HI, I'M JOHN DAVIS AND THIS IS MOTORWEEK !

JOIN US AS WE PICK THROUGH A PACK OF MIDSIZE TRUCKS VYING FOR YOUR ATTENTION...

LISTEN UP D-I-YERS, PAT GOSS HAS ADVICE JUST FOR YOU... STEPHANIE HART WITH THE PROS AND CONS OF BUYING A CERTIFIED USED CAR... AND LINCOLN'S NEW HIGH-FLYING LUXURY UTE, THE AVIATOR...

SO, COME DRIVE WITH US, NEXT!

CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION.

* Announcer: MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Announcer: YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR TIRES ONLINE AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

Man 1: I DO.

Announcer: WE'RE TIRERACK.COM, AND WE HAVE ANSWERS, AND TOOLS TO HELP.

Man 2: LIKE OUR TIRE DECISION GUIDE.

IT'S A...TAKE A LOOK.

Man 1: OH.

Announcer: FIND...DELIVER...INSTALL...

ROCKAUTO HAS AUTO PARTS FROM HUNDREDS OF MANUFACTURERS, OFFERING A VARIETY OF BRANDS, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS.

ROCKAUTO.COM, ALL THE PARTS YOUR CAR WILL EVER NEED.

STATE FARM IS PROUD TO SUPPORT MOTORWEEK .

John: AFTER YEARS WITH LITTLE-TO-NO NEWS, AND ONLY DECLINING SALES TO REPORT, THE MIDSIZE TRUCK SCENE IS NOW BOOMING.

SO, THE NATURAL QUESTION IS, WHICH ONE IS BEST?

WELL, FIGURING THAT OUT IS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

SO, JOIN US AND CARS.COM AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE EXPANDING MIDSIZE TRUCK LANDSCAPE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR DOLLARS ARE BEST SPENT.

* IN THE WORLD OF PICKUP TRUCKS, THERE'S A CONSTANT BATTLE TO ONE-UP THE COMPETITION.

AND THIS ENDLESS ESCALATION HAS CAUSED TRUCKS TO GROW BIGGER AND BIGGER SEEMINGLY EVERY YEAR.

SO, IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT SMALL, OR WHAT WE ONCE CALLED "COMPACT" PICKUP TRUCKS, AREN'T SO SMALL ANYMORE; WITH CAPABILITIES AND PRESENCE CLOSER TO WHAT WE SAW IN THE FULL-SIZE RANKS A GENERATION AGO.

WE'VE ASSEMBLED FOUR OF THESE NOW NAMED MIDSIZE TRUCKS IN THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO WHERE OUR FRIENDS AT CARS.COM CALL HOME.

COMPETITORS ARE...

THE RECENTLY RE-LAUNCHED FORD RANGER... GM'S MIDSIZE OFFERINGS REPRESENTED BY THE GMC CANYON... HONDA'S CONTROVERSIAL BUT CAPABLE RIDGELINE... AND WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST EXCITING THING TO HIT THIS SEGMENT IN SOME TIME, THE JEEP GLADIATOR... ALL HAVE FOUR OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE, AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS RANGING FROM 6-10 GEARS.

MOST SPORT V6 POWER; THE LONE EXCEPTION BEING THE FORD RANGER, WITH ITS ECOBOOST TURBO-4.

THE OBVIOUS GLARING OMISSION HERE IS THE BEST SELLING TOYOTA TACOMA, WITH TOYOTA CHOOSING NOT TO BE A PART OF THIS COMPARISON.

THE NISSAN FRONTIER IS ALSO AVAILABLE, BUT HASN'T BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY UPDATED SINCE GEORGE W. BUSH WAS IN OFFICE, AND WE FELT WOULD NOT BE COMPETITIVE WITH THESE NEWER DESIGNS.

IN ADDITION TO THE USUAL ACCOUNTING FOR FEATURES, SPECS, PRICE, COMFORT, AND RIDE-AND-HANDLING; WE HIT THE TRACK TO GET SOME HARD NUMBERS, BOTH IN STOCK FORM, AND WITH A 1,000 POUND PAYLOAD IN THE BED.

ON TO THE RESULTS...

