SUVs & Minivans

Luxury is all the rage today. Not that it hasn't been for many years, but look at advertisements and marketing materials right now, and you'll notice the word "PREMIUM" has snuck into our language quite aggressively.

What does that mean when it comes to SUVs and crossover vehicles? It means that features that were recently considered premium have become almost standard, even on non-premium vehicles, and that luxury car makers have to continuously raise the bar. More features, more technology, a higher level of luxury than ever before has become content on luxury SUVs.

I've collected the best of the best, and created this Top 6 Luxury SUVs and Crossovers by Class for your reference.

Photo © Maserati

Compact and even sub-compact SUVs are the next wave. Mark my words. Practicality and fuel efficiency are the next frontiers for many buyers, who are starting to realize that a big Chevy Suburban or Toyota Sequoia doesn't make as much sense as it could in 90% of driving situations. Unwilling or unable to give up the branding and impact that they've built up for the SUV and crossover vehicle, manufacturers are going to bring out an increasing number of compact and even subcompact SUVs. These vehicles will attempt to recreate the feeling of command driving position and SUV attitude in a much smaller, more fuel-efficient package. The first wave is already arriving, with the new Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5.

Actually, I think the first wave landed a few years ago, but at a time when the manufacturers were reluctant to stamp a car with the crossover label, even if it met all of the criteria. I'm pointing at the Scion xB, Kia Soul and the subject of today's review, the 2012 Nissan Cube. With an upright seating position, squared-off cargo compartment with a tailgate and fold down seats, the Cube is a car-based SUV: that is, a crossover vehicle, pure and simple. So, I have claimed it for this site. And I will claim others.

What do you think of the 2012 Nissan Cube? Is it an SUV or a car? Does it matter?

Photo © Nissan

I'm always happy to feature a review from Aaron Gold, About.com's Guide to Cars. Aaron and I don't always agree about SUVs, but I always get a good sense of what the vehicle is from Aaron's reviews. I hope you agree.

The latest from Aaron is this 2013 Acura RDX Test Drive and Review. I'll save the suspense -- Aaron liked it. He really liked it.

Why is this a big deal? Because Aaron also recently drove the new 2013 Acura ILX. He hated it. He really hated it.

And when Aaron hates a vehicle, he doesn't pull any punches. "I'm actually a bit angry that Acura has taken their legacy for great small cars, crumpled it up into a ball, thrown it at the wastebasket, and missed," he stated in his ILX review.

Ouch.

I think I'll try to stay on Aaron's good side for a while. In the meantime, enjoy Aaron's 2013 Acura RDX Test Drive and Review.

Photo © Aaron Gold

I may just be too sensitive or old fashioned. You tell me. But there's something about the marketing for the new Ford Escape that makes me uncomfortable.

There's little about the new vehicle that makes me uncomfortable, though. Take a look at this 2013 Ford Escape Test Drive and Review, and you'll see what I mean. The new Escape is better, more efficient and more high-tech than the outgoing model. It really deserves some attention.

My challenge is the reality tv program that Ford has developed, and that's airing now on NBC, Escape Routes. It's a travel competition show in the spirit of The Amazing Race, and the Escape is the engine that drives the show. The competitors all drive 2013 Escapes from one location to the next, and the vehicle is integrated into the "editorial" part of the show. Advertising and entertainment converge in a way that hits all of my buttons, and I find myself resenting it.

I recognize that this is what tv is nowadays. Actually, it's what tv has always been -- a medium to sell goods and services. The entertainment part is just there to keep you hooked between commercials. Only now, the entertainment part and the commercials are one and the same.

How do you feel about this? Will Escape Routes inspire you to buy an Escape -- or avoid one?

Photo © Jason Fogelson

I just got back from New York, where I attended the press days for the2012 New York International Auto Show. I also managed to pick up a nasty case of the flu, which has had me suffering ever since, but that's another sad, sad story.

I managed to drag my disease-ridden body to my keyboard today to look over my photos from the event, and to consider what I had seen. I came up with this list of Top 5 SUVs at the New York Auto Show, and I was able to identify a few trends. We've seen the compact and subcompact SUV trend building for some time, and now the BMW X1 breaks open the luxury subcompact segment. Subaru's new XV promises to make some waves, too. It'll be interesting to see how Ford, GM and Chrysler react.

