SUV and crossover reviews
Reviews of sport-utility vehicles and crossovers from Tribune newspapers, Cars.com and other sources. Research more new SUVs in the Cars.com SUV/Crossover Buying Guide.
10:34 AM EDT, May 8, 2012
Outlander Sport among Mitsubishi's best
Lacking the advertising budget and massive dealer network of much of its competition, Mitsubishi products are easily overlooked. For several of them, that's a shame. Case in point: The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, a compact SUV that does everything well.
6:20 PM EDT, May 2, 2012
Review: Infiniti JX offers comfort even in the third row
Jerry Seinfeld once said, "There's no such thing as fun for the whole family." Ask anyone who has tried cramming himself or his kin into the third row of seats in a crossover sport utility vehicle, and it's likely they'll agree.
April 5, 2012
Car review: Mazda builds fun, efficiency into CX-5 compact SUV
If there's an ideal vehicle for every buyer, consider matching Mazda's 2013 CX-5 with Zeus or better yet, his kids' baby sitter.
February 18, 2012
With rough edges softened, Jeep Wrangler grows beyond niche
As soon as my liver and spleen regain their former shapes, I will feel the need to tweet, little birds.
7:28 PM EST, December 21, 2011
Range Rover Evoque is cool and sophisticated
If the parking lot were high school, the all-new Range Rover Evoque would throw the best parties, vacation in places we mispronounce and read magazines that are delivered to only the truest of sybarites.
7:15 PM EST, January 4, 2012
2012 Honda CR-V sports all-new looks inside and out
If one of your New Year's resolutions was to be more honest and you just bought Honda's new 2012 CR-V, you may be up a creek without a spark plug.
November 15, 2011
All-new Evoque takes Range Rover in a new direction
In 2007, Range Rover debuted a show vehicle called the LRX, which many of us appreciated, but then forgot: Range Rover, we then thought, doesn't build vehicles that look like that.
October 1, 2011
Redesigned 2012 Mazda5 brings 'mini' back to minivan
With the redesigned 2012 Mazda5 minivan, the company answered a question I wasn't aware anyone was asking: "Why can't I get a minivan with a manual transmission?"
12:56 PM EDT, July 29, 2011
Steven Cole Smith: Jeep's entry-level Compass gets a new direction
There's probably a good master's thesis to be written for someone's MBA on the Jeep marketing strategy – or lack of it. Obtaining the iconic brand, with a favorable worldwide reputation, was undeniably a central reason why Fiat bought into Chrysler.
12:00 AM EDT, May 20, 2011
Steven Cole Smith: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited family-friendly but off-road ready
I've long thought that if a car enthusiast fell into a coma, say, 60 years ago and just awoke, he or she might recognize only two vehicles: The Porsche 911, and the Jeep Wrangler. Sure, both those models have undergone extensive and dramatic updates, but they still retain the general appearance, and certainly serve the same audience, as they have for decades.
May 6, 2011
Steven Cole Smith: Airstream Avenue is a hotel room on wheels
Airstream is known more for its travel trailers than its self-powered motorhomes, but the Ohio-based company has been in the motorhome business for decades. If you've driven past a motorhome sales lot lately, you have seen an abundance of inventory, as the downturn in the economy and the upturn in fuel prices have crippled the industry.
April 28, 2011
BMW's X3 xDrive35i is an SUV that acts like a sports car
Your life is about to change, and your sports car is terrified.
11:49 AM EDT, April 1, 2011
Steven Cole Smith: 2012 Mazda5 puts the 'mini' back in minivan
Somewhere between the introduction of the pioneering Chrysler minivan in 1984 and today, we lost the "mini" in minivan. The original base-model Dodge and Plymouth minivans were 175.9 inches long. Now, the best-selling minivan is the maxi-sized Honda Odyssey, which is 202.9 inches long, more than two feet longer.
6:57 PM EST, February 25, 2011
Test Drive: 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo review
Porsche spices up Cayenne sport utility
It is reassuring to know that at 130 miles per hour the new 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo will automatically lower itself a little more than an inch to better hug the road. You simply cannot be too careful.
February 18, 2011
Cadillac CTS-V wagon:A ridiculous, wonderful move for conservative GM
With vehicles like the new plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt and the 30-miles-per-gallon Buick Regal, General Motors Co. seems to be selling itself as the sensible-shoes car company, populating its lineup with plucky, practical cars that offend no one.
