2021

2021 Mini Countryman plug-in



INDIANAPOLIS — I have long been a fan of the Mini, a fun little zipper with classic British looks that can fillet cars way above its weight class.  About ten years ago, my family even bought a first-generation Countryman crossover.  It was underpowered, but drove like a BMW, got good gas mileage and had the best Harman Kardon audio system I’ve ever heard.  It became too small for our growing family, so it had to go.  I wonder if we would have made the same hard choice if we owned the 2021 Mini Countryman SE ALL4 “plug-in.”

2021 Cadillac CT5-V



MIAMI — A replacement for the aging CTS when it reached showrooms as a 2020 model, Cadillac’s CT5 — previewed at the 2019 New York Auto Show —  made a rather impressive debut by earning the No. 1 ranking for midsize sedans in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. For 2021, it is offered in five trims, but this review will concentrate on the 2021 Cadillac CT5 V-Series edition that tops the portfolio at a starting MSRP of $48,700 when the $905 destination and delivery charge is tacked on.

Kia Sorento — Another Kia winner



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman
 
(April 4, 2021) Kia has discovered the formula for consistently building attractive automobiles. Virtually every new vehicle that has come out of the automaker's stable over the past couple of years has been stylish inside and out, loaded with new user-friendly technology, and competitively fuel efficient. Three recent examples of hitting the ball out of the park are the mid-sized Telluride CUV, sub-compact Seltos crossover and the mid-sized K5 sedan.

Toyota Camry — Now with AWD option



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Joe the car shopper who lives in a cold-weather state tells the Toyota salesman that he loves the current-generation Camry, but he's forced to choose a RAV4 or a Highlander SUV crossover because he absolutely needs all-wheel drive to negotiate his long driveway during the winter snows. Hold on a minute, the alert salesman says, you CAN have your Camry and all-wheel drive, too. Is this a great time to buy a car or what?

Dodge Hellcats — Modern muscle cars



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

(March 28, 2021) The Dodge Hellcat lineup is incredible — incredibly fast, incredibly fun, incredibly expensive. We applaud Dodge for keeping the Detroit-style last-century muscle car segment very alive and very well. For 2021, Dodge and Ram have four clear choices for massive performance — a sports coupe (Challenger), a large sedan (Charger), a three-row SUV (Durango), and a full-sized Ram pickup.

2021 Acura NSX



PHOENIX — The Acura NSX supercar couldn’t help but turn heads and draw a crowd whenever I parked. The styling is gorgeous with an exterior design that’s enticingly worthy of praise. No crazy swoops, no melodramatic over-the-top spoilers at the rear or sculpted fins, rather styling that’s astonishingly beautiful, mostly. The snout is large and a bit on the fussy side, the rear a bit heavyset, but overall errs on mimicking the likes of the McLaren 570S in my eyes.

Hyundai Elantra — A compact car standout



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

(March 21, 2021) Compact crossover utility vehicles make up one of the hottest segments in the industry, but there's still demand for the once wildly popular compact cars such as the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla — and the all-new 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The seventh-generation Elantra is a standout for its head-turning exterior design, advanced safety systems and infotainment connectivity, and the best overall warranty in the business.

2021 Ram TRX



INDIANAPOLIS — Stellantis has been installing its Hellcat supercharged V8 engine in anything that can take it from the Dodge Challenger to the Jeep Grand Cherokee.  There’s been one notable omission until now:  The Ram pickup.  Not only is the 2021 Ram TRX the brand’s most off-road capable pickup, but it is also the fastest.  You can think of it as the Devil’s chariot. It looks like somebody thoroughly peeved it off.  Its snarling hood scoop tops a black mesh grille, slit headlamps, and painted panels that all appear to have melted around twin tow hooks. 

Toyota Tundra — A resale value winner



By Jim Meachen
MotorwayAmerica Editor

(March 17, 2021) It's not much of a secret that Toyota is finally coming out with an all-new Tundra pickup truck for the 2022 model year. It's a big deal because you have to travel back to 2007 to witness the last time Toyota engineered an all-new truck. Since then the Japanese automaker has merely thrown in updates here there and added a few special editions while its chief competitors at Ford, Chevrolet and Ram have gone through at least two new iterations.

GMC Yukon — Bigger and better



By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

(March 14, 2021) There aren't many truck-based SUVs left on the market because the unibody (crossover) models are generally more refined, more versatile, more feature-laden and more fuel efficient than the traditional body-on-frame entrants. The all-new truck-based 2021 GMC Yukon is one of several truck-based new SUVs that changes things with more refinement and sophistication, but without sacrificing its massive towing and load-carrying capabilities.