If you're going to be in New York City this weekend, the Auto Show continues at the Javits Center until April 15. If not, just browse my Top 5 SUVs at the New York Auto Show.

Oh, by the way -- that convertible Range Rover Evoque? It's number 6.

Photo © Jason Fogelson

My first car was a 1972 Subaru GL. It had no real style, no real flash or panache. I swore that my next car would be cooler, and when I had saved some money, I bought a 1972 Chevy Camaro. Now that was a cool car. The big, round front fenders flanking a bulging hood, balanced by a short, rounded rear overhang. Not only did the second-generation Camaro look great, it drove like stink (that means "really fast").

I suspect that the designers at Infiniti spent some time studying cool-looking cars. I like to think that they got a gander at my '72 Camaro, and that they liked its muscular good looks. Certainly, if you look at the 2013 Infiniti JX35 Photo Gallery that Aaron Gold, About.com's Guide to Cars, put together for us, you'd have to come to that conclusion.

Too bad the new JX doesn't go like stink.

Photo © Infiniti

Aaron Gold, About.com's Guide to Cars, trekked across the United States in order to test drive a new 2013 vehicle for us -- the 2013 Infiniti JX35.

Both Aaron and I are big fans of the Infiniti lineup. I love their cars, especially the G37. But my absolute favorite in the Infiniti lineup has always been the FX, the hot-rod sportscar of the crossover world.

So, I've been very eager to hear what Aaron thought of the new JX. Will Infiniti deliver another fun-to-drive knockout?

I don't want to spoil the surprise -- but Aaron's 2013 Infiniti JX35 Test Drive and Review gets the subtitle "Thrill-free with Frills."

Photo © Infiniti

BMW has its "M." Mercedes-Benz has its "AMG." Cadillac has its "V," and Infiniti has its "IPL." So it makes sense that Volvo would have a performance skunk works. Eschewing the alphanumeration, Volvo calls its performance vehicles "Polestar."

If the idea of a performance Volvo causes cognitive dissonance for you, meet Basem Wasef, About.com's Guide to Motorcycles. Basem sought out the latest Polestar, and returned with this 2012 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD Polestar Test Drive and Review. Here's where the double-disconnect occurs: Basem has no trouble with the concept of a hot-rod Volvo; he has trouble buying the idea that the XC70 is a crossover vehicle.

What do you think? Is the XC70 a crossover vehicle, or is it a station wagon? Does it even matter?

Read Basem's 2012 Volvo XC70 T6 AWD Polestar Test Drive and Review to find out.

Photo © Basem Wasef

Designing an SUV is tough business. Err in one direction, and you wind up with a generic design that doesn't excite anybody. Err in the other direction, and you've created an avant garde design that will age quickly without stirring up much sales success.

Take a look at this 2012 Nissan Armada Platinum Photo Gallery. I never would have guessed that this design would age so gracefully, still looking crisp and fresh after just cosmetic updates since 2004.

What do you think? Is the 2012 Nissan Armada fresh or foul?

Photo © Jason Fogelson

I usually don't care what other people think of me, especially strangers who see me driving around in a new SUV. I can ignore the admiring gazes of the envious just as easily as I can pretend not to notice the jeers of the scornful. Riding around in a full-size SUV tests both of those abilities.

This week, while driving the 2012 Nissan Armada Platinum, I noticed my share of both kinds of eye contact. Sometimes it was from a young mother, crammed into a Prius with her four young children and all their stuff. She looked longingly at my Armada as I sailed by with all of my extra space. Sometimes it was a hemp-clad activist, walking around in Birkenstocks while collecting signatures on a petition to save the grunion. He looked at me through his dreadlocks, staring daggers at my wasteful ways.

I looked straight ahead, doing my best to maneuver the Armada through heavy LA traffic.

Read my 2012 Nissan Armada Test Drive and Review to see how the Armada fares.

Photo © Jason Fogelson