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The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been around since 1993. Since its debut, it has been a solid player in the upscale mid-size two-row SUV segment, combining an appealing design with luxury touches and Jeep’s tradition of off-road capability. But now the Grand Cherokee is headed in a whole new direction.

Genesis unveiled its GV80 Concept SUV at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. The GV80 represents several important statements of intent from Hyundai’s recently launched luxury brand. It sets out a design direction for the brand, it is the first Genesis SUV, and it shows Genesis’ thinking on future alternative power sources.

The GV80 As Styling Statement

The Volkswagen Golf has had an eventful 42-year history in the United States. Introduced in 1975 as a Beetle replacement, the renamed-for-the-US VW Rabbit was a front-wheel drive compact German-made hatchback. It was offered at around the same price as its Japanese competition. 

Subaru has been a very successful brand in the US market for many years. Its philosophy of producing practical cars and SUVs with loads of utility and all-wheel drive has resonated with the car-buying public, resulting in steadily increasing sales. 

Subaru has been very successful selling its cars and SUVs in the US market. The company has currently racked up sixty-five consecutive months of record-breaking sales. It cannot produce its Foresters, Outbacks, Crosstreks, and other vehicles fast enough to meet the demand. But success in the three-row SUV category has always eluded the company. 

Tires may not be the most glamorous part of your vehicle, but they’re certainly one of the most important. Maintaining healthy tires can save you money on damage to other parts of your vehicle, keep you from ending up on the side of the road with a blown tire, and limit how often you need a pricy tire change. 

There are a few basic trips, ticks, and maintenance habits you can do to get the absolute most out of your tires, and limit the amount you have to spend on them.

Shop Around 

It’s likely that at some point you’ll need to store your car for a long period of time. Maybe you’re going on vacation for a few months, or maybe your car needs some repairs that you’re putting off for a while. Maybe you got a new car and are keeping your sports car in storage, or maybe you just don’t feel like paying for insurance and registration right now. Whatever the reason, if you’re leaving your car by itself for a while, it’s important to take care of it accordingly. You can’t simply leave your vehicle alone for months on end and expect it to maintain the same condition.

It’s no secret that owning a car can be expensive. Even after the down payment and monthly payments, you still have to pay for insurance, registration, gas, oil changes, and maintenance. In other words, owning a car adds up. 

Because of this, it’s important to save money anywhere you can. The last thing you want to do as a car owner is drop a few hundred or thousand dollars on repairs that could have been avoided with a little bit of TLC or foresight. 

Having your car inspected and maintained can be a bit of a hassle. Not only do tune-ups cost money, but you have to find time in your schedule to take your car to a mechanic, and wait while the inspection and maintenance are performed. 

So why not do it yourself? Most people are comfortable cleaning the interior or exterior of their vehicle, but are a little wary when it comes to things that are under the hood. That’s understandable, but there are still a lot of basic maintenance tasks that you can comfortably perform at home, to save time, money, and hassle.

Buying a car can be incredibly fun, or incredibly stressful, depending on the situation. On the one hand, getting a vehicle that’s new to you is exciting; on the other hand, there’s a lot of shopping around that needs to be done, and factors that need to be taken into consideration. This is especially true when you’re purchasing a used vehicle.

Automotive analysts and enthusiasts have pleaded with Nissan to update the auto manufacturers wildly popular 370Z sports car. Either Nissan has not heard the voices from a rapidly growing number of owners of the 370Z, or the company simply wants to turn into a boring brand that loses its most important demographic.

Gil Grissom of CSI fame uttered the memorable quote “Tell me something I don’t know” numerous times to encourage his team of investigators to think outside of the box. We want to invoke our inner Grissom when it comes to the 2018 Honda Civic Si. If you told us that the new Honda Civic Si is going to be more powerful than any SI ever rolled off assembly lines, we would respond, “Tell us something we don’t known.”

If you told us the opposite, that the 2018 Si is going to be less powerful than expected, you would immediately grab our attention.

