SUVs
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The new 2018 Wrangler is a big deal for Jeep, and in its redesign the company didn't leave its fuel economy stuck in the mud. In addition to the fuel-swilling V-6, the new Wrangler will be available with a more efficient turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and the EPA has just revealed exactly how efficient it will be. The two-door turbo-4 sits atop the figurative Wrangler mountain lineup with ratings of 23 mpg city, 25 highway, 24 combined. Should you need four doors, those numbers drop to 22/24/22 mpg. DON'T MISS: Why Green Car Reports Writes About Full-Size Pickup Trucks The numbers represent...
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2018 Nissan Rogue Hybrid: late to the party, but at least it won't drink much
Just as most automakers gear up to announce their 2019 models, the 2018 Nissan Rogue Hybrid is arriving in showrooms scattered across select markets in the U.S. To mark the new year (is it still new?), the Rogue Hybrid's price is up about $800 over last year to $27,995 for the base SV trim level...
Andrew Ganz -
2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid: the subtly earthy type
The 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid doesn't boast about its plug-in hybrid, eco-friendly credentials. Instead of a big charge port conspicuously placed on one front fender, the Cayenne has matching covers for fuel or electricity on either side of the vehicle. They're part of its dual-nature: one part...
Andrew Ganz -
2019 Jeep Cherokee gas mileage review
While plug-in electric cars are steadily growing in sales, they still pale in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of compact crossover utility vehicles sold each year by virtually every major carmaker. In 2017, Toyota's most popular vehicle became the RAV4 small SUV, supplanting the Camry...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model Y production to start Nov 2019 (also, Musk doesn't have time to shower): reports
Amidst nine months of "production hell" for the Tesla Model 3 electric car, the company's next vehicle has somewhat fallen off the radar. According to a report Wednesday by Reuters, Tesla has now put out requests to suppliers for initial bids on parts for the Tesla Model Y, its high-volume...
Eric C. Evarts -
Mazda CX-5 diesel: engine still MIA in compact crossover utility vehicle
It's the mystery model, the all-but-legendary vehicle still just beyond reach, years after its maker first announced plans to offer diesel engines. Specifically, it's the diesel version of the Mazda CX-5 compact crossover utility vehicle, first revealed in 2016 and later announced as a 2018 model...
John Voelcker -
A parking lot in suburban New Jersey isn’t the first place I’d look for a revolution. According to Jaguar, it’s where ours will start. After just over four minutes behind the wheel of the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace, the electric Jaguar feels like the beginning of something. DON'T MISS: 2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover debuts in production trim; estimated 240-mile range As the first luxury battery electric vehicle from a mainstream automaker, the I-Pace will be followed by many more from other automakers—dozens if the timeline stretches far enough into the future. Its...
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Kona Electric, Bolt EV, Niro, C-HR aren't crossovers, despite what makers say
It happened again. At this week's New York auto show media days, a manufacturer rolled out yet another vehicle that it calls a "crossover" despite that vehicle having neither the ground clearance nor the all-wheel drive to qualify as a light truck. The car in question was the 2019 Hyundai Kona...
John Voelcker -
2019 Hyundai Santa Fe launched with diesel; hybrid, plug-in hybrid for US or not?
Along with the 250-mile 2019 Kona Electric hatchback it launched Wednesday at the New York Auto Show, Hyundai unveiled an entirely redesigned version of a much higher-volume vehicle. That's the 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe mid-size crossover utility vehicle, which gains size, features, and considerably...
John Voelcker -
Jaguar I-Pace electric car to join Waymo's self-driving car fleet
British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo said Tuesday the carmaker would sell Google's autonomous-car technology arm up to 20,000 of its new all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV to be used in self-driving service by 2020. While last week's news focused entirely on the fatal crash of a Volvo converted...
John Voelcker -
Redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid debuts at New York auto show
With buyers showing no signs of letup in their enthusiasm for crossovers of all sizes and shapes, the redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4 couldn't be coming at a better time. The Toyota RAV4 small SUV became the company's single best-selling model in the U.S. last year, surging past its long-time champion...
John Voelcker -
2019 Lincoln Aviator crossover to include plug-in hybrid version
Ford's premium brand, Lincoln, has started to take on a new confidence, with far more luxurious vehicles and high-end trim levels and vehicles that are more than just restyled mass-market products. On Wednesday, it will draw back the veil from one of the several new SUVs that it hopes will power...