SOMEONE HAS TO FINISH LAST, AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR GMC, IT'S THE CANYON.

IT'S A REAL TRUCK THAT CAN GET REAL WORK DONE, BUT EVEN WITH DENALI UPGRADES, THE INTERIOR IS NOWHERE NEAR AS PLEASANT AS THE NEWEST DESIGNS.

A 308 HORSEPOWER 3.6 LITER V6 HELPED IT GET TO 60 IN JUST 7.3 SECONDS; 1.5 MORE WITH PAYLOAD.

PRICE WAS SECOND HIGHEST AT $45,775; IT'S A GOOD OVERALL PACKAGE THAT JUST FEELS A LOT OLDER THAN IT IS.

Brian Robinson: THE CANYON HAS A REALLY GREAT RIDE TO IT AND IT'S VERY QUIET INSIDE; UNFORTUNATELY, THE REST OF THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE IS NOT AS GREAT, IT'S NOT VERY COMFORTABLE, AND THE INTERIOR IS NOT UP TO THE SPECS OF THE REST OF THESE VEHICLES.

Mike Hanley: FOR A DENALI MODEL, I THOUGHT THE GMC'S INTERIOR WASN'T THAT IMPRESSIVE, AND IT WAS MISSING A LOT OF FEATURES; OURS DIDN'T HAVE REMOTE START, AND THE DRIVER'S BACKREST WAS MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE; IT JUST DIDN'T FEEL NICE ENOUGH FOR WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AND WHAT YOU'RE PAYING.

John: IN A BIT OF SURPRISE THAT WILL NO DOUBT CAUSE A MINOR UPROAR, THIRD PLACE GOES TO THE JEEP GLADIATOR.

IF YOU'RE A JEEP ENTHUSIAST, WE'RE PRETTY SURE YOU'LL LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE GLADIATOR.

BUT, IF YOU'RE THE AVERAGE CONSUMER, NOT LOOKING TO CONQUER THE RUBICON TRAIL, AND ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A PICKUP TRUCK, YOU CAN DO BETTER.

FOR STARTERS, IT HAS THE LEAST PAYLOAD CAPACITY HERE BY FAR, AND WAS THE SLOWEST AT THE TRACK, BOTH WITH A LOAD AND WITHOUT.

THOUGH, THE 285 HORSEPOWER 3.6 LITER PENTASTAR V6 NEVER FELT UNDERPOWERED ON THE STREET, AND THE OVERALL POWERTRAIN IS QUITE REFINED.

BUT ADD IN THAT THE GLADIATOR WAS A FULL $10,000 MORE THAN ANY OTHER TRUCK HERE, AND YOU'LL GET WHY THINGS SHOOK OUT THE WAY THEY DID.

Aaron Bragman: THE GLADIATOR IS REALLY KIND OF A STRANGE ONE; IT IS MORE THAN JUST A WRANGLER WITH A TRUCK BED ON THE BACK, IT HAS RECEIVED SOME SIGNIFICANT ENGINEERING TO REALLY MAKE IT INTO A VERY USEFUL PICKUP TRUCK, BUT IT'S SUPER-LONG, IT'S VERY NARROW, IT'S NOT ALL THAT COMFORTABLE.

Brian: I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE GLADIATOR, AND MOST OF ITS REALITY AS WELL; IT'S EVERY BIT A JEEP AND A LOT OF A RAM, BUT IT DOES REQUIRE A COMMITMENT TO DEAL WITH THE INTERIOR ON A DAILY BASIS, AND WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING IT, IT'S DEFINITELY A TWO-HANDED AFFAIR AS IT'S PRONE TO WANDER GOING DOWN THE ROAD, BUT THOSE ARE ALL JEEP THINGS I JUST MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.

John: MUCH MORE CAPABLE THAN THE ORIGINAL, THE REBORN FORD RANGER HAS PRETTY MUCH ONCE AGAIN DEFINED THE MIDSIZE TRUCK SEGMENT.

EMPHASIS ON THE TRUCK PART, THE RANGER FEELS LIKE A REAL TRUCK TRUE-AND-TRUE, INSIDE-AND-OUT.

