This Toyota RAV4 Model Year Is the Best Used Small SUV for Teens, U.S. News Claims

by Gabrielle DeSantis

A good used car should have plenty of accident-prevention technology and good crash test scores. A reliable vehicle — such as the Toyota RAV4 — is also a good pick for teens. These models usually have a top-notch build quality and low maintenance costs suited for a young person’s limited budget.

Those are the standards U.S. News used to find the best cars for teenagers. The 2017 Toyota RAV4 ticks all the boxes nicely, outdoing every other SUV in its segment. So, what makes the 2017 RAV4 such a great car for teen drivers?

The 2017 Toyota RAV4 is easy to drive and easy on the wallet

2017 Toyota RAV4 Limited | Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

The 2017 Toyota RAV4 offers only one engine, a 176-hp four-cylinder, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. U.S. News says it provides adequate power for daily driving, though it may struggle when fully loaded with passengers and cargo. The front-wheel-drive models are decently efficient, scoring 23/30 mpg city/highway. Getting an all-wheel-drive model drops that mileage by only 1 mpg and 2 mpg, respectively.

Consumer Reports says the 2017 RAV4 lost some of its athletic handling qualities present in previous years. However, the steering wheel is still nicely weighted, and the brakes are easy to modulate. Body roll is minimal, and the SUV can easily avoid obstacles on short notice, especially with AWD.

As for ride quality, the suspension absorbs most hard bumps for a smooth drive. Toyota also refined the cabin to isolate more annoying exterior noises. The AWD system and transmission also both operate smoothly on unsteady terrain.

So, not only is the 2017 RAV great on gas, but it’s also easy for teen drivers to maneuver. And though it isn’t the most powerful SUV, that’s a good thing for new drivers.

The 2017 Toyota RAV4’s amenities and features will please teens while keeping them safe

The Toyota RAV4 is one of the best SUVs because of its standard safety features. Even though the 2017 model is a few years old, it still comes with adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with assisted braking, automatic high beams, and lane-keeping assist. Some higher trims boast a 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear-cross traffic alert.

Additionally, the 2017 Toyota RAV4 has excellent safety scores. It earned a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its exceptional durability during front crashes, side crashes, and rollovers. It also received a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety despite below-average performance in the passenger-side small overlap crash test.

The 2017 RAV4 can seat five on either cloth or synthetic leather seats. Consumer Reports says the seats are reasonably comfortable, but some rivals provide more support. Still, all passengers can stretch out in both rows without any issues. This RAV4 model year also has a large cargo area — over 73 cubic feet total.

In addition, a touchscreen comes standard, and some models have a built-in app suite and Siri Eyes Free. This was before widespread smartphone integration became popular, but teens can still pair their smartphones via Bluetooth.

Best of all, this SUV is budget-friendly. According to U.S. News, the average price of a used 2017 Toyota RAV4 is $23,401 to $29,467. It also costs $4,450 on average each year for gas, maintenance, and the occasional repair. J.D. Power gives this RAV4 model year an average reliability rating, but Consumer Reports gives it a perfect score.

What used cars are bad for teen drivers?

U.S. News cautions families against buying sports cars for their teens. These vehicles often have limited safety features, low reliability scores, and too much horsepower for new drivers to handle safely. Trucks and large SUVs are also difficult to maneuver.

Sure, a tiny car might be easier to handle, but its small crumple zone makes it unsafe in a collision. However, the vehicle shouldn’t be too big because more passengers could easily distract a teen driver and become injured in an accident. A reliable SUV like the 2017 Toyota RAV4 is just the right size.

RELATED: What Does RAV4 Stand For?

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This $7.7-Million Volkner Motorhome Package Has a Closet For Its Bugatti Chiron

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Like it or not, excess will always have a place in our world. Volkner has built its name on the idea that more is better. In fact, the Volkner Performance S motorhome made quite the buzz at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon when it showed up as the most expensive motorhome on the market by a wide margin. The RV itself starts at a cool $2.4 million but takes a sharp turn north with every six-figure option. Not to mention the cool seven-figure cargo, a Bugatti Chiron. 

Volkner Performance S | Volkner

What is the most expensive motorhome in the world? 

As New Atlas mentions, most of us thought the Ferrari Stowing Dembell would take the cake for the most expensive motorhome, but it just got left in the dust. 

Volkner didn’t just turn up out of nowhere to capitalize on the camper craze; it has been flexing its super-luxury RVs for over 10 years now. Volkner is known for cramming sporty little numbers underneath its floors, but sticking a $3,000,000 hypercar below is a whole new level of over the top. 