John Voelcker -
In Europe these days, it's all but de rigeur to fit auto-show concept vehicles with plug-in hybrid powertrains. Most of the Volkswagen SUV concepts that previewed what is now the Volkswagen Atlas seven-seat crossover, on sale today, sported plugs—though no such version emerged into production. Tuesday evening, before the New York auto show media days began, VW revealed a "near-production" concept for a shorter, five-seat version of the current Atlas, to go on sale next year as the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. DON'T MISS: Volkswagen Tiguan Plug-In Hybrid Concept Shown In Detroit...
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2019 Lexus UX small SUV emerges in US trim, hybrid included, at NY auto show
After a gestation period of 18 months, the 2019 Lexus UX small crossover utility vehicle is emerging in its U.S. form at this week's New York auto show. One full size smaller than the Lexus RX that launched the luxury crossover segment 20 years ago, the UX gives Toyota's luxury brand an entry in...
John Voelcker -
Nissan electric crossover utility with AWD will be breakthrough: exec
Could a specific vehicle give electric cars the breakthrough they need to reach the mass market? So far, neither the world's highest-selling battery-electric model—the Nissan Leaf—nor the Tesla Model S, starting at $75,000, has sold in mainstream U.S. volumes. You might ballpark that...
John Voelcker -
In what segments will electric cars do best by 2025? Twitter poll results
As U.S. car buyers increasingly opt for crossover utility vehicles of all sizes over passenger sedans and hatchbacks, that shift has come to pose a problem for electric cars. The bulk of battery-electric models on offer today are compact five-door hatchbacks without available all-wheel drive. Think...
John Voelcker -
Audi e-tron GT electric "super sedan" to challenge Tesla Model S
First came the Tesla Model S, followed by the Model X. Then Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz rolled out their plans for single long-range electric luxury models to compete with Tesla. Now, the Germans are teasing their plans for further electric cars aimed at Tesla, with the Audi Sport e-tron GT the...
John Voelcker -
Ford's future 300-mile all-electric performance SUV: what we know
Lots of automakers wish they could get a bite of Tesla’s business. Ford first said more than a year ago that it would launch a long-range battery-electric vehicle, describing it as an SUV with 300 miles of range. But the company is late to the game. Longer-range compact hatchbacks from...
Green Car Reports -
Ford hasn’t given up on hybrids and electric cars, despite letting its existing models languish since 2013. That was the message conveyed by various executives at an event Thursday morning at the Ford Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan. The company will build a hybrid version of five SUVs it sells by 2020, promised Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, and produce six battery-electric vehicles by 2022. DON'T MISS: Will 2021 Ford Escape bring back hybrid model (or plug-in hybrid)? Buyers, however, should no longer expect Ford’s hybrids and plug-in models to...
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In what segments will electric cars do best by 2025? Take our Twitter poll
Over the last several years, U.S. sales of utility vehicles, from small crossovers to hulking truck-based SUVs, have surged. Meanwhile, passenger cars—sedans, hatchbacks, the occasional wagon—have stagnated and in many cases, fallen sharply. Several factors have driven this shift. DON'T...
John Voelcker -
Will 2021 Ford Escape bring back hybrid model (or plug-in hybrid)?
Tomorrow, Ford is hosting journalists at an unusual event called "Ford Uncovered," at which it may discuss some of its future products for 2020 and beyond. Key among the questions that attendees will undoubtedly ask will be those about the company's strategy for electrified vehicles. While Ford was...
John Voelcker -
Audi e-tron electric SUV appears in camouflage at Geneva show, on city roads
The Geneva auto show was expected to offer the first head-to-head comparison between the first two all-electric SUVs models from European luxury brands, both starting deliveries later this year. It didn't quite work out that way. The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace did indeed debut last Friday, before media...
John Voelcker -
2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover priced from $70,495 in U.S.
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace, the brand's first-ever production electric car, made its debut last Thursday before the Geneva auto show. At that time, only U.K. pricing was given—but on Tuesday, Jaguar released the U.S. price for the electric crossover utility vehicle that goes on sale sometime this...
John Voelcker -
Jaguar I-Pace beats Tesla Model X in electric car drag-race video
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace SUV that debuted Thursday beat all the German luxury makes to the punch in launching a viable competitor to the looks and capabilities of electric cars offered by Tesla. The 14-year-old Silicon Valley startup has attracted huge attention for the stunning acceleration of its...
John Voelcker