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
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.
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport AWD
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport AWD Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes. Curiosity for the performance minded or a serious luxury competitor? Now in its 3rd model year, the Stelvio receives a mild freshening for 2020 focusing improvements on the tech side. Though the Quadrofoglio is THE Stelvio to have, it’s understandably too much money for most but that’s OK because if you’re a road less traveled kind of person the mainstream Stelvio models still offer something pleasing and unique to drive. But the Stelvio remains more a curiosity for the performance minded than a serious luxury competitor.
2020 Cadillac CT4 V Series
2020 Cadillac CT4 V Series Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes.
While the auto industry as a whole remains fixated on pumping out more and more SUVs, Cadillac’s showing some love to their car lineup. New names, new engines and a new definition of the letter V, this here is the all-new CT4 V Series.
Much like the AMG-lite models at Mercedes and the midrange M versions at BMW, these new V-Series sedans come with increased output and a host of performance mods to give owners the V look and some V zip without the big V price tag.