MIAMI — The 2020 Land Rover Defender is a new SUV sporting an old name. First introduced in 1983 as the Land Rover 110 with a Land Rover 90 coming a year later — the designations were based on the vehicle’s wheelbase, not engine size — the name was altered to Defender in 1990, but it wasn’t too survive very long in the U.S. market.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. —  For more than 30 years, Elantra has been the standard bearer Hyundai in the competitive compact sedan segment that includes varsity brands such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and others. Even though compact crossover utility vehicles have become the flavor du jour for a copious number of car buyers, loyalists who prefer sedans still remain. And Hyundai makes excellent vehicles that still attract scads of customers.

PHOENIX — For 2021 Acura — Honda’s up market luxury brand — has just unveiled the second generation of its TLX “sports sedan.” Better known for its popular MDX and RDX SUVs that outsell its three car offerings nearly 3-to-1, Acura wants shoppers to know that their sedans are an important part of the caliper-badge product offerings. The new TLX is a vehicle that shoppers of premium sedans should put on their consideration list.

INDIANAPOLIS —  Despite having a six-year-old daughter and wandering intentions that often take us on long drives, my husband refuses to drive a mini-van.  I tried to talk him into one a few years ago, but we ended up with a crossover instead.  His reluctance is not exactly fair.  The Chrysler Pacifica is a plug-in dream, Honda’s Odyssey reliably conquers our continent, and the new Kia Sedona is a real art piece.  It’s against that backdrop that the stylish and high-tech completely redesigned 2021 Toyota Sienna landed in our driveway.

PHOENIX — Ahhhhh…. the minivan — the often-maligned symbol of suburban domesticity still remains a familiar presence in family life across America, despite flying the banner of automotive shame. Reigning atop the minivan hierarchy is the Honda Odyssey, so nearly a perfect choice for families that it’s been America’s best-selling minivan for 10 years running, with more than 1.1 million sold.

INDIANAPOLIS — I was getting out of the car at my hair stylists’ place when she walked out and screamed, “You have got to be kidding me!”  She thought I was driving a Ferrari.  I said, “What?  It’s the new Corvette!”  She took a long walk around, looked at me and said, “Yeah, I can see that.”  And, that’s the beauty of the 2020 Corvette Convertible. Its exotic looks derive from the engine’s change of latitude from the nose to behind the seats — a move to enhance handling and acceleration, but also freed designers to change the car’s proportions. 

INDIANAPOLIS — Back in 1991, one of the fastest vehicles you could buy was the GMC Typhoon – a high-performance version of the Jimmy, stoked with a 280 horsepower turbocharged V6 engine and electronic all-wheel-drive that could run 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds.  It kept pace with contemporary Corvettes and spoiled passengers with a leather-lined luxury interior.  Flash forward thirty years and we have the Typhoon’s spiritual successor, the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S.

PHOENIX — For years, I’ve made long weekend pilgrimages to visit family, explore National Parks, and go on golf junkets, mostly because I love to drive and partly because it’s cheap. Recently, it seemed a certain virus might annul my trip to southern Utah, but restrictions eased just in time for our Bryce Canyon-Zion hiking excursion. We were in luck.

PHOENIX — For the 2021 model year, Chevrolet has resurrected yet another name from the past, this time the Trailblazer. But rather than the truck-based utility vehicle that was available from 2001 through 2009, the new Trailblazer is a very different vehicle that’s much smaller and slots between the larger Chevy Equinox and smaller Trax. The only thing it shares with the old Trailblazer is the name. Also know, this is not a derivative model of the mid-sized Chevrolet Blazer that’s larger and was an all-new model for 2019.