2021 LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE TEST DRIVE BY CAR CRITIC STEVE HAMMES. After 2+ decades of driving new cars each week, I admit, you can get pretty jaded. So it’s rarer now that I get really wowed when a car is delivered but that’s happening right now. I mean, just look at this thing. The LC is already a gorgeous car but make it a convertible and paint it red like this and all of a sudden I’m a teenager again at Spencer Gift’s buying the poster because the Lexus LC 500 Convertible is as close as it gets to a rolling piece of art.
the LC is not a sports car…this is a grand tourer in the greatest sense.  This is all about a beautiful autumn day, top down, companion in the passenger seat, neck heater blowing, and the intoxicating sounds of the V8.  The huge 21” wheels and high performance tires ding the ride quality a bit and overall the suspension doesn’t feel as sophisticated as you would like so driving it with verve is more pleasing when the road isn’t too twisty. I love convertibles and the showier the better.  And this Lexus makes for the ideal sunny skies weekender as long as you can handle all of the attention.  

2020 Toyota Prius XLE AWD-e TEST DRIVE BY CAR CRITIC STEVE HAMMES. New for the 2020 model year is a 7” touchscreen on specific trims such as this higher end XLE model, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa integration on all grades as well as putting the Toyota Safety Sense P system in all cars.  The all-wheel drive option comes in 2 trims: LE and like here XLE.  Pricing starts at around $28,000 while this one with the Advanced Technology Package including a heads-up display and swiveling headlamps, checks in at $31,429. So in 2020 is the Prius still relevant?

2021 Volvo V60 Cross Country Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes. Volvo’s smallest and most affordable wagon has recently received the brand’s Cross Country treatment, meaning it rides higher, is driven by all 4 wheels and possesses a look that takes it into crossover territory. Volvo’s styling game is completely on point, particularly with their car lineup and this is one sharp-looking wagon, accentuated by metallic Crystal White paint and optional 19” wheels.  It looks like nothing else on the road and that’s not an easy claim these days.

2020 AUDI Q7 55 REVIEW BY CAR CRITIC STEVE HAMMES. It’s no surprise; Audi sells far more SUVs these days than cars. And its largest has just been updated with modern tech and a new engine. This is the family-friendly, 3-row Audi Q7.
With a starting price of $55,795, admittedly the family has to have some money in the bank, but that being said this is the only Audi with seating for up to 7, standard all-wheel drive and 7,700 pounds max towing. Mine is the top-of-the-line Q7 Prestige, certainly well-equipped but not fully loaded, with an as-tested price of $76,040.

2020 Genesis G90 AWD 3.3T Premium Review By Car Critic Steve Hammes.
Though it left the Hyundai nest 4 years ago, the Genesis brand and its wing-type emblem are still a bit of an enigma. I can tell from the stares that people aren’t quite sure what they’re looking at. And with a thoroughly reworked body and head-turning wheels, the refreshed G90 is a curiosity worthy of attention.
Loaded with modern safety tech with some brief hands-off driving capability, everything on this Genesis G90 AWD 3.3T Premium is standard with a very becoming MSRP of $75,695, especially when you consider the no-cost valet services and Genesis’s 4th consecutive 1st place finish in JD Power’s Initial Quality Study.  If you’re not a slave to the badge, the G90 is a smart alternative to the expensive stalwarts.