5:26 PM EST, February 10, 2011
Test Drive: 2011 Dodge Durango Crew AWD review
Dodge Durango a grand sibling
The 2011 Dodge Durango and its sibling the Jeep Grand Cherokee have a lot in common but there are also some significant differences that could easily make the Durango a more appealing choice.
5:22 PM EST, January 27, 2011
Test Drive: 2011 Lincoln MKX AWD
Bells, whistles and bliss
Lincoln is well on its way to sowing confusion with its vehicular alphabet soup of models consisting of the MKS, MKT, MKZ and MKX.
January 9, 2011
Land Rover LR4 equally capable on the road or off
When Land Rover redesigned the mid-level LR4 SUV for 2010, many of my colleagues proclaimed that it was a leaps-and-bounds improvement over the model it replaces, the LR3.
3:02 PM EST, January 3, 2011
Text Drive: 2011 Ford Explorer
All-new Ford Explorer raises bar for SUVs
Numbers don't lie: There's no denying that the Ford Explorer, introduced in 1990, was an enormous success, quickly becoming — year after year — the top-selling SUV. The four-door, V-6-powered sport utility vehicle filled an enormous hole in Ford's lineup, as the models that preceded it, the Bronco and smaller Bronco II, were never offered with rear doors.
November 29, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke review
Nissan Juke feints at SUV, delivers like sports car
Judging from its initial unfocused advertising campaign, Nissan doesn't seem to know exactly what to do with the 2011 Juke. And after a week testing it, I see the problem: It doesn't fit into conventional categories.
7:03 PM EST, November 12, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Rogue SUV review
Restyled Nissan Rogue a right-sized SUV
Nissan was a little late to the compact crossover SUV party -- with only its truckish Xterra to battle car-based products like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Outlander and Ford Escape -- until the 2008 Nissan Rogue was introduced. The fact that the Rogue was based on the Sentra platform was not encouraging -- the Sentra was fine as an entry-level car, but how would it work as the basis for an SUV?
October 25, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Honda Odyssey
2011 Honda Odyssey: Better? Yes. Prettier? No.
Good news for Chrysler: The company's minivans are no longer the ugliest in the new-car showroom, now that Honda has introduced the redesigned 2011 Odyssey.
September 2, 2010
2011 Kia Sportage EX: Sharp-looking crossover has undeniable German influence
Kia should check the security cameras at its offices.
August 19, 2010
Infiniti QX56 is a luxurious powerhouse in a rotund shell
The good, the bad and the ugly. It's cliche, it's trite — and it's exactly how to describe Infiniti's 2011 QX56.
July 12, 2010
A lot to like about 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Seldom -- OK, probably never -- have I had so much positive reaction to the styling of a station wagon as I did with the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon. I like the looks of the CTS sedan and the new-for-2011 CTS coupe, but, for some reason, the basic styling template of the CTS seems to work best with the wagon. It is, in a word, a knockout.
July 8, 2010
Lexus GX 460 offers a stylish ride on main roads or mud
In 1923, famed British climber George Mallory was asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb the yet-to-be-conquered Mt. Everest. His answer went on to live in the pantheon of exploring quotations: "Because it's there."
July 1, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 Wagon review
Mercedes E350: Last large wagon standing
It is not often one gets to drive a species that — at least in the U.S. — is endangered. But I am. It is a station wagon, a segment that is being virtually wiped out by sport-utility vehicles and crossover car-like SUVs.
June 28, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee review
Grand Cherokee takes on Land Rover
It's been a long time coming, but the redesigned 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is finally here. It couldn't come soon enough for Chrysler, which is desperately in need of new products to give consumers a new reason to walk into its showrooms.
June 17, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Honda Odyssey Touring
Odyssey is still the way to move people and their things
Just a few years ago, the automotive industry had serious doubts about the viability of the minivan. Several manufacturers, including Ford and General Motors, pulled out, hoping to woo customers who needed to carry a lot of people to car-based crossovers.
June 3, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC review
Outlander uses a lot of letters to spell OK
With its 2010 Outlander GT S-AWC, Mitsubishi explores not only the limits of alphabetical nomenclature but also whether Americans care about a crossover with a complex all-wheel-drive system designed to provide extra cornering power and traction under virtually all conditions.
3:00 PM EDT, May 26, 2010
Test Drive: Sporty look gives Mazda CX-7 its edge
There's a long, long list of very competent sport utility vehicles in the $25,000 range, and really not that much to differentiate them.
