Carol Rao

There’s an old saying: Dress Italian, speak French, drive German. Let’s leave couture and language to Vogue and Vanity Fair and focus on why German cars are the worldwide standard for performance and luxury. You could argue that the Brits make the most elegant and refined luxury cars, but nobody ever accused Rolls-Royce (a division …

Winter’s coming, and truck enthusiasts forget about four-wheeling for fun and start thinking about the ice and snow that’s right around the corner. They also spend a lot of time trolling the internet for closeout 2020 models. That age-old combination of want, disguised as need, has a new suitor for the best winter truck – …

Looking for a used car? Most Americans buy used — or pre-owned or certified pre-owned — vehicles. For one thing, a used car is much cheaper than a new one: A year-old SUV loses 20 to 30 percent of its value after one year. Given the cost of a base-level Tahoe — $49,000 for 2021 …

Every year, when JD Power comes out with its Vehicle Dependability Survey, Subaru owners feel a lot like Charlie Brown at Halloween (he always gets rocks instead of candy). Even though Subaru makes some of the safest, affordable, and most durable vehicles, JD Power snubs the brand every year. And those same years, Consumer Reports …

General Motors has always offered a little something for everyone, to the point that during the 1970s and ’80s, you could buy pretty much the same car under three or four badges. A few years ago, the automaker had quadruplets in the lineup: the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Chevy Traverse. Basically, GM …

Mercedes, BMW, Audi. The big three German automobile manufacturers have a lock on the high-performance luxury market. Every car enthusiast has a favorite brand within the three. Mercedes lovers tend to be more conservative and traditional, and they keep their cars forever. The folks in the BMW camp are fans of performance-enhanced luxury and a …

The 2010 GMC Terrain was the lucky winner of MotorTrend’s Ugliest Car Of The Year. But what about that mid-size crossover earned it that coveted title? And why does it matter that a vehicle has dubious honor of being the ugliest? Well, do you want to buy a car that’s wearing the Ugly Crown? Consumers prefer …

The 2016 Kia Sorento is no stranger to issues. However, one owner had a particularly expensive repair at a very unfortunate time.

People who love drive buy sports cars. But what are the best sports cars on the market today? It helps to look at which owners keep their car the longest.

Getting a great used car for under $5,000 is not easy. However, a 2005 Toyota Prius might just be the rare value for under $5,000.

Napping behind the wheel? Nope. Even with a “self-driving” car, the driver has to be awake and aware. Self-driving cars are right over the horizon, with Tesla leading the way. There have been some serious bumps in the road along the way, most notably a pedestrian fatality when the Model X driver fell asleep at the …

Let’s be honest. If one part of your company built the world’s most coveted and iconic – if not the original – sport utility vehicle, why would you focus another of your brands on building the same thing? That’s the dilemma for Jaguar Land Rover North America president Joe Eberhardt, who is debuting both a …

The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas is competing against some of the most popular SUVs on the market. Does the Atlas have any chance?

Toyota is reinventing the company town. No, seriously. The Japanese automaker is breaking ground on Woven City, a prototype “city of the future” that’s equal parts Disney, Bond villain’s lair, and the Jetsons. Actual Toyota vehicles are not welcome in Woven City – the only vehicles running on the campus will be fully autonomous, zero-emission, driverless …

Ford has a lot of choices in their lineup, but the Edge and Escape account for most of their sales. The Ford Edge got a big facelift in 2019 and hasn’t changed much for 2020, while the Ford Escape is pretty much all-new for 2020 – and looks more like a car than a sport-ute. …

Forget the 2020 new car models–that’s so last year. GMC has already introduce their next generation Yukons and Yukons XL for 2021, and, well we can’t say that we blame them. This new Yukon is redesigned and one good-looking SUV–this is a real luxury ride. Even the brand new AT4, which was built for off-roading, …

Subaru redesigned the Forester in 2019, so the 2020 model year is pretty much the same, including Apple CarPlay. There are a few tech and safety upgrades for this year. Now, the standard adaptive cruise control features lane-centering capability, individual tire-pressure monitoring, and a rear-seat reminder to check for the kiddos if you opened the door …

When Toyota introduced the first LandCruiser FJ40 to the US in 1958, it was the start of a love affair for Americans who wanted an off-road driving experience. Since then, Toyota has kept up its end of the bargain by adding more SUVs to the lineup, and the Toyota 4Runner remains one of the most popular choices …