#compact crossover

The new Rock Creek edition of Nissan's top-selling Rogue impresses in sloppy off-roading test. It's high value and comfy too. There, we said it!

New Rogue Rock Creek rocks in sloppy off-road test … After a couple hundred miles of highway driving in our new Nissan Rogue Rock Creek we were heading down damp country lanes to a mud bog run by the South Bend Sodbusters. These Hoosiers are serious off-roaders and mud lovers with the proving grounds to, well, prove it. It seemed more than obvious that our sparkling Everest White Pearl ($425…

Cute and off-road worthy Subie's Crosstrek Sport is a win for young families who enjoy an outdoorsy lifestyle.

Sport seems the perfect Crosstrek for young families … Found it, the perfect version of Subaru’s top-selling Crosstrek, the sporty crossover with standard AWD and just enough power to make it a funster around town. Introducing the Crosstrek Sport! Oh there are five Crosstrek trims all the way up to the most capable off-roading version, the Wilderness, just tested here a few weeks back. So…

Amazing! Chevy has a low-cost winner finally, the new Trax is waaaay better than its predecessor, and looks do matter!

New Trax surprises with looks, performance and value … Sorry but my experience with low-end Chevrolet products has not been stellar the last 35 years, and to be honest, there simply haven’t been many entry-level Chevies of late. With Chevy abandoning the car market (except Corvette) its entry-level offerings have been sparse and the previous Trax was, well, not great. I was ready to be…

Kia's Seltos looks great, drives well and now packs more power and AWD to go with its sophisticated features. Bonus it's value priced!

Seltos packs more power, flair, and value, plus AWD … Three years ago I loved Kia’s new Seltos, a compact low-cost crossover with style, a well-crafted interior, and AWD. It has only gotten better. Now the tested SX Turbo version comes with 20 more horsepower, its efficient 1.6-liter I4 turbo pounding out 195 horses with an identical torque rating. Last time I was also wowed by the bright…

Nissan's Rogue is useful and a good family value, now with a bit of Midnight bling.

Midnight Edition a trendy dark night’s look in a gray coat … As automotive trends go, the current black is beautiful movement might just have some staying power. The fascination with dark exteriors and trim began a few years back as an alternative to the fifty shades of gray that had taken over as the color of choice. Now both Nissan and Toyota offer special blacked-out editions, for the tested…

Mazda ups its game for the compact crossover market with its new CX-50, slightly bigger than CX-5 and with a suspension tuned for off-road.

New crossover bigger than CX-5, aimed more for off-road use … What do you do when you’re a smaller auto manufacturer, but you have one big hit in the hot crossover market? Make another slightly larger version of it, right? Welcome to Mazda’s world. The Japanese car maker has constantly been putting stylish and superb handling vehicles on the road, but other than the MX-5 Miata sports cars, the…

Mainly use your car around town? A plug-in hybrid may just save you a bundle on gas. I spent less than $5 on petrol for a week's drive.

Plug-in hybrid saves oodles of gas, I spent less than $5 in a week … If Ford’s plug-in hybrid Escape was any more middle of the road it would have a white stripe painted down its centerline. Escape is a fine family of four crossover with sufficient power, easy handling and good passenger and cargo room inside. It’s pleasant looking. In fact, its nose resembles a much pricier and sportier…