frame working vehicle like the Suburan. The Acadia is more like a manly alternative to a minivan; it’s one of the few full-size crossover vehicles, and the Denali package adds a full complement of luxury items to the menu. More >