THAT MEANS A FIRM RIDE, AND COMFORT THAT FALLS SHORT; RELEGATING IT TO RUNNER-UP STATUS.

IT'S ALSO PRETTY NARROW, WHICH MAKES THE INTERIOR FEEL CRAMPED AND NOT AS ROOMY AS MOST.

ACCELERATION FROM THE TINY TURBO WAS IMPRESSIVE, HOWEVER; 7.2 SECONDS TO 60, AND BARELY EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT WE'D ADDED 1,000 POUNDS TO THE BED; IT'S 8.2 SECOND RUN WAS QUICKER THAN THE GLADIATOR WITH AN EMPTY BED.

Aaron: YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT A TURBO 4-CYLINDER AND A 10-SPEED AUTOMATIC TO REALLY BE A GREAT COMBINATION FOR A SMALL PICKUP TRUCK, BUT IT IS OUTSTANDING; THE THING IS SO RESPONSIVE, SO QUICK AND NIMBLE, I THINK IT REALLY IS PROBABLY THE BEST POWERTRAIN IN THIS TEST... Brian: THE RANGER REALLY RAISED THE BAR WHEN IT CAME TO CAPABILITY FOR A MIDSIZE TRUCK WHEN IT RETURNED LAST YEAR, BUT IT DEFINITELY HAS THE MOST TRUCK-LIKE RIDE AND COMFORT IS NOT AS GOOD AS MOST OF THE OTHERS HERE.

John: THAT MAKES THE HONDA RIDGELINE OUR WINNER.

SURE, IT DOESN'T FIT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S DEFINITION OF A TRUCK, BUT IT'S HARD TO ARGUE WITH WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER.

OODLES OF SPACE, TONS OF FEATURES, AND LOADS OF VALUE WITH THE LOWEST STICKER HERE, AT $42,965.

SURE, YOU WON'T GET MUCH CRED AT THE LOCAL OFF-ROAD PARK, BUT YOU'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH WHEN YOU CAN STORE 7.3 CUBIC-FEET OF CARGO UNDER THE BED FLOOR, AND THEN PILE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT IN THE BED ITSELF.

GRANTED, YOU CAN'T TOW AS MUCH EITHER, LIMITED TO 5,000 POUNDS; BUT COMFORT AND SPACE INSIDE ARE FAR ABOVE THE RIVALS HERE.

Brian: EVERYONE LIKES TO HATE ON THE RIDGELINE, INCLUDING MYSELF AT TIMES, BUT YOU HAVE TO ADMIT, IT DOES A LOT OF TRUCK-LIKE STUFF VERY WELL, AND ITS GOT A TON OF FEATURES THAT THE OTHERS DON'T HAVE, AND WHEN IT COMES TO GOING ON A LONG ROAD TRIP, IT'S ABSOLUTELY...THE ONE YOU WANT.

Brian Wong: THE RIDGELINE HAS SUV ROOTS, BUT I DON'T SEE THAT AS A NEGATIVE, IT'S ACTUALLY THE MOST FAMILY-FRIENDLY OF ALL THE PICKUPS THAT WE HAD HERE; IT HAD THE BEST CAR SEAT SCORES, AND IT HAS REALLY GOOD INTERIOR STORAGE SPACES TO KEEP THINGS FOR CHILDREN.

John: SO, UNLESS YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF HEAVY HAULING TO DO, THE HONDA RIDGELINE IS ALL THE TRUCK YOU'LL NEED, AND THE ONE WE MOST ENJOYED OUR TIME IN.

BUT, IF YOU'VE GOT MORE WORK TO DO, ONE OF THE OTHER CONTENDERS WILL SURELY FILL YOUR BILL.

IN FACT, MOST PERSONAL USE BUYERS WILL FIND MORE THAN ENOUGH CAPABILITY, NOT TO MENTION MANEUVERABILITY, AND GARAGABILITY, IN THE MIDSIZE TRUCK RANKS.

THEY'RE MORE CAPABLE AND BETTER THAN EVER.

* John: THE TERM, "CERTIFIED USED CAR" IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN A USED CAR THAT'S IN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE CONDITION, HAS HAD EXTRA SERVICING TO PUT IT IN TIP TOP SHAPE, WITH A WARRANTY THAT'S SIMILAR TO A NEW CAR.

