Atlanta Auto Examiner Presents Top 5 Vehicles of 2020

 No. 5 Nissan Altima

No. 4 Lexus GX 460

No. 3 GMC Yukon 

No. 2 Nissan Rogue

No. 1 Toyota 4Runner

2020 Toyota 4Runner: It Never Disappoints

 

One of the best true SUVs on the market over the past few decades, the Toyota 4Runner never disappoints. 

The 2020 model offers seating for five and a maximum cargo area of 89.7 cubic feet when the rear seat is folded down. 

The 4Runner comes in a whopping nine trim levels: SR5, Trail Special Edition, SR5 Premium, TRD Off Road, TRD Off Road Premium, Venture, Limited, Nightshade and TRD Pro.

Its power plant is a standard 4.0-liter V-6 engine that makes 270 horsepower and is linked to a five-speed automatic transmission. The standard drive train is rear-wheel, with four-wheel drive optional.

Fuel economy for the 4Runner rated at 16 mpg city, 19 highway, according to EPA.

The 4Runner starts at around $37,000 and ranges to around $51,000.

The 4Runner might be one of the greatest vehicles ever produced. 

2021 Nissan Altima: Good Sedans are Still Out There

 

Despite losing a great deal of market share to crossover SUVs over the past few years, there is still a strong market for sedans. Today's tester, the 2021 Nissan Altima, demonstrates that a good sedan can still provide great value as a family vehicle or just a daily commuter. 

The Altima got a redesign last year that gave it a bit of a sportier look. It comes in five trim levels: S, SV, SR, SL and Platinum.

Under the hood of the Altima is a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 188 horsepower and is linked to a continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive. Optional is an all-wheel drive model, which reduces horsepower 182.

An optional engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 248 horsepower mated to a CVT with available FWD.

The FWD model gets fuel economy ratings of  28 mpg city, 39 highway, according to the EPA. That drops to 25 and 35 on the AWD model. The turbo model drops a little lower to 25 and 34.

The Altima starts at around $25,000 and ranges to about $35,000.

This popular sedan is a good choice for those who want to buck the trend of everyone driving crossovers.  

Summerville, Ga.: Charming Small Town

 

We recently visited Summerville, Ga., a small town about two hours northwest of Atlanta. This charming town has a park that is currently decorated with lights and commemorative holiday trees. 

The main park in the town features this statue of Sequoyah, an historical leader of First Nations people. 

Another attraction in town is the Paradise Garden, a kitschy collection of offbeat artwork that was featured in an early music video by rock band REM. We didn't arrive in town in time to visit the site, but we plan to in the future and will file a separate post about it. 

No Place Like Helen, Ga., for the Holidays

 While the pandemic might have put a damper on holiday travel plans, that doesn't mean you still can't get out and enjoy this festive time of year. We recently took a trip to Helen, Ga., which styles itself as a small Alpine village right here on this side of the pond. This little hamlet in the North Georgia mountains offers a handful of nice restaurants, shops and other attractions that you can enjoy during the holiday season and all year long. 

Enjoy some Lake Life this Holiday Season

 

A recent beautiful moonlit evening found us at Lake Lanier, about an hour's drive north of Atlanta. It's a great spot for boating, enjoying the beautiful scenery and relaxing. 

This time of year, Lake Lanier is decked out in its holiday best. So in addition to enjoying the lake and the beauty of its natural surroundings, visitors can see a lovely festive display. 

St. Andrews Beach Park - The Wanderer Memorial

 

We recently visited St. Andrews Beach Park, which is part of Jekyll Island, Ga. The park commemorates the story of the people who were brought to American shores by the Wanderer, a ship used to transport enslaved people. Throughout the park's winding trail, there are markers with explanations of the horrible fate of the enslaved Africans who were ruthlessly snatched from their homelands, brought aboard the ship and forced into an unspeakable existence as human property. 

This marker notes that survivors of the evil journey of the Wanderer were among the last known groups of enslaved Africans forcibly relocated to America. 

This marker notes that approximately 409 men, women and children were forcibly transported via the Wanderer for human trafficking purposes. The sign lists names of some known survivors, but is far from complete due to inadequate information. 

This model of a dwelling on the African continent shows a small sliver of life before the Africans were forcibly removed.

This sign notes that for 350 years, millions of Africans were captured and forcibly taken to the Americas to serve as forced labor. It notes that in 1858, the Wanderer, which had been a yacht, was converted into a vessel for human trafficking. This came 51 years after U.S. law prohibited trafficking Africans into the United States. 

The marker above details some of the atrocities associated with the voyage from African shores to the American South. Deplorable conditions such as overcrowding, malnourishment, physical restraints, illness, excessive heat and unhealthy air quality subjected the involuntary passengers to extreme danger. The journey took about six weeks and covered approximately 6,000 miles. 

Above is an illustration of the cramped, squalid settings of the ship in which African people were forced to endure a long, excruciatingly painful journey. 

The sign above notes how once captured from their home areas in Africa, the people were forced to take long, harrowing marches to the awaiting human trafficking vessels. These marches were fraught with fear, danger and uncertainty. 

The display above shows a washboard, bucket and hoe blade, all of which were used as improvised musical instruments. The enslaved people used music not only as a form of entertainment, but also as a form of communication that allowed them to convey messages to each other without their overseers being privy. 

It's hard to fathom that an area so beautiful, with its verdant plant life, shores and water, could have been a venue for something as horrific as systematic human trafficking. But unfortunately, we know that it was. It is now incumbent upon us to never forget the atrocities that were committed, vow to ensure we will never let this happen again and to understand the strength and perseverance that our African ancestors demonstrated and that lives on in us today.