Perhaps for the first time in history, someone has accurately described a three-row crossover as being “Scandi flickable.” For those who don’t speak Rally English, the Scandinavian flick is an old rally technique where, to get a car sliding in a corner, you huck it in the opposite direction first, creating a pendulum effect. One imagines that not many owners will try a Scandinavian flick in a Lucid Gravity, an electric, three-row luxury SUV. Their loss.

The Gravity is a huge deal for Lucid, the Bay Area EV startup looking to grow into a serious volume automaker. Like the Air sedan, the Gravity is a remarkable engineering achievement, if not quite a perfect car. But it’s also a reminder that vehicles are a reflection of the people who create them. And the Gravity is a product of serious enthusiasts.

Lucid launched the Gravity in the Grand Touring trim, which carries a $96,550 base price with a five-seat configuration. The fully loaded, seven-seat testers Lucid had on hand cost a stout $127,150. There’s an $81,650 Touring model also on its way, but Lucid hasn’t confirmed specs or an on-sale date.

Pricing puts the Gravity Grand Touring right at the pointy end of the luxury SUV market, EV or otherwise. But as it sits, this is one of the most powerful SUVs on sale, with 824 horsepower and 909 pound-feet of torque from two electric motors. It’ll get to 60 miles per hour in just about 3.4 seconds.

Yet, even with all that power, the Gravity is still one of the most efficient electric SUVs, squeezing a remarkable 450 miles of range from a 112.0 kilowatt-hour (123.0-kWh gross) battery. (These test cars, with seven seats, and the largest wheels with summer tires, get 386 miles of range.) Lucid is quite proud of the fact that the Gravity goes nearly as far as a Cadillac Escalade IQ despite using a battery a little over half the size. Which is also a big reason why the Lucid weighs 3,000 pounds less than the Caddy.

Pros: Excellent Ride & Handling, Incredible Range/Efficiency, Clever Packaging

Before we got to the real, surprising fun of sliding the Gravity on dirt, though, we drove the SUV in a slightly more realistic scenario, up the freeway and through the mountains of the gorgeous Los Padres National Forest. On the 101, with Lucid’s full driver-assist Dream Drive Pro suite handling most of the hard work, it did the luxury SUV thing extremely well. It’s quiet and comfortable, with only a bit of noise and occasional harsh impacts coming from the optional 22-inch front and 23-inch rear wheels.

Turning off the freeway, the Gravity is even more remarkable. These testers had the $2,900 Dynamic Handling Package, which replaces the standard single-chamber air springs with three-chamber units, and adds rear-wheel steering. All Gravity models get Bilstein’s excellent dual-valve adaptive dampers, and the way this thing handles is remarkable. 

There’s so much grip, and the driver gets a good sense of what the car is doing beneath through the seat. You can feel the grip build up when you get the car set into a corner at a speed that’ll certainly, uh, entertain your six passengers, and the steering is perfectly calibrated.

Between corners, the Gravity is outrageously quick, too; 824 hp will do that. Interestingly enough, the Gravity doesn’t have the baseball-bat-to-the-chest acceleration from 0 mph like a Tesla Model X, but unlike most EVs, the speed just builds and builds. This is a car where you need to keep a close eye on the speedometer because it’s so much faster than it feels.

Cons: Panel Gaps On Testers, Buggy Software, No Regenerative Braking Via Pedal

While the ride-handling balance is superb, I do have some dynamic qualms with the Gravity. Lucid only does regenerative braking via lifting the throttle, like Tesla, so if you don’t like one-pedal driving—which I don’t—and switch off that mode, you‘re going to lose out on significant efficiency. I wish they had a blended brake pedal, which combines regenerative and friction braking. 

That said, the one-pedal drive mode is extremely well calibrated and smooth. It’s fine in town and on the freeway, but it’s an adjustment in more spirited driving. You can use the one-pedal mode to help get weight on the nose into corners, but it requires supreme right-foot precision. And the brake pedal itself feels very odd. An engineer said they were aiming for a similar brake-pedal feel as a 911 GT3, but it feels more like an old Citroen.

There’s a little dead spot at the top, but once you get into the pedal, it acts more like a pressure-sensitive switch with almost no travel. It’s very unnatural and not really like a GT3’s brakes at all. That sort of works in an old Citroen DS, but in something that weighs nearly 6,000 pounds and has this much power, you want something that isn’t so vague. It saps confidence.

To live with, the Gravity will take some getting used to. There’s one upper screen that works as a gauge cluster and infotainment, and a large lower screen with climate and other vehicle controls, plus doubling of some infotainment functions. It’s very different from most other automaker systems. A couple of hours of driving isn’t enough time to adjust, so I don’t want to render a complete verdict, but the whole thing looks great and has some hard buttons for things like temperature, fan speed, and the heated/cooled seats.

The “D-pads” on either side of the squircle steering wheel control various vehicle and infotainment functions. The left lets you swipe through some gauge cluster menus on the left side of the upper screen, and also handles all the driver-assist systems, while the right lets you control the upper infotainment. It all works well, but again, it requires a bit of mental recalibration.

Worrying was the glitchy software in the test cars on hand. None present had the head-up display working, and journalists driving another car reported that the lane-keep assist wouldn’t turn off despite being shown as deactivated in the driver-assist menu. 

Other build-quality issues were evident. Some vehicles had comically huge panel gaps, and ours made all sorts of creaking noises that either came from the suspension or from trim pieces rubbing against each other. I couldn’t tell. Lucid reps said that these cars went straight to the media event without time for a pre-delivery inspection that would catch such issues before a car went to a customer.

If you’re coming out of a Tesla Model X, none of this will concern you, but from a BMW or Mercedes? You might be in for a surprise. 

But, the trade-off is getting something that’s truly clever and innovative in a way no established automaker is even doing. It’s an engineer’s car. Eric Bach, Lucid’s chief engineer, proudly points out that putting the high beam in a separate lower unit freed up more front trunk space; the rear-wheel steering system uses independent actuators for each wheel because it opens up interior volume; it charges faster on a Tesla Supercharger than a Tesla; and then there’s what it’ll do on dirt.

Soon available as an over-the-air update, the Lucid Gravity’s “Terrain” mode turns this SUV into something else entirely. Lucid set up a little dirt rallycross course on a ranch it rented out for the event, and you won’t believe how good it is out here. You can turn stability control off fully, but traction control stays on to help you slide the car like a Finnish rally hero. 

Use the one-pedal driving to get weight on the nose quickly, then be aggressive with the throttle. Normally, you’d spin up the tires like crazy with 824 hp and 909 lb-ft, but that’s where Lucid’s super-quick, ultra-precise traction control works its magic. You can even do transitions in this thing, drifting from corner to corner, taking advantage of a 49-front, 51-rear weight balance. I could’ve spent all day out there.

Lucid’s engineering team are all dyed-in-the-wool nerds. They own E36s, S2000s, Lotuses, and more of the stuff that you and I lust after. Their passion seeps into the Gravity, and gives it personality that not only reveals itself in extreme use cases like this, but when you drive the car normally too. This is a product of people who care and put in the extra effort to make nerds like you and me happy.

As it sits, the Gravity is not perfect, at least not yet. But it is Scandi-flickable. It’s special. How often do you get to say that about a three-row SUV?

Competitors

Chinese manufacturer BYD is bringing its new premium brand, Denza, to Europe. The name for its first model, Z9 GT, is meant to summarize its positioning in the market: Z being the "highest" letter in the alphabet and 9, in Chinese numerology, being synonymous with prestige.

The Denza Z9 GT is a large, sporty station wagon designed to demonstrate BYD's technological capabilities. The rear wheels can steer independently and "spin" in the opposite direction, allowing the car to pivot on the front and park without maneuvering. It can also do a 360° U-turn in one place and change lanes by steering all four wheels, imitating a crab.

There's so much adjustability, the Z9 GT can even keep the car on the road even if a tire explodes, up to 180 km/h (111 mph). In the video of our test drive above, you'll be able to see this capability in action.

2025 Denza Z9 GT: Exterior

The Denza Z9 GT is 17 feet long, 4.9 feet high, and 6.5 feet wide, with a wheelbase of 10.3 feet. The dimensions and shooting brake layout of the body are comparable to those of a Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, with a design language that was defined under the supervision of Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Alfa Romeo and Audi.

Designers say silk, a material that rests lightly on shapes in a fluid, elegant way, inspired them to define the shapes of the Z9 GT. This basic idea guided the definition of the body, influencing the split headlights and a swooping line break that starts at the front wheel and continues along each side of the car.

The design team behind the Z9 GT also created the new Denza brand logo, which, unlike BYD's logo, does not use the brand letters, but rather a stylized symbol.

2025 Denza Z9 GT: Interior

The passenger compartment of the Denza Z9 GT also embraces the idea of ​​softness and sinuosity associated with silk. It's seen in the enveloping shape of the dashboard, which continues onto the door panels, and in the shape of the seats, equipped with heating, ventilation and massage.

In a quest to break into the luxury segment Denza uses high-quality materials such as leather and aluminum, supplementing the OLED the Dynaudio sound system. There's also more subtle details, such as the refrigerator under the front center armrest and the much bigger refrigerator between the rear seats.

To top it all off, there's a large amount of space available for passengers, which has been prioritized over luggage. The quoted cargo capacity of less than 17.6 cubic feet, in fact, is less than you'd expect from the storage area of ​​a car of this size.

2025 Denza Z9 GT: Driving

For this first dynamic test, organized by BYD during Milan Design Week 2025, I was able to attend a series of demonstrations that show off how all of the Denza Z9 GT's features worked.

Powering the car is a plug-in hybrid system with a front-mounted 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine making 207 horsepower, flanked by an electric motor capable of providing traction to the front wheels (via an E-CVT continuously variable transmission). It can also recharge a 38.5 kWh battery built with BYD blade-type batteries, incorporating LFP chemistry and a cell-to-body scheme to optimize construction.

There are two more electric motors on the rear axle, for a total system output of 870 hp, allowing for a 0-62 mph time of 3.6 seconds. Both rear wheels can steer independently and turn forward or backward simultaneously, to perform the maneuvers described above, reducing the turning circle to 30 feet (compared to about 39 feet for the smaller Tesla Model Y or Alfa Romeo Stelvio). Tread wear, however, seemed more than negligible to me, due the friction with the asphalt during the slipping phases between the wheels and the ground.

On a test track, I was able to drive on a selection of different surfaces designed to evaluate the suspension's capabilities. The dampers are electronically controlled pneumatic units, and in practice, delivered great comfort to the Denza Z9 GT's ride.

I didn't have the opportunity, however, to provoke the car enough to understand how the systems keep the weight in check. Denza says the production version will come in at anywhere between 6,060 and 6,170 pounds, depending on final specs. I also didn't have a chance to explore all of the hybrid system's capabilities.

Denza says the Z9 GT can travel 124 miles in fully electric mode, according to the Chinese CLTC standard. That should translate into around 99 miles, according to the European WLTP cycle. DC charging power comes in at 82 kW.

2025 Denza Z9 GT: Pricing

The plug-in hybrid-equipped Denza Z9 GT that I tested should arrive in Europe in February 2026. The fully electric version is expected towards the end of 2025. It'll come with a 100-kWh battery, with Denza promising 965 horsepower, a 0-62 time of 3.4 seconds, a range of 391 miles in the CLTC cycle (about 348 miles WLTP) and 270 kW of charging power in direct current DC.

Pricing has yet to be revealed, though we can make an educated guess by looking at prices for higher-end BYDs. The BYD Tang, for example, sells for around 73,000 euros. The Denza Z9 GT, therefore, should be positioned above that figure, seeing as how Denza is now the most premium brand in BYD's lineup.

Usually, rain on a track day is disappointing. At worst, you watch helplessly as the rain washes out all the sessions. Sheltering beneath a Skip Barber tent at Sonoma Raceway during a particularly aggressive downpour, I wondered whether this two-day event with BFGoodrich would, in fact, be a washout. Instead, it became the perfect opportunity to explore both the wet and dry handling characteristics of the latest G-Force tire from BFGoodrich, called the Phenom T/A.

This tire slots into the Ultra-High Performance summer-only segment, replacing the G-Force Sport Comp 2, which BFGoodrich admits was a bit long in the tooth. Phenom ditches the old directional tread for an asymmetric pattern featuring two distinct regions. The “dry zone” on the outside consists of broad shoulder blocks, while the “wet zone” fills the inner tread with narrower blocks and more lateral grooves.

Speaking of grooves, three wide rain grooves circumnavigate the tire with a smaller fourth positioned close to the outside. After driving Mustang GTs on a soaked track and not hitting anything, I can say the tires are good in the wet. More on that later.

