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One of the most difficult questions to answer in the auto industry these days doesn’t involve supercars, luxury cars, or even premium cars. It involves crossovers and SUVs, specifically the question of which is the best of its kind among those priced at a certain cost point. In this case, our cost point is $20,000, which means that a lot of today’s compact crossovers are involved in this difficult, if not impossible, discussion. And like every question posed in this business, answers vary depending on who you ask. In our case, ask us which are the best SUVs under $20,000, and these are our answers.

Buying a brand-new muscle car can be quite expensive, especially if you’re going for the V-8-powered versions of the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, or Dodge Challenger. The same goes if you want a mint-condition classic that stands out of the pack through limited-edition packages or a rare version built in only a handful of examples. However, buying a cool muscle car on the used car market can be more affordable than you think, even if you want an iconic model from the past. Also, opting for a modern, previous-generation model can help if you don’t want to break the bank for a Mustang or a Camaro.

We did a bit of research and came up with ten cool muscle cars that you can buy for $20,000 or less. We rounded up seven classics, including some from the golden era of muscle cars, as well as a few options from the modern era. Check them out below and tell us which one you would buy (and why) in the comments section.

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Can you buy luxury for less than $40k? Consider these seven SUVs produced by companies who are focused on bringing better than average quality, more engaging driving characteristics, and better reliability than others. All of the SUVs here are residing in the compact SUV segment, but that shouldn’t deter you from choosing one of them as each one gives a unique take on what is basically the most popular segment today.

All of the crossovers listed here are of unibody construction, basically taking technology and the driving feel from smaller cars and adapting it for SUV/Crossover lovers. They are the pinnacle of compact SUV design.

When it comes to choosing an SUV, there are a number of different factors to consider. We often talk about power, performance, fuel economy, and design like they matter the most, and while it can be argued that they do, items like towing capacity, cargo space, and payload capacity are just as important as any of them. from 2016 that offer the best of these worlds. You might be surprised at what we found out.

Just the other day I was reading that some teens have given up carjacking because the car they wanted to lift had a manual transmission. First, I thought that they perhaps didn’t know how to drive a car with a manual at all, but then, it hit me. Maybe they gave up the idea of stealing that car because it is much harder to find someone who would actually drive it later.

Now, regardless of my train of thought, I believe that the former is the truth in this very instance. This got me to thinking - how and why is the manual transmission losing the war against automatics? Is it that bad, or are there some dark forces at play here? Why is the manual transmission living on borrowed time?

Finding the right car for you isn’t exactly easy. From horsepower to mpg, interior room to standard equipment, there’s a lot to take in and consider. Of course, doing your homework is critical to finding that perfect ride, and luckily, if you’re looking for something under the $20K-mark, we’ve got you covered right here.

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The Nissan R35 GT-R has been roaming the earth and its darker corners for more than ten years. Considering that the usual life cycle for a car is six or seven years at the most, the R35 GT-R is overdue for a successor. It shows too. The car itself cannot find more than 50 or 60 new buyers each month in the U.S. Things are not looking much better in Japan either, however, Nissan doesn’t seem to be in a rush to reveal a replacement. Latest rumors from the company suggest we will see the next-gen R36 Nissan GT-R sometime in the early 2020s. The car is apparently on the drawing boards, with the engineers now doing their magic to contemplate what the new Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa called “the fastest super sports car in the world.”

Thanks to advancements in fuel economy and somewhat low gas prices (much lower than in Europe, anyway,) the crossover and SUV market is booming at levels similar to that of compact cars during a gas crisis. So far, 2018 has been a big year for crossovers specifically with some big players posting big sales numbers and others surprising us out of nowhere. Sales statistics paint a clear picture of what the people want, but why is it that people want certain models so much more than others? Well, that’s what this list is all about. We’ve plucked sales statistics for crossovers through June of 2018 and will take a better look at each one individually below. Let’s get to it.

So, you only have $15,000 to spend on a car? In most cases, that wouldn’t be enough to get you what you want, but if you’re looking for a no-frills ride that you can maximize with your spending limit, this list of cars gives you lots of options to choose from. Do you want a subcompact car that boasts impressive interior space? How about one that packs more power than you thought? What about a car that has everything you need, or at least everything you think you need at the price you’re willing to pay for it. The cars on this list could be the answer you’re looking for.