THAT'S WHY CERTIFIED USED CARS ARE RISING IN POPULARITY.

BUT, NOT ALL CERTIFIED PROGRAMS ARE THE SAME.

SO, COME ALONG AS OUR FYI REPORTER STEPHANIE HART EXPLORES THE INS AND OUTS OF BUYING CERTIFIED.

* Stephanie Hart: TYPICALLY, A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE HAS A NUMBER OF ADVANTAGES.

PRIMARILY IT'S BEEN THOROUGHLY INSPECTED, IT HAS LOWER MILES THAN YOUR AVERAGE USED CAR PLUS, IT'S IN GOOD CONDITION WITH VERY LITTLE WEAR.

HERE ARE THE MAJOR PROS AND CONS OF BUYING A CERTIFIED USED CAR: THEY COME WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE AND BENEFITS, SUCH AS ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.

THEY'VE GONE THROUGH A MULTIPOINT INSPECTION AND REPAIRS WERE MADE WHERE NEEDED, FREE VEHICLE HISTORY REPORTS COME WITH THE VEHICLE, SOME INCLUDE BUYBACK PROTECTION IF THE BUYER LATER DISCOVERS THE CAR HAD FLOOD OR FIRE DAMAGE OR A ROLLED-BACK ODOMETER.

ON THE DOWNSIDE, A VEHICLE HISTORY REPORT MAY NOT INCLUDE ALL ACCIDENTS AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW HOW THE CAR WAS TREATED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER OR EVEN IF THEY EVER CHANGED THE OIL.

SOME CPO VEHICLES WERE RENTAL CARS, WHICH MEANS THEY HAD HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT DRIVERS, SOME OF WHOM DIDN'T CARE HOW THEY TREATED THE CAR.

A MULTI-POINT CPO CHECKLIST DOESN'T GUARANTEE THE DEALER DID ANYTHING MORE THAN LOOK AT THE CAR.

"WEAR ITEMS;" LIKE THE BATTERY, TIRES, BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS ARE USUALLY NOT COVERED BY THE CPO WARRANTY AND MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED.

RACHEL HASHOIAN WEIGHED THOSE PROS AND CONS BEFORE BUYING HER CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE.

Stephanie: YOU SAW THE CHECKLIST?

Rachel Hashoian: YES.

Stephanie: WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Rachel: I REALLY LIKED KNOWING WHERE MY CAR CAME FROM AND WHAT IT WAS USED FOR BEFORE.

MY CAR WAS A PREVIOUSLY LEASED VEHICLE IN PUERTO RICO, SO IT WAS NICE SEEING THAT.

I THINK, THEY EVEN HAD THE RECORD OF MAINTENANCE FOR MY CAR AND I LIKED SEEING ALL THE SPOTS AND MEASUREMENTS THEY TOOK.

Stephanie: PEACE OF MIND, IN THE FORM OF A CERTIFICATE, FOR RACHEL AND OTHER CPO BUYERS.

CPO Car Owner: IT'S ALWAYS GOOD IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A USED CAR AND DON'T WANT THE HASSLE OF LIKE, THE UNRELIABILITY OF NOT KNOWING WHAT A GOOD CAR IS.

Stephanie: HOWEVER, CARS.COM EXPERTS WARN EVEN WITH A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION, THE CPO BUYING PROCESS CAN BE OVERWHELMING.

Joe Wiesenfelder: SOMETIMES, PEOPLE GET CAUGHT UP IN HOW MANY POINTS ARE IN THE INSPECTION AND IT'S EASY TO KIND OF LOSE TRACK OF WHAT MATTERS... AH, DON'T PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THAT.

ONE PROGRAM MAY HAVE A 100 POINT INSPECTION... AND ANOTHER MAY HAVE A 300 POINT INSPECTION...

SOMETIMES, THAT IS JUST HOW THEY COUNT.

REALLY ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED...

BUT WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND WHEN YOU BUY A USED CAR WHETHER IT IS CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED OR NOT THAT YOU HAVE IT INSPECTED YOURSELF BY YOUR OWN MECHANIC.

Stephanie: CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NON-CPO VEHICLES.

