Love or hate minivans, you have to admit they are the most underrated vehicle on the road today. They are far more adaptable and useful than every CUV/SUV, and looking at the interior numbers of the 2020 Ford Transit Connect Passenger Wagon – it’s got more cargo and passenger room than the much larger Ford Explorer!
Last year we drove the gas-powered Kona and came away nicely impressed, but really wondered what the EV version would be like – after all that was the one we were REALLY interested in. With the lease on our vehicle ending soon, we’re legitimately looking to get a new car and we’re both excited about the EV revolution. With so many new EV’s arriving in 2020 it’s going to be a feast of options, but the almighty dollar (budget) is most likely going to be the deciding factor in the end.
It’s been 25+ years since I last drove a full-size panel van. In this test, I spent a couple of hours driving the Transit 150 – long enough to get a feel for the vehicle, short enough that I didn’t need a week to get familiar with it. In the past 2 ½ decades the panel van has come a long way. Comfy seats, back up camera, tilt and telescopic steering, cruise control… wow, that’s stuff that wasn’t even available when I bought my new Ram 1500 back in 1991! The Ford Transit is definitely one of the best-looking full-size vans available in North America, only the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter can compete with it for looks.
This is a special road test for me. I’ve been desperate to get behind the wheel of the All-New 2019 Ranger since it was announced back in 2017/18. Although it’s “all-new” for North America, it isn’t actually new – it debuted in Australia back in 2012 and hasn’t been upgraded since, so it’s certainly not “all new” and not even close to being “new,” unless 7 years is considered new. Oddly enough, there is an all-new version arriving in 2020 for Australia, Asia and Europe – but not for North America. But all this doesn’t really matter because the 2019 Ranger is All-New for us and that’s all that matters at this point. Two questions come up right away: 1) has it been worth the wait for its return? and 2) is it better than the previous Ranger? Short answers are YES and YES
Time waits for no one and in the automotive world 7 years is a lifetime. That’s the last time I drove a Ford Explorer. Back in 2012 I came away impressed with the SUV but appalled with the fuel consumption – that was with the 3.5 L V6 and during its initial ground-up re-design (2011-2015). Now, in phase 3 of the current model, have Ford made any improvements not only to the fuel economy but also the Explorer overall? Let’s find out before the new 2020 hits the streets…
It’s been a number of years since I last tested a Ford Escape. I’ve always liked the look of the Escape, but every time I’ve driven one I came away completely unimpressed and very disappointed. That changed this week when I jumped behind the wheel of the 2019 Titanium. My immediate first impression was “gotta get me one of these!” So why this Escape? What’s different – what made it so much better? Let’s take a look…
I’m going to be perfectly honest here – I didn’t want to book the EcoSport for an entire week, but my wife loves this little car and wants to replace our Focus with one next year… so “Happy Wife, Happy Life!” Here we go… First up, this is a small vehicle – based on the Fiesta platform. It’s not the only mini CUV however, because virtually all manufacturers have got at least one in their lineup, so there’s obviously a market for them (old people having difficulty getting in and out of a car, driving by touch etc.). In actual fact it’s a perfect little runabout
One big misconception out there is that once an EV battery has outlived its usefulness, it’s dumped into the ground like garbage, and disposing of those batteries creates an environmental hazard. If that were the case, EV’s are actually bad for the environment, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to a recent study, 97% of short-range EV drivers do all of their charging at home (or work – where available). So why is there such a huge push among non-EV drivers for a larger public network? Think about this: How often do you actually use a gas station? Once a week, maybe twice if you drive more often. The odds are pretty good that you consistently use just a few stations that are close to home or work – that’s it. So you’re not really using the entire network of gas stations – why would you feel you need a huge choice to plug in an EV?
BMW describes the new 4 Series Gran Coupé as follows; “combines the sleek look of a two-door coupé with the functionality provided by four-doors and expansive spaciousness, including a wide-access luggage compartment” – that pretty much describes the car in a nutshell. There aren’t many (any?) people that would put the picture of a 4-door vehicle up on their wall to drool over, but a supercar or a coupe…that’s a different story. BMW are providing the beautifully designed coupe worth drooling over, but adding 3 more doors for practical purposes… for people that WANT a coupe, but NEED a 4-door sedan/hatchback…the Gran Coupé… not to be confused with the 3 Series Grand Turismo (GT) which is exactly the same, but different.
Road-Test.org 