SUV/Minivan Reviews

Lincoln’s New Flagship
Lincoln is making a strong effort to regain its stature in the luxury car field. For 2010, the automaker revamped both its midsize MKZ and its larger MKS sedans, and introduced a new crossover SUV, the MKT. My review this time covers the MKT, which carries over mostly unchanged for 2011.
The MKT is [...]

A Coupe-Like SUV?
What do you call the ZDX. Acura says it a four-door sports coupe, but when you look at it closely, you see a lot of SUV there. To me, it’s more like a coupe-shaped SUV. Do people really want a vehicle like this? Acura seems to think so. But to some folks, the [...]

Overlooked Santa Fe Has A Lot To Offer
The Hyundai Santa Fe is a midsize crossover that flies under the radar. The average buyer doesn’t think of it when shopping for a new SUV. He or she is more inclined to check out the class leaders, like the Honda CR-V or the Toyota Highlander. However, the [...]

Lexus Revamps Its Midsize SUV
I find it curious that Lexus continues to go with two truck-based SUVs when the trend is to the more car-like crossovers. Of course, one explanation is that they have readymade Toyota platforms to use. In the case of the GX460, it’s the Toyota 4Runner. But no matter how you dress [...]

Redesigned Sienna Impresses
It’s not easy to design a stylish minivan. Nissan tried it a few years ago with the Quest, and it turned out to be a flop. Now, Toyota has taken a crack at putting some style in its 2011 Sienna, and I got mixed reactions to my test car. Some liked the more [...]

A Sporty Minivan?
Can a minivan be sporty? Toyota thinks so. The Japanese automaker is offering a sport model of its redesigned 2011 Sienna called the SE. The SE is one of five versions of an expanded Sienna lineup.
The new Siennas, even the base model LE, have a sportier look this year. (Toyota’s Calty [...]

Like A Blast From The Past
Back at the start of the SUV craze in the 1990s, the name Jeep and the term sport/utility vehicle were nearly synonymous. It you wanted a sport/ute, you thought of Jeep. They owned the market. Sadly, over the last two decades, they let the market slip away. One of the [...]

Off-Road Better Than On-Road
How times have changed. Back in the 1990s, truck-based SUVs, like the 4Runner were all the rage—everybody wanted one. Today, most people opt for the car-based “Crossovers,” like the Toyota Highlander. However, there are those who still prefer the traditional “go anywhere” sport/ute. For these folks, Toyota has a redesigned 2010 4Runner. [...]

Zoom-Zoom and Room Too
It’s not easy to make a large SUV look stylish, but Mazda has managed to do so with its CX9. It’s sloping hood, upsweeping beltline and open-mouth grille give this sport/ute a jaunty look. While it may appear that the CX9 is just a stretched version of Mazda’s midsize CX7, that’s not [...]

The Pilot Soldiers On Unchanged
Honda redesigned the Pilot for 2009, so the ’10 model carries on without change, except for some new colors. The current Pilot looks much the same as its predecessor, except for the grille and the headlights. It sports a squared-off look that is reminiscent of early SUVs from the 1990s.
The [...]