By Jodi Lai
Editor-in-Chief of AutoGuide.com
https://www.autoguide.com/
Testing for the 2018 North American Car/Utility/Truck of the Year (NACTOY) has been completed.
As the Editor-in-Chief of AutoGuide.com and an automotive journalist with 12 years of experience, I’m really honored to be part of the jury for the first time ever. Each year, the jury gets together in Michigan to test every single car that’s been shortlisted. Here are mini reviews for each car (except the Porsche Panamera, which didn’t show up to the event) that I did on Twitter. Of course, we have in-depth reviews of most of these cars, but if you needed an extremely short synopsis, here you go! Enjoy!
I will be driving a lot of new cars today that are contenders for 2018 Car of the Year and will do 140-character mini reviews for each
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
First up: 2018 Kia Niro: doesn’t feel like a hybrid. Drives very well for a subcompact crossover. User friendly. 29 mpg as tested pic.twitter.com/OrBvKM3SSJ
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: It’s an Alfa so I love it, obvs. Divine drive but ergonomics are dumb af pic.twitter.com/N4VTowhBJX
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Full Review
2018 Mazda CX-5: delivers a more dignified/higher-end experience than competitors. Safety systems are too sensitive & infotainment is whack pic.twitter.com/ClkaJkcWnY
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Volvo XC60: Excellent powertrain and the chassis is great. A+ interior except some cheap plastics, steering is too light and floaty. pic.twitter.com/F2Ej7uvqwo
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Jeep Compass: pretty average package but probably kills it off-road. Ergonomics are weird and driving could be improved pic.twitter.com/4rWRJ6F1xY
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Kia Rio: Surprisingly good to drive, great steering and chassis! Not sloppy at all like some competitors. Very user friendly. pic.twitter.com/oUOEZCwbP9
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
2018 Audi SQ5: typical Audi shit meaning exceedingly good driving, impeccable interior. pic.twitter.com/D3LkGg8Q2w
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
Last car of the day: 2018 Kia Stinger. More time in 4cyl model. V6 is where it’s at but 4cyl is also very good pic.twitter.com/aWOS8AsLDd
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 17, 2017
Back to mini-reviews today. 2018 Land Rover Discovery: Drives like you expect but it’s all about family features and this SUV has a ton pic.twitter.com/3fySSuMhmt
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Land Rover Discovery Full Review
2018 Volkswagen Atlas: drives like a much smaller car, which is remarkable. User friendly, easy to park, rides a bit stiff pic.twitter.com/HBsqQVMs5x
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Volkswagen Atlas Full Review
2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: YASSS what a special car. Has many faults but they melt away once you drive it angrily ❤ pic.twitter.com/16lt574ZhA
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Full Review
2018 Chevrolet Equinox: pretty average but very user friendly and family-friendly pic.twitter.com/AgiXrgIM7j
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Chevrolet Equinox Full Review
2018 Honda Odyssey: weirdly more enjoyable than most CUVs to drive. So many thoughtful features for families too pic.twitter.com/dxsOTVJGew
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Honda Odyssey Full Review
2018 BMW 5 Series: cushy luxury, tons of tech (kinda overkill but I get it), brutally fast, makes you feel like a boss pic.twitter.com/9ehToDHO4Z
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
2018 Lexus LC500: Stunning car for the money. Hate the hybrid but the V8 is SO GOOD. Excellent luxury grand tourer, terrible infotainment pic.twitter.com/PR87NnxOJq
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 18, 2017
Try this again! 2018 Subaru Impreza: huge improvement over last one, drives great, interior is also a lot better pic.twitter.com/Af09V1zlSD
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Subaru Impreza Full Review
2018 Honda Accord: This really is the whole package family sedan. Very thoughtful features and design, drives well, looks good pic.twitter.com/DJYBDYSQuH
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: Drives really well, is very user friendly. This should be a winner for VW pic.twitter.com/AH6ArnE0Jm
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Full Review
2018 Toyota Camry: Drives better than before, isn’t sloppy anymore, divisive styling. The Accord is a better/more complete package tho pic.twitter.com/nIS8Td5axx
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Subaru Crosstrek: Huge improvement over last one, drives well. Slow to pass but good off the line. Interior is also much better pic.twitter.com/ICBkpTGEpx
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Subaru Crosstrek Full Review
2018 Buick Enclave: This is the Avenir. Drives OK. Big, cushy, comfy. Shifter is terrible and some weird plastics, but rest is pretty luxe pic.twitter.com/V04XqMAQA8
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Buick Enclave Full Review
2018 Ford Expedition: this is A LOT of vehicle. Drives super smooth and cushy. Has a massive amount of features to make towing easier pic.twitter.com/ygxqANCtQW
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Ford Expedition: 9 Neat Features (full review coming soon)
2018 Hyundai Ioniq: Great green options that don’t drive like typical green cars. Appreciate the “normal” design in/out. Prefer over Prius pic.twitter.com/TlJrVf4bRj
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Hyundai Ioniq Full Review
2018 Audi A5/S5 Sportback: Posh & polished, drives amazingly, lovely interior/tech. More practical than the coupe. Lacks personality a bit. pic.twitter.com/a63Yv17kV8
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Audi A5/S5 Sportback Full Review
2018 BMW X3: Great steering, not a huge fan of the engine but car handles great. No standard ACC, which is a big oversight at this price pic.twitter.com/rGX8My2EIu
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 BMW X3 Full Review COMING SOON
2018 Chevrolet Traverse: quite average to drive. Handy 360 degree top down parking camera. User-friendly. Third row is decently comfortable pic.twitter.com/DQ9c21ouNg
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Chevrolet Traverse Full Review COMING SOON
2018 Lincoln Navigator: Very surprised! Great overall package, fantastic tech, best HUD. Smooth, cushy, comfy driving. Tons of luxury. pic.twitter.com/zyEjCm28Ps
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Lincoln Navigator Full Review COMING SOON
2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2: Impossible to review w/o off-roading it, but fairly civilized on road. Feels a bit older but makes ya feel badass pic.twitter.com/JzspDgnljd
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
2018 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Full Review
THAT’S A WRAP!! Every single vehicle shortlisted for 2018 North American Car/Utility/Truck of the Year DRIVEN!! pic.twitter.com/wczZkgSDNJ
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
I got my pin for being a juror on the NACTOY panel! What an honor ???? pic.twitter.com/q5Nep5XrKb
— Jodi Lai (@DrivingMissJodi) October 19, 2017
Thank you so much for tuning in!
