Goldilocks and the One Pickup Truck: The 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab 4X2

The 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab.

I pulled into the driveway.  Mrs.TireKicker was out front watering the lawn.

"That's a nice big pickup."

"Um...it's supposed to be a midsize."

The pickup in question was the 2019 Ford Ranger XLT Supercab.  As small as "small" pickups get these days, and a return for the Ranger after a seven-year absence.

Now, my wife will be the first to tell you, she doesn't pay much attention to cars.  But as I stood there and looked at this two-wheel drive extended cab pickup with a six-foot bed, it started to look kinda big to me, too.  I looked down the block.  My neighbor, three doors down, has a previous-generation Ranger in his driveway.  It looked small.

Last Chance? The 2019 Volkswagen Golf 1.4T SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf.

There's a rumor going around that when the next Volkswagen Golf arrives in the United States,  it might be minus the base Golf itself.  Word is that VW would import the new Golf R and GTI performance models, but not the economy sedan those cars are based on.

Andrew Krok at CNET's Roadshow got a VW spokesperson to confirm---on the record---that the next-gen Golf R and GTI are confirmed for North America, but that "other Golf models are under consideration".

Yes, "under consideration" means there could still be a green light, but it's not quite as reassuring as having the entire Golf line approved at the same time as the Golf R and the GTI (also in limbo---the Golf Alltrack and the Golf Sportwagen).

The reason?  Less than stellar sales.

Going Upscale: The 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD

The 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD.

The Mazda CX-5 has long been a favorite of ours here at TireKicker.  Our last review, two years ago, amounted to raves, and if you'll follow the links in that piece, you'll find the story of how it won our hearts in the spring of 2015 with a jam-packed long weekend trip to Southern California and back packed with people (including two teenage girls---my stepdaughters) and their things.

Restraint Has Its Rewards: The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Last summer, we drove, and very much liked, the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium.  That's the top-of-the-line of VW's smaller crossover, and we felt it justified its $36,250 price with its "usefulness, comfort, quiet and driving dynamics."

So what's it like to take nearly a $10,000 step down in Tiguans?

Third Time's A Charm: The 2019 Honda Insight

2019 Honda Insight.

Honda, the carmaker that very rarely gets it wrong, has done so at least twice---ten years apart. 

In 1999, Honda decided to be the first with a hybrid in North America.  The first-generation Insight beat the original Toyota Prius to showrooms by seven months.  The head start was of little help.  In seven years, just as the second-gen Prius was setting sales records, Honda pulled the plug on the Insight.  It was funny-looking (even compared to the Prius) and impractical, as it had only two seats.

Honda regrouped and in 2009, came back with an Insight that looked like it was meant to compete head-to-head with the Prius.  Seating for five, styling that looked like someone had pretty much put a sheet of tracing paper over a Prius brochure and then made some adjustments to keep the lawyers happy. 

It died in five years.  It might have looked better than the first and been a couple of thousand dollars less than a Prius, but it wasn't nearly as good as a Prius---a point that I drove home in a June, 2009 review.

Well, here we are, living in a year ending with a "9", and here comes Honda again---with the third Insight.

And it's just plain tremendous. 

XCitement: The 2019 Volvo XC40 T5 AWD R-Design

The 2019 Volvo XC40 R-Design.

The strong success of Volvo's big XC90 SUV has Volvo doing the smart thing and spinning off XC variants in smaller sizes.  There's an XC60 in the middle and now, the XC40---a vehicle aimed squarely at urban Millennials.

If Only: The 2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD A-SPEC

The 2019 Acura RDX A-SPEC.

Acura, the upscale division of Honda, can't seem to catch a break.  From a golden beginning in the 80s through the early-mid 90s, everyone in automotive circles seemed in agreement that building a better--or at least nicer and more powerful---Honda was a good thing.

For the past 20 years though, a lot of my fellow automotive journalists have been saying it's not enough and even wondering why there should be an Acura at all.  The new 2019 Acura RDX A-SPEC should answer all those questions---but raise a brand-new one.

Thoroughly Modern Throwback: The 2019 Kia Forte EX

The 2019 Kia Forte EX.

If you believe everything you read, the four-door sedan is dead but doesn't know it yet.  People who analyze data and trends say we're headed for a future made up of crossovers, high performance coupes and ultra-luxury anythings because there's always a market for the exclusive and expensive---even if they're four-door sedans.

This might be age talking, but I'd hate to see that happen.  Because there is little on this earth as satisfying as a well-built four-door sedan.   BMW proved that all the way back in the 1970s with the 5-series.  Honda brought it to the masses in the 1980s with the Accord and Civic sedans.  Up to that point, two-door coupes were where the action was.  America wanted Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupes with vinyl roofs.  Until it didn't.

Went Big. Went To Lake Tahoe: The 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser

The 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser.

If you want to gain an appreciation for a full-size, four-wheel drive SUV, drive one in a snowstorm.

That's how I came to know, appreciate and eventually own a 1993 GMC Suburban---after driving the one owned by the television station I worked for in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1990s in a severe winter storm in Flagstaff.

Flash-forward nearly 30 years.  My wife and I are going to Lake Tahoe for a four-day weekend to celebrate my birthday and---as it has been most of this winter, it seems---it's snowing.  I've requested, weeks in advance, "anything with all-wheel drive".   I'm originally scheduled in a Mazda CX-5.  A lovely vehicle, one I like a lot.  A couple of days before the trip, it gets pulled and replaced with a Hyundai Santa Fe.  Again, more than fine.  An excellent machine and it meets the main requirement---all-wheel drive.

Then comes the text.  My contact at DriveShop,  which contracts with manufacturers to prepare and deliver vehicles to automotive reviewers, was looking at the wrong week on the calendar.  One more switch---this time to the 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser.

This is not a consolation prize.  This is hitting the jackpot.