As for the tire compound, BFGoodrich cooks up a silica-infused recipe incorporating nearly 200 ingredients in a proprietary stew. The goal is to create a sticky street-legal tire, but specific attention was given to braking performance in dry and wet conditions. To that end, BFGoodrich says the Phenom outbrakes numerous competitors on wet roads, including the Yokohama Advan Apex V601, Falken Azenis FK510, Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2, and the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. The fine print, however, advises us that actual on-road results may vary.

What else goes into the Phenom? It’s a W-rated tire with stiff sidewalls that work with the shoulder blocks to aid cornering grip. However, the company also sees these tires as a vital component of the suspension, so some flexibility for on-road comfort is built into the design. Speaking to BFGoodrich reps prior to the track sessions, I was advised to pay particular attention to the progressiveness of the grip in corners. Considering Sonoma Raceway was basically a river for the first half of the day, there was no choice but to be mindful in the twisty bits.

Finally, we get to aesthetics and price. The Phenom is billed as a strong summer performance tire, but the tread and sidewall are also designed to look cool. BFGoodrich eyes the tuner scene as its primary market; enthusiasts who want to enjoy a track day as much as a cruise night or car show. Prices obviously vary by size, but it largely slots into the $140 to $230 range per tire. 20 sizes are available now with another 30 dropping any day now, starting with a 205/55/16 on the small end and topping out at a 245/35/20.

Full disclosure—I was not able to do any direct comparisons with competitive tires. The Skip Barber Racing School at Sonoma partnered up with BFGoodrich and runs Phenoms on its fleet of S197 Mustang GT school cars. The suspensions are upgraded, and the cars have the requisite safety equipment you need for racing. But otherwise these are stock 4.6-liter V-8 pony cars with 320 horsepower and six-speed manual transmissions. 

In addition, there were two new EcoBoost Mustangs to play with off the track—one fitted with Phenoms and the other wearing Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. Technically, you could call it a comparison. But with these cars relegated to slow-speed skidpad and autocross duties, it’s a slim comparo at best.

So how does the Phenom actually perform? I admit to being a bit timid during the first 20-minute track session. Light-to-moderate rain was falling, the track was soaked, and let’s be honest—these older solid-axle Mustangs have a reputation for crashing in the hands of slightly overzealous drivers. Fortunately, I have an older Mustang at home in the garage, so I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the wet-weather experience.

And I was impressed with the Phenom’s wet grip. Only once did I get a little squirrely with too much throttle exiting turn 2. Ninety mph approaching turn 7 was a breeze, with no hint of hydroplaning. After a warm-up lap, I felt comfortable pushing a bit harder through Sonoma’s infamous chicane. I was nowhere near the car’s limit, partially because I didn’t want to crash, but mainly because we were all following a Skip Barber pace car that kept everyone in check. Still, after reviewing my telemetry I was surprised to see a few 0.8g corners in very wet conditions. The grip was there. More importantly, I felt comfortable exploring it.

A touch of rain stuck around for the second session, but the skies finally cleared on day two for some dry laps. Unfortunately, we still had pace cars that kept speeds well in check, so honestly, it’s tough to say just how good these tires really are. I was not able to kick the back loose in any corner without deliberate, blatant attempts. Most corners were taken far below the limits of the car and the tires, though I was able to aggressively tackle turn 7 on occasion, getting just a bit of scrub from the left side in the process.

The Phenoms definitely have grip, wet or dry. With speeds increasing through the later sessions I managed to pull a full g of lateral acceleration through a few corners. By this time the Skip Barber instructors upgraded to Mustang pace cars, but speeds remained under 100 mph and braking zones were generous. After the sessions, the Phenoms were showing a bit of use but wear was very even.

For someone not interested in having a dedicated set of race tires, I can see these being good for a few autocrosses and the occasional track day amid daily driving duties. Just bear in mind that this is a summer-only tire that doesn’t perform well below 40 degrees, never mind snow. And with its performance focus, BFGoodrich offers no treadwear warranty.

Ironically, I got a better understanding of the Phenom’s strengths off the track in the EcoBoost Mustangs. Instructors turned us loose on wet and dry skid pads to explore understeer and oversteer. It’s part of Skip Barber’s two-day driving school, but for our purposes, it provided a chance to actually get some heat in the tires.

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 looked a little chewy after several hard autocross laps.

The BFGoodrich Phenom fared better with heat. Note: the haze in the photo is actually smoke from the Mustang's brakes. These cars were thoroughly exercised.

To BFGoodrich’s credit, the Phenoms were reasonably progressive at the limit and didn’t just turn to slippery goo when hot. It was easy to feel understeer in the Mustang’s wheel, and when the back stepped out, the loss of grip was gradual. By comparison, the Firestones felt a bit grippier at first but went away rather suddenly. Sadly, I sacrificed an orange autocross cone to uncover this truth. All in the name of science, right?

So, is the Phenom a worthy tire in the UHP segment? It has plenty of dry grip, and I was properly impressed with how it held in the rain. It also seems to handle heat well, though I’d want a bit more track time to really suss that out. Compared to the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, it’s definitely easier to manage when you exceed its limits, but prior to that point, I think the Firehawk had a better bite on dry ground. 

But I felt more confident on the Phenom in all situations. In this segment, wherein most people will be enjoying these tires on the street, I think that matters most. The Phenoms strike a good balance between dry grip, impressive wet traction, and predictability.

More On Tires:

There are two types of off-roading. The first is the kind marketers want you to think you’ll do; rock-crawling with recovery ropes, winches, and shovels. It’s done at dedicated off-roading parks by people who treat it as their main hobby. On a statistical level, though, it barely exists.

The second type of off-roading involves taking dirt roads deep into the backcountry, crawling over rocks or through ruts that bisect the path. For the latter, all you need is some clearance, gumption, and power. The Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch has all three, which makes it more than capable enough for most.

A Tougher Bronco Sport

Even though it’s essentially a Ford Escape with more clearance, standard all-wheel drive, and an eye toward the backcountry, the Bronco Sport has been a hit since its debut. For 2025, it borrows the Sasquatch package from its big brother. On the standard Bronco, the Sasquatch package gives you 35-inch tires and locking diffs. Here, the Bronco Sport adds 29-inch Goodyear Territory All-Terrain tires and an upgraded twin-clutch locking rear differential for the all-wheel drive system.

That diff alone is a standout feature. Among the many weaknesses of car-based soft-roaders, they often have open diffs on both ends, meaning if two tires lose contact with the road, you’re basically hosed. The Bronco Sport has always offered a locker on its top-trim Badlands model, but now with the Sasquatch package, you can get it on the Outer Banks.

Make no mistake, though, the Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch is the one you want. Ignore the name, which has one too many adjectives meant to evoke "badass," because the upgrades are worth the $41,710 starting price. While normal Bronco Sports get a relatively uninspiring and overworked turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, the Badlands gets the gruff 2.0-liter Ecoboost. Here, it makes 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, addressing the other major problem with crossover SUVs: Most don’t have the grunt for a proper hill climb.

Pros: All The Capability You Need, Tons Of Fun, Reasonable Price

Badlands Sasquatch Broncos also get upgraded Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, which offer this SUV more ground clearance—8.7 inches to the standard version's 8.1. Clearance isn’t the trump card, though, as a Subaru Forester Wilderness clears 9.2 inches. Ford instead brags that the ‘Squatch has 8.3 inches of front suspension travel and 8.7 inches of travel out back, great numbers for what is usually an articulation-constrained class.

The Bronco Sport Sasquatch also has great approach, breakover, and departure angles: 31.2 degrees, 21.7 degrees, and 27.9 degrees, respectively. That’s way, way better than the Forester Wilderness (23.5 degrees, 21 degrees, and 25.5 degrees). Plus, the Sasquatch package brings plenty of armor, with a standard removable brush guard, skid plates, and exposed recovery hooks. Most importantly, all Sasquatches include a full-size spare tire, a shockingly rare and completely necessary item for any real off-roading.

Genuine Off-Road Capability

There’s no single stat here that will blow you away, but the way Ford integrated this package is exceptional. From its prominent, bulging hood to its cargo tie-downs, blocky interior design, and rumbling all-terrain tires, the Bronco Sport feels more truck-like than any other crossover.

The Sport’s big shoes and short overhangs make it a confident trail companion through the desert trails of Anza-Borrego State Park, outside of San Diego. This is the usual stomping ground for my personal 4x4: a stock 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe. Compared to my Tahoe, the Bronco Sport highlighted the main advantage of a crossover-based off-roader: Dirt-trail livability.

While a solid axle may help you crawl over rocks, it’s a heavy pain on rutted dirt. Oscillations make Anza-Borrego a washboarded nightmare, and in my solid-axle truck, the shaking was so severe that it snapped off a coolant hose connector. The independently sprung Bronco Sport—MacPherson struts at the front and double lateral link semi-trailing arms at the rear—is far smoother, even without airing down. It bounds over those same ruts without issue, though there is some interior squeaking. It eventually went away, but still, not ideal.

Cons: Busy Ride, Noisy Cabin, Annoying Touchscreen Climate Controls

The ‘Squatch shines on the sand, racing through S-curves and charging up deep sandy hills, the rear differential shuffling power as I huck the ‘Squatch through sandy corners, stability control sorting things out on the uphill sections. Credit the new “Rally” mode in the drive mode selector, too, which is set for high-speed silliness.

Though not typically a high point for crossovers, the Bronco Sport is even great at rock-crawling. Even without a low-range gearbox, the ‘Squatch manages a relatively tough climb over rocks and sand without issue. Ford also includes a transmission oil cooler, a big boon to anyone who’s ever tried to off-road a Subaru or Honda crossover in the desert and cooked their gear oil. I’d still not recommend the Bronco Sport for rock crawling, due to the relatively modest clearance and the lack of low-range gearing, but I’m confident it could out-wheel a Forester on the strength of its diff alone.

In the final test, a sandy autocross course, the Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch is a riot, sliding around like an old-school rally car. Like the Maverick Lobo, its drifting capability doesn’t make it any more communicative or engaging to drive, but still impressive. Even with deeper ruts during the last session, the Bronco’s bash plates easily absorb a 25-mile-per-hour impact with the sand. This thing is not only capable, it’s tough.

Pavement Problems

As any off-roader knows, off-road prowess usually involves some sacrifices in on-road capability. That remains true here. The Sasquatch’s truck-like ride is charming, but you do get more minor vibrations and jiggliness unexpected of a $46,620 crossover. It’s not uncomfortable over major bumps, but like many trucks, the ride just never settles down completely.

The more annoying part is the noise. Between the wind noise—a problem on all Bronco Sports I sampled—and the roar of those 29-inch tires, the Bronco Sport is a loud place to spend time. Its highway drone gets old fast. That’s tough, considering the main advantage of a car-based off-roader is usually its superior on-road manners. The Sport is certainly smoother and quieter than the bigger Bronco, but it’s not a far cry from a 4Runner.

Also, while I love the fast 13.2-inch touchscreen display, Ford has moved climate controls to the screen. That’s a bad enough move when a company has Grade-A software to control it, but the Bronco Sport’s clunky fan speed control and jittery sliders make it among the worst offenders. Adaptive cruise with lane centering is also standard on the Bronco Sport, but at least on the Badlands and Outer Banks Sasquatch models, I found the lane centering system too inconsistent to be relaxing.

The interior is nice enough, though, and at low speeds, the Bronco Sport is a fine enough daily. Nothing else that feels as capable is significantly better on the road, at least in my experience.

All The Off-Roader You Need

There is no life without sacrifice. Every product makes some inherent compromises between the real world and the world of our dreams. The Subaru, Toyota, and Hyundai alternatives to the Bronco Sport keep themselves firmly planted in the mundanity of living, focusing on on-road comfort and tapping out in more extreme scenarios. The 4Runners and Broncos of the world are all about the dream, no matter how much sacrifice it requires in reality.

The Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch perfectly splits the difference. It’s capable without being silly. It’s good enough to handle any trail that a reasonable person would attempt alone, spacious enough for four-person camping trips, and tidy enough to avoid scraping the sides on most trails. It’s playful enough to slide through the sand and serious enough to be your only car. It’s somewhere between the dream and the reality, and that’s exactly where I want to live.

Competitors

More Ford Reviews

Last year, Nissan sold 245,724 Rogue SUVs. That's a lot. The Rogue finished ninth in total sales in the US and third in SUV sales behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. And there’s a reason Nissan sells so many Rogues: It's a damn-good compact SUV.

The Rogue gains minor technology updates for 2025, but it’s much the same as it was when the third-generation model debuted in 2020. The Rogue’s design is likeable but not over the top, the interior is nice but nothing fancy, and the powertrain and driving experience are perfectly adequate. It ticks nearly all the boxes you need in a compact SUV.

