Road Test – 2023 Infiniti QX60 Sensory AWD. We’re not usually a big fan of 3-row SUV’s simply because they have too many compromises and a van does the job so much better. Mid-size Luxury SUV it’s bordering on large.
We drove the Lincoln Aviator Reserve a couple of years ago and without a doubt it was our all-time favourite SUV – maybe even best vehicle ever! A couple of years have passed and quite by accident we got the keys to the 2022 version. This would be a good time to confirm our viewpoint or change it… Will we still love it and rave about it or will it be a one of those “it was terrific at the time, but now, not so much.” Let’s find out….
We’ve seen pictures of the Santa Cruz for years now and finally it’s arrived. Oddly enough, Ford also released the Maverick around the same time so we’ve now got two variations of the same theme: a Unibody pickup truck that is not a real truck, but is a truck in looks and utility. The Santa Cruz is Hyundai’s first pickup truck in North America and can I say…it’s long overdue. Having owned a Ranger for the past 10+ years I can honestly say I don’t know how I ever lived without a pickup truck.
We’ve seen pictures of the IONIC5 for a while now, but I’ve never actually seen one in the flesh, on the road. It’s a very rare beast and as of right now there’s a 1 year wait until people are going to be getting them…people want them, but dealerships can’t get them – it’s the typical story of 2022 from all manufacturers. Oh well, we’ve got one and we’ve got an entire week behind the wheel.
Nissan (and Infiniti) went through a period in the mid-2000’s where a huge chunk of their vehicles were… to say it nicely – ugly. Thankfully they’ve turned the corner and the entire line-up is fantastic looking, gorgeous even. The new for 2022 Pathfinder is not only a looker, but Nissan videos show that it’s also a capable towing and off-roading vehicle. To our eyes the Pathfinder has always been a great-looking SUV – even when the original one came out in 1986. It’s changed considerably since then – as have more peoples’ needs and viewpoint on SUV’s. We spend a week with the 5th generation of this iconic SUV – let’s see how it fairs in 2022…
This week get some very limited seat time behind the wheel of the Maverick hybrid pickup truck – probably the hottest vehicle Ford have produced in decades. People have ordered their Maverick back in July 2021 and still haven’t received them yet – almost a year later. Due to the shortage of any available, we had to grab a quick test – courtesy of our local Ford dealership, (Grimsby Ford), so a big thanks to them. The order books closed for 2022 Maverick’s in February, so it looks like most people are going to be getting 2023’s…when they eventually arrive.
The present-day Ford Ranger arrived in North America as an all-new model back in 2019, even though it wasn’t actually new – it debuted in Australia back in 2012. Back in 2019 we got our hands on the Lariat version and last year we had the phenomenal Tremor version – probably by far our favourite truck ever. This time we’re driving a Lariat with the FX4 off road package – it sits somewhere between our two previous Rangers. It’s essentially the final time to try the Ranger because the All-New from the ground up version will arrive early next year, as a 2023 model.
We’ve known about the Mustang Mach-E for over a year now, and people are still banging on that “it’s not a Mustang because it’s an SUV.” Those people are morons. They’ve obviously made a judgment based on their small minds fitting into their tiny heads. You have to be open-minded with ANY vehicle and manufacturer. Remember the outcry when Porsche, Jaguar and Lamborghini said they were going to start building SUV’s? That was supposed to be the end of the world as we knew it. Fast forward a couple of years and the SUV’s are outselling the sports cars by a great number.
Having driven the 2020 Ford Explorer a few times this year, although I liked it, I certainly didn’t love it. Truth be told the Hyundai Palisade did it so much better, and for less money. When I picked up the key fob for the Lincoln Aviator Reserve I was thinking it might be equal to the Palisade – but with an even bigger price bump than the Explorer. Two minutes behind the wheel and I knew right away my preconceptions were wrong, oh so wrong.
What happens when the Ford/Lincoln designers forget that they don’t work for BMW/Mercedes? They create vehicles like the 2020 Lincoln Corsair. I’m serious – this Corsair feels and drives just like a BMW/Mercedes. Remove the badges and no one would be able to tell the difference on the inside – especially if you blindfolded them and sat them in the front seats. Ford have really stepped up their game with the Lincoln lineup. No longer is it just a tiny bit more luxurious than the Ford equivalent – it’s a completely different vehicle! They share the platform, but that’s it – everything else is luxury dialed up to 11, but DO NOT call it a grandpa’s Lincoln with thoughts of floaty suspension and overly boosted power steering – those days are thankfully long gone.
Road-Test.org 