Evelyn Reynolds

From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.CORRECTION 11/1/23: This story has been updated to state that the EV9 isn’t the fastest-charging EV we’ve ever tested; the Genesis Electrified GV70 has charged quicker. We’d imagine that most car designers don’t get too excited when they’re assigned to a new three-row SUV. There’s only so much you can do with a two-box shape, and the segment is so competitive that it pays to play it safe rather than do something entirely novel. But a few years ago, Kia proved all of that wrong with the Telluride, and now the Korean automaker is doing it again with the new electric EV9.Whether you view it from 100 yards away or up close, the EV9 makes a big impression. You can tell that the people who worked on this vehicle—designers and engineers alike—were up to the challenge of executing a battery-powered take on the family crossovers that have become so popular in driveways across the nation.HIGHS: Strong performance, quick charging, compelling design inside and out.Built on Hyundai Motor Group’s top-notch Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the EV9 has proportions that are radically different from the Telluride’s, even though it gives off a somewhat similar boxy vibe. The wheelbase is 122.0 inches long, nearly eight inches longer than the Telluride’s, and the wheels are pushed to the corners, giving the EV9 a far more dramatic stance. The headlights, which combine a row of dot-style LEDs with swooshes of LED accent lights, are almost cyborgian, and the vertically oriented, intricately detailed taillights look like they belong on some sort of science-fiction spacecraft.The attention to detail inside is even more impressive. Although the EV9 is not a luxury utility vehicle, no one seems to have told the people who selected the materials in our fully loaded GT-Line test car. The faux leather is soft, the dashboard incorporates a variety of attractive finishes, and there are innovative touches, such as trampoline-style mesh front-seat headrests that are far more plush than you’d expect from looking at them. Yes, there are screens galore, including a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. They are easy to navigate, and there are enough physical buttons and knobs to make the interface accessible. Our only real UX annoyance was the placement of the climate-control screen, which the steering wheel obscures.More on the EV9This being a family-oriented vehicle, the environs aft of the driver and passenger are especially important, and they don’t disappoint. The second-row captain’s chairs are not only heated and ventilated but also available with power adjustability and extendable footrests. The rear doors are wide, easing entry, and Kia even sweated the little stuff such as the roof-mounted air vents, which are surrounded by attractive bezels. While the third row of seats isn’t quite as generously sized as some of the largest gasoline-powered three-row models, the bottom cushion is placed at an appropriate height and angle for adults to sit comfortably, making this a reasonable place to sit for short periods.This level of design and packaging aptitude isn’t surprising, given the success of the Telluride, and neither is the EV9’s strong performance, considering that the 10Best-winning Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 share the EV9’s E-GMP platform. There’s a relatively wide range of powertrain configurations available, starting with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive setup and a 76.1-kWh battery pack. We tested the top-of-the-line dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model, in which front and rear motors combine for 379 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The juice comes from a 99.8-kWh battery pack, a greater capacity than what we’ve seen in any of the other E-GMP vehicles thus far.LOWS: Ambitious pricing, some head toss, awkwardly placed HVAC controls.This big lithium-ion pack weighs a claimed 1249 pounds, and the EV9 tips the scales at a prodigious 5839 pounds—1349 more than the last Telluride we tested. But the electric motors have more power and torque than the Telluride’s 291-hp 3.8-liter V-6, and in terms of acceleration, they more than make up for the extra weight. The dual-motor EV9 lunges to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds and passes through the quarter-mile in 13.3 seconds at 101 mph. Those are quick numbers regardless of segment, and the EV9’s instantaneous responses to jabs of the accelerator make the Telluride—which gets to 60 mph more than two seconds slower—feel positively sluggish in comparison.Kia has also done a good job of ensuring that the extra weight doesn’t dull the EV9’s dynamic qualities. It’s fitted with 285-mm-wide Hankook Ion Evo AS SUV all-season tires, which are considerably wider than the Telluride’s 245s, and larger brake rotors. The results speak for themselves: The EV9 gripped around our skidpad to the tune of 0.87 g and stopped from 