Although it’s easy to get lost in the deluge of noise surrounding fully self-driving, electron-powered commuter bubbles, there’s still a strong number of gas-powered sports machines out there to enjoy. And we aren’t talking about six-figure unobtanium supercars either - nope, we’re talking about loads of driving goodness to be had in the far more reasonable $20k to $30k price range. As such, we put together the following list of the 10 Most Affordable Sports Cars on the market today.

Looking over the list, some of you out there will undoubtedly point out how several entries aren’t your typical “sports car,” whether it’s the body style, drivetrain layout, or both. Regardless, every single one of these models comes packed with maximum smiles per miles, and for a lightweight price tag to boot. As such, we’ve included a few hot hatchbacks, a rally car, and a few others that fall outside the traditional sports car spectrum. Of course, there’s plenty of RWD coupes in there as well, so fear not and read on.

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Right now, the car world is swamped with turbocharged engines. This means high specific output per liter of capacity, lots of torque, massive horsepower numbers and incredible specs for the cars equipped with such tech. While trying to figure out how to present the most powerful four-cylinder production cars, I thought of listing them by the highest specific output of the engine. Yet, listing five with 350+ horsepower feels more fun. It is quite incredible to see to what lengths the producers are willing to go in order to convince us that turbocharging and four-cylinder engines are just enough for basically anything, including high-end performance. These five cars with four-cylinder engines have so much power they will make you forget about a V-8.

Only weeks ago I gave you reasons why not to buy an SUV with a 4WD. Now, I will tell you why you should buy one. No, I didn’t have a change of heart, but after reading this you will be completely certain that buying a car/Crossover/SUV with or without 4WD ultimately depends on your driving style, driving needs and conditions you experience on a daily basis.

For a lot of us, buying a car comes with a lot of anxiety, especially when it comes to models that are going to cost a lot of money. But there are some models in the market that provide us with what we want out of a vehicle at costs that aren’t going to burn holes in our pockets. These models can either be attractive, have posh interiors, provide ample amounts of power, or are just fun to drive. In some cases, some cars check off more than just one criteria, though all of them have one common factor among them. They all cost at or less than $35,000.

Have you ever seen a front wheel drive car making a one wheel burnout? You have? Great! That’s the problem many manufacturers have been trying to circumnavigate or completely resolve on FWD cars. Not so much to deter you from making one wheel burnouts, but to make the car corner better and safer with putting down the power to the wheel that actually has some grip. The reason a FWD car (or any car for that matter) tends to send power to the wheel with least grip is the so-called open differential - a system designed to send power to the wheel with 50 percent of power reaching one wheel and 50 percent the other. However, as opposite wheels on cars must spin at different rates (like when cornering), the open differential cannot be locked, thus allowing for some extreme tendencies to send the power through the path of least resistance. Simply said - to the wheels with the least grip. Using this system saves a ton in R&D, the simple design of open differential makes it cheap to produce, and it doesn’t put too much strain on the various drivetrain elements. However, some tend to make fun of open diffs. “They are just like a one-wheel drive.” Is there any truth to this? After all, the power always goes to the wheel with the least resistance.

While an open diff works great in normal conditions (on a surface and in conditions that provide similar grip to both wheels,) more extreme circumstances (cornering fast, driving on slippery surfaces and the like) do limit its effectiveness fast. That is why manufacturers found a number of ways to circumnavigate these problems with mechanical means. Those cars using systems to defeat the limitations of open diffs are usually in the upper echelons of the car world, and I am presenting you nine of them.

I honestly feel that Mercedes-Benz outdid themselves with the latest A-Class Sedan. It is a car so perfectly suited for the compact sedan niche, that I have no doubt the company is going to dominate the market. Even more so than it did when the CLA appeared some time ago.

Ok, the world did receive much the same car, but the market habits of US customers (yours, actually) did make the A-Class sedan slightly different compared to all others. And, If I am to assume, cheaper as well.

So, in short, Americans will buy a lot of A-Class sedans that are better equipped and quicker than in the rest of the world for less money.

Convinced yet?

If you are still wondering why the U.S.-spec A-Class Sedan is one of the best ever, I’ve compiled a list of five reasons for you.

