Mazda exited America's pickup segment when it deep-sixed the Ford Ranger-based B-Series after the 2009 model year, but it remains committed to the body style overseas. The third-generation BT-50 introduced online wears an unusually stylish design for a global truck, while its interior looks and feels more car-like than before.

The BT-50 is based on the Isuzu D-Max, but the familiar shield-shaped grille hides the common DNA well. Horizontal slats and a thick chrome frame create a visual link between the pickup and members of Mazda's line of sedans and crossovers, while stylists gave the rear end more utilitarian-looking lines characterized by vertical lights. The variant depicted in Mazda's images is an upmarket trim built for users who need a rugged daily driver, and more basic versions that feel at home on a construction site will ship will inevitably look a lot cheaper.

The last time we reviewed a Toyota Sequoia, George W. Bush was the president of the United States of America. The recession had officially hit, and the nationwide average price for a gallon of gasoline was $3.27. Great timing for a new truck that's rated at 15 mpg combined. 

Fast forward about 12 years, and we land at the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro. Not a whole lot has changed in the interim — it's even painted green like that '08 model (though its Army Green is undoubtedly superior to the old Timberland Mica). Toyota played Tetris with some engines in the model's early years, but has settled on the 5.7-liter V8 as the only option at this point. Some minor tech upgrades were added over the years, and it got the closest thing to a mid-cycle refresh for 2018 — there were some small styling changes, new headlights and a bevy of driver assistance features added, but the truck remained largely the same.

With roughly 7.5 million sold in 20 years, it's safe to say people love the Honda Fit, or as it's called in Europe and elsewhere, the Jazz. "Elsewhere" would be the key term since Honda's versatile subcompact hatchback is not only sold all over the world, it has also been built in 10 plants in eight different countries, including China, where the authorities were so honored to have a Fit factory within their borders, they allowed Honda an unprecedented larger share in the joint venture.

A major reason is safety, which was highlighted from the very beginning. I attended the original launch at Honda's Tochigi R&D center in Japan, which started with a crash test. The 2,535-pound Fit was subjected to an offset impact with a six-year-old, 4,030-pound Honda Legend sedan at a closing speed of 62 mph. When our ears stopped ringing, the Fit's crash-test dummy passengers were shaken but intact, the doors opened and the passenger cell retained its shape. The Legend's passengers didn't fare so well, with the pedal box detaching from the firewall taking the driver dummy's feet with it.

NHK has learned that the International Olympic Committee plans to finalize in September a new plan for the 2020 Tokyo Games. The coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to push back the Games by one year.

The Tokyo Olympics are now scheduled to open in July next year. It is estimated that the postponement will cost several billion dollars.

This year is when the entry-level plug-in crossover market really starts to heat up. Both Ford and Toyota have new models in the 2020 Ford Escape and the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime. They join the segment veteran Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which has been available in the U.S. since the 2018 model year. And of course that means it's time to look at how the numbers add up while we wait for our chance to drive the new competitors. You can find a chart with all the details immediately below, followed by more detailed analysis.

Having over 150 HP in a compact hatchback back in the day meant that you were driving a hot hatch. Today, though, this number has more than doubled, with models like the Honda Civic Type R and Ford Focus RS, to name just two.

Welcome to the interior of the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro, Toyota's largest SUV in its lineup. We're in the fancy off-road-ready TRD Pro (new for 2020), but that doesn't make a difference when it comes to the Sequoia's interior storage solutions. 

This truck is huge, both inside and outside. It's imposing and utilitarian, and there are many cubbies and slots for you to put your life's treasures. The video at the top of this post will give you a tour of the various places to put things, but keep reading for testing of said storage compartments.

When you drive cars from the same brand enough, you start to instinctively know how to accomplish tasks. It's like seeing the emblem on the steering wheel automatically reprograms your brain. For instance, a three-pointed star = gear shift is the stalk that usually controls the windshield wipers. 

I say this because when I got into the 2020 Lexus RX for the first time, I ignored my programming. I don't know why, but when I went to change the channel (left on Sirius Watercolors, ugh), I reached up and tapped the 12.3-inch dashtop display to do it. Just as I remembered that doing so should do nothing ... it worked! What the hell?

Toyota updated its popular Hilux pickup with a new look, a more car-like interior, and a more powerful engine. The changes reflect the fact that, even overseas, motorists are increasingly buying trucks as daily drivers.

In the United States, the Hilux is a forbidden fruit. It's tremendously popular in many global markets, however. It has stood proud as Australia's bestselling vehicle regardless of body style since 2016, for example. The competition is getting fiercer, so it needs to stay fresh to remain on top. Although it's not entirely new, the 2020 model receives a long list of visual updates that include a redesigned front fascia with a new grille and LED lights, plastic cladding over the wheel arches, and, on the Invincible X trim, INVINCIBLE lettering on both sides of the bed and on the tailgate, a proclamation that we imagine many owners will gladly put to the test.

The facelifted 2020 Toyota Hilux has just been unveiled in markets such as Australia and Thailand with subtle exterior and interior alterations as well as some mechanical updates.

Toyota has issued a recall for certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and RAV4 hybrid crossovers due to the risk of defective suspension parts. In total, 9,502 vehicles might have cracked lower suspension parts that lead to a dangerous situation. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted campaign No. 20V286000 on May 20, 2020. The recall states that "the front lower suspension arms may have cracks, which may result in the suspension arm separating from the front wheel assembly." Furthermore, a recall documents states, "if a vehicle is driven frequently with rapid acceleration and deceleration over its lifetime, an involved front lower suspension arm can eventually separate." Rapid acceleration and deceleration seem like pretty common occurrences in cars.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso joined Toyota's testing team to put the updated Hilux pickup through its paces. His involvement isn't as random as it seems: He raced a heavily-modified version of the current truck in the 2020 Dakar Rally, and he knows how it should handle when pushed to its limits — and beyond.

Toyota introduced the current-generation Hilux in 2015, so the truck isn't scheduled to retire yet; its predecessor remained in production for 11 years. Instead, the model will receive comprehensive updates including a new 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine, suspension modifications, and an updated front end. Peeking through the camouflage suggests the visual changes include thinner lights and a grille that brings the Hilux in line with recent additions to the Toyota range, like the RAV4. Its lower bumper has gone under the knife, too.

The 2020 Nissan Kicks is a refreshingly honest tool for people who know what they honestly need from a car. It doesn't have all-wheel drive, but you know what, most people don't really need it -- front-wheel drive and a useful extra bit of ground clearance will be just fine to access that campground, and if snow is in the forecast, snow tires will mean more than all-wheel-drive anyway. It doesn't have much power, but you know what, the Kicks is probably going to spend most of its life in traffic and the general urban grind, and in that setting, its engineers have made it feel surprisingly spritely. That it's reasonably quiet and comfortable on the highway should make that weekend trek to the campground sufficiently pleasant. 

And what about all the stuff you'll be bringing to that campground? The Kicks may have comparable exterior dimensions to most subcompact SUVs, but it's packing a shocking amount of cargo room. On paper, it has 25.3 cubic feet of space, whereas nearly all its competitors are in the teens. Only the Honda HR-V comes close at 24.3. And as you're about to see, it lives up to that promise in person.

The Mazda Miata would not be my first choice for a road trip car. Would probably be in the bottom 10, in fact. The interior fits me like a coffin, the seats pinch my back and the amount of passenger legroom is laughable. It's not exactly the most serene car, either. 

But hey, there are sadists out there who may want to venture somewhere in it. I work with some of them. So, as they were the ones who requested this, here is the answer to the question: how much luggage fits in the Miata's trunk?