Sometimes, you have to cobble together several bits and pieces of information to determine if an automotive industry rumor is true, or at least has some validity. The principle for bringing together different sourced information rings true for trying to determine what Hyundai has in store for the luxury brand Genesis.

2019 might appear to be off the design radar screens of automakers, but in the industry, plans for future models often start years before the year where everyone gets down to business to finalize a car’s specifications. Well, we are approaching the year when Audi has to get down to business for the 2019 Audi Q4. What we have read and heard to date is Audi’s wildly popular TT model will have at least some design influence on the 2019 Audi Q4.

Audi Makes Its Mark in the SUV Niche

One of the world’s most popular family sedans on the market appears to be ready to usher in 2018 looking a bit different and delivering improved performance specifications. We have not obtained information on the 2018 Honda Accord from company sources. Instead, we have relied on verifiable eyewitness accounts issued by people who have either test driven the 2018 Accord or have seen it traversing the streets of New York City.

Rumors Started Online

Compact SUVs are not only the hottest-selling SUV segment, they are one of the hottest segments in the entire new vehicle market. Nearly a quarter-million of these vehicles were sold in March 2017. Familiar nameplates like the Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, and Chevrolet Equinox are the top five players. They dominate the market, taking a collective 62.6 percent of all the sales.

The return of the legendary Italian automotive brand Alfa Romeo has begun. From its initial introduction of the hardcore but slow-selling Alfa 4C sports car in 2014, it has recently added the more mainstream Giulia compact luxury sport sedan to its American lineup. And now the US debut of the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, the next vehicle in the Alfa Romeo lineup, has been announced for later this summer, along with pricing.

The new 2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is a specialized off-road version of Chevy’s midsize pickup. Built on the second-generation Colorado that has been on the market since the 2015 model year, the new ZR2 establishes a new benchmark for cutting-edge technology in a midsize truck designed for serious off-road use. There is nothing else like it on the midsize market today.

ZR2 Is Not Your Normal Colorado

The 2018 Acura TLX lives in a gray area between the Accord sedan that it is derived from and the established compact luxury sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lexus. Because the TLX retains the Accord’s front-wheel drive platform and major mechanicals, it is easy to see it as an Accord with the super deluxe treatment. And while that is not such a bad thing, it doesn’t quite elevate the 2018 TLX to the same level as its luxury competitors.

There’s something about a BMW convertible. It is sleek, it is sexy, it is a car to be seen in. It also promises an amazing experience behind the wheel, as befits The Ultimate Driving Machine.

The 2017 Ford Fusion is a perfectly adequate midsize sedan. The current model represents the Fusion’s second generation. It has been on the market since the 2013 model year. For the first five months of 2017, the Fusion is the fourth place midsize sedan in sales, behind Accord, Camry, and Altima. 

The 2018 Acura RDX is the compact SUV in Acura’s model lineup. Like most Acura models, it is based on a comparable Honda – in this case the CR-V. While it is built atop the CR-V platform, the 2018 RDX takes things to the next level, in terms of equipment, luxury, technology, and price. The 2018 RDX is now available at dealers.

Powered Up For The Luxury League

Your parking brake is an overlooked part of your vehicle. There’s nothing glamorous about a parking brake, yet it’s a highly important part of your car. The parking brake (also known as an emergency brake) is one of the most crucial safety components in your car, and should always be used correctly. Here’s everything you need to know about your parking brake. 

Always Use It 

Brake fluid doesn’t get the same attention that motor oil does, but it’s an incredibly important part of your car. The purpose of brake fluid is to provide the pressure necessary to help your brakes work. Without brake fluids, your brakes would not be able to do their job effectively. It follows that brake fluid is very important! 

If your vehicle has a manual transmission, then you’re familiar with just how much use your clutch pedal gets. Whether you’re starting, stopping, or changing speeds, your clutch pedal is frequently deployed, which means your clutch is getting a lot of use, and a lot of potential wear and tear. 

