Numbers Matching: The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq HEV Limited

2020 Hyundai Ioniq HEV Limited.

The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq HEV Limited and an abandoned gas station.  Some things just work visually.  If we were all driving Ioniqs, there'd probably be a lot more abandoned gas stations.  Because the Hyundai Ioniq HEV is EPA-estimated at 55 miles per gallon city, 54 highway.

Dressed To Impress: The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 4MATIC

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 4MATIC.

Mercedes has taken the alphabetical approach to naming its SUVs.  They all begin with GL. The smallest is GLA, next is GLB, then GLC. There is no GLD, so GLE comes next and the largest are the GLS and the G-Class.

We had 30 minutes with the GLA three years ago at Western Automotive Journalists' Media Days in Monterey, California and liked it a lot.  Still, the GLB is a major step forward from the entry-level Benz SUV.

Like An Iron Fist In A Velvet Glove: The 2020 Lexus RC-F

The 2020 Lexus RC-F.

If you haven't been paying close attention to Lexus in the past decade, it may surprise you to know that the brand has expanded from its original mission of immaculately made isolation chambers and now also offers immaculately made lust objects. 

Two of those, the Lexus LC 500h, and the identically bodied LC 500 (no "h" means it's powered by a 471-horsepower V8 instead of a hybrid), sit atop the TireKicker's Best Cars list at the top of this page.

The Lexus RC 350 is also a stunner, though milder, at 311 horsepower.  But the RC-F we're here to talk about today....that's a different kind of RC.

Suddenly It's 2021: The 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo AWD

The 2021 Kia Seltos.

No, no....you haven't been in isolation that long.  But while you were, and while very few people were frequenting car dealerships, Kia has brought us the 2021 Seltos.

This Is Honda: The 2020 Honda CR-V Touring

The 2020 Honda CR-V Touring.

About the headline.  Yes, Honda makes several cars.  All of them very, very good cars.  But the CR-V is Honda in the sense that it is the best-selling vehicle Honda makes and it embodies pretty much every virtue that has made Honda what it is for the past 40-plus years.

Atlas Shrunk: The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T SEL

The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Regular readers know we have a lot of respect for the Volkswagen Atlas and for its smaller sibling, the Volkswagen Tiguan.  Now there's an in-between option---the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

A Car For All Seasons: The 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL

The 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL.

When the 2020 Hyundai Venue came to market, it was a can't-miss proposition.  Hyundai was putting a new vehicle, competitively priced, into the red-hot small crossover market in a roaring economy.

As I write this, California and much of the country is in the 37th day of a stay-at-home order.  Car dealers are considered essential businesses, but, as you'd imagine, not a lot of people are showing up and spending money.

The good news is that the 2020 Hyundai Venue has the potential to be a strong seller when the stay-at-home orders are lifted, even---or maybe especially---if the economy is in bad shape.

Taking In The Desert Air: The 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO 4X4 Double Cab

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO.

Okay, let's address the elephant in the room.  Or the elephant trunk on the pickup truck in the driveway.

That is the Toyota TRD PRO Desert Air Intake.

The idea is to get cooler, cleaner air into the engine when you're off-roading.

Versa Versus Versa: The 2020 Nissan Versa SR

The 2020 Nissan Versa SR.

It is hard to think of a more maligned car (apart from the Mitsubishi Mirage) than the Nissan Versa.  Mention its name among automotive journalists and you'll get a lot of derisive laughter.  As I wrote eight years ago this very month, in my review of the 2012 Versa, they're wrong.  It's a good, if basic, car.