The Gran Hotel La Florida sits high on Tibidabo mountain, looking out over the hustle and bustle of Barcelona. From its patios and terraces, 1,700 feet up, you're treated to a completely new perspective on a familiar place. That makes it the perfect location for Land Rover to debut the new 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport, a new take on a classic theme.
The ungenerous might accuse Volvo of masochism. American drivers have shown themselves to be mostly unmoved by the appeal of a capable wagon, and yet the 2020 Volvo V60 Cross Country refuses to give up on the category. Flying in the face of SUVs and crossovers, it's an unexpectedly compelling reminder that sometimes you just don't realize what you're missing out on.
It's easy to get confused by the badging on the 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar Engineered. Once a separate tuning firm for Volvo, Polestar then got bought up and brought in-house, only to be subsequently spun off as a standalone maker of performance-electric cars. Among the details of that final deal are plenty of Volvo parts headed into the upcoming Polestar 1 and Polestar 2, while in return Polestar contributes its know-how for feistier versions in Volvo's range.
It's been five years since the second-generation Volvo XC90 began the wholesale reboot of the automaker's range, and it's fair to say that the 2020 XC90 arrives - refreshed and updated - on a high. The Swedes aren't typically prone to either smugness or boasting, but with Volvo sales in the US up almost 5-percent so far this year, versus the industry as a whole down almost 2-percent over the same period, it's clear they're doing something right.
Out of all the events I had the pleasure of attending at Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach - a week filled with priceless classics, stunning hypercars, and the sort of rarities that give automotive enthusiasts palpitations - I wasn't expecting a bright green electric prototype to be the most memorable. I got a chance to take the VW ID Buggy for a spin, and it's fair to say it left a lasting impression.
Lincoln is taking luxury SUVs seriously, and the 2020 Aviator is fine evidence of that. Bringing another three-row option to the automaker's range, it may be smaller than the Navigator but the new Aviator is no less luxurious. Indeed, with a potent 630 lb-ft of torque to play with in 2020 Aviator Grand Touring Hybrid form, there's an argument to be made that this could be the best example of Lincoln's "American Luxury" yet.
Whatever the name night suggest, you can think of the new Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport as a five-seat alternative to the Atlas. Conceived primarily for the U.S. and Canadian market, it's an example of VW's regional divisions knowing what works for their audience, and the automaker's platforms being flexible enough to drive that understanding right onto dealership forecourts. As I found from behind the wheel of an Atlas Cross Sport prototype, that flexibility comes with pros and cons.
Audi's strategy with the 2019 Q3 SUV may be simple, but it's playing the long game. Give owners a taste of that sweet four-rings goodness, get them hooked, and then turn them into lifelong Audi fans. The compact luxury crossover category represents rich pickings, too, if you can get those first impressions just right.
Considering how fundamental the Escalade has been to Cadillac staying afloat, it's a surprise that the three-row 2020 Cadillac XT6 took so long to arrive. Still, the XT6 may be late to the segment, but the automaker is confident that its combination of comfort and cabin tech will help close the gap.
The 2020 BMW 2-Series is a sprightly little compact coupe. Available with either a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder or inline-six motor driving the front wheels, the 2-Series have always felt like a proper BMW. If there’s one thing that has been holding back the existing 2 Series from its places as the Ultimate Driving Machine of German luxury compacts, it’s the fact it only has been available with two doors. And with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLA looming in the distance, BMW needed a proper compact four-door to stand a chance.
The Bentley Continental GT W12 is the blueprint for a grand tourer. Handsome and effortlessly powerful, it's more than enough car to have you skip the first class cabin and take your next cross-country jaunt into your own hands. What, then, to make of the 2020 Continental GT V8? If you've come looking for compromise then you're on a fool's errand: while the engine may be smaller, the experience for more enthusiastic drivers is a whole lot bigger.
Mercedes-Benz is on an SUV rampage. After unveiling the sleek GLC crossover and GLB compact SUV, we now have the all-new iteration of the full-size GLS-Class SUV. However, this is not my first encounter with Mercedes’ new SUV. The Mercedes-Benz GLS made a splashing debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show and impressed me with its S-Class levels of refinement, build quality, and premium technology.