Transportation

I have almost no reservations whatsoever stating that the Kia Sorento might just be the finest SUV on the market, and I felt exactly the same the last time I drove one in August 2014. But I do have one reservation this time around.

Boeing publishes 20-year outlooks on the pilot workforce based on aircraft orders and projections; the 2018 report says 90,000 to 120,000 new pilots will be needed in North America by 2038. The scarcity can’t be solved with mere want ads.

This is an odd car – odd because I loved it, but I simply don’t understand why Honda makes it. The original Insight, which has no relation to this one except being a hybrid, debuted in the year 2000 as a subcompact, 3-door weird looking oddball of a car that featured only two seats.

I’m not sure why the car companies keep sending out new models that haven’t changed – in this case the Subaru BRZ – for review.

These two vehicles belong in the same conversation because they are, on balance, amazingly similar: both are mid-sized SUVs, and both are stalwarts in the middle of their respective lines, and those lines, Acura and Lexus, are the luxury brands of two of Japan’s most venerable nameplates, Honda and Toyota, respectively.

All of my apprehensions melted away the very minute I got into the Tundra and drove it around the block

The Outlander itself – available in a gasoline engine format – just might be the ticket for someone looking for a mid-sized SUV, but this PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle – is another matter.

Little things can become deal breakers as far as I am concerned.

Kia’s forte is, obviously, building cars, nowhere better displayed than in its Forte.

Different isn’t necessarily better, especially here on the Accord.

I am simply not going to pay $71,270 for a Dodge.

Being a hybrid and capable of operating as any gasoline vehicle, there is no worry here in the Niro.

I was looking forward to seeing the Honda Fit, for comparison purposes, and in doing some research I found a U.S. New & World Report ranking of the best subcompacts, and the magazine placed the Fit on the top of the list.

What I liked the most is how simple the Rio is.

So the new Subaru Ascent is not quirky, and its overall styling sameness in the SUV market will be, I predict, its strength.

A car review of the 2018 Subaru Outback – the triumphs and the characteristics worthy of complaint.

Jeff Rundles reviews the 11th generation Toyota Corolla and the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT Sport.

These two vehicles are really nothing alike, as the first is a compact SUV/crossover and the second is a beefy compact hatchback, but since both (can) feature all-wheel-drive and off-road capabilities, and are priced very much alike, there are some similarities.

I put these three vehicles together because, basically, they are very similar: Priced about the same, targeted to pretty much the same demographic (smaller regular cars), felt very alike behind the wheel, and are relatively close on fuel efficiency.

In the subsequent 10 years the competition – chiefly Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Infiniti, Land Rover on the large SUV side – have advanced significantly when it comes to styling and engines.

This 2018 model - the 8th generation of the venerable model that Toyota debuted in 1982 - has been redesigned and is overall bolder, with a more aggressive grille and lines, somewhat sleeker and rounded.

Add that to the housing-cost woes and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see a day in the not-so-distant future that the most welcome sight for many people will be the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign in the rear-view mirror.

The Metris is clearly one of the stranger vehicles I have ever driven, but it strikes me that this type of vehicle – with its commercial operation counterparts – has the versatility to stay around for a long time.