1956 Chevrolet
You can probably come up with a reasonably long list of things that are quintessentially American. My short list might include Monday Night Football, ketchup, and the Super Big Gulp. However, if you’re looking for a little heritage to go with your national icons, I might suggest that there are few things more fundamentally American than baseball or the automobile.
Quick Spin: 2019 BMW X1
2018 BMW X1 xDrive28i in Sunset Orange Metallic (a $550 option)
2018 BMW X1 xDrive28i
Class: Premium Subcompact Crossover
Miles Driven: 463
Fuel Used: 19.2 gallons
2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Chevrolet has announced plans to add a second compact crossover to its model lineup. The 2021 Trailblazer will bring the total number of sport utility vehicles in Chevrolet’s product portfolio to seven.
Test Drive: 2019 Audi A7 Prestige
2019 Audi A7 quattro Prestige in Triton Blue (a $595 option)
2019 Audi A7 quattro Prestige
Class: Premium Midsize Car
Miles Driven: 289
Fuel Used: 13.9 gallons
First Look: 2020 Lexus RX
2020 Lexus RX 350 F Sport
When introduced as an early 1999 model, the Lexus RX 300 became the first “premium” crossover, setting the stage for many to follow. It quickly became the company’s best-selling vehicle, something it continues to be to this day.
In its last full redesign, the 2016 edition went wild. Smooth, rounded styling was replaced by sharp creases and swooping curves, and numerous new high-tech features were added.
A trio of 2019 Hyundai Veloster Ns
Like many auto journalists, the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive attend manufacturer-hosted press events to get our first look at the newest vehicles hitting the market—that’s how we produce most of our First Spin test-drive reviews. However, we also attend “smorgasbord-style” press events that allow us brief access to a broad variety of new vehicles from a host of manufacturers, for quick-take impressions and helpful back-to-back comparison drives.
This TV commercial features the unlikely pairing of Ruth Gordon and the Subaru BRAT.
Good news, Matthew McConaughey fans–Tinseltown’s improbable product pitchman is back for another round of Lincoln commercials. The enigmatic star of such films as Mud and Dallas Buyers Club has returned to help the luxury carmaker roll out the new Nautilus midsize crossover.
2019 Nissan Maxima Platinum in Carnelian Red (a $395 option)
2019 Nissan Maxima Platinum
Class: Midsize Car
Miles Driven: 297
Fuel Used: 16.2 gallons
2017 Honda Civic Type R
by Don Sikora II
Note: The following story was excerpted from the August 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
If you’re a “hot-hatch” fan in America, these days your choices have largely been limited to the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R, along with the Ford Focus ST and Focus RS. Of course, there are also various speedy Subarus, along with the Honda Civic Si coupe and sedan. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those, but if you’re the type of enthusiast who can’t wait to pick up the next issue of EVO magazine, you’re certainly aware of all the fantastic over-the-top hot hatches the Brits get to drive but you can’t buy. Why is it we always want what we cannot have?
Should I Buy a Car or Crossover?
The Honda CR-V (left) costs about as much as a Honda Accord (right), and offers about as much passenger space. Which would you buy?
The sedan is dead. By now, you’ve probably heard the dire prognostications for what was once the auto industry’s most popular type of passenger vehicle. The four-door sedan—long a staple of American motoring—has given way to the crossover SUV, and it doesn’t appear that consumers are looking back.
