Blog

In our first look at the 2022 Ford E-Transit van last year, we were told it’d come at “less than $45,000.” Consider that promise kept—barely. The E-Transit, a rear-drive van powered entirely by electrons, will start at $44,990. While that seems like a lot for an electric work van, a regular gas-fed Transit starts at $43,390, so, not far off.

Registration is now open for commercial customers who want to raise hands with an intent to purchase these Transit EVs. Ford claims that 450 commercial customers have “expressed interest” in acquiring these vans, although a rough estimate of how many vans these interested parties might order isn’t yet available.

We’ve already taken a detailed look at what the E-Transit has to offer, but as a quick refresher, this is going to be a big deal for Ford in the commercial space, and the company is going all-in. Its rear-drive powertrain utilizes Mach-E components for economy [...]

The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid delivers more power and better fuel economy than its gas-powered stablemate. It also drives better, is a bit quicker, and doesn’t compromise interior space. The hybrid-exclusive XSE displays more aggressive styling compared to the other trims, and it delivers decent value. We recently spent a week driving a 2021 RAV4 Hybrid XSE during a recent visit to Houston, and although there are points where it can improve, this particular RAV4 checks many of the boxes customers are looking for in a compact SUV, making it an attractive option in a competitive segment.

The most attractive aspect of the RAV4 Hybrid is its fuel economy: 41/38/40 mpg city/highway/combined. Those numbers are the best in the segment, which includes the Honda CR-V Hybrid (40/35/38 mpg) and the soon-to-arrive Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (37-38/36-38/37-38 mpg). As is the case with the Honda, the RAV4 Hybrid comes standard [...]

Volkswagen has announced official EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2022 Taos, its new entrant for the crowded subcompact SUV segment, and the numbers are good.

Due to go on sale this summer and starting at $24,190, the Taos comes with a single engine choice: A 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder developing 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission. The small engine benefits from variable geometry turbocharging, which delivers improved performance and better fuel economy.

Case in point, the front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Taos is EPA-estimated at 28 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined. These figures earn Taos FWD a tie for best-in-class highway fuel economy. For example, Nissan’s front-drive Kicks is EPA-estimated to deliver 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 33 mpg combined. The front-wheel-drive Hyundai Venue and Honda HR-V come close, at 34 mpg highway each, [...]

We know that when it comes to sports cars—or, more specifically, in this case, sport sedans—fuel economy isn’t exactly front of mind for most buyers. They typically want something a bit more rowdy and a bit less mundane than the Toyota Corollas and the Camrys of the world. But isn’t it nice to know that sometimes you can have the best of both worlds? The folks who worked on the 2022 Kia Stinger seem to think so.

Despite swapping its old and less powerful turbo 2.0-liter I-4 for a newer and bigger turbocharged 2.5-liter four-pot with 300 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque, the updated rear-drive 2022 Stinger four-cylinder now returns 22 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway, and 25 combined, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The outgoing I-4, meanwhile, couldn’t crack 30 mpg on the highway, plus it only packed 255 horses in its stable—45 less than the 2022’s 2.5-liter [...]

The Jeep Wrangler is one of our all-time favorite vehicles, though certainly not because it drives well. It never has, and, Iacocca willing, it never will. No, we love this stalwart 4×4 because of its single-minded focus on its rough-and-tumble mission, which imbues it with a rich character rare in today’s marketplace.

Of course, for all its boulder-taming capability, there are legions of Wrangler buyers who rarely use their Jeeps on much more than a two-track road, never mind Moab’s red rocks. For those folks, the ones who use their Wranglers every day, something like the Willys model you see here is close to ideal. With plenty of features and a nice package of baked-in off-road equipment, it’s perhaps the best balance of daily driver and factory trail machine in the lineup.

Our test Jeep started as a $33,570 Unlimited Sport, which was then slathered in $245 utilitarian-cool [...]