Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged do-all
2011 Nissan Juke
Jul 16th
Nissan’s Juke seemed to come out of nowhere, looking like a biomechanical frog and dropping without much warning into the growing crowd of compact crossover vehicles and versatile mini-utes that are currently popular. But…what is it?
Nissan calls it a “sport cross,” and it’s a micro-SUV much like the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. No off-roader, the Juke is definitely petite–it rides the same platform as the Versa and slots into the lineup below the Rogue, which is already somewhat diminutive. What it brings to the table is fuel economy, entertaining performance in a package that can climb over curbs if need be, and a heaping helping of attitude and style. More >
2011 Honda Odyssey
May 17th
Within twenty-four hours of receiving the Honda Odyssey to evaluate, I had rescued an interesting-looking leather chair from a trash pile in Detroit, taken a sixty-mile road trip, and hauled 4×8 sheets of drywall. Who says minivans are only useful for soccer moms?
That’s always been the beauty of the minivan. Sure, most of them are pressed into service as mom-taxis, but in reality it’s a mobile command center, and Honda’s new-for-2011 Odyssey takes that role very seriously. Whether it’s hauling kids or camping gear, the Odyssey is ready to work with a lower, wider body and a more powerful, more fuel-efficient engine. More >
2011 Kia Sportage
Apr 25th
Man, do you remember the first Kia Sportage? Like the Suzuki Vitara and Toyota RAV4, this compact SUV started life as a two-door, bare-bones, ultra-compact trail crawler of questionable merit. Look at it now! The Sportage is all grown up, with four doors and a handsome, modern body that marks it as a member of the growing compact crossover market. Everything but the name has changed.
To give Kia’s new do-all a workout, I took it right out of its urban-erranding environment and used it for a roadtrip halfway across the country. It’s not unthinkable that a crossover might be pressed into service for long-distance trips, after all; the more carlike ride and better fuel economy than the average SUV mean that it’s actually a decent choice. More >