RANGE ROVER VELAR:- WHAT MAKES IT THE MOST INNOVATIVE SUV IN 2018.

RANGE ROVER VELAR

The Velar’s bloodline is unmistakable. A floating roof, an unbroken waistline, and rounded corners culminate in a tidy rear featuring nearly vertical cutlines from the roof to the bumper. Careful review permits us to be reasonably sure the Velar is one and the same as the camouflaged Range Rover Sport Coupe spy shots that have been circulating for some time. The rakish sliding panoramic glass roof is standard across the Velar line. So maybe it’s not as radical a departure into the depths of SUV coupledom as, say, the BMW X4 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe; we respect Land Rover for resisting the urge to go full “coupe” on the Velar.

The Velar is a beautifully designed and mostly finely wrought car. It will sell well to the growing number of affluent urbanites who want a stand out suv. They will buy it, probably love it and get covetous glances from neighbors, other road users and the fashion conscious . They will enjoy exploring the wonders hidden in the touchscreen menus and showing them off to friends.

Perhaps the Velar’s greatest trick is that it doesn't sacrifice practicality on the altar of style. Although the interior isn't as cavernous as the Velar’s exterior dimensions suggest, it is useful and roomy. Thanks in part to the ample rear overhang, there is a class-leading 34 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second-row seats. And Land Rover even cleverly installs a switch in the cargo area for lowering the air suspension (on models so equipped), helping to mitigate the Velar’s somewhat high lift-over height.

Infotainment teething issues aside, the Velar is successful at its mission of feeling like a true luxury good;  

2017 Audi Q7

Audi has had plenty of time to get this one right: The four-ringed brand’s engineering team began to work on the second-generation Q7 SUV as early as 2009. And even then, the original was already four years old. Shown first as thePikes Peak concept in January 2003, the production version bowed in 2005.

There are valid reasons why it took Audi six years to get the successor to market. During that period, Audi switched its development chief twice, and in both cases the car was thoroughly re-examined. Moreover, the new 2017 Audi Q7 is the pilot vehicle for the second-generation MLB architecture, which is very important for the VW Group—it serves as the basis for many future models from Audi, VW, Bentley, and Porsche. "The new Q7 needs to make a clean production launch," says R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg. And there is another explanation: With more than 500,000 units sold worldwide, the previous model has been so successful that Audi was in no big hurry to replace it.

2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin-Engine AWD Plug-In Hybrid

Volvo doesn’t actually convert a finished XC90 into a T8 Twin-Engine Plug-in Hybrid. There is no team of Swedish robots ripping out Haldex hardware to make way for the 9.2-kWh battery pack that gets bolted into the driveshaft tunnel. Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture was designed from the start to accommodate the rear-mounted 87-hp AC motor that differentiates the T8 from other XC90 models. Volvo calls this version “Twin-Engine” because it retains the 316-hp turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder that powers the T6. But the T8 in fact has a third power source, a 46-hp electric motor that sits between the gas engine and the XC90’s eight-speed automatic trans axle. Total system output is 400 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque.

In electric mode, the T8 operates as a rear-driver, and if you go easy on the accelerator, you can travel up to 13 miles before the gas engine kicks in. At other times, only its front wheels are driven, and selecting the battery-saving mode will force the T8 to use the gas engine to recharge the battery, adding about five miles of electric range. You can also lock it into four-wheel drive or select the power mode, which keeps the rear electric motor engaged and ramps up the gas engine’s throttle response.

The lithium-ion battery has its own coolant circuit, while an electric immersion heater warms the other coolant loop to heat the cabin when the T8 is not burning hydrocarbons. Both electric motors are capable of recharging the ­battery during deceleration or when sending torque to the wheels.

Volvo has managed to package all of this in the same envelope as conventional XC90 models without intruding on the cabin, cargo hold, or third row, or diminishing the 5000-pound towing capacity.

Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe car review.

The growth of the Mercedes-AMG sub-brand shows no sign of slowing, and the next model to enter the stable is the GLC43 coupe, a derivative of the Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe. The GLC43 coupe was almost a no-brainer, as it can be spun up quickly from the mechanically similar and conventionally bodied Mercedes-AMG GLC43.

The GLC43 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 tuned to make 362 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 384 lb-ft of torque from 2500 to 4500 rpm. The power is channeled to all wheels through a nine-speed torque-converter automatic that’s programmed to deliver quicker shifts than in non-AMG models. AMG also has tweaked the all-wheel-drive system to operate with a 31:69 front-to-rear torque split, which is more rear biased than on regular Mercedes-Benzes.

The GLC coupe already has a capable chassis, one that AMG has reworked for 43 duty, including a stiffer suspension that promises less body roll and improved cornering capabilities. The steering, if the other variants of the GLC are a template, ought to feel direct and responsive. The standard wheels are 20-inch pieces wearing 255/45 front and 285/40 rear tires. Twenty-one-inch wheels are optional. The brakes also have been upgraded, and the Sport and Sport+ modes that control throttle response, suspension, and steering have been made more aggressive.

2017 Honda Ridgeline AWD car review.

The Ridgeline also comes with only one engine, a 3.5-liter V-6 paired to a six-speed automatic (the Pilot’s nine-speed gearbox is not available here). But we might argue that it doesn’t need another one. Honda’s V-6 makes 280 horsepower, versus 250 previously, and 262 lb-ft of torque, up from 247. Those 280 horses put it mid-pack in this group (with the GM twins on the high side, at 305 with their V-6, and the Frontier on the low end, at 261); Honda’s peak torque is the lowest, but not by much, trailing the Toyota and GM V-6s by less than 10 lb-ft, the Nissan by 19.

