2024 Hyundai Tucson PHEV Limited — Plugging in or gassing up
America seems to be at a crossroads when it comes to pursuing an all-electric future. Sure, there’s sleek IONIQ5 and 6 EVs in many neighborhoods as 2024 hits its midpoint. But some say the EVs we see have been bought by early adopters – those who want that petrol-less future —and others need time or education to go there. Or they just want a Kona N.
By Casey Williams - MyCarData
It seems when we talk about electric vehicles, it’s mostly a conversation about limiting freedoms. But I don’t see it that way. EVs can be about enhancing freedom of design, freedom of performance and freedom from fossils. By completely changing technology, Genesis was able to completely change what we appreciate in compact luxury crossovers. Unfortunately, freedom from charging stations isn’t unlimited.
2024 Dodge Hornet R/T Plug-in — Just-in-time delivery
Even if your only automotive news comes from your daily newspaper, you’d know it’s a moment of upheaval for the auto industry. After so much attention given to the EV — and Mister Elon Musk — by the mass media, excitement around battery electrification seems to have cooled. To be sure, people are still buying electrified vehicles, but interest in all-electric has hit a plateau, while hybrids and plug-in hybrids are in greater demand.
2024 Range Rover Evoque Dynamic SE — Still cool after all these years
It’s not every day that an automotive design whose birth reaches back 14 years still manages to raise eyebrows, get compliments, and turn heads. But Land Rover is well acquainted doing that, its original post-World War II vehicle an icon of style even into the 21st Century, while Range Rovers and royalty — of the Windsor Castle kind — remain synonymous now.
Hyundai Tucson gets major power boost with hybrid drivetrain
Hyundai continues to add to the top-selling vehicle in its fleet by putting a gas-electric hybrid drivetrain in the N Line trim of the 2024 Tucson. The HEV setup gives the Tucson a significant boost in power over gasoline-powered models while eliminating the need to plug it in for charging. Sure, you don’t get the 33 miles or so of all-electric driving that the PHEV offers, but that is a small price to pay for not having to dilly-dally around with charging sessions.
Indiana-built 2024 Lexus TX and 2025 Buick Enclave are what their luxury brands need
By Casey Williams - MyCarData
Lexus was one of the first luxury automakers to introduce a crossover when it launched the stylish RX in the late 1990s. Through multiple generations, the RX has become an anchor of the brand. But Lexus never had a proper three-row crossover, essential for attracting upscale families and retirees. It needed a luxury version of the venerable Toyota Highlander, and for 2024, it gets exactly that.
Buick’s Envista Avenir — Quite good … generally
For Boomers, Buick’s always been there — until, of course, it wasn’t. In the ‘50s a Buick’s footprint (and wingspan!) may have been at least partially responsible for the popularity of the two-stall garage, given that one stall was hard-pressed to enclose either its length or width. And in the ‘60s the Buick Division was right behind Cadillac in its design language, and immediately behind Oldsmobile (one-time home of the Rocket 88) in performance.
2024 Hyundai Kona — New look in a larger package
The second-generation Hyundai Kona compact crossover is here and I found it improved in almost every aspect from the first generation including technology, interior size, and styling. The styling part is, of course, in the eye the beholder and it has garnered some negative reviews. There wasn't much — other than interior space — to gripe about with the first-generation Kona. Don't forget it was named North American Utility of the Year in 2019.