It’s no secret that cars release a lot of harmful emissions and gases. And, unfortunately, most of us aren’t able to afford a Tesla or other fully-automatic vehicle, so we have to rely on a fair amount of gas to keep us going.

But just because you have to stop at the Chevron station from time to time doesn’t mean you have to settle for an environmentally horrible vehicle. There are always a lot of ways that you can make your vehicle a little bit greener, so that you can do your part. Here are some of them. 

Schedule Regular Maintenance and Inspections

Headlights are one of the most critical safety features on any vehicle. Not only do headlights light the road for you, so that you can see when it’s dark out, but they make your car visible to other drivers as well. Without headlights, you can’t drive at night; and with only partially functioning headlights, you can’t drive safely at night.

You need a new vehicle and it has to be bigger. You have many people and lots of stuff to carry around. You have ruled out a minivan because that’s just not you. What’s left is a three-row SUV of some type. But what if you’d like your new ride to be an attractive, well-designed and responsive vehicle with good handling, and not a big, heavy truck? If this sounds like you, your prayers have been answered!

Back in the heyday of the American auto industry, from the late 1950s through the early 1970s, the major US manufacturers produced a variety of body styles from each individual model. There would be a four-door sedan, a two-door coupe, a station wagon, and a convertible. Whether it was full-size, intermediate, or compact car, this was the practice, and it seemed to work. 

The world’s high-end carmakers are continually striving to satisfy the individual needs of their well-heeled clienteles. These people have more than enough wealth to buy any vehicle they might want. 

The 2018 Dodge Durango SRT stakes out some unique territory in the SUV market. As a high-performance SUV, it is not alone. There are many options to be found among the German prestige brands, and even Jeep has its Trackhawk. But as a seven-seater SUV with loads of power and handling to match, the Durango is, in the words of Dodge, “America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV.”

Built From The Dodge Parts Bin

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet represents the return of the classic convertible concept to the midsize Mercedes model lineup. A luxurious grand tourer with comfortable seating for four, the new E-Class Cabriolet moves closer to its larger sibling the S-Class Cabriolet, and farther from its smaller, tighter C-Class based predecessors.

Size Does Matter In The Rear

The Audi Q5 was first introduced as a 2009 model. Since then, it has been very successful as Audi’s compact SUV. The Q5 has sold over 300,000 units since its introduction. As Audi’s best-selling model in the US, it has contributed in a major way to the profits of parent company Volkswagen. And with billions of dollars worth of diesel emissions-cheating penalties to pay, Volkswagen needs all the profits it can get!

The 2018 Q5 Is All-New 

The Honda Accord has been a favorite among American car buyers for 35 years. It was initially imported from Japan starting in 1976. The Accord was the first car from a Japanese manufacturer to be produced in the United States, when Honda started up its Marysville, Ohio plant in 1982. 

Honda Accord Was A Best Seller From The Start

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas arrives not a moment too soon. After losing billions of dollars in penalties, as well as many sales and their credibility, for cheating on their diesel-powered vehicles’ emissions, the company needs something that appeals directly to Americans in the most popular segment. 

The 2018 Genesis G80 started life back in 2008 as the Hyundai Genesis, a top-of-the-line luxury sedan created by Hyundai to take its image upmarket. Said to have been benchmarked against the BMW 5 Series of the time, the Hyundai Genesis languished in Hyundai showrooms, a super-expensive oddity among the low-priced hatchbacks and sedans that Hyundai was then known for. 

Genesis Becomes Its Own Brand, In The Worst Possible Way

Since its initial launch in 1990 as Hyundai’s compact sedan, the Hyundai Elantra has sold nearly three million units in the US market. The 2018 Hyundai Elantra represents the second year of its sixth generation. During July of 2017, the Elantra came in fifth in compact car sales, behind Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, and Ford Focus. 