Although the Bugatti Chiron costs a bit more than the base-model Volkner Performance S motorhome, it can be overshadowed pretty quickly once a customer starts getting a few options. However, there are no options that can make the Volkner’s 430-hp powertrain stack up against the Bugatti’s 1,480 horsepower. But that’s not really the point. 

What makes this motorhome so expensive?  

The interior of the Performance S is covered in high-quality materials and loads of light
Volkner RV interior | Volkner

Let’s deal with the mobile garage feature first. While pulling a hypercar out from under your motorhome is undeniably cool and excessive, Volkner understands that most customers will use this space for more practical storage like bikes, small watercraft, and motorcycles. 

Although the garage is clearly the headliner, the interior is nothing to shake a stick at. The Performance S is littered with high-quality materials, beautiful color pallets, and style out the wazoo. 

The “brilliant Dark” exterior paint is deep and truly marvelous. However, the interior follows suit with a variety of exotic wood trims, beautiful upholstery, and an optional sound system with massive speakers. Volkner and Burmester optimized this premium audio system for the Performance S cabin. Volkner puts the cost of that sound system alone at $354,000, adding to the display model’s eye-watering price tag and excessive appeal. 

Where is the competition? 

The Volkner Performance S pictured here is the most expensive motorhome in the world and has a garage for your Bugatti Chiron
Volkner Performance S | Volkner

Demebell brought a similar luxury motorhome/mobile garage with a Ferrari California stowed beneath its floorboards. However, compared to the Volkner, the Dembell looks like your grandma’s old Winnebago. 

The sounds system in the Volkner alone costs more than the Demell Ferrari. If that’s not a flex, I don’t know what is. 

While the Dembell is pretty, it just can’t keep up with the most expensive motorhome in the world. The Performance S show model brings plenty of style as well as practicality. It has a massive amount of onboard power thanks to a lithium battery bank, a 2,000-W rooftop solar array, and an 8-kW generator. 

Additional standard and available Performance S amenities include a full kitchen with induction cooktop, oven, microwave, espresso machine, a wine cabinet, a computer workstation, and a multi-zone heating system with four individual heaters. 

The most expensive motorhome in the world can’t be touched

Between the pricy cargo, endless amounts of custom interior elements, and a nearly half-a-million-dollar sound system, the Volkner Performance S can easily hit a price tag of $7.7 million. 

If you spend some time with the specs and photos, you can almost see why. (Hell, this thing is far nicer than anywhere I’ve ever lived.) The question is, how many people actually want something like this? Well, considering the amount of ultra-luxury campers at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon this year, the answer may be more than any regular folks would have thought. 

RELATED: This Luxury Camper Might Make You Mess Around and Sell Your House

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The 2022 Lincoln Navigator Fails to Deliver on the Company’s Touted EV Transformation

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When it comes to American luxury vehicles, Lincoln is one of the best-known brands. From the limousine-like Lincoln Continental of the 1960s to the recent generation of the full-size Navigator, Lincoln vehicles are coveted and accommodating. 

Like other automakers, Lincoln recently announced its plans to electrify its lineup. And the top-of-the-line Navigator was the presumed next model in line for a transformation. But it looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer for an electric Navigator.

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator at a glance

2022 Lincoln Navigator Manhattan Green Black Label | The Lincoln Motor Company

According to Lincoln, the 2022 Navigator seeks to bridge elements of nature with the luxury SUV to deliver an elevated, harmonious “sanctuary.” To achieve that Zen, the Navigator offers various design elements in its trim packages.

There are two new design themes for the Lincoln Black Label package: Central Park and Invitation. Other themes return, including Yacht Club, Chalet, and Special Edition Package.

As for updated technology and safety features, the 2022 Navigator has a slew of cool tech features, both standard and optional. Its standard driver-assist package, Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 2.0, includes adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, and the new Intersection Assist. Expect a 360-degree camera standard, too. And two optional Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 2.0 upgrade packages assist with towing.

In addition, the Lincoln Navigator boasts an indulgent 13.2-inch LCD touchscreen media panel at the center of the dashboard. From there, its Sync 4 system controls media and apps for smartphones and the behemoth SUV. 

Additionally, the 2022 Navigator has adaptive headlights that modify lighting to accommodate different road situations. The Navigator also has new massaging seats.

Topping the list of impressive features is the ActiveGlide system, allowing drivers to operate the 2022 Navigator hands-free on select stretches of divided highways, totaling 100,000 miles of roads in North America.

