Unchanged a year following a complete redesign, the 2020 Toyota Avalon Hybrid retains a sleek design, smooth ride, standard advanced safety systems, and impressive fuel economy. At the same time, steering is numb, the engine sounds ragged when hustled, the large grille overpowers the sleek design, while rear cross-traffic alert is only available as part of an expensive option package on the top-trim Limited.

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In the second model year of the latest generation, the 2020 Honda Passport continues to offer buyers a quiet, comfortable interior, smooth, refined ride, simple, intuitive infotainment software, and a wide range of standard advanced safety features. At the same time, the exterior is hardly adventurous, the 9-speed transmission still needs work, a hybrid version is unavailable, while the absence of a low-range transfer case means it lacks true off-road chops.

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The big, old-school, body-on-frame 2019 Lexus LX570 continues to impress us with its edgy looks, sumptuous interior, muscular V-8, and smooth ride. But the big off-roader’s grille is also polarizing, fuel economy is dismal, while the introduction of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is the only bright spot in an infotainment system that still relies on a distracting mouse-like controller.

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The 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, mildly freshened this year, continues to offer moderately good looks, a smooth ride, plenty of interior room, and an attractive entry-level price point. But a pair of mediocre powertrains return only average fuel economy, the cut-rate interior displays lackluster quality and, 10 years into its current model run, is another step behind competitors.

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