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2020 Bentley Bentayga V8
2020 Bentley Bentayga V8 Review By TestDriveNow Car Critic Steve Hammes. It’s hard to believe that the Bentayga’s been with us for 5 years already. And it’s certainly been a trailblazer. During that time Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini and Aston Martin have also brought ultra-luxurious SUVs to market with more on the way. Available with 6-, 8- or 12–cylinder power including a plug-in hybrid, this is the Bentley Bentayga V8.
The Bentayga is a dream ride. The kind you could drive forever with no fatigue. It’s so isolating and comfortable and truly effortless in everything it does. This is my 7th and final day with it and I’ve learned that its price can be justified in that it’s an experience even the highest end SUVs from the mainstream automakers can’t touch.
MSRP as-tested: $228,845
2020 Lincoln Aviator Black Label
2020 Lincoln Aviator Black Label Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes. Sure, Lincoln has the supersized Navigator but they’ve never had an SUV quite like this. The all-new 2020 Aviator is a premium, 3-row midsized utility with robust power and boutique styling. With the recent demise of the MKZ and Continental, Lincoln becomes the latest automaker to kick cars to the curb as they are now exclusively an SUV brand offering 4 utilities in total and this one here slots in as number 3 between the $80,000 Navigator and the $40,000 Nautilus.
Lincoln’s designs are uniquely American; bold, beautiful and evocative of Lincolns of the past. Their vehicles have actual names and they’re not obsessed with trying to be European. And this Aviator Black Label in Flight Blue on these magnificent 22” wheels is indeed one sharp-looking whip.
MSRP as-tested: $82,435
2021 Ford Bronco FIRST LOOK
2021 Ford Bronco FIRST LOOK By Car Critic Steve Hammes | TestDriveNow. Capping off what feels like the slowest striptease in automotive history, you’re finally looking at the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco. A hundred bucks payable at Ford.com reserves yours today with deliveries scheduled to begin next spring.
Series range from a base Bronco, a no-frills SUV for those who want to customize their own, to Big Bend™, Black Diamond™ and Outer Banks™ with a variety of options and colors, topping out with Wildtrak™ and Badlands™ for more extreme off-road adventuring. A limited-production First Edition™ will be offered at launch.
So the Bronco is back and it’s even brought with it a little brother, known as the Bronco Sport – a subcompact 4X4 for those with less adventurous intentions.
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes. The venerable Escape has long since been a small SUV favorite but as you can see Ford has taken its styling in a decidedly car-like direction repositioning it in their reborn, utility-focused lineup.
The Escape is America’s small SUV. Having been on the road now for 20 years, it’s where we’ve turned when the patriotic pangs pull us away from the RAV4, CR-V and Rogue. And now that Ford is almost exclusively a truck and SUV brand they’ve seized the opportunity to morph the Escape into something a little more car-like so as not to alienate shoppers who aren’t SUV crazy. And yes, believe it or not, those people still exist. Lower, wider, longer and more aerodynamic, the new Escape resembles less the tough little SUV it once did and more the bastard child of a Porsche Cayenne and Tesla Model 3. Thankfully, this is the Escape’s worst crime as the rest of it is actually very good.
2021 Ford F150
2021 Ford F150 Review By TestDriveNow Car Critic Steve Hammes. The all-new F-150 arrives this fall and here’s your first look at Ford’s most important model. Though it doesn’t look radically different, Ford says every body panel has been redesigned. There’s a wider stance and 11 – yes 11 – different grille options. And to save fuel through improved aerodynamics, there are active grill shutters and an automatic deploying air dam. But the sexy news surrounds the new optional, range –topping powertrain – a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 boosted by 47 horsepower electric motor making it full hybrid. Integrated into the 10-speed automatic transmission, Ford is targeting a 700 mile driving range and 12,000 pounds max towing. The battery is packaged underneath the truck so passenger and cargo volume is unencumbered. Ford refers to it as PowerBoost and it’s available on every trim level from XL to Limited. And the electrifying news doesn’t stop there. A new feature Ford calls Pro Power Onboard turns gas and hybrid F-150s into a portable generator capable of powering 28 refrigerators or running an entire job site worth of tools. We’ve all been there…the truck as an office. Ford’s solution? The optional Interior Work Surface creates a an ideal space for signing documents or eating takeout. And if your lunch break isn’t over yet, the Max Recline Seats become a sweet place to grab a couple of ZZZs. The tailgate wars continue with Ford’s Tailagte Work Surface which includes integrated rulers, a mobile device holder and more. On the tech side, the all-new F-150 is North America’s first full-size pickup with standard over-the-air updates. These updates are bumper-to-bumper, and can include all-new functions and additional features throughout the life of the truck. And then there’s SYNC4 with twice the computing power of the previous gen system. And that includes wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto. And some real semi-autonomous driving is coming, too. Active Drive Assist is a hands-free experience that works on divided highways much like Caddy’s Super Cruise. It’ll be late availability but customers can add it later via an over the air update and pay for it then. With 3 V6s, a V8, a diesel and a Hybrid, 3 cab styles and 3 bed lengths, Ford’s F-150 looks to be a ground breaker. Look for it this fall with specs and pricing to be released closer to launch.