SUV Review:  The 2008 Kia Sportage seats five people comfortably and it compares well with other compact SUVs, particularly in terms of price and standard equipment. This vehicle carries the Sportage name, but it's nothing like the cramped, truck-based original Sportage.

2008 Kia Sportage

Crossover Review:  Mazda's fun-to-drive CX-7 is roomy enough on the inside, has room for five people and eschews the typical Kleenex-box styling on mid-size crossovers in favor of a cleaner, sexier, curvier look. And I was beginning to think Mazda's sales pitch was wearing thin. Can every Mazda have the soul of a sports car? Really?

2008 Mazda CX-7

CROSSOVER Review:  Suzuki, who builds really fine small SUVs, has been trying to break into the car market for a while now, but their products, although good, just have not caught fire with the car buying public. For 2008 Suzuki is trying another approach, a small vehicle, the SX4, available as either the SX4 Crossover or the SX4 Sport sedan.

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2008 Suzuki SX4

Crossover Review:  Pontiac has spent decades telling us its cars are about excitement. That makes sense when you think about all the hot Pontiacs through out the years, like the GTO, Firebird and Trans Am. Those cars were worthy of the "Building Excitement" advertising slogan.

2008 Pontiac Torrent SE

SUV Review: Saturn, the car brand, not the ringed planet, has always been a mystery to me. On one hand it’s the most lovable branch of General Motors, one that keeps its buyers sublimely happy.  

2008 Saturn Vue

SUV Review:  The Suzuki XL7 has a car-like body, but it's not a normal crossover SUV. It also uses traditional frame rails, giving it a combination of car-like solidity and truck-like durability. The interior space is what the XL7 is all about.

2008 Suzuki XL7

SUV Review: When Ford’s Escape compact SUV debuted at the turn of the millennium, it was an immediate hit. Why? Following in the wake of its groundbreaking big brother, the Explorer, the Escape offered a more compact, car like SUV with better fuel economy.

2008 Ford Escape

Hybrid Review: A growing number of people today are sensitive to the amount of fuel they consume, thanks to higher gas prices. Many of these folks are also becoming more aware of the environmental impact of driving, and want to create a smaller “carbon footprint” on the earth. But they are left cold by the Toyota Prius and want a small, compact SUV.  

2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

San Francisco: The Jeep dealers under Daimler Chrysler expanded their model lineup greatly. There is the Jeep Compass, Patriot, Liberty, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, and Commander. The idea was to build a Jeep for everyone.

2007 Jeep Patriot

San Francisco: The 2007 Kia Sportage looks good, but the real treat is on the window sticker. It comes with a lot of standard equipment for a low base price. Build quality is surprisingly good and the body panels line up precisely, plus the interior materials feel like they’re designed to last.

2007 Kia Sportage

San Francisco: Suzuki's new XL7 may look like a crossover, but it still has some elements of a truck-based design with rails underneath the body. I like the way it drives, but quality inside the Suzuki XL7 is mediocre. It's not ugly enough to make you gag, but it also won't produce any wows for its fit and finish.

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2007 Suzuki XL7

San Francisco:  Honda’s CR-V helped pioneer the car-based “crossover” SUV segment ten years ago, and now it’s time for the third version of this popular model. Honda’s been on a styling renaissance lately, so the new CR-V stands out from its ancestors. 

2007 Honda CR-V

San Francisco:  I drove the King of 4WD vehicles recently. Not a big SUV built for carrying suburbanites over vast stretches of asphalt and concrete, but a real off-road vehicle built to handle some of the roughest, toughest, off-roading out there. I am talking about the latest offspring of the original Jeep, the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. 

2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

San Francisco: Perception is an amazing thing. It has a way of clouding our judgment, especially about cars, so that we see things in a way that doesn't even remotely match reality. Take Jaguar, for instance. In the mid '90s, Jaguar was still making cars that were absolute pieces of garbage, with 12-cylinder engines that leaked more oil than the Exxon Valdez and so many electrical problems that warning lights on the dash would flash like a New York City disco. There was no getting around the fact that they were terrible, terrible cars.