What’s New In The 2018 Elantra

The Audi Q7 was first released as a 2007 model. Based on the same platform as its Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg siblings, the Q7 was and is the only one of the three to offer three-row seating. The second-generation Audi Q7 was released for the 2016 model year, so the 2018 Q7 represents the third year of this second generation.

The 2018 Jaguar F-PACE is Jaguar’s first SUV, a mid-size entry that goes right up against Porsche’s Cayenne. It was introduced to the US market in May of 2016. Like the Cayenne, the F-PACE is the first SUV from a maker of sports cars, and is already its best-selling vehicle. Combining Jaguar’s sex appeal with two-row SUV practicality is a winning formula!

The 2018 Mazda3 has long been considered to be the most-engaging, best-handling vehicle in the compact car segment. While it has been designed to provide all the practical benefits of a car in this class, it also has a very special feel. You will be more than transported in the Mazda3, you will be transformed by the rewarding driving experience and the way it makes you feel. 

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 full-size pickup was first introduced in August of 1998 as a 1999 model. It was the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K pickups. The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 represents the fifth year of the third generation of the Silverado. General Motors also makes the mechanically identical Sierra pickup truck under the GMC brand.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger is a throwback to the muscle-bound “pony cars” of the 1960s and 1970s. It puts a premium on straight-line acceleration, it can be as in-your-face and outrageous as any muscle car from that era, and it is getting old itself.

The 2018 Hyundai Tucson is Hyundai’s entry in the compact crossover/SUV segment. It has been sold in the US since it was first introduced for the 2005 model year. The 2018 Tucson is the fourth model year of the third-generation. It has established Hyundai as a serious player in the compact SUV segment, fully able to compete with the well-established sales leaders.

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler is the spiritual descendant of the original Jeep that made history supporting our armed forces in countless conflicts, starting with World War 2. The 2018 Wrangler represents the twelfth and final year of the current JK platform, which was first introduced for the 2007 model year. The next Wrangler will ride on the all-new JL platform.

The Lexus RX originally came to the US as a 1999 model. The 2018 Lexus RX 350 represents the third model year of the fourth generation of this very successful mid-size two-row luxury SUV. RX stands for “Radiant Crossover.” The Lexus RX has been spectacularly successful in the United States, where it has been the top-selling luxury SUV since it appeared on the market nearly two decades ago.

The Mitsubishi brand occupies a strange place in the American automotive market. It is the fully developed carmaking subsidiary of a huge and well-known Japanese conglomerate that makes everything from ships to canned tuna fish. Tuna fish? The Three Diamonds brand is Mitsubishi’s own – in fact, the Japanese translation of “Mitsubishi” is “three diamonds.” Their logo appears on the can, just as it does on each car’s grille!

Pickup trucks are the main arena for the US new vehicle market. Pickups represent the biggest individual segment in the entire market, and it has been this way for a very long time. These are the biggest ticket, most profitable vehicles for the automakers, so every sale counts.

The first Chevrolet Impala was introduced in 1958 as Chevrolet’s top-of-the-line full-size sedan. During its sixty years in production, it has achieved the distinction of being both Chevrolet’s most popular full-size car and the best-selling automobile in the United States. The 2018 Chevrolet Impala represents the fifth year of the tenth-generation of this well-established sedan. It is a front-wheel drive four-door sedan with room for five inside.

The new 2018 Ford Explorer is the current model of Ford’s mid-size three-row SUV. Since it was first introduced as a 1991 model, the Ford Explorer has been a mainstay of the Ford lineup. More than seven million Ford Explorers have been sold since those early days. It currently outsells all of its SUV competitors, making the Explorer the sales champ in the mid-size three-row SUV segment.

The 2018 Kia Optima is the latest version of the mid-size four-door sedan that has been manufactured since 2000. The original Optima was a rebadged Hyundai Sonata. Since then, the Optima’s path has diverged from that of its Hyundai cousin. While they continue to share mechanical components, each has gone its own way in terms of design, content, and marketing.