By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 7, 2014) The all-new 2015 Ford Edge is the first that owes nothing to the Mazda6. From its launch in 2006, the Edge has been one of Ford’s best selling sport utilities and its leading crossover. Though nominally a Ford Fusion underneath, that car shared its underpinnings with Mazda’s then-new midsize sedan, which was a Japanese (i.e., less expensive) interpretation of Ford of Europe’s Mondeo midsize sedan.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 29, 2014) First, Ford stunned the industry with the announcement that its mega-successful F-150 pickup would be shifting from steel to aluminum body construction. (Ford doesn’t break out specific models like the F-150, but a good rule of thumb is that it accounts for about 2/3, or about 534,000 units, of Ford’s 800,000-unit F-Series sales volume.)

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 14, 2014) Until the 2014 version, I was never a fan of Cadillac’s CTS. What entered the market in 2002 as a BMW 5 Series-sized car for the price of a 3 Series has become a 5 Series competitor at a 5 Series price. The CTS is more mature, well-rounded and competitive than at any time in the history of the nameplate.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 7, 2014) Let’s be blunt: The big changes in Volvo’s XC60 are confined to the area in front of the A-pillars. From there back, it’s the same platform first launched in 2008, and shared with its former family members, Land Rover and Ford. The reason for this change is simple: Volvo’s new family of Drive-E engines required a redesign of the front structure, and Volvo took the opportunity to tweak and improve the vehicle’s crash capability.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 2, 2014) As the former owner of a 2003 Mini Cooper, I am one of the first to say BMW has lost the purity and fun of that car in its rush to add models, and meet changing safety standards.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 31, 2014) As you might have heard by now, Volkswagen has released preliminary information for the new Passat sedan and station wagon. Built off the latest iteration of the MQB platform, the new car is 187 pounds lighter than the car it replaces, marginally smaller outside, and has more interior room and luggage capacity than before.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 20, 2014) Sleep has yet to come after a flight back to Detroit from San Francisco on the Red Eye. Landing at 6:30 a.m. after a full day driving every 2015 Golf I could get my hands on only served to underline the tiredness I felt, and the initial impression that the new Golf is a standard bearer for VW from this point forward. It is the stake in the ground around which the company’s new lineup of vehicles will be built.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 9, 2014) This concept Mini Paceman Adventure pickup concept isn’t as daft as it might first appear. There’s a market for a small, fun-to-drive unit-body pickup, but no manufacturer has had the nerve to move from concept to production. Kia showed a Soul pickup concept, the Soulster, in 2009, and made noises about it going into production. It never did.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 6, 2014) Mercedes calls it a concept SUV, but it is going into production; something to which Mercedes itself alludes in the press material for the Concept Coupe SUV. And though its styling is brutish if not brutal, and the vehicle itself should be called an “SuV” due to its high beltline, fast-sloping roof and marginal utility, Mercedes is late to this niche.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 4, 2014) The relaunch of Alfa will take more than just product. However, it is what form that product will take that has the industry talking. About the time you read this, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne will be ready to outline his new industrial plan for the company. It promises to be a very different report than the one he delivered in 2010.