2014

Cadillac ELR — A stunning take on frugal driving

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The Cadillac designers should be commended for turning the Cadillac Converj show car into a production vehicle. Design traits include a steeply raked windshield; long, sloping roof pillars that taper back into the trunk; and a character line that rises steeply from front to back into boomerang-shaped taillights. It's all set off by stylishly painted 20-inch alloy wheels. Meet the 2014 ELR.

Honda Civic Si — Elevating the fun factor

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The slightly reworked 2014 Honda Civic Si sedan is not about horsepower and straight ahead performance. The Si version of the popular compact Civic has always been about a total performance package. And that objective remains the same for 2014 as Honda ups the ante by hardening the Si's performance personality.

Nissan Rogue — An impressive redesign

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Compact crossovers are hot. And the burgeoning segment is crowded with new products, many among the best-selling vehicles in North America, so it's with perfect timing that Nissan introduces an all-new second-generation Rogue for the 2014 model year. Now built in Tennessee, the new Rogue rides on a new platform that expands interior space enough to include an optional third-row seat and considerably more cargo room.

Scion tC — A mild refreshening

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Although the heyday of the Scion tC is long
past, and it now has formidable competition within its own ranks from the sporty FR-S, the personal entry-level coupe still finds about 20,000 new owners a year — the tC's peak year was 2006 when 80,000 left showrooms. It’s relatively spacious, a bit trendy and won't break the bank of a young new car buyer.

Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid — A question of cost

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Soon after completing our first trip in a 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid crossover we headed straight for the press materials to discover why we were experiencing a noticeable difference in low-end performance compared to the standard gas engine version we tested last year.

Toyota Highlander — Storage and much more

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

There are a lot of things to like about the 2014 Toyota Highlander. This third-generation Highlander is the personification of what a family crossover sport utility should be, but that being said, it isn't as sporty as some. There are a couple of entries in the mid-sized segment that have more adult-friendly third-row seating, a few offer more overall cargo space, and several are arguably more stylish. What Toyota has done is build perhaps the best all-around family vehicle even if it isn't necessarily the best at any one thing.

GMC Sierra Denali — Pickup luxury at its best

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

We were immediately taken with the plush leather and wood surroundings, a plethora of electronic goodies that we would rather not live without if given a choice, and a luxury-sedan quiet interior. But most of all we were delighted with the performance of the 2014 GMC Sierra Denali, General Motors' ultimate entry into the growing full-sized luxury pickup segment.

Ram ProMaster 1500 — A new way to haul cargo

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

When the question arose as to what we were
driving we were ready with a rather devious answer — it's bright red and has two seats. We knew visions of sports cars were instantly dancing in their heads.

The mood changed rather abruptly when it was time to admit that our bright red two-seat vehicle was a 2014 Ram ProMaster cargo van. While the new-for-North America full-sized van based on a Fiat platform may be one of the worst date-night vehicles on the planet, we found it very proficient — carrying large amounts of cargo in a fuel-efficient manner.

Cadillac CTS — All the right stuff

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The outgoing Cadillac CTS was hard to classify, larger than the BMW 3 Series, but smaller than the 5 Series. Should it be considered a large compact or a small mid-sized luxury sedan? This less-than-world-shattering question has now been answered with the all-new 2014 CTS. It's 4.2 inches longer and rides on a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase than the outgoing car putting it smack-dab into 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class territory.

Toyota Tundra — An attractive alternative

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Toyota's full-sized Tundra pickup has been spruced up with exterior styling updates and a reworked interior, but the "redesigned-for-2014" designation assigned to the truck doesn't include a new drivetrain or chassis, which remain relatively unchanged, so we'll call it a mild makeover.