10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Ford Maverick Nixes Lexus NX, Hops Honda CR-V

We’ve seen the rise of the tiny house trend in recent years, as some Americans feel overwhelmed by the trappings of consumer culture and aspire to simplify by way of shrinkage. Well, what better to park in front of your tiny house than a tiny truck — which, by the looks of things, may just be the next big thing in downsizing. First came the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, and now comes the 2022 Ford Maverick, which tops this week’s countdown of our most popular articles in the form of Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman’s comprehensive critique of Ford’s all-new pipsqueak pickup.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: 2022 Hyundai Tucson Can’t Contend With Car Seat Kudos

As Bragman will attest, good — nay, great — things come in small packages. Comparing the Maverick’s finger-on-the-pulse timeliness and relevance to that of the iconic Mustang in the mid-1960s, Bragman lauds the all-new truck. Among his callouts: efficient, effective use of space; a versatile Flexbed tailgate; a choice between hybrid and turbocharged gas-only powertrains for the eco-conscious or capability-inclined; impressive ride quality and handling chops; and exceptional payload and towing capacities to reassure you that this li’l fella is, indeed, a pickup truck. Above all, however, this Maverick is as cool as ice, man.

“The Maverick’s whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Bragman writes. “It’s just so damned cool — it turns heads everywhere … and draws a crowd wherever it’s parked.”

To get a better idea of how cool the 2022 Ford Maverick is, follow the link below to our No. 1 article of the past week.

Running astern of the Maverick, the Lexus NX settled into third place. That’s from a largely positive assessment of the small luxury SUV’s all-new-for-2022 iteration from Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder. 

“A full 2022 redesign for Lexus’ NX compact SUV reintroduces an entry-level powertrain, boosts mileage and acceleration for the available hybrid variant, adds the first Lexus plug-in hybrid (for some markets) and makes the whole NX lineup more competitive in several ways,” Wiesendfelder writes. “But none of them are more significant than the eradication of the outgoing generation’s much-hated console touchpad in exchange for a decent touchscreen.”

Get Wiesenfelder’s complete critique of the NX by following the link below to the No. 3 article on this week’s Cars.com countdown.

Following up in fourth place is our well-researched recommendation as to whether Honda CR-V shoppers should snap up the perennially popular compact SUV’s 2022 model for a few hundred extra bucks, or opt for the outgoing 2021 edition. To put it simply: Unless you’re set on the top-tier Touring trim, which now gets standard all-wheel drive, little to nothing else has changed elsewhere in the range — so why part with the extra cash for the same car with a newer model year?

For the full details on how we reached that conclusion, follow the link below to our No. 4 news story of the week.

Beyond that, we have headlines on the Subaru Ascent, Mercedes-EQ EQS, Honda Civic and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. 2022 Ford Maverick Review: The True 21st Century Mustang

2. 2022 Subaru Ascent Review: Value Pricing, Real-World Problems

3. 2022 Lexus NX Review: A Day Late, Not as Short

4. Honda CR-V: Which Should You Buy, 2021 or 2022?

5. What’s the Best New-Car Deal for October 2021?

6. Mazda Gives Americans What They Want: 3 More SUVs by 2023

7. 2022 Mercedes-EQ EQS Review: Ze Germans Embrace ze Future

8. 2022 Honda Civic: 5 Takeaways From Our Second Take

9. J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study: Genesis, Hyundai Triumph

10. Life With the Honda Civic: What Do Owners Really Think?

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