ArcaMax

Everyone knows crossovers are practical. So are refrigerators. Neither are things most people get much excitement from. You buy them because you need them.

Mazda makes crossovers that are fun and practical -- not necessarily in that order. More finely, in either order.

What It Is

The CX-30 is Mazda's smallest and least expensive crossover.

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Toyota Motor Corp. is moving production of its popular Tacoma midsize truck from a plant in Mexico to San Antonio as part of a $3.6 billion investment in the Texas facility.

The Japanese carmaker will build a second production line in San Antonio, where it currently makes full-size pickups and SUVs, and add some 2,000 new jobs by 2030, it said ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nearly a year after the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax incentive for new electric vehicles, California is stepping in to try to motivate buyers to go electric.

Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $135 million in his new state budget to provide incentives for new and used EVs. Participating automakers will match the funds.

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United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and the federal watchdog overseeing the union got into an extraordinary exchange two years ago in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war — a meeting that Fain now claims led to the monitor launching an investigation into him.

The expletive-laden discussion from February 2024 — details of which have never ...Read more

Even without the no-longer-available $7,500 federal tax credit, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is affordable for an electric vehicle. And not just for an EV, either. This electric crossover's $35,000-to-start base price is competitive with the starting prices of same-size nonelectric crossovers such as the Toyota RAV4 ($31,900), Honda CR-V ($30,920), ...Read more

Lots of people decide to buy a nicer Chevy Tahoe -- in the form of the GMC Yukon. It's a similar thing as regards the GMC Terrain -- which is basically a nicer Chevy Equinox. You pay more for the GMC-badged version of the same basic thing, of course. But it's worth the extra to some.

What It Is

The Terrain is a compact crossover related to the...Read more

A watershed moment has arrived -- for Volkswagen. This year will be the last year you'll be able to buy any VW with a manual transmission. This includes the Jetta, which (for the next six months) you can still get with a manual six-speed, in the Jetta GLI. Next year, it and every other model VW sells -- including the high-performance Golf...Read more

The least expensive new car you can still buy is also probably one of the least well-known small cars. It is not the Honda Civic. It is not the Toyota Corolla. It is not the Hyundai Elantra.

It is the Elantra's Kia cousin, the K4.

What It Is

The K4 sedan is Kia's least expensive car and also the least expensive new car you can buy, period. It...Read more

What is the difference between an Acura Integra and a Honda Civic? More finely, is there any difference between an Acura Integra and a Honda Civic -- other than the price?

What It Is

The Integra is a sporty small sedan sold under the Acura label that is closely related to the less expensive Honda Civic. There are numerous differences that go ...Read more

Subaru has really rolled the dice with the 2026 Outback. For one, it no longer looks like an Outback -- because it no longer looks like a wagon. It has been restyled to look more like a crossover SUV.

It's also a lot more expensive.

The Outback used to be one of Subaru's more affordable models, with a base price under $30,000.

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There are several things that are unusual about the 2026 Land Rover Defender. The first is that it's available in different wheelbase lengths and two- and four-door body styles -- with seats for as few as five and as many as seven. The second is that it's available with four different engines, including two different V8s (as well as a ...Read more