MIAMI — Back in the day long before SUVs and minivans existed, the station wagon ruled when it came to family transportation. Often with wood-grained side panels and foldable seats in the far back that faced to the rear, the station wagon offered much-needed space to accommodate larger families and all the stuff they tended to pack for summer vacations.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The redesigned Mercedes-Benz GLA250 puts a little more emphasis on “utility” in this, the smallest of Benz SUVs. Make no mistake, there is still a certain amount of fun-to-drive in the GLA250, but in its re-imagining, Mercedes added some traditional SUV cues resulting in a more mature, more substantial carryall. I recently spent a week with a front-drive GLA250. The price of admission to the GLA-Class is $37,280, including the $1,050 factory delivery charge.

INDIANAPOLIS — Back in 1991, one of the fastest vehicles you could buy was the GMC Typhoon – a high-performance version of the Jimmy, stoked with a 280 horsepower turbocharged V6 engine and electronic all-wheel-drive that could run 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds.  It kept pace with contemporary Corvettes and spoiled passengers with a leather-lined luxury interior.  Flash forward thirty years and we have the Typhoon’s spiritual successor, the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S.

PHOENIX — Research, customer feedback and more important and relative is sales that suggest convertibles have fallen out of favor with the car buying public and currently account for less than one percent of new car sales. By today’s standards of vehicle popularity, Thelma & Louise in the 1991 movie of the same name would more likely find an SUV with a massive panoramic sunroof their object of desire than the Thunderbird they famously took their fatal leap into the Grand Canyon. Likewise, for James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder and Steve McQueen’s Jaguar XKSS ragtops.

PHOENIX — Mercedes first introduced the CLA for 2014 as the brand’s entry-level vehicle, with a starting price of $30,825. It was targeted at younger buyers, thinking they would rather drive the three-pointed star rather than a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord for a similar price. Get them into the Mercedes family and eventually they’ll upgrade to a C, E or S-Class down the road as their career meets with promotional success.

SCOTTSDALE, Az. — Mercedes has just added yet another significant SUV to its product lineup. The all-new GLB slots between the smaller urban-stylish GLA and the larger rounded and best-selling GLC. GLB is offered in two-row five-passenger and three-row seven-passenger configurations ($850 upcharge) with standard front-wheel drive or optional 4Matic all-wheel drive, and is surprisingly affordable ($36,600 FWD and $38,600 AWD).

AMENIA, N.Y. — Given Americans’ infatuation and craze for SUVs, it isn’t surprising that the Mercedes-Benz GLC recently replaced the C-Class sedan as the brand’s best-selling vehicle. Since replacing the outgoing GLK compact SUV back in 2016, GLC has received only mild updates. Now, for 2020, the GLC gets a heavy mid-cycle refresh that includes new front and rear styling, upgraded technology and expanded safety systems.

PHONEX — I’ve always had a soft spot as well as a passion for old vehicles. I guess they are a fresh breeze of the past, blowing through our minds to remind us of truths of times long forgotten. Some of those vehicles were nothing more than shooting stars, debuting to raves then quickly flaring into oblivion, to be completely forgotten. Others, like the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen, introduced in 1979, are an immediate conflagration, developing a rock-star presence and a cult-like following that burns on. The word “legendary” could easily preface its name.