Car Reviews

Electric vehicles (EVs) are beginning to make headway in the US market as of late thanks to rising gas prices and an increasingly accessible charging infrastructure. Kia’s next entry into the EV market is the EV6, with a clean-sheet design that enabled daring choices. This is not Kia’s first EV though - the Niro EV and Soul EV came before the EV6, but those EVs felt more like afterthoughts. That's not too much of a stretch, given that they were essentially EV conversions shoehorned into a chassis originally engineered for a gas engine. The EV6 feels like Kia’s first attempt at taking an electric vehicle seriously and it has paid off.

Kia redesigned the Sorento for 2021 and it’s obvious they put significant time and effort in updating this SUV to become a strong competitor in the midsize SUV segment. Considering that the company was once considered an upstart in the auto industry, the stylish and feature-laden 2021 Sorento shows that Kia has what it takes to be the new benchmark.

My dad always said that the right tool makes all the difference when working on a project. Something as simple as a leveler when hanging a picture or the right knife when preparing a meal will make the experience more pleasant and ensure it was done right the first time. A vehicle can be thought of in the same way. Sure, a Jeep Wrangler can be used as a daily commuter and drive on pavement all its life, but it’s loud, uncomfortable, and not the right tool for the job. Likewise, a Corvette is a blast to drive on paved roads, but won't get very far when tarmac gives way to rocks and dirt hills. Both the Wrangler and Corvette can be used for a road trip as well, but it's clearly not something either was designed around.

The 2021 Kia K5 competes in the midsize sedan segment. Formerly known as the Optima in the North American market, the K5 adopts a name change and injects an already good-looking sedan with even more style and technology.

GM has resurrected the HUMMER nameplate as a new GMC model, but it is a far cry from the gas-powered H2s and H3s scattered around the parking lot at your local shopping mall. GMC intends the 2022 HUMMER EV to be its halo truck; as such, the new HUMMER is packed with tons of technology and bombastic stats. GMC is dubbing it the "world’s first supertruck," and we're inclined to agree. It will have some competition in the near future with Tesla’s Cybertruck and Rivian’s R1T, as well as the upcoming all-electric Ford F-150 and the recently-announced Ram EV truck. Below are some of the best features of the new HUMMER EV that will help it stand out, and we’ll also tell you how much it’ll set you back to park one in your garage in the future.

The Cadillac CT5-V competes in the luxury compact sport sedan segment. Over the past 20 years or so, Cadillac has invested huge amounts of capital and effort into building up the V brand to compete with the likes of BMW’s M and Mercedes-Benz AMG cars. Previous V-branded vehicles took the fight directly to the competition, often with impressive results and shattered egos. This repositioning of the V brand now represents a newer category of milder, more street-friendly machines with approachable performance. Cadillac hopes there's enough fondness for the V sub-brand, and the CT5-V is an excellent, albeit misunderstood first foot forward.

The 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer competes in the subcompact crossover segment. Chevrolet revives the Trailblazer nameplate to compete in the ever-growing subcompact SUV segment.

Remember the time when you rode your bike with no hands on the handlebars? The freedom you felt, trusting your balance and your bike to not throw you off at any minute? Okay, so it might not be exactly the same, but Cadillac’s Super Cruise adaptive cruise control aims to take out some of the fatigue of being behind the wheel and let the vehicle control the gas, brakes, and steering - only asking you to monitor the system just in case.

Road trips are a summer staple. Visions of long stretches of open highway, windows down, your playlist blaring on the radio. Beef jerky. Lots of beef jerky. Road trips are also a great way to test a vehicle, especially one marketed to the adventurous types and outdoor enthusiasts. One of the latest entrants in this field is the Honda Passport, which is now in its second model year.

The Nissan Titan (stylized TITAN) first debuted in December 2003 as a 2004 model, surprising the industry with class-leading interior space, a powerful dual overhead cam 5.6L Endurance V8 engine producing 305 horsepower and 379 lb-ft of torque, and a 5-speed automatic transmission when 4 speeds was the accepted norm. Maximum tow capacity for the 2004 Titan was 9,400 lbs when properly equipped. It was beyond competitive for its class, and Nissan made a big splash against the established domestic rivals. Nissan made minor improvements over the years: in 2007, the output of the 5.6L V8 increased to 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque. A Long Wheelbase version and a new PRO-4X trim was introduced in 2008. 2016 marked the debut of the second (and current) generation and split the Titan lineup into two models: the half-ton Titan and the heavier-duty Titan XD, which sits in-between a half-ton and three-quarter ton truck. The latter was initially available with an optional 5.0L Cummins Turbo Diesel V8. Meanwhile, the standard V8 gained technical enhancements that increased output to 390 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, mated to a then-new 7-speed automatic transmission.

If you're looking for a great performance sedan and you're not shopping badges, the Kia Stinger holds its own against stalwarts like the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and Audi A5 Sportback. It’s that good, no excuses needed. Kia has been on a roll lately with world-class products such as the Telluride and newly launched Seltos; the Stinger is no different and can stand toe-to-toe with the stiffest competition from Germany.

The 2019 Nissan KICKS is a subcompact crossover competing in a segment that has exploded in growth lately. All trims come with front wheel drive; all-wheel-drive is not available.

The 2021 Kia Seltos competes in the subcompact crossover segment. With a segment explosion as of late, the all-new Seltos makes a case for itself as a practical blend of performance, technology, and cargo space.

We spent a week with the 2019 Cadillac XT4 AWD Premium Luxury, and used it as a daily driver. We commuted to work with it, went on shopping trips with it, and did just about anything you would do in an average working week. Here are some great features that stood out during its stay with us.

GMC’s Sierra 1500 was completely redesigned for the 2019 model year, bringing a bold design and useful tech features such as the nifty MultiPro split-opening tailgate. For model year 2020, GMC's updates to its bread-and-butter Sierra 1500 are designed to assist in towing, fuel economy, and commuting.

Tesla may take up the majority of the day-to-day headlines, but did you know Nissan’s LEAF was until very recently the world's best-selling electric vehicle? The LEAF has sold nearly half a million units around the world with a full third of those sold here in the United States. The standard LEAF has a range of approximately 150 miles, but it's been joined by a longer-range model sporting the "PLUS" moniker. With many new competitors to the market such as the Chevrolet Bolt (238 miles), Hyundai Kona (258 miles), and Kia Niro EV (239 miles), the LEAF PLUS (215 miles) is still down compared to the competition but now has enough range to compete directly. Any advertised range over 200 miles has the potential to reduce range anxiety significantly, but don’t expect to take long road trips unless you have access to chargers on your route. Given that the range estimate comes in lower than other popular electric cars, can the LEAF PLUS make up for it with other features? I had a week to find out.

The 2020 Kia Telluride competes in the three-row crossover segment. With no shortage of competitors, the Telluride is looking to make a splash among some recognizable nameplates.

Nissan's Rogue has been on the market for over a decade, with the very first examples wading into the hot compact crossover market in late 2007. Now in its second generation, the Rogue nameplate has steadily become one of America's best sellers, and is Nissan's top seller by a long shot. In 2018 alone, 412,110 buyers chose the Nissan Rogue over its two main rivals, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. We spent a week with a 2019 Nissan Rogue SL AWD to find out why nearly half a million people found a reason to park one in their driveway.

We spent a week with the 2019 Nissan Rogue SL and used it as a daily driver. We commuted to work with it, went on shopping trips with it, and did just about anything you would do in an average working week. Here are some great features that stood out during its stay with us.