The other crossover Volkswagen’s Touareg’s been around far longer than most think. It arrived almost exactly 14 years ago and has more or less lived in obscurity since. Although Volkswagens are generally touted for the common folk, the Touareg was and is aimed at a slightly richer clientele. This has limited its appeal, which makes it a semi rare sight. Despite its higher price tag and dismal reliability record early on, the Touareg was and ...

The Kia Soul hit our roads running back in 2009 as a 2010 model year and despite its unusual looks, it quickly caught on. You only have to sit for a few minutes at a busy intersection to realize how well received this quirky car-cum-crossover really is. The multiple trims, powertrains and special editions have kept the Soul in the running and one of the latest versions, the SX Turbo, really has us excited. With ...

The one you want in your driveway In a world of cookie-cutter, polite and responsible means of family transportation, one three-row crossover/SUV stands out as the bad boy, anti-conformist, don’t-give-a-damn alternative. And I love it for all of that. FCA’s taken a very different approach to motoring where passion for the automobile gets a front row seat concentrating on design, driving pleasure and fun. I’ve used this example on a number of occasions and I ...

There’s much to think about when buying a new car. From budget, to needs and emotions – all of these must fall into place in order to make the right choice. As most of you shop crossovers, some OEMs decided a few years back to increase their offering in the “truck” segment. Much like cars, a CUV can be offered in a number of configurations. While the convertible iteration has not quite caught on, the ...

Truckin’ good times  Did you know that Toyota’s been doing the truck thing for more than 80 years? Did you know that Land Rover will be celebrating their 70th anniversary next year? From a certain point of view, Toyota and Land Rover are on equal footing when it comes to ruck heritage and building legendary offroaders. Obviously, Toyota’s more the affordable variant and with less technology but in many respects, this ensures longevity and reliability, ...

The QX80 Monograph concept showcases a potential design direction that Infiniti’s next mega SUV might look like. From the pictures, and seeing it in person, we can almost point out the few elements that won’t make it to production. In other words, it almost looks as though it’s ready to roll off the assembly line. Although the QX80 Monograph is only a concept, a number of visual styling cues are familiar, and a number more ...

Volkswagen was a little late to the modern SUV party. Back in the day, from 1968 to 1983, they had the Type 181, also known as the “Thing” but this is not exactly the type of SUV we’re talking about. The compact Tiguan showed up in 2009 preceded by the Touareg in 2004 but despite both these players, the lack of a 3-row ute was evident. You’re more than likely aware that utility vehicles are ...

I heard this saying just recently and I’ve no idea if it’s an actual thing but once I had an image in my mind, I quickly drew a parallel with the RAV4 Hybrid. For starters, the expression reads worse than it is so, well; don’t read into it too much. Our beloved (?) Queen is a person of some importance, much like the RAV4. Toyota was among the first OEMs to venture into the small ...

I’m not exactly sure what’s going with Toyota transmissions these days but as I write these lines, I’m already on my next product from the Japanese giant and it’s major flaw is located between the engine and drive wheels. And it’s the same with this Highlander. Toyota’s 3-row large midsize CUV has been a safe bet since it hit the ground rolling just over 15 years ago and continues to be just that today. The ...

Mazda is far from that. Well, maybe not entirely sane; let’s just say they like taking risks. The MX-5 Miata was a calculated risk nearly 30 years ago and look, it has become the best-selling roadster of all time. Granted, the CX-9 will not garner the same level of praise but what it has to offer is worth a few minutes of your time. The biggest piece of news related to the new CX-9 is ...