2017

2017 Kia Soul Turbo



INDIANAPOLIS — Kia’s little Soul is much more than a uniquely styled little box, aimed at first-time buyers, club queens, or a teenage fashion diva.  Well into its second generation, it’s proven to exude competence and driving pleasure beyond what may be your first impressions.  Stoking it with a new turbocharged engine makes it a practical and comfy ride for driving enthusiasts.

2017 Infiniti QX30 Sport



PHOENIX — The Infiniti QX30 is yet the latest all-new vehicle to enter the heavily populated and growing entry-level compact luxury crossover utility vehicle segment, joining Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, to name a few. Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand and, for the most part, builds quite excellent vehicles. Stylistically, Infinitis have always had more visual appeal than competitors from Acura and Lexus. But I’ve never found them particularly thrilling to drive. More about that in a bit.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt



HOUSTON — When Chevrolet introduced the 2017 Bolt EV…totally electric or battery electric vehicle…it fulfilled their promise to offer a long-range, affordable electric vehicle for the masses.  This plug-in electric car represents a big step forward in EV design offering
more than 200 miles of range on a full charge.

Audi R8 — An awesome package

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The new Audi 2017 R8 draws considerable attention from teenagers to adults of all ages just sitting in the parking lot even though the "fully redesigned" R8 looks very much like its predecessor, which dramatically appeared in 2008. The wedge-shaped design is so compelling, so much larger than life when you get up-close, that we think it would have been a nearly impossible task for Audi designers to change the styling direction while maintaining the curb appeal of the original.

Lexus RC — Choices available with sports coupe

By David Finkelstein

Lexus has struck a perfect balance between styling, performance and agility as never before with the 2017 RC line of sport coupes. The RC's sports oriented chassis is also quite unique. It's based off of the underpinning architecture of other Lexus automobiles, drawing from the best of two proven mechanical setups that have been notability successful thus far.

Nissan Rogue — Surging through the galaxy

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Nissan created what turned out to be one of its best-selling vehicles when it redesigned the compact crossover Rogue for the 2014 model year. Since then, the Rogue has surged in sales rising 85 percent and is the company's second best selling North American nameplate just behind the mid-sized Altima sedan.

2017 Infiniti QX30



INDIANAPOLIS — The QX30 is a stylish little Infiniti crossover. Or, is it?  Beneath the flowing chiseled bodywork are the bones and powertrain of the Mercedes-Benz GLA. That’s a good start, because despite a few quirks and princely price tag, it’s a nice little Infinedes.

2017 Nissan Titan



PHOENIX — Last year, Nissan made big news with the full-sized Titan pickup, which was completely redesigned and restyled for the first time since it went on sale back in the 2004 model year. Truck owners are fervently brand loyal, and Nissan has had a rough time of it, trying to get Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 owners to switch brands. As a result, Titan sales have never quite lived up to expectations.

Toyota Sienna —Staying competitive

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The once-thriving minivan segment has boiled down to three main players — Chrysler Pacifica/Town and Country, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna — with several other nameplates filling in the bottom half of the card. Of the three, the Sienna is by far the oldest iteration, the current third generation hitting the market in 2010.

Acura MDX — First-class family hauler

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Acura has given its MDX mid-sized crossover a face-lift for the 2017 model year including clipping off the chrome beak — a very good thing — and creating fresh headlight and grille designs. Several new standard features are also included in the mid-cycle refresh including cap-less fueling, an electronic parking brake, additional USB ports, and a surround-view camera.