THE DIFFERENCE RANGES BETWEEN A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS TO A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS IN SOME CASES.

SO, YOU WANT TO WEIGH THE BENEFITS VERSUS THE EXTRA COST AND DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU.

BUT BEFORE SIGNING ON THE DOTTED LINE, YOU WANT TO KEEP THESE TIPS TOP OF MIND... MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF THE CAR IS CERTIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER OR THE DEALER AND WHO IS AUTHORIZED TO FIX THE PROBLEMS.

ASK TO SEE THE CERTIFICATION CHECKLIST TO MAKE SURE ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN INSPECTED.

INSIST ON A VEHICLE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE HISTORY REPORT.

MAKE SURE ANY REMAINDER OF THE NEW-CAR WARRANTY IS CLEAR AND IN WRITING.

READ THE FINE PRINT ON THE EXTENDED CPO WARRANTY.

Joe: THE GOLD STANDARD OF A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE IS THE MANUFACTURER CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE THAT HASN'T AN EXTENSION OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY, THE SAME WARRANTY YOU WOULD GET FROM THE MANUFACTURER IF YOU BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW.

NOW, THERE ARE ALSO, AH, CERTIFIED VEHICLES FROM THIRD PARTIES OR THERE'S REALLY NOTHING STOPPING A DEALERSHIP FROM CERTIFYING A VEHICLE.

SO, WHAT WE RECOMMEND IS THAT YOU MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO CERTIFIED YOUR VEHICLE AND AH, BE SURE IT'S SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN TRUST.

* Stephanie: WHO DOESN'T LOVE DRIVING A BRAND NEW CAR, BUT A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE OFFERS BIG SAVINGS THANKS TO DEPRECIATION.

THE AVERAGE NEW CAR LOSES 35% OF ITS VALUE IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS.

SO, BUYING CERTIFIED AND DRIVING AN ALMOST NEW CAR, CLEARLY IS A SMART WAY TO GO.

* John: AS A DO-IT-YOURSELFER, HOW MUCH YOU KNOW IS UP TO YOU.

PAT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, DOWN AT GOSS' GARAGE.

Pat Goss: ALTHOUGH, IT'S OFTEN NEGLECTED AND ABUSED, ONE OF THE BIGGEST SAFETY PARTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE IS GOING TO BE ITS EXHAUST SYSTEM.

IT'S IN CHARGE OF GETTING ALL THE HARMFUL EXHAUST GASES FROM THE ENGINE OUT THE BACK OF THE CAR.

NOW, THE BIG THING HERE IS THAT EXHAUST GAS CONTAINS CARBON MONOXIDE WHICH IS COLORLESS, ODORLESS, TASTELESS, AND IF YOU INHALE ENOUGH OF IT.

IT'S DEADLY.

SO, YOU DON'T WANT ANY LEAKS IN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.

AND YOU WANT TO CHECK THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR OR ANYTIME THERE'S ANY CHANGE IN THE NOISE OF THE CAR.

ALRIGHT...NOW, SUPPOSE YOU HAVE A PIN HOLE OR SOMETHING IN SOME PIPE, OR MUFFLER, OR SOMETHING, WELL...SOME THINGS YOU DON'T DO.

THIS IS VERY, VERY COMMON.

WE SEE THIS IN THE REPAIR SHOP ALL THE TIME.

SOMEBODY TAKES AN OLD BEER CAN OR SODA CAN, CUTS IT OPEN, TAKES SOME TIE WRAPS, WRAPS IT AROUND THE PIPE.

WELL, NUMBER ONE IT'S NOT AIRTIGHT, SO CARBON MONOXIDE CAN STILL GET INTO THE CAR.

NUMBER 2, THE TIE WRAPS ARE PLASTIC AND THE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS HOT, THEY MELT, THE WHOLE THING FALLS APART.

DUCT TAPE, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE.

IT BURNS, AND IT MELTS, AND IT DOES ALL KINDS OF NASTY THINGS... PLUS, IT STINKS UP THE WHOLE CAR, SO THOSE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T DO.

