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San Francisco: It's
really amazing that some vehicles ever leave the drawing board. Sitting
atop Ford's SUV heap today is the Expedition EL, a stretched-out version
of the Expedition that would have been a wonderful SUV 10 years ago
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 2007
Expedition EL 4x4
San Francisco:
If you think your job is boring, consider
what it must be like working for the Swedish military. It wouldn’t have
been so dull back in the 80’s because Sweden had an unspoken enemy, that
big red bear to the east.
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2007 Volvo XC90
San Francisco: Credit
the Cadillac Escalade for much of the General Motors division’s growth
in the 21st Century. Not long ago, the division, once the Standard of
the World, was attracting mostly traditional well-heeled retirees. Sales
dropped as this buyer group, well, diminished, and Mercedes-Benz, Lexus,
and others nibbled away at the market.
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2007
Cadillac Escalde
San Francisco: Not
content to be left out of the luxury SUV market, Audi introduced its Q7
for 2007 with everything short of the proverbial kitchen sink. There is
certainly room for one; it’s just not on the order sheet. At nearly 17
feet long and about 5,400 pounds, this Audi takes up plenty of driveway.
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2007
Audi Q7
San Francisco:
Here's what you'd get if a five-star general went
on "Pimp My Ride." It's the Hummer H2, a smaller, civilized version of
the military machine that chases third-world dictators.
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2006
Hummer H2 SUT
San Francisco: Based
on the same platform as Nissan’s Titan pickup truck, the huge Infiniti
QX56 offers luxury on a grand scale with room for eight people and lots
of standard amenities. Leather seats, a navigation system and a
rear-view camera are just a few of the luxuries that come standard on
Infiniti’s QX56.
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for Full Article
2006
Infiniti QX56
San Francisco: When
Mercedes Benz leaped into the American sport utility market back in
1997, they modeled their new ML series on the popular SUVs of the day,
such as the Ford Explorer. They even built a brand-new assembly plant in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Over the years, more than half a million units have
rolled out of that factory, about half of them exported out of the U.S.
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2006
Mercedes Benz ML500
San Francisco: The
big news at Jeep this year is the largest Jeep of all, the brand new
Commander. Loaded with traditional design cues and Trail Rated offroad
virtues, it offers something no Jeep has provided before, a third row
seat.
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2006
Jeep Commander
San Francisco:
A sensuous, curvy front end makes the 2006 Navigator fit in with the
rest of Lincoln's high-class lineup. Power deployable running boards are
a flashy option, as they disappear under the body after the doors are
closed for a clean, uncluttered look.
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2006
Lincoln Navigator
San Francisco:
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. There are the imaginary ones
under the bed (they aren’t really there, right?). Then you have the cute
ones recently featured in myriad animated movies. Then there are the
monsters of the road, the tractor-trailers traveling the highways of
America, and now the land yachts of this generation, the mighty SUV.
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for Full Article
2006
Hummer H1 Alpha
San Francisco: A few weeks ago the General
Motors OnStar media rep called and offered me a new GM vehicle to road
test with the OnStar communications system fully activated. Of course I
said, sure send it over, and I’ll let you know what I think about it. So
in rolls a 2005 Hummer H2 SUT, a Sport Utility Truck model with a pickup
bed in the back. OK, do they really think this thing is gonna get stuck
in the mud and need a tow? Well, of course not. GM’s OnStar system can
do a lot more that call a tow truck.
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for Full Article
2005
Hummer H2 SUT
San Francisco: If you’re looking for a really comfortable midsize sport utility vehicle,
you can now buy one at your local Buick dealership. Yes, Buick, provider of softly sprung
full sized and midsized sedans, has a new team member.
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2004 Buick Rainier
San Francisco: From the 350Z sports car, to the dramatically restyled Maxima, to its first
full-size Titan pickup, Nissan is reinventing itself before our eyes. Now, the company
that introduced the tiny mini pickup to Americans in the 1960s presents a true competitor
to the full-size American sport utility vehicle.
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2004 Nissan Pathfinder Armada
2003 Hummer H2
San Francisco:
Finally…we had some time in the all-new Hummer
2, or H2, affectionately referred to by those who drive one, or aspire to drive one. It is
every bit as fun as one would guess. For those who are not "believers" it may be
difficult to fathom what is so appealing about the H2. Drive one and you’ll be hooked
like the rest of us.
