By C.A. Haire The Mercedes C-Class is a popular model that sells well due to its German engineering and reasonable price. The four-door sedan version starts at about $42,000, while the soft top we have here begins at $54,000. Naturally, buyers are not going to get off that cheap, as the option list can grow. With our blue metallic paint, leather trim, bigger wheels, memory seats, larger gauge cluster, navig ...

Fully Loaded  The 2018 Toyota Sequoia Platinum is a quintessential big rig. By Greg Rubenstein Large SUVs have an undeniable allure. Whether tooling around town or on a long road trip, there’s nothing quite as distinctly satisfying as rolling down the road in the mobile equivalent of one’s leather-clad living room. In a crowded field of full-size sport utility vehicles, Toyota’s Sequoia is a quintessential ...

Brand Halo  The 2018 Lexus LC500h is a sumptuous sports car made to be driven, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. What is beauty, and at what price? Loaded questions to be sure, but by one finite measure, Lexus has provided the answer: $106,605 for its new LC luxury coupe. In the LC, Lexus has created the most stunning—and affordable—piece of mass-produced automotive art to grace the road since the 2005 Jagu ...

Truck Solid  The Honda Ridgeline goes mainstream. By Greg Rubenstein Americans love buying pickup trucks—so much so that the top-three best-selling vehicles in the U.S. for 2017 were trucks (ditto for 2016). U.S. buyers have long loved trucks, too, with Ford’s F150 topping the best-selling charts for the last three-and-a-half decades. So Honda, a manufacturer that consistently scores top-10 annual sales for ...

Subaru Outback  A practical daily driver for the road ahead. By Greg Rubenstein For some, the car is an extension of personality—a tangible expression of aspiration. That high-end capabilities—like a 150-plus mph top speed or 30-degree approach angle—might rarely be pursued is irrelevant. If what you drive reflects your passion, it offers a glimpse into what you might do, be it a blast down the Autobahn or ...

Genesis G90  [caption id="attachment_2911" align="alignright" width="300"] 2017 Genesis G90[/caption] The flagship Genesis comfortably wears its crown, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. A premium auto manufacturer’s flagship vehicle must set the company’s tone and serve up its corporate promise, be that technological innovation, performance, style, comfort, prestige, or any combination thereof. The challeng ...

Not Your Typical Minivan  Auto writer Greg Rubenstein enjoys the spirited Chrysler Pacifica. By Greg Rubenstein Chrysler invented the minivan more than 30 years ago. Since then, its Caravan, Grand Caravan, and Town and Country people-haulers have continued to define the segment, perpetually leading in sales even as the overall minivan market dropped thanks to buyers’ preferences for SUVs, and especially car ...

Brand Builder  The 2017 Genesis G80 5.0 Ultimate is a strong addition to Hyundai’s luxury division. By Greg Rubenstein The Genesis line of luxury vehicles is headed by the G90 flagship, but its G80 stablemate hits a perfect sweet spot, offering an astonishing combination of high-quality interior, spaciousness, safety, at-speed serenity, and glorious power. Factor in affordability over its class competition, ...

A New Cadenza For those interested in the function of a luxury sedan with the low-key practicality of a Kia, the Cadenza is a compelling option, details auto writer Greg Rubenstein.   Just over three years ago, North Valley Magazine featured a review of Kia’s then all-new Cadenza flagship. For 2017, Kia has launched its second-generation Cadenza, demonstrating maturity of both the product and this Sout ...

Lexus RX450h The RX continues as the epitome of luxury SUV, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. Since its 1999 debut, the Lexus RX has defined the car-based (crossover) luxury sport utility vehicle segment its introduction served to create. Back in ’00, the few upmarket SUVs extant were little more than tarted-up trucks—rough-riding bastions of leather-clad power seats and wood-trimmed cabins that struggled t ...

The 2017 Tiguan This little Volkswagen is pretty good at transforming fossil fuel into driving fun, according to auto writer Greg Rubenstein. Car names are a funny business. Some manufacturers go for metaphor, while others stick to meat-and-taters numbers, letters, or combination thereof. A few mix it up, and some go bare bones—as in, a single letter. Then, there are the whacky. Enter Volkswagen. Sure, the ...

The 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk If finding your own path is your thing, this Jeep is not to be passed up, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. Ever heard the phrase, “It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand”—or perhaps seen it plastered to the back of some adventure-bound 4x4? While the catchphrase has cohort-dependent meaning, to the faithful it’s generally an exhortation to the wild For the uninitiated, ...

2016 Kia Sedona SXL  This seemingly routine minivan is anything but mundane and offers a whole lot more than meets the eye, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. If there’s any doubt this year’s vehicles aren’t the hippest, safest, and cushiest ever made, a few minutes looking around and inside Kia’s 2016 Sedona will convince you. This seemingly routine minivan is anything but mundane, chock full of goodies onc ...

The Lexus RX 350 F Sport is a luxurious option for Scottsdale soccer moms By Kristin Caliendo As a parent, you know the most important thing about driving kids around town is getting them where they need to be in a safe and reliable car. According to car enthusiasts and even the most discerning car owners, the Lexus brand speaks uncompromised luxury and has made great strides in the high-performance categor ...

Acura RDX Whiz-bang technology aside, the 2016 RDX is a very straight-forward vehicle to pilot, says auto writer Greg Rubenstein. Redesigned for 2016, the third-generation Acura RDX is a five-seat compact luxury SUV with loaded with luxury and high-tech features. Available exclusively with a 3.5-liter V6 engine rated at 279 horsepower and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the RDX comes in either ...