INDIANAPOLIS  — Unlike some of you, I love my mother-in-law, and when she came to me about her next new car, I was in for the chase.  She wanted a car of the highest quality, durability, and comfort, but it also had to be easy to drive.  Fuel economy was important as was safety.  She has two young grandchildren.  All-weather capability would also be good since she was planning long drives to see said grandchildren.  

PHOENIX — Notwithstanding the price of gasoline averaging nearly five dollars a gallon for premium and an avalanche of media hype, manufacturer TV advertisement for electric vehicles and the seemingly unquenchable thirst for SUVs from the car buying public, full-sized pickup trucks sales in the U.S. continue to reign supreme in sales numbers. 

HERNDON, Va. — In the three plus years since last driving Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio a lot has changed in the Alfa Romeo showroom; admittedly, that’s important only if you can find an Alfa Romeo showroom — don’t look for one in smaller locales with other high-end imports. Of note is a recent J.D. Power survey, signaling a significant uptake in customer satisfaction for Alfa Romeo.

PHOENIX — Facing an ever-increasing fierce competition among other ultra-luxe SUV competitors, a new fifth-generation Range Rover has been entirely designed taking luxury, design, poshness and performance to even loftier new heights. 

HERNDON, Va. — Some 50 years after Don McLean penned "American Pie," King Cadillac is looking up while the jester, Elon Musk, is looking down and — I’m guessing here — looking ahead. Of course, Cadillac and its GM siblings are planning to catch Tesla in a way only $illon-dollar multinationals can; Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick will be introducing a catalog of EVs, beginning in 2023.

PHOENIX — We’ve been saying it for years — the 4Runner is well past its freshness date and more than due for a complete redo. Still, over the years I’ve grown to soften my critique of the “ancient” 4Runner, that continues to set sales records, and in a quirky way I've learned to love it for what it is — simple, rugged, dependable and still highly sought after whether new or used.

INDIANAPOLIS — The original Pathfinder was a pretty hard-core off-roader based on Nissan’s rugged hardbody compact pickup.  First available with only two doors, but later four, it helped lead America away from station wagons and into family-friendly SUVs.  Subsequent generations became ever softer, eventually looking like a pudgy blimp only the Brady Bunch would love.  That is behind us as the current generation is still pretty plush, but returns style and capability to its roots.

PHOENIX — The first fully electric U.S. Mercedes-EQ rolled into dealer showrooms about a year ago with the EQS sedan and was also the first EQ lineage built on the dedicated platform the German automaker dubbed EVA. We recently reviewed that vehicle and came away super impressed with its rear-wheel steering, a respectable driving range of 350 miles between charges and was further surprised with an AMG version that delivers 649 horsepower and a massive 700 lb.-ft of torque.

MIAMI — Mercedes-Benz keeps expanding its all-electric fleet with a new introductory sub-compact model based on the gas-powered GLB SUV as the latest newcomer. It comes in two versions, the EQB300 and the EQB350, the former providing a bit more in the way of range and the latter more in the way of power and performance. Both come with Mercedes’ 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system as standard. This review is based on the EQB350.

MIAMI — Since joining Cadillac’s fleet of XT-designated SUVs for 2020, the XT6 has picked up a couple of extra features in ensuing years as it fights on in the large and very challenging midsize luxury SUV segment. New this year, buyers of the 2023 Cadillac XT6 have the option of adding Cadillac’s Super Cruise system that provides a hands-free driving experience on more than 400,000 miles of compatible roads and highways.