70 mph in 184 feet, numbers that would have been more than competitive in our recent comparison test of gasoline three-row SUVs. Even better, the EV9 is satisfying to steer, with good weighting from the helm and nicely controlled body motions. We did notice a bit of head toss on the roughest roads, but overall the ride quality is good, and responses to changes in direction are linear if not especially eager.At 70 mph, the EV9 registers a hushed 67 decibels. It’s a pleasant highway cruiser, although cruising range is just about the only objective metric where the EV9 doesn’t beat the Telluride. In our 75-mph highway range test, the EV9 posted a reasonable 240-mile result, a bit short of the EPA’s estimate of 270 miles. Realistically, the EV9 will deliver less than that on road trips if it’s loaded with family members and stuff—we could fit five carry-on bags behind the third row and 17 with the third row folded, by the way—which means you’ll be stopping to recharge every few hours.Fortunately, the EV9’s electrical architecture is set up to replenish the battery quickly. At a 350-kW DC fast-charger, we watched it gain 100 miles of range on the display in just 13 minutes and measured an average charging speed of 139 kilowatts between a 10 and 90 percent state of charge—among the highest average of any EV we’ve ever tested. And if you desire more outright range, there is a single-motor configuration that has the big battery and a 304-mile EPA range. However, its paltry 201 horsepower will likely result in slow acceleration times.More Hyundai-Kia EVsAs the EV9 is in the first wave of three-row electric SUVs to enter the mainstream market, its price will be a crucial factor for convincing families to switch to running electrons. The EV9 starts off right about where the Telluride tops out, at $56,395 for the rear-drive, small-battery model. Unsurprisingly, our significantly more powerful and significantly better-equipped GT-Line is a whole lot more than that, with an opening price of $75,395. That’s a lot to ask when so many compelling gas-powered alternatives exist for less coin, but the EV9 looks great inside and out and offers enough of a performance advantage to feel worth that. Those who do take the leap won’t be disappointed.VERDICT: Kia shows that three-row SUVs, too, can benefit greatly from the switch to electricity.CounterpointsTalk about playing to your strengths. Kia takes the two things it does best—three-row SUVs and electric vehicles—and joins them together in the EV9. Quiet and quick power delivery make sense for a family vehicle, and the EV9 has both. Its third row is grown-up friendly, its hatch is cargo friendly, and its front rows are full of features that make driving and charging more comfortable. Like Kia did with the Telluride, the brand’s three-row EV will have everyone else playing catch-up. —Elana ScherrIs it time to update my go-to Kia Telluride recommendation for three-row-SUV buyers? Passenger space in the EV9 is virtually identical; the biggest differences are third-row headroom (the EV9 has more) and hip room (the EV9 has less). Sure, the EV9 has a plush interior and luxe features, such as optional power second-row seats with leg rests, but it can also drive ponderously with an occasional wallow induced by its more than 1300 extra pounds. But it’s the EV9’s higher price and today’s imperfect charging network that keep me recommending Tellurides. —Dave VanderWerpSpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Kia EV9Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 6-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested (C/D est.): $75,395/$77,500 
POWERTRAINFront Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 189 hp, 258 lb-ft Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 189 hp, 258 lb-ft Combined Power: 379 hpCombined Torque: 516 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 99.8 kWhOnboard Charger: 10.9 kWPeak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 215 kWTransmissions: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 14.2-in vented disc/13.6-in vented discTires: Hankook Ion Evo AS SUV285/45R-21 113V M+S K
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 122.0 inLength: 197.4 inWidth: 77.9 inHeight: 70.1 inPassenger Volume, F/M/R: 58/58/35 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 82/44/20 ft3Curb Weight: 5839 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.5 sec100 mph: 13.0 sec1/4-Mile: 13.3 sec @ 101 mph120 mph: 21.3 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.9 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.9 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 126 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 184 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 365 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.87 g  
C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING
Observed: 79 MPGe75-mph Highway Driving: 76 MPGe75-mph Highway Range: 240 miAverage DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 139 kWDC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 37 min 