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2003 Hummer H2
2003 Ford Expedition
SAN FRANCISCO:
While most companies seem content to focus on the
small or mid-size SUV, Ford and Chevrolet have been waging an all-out war for the crown of
the biggest, baddest, most functional SUV on the planet. Ford has a new Expedition for
2003, so look out Tahoe!
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2003 Ford Expedition
2002 Mercedes-Benz
G500
SAN FRANCISCO: If Tiffany's were in Borneo, this is how you'd get there. Okay, of all the
useless SUVs in the world, this is the most. Who really needs an SUV with a 5-liter, SOHC
V8 putting out 292 rip snorting horsepower? Who really wants an SUV that looks like the
box its more cultured brethren came in? Who really wants a vehicle that simply screams
"LOOK AT ME"? Lord help me, I do.
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2002
Mercedes-Benz G500
2002 Cadillac
Escalade EXT
SAN FRANCISCO: Hatchbacks have never been too popular in the United States. Most people seem to
prefer large wagons, an SUV, or a minivan, over smallish economy cars with an increased
carrying capacity, compared to a sedan. Enter the new for 2002 Mazda Protégé.
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2002
Cadillac Escalade EXT
2002 Buick
Rendezvous CXL
SAN FRANCISCO: The
Rendezvous is Buick's new entry into the growing SUV craze that has America looking like
the "sportiest nation in the world". The Rendezvous is a cross breed of SUV,
minivan, and sedan that ends up being a surprisingly functional, sweet-driving winner.
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2002
Buick Rendezvous
2001 Jeep Grand
Cherokee Limited
SAN FRANCISCO:
When most people think of Jeeps, they think one of two things: Either the brutally simple
World War II Jeep workhorse or today’s aerodynamic and plush Jeep Grand Cherokees.
After spending a week in the latter, it became clear to me that every Jeep, no matter how
fully loaded with luxury amenities, is actually both vehicle types in spirit.
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2001
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
2001 Acura MDX
SAN FRANCISCO:
The Acura MDX is more than just a new luxury sport utility vehicle. Besides providing
four-wheel-drive traction and a tall view of the road, it also delivers the driving
pleasure found in a touring sedan and the useful passenger and cargo capacity of a
minivan.
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2001
Acura MDX
2001 Volvo V70 XC
AWD Wagon
SAN FRANCISCO:
When AutoWire.Net asks people about luxury cars, most will name off the typical
nameplates. Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or maybe Infiniti and Acura. Some people might go on and
on about Cadillac, or even Lincoln. But few people we know talk about Volvo. And that is
truly unfortunate.
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2001
Volvo V70 XC AWD Wagon
2001 Mitsubishi
Montero
SAN FRANCISCO:
Mitsubishi’s third-generation Montero SUV is all new from stem to stern. For
starters, unit-body construction has replaced the previous body on separate frame
construction, which according to Mitsubishi has increased torsional rigidity three-fold.
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2001
Mitsubishi Montero
2000 AM General
Hummer
SAN FRANCISCO: Buying a Hummer is like having a baby. You can never afford one, but
they're fun to look at and play with. And they're also loud, uncomfortable and by the end
of the first month, the newness wears off. So, why do couples continue to have babies, and
why does the AM General Hummer continue to be a hot item for the rich and famous?
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2000
AM General Hummer
2000 Chevrolet Tahoe
SAN FRANCISCO: Funny that Chevrolet would title the top of the price sheet for the Tahoe
"Current Generation." Just what does that mean? Maybe the General’s a
little touchy because Dodge & Ford have brought out all new trucks recently while
Chevy has to soldier along with what amounts to as yesterday’s product. But still,
yesterday’s product is pretty decent. I’ve got to admit, and this comes from an
avowed Ford guy, that the Tahoe, especially in the LTD version, is one heck of a nice
looking truck. Better looking to me than the Ford Expedition.
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2000
Chevrolet Tahoe
2000 Ford Excursion
SAN FRANCISCO: I have to admit that it was with much glee that I drove around in a new
Ford Excursion for a week, smiling at Chevy Suburban drivers and thinking, "Mine's
bigger than yours." For years, Suburban-ites have gloated they owned the biggest
sport utility vehicle on the road. But no more – now that the Ford Excursion has hit
the highways, chugging along, taking up lots of space and guzzling lots of gasoline.
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2000
Ford Excursion
'99 AM General
Hummer
SAN FRANCISCO: The bright red Hummer Wagon that showed up in my driveway looked a bit
like a Brink's armored truck. I wasn't sure if I wanted to drive this monster in city
traffic. Was I surprised when I actually drove it.
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'99
AM General Hummer
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