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2007 Hyundai Santa Fe

San Francisco: In many families, the kids end up taking on different roles. Johnny plays football, so brother Bob programs computers and sister Cynthia goes dancing. In the same way, Mazda, the Japanese auto company, is the athlete of the global Ford family. Starting with the historic rotary-powered RX-7, through the groundbreaking Miata in 1989 and up to today’s RX-8 four-door sports car, Mazda has dished out affordable, fun-to-drive sports cars. Mazda now offers, for 2007, perhaps the sportiest crossover SUV the world has ever see, the Mazda CX-7.

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2007 Mazda CX-7

San Francisco: Jeep has jumped into new territory with the all-new Compass, the compact SUV market segment. Although there have been other compact Jeeps the Compass strikes out in a new direction for Jeep. This is the most car-like Jeep ever produced. The Compass has a transverse engine and in its base 4x2 design is front-wheel-drive, the first ever from Jeep.

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2007 Jeep Compass

San Francisco: The RAV-4 might be considered the grandfather of compact SUVs. It has been around seemingly forever. The RAV-4 changed the way we collectively think about SUVs, that they are not all big, hard-riding, gas-guzzling behemoths. They could be smaller, car-like, fun, and fuel-efficient.

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2006 Toyota RAV-4

San Francisco:  What happens when you drop a diesel engine into a normal Jeep Liberty? Not very much, and that's a good thing. Compared to a regular Jeep Liberty, the 2006 diesel powered version offers a slightly stronger kick when you step on the gas while adding only a tiny bit of noise. It's an incredible machine for that reason alone.

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2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel

San Francisco: The Mercury Mariner Hybrid looks almost exactly like the normal Mariner but is more environmentally friendly. The only noticeable difference is a Hybrid badge on the sides and rear of the SUV. Inside, unique gauges and an LCD screen set the hybrid Mariner apart from its gasoline-only counterpart. They feel very similar from the driver's seat, which is a good thing.

2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

San Francisco: A body that looks like a shrunken minivan on the Suzuki Aerio SX draws more compliments than most cars in its price range. It starts around $14,500 and comes with lots of standard equipment and has a surprisingly big, comfortable cabin.

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2006 Suzuki Aerio SX

San Francisco:  For a long time there was nothing grand about Suzuki's Grand Vitara.  Well, Suzuki has finally gotten around to making the Grand Vitara a little grander for 2006. It's still not an industry benchmark - not even close - but it does offer a solid value and can, at long last, compete head-to-head with the popular mini-utes.

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2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV

San Francisco:  Suzuki's XL-7 doesn't just look like a tough, off-road SUV. It's the real thing. Unlike its car-based competitors, it rides on a truck-style frame that makes it durable enough for extreme off-road driving.

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2005 Suzuki XL-7

San Francisco: Hyundai has come a long ways from the day that its first Excel sedans appeared on our shores. The Korea-based automaker now offers a full line of vehicles ranging from economy and near luxury cars to SUVs and minivans. Its newest offering is the Tucson compact SUV.

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2005 Hyundai Tucson

San Francisco: Saturn entered the SUV fray in 2002 with its functional, modern-looking VUE that came packed with what today's buyer’s want in a family vehicle. The VUE, after seeing a few minor changes for 2003, retains its rugged, modern look that favors machine like creases over cute curves.

2003 Saturn VUE AWD V6

SAN FRANCISCO:  Looking for a vehicle that's guaranteed to attract stares and own the road? Isuzu's VehiCROSS looks like a refugee from Disneyland's Toon Town, but it's a real, all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle that was designed to drive as well on the street as it does off road.

San Francisco:  This week's test drive centers on a bright blue 1999 Kia Sportage 4x4 Wagon, a vehicle that impressed the Sport Utility crowd when it arrived on the scene five years ago. This Korean built 4x4 attracts those who want all-wheel fun and security, yet don't have $30,000 available to spend. In this sense, Kia is a great success.

'99 Kia Sportage 4x4