The 2007 Dodge Nitro: A Flash From The Past

We’re not sure what to call the Dodge Nitro, but it’s the kind of quirky, no-frills vehicle that we’re glad someone had the guts to build. It shares underpinnings and engines with Jeep’s mid-size Liberty SUV, but comes in a more street-friendly flavor.

It’s unmistakably a Dodge, with the big [...]

The 2007 Kia Sorento: Rooting For The Underdog

Any observer of the automotive industry has to be astonished at the strides made by Korean automakers like Kia. They have more positive momentum than any other automakers, and continue to be great buys for consumers driven principally by value considerations. However, times are changing, and the [...]

The 2008 Subaru Tribeca AWD: Luxury For Less

Today, June 1st, 2007, means that I can finally talk about the new crossover SUV known as the Subaru Tribeca. “Wait, are we talking about the same Tribeca?” you might ask, a bit confused after seeing the 2008 version, understandably so, since the face of the 2008 model year (MY) [...]

2007 Toyota Highlander Limited: A Toyota To The Core

The 2007 Toyota Highlander is a Toyota through and through. It’s capable, roomy, and inoffensive. Like all vehicles from the world’s largest carmaker, it has few weaknesses, and proudly carries its vanilla personality like a war medal.

The story with the Highlander is value. Toyota doesn’t make the [...]

2007 Subaru Forester L.L. Bean Edition: An “Imprezive” SUV

Subaru’s Forester has always been an appropriately restrained example of a compact SUV. It’s a little unorthodox compared to the competition – the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V ride higher and are more truck-like – but its quirkiness pays big dividends in practical areas.

First off, the Forester is based [...]

The 2007 Ford Edge: Let The Sunshine In

For any fan of American cars, the 2007 Ford Edge is a vitally important vehicle. It’s Ford’s first foray into the arena of futuristic ‘crossover’ utility vehicles – tall unit-body cars that offer the practicality of a traditional truck-based SUV, but perform more like cars and get car-like fuel [...]

The 2007 Volvo XC90: A Safe, Smart Choice

The Volvo XC90 is a special kind of sport utility vehicle. It’s not really for everyone; so if you’re after a boring, assimilating crossover utility, you better look somewhere else.

For starters, the XC90 is a looker as far as SUVs go. There’s a lot of Volvo sedan heritage [...]

2007 Chrysler Pacifica: An Evolved Pioneer

When it was introduced in 2003, the Chrysler Pacifica was a groundbreaking vehicle. It drew on minivan and SUV heritage, and was one of the first crossover utility vehicles to hit the market.

Three years into its run (although it seems like much longer), the Pacifica faces a much larger [...]

2007 Lincoln Navigator L: Alternative Excess

When the 2007 Lincoln Navigator L trawled into Roadfly’s parking lot, this correspondent was struck at how audacious Lincoln was to produce such a vehicle. This shock was not due to its size or environmental footprint–both of which are, well, uniquely American–but to its appearance. This was truly [...]

The 2007 Lincoln MKX AWD: Over The Edge

Car-based, ‘crossover’ utility vehicles are the future of SUVs – any observer of the automotive world can see that. They offer better performance and economy than traditional truck-based SUVs, and Japanese manufacturers have been mining car-based gold for years.

Detroit has finally turned its sights on this lucrative market segment, [...]

Toyota RAV4: Hauling in Every Sense of the Word

At Roadfly’s offices in Northern Virginia, just a few miles outside Washington, D.C., we greeted the arrival of the 2007 Toyota RAV4 with some excitement. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, our area was about to be hit by a winter storm that would paralyze the [...]

Another Giant Leap for Hyundai: The 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe

No car company has taken bigger strides over the past decade than Hyundai. Formerly a manufacturer of small, dowdy cars that were both uninspiring and uncertain, the Korean automaker has transformed itself into a powerhouse, a paragon of reliability and value.

Hyundai is still establishing itself, and its models have [...]