The little car company that could, amid a sea of bigger and more dominant competitors, Mazda always has an uphill battle when battling for market share.

But when I drive their vehicles, I often wonder why. The experience they offer is among the best I’ve found after testing vehicles from all continents and in all classes.

Among the company’s more enjoyable offerings is the compact Mazda3 sedan, which I recently got the chance to test, and I’m back with a full report of where it stands in the grand scheme of small cars (a busy group that includes the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus and Honda Civic).

SUVs may be all the rage now, but Chevrolet was well ahead of its time more than 80 years ago, when it introduced the 1935 “Carryall Suburban” vehicle, which must have felt tremendously out of place among the vehicles of its day with its longer wheelbase.

The nameplate is still going strong (the longest one in the business in fact) and I recently spent some time in much more recent version of the mark -- the 2017 Chevy Suburban.
With a limited number of full-size truck-based SUV competitors (Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada), plus a few that fall within the GM lineup (GMC Yukon and Yukon XL; Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade), the Suburban does quite well in this segment.

But the real question with this type of vehicle is -- who really needs it? I’m here to answer that question.

The Dodge Durango hasn’t undergone a major change in design for several years. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

It knows what it is (a boldly designed and powerful family hauler) and what it wants to do (provide a unique offering in a sea of three-row SUVs that can at times seem very generic), so there’s little reason to reinvent the wheel at this juncture.

Related in platform to Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Durango is a good mix of a powerful ride and a comfortable one -- a three-row SUV that you can be proud of. I recently spent some time in a Durango and here is a full report.

All automakers evolve, and the Range Rover Evoque is proof of that.

While the heritage of the Land Rover brand is the Range Rover -- a large and fully off-road capable vehicle -- the automaker was keen to expand their reach, so the smaller and more city-focused Evoque was born several years back. I recently tested the latest iteration of of the Evoque model, a 2017 Range Rover Evoque HSE, and I’m back with a full report.

LOOKS

Plain or boring are words that will never be used to describe the Range Rover Evoque (or any Land Rover vehicle in fact). No other vehicle looks quite like it, though some do try to copy in various ways.

The simplest way to put it is that the Evoque is one of the best-looking rides you’ll see on the roadways, especially when compared to other vehicles of a similar size. I heard more positive comments toward this vehicle’s design than I had heard in a long time about any vehicle. There’s something about it that just stands out.

BMW is not a name people take lightly. This is an auto company with a century of history, and a reputation that it must uphold.

One of their most popular vehicles in their midsize 5-series sedan, which has been redesigned for the 2017 model year to be more powerful and lighter. I recently spent some time in a 2017 BMW 530i xDrive sedan, and I’m back to let you know if it lives up to the company’s lofty name.

My first thought: Another hybrid? Do we really need that?

But wait. This one looks different …  It’s a crossover, has decent passenger room and actually has a little speed. And it’s affordable.

Okay, Let’s talk about it.

The Kia Niro is the vehicle in question here. As Kia and Hyundai make an increased push in the green car market, they have unveiled some new models for 2017, and the Niro is one of the bigger launches (along with the Hyundai Ioniq). I recently spent some time in a Niro and I’m back with a full report.

1. STRONG FUEL ECONOMY

This is the key to a successful hybrid. If it’s not there, they won’t sell.

The numbers are in, and they are impressive: I averaged 48.6 mpg during my time in the Niro.
Official numbers are 49 highway, 52 city, 50 combined -- and I’m sure those can be met or beaten if you drive the vehicle with the goal of maximizing that number.

It is worth noting that the mpg numbers shrink a bit on top trim level of the Niro (40 city/46 highway on the Touring model).

The word wagon may as well be on the extinction list, as it’s growing increasingly rare to see them on the road these days in the sea of SUVs that dominate family car buying in the U.S.A.

But fear not, wagon lovers: Volvo hasn’t forgotten about you. They continue their long wagon tradition with the Volvo V60, which also comes in a Cross Country version that I was able to spend some time in recently. Here’s my full report on what this unique vehicle offers.