The Truck With a Trunk...and Tricks: The 2017 Honda Ridgeline

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline AWD Black Edition.

There was talk that the Honda Ridgeline (at the time ten years into its first and only generation) would leave us about mid-decade.  Honda instead gives us an all-new one, just in time for the boom in mid-size pickup trucks.  And the good news is that this Ridgeline is still weird.

Never Upstage The Star: The 2017 Lincoln MKZ Reserve AWD

The 2017 Lincoln MKZ.

The striking face you see in the picture above is the new look of Lincoln---debuting on this year's much-awaited Continental.  The Continental is meant to establish that the days of Lincolns being gussied-up Fords are now over.

Which is why putting that face on the mid-size MKZ the very same year as the Continental's launch is a monumental error.

Fiata: The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Lusso

The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Lusso.

I am a beauty addict.

That's why I came thisclose to buying a 1979 Fiat Spider brand new.  And why the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider speaks so strongly to me now.

Price Control: The 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium

The 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium.

Challenge:  Find a 2017 car priced only $100 higher than the same car's 2014 model.

You would be looking a long time.  Most cars have had several hundred dollars in price hikes over those four model years (2014-2015-2016-2017).  But the top-of-the-line 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium has a base price of $30,995.  And that is a mere one hundred dollars more than the 2014.

One With Everything: The 2016 Jeep Renegade Limited 4X4

The 2016 Jeep Renegade Limited. 

Back in August, the Phoenix bureau wrote a very positive review of the 2016 Jeep Renegade Sport, the base model of the small Jeep.  Now, we up here at TireKicker World Headquarters in Northern California have had a turn...but ours was a very different Renegade.

Timing Is Everything: The 2017 Nissan Rogue SL AWD

The 2017 Nissan Rogue SL AWD.

It is better, they say, to be lucky than good.  Nissan had the good fortune of introducing a heavily-refreshed Rogue at about the same time the promotion began for the latest Star Wars film, Rogue One.  And in a bit of corporate synergy, Nissan and Lucasfilm/Disney cooked up a promotional campaign that benefits both, though one has nothing to do with the other---and thankfully, the parties involved avoided trying to squeeze Nissan product placement into a film about a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  There is, however, a Star Wars Limited Edition Rogue.

Restraint Has Its Rewards: The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring FWD

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring.

It was just five months ago that I wrote very enthusiastically about the new 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature.

Signature is the new top-of-the-line trim level of the CX-9, bringing with it Nappa leather-trimmed seats, auburn-colored interior accents, genuine rosewood interior trim, and enough other luxury equipment that I called it a Mercedes with a Mazda price tag.

But would I need all that to stay in love with the CX-9?

Building A Better Corolla: The 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE

The 2017 Toyota Corolla XSE.

About the only complaint anyone can make about the Toyota Corolla is that it is---well---boring. Beyond that, it has space efficiency, fuel economy, build quality and legendary reliability all on its side.

Now, Toyota has decided to address "boring".