NOW, WHAT YOU CAN DO IN SOME CASES, THIS IS A MUFFLER BANDAGE, AND IT USES SPECIAL MATERIALS THAT ARE HEAT RESISTANT AND HEAT ACTIVATED, SO THAT YOU WRAP IT AROUND THE OFFENDING PART, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, AND THE HEAT WILL CAUSE RESINS IN THIS TO BOND IT TO THE PART.

ALRIGHT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO, BUT REMEMBER ITS TEMPORARY, SO YOU'LL PROBABLY, ULTIMATELY, HAVE TO REPLACE THE PART ITSELF.

ALRIGHT NOW, MOST EXHAUST SYSTEMS HAVE STAINLESS STEEL BUT EVEN THOUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM MAY BE STAINLESS STEEL THE HANGERS THAT HOLD THE PARTS UP MAY NOT...

THEY ROT AWAY AND THEN YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THEM.

WELL, YOU CAN BUY UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENTS SUCH AS WE SEE HERE, OR YOU CAN BUY SPECIFIC ONES THAT WRAP AROUND THE MUFFLER OR THE PIPE TO FIT IT EXACTLY.

BIG THING IS MAKE SURE ANY, ANY HANGER THAT YOU USE HAS RUBBER IN IT.

NOW, THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE UP FRONT THE ENGINE MOVES BACK AND FORTH OR SIDE TO SIDE, AND IF YOU MOUNT IT RIDGELY, MOUNT THE EXHAUST RIGIDLY, SOMETHING ON THE ENGINE OR SOME PLACE THROUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WILL BREAK.

SO, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THOSE RUBBER PARTS IN THE HANGERS.

DON'T USE COAT HANGERS, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU TRY, WELL, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THEM BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THE CARBON MONOXIDE CAN BE DEADLY TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, DROP ME A LINE, RIGHT HERE AT MOTORWEEK .

* Greg Carloss: WE'VE JUST CLEARED THE 15,000 MILE MARK WITH OUR KIA NIRO PHEV.

THAT'S THE TIME WHEN WEAR-AND-TEAR STARTS TO BECOME EVIDENT, AND MINOR ANNOYANCES BECOME MAJOR CONCERNS.

NOT SO WITH THIS LITTLE PLUG-IN NIRO.

THE ONLY STUMBLE SO FAR, WAS A COMPLETE UVO SHUTDOWN WHEN TRYING TO ENGAGE APPLE CARPLAY.

ADMITTEDLY, OUR LONG-TERMS HAVE A LOT MORE SMARTPHONE PAIRINGS THAN THE AVERAGE CAR, AND IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT THAT HAS NOT RE-OCCURRED.

WE'VE REALLY PUT THIS NIRO PHEV THROUGH ITS PACES AS A DAILY DRIVER AND EVEN IN THE SUMMER HEAT IT'S BEEN UP TO THE TASK.

THE AC IS WORKING OVERTIME, BUT ALL-ELECTRIC RANGE IS STILL IN THE MID TO HIGH TWENTIES ON A FULL CHARGE.

AND YOU MIGHT NOT THINK IT, BUT THOSE QUIET EV MILES ARE REALLY RELAXING AFTER A LONG DAY AT THE OFFICE.

KEEPING TRIPS SHORT, AND RECHARGING OFTEN, HAS BOOSTED OUR OVERALL FUEL ECONOMY TO 58.7 MILES PER GALLON.

ONE THING WE'VE COME TO APPRECIATE, IS A VERY ACCURATE BATTERY GAUGE.

IF IT SAYS, THERE'S 24 MILES OF BATTERY RANGE, WE GENERALLY ACHIEVE AT LEAST 24 MILES.

UNLIKE, SOME PLUG-INS THAT HAVE AN OPTIMISTIC NUMBER THAT FALLS RAPIDLY AS SOON AS YOU START DRIVING.

WE'VE PASSED MORE GAS PUMPS IN OUR FUEL-SIPPING 2019 HONDA INSIGHT.

THE SAVINGS IS COURTESY OF THE TWO-MOTOR HYBRID SYSTEM WITH 1.5 LITER I4 WORKING WITH A CVT.

ITS 151 HORSEPOWER CONTINUES TO GET THE JOB DONE WHETHER AROUND TOWN, OR ON THE HIGHWAY.

