2019 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 – Road Test Review – By Matt Barnes

With a $125,000 base price, the Mercedes GLS 63 AMG is out of range for many people. For those who have the wherewithal and need to haul six people, it is an excellent — and perhaps only — choice. Featuring a hand assembled AMG 5.5 liter twin turbo (Mercedes calls it a biturbo) V8 with 577 horsepower and 561 torque, the GLS AMG has only one three-row performance competitor: the 475 horsepower Dodge Durango SRT 392.  [Audi is not bringing the diesel SQ7 to the USA.] When it comes to luxury, the Mercedes is at the top in this class. …

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Road Test Review – 2018 Audi Q7 3.0T – By Carl Malek

With the way crossover entries have evolved over the past several decades, automakers are scrambling to keep more established entries relevant as the segment rapidly evolves. One of these is the venerable Audi Q7 which is the biggest and most opulent (for the moment) entry fielded by the German luxury car giant. When it first appeared in the U.S. back in 2007, it represented a seismic shift for Audi, and turned the once car focused brand into a more balanced juggernaut. As for the Q7, it was a key entry in Volkswagen’s greater ploy towards expanding its diesel lineup. This …

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2017 Audi Q7 Visualizer – Colors, Cabins, Pricing and Options Guide

The new Q7 is already burning up the sales charts in the Audi USA lineup! Beset as the brand is with many woes at the moment, the SUV lineup is still a shining beacon of hope.   And cash. Lots of cash! The Q7 in its all-new 2017 generation appears completely immune to the dieselgate saga.  After all, the TDI variants were only ever a 9-percent slice of the model’s sales. The new Q7 really leapfrogs its Touareg and Cayenne cousins for this generation.  Where those two are the lightest of light facelifts for 2015’s refresh, the new Q7 is …

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Road Test Review – 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe LWB Ultimate

The seven-seat crossover market is a cut-throat place for carmakers. These fairly wealthy families are the bulls-eye for more than three dozen unique SUV models in 2015 — and earning big sales and market share is extremely difficult for even the best new machines. With so many choices, three-row SUVs have become the new wild west of the car biz. Explorer vs Highlander becomes the modern equivalent of a pistol duel at high noon. As such, Hyundai threw a huge amount of resources at its redesigned 2015 Santa Fe — thinking through every step of the consideration and ownership process …

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2015 Audi Prologue Avant Concept Shows 4-Door, Fast-Wagon Style Ahead of Geneva Show

We have seen two iterations of the Prologue concept so far from Audi: both coupes with the scale and presence to compete between the BMW 6 series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupes. With a design that harks back to the low and lean appearance of the Audi 5000 from the late 1980s, the Prologue design does feel much better as a deeply-sloping wagon silhouette. More naturally Audi, but still a bit blah for our tastes. It engenders little to no visual passion or excitement, despite being a clean and pure design. This latest Prologue Avant dramatically decorates the exterior details …

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2016 Audi Q7 Shows New MMI Touch, Audi Connect and MIB Tablet Interfaces by Nvidia

The new Audi Q7 will debut not just a much lighter chassis and all-new styling outside, but a cabin that is fresh from the carpet upward and absolutely packed with tech goodies. Where to start? The latest Virtual Cockpit design uses a 12.3-inch TFT panel in the main guage cluster, able to show 3D instruments, full Google-Earth navigation and maps, and a dozen other custom displays as needed. These are operated by voice, redundant knobs and buttons on the wheel and dash, or by the new MMI Touch control panel with multi-touch capabilities (ahead of the shifter). On the road, …

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2016 Audi Q7: Dramatic Quattro-Style Redesign is 700-Pounds Lighter!

Here is a welcome new crossover! The long-anticipated 2016 Audi Q7 is here and official. The revamp is far more thorough than the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg, with Audi using a new mixed-material body and numerous other lightweighting tech to drop its weight ratings dramatically. At 4,400-pounds, the 2016 Q7 is still no ballerina, but is now the lightest in its class, per Audi. It is certainly much more svelte than the 5,000-pounds-plus of the latest Escalade and others. These benefits have a multiplicative impact on performance, handling feel and efficiency for all engines and driving scenarios. We are …

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2014 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite – Road Test Review – Luxury King for Van Man Dads on Road Trips

The Honda Odyssey Touring Elite is quite a machine – it brings much of the smooth ride and cabin silence of a luxury car into the jumbo van segment, where it has led the sales charts for the last decade or more. Many think it is the Chrysler and Dodge vans that are the best-sellers, but that is only true when their total numbers are combined. Individual nameplate-wise, the Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna are neck-and-neck to lead the race, trading spots infrequently but keeping the Honda name as a leader in vans. This supremacy of the Odyssey is well-known …

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Audi SUV and Crossover Showcase — 600-Photo Galleries of Q3, Q5 hybrid, SQ5, and Q7 TDI S-Line Plus

Between 1994 and 2004, Audi’s biggest barrier to more US sales was a pretty limited number of model choices. In 2014, that is definitely no longer an issue: Audi’s American model range is huge. Disregarding the many, many engines available in each model, as well as S and RS cars — Audi is now packing at least 30 body styles. Add five more with the A3 and Q3 family for 2015, and keep adding five extra mystery machines for at least the next four years. Overall, plenty to choose from — with pricing that starts at $30,000 for the crossovers …

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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Buyers Guide to Engines, Suspensions and Top Trims: Summit, Altitude and Overland

The 2014 Grand Cherokee is a hugely versatile truck – both in terms of its on-road/off-road skill set and the numerous configurations available. The base Jeep GC Laredo comes in at just $29,000 – and even this 4×2 truck has the latest 3.6-liter engine and eight-speed automatic. In other words, it is no slouch and a solid handler in corners from that light nose. But many buyers will have major engine envy if they stick with the V6. Why? The Three other optional engines catapult the Grand Cherokee from competing with the Ford Explorer — and on to competing with …

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2014 Audi Q7 TDI S-line Plus – Buyers Guide with Galleries, Specs and Pricing

The 2014 Q7 TDI is a very compelling option versus the other supercharged V6 gasoline engine options available on this luxury seven-seater in American Audi dealers. There basically are no downsides – only benefits – to choosing this Clean Diesel engine. – Huge torque advantage, 406 pound-feet from from just 1750 rpm. – Big efficiency advantages on paper and in real life. – Just as quick as 3.0T models at 7.7-seconds to 60-mph. —- (But down 1.0 seconds versus the 3.0TFSI S-Line with 333 horsepower versus 280 for 3.0T) – Optional air suspension a TDI and TFSI exclusive option, not …

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