Path Found, Now For The Refinements: The 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD

The 2017 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD.

If you are straining to tell what is new with the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, it's because Nissan has refined rather than re-imagined its three-row crossover.  The styling is a bit more squared-off, especially at the front, yet smoother and more slippery, allowing for an improvement in the vehicle's drag coefficient.

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To: The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 1.8T Dune

The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 1.8T Dune.

For the better part of 20 years now, carmakers have been indulging in nostalgia...making new cars that look a lot like old (50s-60s-70s) ones.  Mustang, Camaro, Jaguars and Thunderbirds from the aughts...all meant to evoke what those cars used to look like.  It all arguably began with the 1998-2011 New Beetle, and continues with the current generation Beetle, which has seen 50s, 60s and 70s Edition models...and now the Dune, which is named after and is nothing like a variety of old-school Beetles VW had virtually nothing to do with, other than providing the donor vehicle for some shade tree modifications.

Seduced By An SUV: The 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4WD

The 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4WD.

I didn't stand a chance.

When I walked out of my office building to meet the delivery guy who was picking up the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid and dropping off the 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4WD, I saw the Explorer sitting in the lot, the sun gleaming off its gorgeous Ruby Red Metallic paint.

"Man, that's pretty", I told him as I took the key fob and signed the paperwork.  I glanced at the bottom line of the window sticker and was shocked.  $55,155 is big SUV money, at least in my mind. Psychologically, subconsciously, I expect something in the Explorer's size class to stay on the sane side of $50K.