WE'VE NOW PUT 11,670 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, SO WE'RE GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE AGILITY THAT COMES WITH THE LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY.

OUR TOURING TRIM IS ALSO A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO SPEND TIME.

ALTHOUGH, THE PASSENGERS IN THE BACK SEAT STILL MISS OUT ON AIR VENTS AND USB PORTS.

BUT NO COMPLAINTS ON FUEL ECONOMY.

OUR OVERALL AVERAGE NOW STANDS AT 48.2 MILES PER GALLON, WHICH ISN'T OUR BEST, BUT PUTS US JUST OVER THE EPA'S COMBINED RATING OF 48.

WITH SUMMER IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE FUEL EFFICIENT DRIVING IN THE FALL.

WE'LL GIVE OUR FIRST MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV REPORT, ON THE NEXT MOTORWEEK LONG-TERM ROAD TEST UPDATE!

John: DESPITE OFFERING A WIDE RANGE OF UTILITIES OVER THE YEARS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FULL-SIZE NAVIGATOR, RECENT LINCOLN'S HAVE LARGELY FLOWN UNDER THE RADAR FOR LUXURY SUV BUYERS.

WELL NOW, LINCOLN IS MAKING A BIG PUSH TO CHANGE THAT.

FOLLOWING THE JUST REVAMPED TWO-ROW NAUTILIS, IS AN ALL-NEW THREE-ROW AVIATOR.

CAN IT BECOME A LEADER IN ITS SEGMENT?

OR DOES LINCOLN JUST HAVE THEIR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS?

* WHILE, THE 2020 LINCOLN AVIATOR IS ALL-NEW, THE CONCEPT ISN'T.

MUCH LIKE, THE PREVIOUS 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR THAT LASTED FOR JUST THREE SHORT YEARS, IT IS BASICALLY, A LINCOLN VERSION OF THE FORD EXPLORER.

NOW, THAT'S NOT A BAD THING.

FOR STARTERS, THE EXPLORER HAS JUST GONE THROUGH A WHEELS-UP REDESIGN, BUILT ON COMPLETELY NEW ARCHITECTURE THAT RETURNS TO REAR-WHEEL DRIVE.

SECONDLY, LINCOLN HAS TAKEN MAJOR STRIDES TO ENSURE THAT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU SEE, FEEL, AND TOUCH; IS AN UPGRADE OVER WHAT YOU'LL FIND OVER ON THE FORD SIDE.

THAT STARTS UNDER THE HOOD, WHERE THE BASE ENGINE PICKS UP WITH THE EXPLORER LEAVES OFF, THE 400 HORSEPOWER TWIN-TURBO 3.0 LITER V6.

IT COMES WITH A 10-SPEED TRANSMISSION AND OPTIONAL ALL-WHEEL DRIVE.

THEN, THINGS GET REALLY INTERESTING WITH A COMBO PLATTER NOT FOUND ON ANY OTHER FORD MENU; A PLUG-IN HYBRID THAT'S BASED ON THE SAME TWIN-TURBO 6.

AND, WITH THE HELP OF A 75KW ELECTRIC MOTOR, CRANKS OUT 494 HORSEPOWER WITH A WHOPPING 630 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE.

THAT'LL GET THIS AVIATOR AIRBORNE IN A REAL HURRY!

IT'S IN THE APPLY NAMED GRAND TOURING VERSION OF THE AVIATOR AND ALSO COMES WITH A 10-SPEED AUTOMATIC, BUT HAS ALL-WHEEL DRIVE STANDARD.

THREE ROWS OF SEATING ARE INCLUDED IN EVERY AVIATOR, WITH ALL EXCEPT THE BASE MODEL SPORTING STANDARD CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS FOR 6-PASSENGER CAPACITY.

IF YOU PREFER A BENCH SEAT FOR YOUR BROOD, IT'S A NO COST OPTION.

UP FRONT, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BLENDING OF TECHNOLOGY WITH USEFULNESS, WITH A STANDARD 10-INCH TOUCH SCREEN BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION.

YOU CAN EVEN USE YOUR PHONE AS THE KEY TO PUT THINGS IN MOTION.

MATERIALS, AS WELL AS FIT-AND-FINISH, ARE TOP NOTCH.