Under the hood is Nissan’s maligned VC-Turbo engine—a 1.3-liter inline-three making 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. Love it or hate it, the three-cylinder delivers more than enough power for seamless onramp merges and highway passes. If you put your foot down really hard, the Rogue has decent giddyup.

A continuously variable transmission is the lone gearbox on offer, and it’s perfectly innocuous—if not a touch whiny at speed. This Platinum-trim tester also comes with an optional all-wheel-drive system ($1,400), though front-wheel drive comes standard.

The Rogue drives adequately, with a responsive steering feel, a compliant suspension, and excellent visibility. The high windshield and tall windows make this SUV feel larger than it is, even though it’s actually a titch smaller than a CR-V.

Pros: Comfortable, Quiet, Excellent Safety Tech

The optional 19-inch wheels are barely a hit to the ride quality. The Rogue skips over broken pavement, glides over speed bumps, and is absolutely silky smooth on the highway. The quilted leather seats standard on this Platinum model are form-fitting and comfy enough for hours behind the wheel. And apart from some wind noise over the side mirrors at higher speeds, the cabin is mostly quiet, too.

The second row feels expansive—at least, for a compact crossover—with 38.5 inches of rear legroom. That's more than what Toyota offers in the RAV4 (37.8 inches), but down slightly compared to the CR-V (41.0). The Rogue's 39.2 inches of rear headroom are also slightly less than the competition's, but you'll barely be able to tell the difference. Two adults can sit in the second row comfortably for hours on end, and on this Platinum, they can warm their butts with standard heated seats.

The Rogue's 36.5 cubic feet of rear cargo space is also down slightly to the CR-V and RAV4, but there's still ample room for large loads of groceries or a few pieces of luggage, with nifty underfloor storage. You won't be able to notice the size difference. Fold the second row flat, and that figure swells to 74.1 cubic feet.

With the optional Technology package ($2,100), the Rogue Platinum gets ProPilot Assist 2.1. This is Nissan's adaptive highway cruise control, which isn't fully hands-off like Super Cruise, but it's nearly as good. The Rogue remains perfectly centered in the lane when activated—it doesn't ping pong—and both acceleration and braking are smooth.

Cons: No Hybrid, Not Class-Leading In Any Measure

ProPilot 2.1 even adds a Lane Change Assistance feature that works seamlessly. When the vehicle recognizes an open lane, simply tick the turn signal and the Rogue steers itself into the open lane. Again, Nissan requires you to keep your hands on the wheel, but it's as close to hands-off as it gets.

The Rogue Platinum with AWD returns 28 miles per gallon city, 34 highway, and 31 combined. That’s not as efficient as the FWD Rogue’s 33 mpg city, but it’s still better than the non-hybrid, AWD versions of the CR-V and RAV4, which get just 28 mpg combined. And it’s significantly better than the non-hybrid, AWD Kia Sportage (25 mpg combined).

The Rogue falls behind the pack, though, as the only compact SUV without a hybrid option. Even at its most efficient, the Rogue is well short of hybrid alternatives from Honda, Kia, Mazda, and Toyota in terms of efficiency.

Price-wise, the Rogue is actually cheaper for 2025 with a $29,980 starting price the base S FWD model. That’s $640 less than last year. Even this AWD Platinum model starts at just $41,390 with destination, which is $930 cheaper than last year.

With options like the $990 Premium package, which adds the hands-free liftgate and heated rear seats, as well as the $3,200 Technology package, among others, the final price tag for this tester comes out to $48,680. That’s still well within reason for a nearly fully loaded, nicely equipped SUV.

The Rogue remains one of the few bright spots in the Nissan lineup for 2025, alongside siblings like the Kicks and Murano. It’s not the flashiest or the most well-regarded compact SUV of the bunch, but it is hard to find fault with Nissan’s perennial best-seller. It just really needs a hybrid.

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

Kumho is attempting to claw its way into the performance tire market with a new line of Ecsta rubber, launched late last year. The Ecsta Sport A/S, the Sport, and the Sport S make some big promises, with the brand telling media it outperforms big-name tires from tiremakers like Michelin, Bridgestone, and Pirelli, all while undercutting on price.

After a brief series of tests at Atlanta Motorsport Park, the Ecstas show good signs of being able to hold their own in a variety of limit-handling scenarios. While it’s impossible to say whether Kumho has made a superior tire without comparing it back to back with competitors, it’s clear this rubber is progressive, communicative, and easy to approach.

The Kumho Ecsta Sport A/S

The Ecsta Sport A/S is considered an "Ultra High-Performance" all-season. That means it can perform in bad weather when it needs to, whilst delivering superior grip versus your run-of-the-mill all-season tire. Its main competitor is the enormously popular Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All-Season, which comes standard on cars like the Chevy Corvette.

Kumho showed media a few data points discovered by third-party testing, comparing the Sport A/S to the Michelin (cheekily defined as “M Brand” in Kumho’s presentation). According to the data, the Kumho performed better in wet braking tests and scored identically in the noise department. It fell short only in the "Steering/Highway Handling" test.

In practice, the Sport A/S feels like quality rubber. Kumho tossed us the keys to a trio of sports cars equipped with the tires to rip around an autocross course, allowing us to get a feel for the performance. Autocross is the perfect place to test the limits of a tire, as you always have to be at or beyond a car’s abilities to squeeze out the best time. Doing so requires a tire that communicates to you, and doesn’t snap when pushed hard. 

The Sport A/S performs commendably, with lots of noise at and above its grip limits. You can rely on it for quick transitions, too, which was nice for the course’s tight chicane. Kumho also let us rip around a wet skidpad to show the tire wouldn’t fall over on itself when presented with water. And it didn’t, performing nearly as well, albeit without the same noise. 

The Kumho Ecsta Sport

The Ecsta Sport is Kumho’s mainline ultra high-performance summer tire, meant to compete against the Bridgestone Potenza Sport or Goodyear Eagle F1. That means huge shoes to fill. On first impressions, it doesn’t crumble apart when faced with real track time.

Kumho’s third-party testing suggests big things. According to the data shown to the media, the Ecsta Sport can out-brake the competition in the wet and dry. It’s also better at tread life and wet handling. It’s even quieter. On paper, it’s one of the best tires in this segment.

From behind the wheel, the Ecsta Sport feels like it could live up to these lofty claims. Kumho gave me the keys to a 991-generation Porsche 911 Carrera 4S for some lead-follow laps behind a Miata equipped with the same tires. With such a performance delta it was impossible to reach the limits of the tire, but the Sports showed promise, with lots of feedback through the steering wheel. 

More importantly, the Sports didn’t fall off with regards to performance at any point, even with a full day of lapping with journalists. At this level, longevity is just as important as performance. Buyers will likely use these tires as daily drivers, so it’s important they last more than a few laps on a race track.

The Kumho Ecsta Sport S

The Ecsta Sport S is Kumho’s equivalent of Michelin’s Pilot Sport S 5, the most popular performance tire on the planet. Like the normal Sport, Kumho’s third-party testing data claims the Sport S can out-brake its Michelin counterpart, out-handle it in the wet, and match it on tire noise. 

Instead of letting me test the Sport S on a road car, Kumho chucked me into the driver’s seat of a Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport—a full-on factory race car—for a few laps around AMP. Sadly those laps were also paced by a Miata, so reaching the rubber’s real potential wasn’t exactly on the menu. 

Still, the Sport S tires didn’t lose any of that approachability I found in the Sport, and they weren’t snappy or unpredictable, even when strapped to a real race car. We need more testing, but these limited impressions were positive.

Because there were no Michelins (or any other brand of tire) at this event to compare back-to-back, I can’t say the Kumhos are superior. The data shows they very well might be, at least in some important aspects. And they feel nice to use, which is equally as important as the numbers.

Where the Kumhos win biggest is price. Even if the Michelin were the better tire overall, it’s still about 50 percent more expensive, depending on sizing. If you’re flush with cash, sure, splurge on the French stuff. But if you want most of the performance and want to save a few bucks, the Kumhos are a solid choice.

More Tire Reviews

Ford is good at finding unclaimed ground in the truck market. The company introduced the modern luxury half-ton we all know today, essentially invented the super-truck with the F-150 Raptor, and reignited the mini-truck segment with the Maverick. For 2025, Ford is pressing that advantage with a new car-based street truck for the lowrider set. It’s called the Maverick Lobo, and it kinda rocks.

"Kinda" is a weight-bearing part of that sentence. Because on the surface, a unibody factory street truck is a weird sell. The Maverick’s long wheelbase, unibody structure, lack of low-range gearing, and big overhangs already make it a less-than-ideal dirt-road companion. But the Lobo—with 1.1 fewer inches of clearance at the rear and a widebody kit—is not even attempting to sell on conventional truck bona fides. It’s somewhere between a GMC Syclone and a Ford Escape, defying conventional categorization.

That, admittedly, is the risk with a "white-space vehicle." But if you like the idea of the Ford Maverick Lobo, you’re going to love driving it.

Why Does the Lobo Exist?

In its simplest form, the $37,545 Maverick Lobo is Ford’s attempt to capture some social media magic in a from-the-factory package. Basically, Ford execs saw people on Instagram slamming their Mavericks and thought, "We should do that." So, they did.

Street trucks are about two things: Style and speed, in that order. To address the former, Ford lowered the Maverick Lobo by 0.5 inches up front and 1.1 inches out back. Overall clearance is down from as much as 8.4 inches in the stock Maverick to 7.4 inches here. Ford also threw on a black roof, a body kit, and 19-inch “Turbofan” wheels that look cool on their own, but I’m not sold on them here. The $100 upgrade for the more traditional sport wheels might be worth it.

The only major ding against the Lobo visually is the limited number of paint options: Black, white, gray, or an astounding shade of Velocity Blue (the correct option). It wears all four colors well, but given that lesser Mavericks can be had in better shades, it seems a missed opportunity. Still, the Lobo looks cool.

Pros: Fun To Look At, Easy To Slide, No Major Practicality Penalty

It has to act the part, though. Here, Ford reworked the formula a bit with upgraded cooling from the Max Tow Pack and a seven-speed automatic from the Euro-market Focus ST. It even gets the Tremor’s torque-vectoring rear differential. Yet, the Lobo uses the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the standard Maverick that makes 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. So, there’s no straight-line advantage.

The Lobo, then, is supposed to be the twisty-roads truck. Is it?

Kinda Fun, Kinda Flawed

The Maverick Lobo is both better than expected and still confounding in purpose. Most street trucks are home-brew projects, more about silly personalization than performance. But since manufacturers are obsessed with authenticity, the Lobo gets retuned suspension and steering, a track-adjacent “Lobo” drive mode, and a stability control setting that loves to let the truck rotate.

These upgrades made the Lobo impressive on an autocross course. The Maverick may be front-drive-based, but that torque-vectoring rear let me steer with my foot, inducing tidy slides. Stability control eventually cuts the fun, but the more throttle and less steering angle you use, the more it’ll let you play. The Lobo also turned in aggressively, with an acceptable level of body roll and enough bite to change direction quickly.

It’s all surprisingly good for a “mini” truck that’s longer than my 2001 Chevy Tahoe. But it isn’t much fun. The steering is too numb, the slides are reliant on black-magic diff work, and stability control makes me feel too much like a hero. The engine, too, isn’t much of a charmer. It’s clearly tuned for low-end grunt, with a growly exhaust note that dies out near what should be the fun end of the tach. The long overhangs also make the Maverick a bit unwieldy in the turns; I clipped a few cones with the back corner.

Cons: Not Very Fun To Drive, Not As Cool As A Home-Built Street Truck

The Lobo fares even worse on a twisty road; it’s not communicative or exciting enough to make me want to explore its limits. With the stock powertrain, the Lobo also isn’t fast enough for on-ramp shenanigans.

The good news is that, unlike a home-brew street truck, the Maverick Lobo rides really well. It’s easily comfortable enough as a daily driver, albeit noticeably stiffer than the stock Maverick. You also don’t pay much of an efficiency penalty for the package, since it’s a stock powerplant. The Lobo gets 21 miles per gallon city, 30 highway, and 24 combined. That makes it 1 mpg less efficient than the base all-wheel-drive model in the city, but 3 mpg better than the Tremor on the highway.

The interior, too, is a nice place to be. Like all 2025 Mavericks, the Lobo has a 13.2-inch central touchscreen with Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and a cabin that feels utilitarian and spare without feeling cheap. The Lobo adds Grabber Blue and Electric Lime colored stitching, and a “graffiti-inspired” print on the seats, but mostly I just felt like I was sitting in a Maverick.