But an electric 2022 Lincoln Navigator is missing

In June, Ford announced plans for 50% of its sales to come from all-electric models by 2026, CNBC reported. In its restructuring plan — dubbed “Ford+” — 40% of the carmaker’s global sales volume would be from electric vehicles by 2030. On top of that, Lincoln also wants to electrify its entire portfolio by the end of the decade. 

Despite its EV plan and projections, Lincoln chose not to offer even a plug-in hybrid Navigator for 2022 as it does for its two smaller SUVs, the Aviator and Corsair.

Lincoln’s president, Joy Falotico, attributes the lack of an electric Navigator to timing. He said Lincoln would gradually make electric changes based on customer desires, Bloomberg reported.

Interestingly, CNBC added, Falotico says Lincoln will still offer gas vehicles along with PHEVs in its gradual progression to an all-EV lineup while closely following how consumers respond.

In the meantime, the 2022 Navigator will offer only one powertrain. A twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine pairs with an automatic 10-speed transmission. It harnesses 440 hp, and Lincoln claims it gets an EPA-estimated 21 mpg on the highway. However, Car and Driver got only 18 mpg during its testing.

The PHEV powertrains for the Aviator and Corsair

The Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring and Black Label Grand Touring trims pack a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine with Nano electric motors, producing 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, Lincoln claims. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for this luxury midsize SUV is 54 mpg in the city, 58 mpg on the highway, and 56 mpg combined.

Lincoln’s Corsair Grand Touring compact SUV has a 2.5L i-VCT Atkinson inline-four hybrid engine with a paddle-shift continuously variable transmission. This Corsair is also the brand’s first all-electric all-wheel-drive model. The powertrain produces 266 hp and gets an impressive EPA-estimated 83 mpg in the city, 72 mpg on the highway, and 78 mpg combined.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see whether the 2023 Navigator follows suit with a plug-in hybrid or all-electric version.

RELATED: The 2021 Lincoln Navigator Just Earned This Impressive Distinction From U.S. News

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Most Vehicles’ Headlights Are Awful, But the IIHS Is Trying to Change That

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You’ve probably been in a car with terrible headlights. Maybe you even own such a car. You have to strain to see the road in front of you, unless you have the high beams on, thereby blinding oncoming cars. With roughly half of all fatal accidents happening at night, headlights are an important part of car safety. Why aren’t headlights better?

Cars with headlights on | Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been testing headlights for years

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been testing headlights for years. They recognize the seriousness of a vehicle not having quality headlights. The IIHS notes that while about half of fatal car accidents take place at night, more than a quarter happen on unlit roads. This means that having bright, effective headlights is essential to accident prevention. 

Once the IIHS established that many vehicles have terrible headlights, they sought to initiate an improvement. The IIHS gives two different safety awards, the Top Safety Pick and the Top Safety Pick+ award. As of 2020, the latter award can only be given if a vehicle comes standard with acceptable or better headlights on all available models. 

Many car manufacturers offer different trim levels of the same model of cars, and while some may have good headlights, others can have poor. To make matters worse, it can be difficult to find an actual car with good headlights, which partly drove the IIHS to establish this headlight criteria for the Top Safety Pick+ award.

There are certain standards headlights should meet

Car headlights don’t have to be terrible. They’re supposed to illuminate the road in front of the car without blinding oncoming drivers. The IIHS’ tests determine just how well they do this by evaluating both high beams and low beams. They also take into account how the headlights do on straight roads as well as those with curves. 

Good headlights should “illuminate the right side of the road ahead to at least 325 feet.” Poor ones would only illuminate up to or less than 220 feet. The IIHS gives bonus points to vehicles with systems that automatically switch back and forth between low and high beams. 

Car manufacturers are only starting to take good headlights seriously

David Aylor, the manager of active safety testing with the IIHS, says that car manufacturers are prioritizing luxury touches over headlights, which are “essential safety features.” He says, “Leather seats and sunroofs are nice, but you need high-quality headlights to avoid hazards.”

To combat car manufacturers lack of seriousness regarding headlights, the IIHS began rating headlights in 2016. They say that only “two of the 95 models IIHS tested earned a good rating.” After that, the IIHS began adding headlights as a category to their testing criteria. It worked: in 2020, “85 out of 185 models tested could be purchased with good-rated headlights.”

Now that the IIHS has made acceptable or better headlights standard on all available trim levels of a vehicle, it is likely that car manufacturers will start to take headlights more seriously. And with so many accidents occurring at times when good headlights are important, it can’t come soon enough.

RELATED: If You Buy One of These Three Pickup Trucks, You’d Better Have Night Vision

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