The Case For Refinement: The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT.

Regular TireKicker readers know us to be a place for unbiased reviews.  We are more tolerant of more pedestrian vehicles than many automotive journalism outlets, because we know those are the cars that the vast majority of Americans buy.  Each vehicle deserves to be judged on its own merit and not compared to something three times its price or built for a completely different purpose.

That's not to say we can't be tough.  There have been some bordering-on-brutal reviews in TireKicker's almost eight years online...and one of the harshest was our review, five years ago, of the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.  You're encouraged to click the link and read the whole thing, but the short version is we said that Mitsubishi brought a circa 2001 small SUV to market in 2011 and it was going to lose, even when its low price was figured in.

Five years on, it can only be worse, right?

Last Call: The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan S

The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan.

If you have always wanted a current-generation Volkswagen Tiguan, congratulations.  You are not a typical person.  The Tiguan was the 21st-best selling small SUV in America for the month of May.  And that is a segment where if you are not in the top four (Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue), you are fighting for scraps.  At number 21, it's more like crumbs.  Seven RAV4s, Escapes, CR-Vs and Rogues each are sold for every Tiguan.

The American Cruiser Returns (Sort Of): The 2016 Buick Cascada

The 2016 Buick Cascada.

Longtime TireKicker readers are aware that I am a sucker for convertibles.  Probably goes back to my earliest memories of car rides with my Uncle Ron, who always bought ragtops.  '53 Corvette, '55 Thunderbird, '60 Thunderbird, '63 Thunderbird (the rare Sports Roadster, no less...only 455 made that year) and finally, because they stopped making Thunderbird convertibles in 1966, a 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible.

I only remember the '60, '63 and '69, but rides in those were magical. I was hooked.  And so I was excited to hear that Buick was importing the Opel Cascada.  And now, after two years on the market in Europe, it's here.

No Road? No Problem: The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab

The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab.

Getting away from the crowd is harder than ever.  Some of the fault no doubt goes to cheap gasoline and the internet revealing what seems to be every secret place on earth, along with GPS to help all of humanity find them.

To truly get away from all those people requires the ability to go where they cannot.  And that is what the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab is for.

Next Year's Model Now: The 2017 Chevrolet Volt

The 2017 Chevrolet Volt.

If it seems like just a couple of months since we reviewed the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, that's because it is and we did.  Chevrolet has updated the Volt for 2017 and the new model is making an early debut.

Different Ends of the Same Spectrum: The Lexus RC200t and RC-F

The 2016 Lexus RC200t.

It would be hard to find two more different automobiles of the same make and model than the Lexus RC200t and RC-F.  For while the bodies and interiors are for the most part identically styled, they are widely varied in terms of materials and accessories.

And then there is the 226-horsepower difference.

The Golden Age Is Now: 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack

The 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack.

When I was getting my learner's permit, one of the most fearsome and desirable beasts roaming the planet was the 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 426 Hemi.  425 horsepower as measured in those days (they measured gross, not net then...works out to about 350 by today's standards) and a 0-60 time of six seconds. It would do the quarter in 14 seconds at 104 miles per hour.

When the 1972 models were introduced a month later,  the party was over, Thanks to a double-whammy of emissions regulations and insurance surcharges, the Hemi was dead and the most muscle a Challenger could muster was 240 horsepower from a 340-cubic inch V8.

Instantly, anything prior to that moment was regarded as "The Golden Age of Muscle Cars".

We were right, for a while.  Turns out we just had a 45-year intermission. In fact, the 60s and 70s were just a warm-up by comparison.

Don't Believe Everything You Read On The Internet: The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT

The 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage GT.

For two and a half years now, most of my fellow TireKickers (automotive journalists) have been writing about how the Mitsubishi Mirage is the worst car in the world.  Or at least the worst new car for sale in the United States.  Some do it because it's easy and they think no one will ever test-drive the Mirage and discover they're wrong.  Some do it to be funny.  And some, frankly, do it because they wanted a 600-horsepower somethingorother, but that week, the press fleet folks brought them a 74-horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage. The review becomes a 500-word temper tantrum.

They Still Make One Like They Used To: The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab

The 2016 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab.

Ten years is an eternity in the car business.  The Nissan Frontier has been with us for 12.  That's right, the midsize pickup truck you see here, has, with very few changes, been with us since 2004.  So, can it compete today?