AS IS AVAILABLE ADVANCED SAFETY WITH BLIND SPOT DETECTION, CROSS TRAFFIC ALERT, AND EMERGENCY BRAKING STANDARD.

LINCOLN PAID EXTRA ATTENTION TO THE TWO THINGS YOU'LL TOUCH MOST; THE BEAUTIFUL AND HIGHLY-FUNCTIONAL STEERING WHEEL, AND THE PIANO KEY-LIKE TOGGLES FOR GEAR SELECTION.

THE FRONT SEATS HUG YOU A LITTLE TIGHTER THAN EXPECTED, BUT THEY FELT JUST RIGHT AFTER A FEW HOURS.

THERE IS SOME FAMILIARITY TO THE EXPLORER ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT MUCH LIKE THE EDGE-BASED NAUTILUS, YOU KNOW THEY'RE IN THE SAME FAMILY, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.

DRIVING IN WHERE ELSE NAPA VALLEY, WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME ABOARD THE GRAND TOURING PHEV.

WITH ALL OF THAT POWER ON TAP, WE WERE EXPECTING A MORE BRUTISH DELIVERY, BUT CLEARLY LINCOLN HAS DESIGNED IT TO FEEL MORE EFFORTLESS THAN AGGRESSIVE.

IT'S ALMOST REMINISCENT OF A BENTLEY, WITH BIG SMOOTH POWER THAT NEVER SEEMS TO RUN OUT OR OVERWHELM.

AS FOR MORE UTILITARIAN MATTERS, CARGO ROOM BEHIND THE THIRD ROW IS A GOOD 18.3 CUBIC-FEET, FOLDING IT, EXPANDS THE SPACE TO 41.8 CUBIC-FEET, MAXING OUT AT 77.7 WITH ALL SEATS FOLDED.

THOSE NUMBERS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME IN THE HYBRID, BUT THERE IS LESS FUEL CAPACITY, DUE TO THE BATTERIES TAKING UP SOME OF THE FUEL TANK'S REAL ESTATE.

THAT ALSO KEEPS MAXIMUM RANGE TO AROUND 400 MILES.

MAX TOW RATING IS 6,700 POUNDS FOR MOST TRIMS; THE HYBRID 1,100 POUNDS LESS.

NO OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS FOR THE GRAND TOURING, OR PURE EV DRIVING RANGE YET, BUT JUST UNDER 20 MILES WOULD SEEM ABOUT RIGHT.

RATINGS FOR THE STANDARD AVIATOR ARE 17-CITY, 24-HIGHWAY, AND 20-COMBINED FOR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE; 18-CITY, 26-HIGHWAY, AND 21-COMBINED FOR REAR-WHEEL DRIVE.

FOR A SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE ENERGY IMPACT SCORE; CONSUMING 15.7 BARRELS OF OIL ANNUALLY, WITH CO2 EMISSIONS OF 7.0 TONS.

AVIATOR PRICING STARTS REASONABLY AT $52,195; GRAND TOURING, AT $69,895.

IT'S A SAFE BET THAT THIS NEW-GEN, 2020 LINCOLN AVIATOR WILL BE IN SERVICE A LOT LONGER THAN THREE-YEARS.

NOT ONLY ARE LARGE SUVS IN HIGH DEMAND ONCE AGAIN, BUT LINCOLN IS FINALLY DELIVERING WHAT BUYERS IN ITS PREMIUM THREE-ROW SEGMENT WANT; AN HONEST LUXURY EXPERIENCE, COMBINED WITH LOADS OF POWER, AND AN UNDENIABLE PRESENCE.

WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

NOW FOR MORE MOTORWEEK; INCLUDING DAILY NEWS UPDATES, PODCASTS, AND EVEN COMPLETE EPISODES, CRUISE ON OVER TO PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

AND I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME...

WHEN EXTREME LUXURY AND OFF-ROAD PROWEST COLLIDE, THE MERCEDES-AMG G63.

AND DAILY DRIVING GETS A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING IN THE ALL-NEW TOYOTA COROLLA.

UNTIL THEN, I'M JOHN DAVIS, WE'LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE ON MOTORWEEK .

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