The sacrifices come when you want to do Truck Stuff. Like the Tremor, the Lobo gets significantly less maximum payload capacity than the lower-end models. It can haul 1,045 pounds, down from 1,500 in the base EcoBoost. Towing is limited to 2,000 lbs, while hybrids and 2.0-liter vehicles with the Max Tow pack can usually tug 4,000 lbs around town.

Street-Truck Silliness

Street trucks are stupid, I say with love. Nobody buys a GMC Syclone or a first-gen F-150 Lightning or a Ram SRT-10 to solve a problem. They buy them because they’re silly, and silly trucks are cool. Ford surely knows this, which is why the irrational Lobo exists.

Yet, Ford knows better than most why this segment frequently pops in and out of existence. The joy of the Lobo is that it is different; it’s fresh, exciting, and stands in stark contrast to the lifted 2500s that rule the day.

But when the novelty fades, we’re still left with the unchanged truth: Street trucks don’t make a lick of sense. They persist in the aftermarket because—whether it’s a slammed Tundra or a supercharged Silverado—people find them fun. Personalization is central to the street truck scene, limiting how many die-hards Ford—or anyone else—can capture with a factory rig.

Some casual fans, however, want a street truck with a warranty they can drive to work. For those people, the Maverick Lobo is a damned good product. For the rest of us, the standard Maverick is even better.

Competitors

This is one of those cars that feels like hitting a reset button. In a world where we vacillate between too much and not enough, the 2025 Audi S3 is neither. It’s one of the best answers to so many questions. And now, some notable tweaks below the surface—including an important piece of hardware from the big-brother RS3—make the S3 more fun without spoiling the livability that’s always made it an appealing package.

Even driving the S3 around town, you notice the improvements immediately. Audi finally upped its steering game, moving past the overly light, vague feel that’s characterized its cars for years now. Same deal with the brakes. The pedal is basically perfect, firm and with just the right amount of travel. It’s the first time I’ve ever thought about the brake feel in an Audi.

On the optional 19-inch wheels, the low-speed ride is characterized by firm impacts, but the damping still feels excellent. This test car had optional adaptive dampers as part of the $1,100 S Sport Package—which isn’t available on the base S3 trim—and while I wish they offered a bit wider spread between different drive modes, I can’t fault how they dealt with everything the road threw at them.

As my colleague Chris Rosales reported in his first drive of the S3, Audi engineers undertook a big rethink of how their cars drive, and the results speak for themselves. And I haven’t even got to the best bit.

From the RS3, the S3 inherits Audi’s "Torque Splitter" rear differential. Riding on Volkswagen’s front-drive MQB platform—the same one that’s underpinned the Golf for over 10 years now—the S3 can only send up to half its power to the rear wheels. But thanks to a pair of multiplate clutches on either side of the diff, the S3 apportions that power to either rear wheel. 

Pros: Right size, Right Power, Torque Splitter Makes It More Fun, Great Interior

In the new Dynamic Plus drive mode, which puts stability control into “Sport,” the diff fully works its magic. The Torque Splitter—which sounds way better if you say it with a Bavarian accent—doesn’t turn the S3 into a drift machine, but by overdriving an outside rear wheel in cornering, it makes the S3 much more agile. Get on the throttle earlier mid-corner, and the car does a nice little rotation. For a vehicle that always felt more secure than lively, zee torque shplitter adds great character.

If the S3 senses you’re oversteering too much, say on a slippery road, it can also overdrive an inside wheel, bringing the car back into line. It’s a clever piece of hardware, one Audi uses to great effect here.

For 2025, Audi made some exterior tweaks I’m less convinced by. It’s still a handsome car, but the black, 2D Audi rings, which are part of the $1,650 Black Optic package, look a bit cheap. And when the S3 comes in excellent blues, reds, and yellows, why go for this boring white paint? It does help the S3 blend into traffic, at least. 

Inside, this is classic Audi in a good way. The latest Audi models might have cost-cut interiors, but the S3 most certainly does not, with great materials and ergonomics throughout. Each button actuates with a satisfying “click,” and this older infotainment system is wonderfully straightforward. The Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster continues to set the benchmark for these sorts of systems, and praise be, there are physical climate controls too.

Cons: Harsh Ride On 19-Inch Wheels, More Expensive Than VW Golf R

Special mention goes to the seats, which not only have great quilting but also support the body in all the right places. The back seats are admittedly quite cramped, but if you’re not carting around adults, it’s worth the compromise. 

VW/Audi fans will be familiar with the powertrain here, which is as good as ever. It’s the ubiquitous EA888 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The S3 gets a nice power bump from 306 to 328 horsepower, while torque remains at a healthy 295 pound-feet. 

What’s interesting is that the engine idles rather high for a modern car, around 900-1000 rpm, and if you treat the transmission like it’s a conventional automatic, you’ll always rocket away unexpectedly quickly from a stop. It’s just a thing to get used to, and once you’re up and moving, there are no DCT quirks.

In its fruitier drive modes, the engine almost sounds a bit five-cylinder-esque, accompanied by prominent turbo whistle, and as ever, the power delivery is strong from low revs up towards 7,000 rpm. The dual-clutch also feels super sharp on up- and downshifts, and while the paddles still feel disappointingly plasticky, it’s worth switching into manual mode for more fun.

Of course, the big question with the S3 remains: Is it worth the premium over the Golf R? Compared to the disappointing Mk8, I’d say so, but we haven’t yet gotten a chance to drive the Mk8.5 Golf R, which addresses many of its predecessor’s shortcomings and gets the same power bump as the Audi, plus the neat rear differential. Plus, obviously, the practicality of the rear hatch.

But the Audi isn’t that much more than the Golf R, with a base price of $49,995 to the VW’s $48,325. Still, the S3 you probably want is the mid-tier Premium Plus, which costs $52,395, and needs the $1,100 S Sport Pack for the adaptive dampers the Golf gets standard. (Our tester was a loaded Prestige model with a $60,840 sticker and every option available. It’s a lot of nice equipment, but not mandatory.)

We’ll drive the updated Golf R soon, and we can then render a better verdict. But my advice, regardless? Check out both. I suspect the S3 might be worth the extra bread.

Audi’s done a great job here of preserving what the S3 already did well while honing the driving dynamics to imbue the car with more personality. Overlook this car at your peril. It’s an ideal sports sedan.

Competitors

More Audi Reviews

The Ram 1500 TRX died so the Ram 1500 RHO could live. Gone is the beloved supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V-8, and in its place is a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six. But it’s not all bad news.

Although many hardcore enthusiasts will immediately knock the RHO for its six-cylinder engine and unnecessary name change, in reality, Ram's new performance truck is about 90 percent as good as the one it replaces. It’s just missing a few things.

The Good

Cover the "RHO" badges and you might mistake this truck for a TRX based purely on the way it looks. Only the savviest enthusiasts will be able to recognize the new front clip, the upgraded wheels, and the lightly modified back end. For the most part, the RHO is just as badass-looking as the TRX it replaces. And it's just about as capable, too.

The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six is no slouch. With 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of torque paired to a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic, the RHO races off the line like a sports car and reaches illegal speeds quickly. It's a riot.

Although my test drive was relegated to the road, News Editor Christopher Smith put the RHO through its paces on an off-road course and found it to be just as capable (if not more so) than the TRX. It has all the same suspension equipment—Bilstein e2 Blackhawk shocks with 13.0 inches of suspension travel up front and 14.0 inches at the rear—with a retuned Active Terrain Dynamics setup for even better response times.

On the road, it’s a comfy truck. Beyond the knobby 35-inch off-road tires being a little loud on the highway, the cabin is comfortable, the technology is plentiful, and the ride is sublime. Considering this thing was made for off-roading, it soaks up even the biggest imperfections and bounds over speed bumps with no issue.

The interior is loaded with technology to keep you and your passengers comfortable over long trips. There’s a 14.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, a lovely—and highly configurable—12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Even the passenger gets a nifty 10.3-inch touchscreen with a few features.

The Bad

For as much as I went into this test hoping the new inline-six would blow me away, it’s just not as charming as the TRX’s supercharged V-8. It’s still a great engine, don’t get me wrong, but the inline-six isn’t nearly as visceral as the Hellcat motor nor does it sound as good. Maybe it’s the transmission, but there’s also some low-end lag and clunkiness when puttering around town.

The interior is premium and well worthy of the RHO’s nearly six-figure price tag, but the layout is kind of a mess. There’s black plastic, Alcantara, metal, screens, and leather, with buttons strewn about everywhere—it’s all a bit too much. Sometimes you don’t know where to look.

As with the outgoing TRX, the vertically oriented center touchscreen just isn’t as seamless as it could be. It looks pretty, sure, but the massive vertical orientation makes it hard to access certain options quickly, and while the touch functionality has improved with this generation of truck, it still looks cluttered.

Ultimately, the Ram 1500 RHO does plenty to keep the TRX's spirit alive—even if it is short by two cylinders. It looks great, it's powerful as hell, and it has excellent tech. It's no TRX, but it might be the next best thing.

Competitors

More Truck Reviews

BMW has never been in the business of off-roading. Its crossovers perform best on pavement, with the looks, ride quality, and performance you expect from the German luxury automaker. That is, until now.

BMW launched an $11,000 off-road package last year for its ever-popular X5, dubbed the "xOffroad Package." It adds useful features like all-terrain tires, a five-level air suspension, and a rear limited-slip differential lifted from the X5 M60i. Curious to see whether this was just some flashy way to rein in posh buyers too scared to scale their gravel driveway or an actual off-road machine, we took it to a rock-crawling course.

Let’s get this out of the way: The X5 will never be a true rock crawler. It doesn’t have low-range gearing, and there are no locking differentials. This package, available only with the xDrive40i, relies on the standard car’s full-time all-wheel-drive system with a clutch-type transfer case. That’s good enough for low-grip situations like rain or snow, but not for scaling cliff sides. 

That meant my expectations when visiting North East Off-Road Adventures (NORA), an off-roading park in upstate New York, were low. I knew this X5 wouldn’t be able to reach the same trails as the Lexus LX700h we brought along (or trucks like the Tacoma Trailhunter and Colorado ZR2 Bison we’ve tested there previously). So I figured we’d take it through some straightforward obstacles to see if it could manage. If the car failed, we could easily pull it out, no harm done.

Pros: Surprisingly Capable Off-Road, Still Nice on Pavement

To my surprise, the X5 didn’t fall completely flat. NORA’s easiest course, meant for AWD cars like Subarus, presents a selection of rock climbs, descents, and challenging turns, all of which were coated in a thin layer of slick, dead leaves. I decided not to air down the General Grabber AT tires, simply because the 20-inch wheels didn’t provide for much sidewall, and I didn’t want to curb them. 

Despite running at street pressure, the rubber was the star here; the X5 might not have conquered half of the obstacles without it. On uphill climbs, the X5’s off-road package made quick work of uneven surfaces, using the tire’s blocky tread and the car’s exclusive suite of off-road drive modes to modulate torque through brake vectoring. Not having low range sucked, though. Having it allows you to rely on engine braking and makes it easier to modulate the throttle at low speeds. But I never felt like this truck was going to get stuck. 

Through these obstacles, nothing worked better than a boot full of throttle, letting the traction control and the LSD sort everything out. The B58 turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six might be the X5’s base engine, but with 375 horsepower on tap, it’s more than enough for this type of driving.

Traversing steep descents is a bit simpler. The X5 comes standard with hill descent control, which, when activated, will automatically use the brakes to hold the vehicle at a pre-set speed while traveling down an incline. All you have to do is steer. You can set it to travel at anywhere between 2 and 20 miles per hour, which is nice for slippery stuff like mud or snow. 

There are times when I want to be traveling even slower than that, though, just to ensure I wouldn’t bottom out and damage this vehicle I don’t own. Thankfully, the brakes are well-tuned to ultra-low-speed modulation, making our few true rock-crawling efforts a relative breeze. With what little equipment the X5 had, it impressed everyone on the course. Even with the air suspension in its highest setting. It was ground clearance that held this thing back, not traction.

Cons: No Low-Range or Locking Differentials, Not a True Off-Roader

The off-road package is a strong value, too. In addition to the equipment I mentioned earlier, it adds things like roof rails, a tow hitch, a head-up display, a Harman Kardon sound system, and a bunch of blacked-out trim. The package also comes standard with Lime Rock Gray paint, a BMW Individual color you’d normally have to pay thousands extra to have. 

The X5 xDrive40i normally starts at $69,175. With this off-road package and a $900 parking assistant package, our tester came in at $81,075. That’s pretty reasonable. Sure, you can get a top-of-the-line Lexus GX for the same money, and it would walk away from this X5 on a challenging trail. But even with the off-road pack, this BMW drives better than the GX on the road, and its interior is a far nicer place to spend time. 

