SUV/Minivan Reviews

Outback Goes Crossover
Subaru is on a roll. The Japanese automaker was one of only three car companies (along with Hyundai and Kia) to increase sales in the U.S. in 2009. Furthermore, they are off to a good start this year. Their redesigned Outback has been named Motor Trend’s “2010 SUV of the Year.” And with [...]

Escape Hybrid Leads in Fuel Efficiency
If you are looking for best gas mileage in an SUV, look no further than the Ford Escape Hybrid. It gets between 31 and 34 miles per gallon of gas. But this excellent fuel economy comes at a cost. The base price for the Escape Hybrid is just shy of [...]

Has Ford Reinvented the Station Wagon?
Ford says the Flex “dares to be different.” There’s no question about that. This vehicle is definitely not a minivan, and it is not exactly an SUV either. In some ways, it reminds me of an old-time station wagon. Ford calls it a “Crossover, ” but however you define it, [...]

Lincoln’s New Flagship
Lincoln is making a strong effort to regain its stature in the luxury car field. For 2010, the automaker has revamped both its midsize MKZ and its larger MKS sedans, and introduced a new crossover SUV, the MKT.
The MKT is derived from the popular Ford Flex, but shares no body panels with it. [...]

RX Hybrid Builds On Strengths
This may come as no surprise, but the 2010 Lexus RX 450h hybrid doesn’t look a whole lot different than the model it replaces. In fact, if you were to just give it a casual glance, you might think you were looking at a 2009. Lexus was not about to make [...]

Audi Takes On the BMW X3
The new Audi Q5 faces some fierce competition in the luxury-car marketplace. Established compact crossovers, like the BMW X3 have dominated this segment for years. But I had a chance to put on 600 miles on Q5 over a long weekend, and I think this car is up to the [...]

New RX Builds On Proven Formula
This may come as no surprise, but the 2010 Lexus RX doesn’t look a whole lot different than the model it replaces. In fact, if you were to just give it a casual glance, you might think you were looking at a 2009. Lexus was not about to make radical [...]

A Tweener
Whenever there’s a gap in the Toyota lineup, you can be sure that it won’t last for long. The product planners get all over it, and a new vehicle pops up. Such is the case with the 2009 Toyota Venza.
According to Toyota spokesman, Ron Zeinstra, the Venza is designed to appeal to those who [...]

Practical Mazda5 Grows in Popularity
The Mazda5 has the distinction of being the only vehicle in the Mazda lineup with a better sales record in 2008 than it had in 2007. This year sales approached 20,000 units, nearly twice the number that passed through dealer’s doors the year before. The reason for the improvement seems obvious. [...]

Sporty RDX Carries Over for 2009
Acura’s RDX now enters its third model year. It’s a “crossover” SUV that is built on a car, rather than a truck, platform. It was designed to appeal to young urban professionals—the same group that buys sporty SUVs, like the BMW X3.
This enthusiast-oriented SUV enters the 2009 almost unchanged from [...]