Review all the things!
The new 2020 Expedition Max in its King Ranch edition is a big, beautiful, powerful ride. Kristin takes a five minute review in this SUV, showing us the good and the bad and giving a hint as to what this utility is all about. Check it out.
In this review, Aaron looks at the 2021 AMG GLE 53, the turbocharged sport activity vehicle from Mercedes-Benz. It’s a coupe, but not a sedan, and it’s a crossover, but not square bodied. It’s somewhere in between. It sports beautiful drive dynamics, a very luxurious interior, lots of amenities, and a unique style. What is it, exactly? Well, it’s an AMG for starters. And that’s a pretty good start.
In this video, Kristin talks about the beautiful Alfa Romeo Stelvio and why an Alfa SUV is definitely a win. From the beautiful red leather interior to the excellent drive quality, she covers this beautiful Italian machine inside and out.
The Cadillac XT6 is the 3-row crossover from Caddy, with all the family friendliness that implies. It’s big, it’s luxurious, and it’s beautifully comfortable. Kristin walks us through the big crossover and talks about its features, it’s good points, a few low points, and her overall impressions of this lux vehicle.
In this review, Aaron takes a look at the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, the new two-row version of the big Atlas. The newest VW has a lot to offer those who don’t need three rows of seating and is still HUGE on the inside and capable on the outside. Is this the right option for your needs?
In January of 2019, Akio Toyoda stood on the stage in Detroit. The throngs of media packed into the room knew what was coming and there was heavy anticipation. The Supra was back.
“They say all good things come to those who wait, even a really long time,” he said. “And now, finally, the next chapter in the story can begin!”
The Supra was officially launched in the US on the first day of 1979. With a 110-hp 2.6L six-cylinder engine, this offshoot of the popular Celica started at just over $10K. Five inches longer than the Celica, the Supra also included air conditioning, an AM/FM radio, and the option to add a sunroof and cruise control.
Alas, Toyota ceased production of the Supra in 2002, as demand waned; they had put the kibosh on exporting this sleek sports car.
Fun Fact: In 2001, Paul Walker drove a 1993 Supra stunt car in the first “The Fast and the Furious movie”. The characters worked it over and tweaked it until it was so fast that it beat a Ferrari on the street. It later sold for $185,000 at auction.
“I’m sure for each of you there’s been at least one car in your life that you have a particular attachment to, one car that holds a special place in your heart and for me, the Supra is it,” Toyoda told the crowd in Detroit last year. “Back in the day my old Supra and I spent countless hours together as I learned to become a master driver. But you can imagine the teasing and stares that I got from all the other manufacturers at Nürburgring, who were driving their beautiful new prototypes while I’m out there driving what felt like an automotive version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. I mean it was a great car but you know, a guy can only take so much!”
Toyoda told the crowd that the brand had no plans to make a new Supra, but diehard Supra fans around the world clamored for its return.
After taking it on an extended test drive three and a half hours across the state of Texas, I get it. The Supra is highly addicting and it’s plush inside, sharing some DNA and a platform with the BMW Z4. As F1 driver Fernando Alonso says, it’s like a race car you can drive comfortably every day.
It’s wonderfully loud, so don’t think you’re going to sneak up on anyone in a Supra. It’s not afraid to burst into the space with flair and attitude. That means there is some road noise inside, but it’s not terrible. Storage space is surprisingly ample for such a small car, and the designers found ways to make every inch count.
The first cassette I ever played in a car while I was driving was Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. It felt so empowering to drive my own car and pressure from my right foot found the top range of the accelerator more often than I care to admit. As I was driving the Supra, this is the song that ran through my head:
When the Cadillac CT4 showed up in my driveway, it evoked fond memories. Last year, I had a CTS-V in my possession for one glorious week. I took my mom on a three-hour drive north to Dallas for the day, and every time I revved the engine, she giggled. Every time the seat belt hugged us in for a tighter fit after we fastened it, she said “ooh!” The sedan topped out over $100K, but I can’t say it isn’t worth it: with 640 hp and a supercharged 6.2L engine, this was not your granddad’s Cadillac. It’s more of a luxury car with the heart of a muscle car, and it was awesome to drive.
Overall, the CT4 is a tamed steed versus a wild stallion. It’s smaller and lighter with half the horsepower. What you need to know, however, is that sometimes having a broken-in horse is the better choice – depending on what you need, of course.
The CT4 is an all-new sedan replacing the Cadillac ATS It’s part of the first generation of the sedan introduced for model year 2020. Compared frequently to a similarly-sized Audi A3 or a Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the CT4 can hold its own for fans of the brand.
The 2020 Cadillac CT4 is available in four trim levels: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport and the top-of-the-line V-Series. The one I drove this week was the Premium Luxury, which means it includes all the features of the ground-floor Luxury and is available with either the 237-hp 2.0L engine or an optional turbocharged 310-hp, 2.7L four-cylinder matched to a 10-speed automatic.
Engine choice alone is enough to choose the mid-range trim. Other features include auto-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, handsome 18-inch wheels, and forward collision alert (which flashes a big red box on the instrument cluster and emits a loud alarm if danger is imminent).
In the Sport trim, the CT4 comes with the same 2.0L engine as the Luxury model. The sport also adds meaty Brembo brakes and shift paddles along with a more athletic profile. Honestly, I’m perplexed by this combination of the smaller engine and bigger brakes on the Sport. It makes more sense that the next trim up (the CT4-V) comes standard with a tweaked version of the 2.7L turbocharged engine that generates 325 hp, and the Brembos.
If fuel economy is important to you, note that the epa-estimated mpg is 20 city/ 30 highway for the CT4. The CT4-V requires premium gasoline and costs about $6K more than the Sport trim.
The CT4 is a smaller, more compact sedan. It’s nearly six inches shorter than the CT5 but interestingly, the headroom in front is only less than an inch taller in the CT5. If you regularly ferry tall teens from place to place, the CT5 offers four inches more legroom, which will make a difference for them.
In terms of engine size, the base model of the CT4 and CT5 both come standard with the 237-hp 2.0L.
Base model pricing:
| CT4 Luxury (2.0T engine) | $33,990 | $36,590 |
| CT5 Luxury (2.0T engine) | $37,890 | $40,490 |
If a luxury sedan is on your mind, the CT4 checks all of the boxes. The drive was incredibly smooth and the seats supremely supple and comfortable. As an audiophile, I was a little disappointed in the sound quality of the Bose audio system and felt it might need some retooling of the locations of the speakers. On the other hand, I appreciated all of the options to change the station without looking down; there are three places to turn the volume up or down and two knobs to scroll through the channels. It all works together very well.
Is the CT4 worth it? I say yes. It’s fairly priced and it’s a great choice for the luxury set.
This Missy Elliott song matches our theme well:
Kristin looks at the 2020 IS 350 in its F-Sport package and talks about likes and dislikes for this luxury sports sedan. This is a beautiful car with many things standard that might not be expected. Plus some downsides that might also be a little annoying. Find out what’s what with the IS 350 here.
In this video, contributor James Gilboy drives the 2020 Bolt EV, Chevrolet’s longest-running electric vehicle. He talks about the ups and downs of this vehicle versus its closest competitors and some of the good and bad in the Bolt’s design. An honest look at a car that, frankly, should appeal to more “on the fence” EV buyers than any other battery electric option on the road.
In this review, we look at the all-new Hyundai Venue, a subcompact crossover that fits just underneath the Kona as an entry-level option for the segment. Aaron finds himself impressed with the car, given what it is, though it does have a few flaws to think about. Here’s the rundown.