The station wagon, once the vehicle most associated with family excursions, is arguably the most overlooked class of vehicles available today.
It doesn’t help that so few wagons are being produced (they make up only 1.4 percent of U.S. auto sales), and the biggest factor in this trend is the 500 SUVs and crossovers that dominate family vehicle buying these days.
But for folks who have SUV fatigue and want some alternative options, a few brands are still in the wagon business. In the luxury realm, the most notable player is Volvo, who offers a couple wagon options in the V90 and V60.
I recently tested a Volvo V60, which was redesigned for the 2019 model year, and I’m back with a full report on what it offers.
Additional Info
- Vehicle 2019 Volvo V60
- Price as tested $61,490 (starts around $40K)
- Best feature Sleek redesign, versatility, safety features
- Rating 4 out of five stars
- Who will want this vehicle? Buyers seeking a luxury ride who also want alternatives to SUVs
When the term luxury vehicle is thrown out, many people automatically envision something far out of the reach of the average car buyer, pushing toward the six-figure price range.
But in reality, on the lower end of the luxury scale are many vehicles that are well within reach for people who don’t fit into the 1 percent class.
With that in mind, Mercedes-Benz introduced an all-new vehicle for 2019, the A-Class (aka the A220). It’s an attempt to draw new and younger buyers to the brand as they battle BMW, Audi, Lexus and other luxury brands for category supremacy.
I recently tested an A-Class and I’m back with a full report on how it measures up.
Additional Info
- Vehicle 2019 Mercedes-Benz A220 sedan
- Price as tested $51,925 (starts around $35K)
- Best feature Driving experience, strong tech features, sharp design
- Rating 4.5 out of five stars
- Who will want this vehicle? Buyers seeking a solid entry-level luxury sedan
Phoenix weekend is done and the final fours are all set. Here’s my predictions on how things will shake out at Homestead next weekend in all three top series.
Trucks:
1. Ross Chastain — Without a doubt, a Ross Chastain championship would be the best feel-good success story of the season in all series. After his 2019 Xfinity plans with Chip Ganassi were derailed by loss of DC Solar sponsorship after an FBI raid, he had to dip down to the Truck series and launch a late campaign with Niece Motorsports to earn enough points to make the playoffs. He did just that, won several races along the way, and now the Melon Man is potentially going to be a champion. Doesn’t get much better than that. I’d say he’s the favorite.
2. Brett Moffitt — Moffitt was last year’s champ with Hattori Racing, and was promptly let go. Thankfully he found a new at GMS pretty quickly, and has impressed in 2019 with four wins. Always a contender up front, Moffitt is Chastain’s biggest competition for the title.
3. Stewart Friesen — Friesen, long overdue for Victory Lane in the Truck series, finally got there in 2019: Twice in fact, including Friday night at Phoenix. It’s very possible that breakout season could end in a title if strategy plays out properly, but even if it doesn’t this has been a career year for Friesen.
4. Matt Crafton — Truck series veteran Crafton snuck into the playoffs on the strength of a strong finish at Phoenix. And while it would be an amazing comeback story if the former champion took the crown again, the reality is he has zero wins in 2019, and only 6 top-5 runs. That’s not exactly promising for his title chances, but if the other contenders run into trouble he could capitalize.
Thoughts as NASCAR leaves Phoenix and heads to Homestead for the 2019 season finale:
— It’s imperative that NASCAR does something with the Cup aero package for shorter tracks before the 2020 season, at least in regard to shorter tracks. They simply can’t have the title race decided by 10 seconds. This was one of the worst races of the season, and we can’t have a repeat of that in 2020 when a championship is being decided at Phoenix.
— There’s a lot of talk about young guns in NASCAR, and there is definitely lots of young talent in the ranks in all three major series. But look at the top ranks in Cup, and what do we see?: An average age of 38.5 among the final four at Homestead. The lesson: For now, experience rules. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron and others will get their shot at the title soon enough. But they’re going to have to get past the veterans to do so, as long as they’re around.
BMW has announced the next step in the evolution of the BMW M2, the M2 CS coupe.
The new high-performance coupe blends racetrack optimization with everyday usability to create the most capable version of M’s smallest model.
Power and torque are listed at 444 hp and 406 lb-ft (preliminary), an increase of 39 hp over the M2 Competition. Newly available, select CFRP body panels and components help reduce weight, lower the center of gravity and improve aerodynamics. Exclusive Carbon Fiber and Alcantara interior trim help set this M2 apart from all previous versions.
The new M2 CS has also been developed side by side with the new M2 CS Racing model, which will be offered by BMW Motorsport as a new entry model into customer racing. BMW M GmbH and BMW Motorsport worked closely together to take the learnings from the M2 street car and from the M4 GT4 customer program and apply them to the new M2 CS Racing model. A level of cooperation which we will see repeated with select limited edition M models in the future.
The 2020 BMW M2 CS Coupe will make its World Debut at Automobility LA on November 20th 2019.
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