Ford Bronco Sport: A Perfect Choice for Guys Weekend Road Trips
Aug 26, 2024
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Ford Bronco Sport: A Perfect Choice for Guys Weekend Road Trips
New trucks are coming to a dealer near you - maybe. This year’s Chicago Auto Show, and other shows, may be your only shot to see/touch the hottest ‘22 vehicles in person. While this year’s show takes up less floor space, and features fewer manufacturers than previous years, it is still thee show for the latest trucks, SUVs, commercial vehicles, and growing contingent of EVs. No major debuts this year, but there were numerous limited production/trim debuts and first-time public displays of previously revealed all-new models. Here’s a roundup of the top trucks on display this year.
If you've been injured in a car accident and the other driver is uninsured, you may be wondering what to do next. This can be a very frightening and confusing time, especially if you are dealing with serious injuries. In this blog post, we will discuss some of your options and help you navigate through this difficult situation.
As a fan of the Toyota brand, I've grown to trust and appreciate the conservative look and feel that the brand has always represented to me. As they continue to make generational leaps in technology, power, and comfort it can sometimes be a little bitter sweet. That's how I felt driving the new 2024 Toyota Sequoia Platinum on a road trip between Toledo, OH on the shores to Lake Erie to St, Joseph, MI on the shores of Lake Michigan... with a stop in one of my favorite cities for a guys trip - Fort Wayne, Indiana. Don't worry though, if you think maybe I didn't like it... you'd be wrong. Toyota did a great job with this vehicle. While I have the fond memories of road tripping in Florida, Texas, and California in the previous generation... I can't wait to do more with this new one!
Toyota is still the master of hybrid cars and crossovers and when the current generation of RAV4 launched in 2019, we were immediately drawn to the hybrid version. Not only did it offer a more exciting driving experience but it also offered the obvious boost in mpgs too. Now, with the RAV4 Prime, Toyota takes it to the next level with a combined 302 hp, 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and an EPA-estimated 42 miles of range on battery alone... resulting in an EPA-estimated 94 MPGe!
As you know, I'm a huge fan of Kia and I own a Soul. The company is something very special that you don't find that often - in the auto industry or really anyplace else. There is a sense of confidence that comes from being a winner and that's true for the 2017 Kia Sportage as well. Having first launched in 1995, the Sportage (like its sister models) has moved from "this cheap Korean brand" to one of the best in the industry. What makes it special though is that they are laser focused on brand integration and catering to a certain lifestyle that just makes you crave getting an invite to the party. To help celebrate the launch of the new Sportage we were invited to drive it around San Diego, eat some great food, hang out with some amazing people, and party the way only a true rock star can!
Unfortunately, drunk driving accidents occur every single day. However, ther eare certain days of the year that are worse than others. These are holidays where drinking and revelry often coincide with challenging weather. However, even in perfect weather - drinking and driving don't mix. If you are planning to party then be responsible and use a designated driver or ride share services to help keep the roads safer. Even with these precautions though, it is essential that you be extra dilligent so you can lookout for signs that other drivers may be impaired.
Genesis has been on a rocketship ride to the moon in the past few years... starting as a sports car sub brand of Hyundai and then proving what they could do with the Equus, Genesis is now solidly my favorite affordable luxury brand. If you are looking for an absolutely fantastic luxury SUV that looks, feels, handles, and quite frankly has better quality than almost anything else it competes with, look no further than the 2024 Genesis GV80.
Volvo as a brand is synonymous with safety, but until recently I didn't necessarily associate it with luxury - I simply just associated safety and European with being expensive. Things have changed over the past few years with the brand however. It is no longer a subsidiary of Ford and their new Chinese owners have provided the Swedish engineers and designers with the freedom to take the brand to the next level. As they go through the transition, various models are at different points on the spectrum - with the XC90 that I absolutely am in love with at one end and the V60 not quite as far down the path of modern luxury.
If the thought of buying a motorcycle has ever crossed your mind, a Harley Davidson will have been on your shortlist. Quite frankly, a Harley hog is something every petrolhead should own at some stage. Many dream purchases in life turn out to be nothing short of a nightmare. However, a Harley Davidson will live up to your expectations and put you on the road to happiness. Here are just six reasons why!
