I have high expectations of Audi vehicles.

From the time I first stepped into one years ago, they have impressed me highly, so any step down in new models will be noticed. As the saying goes, getting to the top is hard, but staying up there is harder once the standard is set.

I recently tested a 2017 Audi A6, the luxury automaker’s mid-size sedan entry, and I’m back with a full report on my experience.

Compact cars may be a smaller part of the sales pie than they used to be, but they’re not going away. Chevy knows this, and are doing what they can to keep the Cruze up-to-date in this extremely competitive segment.

One thing they were lacking was a hatchback option on the Cruze. While they long ago offered a hatch overseas on the Cruze, it’s just now coming to the U.S., having debuted with the 2017 model. I recently tested one out and I’m back with a full report.

“Car guys” dislike vehicles like the Honda Civic for the most part, because they are pretty boring in the grand scheme of things, unless you go for the tricked-out versions.

But boring is safe, and boring is reliable, and boring is fuel-efficient. So boring is very attractive to the masses who don’t care about super-sporty motors and flashy colors and designs -- as evidenced by the countless grandmas and neighbors and cousins of yours who probably own a Civic.

I recently spent some time in 2017 Civic sedan, and I’m back with a report about which side of that argument I fall on.

While it was gone from the market for a couple of years, the Honda Ridgeline wasn’t quite about to disappear. Instead, it got a major revamp, and the result is the 2017 Ridgeline -- a freshly updated and strong competitor in the newly resurgent category of small trucks.

I recently spent some time in a Ridgeline and here's my take on the experience.

Volkswagen is primarily known for its cars -- the Jetta, Passat, Beetle, etc. -- and that’s the first image of a VW most people will get in your head.

But the folks in the front office are thinking about SUVs and how to boost their stake in that ever-growing segment of the auto industry. Later this spring, the three-row VW Atlas will debut, and will be the largest SUV in the lineup. Until the Atlas debuts, the two-row luxury-lite Touareg SUV is the largest VW has to offer, and I recently spent some time in one.