9:21 PM EDT, May 26, 2010
Car review: Subaru Outback crosses a magical divide
Magic. The word itself is thrilling. It promises surprises (good ones). Mystery. And if you're lucky, a little humor.
June 3, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Touareg review
Price the big drawback to Touareg
Volkswagen joined the sport utility vehicle market a little late, waiting until the 2004 model year to jump in with Touareg, named for a nomadic tribe in the Sahara.
May 27, 2010
In crowded midsize SUV pack, Mazda CX-7 is stylin'
There's a long list of competent sport utility vehicles for around $25,000, and not that much differentiates them.
April 29, 2010
2011 Toyota Sienna review: Family hauler gets a stylish overhaul
Unless you've been living under a floor mat for the last six months, you know times have been tough for Toyota.
2:12 PM EDT, May 5, 2010
Test Drive: Super-quick Jeep will make you feel young again
On paper, few vehicles make less sense than the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8: Huge, thirsty engine; not that much room inside; and though it's four-wheel-drive, it's too low-slung for off-roading. While the big chrome-plated dual exhausts look great, they stick out right under the license plate, effectively eliminating a full-sized trailer hitch.
April 29, 2010
2010 Honda Element unleashed: Wooing the dog set
If the Dog Friendly badges don't tip you off, the thick rubber floor mats with a dog-bone pattern should: This 2010 Honda Element comes with a special option package that should appeal to dogs — and, presumably, their owners.
January 28, 2010
Jim Mateja: Acura ZDX loaded with luxury
Acura waved the magic wand and turned a sport ute into a sedan.
February 18, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Madza5 Touring
Jim Mateja: Addition of Mazda5 not a plus for lineup
Mazda had a great idea — to create a smaller, higher-mileage, affordable vehicle called the Mazda5 with three rows of seats for those folks getting out of larger, lower-mileage and pricey SUVs.
February 15, 2010
Suzuki SX4 earns its stripes
It's a well-known principle of quantum mechanics that racing stripes make a car faster. Depending on the width and color of the stripes, accessorizing paint schemes can be good for as much as 2 seconds in the quarter-mile and 50 mph top speed.
January 15, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Toyota 4Runner
Jim Mateja: 4Runner beast burdened by weight
It's been 25 years since Toyota added a truck-based 4Runner sport utility to take on the domestics.
February 11, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Cadillac SRX
Jim Mateja: Raft of upgrades paired with lower cost give Cadillac SRX a major boost
Cadillac's chances of deposing the king of luxury crossovers is a lot better now that consumers, the media and even the government have taken to labeling Toyota as a villain, the role those same consumers, media and government bestowed on General Motors the last few years.
January 3, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Ford Transit Connect review
Jim Mateja: Nothing fancy about 2010 Ford Transit Connect, but it does what it needs to
Quiet?
December 20, 2009
Test Drive: 2011 Kia Sorento EX AWD review
Jim Mateja: Kia Sorento of the future coming soon
Call it the United Nations of crossovers.
December 13, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 GMC Terrain SLT-1
Jim Mateja: GMC Terrain mostly smooth, with a few rough spots
The Chevy Equinox is selling as fast as the trucks arrive, and General Motors hopes its cousin GMC Terrain will have similar success.
September 20, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 Lexus LX570
Jim Mateja: Lexus LX570 has it all, for a price
It can pilot the family on the open road or climb a hill and ford a stream, while cooling a couple cans of pop and a sub sandwich for either.
August 23, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Nissan Cube S
Jim Mateja: Nissan Cube aims at young buyers from right angle
Move over, Aztek. You've lost the ugly crown to the Cube.
July 19, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ
Jim Mateja: Chevy Equinox offers balance of luxury, mileage
The midsize TrailBlazer had to go. And take its 12 to 14 m.p.g. city and 16 to 20 highway mileage, depending on the model, with it.
March 1, 2009
Jim Mateja: Suzuki packs a lot in little SX4 crossover
Suzuki is a bit player on the auto industry stage.
June 14, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
Jim Mateja: Grand Caravan remains a minivan for the ages
I will never forget the look on Lee Iacocca's face when the Chrysler chairman strolled into McCormick Place for the 1984 Chicago Auto Show, spotted the truck-like rear-wheel-drive Chevy Astro and Ford Aerostar rivals to his car-like front-wheel-drive Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager and broke a broad smile that lifted his glasses off his nose.
