National Motorists Association Blog

In the 1970s, there was something called the Universal Japanese Motorcycle or UJM. Whether you bought a Honda or a Kawasaki, or a Yamaha, the motorcycle was essentially the same. The air-cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine, spoked wheels, five-speed transmission, and (usually) the same general “stance.” The same is so today concerning crossovers, which are also […]

Sedans are more practical than coupes. The people riding up front don’t have to get out to let people riding in the back get out or get in the car. But coupes look sexier than sedans. How to split the difference? How about a coupe on the driver’s side and a sedan on the other side? Plus crossover room for cargo […]

Subaru’s thing used to be small, rugged cars (sedans and wagons) built to deal with bad roads and poor weather and a 4WD truck or SUV without actually being a truck or SUV. Then trucks—big ones, especially—got popular and more like cars in terms of their on-road civilities and amenities. Also, the big SUVs and crossovers, which emulate them. […]

How far can you stretch a name? The Chevy Blazer was (once-upon-a-time) a full-sized, two-door, truck-based SUV with a removable roof and a V8 engine. Lee Majors drove one in the TV series The Fall Guy. The current Blazer is a five-door hatchback’d crossover with a four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels (with a V6 and AWD optional). […]

Lots of medium-large crossovers offer a third row. Almost all of them offer very little room in that row. It’s the dilemma of room vs. size. The Mercedes GLS is among the few with size and length that has the room you’d otherwise have to buy something bigger (and longer) to get. It’s also got some other things […]