2020

VW Passat — Is this refresh enough?


MotorwayAmeria.com photo

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

There is still a market for mid-sized sedans, but it's a shrinking segment and it takes cutting-edge products with new technology, new designs and bigger and more fuel-efficient engines to keep buyers engaged. Several automakers have stepped up with new and desirable products in an effort to win over crossover buyers.

2020 Lincoln Corsair


INDIANAPOLIS — Call it the Matthew McConaughey affect, or just a deep reflection on the brand’s rich heritage, but Lincoln is having a moment.  As it featured the actor in commercials, it threw off the “MK-Whatever” naming silliness and focused on delivering lush American luxury, imagined for the next decade.  What began with the Continental has migrated to the Navigator, mid-size Nautilus, and full-size Aviator crossovers.  It flows here to the compact 2020 Corsair, which replaces the MKC.

2020 Mercedes CLA



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.

Jeep Compass — Off-road capable



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

When the second-generation Jeep Compass compact crossover hit showrooms in 2017 it didn't have to clear a high bar to improve on the original car-based Compass, which debuted as a 2007model based on a front-drive platform. The original model wasn't a particularly good car, carried very little go-anywhere equipment — the most un-Jeep-like model in Jeep's storied off-road history.

2020 Toyota Avalon TRD



PHOENIX — The Avalon, Toyota’s flagship full-sized sedan, was all-new for 2019. Now in its fifth generation, it was first introduced in 1994 as a 1995 model. Toyota made no secret that the Avalon was aimed those who were members of AARP, collected Social Security checks and had their health care handled by Medicare.

Mercedes GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe — A delightful SUV



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Through the years a coupe in auto parlance meant a vehicle with two doors. German automakers have revised that definition in recent times labeling anything with a fastback design a "coupe." In particular Mercedes-Benz and BMW have introduced a line of fastback crossover SUVs — with four doors — as coupes.

Hyundai Kona — Solid crossover value



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The sub-compact Hyundai Kona crossover was named North American Utility of the Year in 2019 beating out such vaunted finalists as the Acura RDX and Jaguar I-Pace. Now in its third year of production, the 2020 Kona is a delightful blend of style inside and out, considerable capability with a stout turbocharged engine, and a value in even the highest priced trim level coming in below 30 grand.

Toyota Supra GR — Sports car excitement


MotorwayAmerica.com photo

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The Toyota Supra is back in dealerships 21 years after the previous Supra left the automotive scene. It returns for 2020 with new shapely sheetmetal and with considerable help from BMW. You read that right. There's a lot of the German Ultimate Driving Machine — seen and unseen — in the Supra GR. And that's a good thing.

2020 Hyundai Sonata



PHOENIX — It’s a fact that nearly 75 percent of all new vehicles sold in America today are SUVs, crossovers and pickup trucks. And while that craze continues, it’s also a fact that people are still buying sedans. The all-new-from-the-ground-up 2020 Hyundai Sonata is proof positive that the Korean automaker is committed to serving those buyers.

Ford Explorer ST — A hot-rod SUV



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

During the last half of the 20th Century a famous Ford slogan was "Ford has a better idea," which included a lightbulb as a visual image. It lived up to that mantra several times with the upscale two-seat Thunderbird in the mid-50s, the Ranchero car-based pickup in 1957, and the iconic Mustang in the mid-60s. Another "lightbulb moment" was the Explorer, a four-door compact family SUV introduced in 1990 as a 1991 model.