This package is perfect for someone who wants all the greatness of the X5 but needs a bit more support to make it that last mile up an unmaintained road or a long, challenging driveway buried deep in the forest or desert. It’ll do a bit of the true rock-crawling stuff, but it doesn’t feel at home there. It still feels best on the highway, but with these little upgrades, you won’t have to panic when the going gets tough.

Competitors:

More on the X5

The new Subaru Forester is a bit sluggish and it doesn’t have great fuel economy; The new Forester Hybrid solves both of those problems for not a whole lot more money. It’s a no-brainer.

Not just for the customer, but for Subaru, too. The Forester is one of its perennial best-sellers, and compact-crossover buyers are clearly trending toward hybrids, to the point where you wonder why Subaru didn’t make one sooner. In any event, the Forester Hybrid is here now. Subaru is going to sell so many of these.

Refined Powertrain & Ride

This is Subaru’s first serious attempt at a hybrid. Previously, it made a mild-hybrid version of the Crosstrek, and later, a plug-in hybrid version that sold in tiny numbers. The new Forester Hybrid uses a Toyota-style, two-motor system—complete with some Toyota-sourced components—but adapted to work with Subaru’s signature symmetrical all-wheel drive and boxer engine. 

A 2.5-liter flat-four reworked for hybrid duty pairs with a small electric motor that acts as a starter and a generator to charge the lithium-ion battery under the trunk. A second, larger motor-generator powers the wheels, though the engine can power the car in certain scenarios. But unlike Toyota’s all-wheel-drive hybrids, the Forester has a traditional center differential and a driveshaft bringing power to the rear wheels. This allows Subaru to get a lot of power to the rear wheels with a relatively small, 1.1-kilowatt-hour battery, and use essentially the same all-wheel drive system as the regular Forester.

It works. 

The Forester Hybrid’s 194 horsepower is only 14 more than the base model, and the 300-pound weight gain offsets any advantage in power-to-weight ratio. But the instant torque of the electric motor makes the car feel so much more spry. Not quick, mind, but usefully quicker. 

More impressive is the refinement here. The flat-four only makes itself known at full throttle, and the handoff between electric and combustion power is truly seamless. If not for a green “EV” light on the digital gauge cluster, you’d never know when the Forester was driving solely on electric power.

Subjectively, the Forester Hybrid is much nicer to drive than the standard variant. It’s quicker and more refined, and there’s a real fuel-economy benefit, too. The EPA figure jumps from 29 miles per gallon overall to 35 mpg for the Hybrid model, and across a couple hundred miles of mixed terrain south of San Francisco, we easily matched this. 

Subaru concedes that the Forester Hybrid doesn’t have quite as good economy as the 39-MPG Toyota RAV4 and 37-MPG Honda CR-V all-wheel drive hybrids—which just use a small electric motor on the rear wheels—but it was willing to make that trade for all-wheel drive capability.

Pros: More Performance, More Fuel Economy, More Refinement

At an off-road course in the Hollister Hills, the Forester Hybrid proved its worthiness on trails. Our tester was a Sport model with Subaru’s X-Mode system, which optimizes for various off-road terrain. The trails weren’t particularly challenging, but maybe not something you’d attempt in any regular mid-size crossover. At least, not one wearing road-oriented all-season tires like this. And you can’t feel the car shuffle between electric and gas power, so there’s no need to adjust technique. 

Back out on the road, the Forester isn’t exactly fun, but it’s very competent. The ride quality remains great despite the extra weight of the hybrid system, and the brake pedal doesn’t have any of the weird springy feeling you often get in hybrids. If you were coming out of a regular Forester, you’d hardly notice a difference, and that’s a good thing. 

The best hybrid systems ask nothing of the driver and simply deliver better performance and fuel economy in return. This is one of those systems.

Easy to Live With

Beyond that, it’s much the same story for the Forester hybrid as the standard car. The interior feels fine, with most variants getting “animal-free” cloth or vinyl trim—save for top-tier Touring, which gets leather—but the 11.6-inch vertical-screen infotainment system feels years, if not an entire decade, behind the times. But you’ll just use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both wireless, anyhow, so it might not be a huge deal.

I wish there were more physical controls than just HVAC temperature, defroster, and volume, and the digital gauge screen doesn’t offer all that much more functionality than the standard Forester’s analog cluster.

Cons: Dated Infotainment System, Less Efficient Than Rivals, Still Slow

But it’s easy to live with. The Forester Hybrid offers great visibility, and this Subaru feels smaller than other compact crossovers in the segment. Subaru is also quite proud of the fact that the hybrid system doesn’t impact interior space, though you do have to give up the spare tire.

The standard safety tech, including adaptive cruise control and steering assist on the highway, works very well, and this mid-tier Sport tester was very well equipped.

Good Value

Subaru packages the hybrid system with features that come as an optional package on regular Forester models. So, while going hybrid costs about $2,500 to $3,000, depending on trim, the difference is effectively less if you include that option package. Also of note, Subaru doesn’t offer the hybrid on the $31,415 base model, so the barrier to entry is $35,390.

Our Sport tester stickered for just $39,415, which feels right on the money. Under $40,000 for an efficient, refined, off-road capable family crossover that has all the features you need. And though the hybrid costs more, the fuel-economy benefit and the refinement of the system make it worthwhile in my eyes, beyond the extra standard equipment.

Like I said, it’s a no-brainer.

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

A Japanese shinkansen travels at 200 miles per hour in a smooth, serene silence. Onboard, a salaryman brims his beer glass without worry that a single drop of Sapporo will spill.

That’s the 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT Performance, a glass-smooth bullet train rolling on Pirelli rubber. 

Much has changed since the first iteration of the E-Tron GT bowed in 2020, even if its exterior looks only subtly different. Side-by-side, it’s apples-to-apples. The new car receives a more-rounded shape overall, with slight tweaks now separating the capstone RS E-Tron GT Performance (tested here) from its lesser S E-Tron GT brother.

Still, the E-Tron GT’s body looks sleeker than a French disco; It’s the best-looking EV on the market, bar none. More characterful than a Tesla. Sharper than a Lucid. Prettier than any Mercedes.

The RS E-Tron GT’s interior looks great too, if not as breathtaking as the car’s gorgeous skin. Only a few niggles appeared after a three-hour road drive in the mountain roads near Vegas, pointed out and harped on by my co-driver, Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire podcast. 

Pros: Absurd Power, Glass-Smooth Active Suspension, Killer Looks

Complaint number one: Flimsy little plastic handles actuate the doors from the inside. Complaints two and three: Touch-capacitive touch buttons (2), the squared-off steering wheel (3). 

These complaints are peanuts, of course, but there are precious few things you’re guaranteed to touch every time you drive a car; the steering wheel and the door handle are two of them. It’s those little swipes of frosting that separate the merely great from the divine. At this price point, every single component in the vehicle’s interior should flatter its driver. 

Even the door handle.

Outside those tiny pain points, this interior feels as premium as its roughly $190,000 as-tested price demands, though still a step down from more-sumptuous offerings from The Brits.

Full marks to Audi’s designers for the huge strakes of "forged-carbon" trim pieces that split the dash into upper and lower segments, however. It’s a gorgeous little visual touch, the material borrowed from those mile-wide spoilers perched atop Lamborghini’s raunchiest track cars. But inside this Audi, forged carbon adds a splash of texture without leaning on dowdy wood grain or entirely predictable woven-carbon panels. 

But mostly it’s the interior’s quietude that transmits a sense of quality. On good asphalt the cabin is whisper-silent, save a pinch of whine from the e-tron GT’s two permanent-magnet synchronous motors. 

The motors kick out 912 horsepower to all four wheels, courtesy of 105.0 kilowatt-hour of 800-volt lithium-ion batteries capable of charging at 320 kilowatts, with quick charging from 10 to eighty percent in just 18 minutes. 

It’s a frankly deranged horsepower figure, almost incongruous with the experience of actually driving the car with your foot matted flat. In a word, I’d describe the RS E-Tron GT Performance as "effortless." (If only Audi would apply such pithy nomenclature instead of its word-salad model names).

After about 25 minutes of shooting the breeze with Farah in the E-Tron GT, when we’d finally escaped the humdrum single-file traffic on the outskirts of Vegas, I looked down at the speedometer. The gap between the number on the dash and my own perception of our speed shocked me.

Short of a bullet train, you’ll never hit deep triple-digits with more detachment from the fizzing sensation of speed. The RS E-Tron GT simply glides. 105 feels like 55. 55 feels like 25. The world arrives at three-quarter speed. You survey the horizon, loping toward you over that sculpted hood, warping to a blur at the edges of your periphery as the e-tron GT’s wide mesh grille gulps down the horizon.

Cons: Not Engaging To Drive, Some Cheap Interior Materials

If that sounds exactly like the detachment you’ve avoided in your own cars, you are not alone. But it’s exactly what an EV super sedan like this should do; Rather than replicate or imitate the sensations of an equivalent ICE vehicle, Audi’s EV Übersedan does what only a battery-powered car of this quality can. It delivers mind-bending speed and up to 278 miles of range with an attitude bordering disinterest. 

I loved it. 

Much of that languid, long-legged capability is owed to the E-Tron GT’s optional active suspension, which pairs with carbon-ceramic brakes in an $11,000 "dynamic plus" package. If you’re going to spring for this car, the active suspension is not an option. It’s a requirement. 

Motor1’s own Chris Perkins has covered active suspension tech more thoroughly than most, so I’ll link to a couple of stories here and here. But basically, a separate hydraulic pump connects to each one of the car’s dampers via high-pressure lines, using a pair of valves on the shock body to rapidly adjust its rebound and compression curves in real time, eliminating roll and pitch from the e-tron GT's body. 

Crucially, this is not a passive system like those found on other cars. These other systems–no matter how sophisticated—reactively adjust to suspension moments, firming or slackening the shock fluid in the fractional seconds after you’ve turned hard into a corner.

Audi’s active system pressurizes the shock via a hydraulic pump to offset forces acting against the shock—actively, reactively, and proactively—in order to eliminate body roll entirely. The system can even pitch the car forward/backward or roll it side-to-side in anticipation of a corner, leaning the car into the apex like a motorcyclist. 

This is a simplification of the system, of course. Sensors and computers and components at every corner of the car work in harmony to make this active suspension work seamlessly, but describing the sensation of the system working is far harder than describing the nuts and bolts of the tech itself.

It’s brain-melting stuff.

An empty race track allowed us to activate and deactivate the system in back-to-back runs, alternating flat-foot acceleration and threshold braking until the straight gave way to a set of fluid and surprisingly interesting corners at Speed Vegas’s mile-ish-long track. 

Through these flowing corners, the active suspension had me cackling in disbelief as the E-Tron GT sliced past apexes and over curbing with a totally flat cornering attitude. Audi was keen to remind us that active suspension is a comfort feature, not go-fast tech. Could’ve fooled me. 

Still, this is not a track car. It weighs too much and it’d chew through tires in no time. But damn if it wasn’t fun to whip the e-tron GT through a few tight corners to find the (surprisingly high) limits of the active suspension’s capability.

Would the sensation dull, in time? On a track, certainly. On the road, just cruising or commuting? Never. There's few sections of roadway where you’d leave the system off.

After our brief track shakedown of the suspension tech, I caught lead engineer Stephan Reil standing near the car, a smoldering cigarette perched between his fingers. Reil helmed the engineering effort for every great Audi you’ve lusted after in the past 25 years, from the early RS6s, through the R8, and now this silent-assassin EV.

I asked Reil how Audi tuned roll into the active suspension’s ragged limits, reminded him of a conversation we once had about the curiously positioned coolant overflow reservoir in the V-10 RS6, and finished with a simple question. 

Is this EV stuff as fun to develop as those wacky, bombastic old Audis?

"It’s the most powerful, fastest accelerating Audi ever," Reil said with a shrug, waving his cigarette at the car and echoing verbatim the tagline posted on the Audi PowerPoint from earlier in the day. His point became self-evident.

Reil was as excited to discuss this RS e-tron GT Performance as any of the litany of powerhouses which came before. Of that I’m sure. But this car’s performance is perhaps the least-interesting thing about the car. More interesting: How the Audi does all those numbers without a fuss. 

But the most interesting thing, as Dennis Reynolds would say, is the implication. 

The existence of active suspension in Audi’s flagship EV suggests the possibility of a trickle down the family tree. Whenever democratization of this tech reaches something as pedestrian as, say, the fabulous Audi Q6 I reviewed last year, I’ll be first in line. 

Until then, the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance stands as a monument to easy speed. Fast as a barreling shinkansen and just as quietly assured. 

