By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

If you like the Honda Pilot crossover, but don't have a need for a third-row seat, then Honda has just the vehicle for you. It has brought the Passport name out of mothballs making the new 2019 crossover essentially a smaller Pilot with the same healthy V-6 engine, but sans the seat.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

It seems every automaker wants a full range of SUVs to satisfy our SUV/crossover crazed world. So it behooved BMW to build a full-sized sport utility — bigger than its mid-sized X5 — to compete with such luxury models as the Audi Q7, Lincoln Navigator and the Mercedes-Benz GLS Class. Enter the new South Carolina-built X7, which is BMW's largest SUV ever with a useable three rows of seating.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Probably one of Ford's most debatable decisions of the 21st Century was to ax the aging Ford Ranger in 2011 — for many years a compact/mid-sized pickup truck leader — instead of building an all-new version. It left General Motors a clear playing field when it introduced all-new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-sizers that were far advanced from previous models.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

In years past there hasn't been much to distinguish the GMC Sierra from the Chevrolet Silverado other than the Sierra was more feature-laden and came in at a higher price point. It seems one of General Motors' goals with its all-new-for-2019 full-sized trucks was to better differentiate appearance and personality that easily distinguishes the brands giving the GMC a clear-cut personality of its own.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The updated 2019 Mazda3, which comes in sedan and hatchback configuration, is a good example of why Mazda has earned the reputation for building high quality well-engineered and superbly designed cars and crossovers with luxury-like interiors. In the case of the Mazda3 you can add precise handling, an energetic engine, and decent gas mileage.

Additionally, Mazda has added all-wheel drive as an option for just $800 to give drivers a viable choice. And Mazda has made the previous optional engine — a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder — the standard powerplant across the lineup endowing all Mazda3's with 186 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Mitsubishi has become a company of crossover SUVs and the strategy has brought it back from the brink of extinction in the U.S. and into some semblance of prominence riding on the back of the Outback and the Outback Sport.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Maybe it was just a stroke of luck or maybe it was a very savvy decision based on the future of the luxury market. Either way, Lexus was the first out of the starting blocks with a smaller unibody sport utility vehicle, which has morphed into the modern crossover.