Car reviews

Perhaps more than any other legacy brand, Volvo has been the most intentional about their transition to an all-electric lineup; slating 2030 as the goal line. Currently, plug-in hybrids dominate Volvo’s offerings, but they do have a couple of pure EVs right now: the XC40 Recharge and this C40 Recharge, both of which can only be purchased online.

One of my favorite test drives in recent memory is of the AMG GT R Coupe - a spectacular 2-seater with exotic-car looks; ready for the racetrack right out of the box. So, you’d think a 4-door version of that car would be nearly as exciting, right? well, I’m discovering this week that this GT 53 has a completely different personality; one that doesn’t raise the heartbeat to a full-on AMG level.

This week I invite you to ride along in what is quite possibly the best sports sedan that I have ever driven during my 25 years as a car critic. And, no; it’s not from Germany. This is the CT5-V Blackwing and if you fancy yourself a driver, this is the Cadillac of your dreams.

So, you want something fun to drive but don’t want to spend a lot of money. Getting a car that meets those criteria isn’t easy these days. Oh, and if you want it to be fuel-efficient, spacious and loaded? Good luck. And that’s exactly why this new Kia Forte GT jumps off the page.

The Dodge Durango is a mid-size SUV that hasn’t changed too much since 2011. It came to the market with genuine capability — a rear-wheel-drive-based platform and an available 360-horsepower HEMI V-8 — at a time when most similarly sized competitors were transforming into crossovers.

The Ford Explorer dropped its V-8 and went front-wheel drive that same year. The Nissan Pathfinder followed a couple of years after that. And though it stayed true to its off-road roots, the Toyota 4Runner also dropped its optional V-8 (and lofty towing capacity) in 2010.

Better still, Dodge hasn’t left the Durango to wither into a sad bargain car. While it still shows its age in some areas, a recently redesigned interior nicely complements its well-balanced ride and handling, relatively spacious interior, and choice of three powerful engines — reaching as high as 475 horsepower.

While Ford and Jeep are messing around with new 400+ horsepower versions of their most extreme off-roaders, Land Rover’s like “wouldn’t you rather have a 518-horsepower supercharged engine?” Well, that’s the deal with their new Defender V8 - a six-figure SUV designed with a more dynamic side.

Subaru didn’t have to change much about the BRZ. Since its debut in 2013, it has been almost in a class by itself — and a highly desirable one at that. Still, it wasn’t quite perfect. The interior was basic and dated, and not in an endearing way. The cabin was buzzy on the highway. There was basically no visual distinction from its Toyota 86 twin. And while its 200 horsepower was just right for some tastes, others felt the ideal output could be higher. Fix those things without wrecking something else, and the BRZ would be just about perfect, at least for someone who wants that type of vehicle.

There was no promise though that we’d even get a second generation. Toyota and Subaru could have put their development dollars somewhere else rather than on a low-volume affordable sports coupe. But sure enough, a redesigned BRZ (and a renamed Toyota GR86) hit the market for 2022, priced from $27,995. Subaru could have badly screwed up this redesign, especially from an enthusiast perspective where it could have diluted the BRZ’s appeal while chasing other mainstream rivals. But thankfully, that isn’t the case and if you liked the old BRZ, you’ll probably like the new one even more.

Among the big automotive brands, Mercedes has one of the most comprehensive EV lineups currently on the market. The Mercedes EQC was introduced back in 2019 and is the first Mercedes EV. Recently, we got to drive the Mercedes EQC 400, which at this point in time, is the only available version of the compact luxury SUV. The EQC is the founder of the Mercedes’ all-electric, EQ lineup and these are our impressions.

Someone must have told Toyota that electric vehicles are supposed to be different. For its first dedicated EV, the company applied that lesson with blacked-out fenders, a fabric-upholstered dashboard, an inscrutable gear selector, and an alphabet-soup name.

The result is the 2023 Toyota bZ4X — the “bZ” standing for a new all-electric “beyond zero” subbrand. At the same time, the bZ4X is more “normal” than many other leading EVs. It focuses on a smooth, quiet ride over explosive power and sporty handling. And despite its quirks, the Toyota’s interior is more plush than ultramodern.

Priced from $42,000 before a $7,500 federal tax credit, the bZ4X is a front-wheel-drive-based crossover that slots between the compact and mid-size segments. Toyota co-developed it with Subaru, which will sell a near-clone of the bZ4X as the Solterra. We just spent a week in a preproduction bZ4X to see how it fits into the fast-growing electric crossover segment.

Volvo, like other manufacturers, is hard at work electrifying its entire lineup. While Polestar (Volvo’s ex-tuner) is considered to be the EV arm of the Swedish brand, Volvo is churning out fully-electric versions of its own models. The first Volvo-badged EV is the XC40 Recharge, which is still being sold with a variety of internal-combustion engines. However, its sportier sibling, the Volvo C40 Recharge is the brand’s first EV-only model, and we recently got a chance to spend some time with the twin-motor variant.

The barrage of electric cars has only just begun and my internal voltmeter is pinned to the right. I love this progression of the automobile and the way it’s transforming the driving experience, and the EQS is as transformative as they come.

As of today, Mercedes offers one EV in the U.S. market, and this is it - the EQS Sedan, with a starting price of $103,360 (including destination.) This commences MB’s top-down approach to fleshing out their electric offerings; soon to be joined by an SUV of the same name, an E-Class-like midsize sedan called the EQE, and a more attainable compact SUV called the EQB (not to mention a pair of racy AMG variants.) The goal is to make every newly-developed Mercedes electric-only starting in 2025, while at the same time having an EV alternative for every model the company makes. If it has an EQ in front of its alphanumeric name it’s electric.

It’s a classic car-enthusiast grumble: “All these SUVs are nothing but tall station wagons.” But what happens when you get a station wagon that’s almost like a low SUV? That’s the 2022 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain, currently the only way you can still get an E-Class station wagon.

The E-Class wagon takes everything that makes an E-Class sedan great — fantastic ride and handling, a beautifully finished interior, cutting-edge technology, a decadent overall experience — and nearly three times the trunk space (35 cubic feet of trunk space instead of 13). But starting last year, Mercedes decided this much cargo space needs some SUV trimmings and created the All-Terrain.

What that means is gray plastic cladding, four-wheel height-adjustable air suspension, and standard all-wheel drive. It comes in at a steep base price of $68,400, which is higher than even most luxury SUVs. We spent a week testing the 2022 E450 All-Terrain and here’s what we found.