PHOENIX — While it isn’t quite the Rubicon Trail located in California’s historic gold rush territory in the Sierra Nevada, the 27,000-acre Butcher Jones OHV, UTV, ATV and Off-Road Trail system Recreation Site in Arizona was the perfect location to test the limits of Ford’s new and nearly unstoppable Bronco Raptor. It’s the most capable production off-road vehicle ever built snatching that title from its Jeep Wrangler competitor.

PHOENIX — The Mercedes S-Class is the world’s best-selling luxury sedan and the latest generation recently introduced as expected is impressive with spectacular new features and amazing technology.  Mercedes is offering two versions of the S-Class, the base level S-500 powered by a 430-hp V6 engine or the S-580 reviewed here with a 496-hp bi-turbocharged mild-hybrid drive V8 engine. All-wheel drive is standard on both models. Of course, luxury not horsepower is what the S-Class is all about.

INDIANAPOLIS — Change has come to the British Empire. We knew it was inevitable, but is sad nonetheless.  It is hard to replace an icon that’s beloved by millions across the realm.  The next one will be a worthy successor, but will neither sound nor drive the same.  It’s a different world.  Yep, Jaguar is going electric by mid-decade and the F-Type will soon join the great beyond.  But, let’s have one more go at it before it’s gone.

HERNDON, Va. — These are, as you’d know and anyone can tell you, anxious times. Whether your anxiety is political or economic, over here or over there, our shared angst can be pervasive to the point of suffocation. And at a moment when people still lose jobs, go to bed hungry and die — by the thousands — of Covid, the Lexus LC 500, especially as a convertible, might seem little more than an irrelevant and expensive bauble.

PHOENIX — Seemingly with all the talk these days about all-electric cars dominating the new car automotive spotlight it isn’t surprising that Mercedes could launch one of the most important and best-selling cars in the German automakers lineup and it seems no one knows about it. Is a new C Class sedan a significant car for Mercedes? You bet it is, not the least because it’s sold 2.5 million of them since the fourth-generation C-Class sold over 2.5 million of them since it was launched in 2014.