Hot hatches have a major problem on their hands. Perhaps one they will not be able to overcome. Ever. This is the plot:

You are in your late twenties or early thirties, and you want something mad, rowdy, and catchy for yourself, but, as usual, the budget is a bit tight. A hot hatch seems to be the perfect fit for your dream Sunday morning stint in the mountains (or the occasional illegal drag race in the middle of the night down in Mexico.) A lot of “hothatchness” now resides in the 300 horsepower range, can hit 60 mph in low 5 sec (some even quicker) and have features with strange names like torque vectoring, damper control, dual-axis struts, and titanium exhausts.

Perfect!

You’ll buy one and be happy for a short while. However, after you actually find out that you simply do not have the time to visit twisties in the mountains (or will ever go down to Mexico, for that matter,) a strange thing will happen. The Audi SQ5 diesel SUV with a mildly reprogrammed ECU will line up next to you. Behind its wheel sits a middle-aged man with a smirk on his face, eager to impress whoever sits next to him. Your hatch and your heart are ready to rumble.

Launch control on, sweaty palms on the steering wheel, and eyes on the traffic light.

Let’s go!

Plot twist:

The black diesel SQ5 TDI SUV will smoke you, literally and figuratively. You’ll try to reason with the situation driving in your hot hatch with massive exhausts, shouty spoilers, and red paint job, but deep down you will have one thought, and one thought only - “WTF am I doing with my life?”

Do you not think this is a problem? Just take a look at how many overpowered SUVs are sold every year!

Now, this may not be the only reason why hot hatches are going overboard with power, technology, and, ultimately, price, but it is a part of it. Apart from being fast, they need to be cool or incredible in some [expensive] way and offer something more than just being fast.

These are all hot hatches with engines developing 300 horsepower or more. They were all made to liven up your life before someone with an SQ5, or its likeness takes it away from you in 5 seconds. Or less.

Revealed at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Maserati Levante GTS showed that Maser knows a thing or two about making really fast luxurious cars. SUVs or not. It does not matter to them. The new car features a Ferrari-built 3.8-liter, turbocharged, V-8 with 542 horsepower, can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, and it can hit a top speed of 181 mph. It is the supercar of SUVs. Or as Maserati would put it, the new Levante GTS is the Maserati of SUVs. I like this one better.

While this sounds really impressive, this is not the first time that Maserati smashed a Ferrari V-8 into the Levante. Only a few months ago, the Italian company revealed the Maserati Levante Trofeo with the same V-8 only tuned up to 590 horsepower. That one is a tad faster, a tad meaner, and $50,000 more expensive. Why in hell is the Levante Trofeo so much more expensive than the Levante GTS that is priced at $120,000?

Among the eminence of the automotive celebutante of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a number of strange cars and unusual record-breaking efforts took place.

Porsche, Land Rover, Volkswagen, and McLaren took the show by a storm, but that hill climb, and the estate as a whole, saw so many oddities and extremes. I had to pick at least five of the best.

Every year, the Goodwood Festival of Speed brings out all sorts of automotive characters, and this year didn’t disappoint. We saw world debuts, concept vehicles, and some of the finest exotic cars in the world. On a more entertaining level, we also saw some interesting rides, some of which captured our hearts in different ways. Whether it’s an autonomous muscle car that had a slow and hilarious run up the hill or a jacked up, NASCAR-spec pickup truck driven by a former professional wrestler, there was no shortage of interesting rides that showed up at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

If you’re in search of an SUV or CUV, then a decision has to be made - Do you need two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?

The short answer to this question is as simple as it gets - if you have the luxury to think about 2WD and AWD, realistically, you do not need an AWD system. At all. AWD is one of those things that when you need it, you just know you need it, and you know why you need it. You would not be thinking of 2WD in the first place. Nevertheless, manufacturers seem to throw a lot of money into promoting AWD systems for their SUVs. This has become a feature that translated from something one may consider a driving aid to a mere entry on an options list you could mark. I submit to you five things to think about before opting for AWD.

The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed is taking place this week, and there are going to be some fine machinery making an appearance at the four-day long event. We’ve already been clued in on some expected headliners, including the debuts of the Porsche 911 Speedster and McLaren 600LT. But some lesser-known automakers are bringing their prized exotics to the grounds of Goodwood House. Whether it’s the Brabham BT62 or the Apollo Intensa Emozione, there’s going to be no shortage of supercars that will be in attendance at one of the industry’s most highly anticipated events.