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

Carrera is an evocative word—Spanish for "race." Once upon a time, Porsche reserved that term for its most hardcore sports cars, ones that required specialist knowledge to operate. Famously, the Fuhrmann four-cam in the original 1955 Porsche 356A Carrera was essentially a race engine that would shake itself to death thanks to an astronomical (for 1955) 7,000 rpm redline. Legend says a complete rebuild took around 150 hours of labor. Truly metal as fuck.

The facelifted 992.2 911 Carrera S has none of that DNA. Frankly, nor have most Carreras since the 2.7 and 3.0 Carrera RS. Carrera is now a byword for the comfiest, most common 911—the boring choice. But since the first turbocharged 991.2 generation, the 911 Carrera has become something of a stealthy performance weapon, especially the middle-child S and top-shelf GTS models. With almost 500 horsepower and a few tricks borrowed from the previous GTS, it begs the question: Is the 992.2 Carrera S all the 911 you ever need?

In practice, the Carrera S is essentially a continuation of the previous GTS. The new S inherits the previous model's 473-horsepower 3.0-liter flat-six engine, 408-millimeter front and 380-millimeter rear brakes, and your choice of the standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) or PASM Sport—essentially old GTS dampers.

Even then, Porsche completely retuned those old parts; the now-standard dampers have a broader range of stiffness, while Porsche's Torque Vectoring Plus now comes standard. The big downer? No more seven-speed manual (for now, at least). Your only path into a manual Carrera is with the T.

Porsche says the flat-six is "fundamentally upgraded" to make the same amount of power as the old GTS while simultaneously reducing emissions. Slightly reconfigured turbochargers and intercoolers mounted atop the engine feed air from in front of the deployable spoiler (like the 911 Turbo) to support the extra power. The result is slightly less torque than before and a peakier, less turbocharged-feeling powerband.

Pros: Astounding Speed, Excellent Steering Calibration, Lovely Ride Quality & Composure

But importantly, the 992.2 Carrera S still does that annoying Porsche thing: Effortless competence. Throttle response is near instant, only lacking in the initial crack of a high-strung naturally aspirated engine. There isn't a huge swell of mid-range torque; the S feels a little tame in the middle of the tach, and it keeps you waiting for power to build. But once you cross 5,500 rpm, power swells to a solid stank face worth of acceleration.

Even with the new fully digital gauge cluster complete with the annoying left-hand start button, I don't find myself pining for the analog tachometer during my repeated runs to redline. Porsche gives the virtual needle some vitality in its movements, tracking every micro-drivetrain RPM lash and crankshaft-snapping PDK shift.

The handling of the S also keeps me from staring at the tach for too long, anyway. Finding the edges of grip is easy; the S is a willing dance partner that speaks at every stage of cornering with the best traits of a 911: Controllable rotation on the brakes and steadfast traction on the throttle.

A classic short-and-stiff Porsche pedal makes it child's play to meter out brake pressure, while the brake pad compound is perfectly tailored for the initial hit. Not too much initial bite, but plenty of feel before ABS kicks in. The steering is similarly perfect—linear with a weighty effort curve and lots of talkativeness about large bumps and front tire traction. Not quite hydraulic levels of granularity, but impressive and addictive in its own way.

Cons: Pricey, Pricey, And Pricey

Visually, the new Carrera S doesn’t look all that different, apart from new front and rear fascias. But it can be optioned with Exclusive Manufaktur and Sonderwunsch-esque items, a broad spectrum of standard colors, and more standard leather than ever before.

Even with a good bit of engine vibration and road noise making it into the cabin, the 911 Carrera S is still plenty comfortable for grand touring, with minimal wind noise at speed and a supple ride. On the highway, I’m tricked into thinking this new S is a grand tourer. In the canyons, I’m then tricked into thinking it’s a rather serious sports car. There is no Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Just a nice, normal Mr. Jekyll.

The biggest con is that it is not cheap. To buy a 992.2 Carrera S, you must spend at least $148,395. Currently, it's $20,000 more than a base Carrera, and around $8,000 more than a Carrera T before options. Realistically, a Carrera S with some reasonable options will top $170,000. In the context of all 911s, you might be thinking $170,000 used to be 911 GT3 money, and you would be right. The newest 911s have gotten significantly more expensive, but the performance has grown to match. The Carrera S could almost show a current GT3 its tail lights in a straight line. Still, it is damn expensive.

Even with the big price, the 911 Carrera S is simply balanced in all areas. I can’t even accuse it of being boring. It’s definitely all the 911 you’ll ever need, and it even contends for all the 911 you’ll ever want. But if you’re a masochist in search of the purest sports car, the manual Carrera T might be more your speed.

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

With more buyers seeking solace in the great outdoors, they need vehicles capable of getting them there. That's why most automakers have taken a ruler and chisel to their beloved family haulers in hopes of capitalizing on those calls for adventure.

The previous Honda Passport started life as a soft and squishy mid-size SUV. Not even in the TrailSport trim could it meet the demands of adventure-seeking buyers. But the new 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport heeds those needs with a bold new look and a bevy of genuine off-road equipment that transforms this former soft-roader into a trail-ready SUV.

Rugged & Refined Design

Visually, the previous Passport was mostly a blob. But this new one looks damned good. Honda sharpened up its mid-sizer with a tapered shape, yielding a genuinely attractive-looking SUV the likes we haven't seen out of Honda… maybe ever?

The nearly flat front end is highlighted by a slim upper grille (with a functional shutter) that morphs seamlessly into two rectangular headlight fixtures. Orange daytime running lights—a fun, retro touch—make the Passport look meaner in the rearview mirror, while a larger lower grille accented by a silvery trim piece adds an extra air of toughness.

From the side profile, the Passport is about as shapely as a cardboard box, but the angled C-pillar and rearmost black-painted roof portion help make it look more angular. The roof rack doesn't hurt, either. The 18-inch wheels fill out the wheel wells nicely, and the Passport’s back-end has strong first-generation Pilot vibes with its vertically oriented tail light fixtures and a nearly flat trunk lid. To make it look more truck-like, Honda stamped “PASSPORT” into the tailgate.

Pros: Handsome Design, Nice To Drive, Genuinely Capable, Roomy

My tester wears a Platinum Pearl White finish, which looks sharp against the darkened silver and black accents. But as a strong proponent of fun colors, Sunset Orange and Ash Green metallic are the way to go.

The interior is simple but likeable. The TrailSport Elite adds fancy leather seats to go with the black-and-orange motif, but I prefer the simplicity of the standard Passport TrailSport’s faux-leather-and-cloth seats and grey cloth accents across the dash.

A 12.3-inch touchscreen graces the center of the dash, and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster sits just behind the steering wheel. All of the graphics are crisp and the main touchscreen is easy to cycle through thanks to the Google Built-In system, while the digital cluster is highly configurable with a few nifty preset screen options—including a specific off-road setting with roll, pitch, and elevation displays. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, as does a Qi wireless charging pad.

Au Natural Engine

Where so many others have opted for turbocharging or hybridization, Honda sticks with the same naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 engine from last year. With new pistons and cylinder heads, it now makes 285 horsepower—5 additional horsepower—and the same 262 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired to a newer, better 10-speed automatic transmission.

Honda’s commitment to the naturally aspirated V-6 is admirable, I guess, but the new Passport certainly could’ve done with some boost. It’s not the torqueiest engine, especially down low, which means a heavier foot for low-speed obstacles and hammering the throttle at highway speeds. Even at those speeds, you need to keep your foot buried for best results.

Cons: Needs More Torque, Best Stuff Is Optional

The Passport does at least respond quickly to throttle inputs, which makes it easy to modulate at crawling speeds, especially with Honda’s new Trail and Sand off-road modes. Alongside Sport mode, Trail and Sand change the way the accelerator pedal responds depending on each use case. But, most of the credit goes to the new 10-speed for those improved response times.

All-wheel drive is standard across all Passport trims, which is what you want for an off-road-focused SUV, naturally. Clever electronic torque vectoring sends up to 70 percent of power to the rear, and up to 100 percent of power to either of the rear wheels. There’s a noticeable transfer of torque to the tires that need it most when three-wheeling, especially, which helps to quickly get you out of that situation.

The bad news, for fans of efficiency, is that fuel economy actually drops on the Passport TrailSport for 2026. Whereas the previous model was good for 19 miles per gallon city, 24 highway, and 21 combined, the new Passport TrailSport gets just 18 city, 23 highway, and 20 combined.

Impressive Off-Road

Not only does the new Passport TrailSport look tougher—it is tougher. Honda touts big improvements in stiffness and a suspension tuned for off-road use in the TrailSport. That gives the Passport much better body control, which means tall rocks and deep ruts that would have undoubtedly unsettled the previous model are barely a challenge for this new one.

The 2026 Passport TrailSport skips over obstacles and uneven terrain with excellent articulation (for a unibody crossover, at least) and a generous 23.0-degree approach angle. Overall ground clearance jumps from 8.1 inches in the previous Passport TrailSport to 8.3 inches here. Another plus.

Because the new Passport’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than its predecessor, the breakover angle is slightly worse (17.3 to 16.7 degrees). Extra overhang also results in a moderately worse departure angle (24.3 to 23.1 degrees). With that, you think it’d be more difficult to maneuver. But in reality, the stiffer chassis means it’s no less nimble than its better-on-paper predecessor, and the new variable-ratio electric power steering makes positioning the Passport’s nose no problem, even in tighter areas of the trail. If anything, the turning radius could be just a titch tighter.

Hill-descent control and brake hold allow the Passport to smoothly attack steep declines, while the top-end TrailSport Elite comes with front- and side-facing cameras that are an absolute must if you hit the trail regularly. For a tall-hooded, wide-bodied mid-sizer like the Passport, those cameras provide a much clearer view of the surroundings. A nifty button on the end of the wiper stalk allows you to quickly cycle through two different views, too.

Standard steel skid plates protect the oil pan, transmission, and gas tank—and they saved my ass on more than one occasion—while the 31-inch all-terrain tires are extra grippy (aired down, in this case). There’s even an exposed heavy-duty tow hook at the front of the car in case you get stuck; it’s painted orange for good measure.

Even with that newfound focus on stiffness and capability, my butt and back were barely sore after two hours of off-roading. The plush leather seats on the Elite trim offer ample support, while Honda fixed one of my biggest gripes with the previous Passport: The seating position. No longer does it feel like you’re propped up too high. The telescoping steering wheel, meanwhile, makes it a breeze to find the ideal driving position.

On the road, though, there’s definitely some ride harshness—surprising, given how good the suspension is off-road. Maybe it’s the all-terrain tires, maybe it’s the chassis, or maybe it’s Puerto Rico’s jagged pavement; either way, the Passport TrailSport isn’t nearly as plush as the previous model and stiffer still than competitors like the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Nissan Murano.

Dynamically, at least, the Passport rises heads and shoulders above the competition in terms of athleticism. That added rigidity makes it nice and tidy in corners, and the steering is tight but not too heavy. Something that can’t be said of many mid-size SUVs, the Passport is genuinely fun to drive.

Passport To Excellence

The Passport TrailSport starts at $49,900 with destination, which makes it about $3,000 pricier than its predecessor. No small sum. But when you consider that a similarly equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland costs $58,990 out of the box, the Passport TrailSport doesn’t sound all that bad. And really, there isn’t another competitor that comes close to the Passport TrailSport’s capability.

If you’re simply interested in a 2026 Passport without the TrailSport’s frills, the base RTL model costs a pricier, relative to the segment, $46,200. The Hyundai Santa Fe starts at $35,775, the newest Nissan Murano is $41,860, and the Mazda CX-70 costs. $41,900

Overall, though, the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport truly nails the basics: It looks good, it has a nice interior, and it’s pretty nifty to drive. Tack on off-road capability—which buyers can’t get enough of these days—and Honda has produced another winner. If only the engine were a bit torquier, it’d be perfect.

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

I love Toyota trucks, but I was skeptical here. With a $115,350 starting price, how could the 2025 Lexus LX700h Overtrail justify a $42,000 premium over the superb GX550 Overtrail? Surely, there’s no way it’s worth it? But after a day on the trail, I realized I was asking the wrong question. 

This is the closest thing we get to the traditional flagship Land Cruiser in the US, and though it’s officially a Lexus LX, it’s very much of the Land Cruiser bloodline. Toyota sells a new Land Cruiser in the US, but it’s really the 250-series Prado, the latest in a line of “light-duty” companions to the real Land Cruiser. The GX is a 250-series, too, but the LX is based on the 300-series, the real deal.

Out at Northeast Off-Road Adventures in Ellenville, New York, it took a while for the LX700h to reveal just how special it is. There’s no rational argument for the LX over the GX, and I think that’s the point. 

