Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
For generations, the station wagon was a staple in American garages. But as the 20th century ended, U.S. drivers embraced a new, roomy vehicle, the SUV.
A generation later, many have eschewed the Sports Utility Vehicle for its cousin, the crossover. Built in unibody fashion, like a car, rather that the body-on-frame construction of an SUV, crossovers now account for a little more than a quarter of all U.S. auto sales.
And within the crossover sector, the most popular are the compacts. These get great gas mileage, have lots of room for gear, and are popular with everyone from aging baby boomers to millennials.
Our car critic Susan Carpenter tells us about the differences between SUVs and crossovers (sometimes called CUVs.) And she fills us in on some new models from Honda and Mazda.
Plus she has some news about the Chevy Volt. GM is adding more power and more range to its signature alternative vehicle.
Carpenter, who is auto and motorcycle critic for the OC Register, joins us each week to talk about personal transportation on The Wheel Thing.