June 7, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 Lexus RX350 AWD
Jim Mateja: Lexus still has RX for crossovers
The funny-looking Toyota concept Sport Luxury Vehicle bowed at the 1997 Chicago Auto Show as an alternative to the station wagon and minivan.
May 3, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Sprinter 2500
Jim Mateja: Sprinter fashioned for extended uses
To some, like the politically correct police, an eight-passenger Chevy Suburban or Ford Expedition SUV is too big.
April 19, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 Kia Soul
Jim Mateja: Kia baring its Soul before youthful carbuyers
When piloting the 2010 Chevy Camaro sport coupe through the Detroit 'burbs, jaws dropped, eyes popped and one loyalist was so moved he broke into a gallop to try to catch up with it for a closer look.
March 15, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 BMW 535i xDrive wagon
Jim Mateja: BMW wagon's power, perks come at a price
Most automakers turned to SUVs and crossovers to carry a load of people and their possessions because most people want a machine far more stylish than a station wagon.
12:07 PM EDT, April 30, 2010
Test Drive: 2010 Honda Element: Quirky SUV even Fido could love
If the "Dog Friendly" badges don't tip you off, the thick rubber floor mats with a dog bone pattern should: This 2010 Honda Element is equipped with a special optional package that should appeal to dogs — and, presumably, their owners.
February 15, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Jeep Patriot
Jim Mateja: Make room for Patriot—by fiat
General Motors and Chrysler failed to march to the altar, so Chrysler is now holding hands with Fiat.
February 8, 2009
Jim Mateja: Neither mud nor gravel nor snow will stop LR2
Before turning to Washington, Ford turned to India for help.
February 1, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Jeep Wrangler 4-door Unlimited Sahara 4x4
Jim Mateja: Roughneck Wrangler opens 2 more doors to adventure
If there was any doubt a four-door Jeep Wrangler makes sense, you need only look at the numbers.
January 25, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Suzuki Equator, Grand Vitara
Jim Mateja: Vanilla Equator stands out in name only
The obvious question is why Suzuki added a midsize pickup for 2009 when trucks are losing favor.
January 18, 2009
Jim Mateja: Arguments for H3T piling up
It wasn't until the snow topped 14 inches that Ma Nature took a nap and let mortals undo the damage.
January 4, 2009
Test Drive: 2009 Toyota Venza
Jim Mateja: Toyota says sedan; we say Lexus light
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it still could be a pheasant, maybe a lion, if you adhere to the gospel of Toyota.
December 21, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Nissan Murano
Jim Mateja: Distinctive Murano now incredible bulk
If events of the last several months have taught automakers anything, one should be that big no longer is better.
November 9, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
Jim Mateja: Zippy, thrifty Escape hybrid is truly politically correct
Why would President-elect Barack Obama trade in his sporty and luxurious, Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C on a 4-cylinder and battery Ford Escape hybrid compact SUV?
August 17, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Honda Pilot
Jim Mateja: Unyielding Pilot running on all 3, 4, 6 cylinders
When a vehicle controls the number of cylinders in use based on its need for more or less power, you'd think the automaker would shout it from the highest mountain—especially with gas prices rising like CEO salaries.
August 10, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Chrysler Aspen / Dodge Durango Hybrid
Jim Mateja: At long last, a hybrid from Chrysler
Better late than never?
July 27, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Ford Flex
Jim Mateja: Love/hate Flex hides many charms
Déjà vu all over again.
September 14, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
Jim Mateja: GM traverses crossover gap at Chevy
Gas at $2 a gallon is gone forever, and with it the best years for mid- and full-size SUVs.
July 20, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
Jim Mateja: What do you get when you cross tiger, iguana?
Don't ever let Volkswagen name one of your kids.
March 2, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Dodge Journey
Jim Mateja: A curious, but satisfying, Journey
Journey is the first midsize crossover in the Dodge family. Its recent arrival in showrooms is driven largely by estimates that sales of the car-based sport-utilities are expected to top 1.2 million by the end of 2009.
November 16, 2008
Test Drive: 2009 Kia Borrego
Jim Mateja: Kia goes truckin' with V-8 Borrego
Another in the growing list of nameplates offering three rows of seats to hold Dad and Mom, their kids plus someone else's.
November 29, 2009
Test Drive: 2010 Cadillac CTS Premium Sport Wagon AWD
Jim Mateja: Wagon ho! Cadillac going off on new trail with CTS Sport Wagon
The midsize CTS helped ignite the rebirth of Cadillac, with its dynamic design and good appointments.
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