That’s a sizeable step for a manufacturer whose largest current SUV already has three rows of seats.

The newcomer should give Acura more room to compete with vehicles such as the Lexus TX, particularly among families who regularly travel with six or seven passengers and their luggage.

An extra seat sounds useful, but the real test will be space in the third row. Getting adults comfortably into the back of a large SUV isn’t always as easy as the exterior dimensions suggest.

Acura hasn’t disclosed the new model’s measurements, engine options or price. Those details will tell us considerably more about its prospects than the seating capacity alone.

The second SUV is rather different.

Acura wants to enter the adventure-oriented market with a vehicle expected in early 2028. It’s a segment where appearance and actual capability don’t always go together.

Plenty of SUVs look ready for a mountain trail. Far fewer have the ground clearance, tyres and drivetrain needed to tackle one confidently.

Acura hasn’t explained exactly where its new model will fall between those extremes.

There is some history here. During the 1990s, the company sold the SLX, a rebadged Isuzu Trooper that offered more traditional off-road credentials than today’s typical luxury crossover.

Whether the upcoming SUV follows anything like that formula is still unknown.

Then there’s the RDX.

Unlike the other two projects, Acura doesn’t need to introduce customers to this nameplate. The compact luxury SUV already occupies an established place in the range, and a fourth generation is being developed.

The important change concerns its powertrain.

Acura plans to use a two-motor hybrid system based on Honda technology. For drivers who want better fuel economy without depending on charging stations, that could be a worthwhile addition.

It also gives Acura another option in a market where buyers aren’t all moving towards electric vehicles at the same pace.

Separately, the manufacturer is developing a performance-oriented V6 hybrid system for fut

The seats are fantastic. Well bolstered, and situated high up, they can give you a commanding view of the road ahead, clearly one of the biggest advantages of this full-size Rover. You become king of the highway. Those flat door sills also act as throne-like armrests too, along with the center fold-down armrest as they have on minivans, doing their best to mimic your living room couch. Land Rover has also listened to customer feedback and has upgraded the massaging seats. Before they were more of slight inflation and deflation of the bolsters – most of the time you forget they were even there. But now it’s a full-on kneading massage that you can actually feel through your spine. There are a few different massage modes to choose from too, each of them potent enough to prevent deep vein thrombosis – okay maybe an exaggeration. Still, you can set the system to automatically turn on within five-minute intervals of vehicle ignition as well – talk about the first-class service.

Now onto some ergonomic quibbles. The Range Rover adopts all those capacitive-touch glossy buttons from the Velar, which are integrated into the steering wheel, memory seat buttons, and door mirror buttons. They are fancy, sleek, and definitely more modern looking, but they no longer have grooves for me to feel where the buttons are. That means every time I want to change the song, I have to take my eyes off the road and look. That goes for the new dual 10-inch touchscreens as well. They do leave a physical volume and temperature dial (when clicked, it also commands the heated and massage seats) though, so there’s that. The head-up display was large and displayed crisp graphics too, making it easy to follow navigation prompts. Voice command further remedies these complaints.

The full-size Rover with the V8 is a proud and effective partner, and it’s going to be hard to top. Sure the turbodiesel would have been the better option, but the V8 offers limitless torque and enough horsepower to pass every speed limit in the country without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, the cosseting massage seats, excessive cargo space, and commanding driving position, make this Range Rover the ideal chariot for long-distance adventures.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Russian gangster or a Russian gangster wannabe, the G-Class commands a kind of road presence and fan following that does not step into the shadow of any other SUV. It has a galvanizing personality, old-world charm, and there’s undeniable character. Frankly, it’s an SUV that you either love or you hate. Lovers will swoon every time they hear those rifle-bolt latching doors, citing that it hits that mysterious and mythical G-Wagen-spot. Haters will say that a 50.000 USD Jeep can do the same job, but better and cheaper. They’re not wrong, but there’s certainly no DMZ separating the two camps either.

The revisions to the G 63 were substantial enough in 2019 to carry over unchanged for 2020. Those changes included swelling in both length and width, increasing interior volume, along with a 170 kg weight loss. There are new LED headlights, front grill design, and a stainless steel brush guard that is mounted differently on the G 550 (in front of the grill) and G 63 AMG (below the grill) as to not obstruct the 360-degree camera’s view. AMG models get that new vertical-slat Panamericana grill, a different front fender, wider wheel arches, side-exit exhausts running under each rear door’s running board, and a host of unique wheels. I would probably wet my pants if I saw one approaching me in the rearview mirror – it makes the sedated GLS look like melted ice cream.

Inside you will find a Jeep-like upright windshield, shallow dashboard, grab handle on the passenger-side dashboard, and three differential lock buttons located front and center. The G 63 AMG receives all the trimmings with a new steering wheel, dual 12.3-inch infotainment units stretching the dashboard width, and a beautiful marriage of carbon fiber, metal, and soft leather. You can add those little driver toggles budding out the steering wheel much like the GT 4-Door, but personally I would leave that box unchecked. While convenient especially when Sport+ mode is needed for those last-minute overtakes, the buttons themselves feel exceptionally low-rent, they aren’t fixated to the wheel with the same solidity as other panels in the interior, and they squeak under operation like those old Hasbro action figures.

BMW has unleashed their hardcore compact SUVs in two variants, the X3 M (82.700 USD) and X4 M (84.300 USD), the former being the more traditional SUV with a boxy roofline and more conventional liftgate, while the latter is the sportier coupe variant with a sloping roofline. To make things even more confusing, you can spend an extra 10.300 USD for the Competition variant that adds even more horsepower, track capability, and street cred to the mix.