When you think of a luxury sports sedan, most likely your mind jumps immediately to brands like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus. While American automakers do a great job at building muscle cars the concept of power and sportiness melded together with luxury is simply not something that they are known for. The 2020 Cadillac CT5-V however brings that promise home in a big way.
While I love horsepower and off road capability, there's something to be said for a practical car that is affordable, handles well, and has an amazing fuel economy. While a hatchback hybrid like the Kia Niro certainly isn't the sexiest car I've driven recently it performed incredibly well. Considering that it got more miles per gallon than the three trucks I'd be driving later in the week COMBINED, that was pretty impressive! While I knew the Niro would be perfect around town... what about going over mountains with tight turns and steep grades?
For the ultimate NASCAR fan, there's no bigger achievement than actually owning a car driven my your favorite driver. Short of buying an actual team, this is probably the closest you will ever come to living out those Days of Glory dreams. For most people though, this is simply a fantasy but it's actually surprisingly easy to achieve and a lot less expensive than you might think.
Jeeps are a great way to explore the wilderness. But they have one big problem: they can't take you off road! There's not much fun in going out on a dirt road if you're stuck inside your car, and over time it will get dirty and smelly. Don't worry though, there are five easy steps that you can take to make your jeep more open for nature when offroading!
Have you ever driven a big truck through a city? If so, then you know the pain and fear that I had a few weeks ago when I got off the plane in San Francisco and was told that the beginning of our test drive of the all-new 2023 Hummer SUV would be a jaunt through tight urban roads and through traffic across the Golden Gate bridge. Shockingly though, the experience was far easier and more manageable that I had expected and thankfully I managed to avoid scratching this beautiful $100,000 behemoth as we rolled north to our hotel in Napa.
The word on the digital grapevine is that big changes are coming to the Ram 1500 lineup. It's already been confirmed that the popular and torquey V6 EcoDiesel is getting the boot to make room on the assembly line for the upcoming all-electric Ram pickup truck. There is also word of a new inline-six engine dubbed the Hurricane coming to put the truck's Hemi V8 option out to pasture. More details are on the brink, but until then, we get to enjoy the current 2023 Ram 1500 in its glory, which recently earned the title of Texas Full-Size Truck of the Year by the Texas Motor Press Association.
Everyone has at least one car they would love to own, or at least find themselves behind the wheel of. I have about 100 cars I would like to own, and the 2018 Aston Martin DB11 V8 is one of those vehicles. The DB11 is not practical, economical and certainly not inexpensive. This car drips chic and distinction. Driving this car turned out to be one of my road-going highlights of the past 12 months. The performance and grand touring road experience make this coupe a very livable exotic piece.
There area a huge number of cars, trucks, and SUVs available on the American market today. Despite this though, there are dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of vehicles that most of us have never heard of but would be nice to be able to drive here. While not an exhaustive list of vehicles that I'd one day like to try, hopefully this list helps open some eyes and imaginations.
If you are looking for a three-row SUV right now... there are TONS of options but honestly, very few are actually SUVs. Most are crossovers and the ones that remain are giant truck-frame based vehicles that frankly are bigger than most families need. Unfortunately there were few options in the middle and that's where the Jeep Grand Cherokee L comes in.
Genesis is the new hot thing in the world of affordable luxury vehicles and so there are undoubtedly a lot of compromises when it comes to this space. It's one of those situations where you could compare it to something else out there but that inevitably means adding 10s of thousands of dollars to the sticker price. At the lowest trim levels, the Genesis G80 initially feels like a sexed up Hyundai but as you begin to drive it, you realize that this is indeed something special. As you proceed to higher trim levels though, Genesis as a brand truly takes off into a category of it's own that defies simply being considered "budget luxury".
I like all things fast and while I've never had the chance to actually ride a motorcycle, there's a sense of extreme thrill that they embody and no bike manufacturer is as synonymous with elegance and refinement as Ducati. The level to which the engineers push both style and technology is simply incredible and now they've introduced the Superleggera V4, boasting 224 horsepower (street) and 234 (on track with racing kit) but weighs only 336 pounds. That is an insane seven horses per pound, even better than an F1 car. With a price tag of $100,000 and only 500 being made, I know what some of you are going to have on your letters to Santa this year!