Hyundai introduced the original Santa Fe nearly 20 years ago, and over time the crossover became one of its best sellers. Now in its fourth generation, the 2019 Santa Fe is quieter, safer, and more refined.
The new Hyundai returns more aggressively styled than ever. In front, the 2019 Santa Fe features high-mounted LED daytime running lights and low-mounted headlight clusters. Out back, the taillights have been made thinner, and the reverse lights have been moved lower down. No, this isn’t Russian doll design—the 2019 Santa Fe is not just a Kona that’s been scaled up to a bigger segment. It has unique design cues including stacked headlights, a grille with a pattern that mimics chain mail armor, and a chrome strip that the runs the width of the entire front fascia. Its upright greenhouse gives it more presence and glass area for better visibility.
Powertrains carry over [...]
Take a look at BMW’s Z series, which stretches all the way back to 1989 with the Z1, and you’ll see a few common design themes across the entire lineup. But you’ll see a more obvious design lineage when you look at just the Z3 and last two Z4s. The 2019 BMW Z4 diverges slightly from that lineage, as it ushers in a new design language that’s distinct from its predecessors and even other modern BMWs. But is the brand’s roadster on the right track with this new look? Read on and decide for yourself.
When the production 2019 BMW Z4 debuted in Monterey this week, we only got to see it in M40i First Edition spec. We won’t see the lower 30i trim [...]
This is a tricky driving impression to write. That’s because considerable engineering might has been expended to make the feature we’re here to focus on as unnoticeable as possible. That feature is a 48-volt mild-hybrid system sold by the name eTorque. It’s a pretty unsexy fuel saver that may prove to be a tough sell given that it adds $1,450 to the cost of a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and does not include any outward cues to show Mother Earth and your neighbors that you care. Sure, it buys a quite noticeable 2-mpg bump in city and combined fuel economy, which the EPA reckons will save drivers $300 per year, but can internal satisfaction and a 4.8-year payoff really move the metal (and the CAFE score)?
Naturally the PR team wants us to notice eTorque. It’s proud that Ram will be first to market in North America with a [...]
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is synonymous with driving fun—I should know because I owned a 2016 model (the ND). However, my time with it was cut short after my early example suffered a teething issue with its six-speed manual transmission where a manufacturing defect caused it to shred its gears. When the replacement gearbox also had issues, I decided to part with the car after a little over a year. I miss that little roadster even more now that I’ve driven the updated 2019 model, the most powerful Miata to date. It also brings up a big question for owners of 2016–2018 models: Should you consider trading in for the 2019 model? Absolutely! And here’s why.
For 2019, the Mazda MX-5 Miata gets more power. The 2.0-liter I-4 breathes better thanks to revised internal parts, and it now has a 7,500-rpm redline, 700 rpm higher than before. It [...]
As the end of our time with this 2017 CR-V Touring approaches, we took delivery of a 2018 CR-V LX. Honda wanted us to spend more time with the SUVOTY winner and, in in doing so, expose its base-model CR-V to the complexities of our long-term test.
Soon after our 2018 CR-V LX arrived, I parked both Hondas side by side at our HQ and hopped in and out of each to explore the interior differences between a fully loaded Touring and a base-model LX. When directly compared, some of the differences are readily apparent; others are more subtle and only present themselves when observed with a careful eye. After some thorough study, here are the eight most notable differences that came to light.
2018 Honda CR-V LX photos are shown on the left, below, while 2017 Honda CR-V Touring photos are on the right.
1. The Touring model uses a push-button start, but the [...]