On the outside and much like its competitors, it can be terribly difficult differentiating the X3 M from its lower X3 compatriots. That said, there are a few standout features, like the quad exhausts, signature C-shaped side mirrors, flared up fender vents, exclusive Donington Grey and Toronto Red paint colors, and of course, the liberal slab of M badges. Other than that, it’s fairly standard X3 fare. The interior follows a similar mojo, and retains what makes the X3 such an ergonomic and soundly designed affair, just with a bit of sporting M flair on the exquisitely quilted two-tone leather seats, beefy steering wheel, M colored seat belts, unique digital displays, and a new gear shifter that operates much like the current M3 example but now with an actual Park button.

On paper, you may notice that some SUVs in this class are hoarding massive V8 engines that produce silly boatloads of power, like the Jaguar F-Pace SVR (550 hp), and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S (also 503 hp), but just because the X3 M lacks two cylinders and a fair bit of displacement does not mean it’s not up to snuff. Surely, its 503 hp in Competition guise isn’t all for naught. And the S58 does not disappoint. It’s a sweetheart of an engine and the inherent balance and high-revving nature make the X3 M such a wild and sonorous street weapon. Simply mash the gas pedal in Sport Plus Mode and hold on tight. For an SUV to accelerate this quickly and offer such a ferocious kickback to the seat is nothing short of impressive. The engine peaks at a scintillating 7,200 rpm too and the tachometer on the head-up display will ensure you don’t forget to shift.

Upfront is the V-Motion grille, a hallmark of Nissan’s contemporary design, as well as boomerang-shaped, LED daytime running lights. Its silhouette also draws prompts from its siblings, including a waistline that kicks up high at the C-pillar and a floating roof effect. Certainly from a looks perspective, the Kicks comes out ahead of the Juke, whose bulbous fenders and rounded rear hatch looked more like a squatting frog than an actual automobile.

Owners can express their personalities through the many exterior colors (and their names) including two-tone options like Fresh Powder with Deep Blue Pearl. My test vehicle was the top-trim SR model draped in two-tone Cayenne Red with Super Black. Inside ruins some of the vibe with charcoal being the only color available. SR models also receive orange contrast stitching, contoured prima-tex seating, and a pleather dash to break up the monotony of the black surfaces.

Fit and finish stand on par with a vehicle of this caliber, and I like the presence of different textures found throughout. While the leather-wrapped steering wheel felt particularly thin, the combination of orange contrast stitching and the D-shaped wheel provides a sporting flair. Trunk space is a standout feature, managing a cavernous 716 liters with the seats up and over 1,500 liters with them down, and almost best-in-class showing just behind the Honda HR-V. One unexpected annoyance, however, is the lack of fold-flat rear seats, and the trunk floor dips lower than the seat cushions, which can make loading large objects cumbersome.

By and large, Nissan has done a great job with the Kicks and among its immediate competitors, demonstrates good value. At an as-tested price of 24.903 USD, our loaded SR model comes just a thousand dollars less than the mid-range Mazda CX-3, and well under the 26.000 USD starting price of the Honda HR-V. Yes, the Mazda comes with more gruff from its larger engine, and the HR-V bests the Kicks’ storage capacity (only just), but the Kicks straddles a fine line between price and street performance, offering what most young audiences will want in a small urban SUV. Either way, you slice it, the Kicks kicks ass.

Nissan’s familial V-motion grille is present and is flanked by a pair of LED boomerang-shaped headlights, giving the SUV a handsome chiseled front fascia. Its silhouette lacks the floating roof design found in almost every other Nissan but the profile is set off by attractive 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels that resemble a windmill in motion. Draped in a clean and safe shade of Pearl White metallic paint, this specific Qashqai doesn’t represent the playful side of its color palette which includes unique hues like Monarch Orange, Nitro Lime, and Scarlet Ember.

A particularly anemic 141-hp is produced from the 2.0L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder and it’s routed to the asphalt via an X-Tronic continuously variable transmission (CVT). Put your foot to the floor and the CVT buzzes in protest as it wrings out every Japanese horse available to muster a pass on the highway. Likewise, the steering feels muted and uncommunicative but is very responsive to inputs – an iconic Nissan trait. The chassis also balances a compliant ride without feeling overly damped. What’s important here is that in tight urban environments the Qashqai feels at home: maneuverable, nimble, and just the right size. 

Make no mistake, however, as the Qashqai won’t be the fastest on the block. Though I highly suspect would-be owners would be happy to make the trade-off for the vast number of safety features available. And though both the Kicks and Qashqai come standard with Nissan’s SafetyShield 360 (a suite of safety monitoring systems), the latter can ratchet up the ante with ProPilot Assist, a batch of technologies that enables semi-autonomous driving capabilities.

Base pricing starts at 31.948 USD, while this particular SL model comes equipped with the Platinum package (2.150 USD), adding a 7-speaker premium Bose audio system, LED headlights, fog lights, memory driver seats, and mirrors. The Pearl White metallic paint option adds 300 USD to the sticker for an as-tested price of 34.398 USD, almost 9.500 USD above the sticker price of a loaded Kicks. It may be larger, but the responsive steering makes the vehicle a breeze to plot through tight spaces. If it were my money, the front-driving SV trim would be the sweet spot here, offering just the right number of creature comforts while letting me pocket an extra 2.000 USD over the AWD model.