For the LX700h, Lexus cherry-picked all the best parts from the new Toyota truck bin. You get a hybrid powertrain with a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 and an electric motor making 457 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque; full-time four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case; Active Height Control (AHC), which uses hydraulics to raise and lower the suspension; adaptive dampers; and all of Toyota’s clever off-road traction and cruise control systems.

Opting for the Overtrail tips the LX more toward its Land Cruiser heritage with 33-inch tires, front, center, and rear locking differentials, plus a beefy metal skidplate underneath. But compared with the GX, the LX has lower approach, departure, and breakover angles. Plus, it has running boards, which make it easier to climb aboard, but make going over rocks a more delicate operation. The LX also does without the GX’s excellent electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (e-KDSS) system that uses hydraulics to adjust sway-bar stiffness. 

Frankly, I thought the larger LX would get shown up by the GX, but the big brother does things its own, incredible way. A reminder not to pay too much attention to spreadsheets. (Useful advice beyond reviewing cars.)

Pros: Huge Off-Road Capability, Great Hybrid Powertrain, Is Basically A Land Cruiser

The powertrain is immediately impressive. Out in tight, rocky trails like the ones here at NORA, you need absolute precision, which is hard to manage with a hybrid. Think about it, you've got the torque of the internal-combustion engine plus the electric motor—both of which come in very different ways at different times—all multiplied by 10 forward ratios and a low-range transfer box. 

That’s a recipe for a car that will feel totally different every time you hit the throttle or brake, but it doesn’t. There are even times where you might be holding constant throttle or brake pressure, and the car will switch from electric to hybrid driving, yet there’s seemingly no change in torque output at the wheels. It’s a remarkable achievement, arguably even more so than with a full-electric off-roader, since that’s just a singular power source.

More often than not, you’re just idling the thing over obstacles thanks to that monster torque. That, plus Toyota’s suite of off-road drive modes, means any terrain you throw at it is easy to manage. The only times we needed to break out traction boards was when the tires got caked in wet mud—stuff you’ll get stuck in no matter how much fancy off-road hardware and software you’re packing.

But even more impressive was the articulation. The AHC suspension system has a few height settings, but it constantly makes adjustments depending on the terrain. It’s an interesting system, especially compared to the more common air suspension used in luxury off-roaders. AHC doesn’t give the LX the same floaty ride quality, but Toyota says it’s more reliable—it’s not hard to wreck an air spring in rough terrain—and the hydraulics actually handle some of the springing and damping forces.

Cons: Way Pricier Than GX, Big, Flinty Ride On Road

That means you don’t need any sort of sway-bar adjustment or disconnect mechanism to vary the roll stiffness. In fact, the LX700h Overtrail doesn’t even have a rear bar. The upshot of all of this is that not only do you have good ground clearance, but the articulation is incredible.

Over NORA’s Pucker Ridge, so named because it’s a rock obstacle over a ridge where your axles will get crossed up, the LX just scooted over like it was nothing. Even our trail guide, Alex, was astounded, and having tested a handful of off-roaders on this same obstacle myself—including the GX—I was too.

There’s another neat detail that reveals the Land Cruiser heritage. Typically, Toyota hybrids eschew a separate starter motor and alternator because the hybrid system does the same job. But here, Lexus has a backup starter and alternator because in the unlikely event the hybrid system fails, you can still drive the truck.

It’s that kind of get-you-out-of-anywhere mindset that makes the LX700h special. People entrust their lives to Land Cruisers, and there’s a deep satisfaction in knowing you’re driving something designed to be tougher than anything on earth.

On the road, the LX isn’t as plush as a Range Rover or less off-road-focused rivals like the BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, or Mercedes-Benz GLS. The ride quality can be fidgety at highway speeds, and it feels especially stiff at the rear, the weight of the battery making itself known. The hybrid system’s benefits aren’t as great as you might expect. Throttle response is excellent, and the LX is genuinely quick, but the fuel economy only improves slightly. 

Yet, the LX700h Overtrail defies logic. I can’t imagine Lexus will sell a lot of them in this particular trim, but the people who buy them will get an incredible, cost-no-object tool. The GX is a more rational choice, without a doubt, so good that it basically renders the LX pointless. But, there is something about this one. 

It’s like Lexus’s equivalent to the Mercedes G-Wagen. Silly, but you would if you could. Is it worth $42,000 more than the GX Overtrail? Only if that matters to you.

Competitors

Car buyers are into the whole outdoor lifestyle thing, even if they don't spend that much time outdoors. And let's be honest—for most drivers, the definition of off-road is following a seasonal road or perhaps a two-track to a neat spot for picnics, fishing, camping, or just getting out of the office for a bit. None of that is a problem for the standard Nissan Rogue.

This isn't standard, though. The Rock Creek Edition adds Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires, a roof rack, cool black wheels, and strategically placed orange trim to give buyers the gruff persona they're seeking. As for suspension upgrades, well, there are none. The dampers are retuned specifically for the Rock Creek, but everything underneath is exactly as you'd find on a standard Rogue. In theory, you could mount up some gnarly tires, bust out some orange paint, and make your own Rock Creek, right?

That's what we're going to suss out for the next week as we put this soft-roader through its paces. Spoiler alert: we already sampled the Rock Creek at a proper off-road park where it did pretty well. Nissan tweaks the Rogue's electronic brain with an off-road mode that can route power to wheels that need traction, which can save your bacon if you get caught in some undulating terrain. But that outing was just a couple of hours in a slow-speed park. Living with the Rogue for a week and using it as most SUV buyers do is a different story.

To that end, we're headed for trails and shopping malls. It's going to be absurdly wet in Northern Michigan for the next week—that means an extra helping of mud during the spring thaw. And snow can't be ruled out either, because you know, Michigan. As we adventure with Nissan's newest adventure vehicle, ask us questions. Let us know what you'd like to see, or know more about. Within reason, of course. We aren't doing any ice donuts on partially frozen lakes. Probably.

What's Good So Far

What's Bad So Far?

The Rogue is Nissan's best-selling vehicle by far, and one of the best-selling SUVs in the United States. Its continued popularity will be pivotal to Nissan's survival, and the Rock Creek Edition could help attract buyers to the aging platform. If you have any questions while we're driving it, jump into the comments and let us know.

Going Rogue:

Maybe you’ve heard of the 2025 Cadillac Optiq. Maybe you haven’t. Maybe you recognize the -iq suffix as Cadillac’s new branding for electric vehicles, but can’t really tell one -iq vehicle from the next. I don’t blame you. But no matter your familiarity with Cadillac’s new "IQ" cars, there’s an underlying thread here: Cadillac is electrifying its lineup, fast.

And you know what? I like it.

The Optiq is part of a major shift for Cadillac. In recent years, the company’s introduced a slew of new electric vehicles under the IQ brand, mostly signified by model names ending in “-iq” (pronounced "ick," not "eek"). Joining the Optiq are models like the Lyriq, Vistiq, and Celestiq. The only departure from this rule is the Cadillac Escalade IQ, since pronouncing "Escaladiq" would be… weird. (I drove the IQ recently, and it made the Escalade feel important again.)

The Optiq is the cheapest vehicle in Cadillac’s new electric lineup, with a starting price of $56,390 with destination fees. It’s a two-row, five-seat crossover that shares a platform with the Chevrolet Equinox EV. Every Optiq has an 85.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, with 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac estimates 302 miles of range, but the EPA hasn’t released official range estimates for the Optiq yet.

The Optiq has a full suite of standard safety equipment, including General Motors’ Super Cruise hands-free driver-assistance system. Super Cruise works on about 750,000 miles of mapped roads in the US and Canada, and in my experience, they’re often highways. The service is free for three years if you buy a Super Cruise-equipped car new, and it’s a subscription service thereafter. If you travel by highway a lot, it’s worth it.

Pros: Quiet & Stylish Interior, Unreal Sound System

There are currently only two trims of the Optiq: Luxury and Sport, which have similar prices but slightly different styling. The Luxury trim has bright chrome accents on the outside, while the Sport is more blacked-out. Luxury-trimmed Optiqs also get the option for a royal blue paint color called Coastal Blue Metallic, while the Sport’s special paint color is a bright-lava shade called Monarch Orange.

Inside the Optiq, there are four upholstery options: black, dark blue, autumn orange, and light gray with royal blue accents. I’d spec an Optiq with the Sport trim, Monarch Orange paint, and gray-and-royal-blue interior, but I couldn’t tell you if that’s good or not because my “tacky” radar has been broken for approximately 29 years. (I’m 29 years old.)

Driving the Optiq isn’t mind-blowing, but it is comfortable. The interior is so quiet that your ears have to readjust to the silence when you close the doors, and that noise cancellation continues on the road: When a harsh rainstorm hit the car, I didn’t realize how hurricane-like the conditions were until I got out. In the car, it just felt like a normal shower.

The only noise interruptions came from the Optiq’s safety systems. The front and side collision sensors were ultra-sensitive, beeping when I didn’t expect it. Sometimes they beeped at bollards on the side of the road, and sometimes they beeped at parked cars. I’d rather the car beep too much than too little, but it was jarring at first.

Cons: Not a Canyon Carver

There are a few drive modes in the Optiq: Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice, and My Mode. Sport mode changes the accelerator mapping to be more responsive, and the Optiq has plenty of power for its size and weight. I couldn’t safely slam my foot to the floor in the torrential rain, but when I did hit the pedal, the car was quick enough to make a normal buyer feel sporty.

That’s important, because Cadillac positions the Optiq as a sportier model. When I drove the car, the company pointed out its flat, aerodynamic windshield angle and large 20- to 21-inch wheels. They also encouraged us to drive it hard on winding roads.

I’ve driven two sporty EV crossovers hard on winding roads recently: the Optiq and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Both made me nauseous. It’s likely the combination of silence and heavy curb weight in an EV, disorienting my body because it expects to feel gas, grunt, and sound.

While driving (or being driven) hard on curvy roads, the Optiq shifted its weight forward aggressively under braking and swayed in sharp turns. If you’re a buyer who likes ripping your cars on good roads—even electric crossovers—it’s worth seeing if they make you sick first.

But the Optiq isn’t about driving hard. It’s about the interior experience, and the thing that makes it is the sound system. It has a 19-speaker Dolby Atmos system standard, and I haven't stopped thinking about it.

Dolby Atmos is basically 3D sound; popular songs are mixed in Atmos to be "3D," where voices, instruments, and beats occur all around you. Mixers can place them above you, below you, in front of you, and behind you They can also put the voices and beats in motion, floating them around your body and head. (On the Optiq’s screen in the Amazon Music app, Atmos songs had a "Dolby Atmos" tag under the artist and song name. Cadillac says Atmos sound will be on certain models for 2025, and it’ll be available across the company’s entire EV lineup for 2026.)

In one song, “Hush” by The Marías, there’s an intro beat that lasts about 10 seconds. A regular speaker will just play that beat at you. But when I played the Atmos version in the Optiq, that same beat made a circle around me, as if a ball of sound was physically orbiting my head.

In many songs played through Atmos, the backup vocals came from the speakers above and behind me. It was angelic, as if the clouds parted and the singers were harmonizing down toward Earth.

There are only two drawbacks with this sound system: The first is that not all songs are in Atmos, and if you enjoy more obscure music like me, much of your playlist won’t be mixed for 3D. The second is that not every Atmos mix has the same depth—some of them lean heavily on the front speakers, making them sound more like a normal mix than an Atmos one.

Still, the experience is special. In my memory bank, the first time I heard a song in Atmos (in the Optiq, two weeks ago) is up there with the first time I went to one of those interactive movie theaters that spray water on you. It was that impressive.

The rest of the Optiq’s interior is high-class, too. My tester car had the light-gray color scheme with royal-blue accents, and there were all kinds of materials in it: woven yarn made from recycled materials, wood veneer made from recycled newspaper, silver speaker covers, and royal-blue cloth and plastic.

The interior styling reminded me of a current online trend where people joke about “Millennial burger joints” in America. You know the place: Appetizers are called “shareables,” the burger comes on a slab of wood, the ketchup comes in a metal tin, and desserts are milkshakes with entire pieces of cake on top. Millennials like commercialized quirk because it makes us feel unique, even if we’re all at the same burger joint ordering the same thing.

The interior of the Optiq feels like that too, and it’s not a bad thing. Cadillac says younger buyers are a target market for this car, and they’ll buy it—hopefully—because it’s designed for them.

I didn’t expect to like the Optiq as much as I do, because as a car enthusiast, it’s hard to feel something in a luxury electric SUV. They’re all fancy, quiet, and fast (sometimes too fast for a normal buyer). Perhaps you feel the same way, or you just haven’t learned to tell the -iq cars apart yet.

