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2024 Ford Maverick XLT FX4

5-03-24 Featured Vehicle By Rich Taber A few weeks ago, we, here at RPM News Weekly, reported on the 2023 Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid. Other than the obvious hybrid distinction, it has a lot in common with the gasoline EcoBoost powered XLT model. Even so, the XLT FX4 variant of this compact pickup offers one particularly significant difference that's not as apparent as the flashy FX4 decals adorning its hind quarters. You'll have to get underneath the truck, or poke your head around the wheel wells to get a glimpse. We're talking about the suspension of course. If you run…

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2024 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line V6 AWD

4-19-24 Featured Vehicle Perhaps you've noticed a lot more of the Kia Telluride on the roads these days. It's not surprising. Having won a slew of Best Family Car awards this year has not only driven sales, but it also accounts for the many things Kia has done right with their full lineup of vehicles. We here at RPM News Weekly had the opportunity to take the 2024 Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line edition for a weeklong test drive. Our colleagues in the automotive press have certainly gotten it right to award this vehicle. The Telluride clearly has a bounty to offer…

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2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum 4WD

4-12-24 Featured Vehicle Just about a month ago the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was featured on our weekly Rick'sTech Talk podcast. At that time we had no in-house photos of the vehicle to present to our viewers. Now we do. Please enjoy our slide show of this surprisingly agile new entry in the brawny SUV class. Our chosen location for the exterior shoot was the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. This old New England whaling city once provided the world with the cleanest burning lamp oil money could buy. Fortunes change but the evidence of the wealth that once flowed…

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2023 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge AWD Ultimate Black Edition

4-05-24 Featured Vehicle Luxury can be a peculiar commodity – partly perception, bordering on extravagance, but with a whole lot of expensive necessities. The 2023 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge AWD Ultimate Black Edition just might qualify as a perfect example of this. If anything, our week-long test drive of the PHEV convinced us that this five-passenger sedan's Scandinavian upbringing remains intact in its restrained elegance, explosive performance and impeccable niceties. We're not sure that anyone shops for Volvo looking for the ultimate luxury sport sedan. Nevertheless, the S60 T8 Recharge certainly has the power and speed to fit the requirements…

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2024 New York International Auto Show Highlights: Polestar Lineup

It seems like tough times for EVs right now, at least that's what many in mainstream media appear to want you to think at the moment. The reality is that the EV market share is still growing, maybe not as fast as predicted, but the number of EVs on the road is steadily increasing. Like the EV market as a whole, the premium-focused Polestar EV lineup is also expanding, and this week the brand shows off its latest EV at the 2024 New York International Auto Show – the Polestar 4, a model that has clearly set itself to rival…

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Ford Maverick Just Right For The Log Haul

By Rich Taber A week with the 2023 Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid proved that sometimes you don't need a full-size pickup to do work like hauling a bunch of logs out of your yard. RPM News Weekly co-founder Rich Taber made short work of the job as seen in this video. https://youtu.be/Wt9hL2pM6NU?si=W_v0x2MuA-aLCkzx Sure, the Maverick Hybrid is no monster with its gas/electric hybrid system netting a modest 191 horsepower, but if you're not into macho chest beating and you don’t have a 30-foot yacht to tow, it’ll do fine. The bed is just right for hauling a pile of wood…

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