The 2012 Chevrolet Suburban

2012 Chevrolet Suburban. Images courtesy of Chevrolet. 

The 2012 Chevy Suburban offers a cavernous interior that can seat up to nine people, if outfitted with the optional bench seat in the front row. All three rows of seating come with plenty of shoulder, hip and legroom that can accommodate even tall adults. LTZ models come with bucket seats for the first two rows, meaning the Suburban can only seat seven occupants. The rear cargo area is humongous with 137 total cubic feet that can hold even larger pieces of furniture, outclassing other full-size SUVs.

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. Images courtesy of Chevrolet.

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe is a traditional full-size SUV, complete with a box-frame construction like Chevy’s Silverado pickup truck. Because of its design, the Tahoe is just as comfortable ambling down freeways or city streets as it is trudging through muddy or snow off-road trails. Occupants enjoy a taller ride-height than in crossover vehicles or minivans. Still, the Tahoe offers a very smooth ride and plenty of comforts that will make occupants forget they are riding in a truck.

The 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser. Images courtesy of Toyota.

Shopping for used cars can be a frustrating process, which is why I'm beginning to offer some information on different models. If you're in the market for an incredibly capable and luxurious SUV, you can't really go wrong with the Toyota Land Cruiser (assuming it fits into your budget).

The 2012 Ford Escape

The 2012 Ford Escape represents the American automaker’s compact crossover, providing a small and maneuverable vehicle that also packs the utility of much larger SUVs. With the proper equipment, the Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds. The Escape comes with both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive to handle inclement weather or curvy roads.

The 2012 Toyota 4Runner

When it comes to the 2012 4Runner, Toyota offers an SUV with serious off-road capabilities. The vehicle’s body-on-frame construction is something of a rarity in today’s world where more and more SUVs are becoming increasingly car-like. Toyota further bolsters the 4Runner’s ability to tackle heavy snow, mud and small bodies of water by outfitting it with a traction control system designed for off-road conditions, skid plates, a full-size spare tire, hill-descent and hill-hold assistance systems, off-road tires and locking differentials. Trail and Limited models come with a suspension system that can disconnect the front and rear stabilizer bars to handle especially tricky off-road conditions.

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque

2012 marks the first model year for Land Rover’s new Range Rover Evoque crossover SUV. Size-wise, the Evoque sits between the LR4 and the LR2. Even though the Evoque shares a chassis with the LR2, its longer body makes it a larger vehicle. The Evoque is designed to offer a friendlier city driving experience than provided by other Land Rovers—a brand that is known for its excellent off-road vehicles.

Dangerous River Crossings

Image courtesy of Land Rover

River crossings can be pretty dangerous, especially if you don't know what you're doing. I've crossed countless rivers in vehicles, but fortunately none of those instances involved some reckless moron who doesn't understand the basic tenets of physics.

Use Your 4WD or Lose It

Photo courtesy of Toyota.

Winter is coming, and that means people who live in snow-prone areas like here turn their attention to the SUV or pickup truck they neglected during the warm summer months. I say neglected because not driving your four-wheel drive vehicle all summer is actually shortening the life of the driveline, which can in turn lead to some pretty expensive repairs.

Let's All Hate on the New Cadillac Escalade!

Images courtesy Cadillac

In case you're living under a rock and didn't get hit by the media firestorm, Cadillac is showing off the next generation of the Escalade SUV, which will be a 2015 model. I've actually had a pulse on this one for a while, not because I'm a big Cadillac fan, but because it's an important model in the automotive industry. After all, this truck will star in no less than 577 rap videos, usually with 28-inch chrome spinners installed.

What Whiny Porsche Fans Can Learn From Saab

2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Photo courtesy Porsche Cars North America

If there's one thing in life I hate more than anything it's whiners. We all know people who are never satisfied with anything, who always pine after "the good ol' days" when everything was obviously so incredibly superior and who find fault in so much that surrounds them. Sadly there are many Porsche fans who fall into the whiner category.

Why Wagons are Better Than Sedans and Crossovers

2013 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. Image Courtesy General Motors.

Before I started having kids I thought sedans and coupes were the only vehicles to own and drive. I was amazed that having one kid filled up part of the backseat and most of the trunk of our sedan, which seemed so big before. When we had a second baby it became apparent to me that we needed something with much more cargo space. We looked at SUVs, crossovers and minivans, but that performance hunger screamed when I drove those other vehicles. Many of those larger vehicles made me feel like I was literally driving the short bus. They took forever to stop (because of their high curb weight and wimpy brake systems), many had significant body roll and some even felt as if they would topple over with each right turn made. Crossovers were new then and were billed as a great SUV alternative, but one look at their puny cargo and third row space made me laugh.