The Optiq is different. It may not be a hardcore canyon carver, but it’s special because it chooses a talent: making a buyer, their music, and their interior feel special, whether they’re driving to work, home, or that Millennial burger joint.

Just try not to drop the cake and milkshake on the seats, alright?

Competitors

Competitor Reviews

The bravery in offering a new, mass-market product like the Toyota Tacoma with a manual transmission cannot be overstated. In a world where manuals have been slowly going extinct (save for some niche sports cars), a normie, home-grown, salt-of-the-earth pickup with a stick is an aberration. So I had to try it myself for our newest Youtube video. The self-shifted Tacoma can be best described as a mixed bag.

However triumphant a manual Tacoma sounds, the actual bones of the “new” manual are similar to the previous generation. It uses a derivative of a Hilux diesel gearbox, itself a variation of the old Tacoma ‘box but with much shorter ratios. Much of the ergonomics of the clutch pedal and shifter feel carried over as well, and that’s before the relative losses to the automatic start.

The shorter ratios apparently match better to the low-revving, laggy nature of the new 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, which only revs to about 5,400 rpm with the manual–slightly lower than with the auto thanks to the flywheel. The manual also only gets 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet, while the auto gets 278 hp and 317 lb-ft–another demerit.

Thus, the Tacoma's manual seems like a bit of a hack job. It makes less power and uses parts-bin stuff from across the world to make something that Toyota truck enthusiasts have clamored for. And in practice, the Tacoma manual is far from perfect. In fact, it’s highly imperfect and objectively poorly tuned. 

So what makes it good and bad? Well, you’ll just have to watch to find out. 

More on the Tacoma

Like an ancient mummy rising from its tomb, 10 highly valuable classic cars emerged from a junkyard last October and immediately went to auction—warts and all. They ranged from an ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Alloy' Gullwing, to retro BMW motorcycles, two Miuras, and the shell of what once was a Ferrari 330 GTC.

But not even their deteriorated conditions would stop savvy (and wealthy) collectors from snapping up these classics, most of them for millions of dollars. The rare ‘Alloy’ Gullwing—maybe in the best shape of all—sold for $9.4 million. A Horch 855 Special Roadster from 1939 went for $3.3 million. And though not nearly as sought after as its winged sibling, a beat-up 300SL Roadster still went home for a hefty $1.2 million.

You would imagine anyone with that much cash would immediately send these cars to the nearest restoration shop and flip them for a few million or more. But the absolute legend who spent over seven figures on a rusty SL Roadster decided on a different direction entirely.

Instead of dropping more cash for a full restoration, the new owner worked directly with Mercedes-Benz Heritage to bring the original SL back to running condition—and nothing more. The car still looks like it's been sitting in a garage for decades, but now it runs and drives (mostly) like new.

For this year’s Moda Miami event in Coral Gables, Mercedes-Benz brought the unmolested SL Roadster (and an SLR Stirling Moss, which I also drove), to the Concours Club track. I assumed we’d watch one of Mercedes-Benz’s many experts take it for a quick spin, a fun visual gag to prove that, indeed, the car does run and drive in its current condition. Plenty of laughs would be had.

But before I know it, I’m standing in pit lane with my helmet on and the SL’s keys in my hand. Concerning.

The car still looks like it's been sitting in a garage for decades, but now it runs and drives (mostly) like new.

When I say this car is untouched, I truly, genuinely mean it. The original red leather cracks and crumbles under my ass as I hop in the driver’s seat, the windshield is still caked in decades of dirt and who knows what else. The only non-mechnical modifications are the tires; To get this thing driving again, Mercedes gave it new rubber.

But I’m not going at it alone. Seated to my right is Nate Lander, chief mechanic at the Mercedes-Benc Classic Center in Long Beach. He’s the caretaker for this beautiful piece of machinery and there to make sure I don’t absolutely muck it up. Before we set off, though, Nate jumps out of the passenger seat, hops over the pit wall, and emerges with a rubber mallet. Before I even have time to process what’s happening, Nate is hammering on the knock-off hubs like we’re about to go a full 24 at Le Mans.

"Want to make sure they’re nice and torqued. Just in case…"

Right. Of course.

Before I can think too hard about the fact that I’m about to pedal a nearly 70-year-old, mostly untouched, seven-figure classic that someone just took a hammer to, I get the green light. Barely taking into account the fact that the windshield is caked in crap, obscuring my view, I shove the dusty floor-mounted manual shifter headlong into first gear and we’re off.

I won’t lie: The first few moments are intimidating. Five minutes prior, I’m racing around the same track in Jerry Seinfeld’s purpose-built Mercedes Renntech E60. A beautiful thing in its own right. Now I’m in a car older than my parents with fewer niceties than a pickup truck.

There’s no power steering, obviously, and combined with the insanely wide diameter of the steering wheel, it feels like you’re rowing an old-timey ship through rough waters. And it has nearly as much body roll, too. The brake pedal is heavy, and the old-school disc brakes require maximum effort to bring the car back down to speed.

After timidly puttering through the first few turns and down some early straights, I’m starting to get a hang of things. With more confidence under my belt, I open it up.

First into second, second into third—I’m almost touching 40 miles per hour, baby. With just 215 horsepower, the SL’s fuel-injected 3.0-liter inline-six doesn’t feel impressive by 2025 standards. Hell, even the nearly 30-year-old Renntech E60 has 420 hp. But back then, 215 hp was plenty enough for a car of this prestige, and with nothing but the sky above my helmet, I’m about to hear how epic that old-school engine sounds at full bore.

When I say this car is untouched, I truly, genuinely mean it.

After the first lap, nerves settling, I’m enjoying this absolutely brilliant machine without fear of wrecking it—give or take a few missed downshifts. The lead pack of the SLR Stirling Moss and Renntech E60 have long left me and my co-driver in the dust, but I couldn’t care less. I’m behind the wheel of a $1.1-million, mostly untouched piece of German automotive history—and it rules.

So to the person who spent $1.1 million on this car and left it untouched—bravo. With a full restoration and a fresh coat of paint, this car would easily fetch a few dozen million at the next big auction. But the fact that this owner decided to keep its original patina (at least, for the time being) is something you don’t see. And the fact that I got to experience it on the track—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

More Retro Reviews

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, otherwise known as the first electric Escalade, is a big deal. The Escalade has been a cultural staple for decades. No matter the use case—a VIP chauffeur or a school drop-off—a shiny black Escalade signals straight-to-the-point wealth. People in Escalades mean business.

These days, American culture is more complicated. "Serious business" can mean a Rivian, a Genesis, a Lucid, a Polestar, or any number of high-end brands that litter the market. Over the years, the black Escalade went from the staple to one of the many. But the Escalade IQ aims to change that.

The Escalade IQ debuted in 2023, but it's finally hitting dealerships this year. With a massive 205.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack and two electric motors, it makes 750 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque, which gets it to 60 miles per hour in less than 5.0 seconds. Cadillac estimates 460 miles of driving range.

Compared to the gas-powered Escalade, the IQ’s body lines look smoothed-over and more modern—but it maintains that signature Escalade shape. The IQ’s EV-ified body gets fancy pinstriping and intricate light patterns in place of a traditional grille. And in true Escalade style, every test vehicle during the first drive event was black.

The Escalade IQ starts at $127,700 (with destination) compared to $87,595 for the gas version. The Sport 2 model I tested came out to $152,485, with the lone option being rear seat entertainment ($1,995). The second row also had captain's chairs instead of Cadillac's “executive second row” (a roughly $10,000 option on lower trims with massagers, ventilation, wireless phone charging, and 14-way power-adjusted seats). But I spent a couple of hours in the Escalade IQ, mostly in the front seat anyway.

Pros: Sophisticated Styling, Super Comfortable, Ample Tech Front & Rear

Driving the Escalade IQ epitomizes a quiet-luxury experience: The car glided up and down the speedometer in complete silence. There was so little friction when I pressed the brakes—zero, actually—that it felt like the gentle finger of God was slowing me down. In its normal driving modes, the Escalade IQ is calibrated to deliver the smoothest driving possible.

Press the red “V” on the steering wheel, and that activates “Velocity Max” mode. Velocity Max changes the throttle mapping to a 750-hp rocket mode. Imagine strapping NOS on a school bus full of gold, taking it to the drag strip, then stomping the accelerator pedal. That’s about what it’s like to floor an Escalade IQ. Be safe out there, kids!

There are also driving technologies to make the Escalade IQ more maneuverable and efficient, like four-wheel steer and one-pedal driving. With four-wheel steer, the front and back wheels will both steer to reduce your turning radius in tight maneuvers.

Four-wheel steer is perplexingly good in a giant vehicle like the Escalade. I did a couple of U-turns in the IQ, and it took the maneuvers so easily that it felt like a much smaller car—that is, until I pulled up to a stoplight and was eye-level with a nearby tree branch.

General Motors’ Super Cruise hands-free driving technology, meanwhile, handled the highways for me, even in a poor-visibility torrential downpour.

Cons: Confusing Frunk Opening, Invasive Side-View Cameras

Cadillac also had everyone use the IQ’s Arrival Mode (a fancy way to say “crab walk”) to make the four-wheel-steer system turn the front and back wheels the same way, allowing the car to drive diagonally. Cadillac hopes drivers will use Arrival Mode to crab walk up to a valet or red-carpet entrance, and I can see the vision. Why be a normie and maneuver your steering wheel when you can just glide in diagonally?

One-pedal driving is one of my favorite EV features, because it allows you to drive with just the accelerator pedal. When you lift off the pedal, the car slows via regenerative braking, by sending energy captured in deceleration back to the battery. If it’s good, a one-pedal system allows you to perfectly modulate that single pedal and rest both feet at stoplights because you don’t have to hold the brake.

Thankfully, the Escalade IQ has a good one-pedal driving system. If you lift your foot fully off the accelerator on the IQ’s highest one-pedal setting, the braking is a nudge on the harsh side. But it’s not that noticeable, and a competent chauffeur (or normie driver) will learn how to stop smoothly regardless of the braking system used.

But the IQ is more than a pleasure to drive. In my particular test car, each door opened via power assist, courtesy of a bar icon on the central touchscreen up front. You slide those bars on the display to open and close each door. (You can also open the doors via latch, the normal way.)

The rear hatch opens when you touch the silvery clear Escalade logo on the back of the car, the charging port has a power door, and the frunk is so big that an adult can lie in it.

The front passenger can also watch high-resolution YouTube videos on their side of the 55.0-inch pillar-to-pillar front screen, and the driver won’t be able to see the video at all while driving. Instead, the Escalade IQ will polarize the screen to make it black and limit distractions.

In addition to that, the Escalade IQ has exterior colors like “Black Cherry” and “Midnight Frost” matte blue, which you can pair with ornate interiors. I climbed in a cherry-colored display car with a navy blue interior and thought, “In a world of black Escalades, I’d get this one.”

My time in the Escalade IQ was limited, but there were two issues. The first was that, because I could open the trunk by touching the rear Escalade logo, I kept doing that at the front of the car to access the frunk. Then I’d stand and wait. Then I’d press it again. Wait. Press. Wait. Press harder. Wait.

As an owner or Escalade IQ chauffeur, you’d get used to this. As a person trying and failing to open the frunk—perhaps in a crowded valet area—you just feel low-IQ. (Sorry. I had to.)

The second issue in the Escalade IQ is that it has a turn-signal camera, which appears when you hit the signal to show you the lane next to you. The issue is, instead of showing up as a smaller display on your driver-instrument cluster, the camera feed appears, massively, in the middle of your infotainment screen. Every time I used a turn signal, the camera feed covered my entire navigation map.

Not only did this make me wonder if I was turning onto the correct street, but it also made me go: “Why is such a potato of a camera feeding video to this giant, beautiful screen I also use to watch 4K YouTube videos?” You know how people say certain things can class the joint up? That camera feed does the opposite. (I can relate.)

As I drove the Escalade IQ—missing a turn here and there due to that invasive camera feed—I realized how desensitized I’d become to the Escalade. I’d seen it. I’d heard it. I knew it. But these days, I’d rather look at something like a Lucid, because it’s new, fancy, and different.

That’s because objects of grandeur have to get noticeably fancier, more futuristic, and more ornate to keep the attention of those around them, and the Escalade IQ does that. It represents the next generation of suit-and-tie chauffeur cars, where the person inside arrives with style, silence, zero tailpipe emissions, and possibly a crab walk—sorry, “Arrival Mode.”

The IQ has arrived, and with it returns my pedestrian-standing-curbside-at-the-valet fascination with the Escalade. That’s exactly what Cadillac needs.

Update: This story has been updated with pricing information for the model as-tested.

Competitors