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined: 80 MPGeRange: 270 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDSenior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

From the November 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Mercedes’s EQS sedan seeks to be the S-class of electric vehicles, but it feels alien and lifeless compared with the brand’s beloved flagship. The new-for-2023 plug-in-hybrid Mercedes-Benz S580e, however, steps confidently into the future while preserving the Sonderklasse’s past and does so with few compromises.HIGHS: Palpable prestige, generous electric range, quick recharging. The PHEV S-class pairs a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with an electric motor. Exceeding its 46-mile EPA range estimate, it traveled 58 miles on electricity alone in our 75-mph range test—that’s greater than any other PHEV we’ve tested (unless you count the BMW i3 with a range extender; you shouldn’t).Of course, the electric EQS goes farther, but range anxiety remains an issue on long trips. The S580e avoids those worries by offering gas fill-ups along with DC fast-charging capability, a rarity among plug-in hybrids. Mercedes claims the optional 60-kW charging hardware ($500) takes the 22.7-kWh battery from 10 to 80 percent in 20 minutes.The faster charging capability and numerous add-ons meant our S580e cost nearly $140,000 as tested. Still, its $123,700 base price undercuts the V-8-powered S580 by $1450 and the EQS580 by $3400. LOWS: Uneven brake-pedal response, irksome touch buttons, $16K upcharge for rear-seat climate controls.The S580e’s cabin is properly palatial, with headrest pillows that rival Ambien. The $3800 Warmth & Comfort package heats and ventilates the rear seats yet weirdly leaves riders back there without climate controls. Rear-seat rheostats require the $16,100 Executive Line package. We also scoffed at the second row’s two cupholders, which we struggled to release from the center armrest. The touch controls on the steering wheel are finicky, but mercifully, the EQS’s giant Hyperscreen isn’t here; its absence leaves space for upscale dash trim commensurate with the sedan’s price. The hybrid’s interior registered a hushed 64 decibels during 70-mph cruising, matching the EQS580.The S580e’s plug-in powertrain doesn’t make a peep as the car wafts down the interstate in Electric mode. Its e-motor provides an instantaneous 354 pound-feet of thrust, so it helps the Benz easily keep pace with traffic without waking the straight-six. The hybrid system’s combined 510 horsepower and 553 pound-feet push this 5606-pound all-wheel-drive limo to 60 mph in a tidy 4.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 12.6 ticks at 112 mph.Related StoryA cushy ride and fluid body motions make the luxury mission clear, and thanks to available rear-axle steering, the S580e is surprisingly nimble. Its lone dynamic flaw is a nonlinear brake pedal that is a plague in stop-and-go traffic, an issue in the EQS as well. Given that the plug-in S-class is considerably more prestigious and stylish, with enough real-world electric range to handle daily commutes, it essentially renders Mercedes’s equivalent EV irrelevant.VERDICT: The perfect blend of electromobility and S-class nobility.SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Mercedes-Benz S580e PHEVVehicle Type: front-engine, front-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $123,700/$139,900
POWERTRAIN
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter inline-6, 362 hp, 369 lb-ft + AC motor, 148 hp, 354 lb-ft (combined output: 510 hp, 553 lb-ft; 22.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack)Transmission: 9-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 14.5-in vented disc/14.1-in vented discTires: Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 HRSF: 255/40R-20 101H M+S Extra Load MOE-S RunflatR: 285/35R-20 104H M+S Extra Load MOE-S Runflat
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 126.6 inLength: 208.2 inWidth: 76.9 inHeight: 59.2 inTrunk Volume: 13 ft3Curb Weight: 5606 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 4.2 sec100 mph: 10.1 sec1/4-Mile: 12.6 sec @ 112 mphResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.8 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.9 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.2 secTop Speed (gov ltd): 129 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 174 ftBraking, 100–0 mph: 366 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 35 MPGe75-mph Highway Driving, EV/Hybrid mode: 75 MPGe/36 mpg75-mph Highway Range, EV/Hybrid mode: 58/630 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 23/20/29 mpgCombined Gasoline + Electricity: 51 MPGeEV Range: 46 mi
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDSenior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