At the test track, however, all of that was academic. The Ridgeline blasted to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.2 at 93 mph. That smokes the Tacoma, which laid down a 7.9-second zero-to-60-mph time and a 16.1-second quarter-mile at 91 mph in our most recent test of a V-6 Limited 4x4. The Honda also was a full second quicker than the more powerful Colorado to 60 mph, and beat it in the quarter-mile as well. Subjectively, though, the Honda doesn’t always feel particularly muscular. Driving up gentle grades, you have to get your foot well into the throttle before there’s a downshift, giving the impression that the Ridgeline struggles to maintain speed. But mash the gas—when, say, jumping out into fast-moving traffic—and the Ridgeline roars ahead.

The Ridgeline also leads the field in its roster of available active-safety features, with adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, and blind-spot warning. All of those, however, are reserved for the RTL-E and Black Edition. During our time with the Ridgeline, the forward-collision warning had a couple of freak-outs, with especially curvy roads triggering false alarms from oncoming traffic.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE400 4MATIC.

This year, the GLE400 4MATIC gets Mercedes’ 329-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6. The new engine helps the GLE drive, feel, and look more like a real, honest-to-Stuttgart Mercedes than any M-class ever did. That’s true even though it’s assembled, as the ML always has been, at a plant near Vance, Alabama. “More like,” however, isn’t the same as “is.” This refreshed Mercedes still doesn’t seem to have its whole heart in this market segment.

The renaming wasn’t particular to this model but part of a larger scheme to establish a rough harmony between Benz’s traditional sedan and SUV lines. Basically, the SUVs are now branded as GL, with the third letter indicating each model’s position in the size hierarchy. So the GLE is bracketed between the smaller GLA and GLC (previously the GLK) and the larger GLS (formerly the GL). And, no surprise, the GLE400’s twin-turbo V-6 also is offered in the E-class sedan and seems destined to spread throughout the M-B range as a fuel-stingier alternative to V-8s. In the GLE range, as in the sedan, this V-6 supplants a 402-hp turbocharged V-8 model, which used to be called the ML550.

Naturally, this V-6 hits all the expected technical highlights: It’s direct injected, has variable valve timing, and is tuned to keep engine speeds low for better fuel economy (the EPA city rating rises 4 mpg over that of the former V-8, while the highway number increases by 3 mpg). Compared with the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 used in the GLE350, it has a shorter crank stroke and smaller cylinder bores. And it runs a 10.5:1 compression ratio, relatively high for a turbocharged engine.

2017 Infiniti QX30 AWD car review

Infiniti has mitigated its capital risk in developing an entry to a trendy segment by borrowing much of the all-new QX30 from Mercedes-Benz, which offered up the platform and powertrain it uses for its own GLA-class crossover. The QX30, tested here in its top Premium AWD trim level, borrows from the Benz its chassis architecture, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, along with smaller pieces such as the door-mounted seat controls and the key fob.

Most of us drive most of our miles alone, so the comfort of the folks in the back seat is usually secondary to a car’s prowess on the road. There, the QX30 delivers a solid but uninspiring performance. The 208-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 258 lb-ft of torque feels strong enough and doesn’t run and hide during full-throttle acceleration, but turbo lag is evident, and the QX30 lacked the midrange grunt that one usually finds with turbocharged engines. A zero-to-60-mph time of 6.6 seconds is respectable but somewhat perplexing when compared with the 6.1-second sprint we recorded in a Mercedes-Benz GLA250 with a similar curb weight and equipped with an identical powertrain. It may be that Infiniti applied its own distinct tuning to the throttle and transmission programming; the Infiniti just doesn’t launch with the same verve as the Mercedes does.

Infiniti also put its own spin on the suspension and steering tuning, but its handling doesn’t stand out, either. The steering feels direct and accurate, but it’s too light for our tastes, and some editors noted torque steer despite our model’s all-wheel-drive setup. Moderate understeer and lots of body roll when maneuvering make this tall hatch feel like a much bigger crossover in the worst way, and its harsh ride is an unwelcome trait in a luxury-brand vehicle. With 0.83 g of lateral grip, the QX30 is in the same neighborhood as its competitive set—but on the wrong side of the tracks. The GLA250 was at 0.84 g, the X1 grips the road to the tune of 0.87 g, and the Audi Q3 recorded 0.88 g.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 car review

The GLA250 4MATIC starts at a reasonable $35,425, but approaching the options sheet with a heavy hand can quickly burn through another $10,000. Our test car came equipped with the $2300 Sport package (19-inch wheels, cross-drilled front brakes with painted calipers, AMG body-styling bits), a $460 backup camera, a much-needed $550 blind-spot monitor, the $1480 panoramic sunroof, Apple CarPlay for $350, Mountain Grey Metallic paint for $720, and a neat, if slightly gimmicky, illuminated star logo for the grille ($550). The grand total of $41,975 is a bit steep for something this size, but it’s not really bad by class standards. Comparably equipped, the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1 can cost more, and an Infiniti QX30 we tested recently, which shares the GLA250’s platform and engine, rang up a $43,700 tab.

Under the hood is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 208 horsepower. It’s eager to play, as long as you use the paddle shifters for the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to keep the boost up. When the vehicle is driven hard, the transmission is a willing partner, snapping off quick and smooth shifts. Mercedes-Benz claims that the GLA250 with 4MATIC all-wheel drive (a front-drive version is available) can run to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, but we easily bested that figure using the car’s launch-control function to get to 60 mph in 6.1. 

The GLA250 shares its platform with the CLA-class, which means steering that’s light and precise, if withholding of feedback. This Mercedes-Benz is a competent handler, despite some understeer at the limit, with body motions that are well controlled. But the same suspension that keeps cornering attitudes relatively flat might simply feel too stiff for many. That the GLA250 is so eager to abandon its SUV aspirations (and marketing) and try its hand at being a sporty hatch makes it endearing.