NASHVILLE, Tenn./Mississauga, Ont. – Production of the all-new 2021 Nissan Rogue is officially underway at the award-winning Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Tennessee. Expect it to be available in dealerships this fall.
The Honda Crosstour is the first of several new vehicles that will be popping up in the coming months that are all quite similar. There’s the BMW 5 Series Grand Turismo, the Acura ZDX, one from Audi, and a couple of others I can’t think of at the moment. So what is it? Basically, it’s a car with a hatchback instead of a boot or trunk. Hmm, haven’t we seen something like this before? I remember a Mazda 626 back in the mid-1980’s being very similar. I’m pretty sure there was some type of Toyota that was mid-sized and a hatchback, and for sure Saab has been doing it since the beginning of time.. so why the new-found interest in these hatchbacks? Beats me, but they make absolute sense and I could never understand why they were always being overlooked by the general population – at least in North America.
The second generation of Suzuki’s largest SUV – the XL7 – is a considerable departure for the company. Following the lead of other manufacturers, Suzuki has moved the XL7 up-market in both quality and size, putting it into the intermediate SUV category. Using a unibody design, it more resembles a luxury CUV (Cross-over Utility Vehicle), than a true SUV (the previous XL-7 was a rear-wheel-drive SUV on a truck chassis). The all-new XL7 is a front-wheel-drive vehicle that offers all-wheel drive, and a Suzuki-built 3.6-litre, 24-valve DOHC V-6 engine with variable valve timing (up from a 2.7 litre V-6 in the previous model).
Honda’s 3rd generation of the very popular CR-V is by far the best looking one yet. As has become the norm in the automotive kingdom, each succeeding generation of vehicles brings with it improved safety, luxuries and dimensions. Honda hasn’t diverged from the norm in their design of the CR-V. One thing that stands out in this re-design is that this just isn’t a Honda CR-V, but an Acura CR-V. This is a baby Acura SUV in every way imaginable – including the price. From the intoxicating smell of the leather interior to the quality feel throughout, Honda have really kicked it up a notch with the 2008 Acura – I mean Honda CR-V.
The 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor is considered a midsize crossover SUV, mixing the benefits of “an SUV with the driving performance and handling of a passenger car.” I think they’ve accomplished what they’ve set out to do exceptionally well. While driving the Endeavor around twisty back roads I had to continually remind myself that this wasn’t a sports car. It handles and behaves just like a sports sedan – albeit a bigger and heavier one.
Road-Test.org 