I sampled two new LEAFs at the annual Western Automotive Journalists Media Days event. I grabbed it for the first drive of the day, 23+ miles that included some freeway, some in-town, and some open road travel, including the climbing the winding Laureles Grade in Monterey County.
Acceleration isn’t great, and driving dynamics are focused more on comfort than excitement, but the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport makes up for these shortcomings with excellent cargo-hauling capability, a smooth ride and above-average fuel economy.
As for the 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, the new old school-style SUV has impressive power, pleasant handling, high tech galore and an inviting personality might just be strong enough to sway you.
The 2016 Nissan Murano will appeal to a family of four, but probably more-so to empty nesters with an eye for style and comfort.
With a roomy backseat and a large cargo area, the 2023 Volkswagen Taos will appeal to families with small children, or couples who will drop the rear seat and head out on road trips.
With eight trims and two engine choices, Mazda hopes there is a 2023 Nazda CX-5 to meet many buyers’ needs.
Realistically, the 2023 Mazda CX-50 will be used by families for all the regular tasks of commuting, errands, school chauffeuring and vacations, as are all others in the very competitive small/compact SUV category.
The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness’ upgrades from the Outback Base, Premium and Limited models touch the engine, transmission, suspension, towing capacity, ground clearance, tires and even the seat coverings.
If you were to plug in the 2022 Ford Escape PHEV overnight, every night, that daily fully charged battery (37 miles) would be good for 13,500 miles of all-electric driving annually. You can do the math on how much money you would not be spending with the average price of a gallon of 87 octane hovering around $4.50.
The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe offers clean, contemporary styling and a class-up comfortable interior with convenient and desirable seating and storage flexibility.