From the September 1991 issue of Car and Driver.The world is watching this car. Let’s face it, when Magic Johnson steps out onto the hardwood, the fans expect to see a performance that no fresh­-faced rookie could hope to deliver. When Tom Clancy publishes a new thriller, folks plan on staying up late with the reading lamp on. When Mick Jagger grabs hold of the mike, you know in your heart that it’s going to be party time. And when the star in the limelight is an all-new BMW 3-series, the weight of expectations hangs heavily indeed. After all, this car has history behind it. We’re talk­ing about the descendant of the fabled 2002, the giant-killer sedan that inspired a cult of followers and put BMW on the map in the U.S. twenty years ago.HIGHS: The performance of a wing-footed god, an engine that can sing Mozart, German good looks.And don’t forget about how the upward­ly-mobiles made the previous 3-series a must-have trinket in the boom-boom 1980s. The world is watching and waiting for another reason too. Today, showrooms everywhere are bursting with wannabes—­terrific sports sedans eager for a bite of BMW’s glory. The newcomers are mostly Japanese—the Infiniti G20, the Lexus ES250, the Nissan Maxima, the Acura Vigor, to name four—and there are a few American upstarts too, like the Ford Taurus SHO and the Chevy Lumina Z34. And they’re all awfully good. The old 325i, despite constant improvements, was about to become somebody else’s lunch meat. Now for the good news: In an attempt to put some distance between itself and the wannabes, the Neiman-Marcus of sports sedans has gotten serious. No half measures this time around; BMW redesigned the 325i from bumper to bumper, in the process making it both more exciting and more practical. The all-new 325i, which went on sale here in June, has a new chassis with new rear suspension, a new and more pow­erful engine, and a sleek new four-door body (a two-door will arrive early next year) with more interior room and improved aerodynamics. About the only thing not changed is that it’s still rear-drive. Let’s start with the obvious, the parts you can see. The 325i looks good in photos, but not half as stylish as it does in person. Gone forever is the old model’s boxy shape (thank goodness), replaced by slicked-back sheetmetal that says “made in Germany” and delivers a Cd of 0.33. And we can tell you this: People look at this car—a lot.This 325i is still compact, ten inches shorter than a Honda Accord, but it is now reasonably roomy. Its wheelbase is up five inches, and the front wheels have been pushed to the far corners of the chassis, all of which opens up interior room consider­ably. The EPA’s interior-volume figures indicate about six percent more cabin space, but the improvement feels like three times that. The 325i finally qualifies as a passable four-passenger sedan; six-footers can ride in back for long distances. No 3-series has ever been as handsome inside, either. The dash and door panels are tastefully sculptured (the old model’s door trim looked like spruced-up economy-car upholstery). Still, the 325i’s cabin is typi­cally German in its approach to luxury, which is to say restrained. The plastic used on the interior panels and dash is expensive-­looking but unyielding, the seats are park-­bench firm, and there’s no carpeting on the bottom of the door panels. A Lexus ES250’s interior, hardly an example of wretched excess, looks like a New Orleans cathouse by comparison. Nor is there an abundance of labor-­saving devices at your fingertips. Power seats aren’t standard, and neither is a tilt steering wheel—though they will be avail­able later in the model run as part of a spe­cial luxury package. The driver’s window switch lacks the one-touch all-the-way-­down feature you can get in inexpensive cars like the Honda Civic. Any shortage in convenience gear will be quickly forgotten once you take the wheel. There is joy here. The first thing you notice is that the businesslike interior layout works. You can see the clearly marked gauges easily. The driving position is near perfect, and the reach to the steering wheel is just right. All of the stalks, controls, knobs, and buttons are within easy reach and are easy to see (except the electric win­dow switches, which are spread too far apart on the center console). Everything you touch in the cabin sends a single message back to your brain: “quali­ty.” Well, make that almost everything you touch. The lone exception to the cabin’s feelgood message is the glove box—which, unlike the huge storage compartments in previous Bimmers, is now a small crevice with a flimsy, ill-fitting plastic door. LOWS: The eye daggers aimed your way by those who still associate BMWs with yuppie excess.The 325i drives so well, any sort of glove-box remorse vanishes before you’ve gone a block. Once again, the overriding impression is quality—the savory hum of the machinery, the smooth-as-silk feel of the major controls, the sensory reward of sure-footed handling.The 325i is motivated by the same twin-cam 24-valve 2.5-liter in-line six as the larg­er 