10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Ford Maverick Prices Out Volkswagen Taos, Kia Sorento Hybrid June 16, 2021

Ford's new-for-2022 Maverick breaks from pickup-truck tradition with its standard hybrid powertrain, car-based construction, untrucklike gas mileage and affordable starting price. It alsobreaks free of the pack on this week's countdown of Cars.com's most popular news articles, handily taking the first-place position.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Chevy Spark Cheapskates by Tesla SUVs, Kia Carnival

Set to arrive in the fall, the Maverick compact pickup starts at an agreeable $21,490, including destination, in its base XL form. That fetching price fetches buyers a respectable lineup of tech, safety and convenience features. Moving up the chain, the XLT version starts at $23,775 and the Lariat at $26,985, with the available Lariat Luxury Package adding another $3,340.

For the full details on what you get at each price tier, follow the link below to our No. 1 news story of the week.

In other news about the latest and littlest, Volkswagen's tiny TaosSUV arrives for 2022 in hopes of appeasing those teed off at the demise of the Golf hatchback. In our rapid-fire rundown of the things we like and dislike about the Taos, we found substantially more in the former column. Pros include a powertrain that's peppier than its specs would suggest, a super-tight turning circle for maximum maneuverability, a surprisingly spacious cabin, a nicely appointed interior, a starting price of just over $24,000 that holds the line versus the outgoing Golf, and SUV-appropriate ride height and AWD availability.

For the attributes of the Taos we weren't as taken with, follow the link below to our No. 3 news story of the week.

And, finally, if it's a larger SUV you seek but you still hope to get the fuel economy of something smaller, you'll want to head down to the No. 5 spot and check out Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger's comprehensive critique of the 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The all-new hybrid variant of the freshly redesigned mid-size SUV offers families three rows of seats, updated multimedia, a fresh interior, an EPA fuel economy rating of 37 mpg combined and a generous lineup of standard safety features.

'Families looking for a large vehicle with small-vehicle fuel economy don't have a lot of options, but the 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid is a good one,' Geiger's review concludes. 'The electrified three-row SUV complements the already impressive Sorento lineup by adding a decent bump in the gas mileage department.'

Beyond that, we have headlines on the Lexus NX, BMW X3, Kia K5, and Tesla Model 3and Model Y, so keep reading. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn't get enough of in the past week:

1. 2022 Ford Maverick Pricing Starts at $20,000, But What Does That Include?

2. 2021 Subaru Forester: 6 Things We Like and 4 We Don't

3. Is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos a Good Car? 6 Pros and 2 Cons

4. 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Up Close: The Corolla of Small SUVs

5. 2021 Kia Sorento Hybrid Review: Big Vehicle With Small-Vehicle Fuel Economy

6. 2022 Lexus NX Is Redesigned to Plug-In 'N Play

7. How to Get the Best Offer for Your Trade-In

8. 2022 BMW X3 Lineup Adds Electrification, Torque, Technology

9. 2022 Kia K5 Enters Sophomore Year With New Features, Pricing

10. 3 Tesla Recalls Issued for Model 3, Model Y Brakes, Seat Belts

Related Video: Volkswagen Taos First Drive

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