MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(September 1, 2024) Ford has totally redesigned its mid-sized Ranger pickup truck for the 2024 model year, and after a week and 250 miles behind the wheel I can proclaim it an excellent right-sized truck in terms of performance, driving dynamics, cabin layout and interior solitude. In fact the Lexus-like lack of road and wind noise at 70 miles per hour was a topic of discussion between the three people on board returning from an out-of-town restaurant visit.

Photos by Paul Borden

By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 25, 2024) Want to turn a $30,000 SUV into a $40,000 vehicle? Easy. Just yank whatever gasoline engine is under the hood and stick in an all-electric drivetrain.That price increase is an issue that remains with the electric vehicle (known as EVs or BEVs with the B for battery) as they hit showrooms with more driving range and quicker charging times than earlier models.

MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 25, 2024) I drove the all-new 2024 Mazda CX-90 a few months ago and was impressed with the newest and largest Mazda crossover. I got another crack at the three-row SUV in late summer, driving a different drivetrain and outfitted in near-luxury top trim with the Premium Plus Package. 

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 20, 2024) If you are looking for a way to stump drivers from Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012), here is a good one. Put them behind the wheel of a manual transmission car and hand them an instruction sheet written in cursive. Odds are they won’t be able to handle it.

MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 18, 2024) One of the late 20th Century's brightest automotive ideas came from Toyota with its Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD, which showed up in 1995. It was branded the RAV4. Toyota said "it was designed for consumers wanting a vehicle that had most of the benefits of SUVs, such as increased cargo room, higher visibility, and the option of full-time four-wheel drive, along with the maneuverability and fuel economy of a compact car."

MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 11, 2024) I was driving the Big Bend at the same time Hurricane Debby hit the "big bend" area of Florida. And a few days later my Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend edition was successfully negotiating flooded city streets in an extremely wet eastern North Carolina. Even though the Big Bend lives at the low end of the Bronco Sport lineup it was equipped with all-wheel drive paired with the G.O.A.T. selector — and proved to be a fortuitous vehicle to be piloting through Debby's debris.

By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 4, 2024) The E-Class has been a principled staple of the Mercedes brand for more than 75 years and for 2024 has launched its newest iteration of the mid-sized sedan in two varieties: the E 350 sedan ($62,300) powered by a 255-horsepower, turbocharged inline 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and the E 450 ($68,100) with a 375-horsepower inline 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder. Both models feature standard all-wheel-drive with power delivered through a nine-speed automatic transmission and a mild 48-volt hybrid system.

MotorwayAmerica.com

By Jim Meachen
Editor, MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 4, 2024) The two-row midsize crossover has become a hot segment within the huge sport utility market, and Volkswagen's entry into the family hauler sweepstakes has now turned five years old. Meet the refreshed Atlas Cross Sport, which competes against some strong entries such as the all-new Mazda CX-70, Chevy Blazer, Nissan Murano, Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe.