Articles
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2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo: Quite Surprising
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The compact SUV segment is one of the most competitive stretches of the new car market, and also one of the most forgettable. Most entries in this class are competently engineered, reasonably priced, and about as memorable as a Tuesday. The 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo is not trying to be a Toyota RAV4…
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2026 Audi RS 6 Avant Performance: It’s Still the One!
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A few years ago, I drove the 2023 Audi RS 6 Avant and wrote about the forever car thought experiment. You know the one: a benefactor appears, offers you one car, free, yours to keep indefinitely, but you have to pick right there on the spot. The idea is that it forces you to be…
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2026 Subaru BRZ tS Review: Same As It Ever Was (& That’s A Good Thing)
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The original Subaru BRZ (and its then-branded Scion FR-S twin) was good. The current one (and its Toyota GR86 twin) is very good, if not great. As the number of affordable sports cars dwindles, the Toyota-Subaru concoction thrives. It’s a beacon of light in a land of beige, a car that invites you to actually…
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2026 Nissan Kicks SR AWD Review
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Basic transportation has come a long way in recent years. Once stripped-out ways of getting from place to place, even the cars at the lower rung of the automotive totem pole now enjoy luxuries, amenities, efficiencies, and safety features that have trickled down from the higher-up points of the ladder. Case in point: The 2026…
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RC4WD 1985 Toyota Pickup Trail Finder 2: Scale RC 4x4ing At Its Finest
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RC4WD’s Trail Finder 2 is perhaps the most well-known and widely driven highly-detailed RC crawler or trail truck out there. Focusing on details and form over capability and function, it’s not the best crawler out there, and it doesn’t pretend to be, but goddamn is it a nice piece of machinery. The TF2 platform has…
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The Honda Passport Trailsport is a Perfect Weekend Warrior
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If you’re heading even slightly off the beaten path, I don’t recommend using Waze for directions. I learned this when I entered “Cougar Buttes” as my destination and set off. The drive on pavement was hassle-free, but as soon as I turned onto the dirt, I knew I wasn’t where I needed to be. I…
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2026 Cadillac Escalade V Review
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The story goes that Cadillac’s engineers were told the Escalade V was to be their last gas-powered concoction and as such they should hold nothing back. So they did what GM’s engineers do best and made it so incredibly over the top and loud that it turned out unmistakable for anything else. For better or…
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2018 Lexus GX460 Build Project | Elka Suspension
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Suspension, suspension, suspension. We’ve all heard it countless times: A vehicle is only as good as the suspension fitted to it, a mantra reigns true in recreational off-roading when maximizing traction is the name of the game. My 2018 Lexus GX460 was due for a suspension upgrade, and Elka came through with a setup that’s…
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2026 Lexus TX 550h+ PHEV AWD – Worth the Premium over the Grand Highlander?
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There is a question that follows the Lexus Texas (TX heretofore) everywhere it goes, and it is a fair one: Why spend $80,000+ on this when you could spend $60,000 on a Toyota Grand Highlander? Both ride on the same platform. Both are assembled in Indiana on the same line. Both will haul three rows…
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Two of a Kind: 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V Premium & Chevrolet Blazer EV SS Review
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To sit at the big kids table in 2026, a given manufacturer needs to be pumping out a hotted-up performance version of an otherwise mundane electric vehicle. In the case of General Motors, that means utilizing the BEV3 platform to build the Chevrolet EV SS and a Cadillac Lyriq V. Other brands might be slinging…
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2026 Maserati Grecale Trofeo Review
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I’ll say this up front: the 2026 Maserati Grecale Trofeo I’ve been driving costs $117,500 before you touch the options list. There are over 30 optional colors, 20 of which cost more than $10,000, with two quad coat colors ringing in at almost $19,000. This is information I think you should have upfront, before we…
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The Mercedes-AMG E53 Wagon Is Good…But Not Great
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There’s plenty of power, tons of style, but there’s something missing here. The Mercedes-AMG E53 wagon is really good, but certainly not great. The next E63 super wagon is reportedly in the works. Until that day comes, this E53 is the king of the longgroof hill. I’m happy it’s here. More wagons on offer is…
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2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack HO Scat Pack Plus Two Door Review
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Any followup to a massive success is subject to inevitable supplemental scrutiny. The new-for-2024 Dodge Charger demonstrates just that, with the new car always destined to be viewed under a microscope after the prior Challenger-Charger duo’s perpetually fantastic sales. And still, few cars rustled feathers over the last few years like the new Charger. Ditching…
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2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO Review
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I know sometimes it feels like us journalists are coming up with wacky things to do with our press loaners. Well, I drove the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro to my wedding! Four kids, their assorted stuff, along with the chaos of getting everyone somewhere important on time. The XRT Pro adds a little rugged…
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2026 Nissan Armada NISMO Review
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Enthusiast car circles and the members within tend to have a general disdain for SUVs that aren’t maximizing their 4×4-ness, and yet I have always loved sporty SUVs. Something about a practical, do-it-all vehicle that can dance in a way a vehicle in its segment originally wasn’t intended to just enamors me. The 2026 Nissan…
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2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country Twin Motor Performance Ultra
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This review is a bit of an odd duck. The 2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country Twin Motor Performance Ultra is one of the more interesting small EVs on the American market. It’s a punchy, clever, characterful little crossover with 422 horsepower and a fun Scandinavian interior. It arrived this year as a brand-new trim level.…