525i sedan—and we do mean motivated. The engine makes an impressive 189 hp at 5900 rpm. It’s a peaky motor, the kind you associate more often with sports cars, with maximum torque occurring at 4700 rpm—higher in the rev range than many engines’ horsepower peaks. Which is to say, when you want to go, you have to have about 4000 rpm on the clock or the engine feels drowsy. Keep the revs up and the 325i is a rocket: It takes only 6.9 seconds to get to 60 mph and 15.3 sec­onds to cover the quarter-mile, at which point you are hauling buns to the tune of 91 mph. Not long ago we raved about muscle cars that could go that fast. You get the proper soundtrack as stan­dard equipment, too. The 325i’s engine is a symphony of expensive-sounding whirring and humming, all muted to a whisper for your listening enjoyment. The whirring turns cat-angry when you twist the engine to the 6500-rpm redline, but it never strains. You direct the symphony with a Getrag-­built five-speed manual gearbox and a pro­gressive clutch that make seamless gear-changing as easy as switching TV channels with your remote. A four-speed automatic is available, but if you want the full measure of joy that the engine has to offer, take the five-speed. Speaking of joy, the 325i’s chassis offers plenty in that regard. It cruises com­fortably, soaking up the big swells and thumping over the tar strips. Its steering is crisp and accurate, its standard ABS brakes powerful. The 325i enjoys hustling along twisty, tree-lined roads and feels as sure­footed as a Sherpa—even when you’re cor­nering so hard the passengers are wide-eyed and rigid in their seats. It sets no new stan­dards in handling, but the standards it holds to are plenty high. More 3-series reviews from the archiveThere are, however, a couple of things the 325i should do better. It wanders too much on long, straight stretches of high­way. And it tops out at only 128 mph. The identical car sold in Europe goes 143 mph, but BMW programs the computers of cars bound for America to limit top speed. BMW says only that it’s “worried that U.S. buyers might fit replacement tires with an insufficient speed rating.” Sounds flimsy to us. We think BMW of North America is feeling the cold wind of liability litigation blowing. Understandable, perhaps, in today’s litigious climate. Whatever BMW’s reason for lopping 15 mph off the 325i’s top speed, it has done the rest of the job right. The new small Bimmer feels like fine machinery whether you’re cruising through downtown or whipping along the open road at a full gallop. It’s roomy enough for family-car use and quick enough on its feet to plaster a grin on your face when you go up-tempo on two-lanes. Its twin-cam six emits a lusty cry. And the 325i looks almost as pricey as it is. In short, it has soul. VERDICT: A sports sedan with its priorities straight. BMW has moved the target again.We also think it’s got the legs on the wannabes again. Not by all that much, maybe not for long. But for now, at least, you pay more and you get more. Come to think of it, that’s another thing we’ve learned to expect of BMWs.Expectations confirmed.SpecificationsSpecifications
1992 BMW 325iVehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $28,365/$29,900Options: leather upholstery, $1100; metallic paint, $435
ENGINEDOHC 24-valve inline-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 152 in3, 2494 cm3Power: 189 hp @ 5900 rpmTorque: 181 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 11.3-in vented disc/11.0-in discTires: Pirelli P600205/60HR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inLength: 174.5 inWidth: 66.9 inHeight: 54.8 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 47/38 ft3Trunk Volume: 15 ft3Curb Weight: 3038 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.9 sec1/4-Mile: 15.3 sec @ 91 mph100 mph: 19.3 sec120 mph: 33.5 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.1 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 10.1 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 10.4 secTop Speed: 128 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 178 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 22 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 18/26 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDirector, Buyer’s GuideRich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has encompassed 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and Driver totaling 19 years, and thousands of miles logged in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it’s worked out. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM’s product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata and a 1965 Corvette convertible and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered “Okay, Boomer” when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D. More

From the November 2023 issue of Car and Driver.Automakers are guilty of chasing numbers. You can blame us to a certain degree, for egging them on by testing as many cars as we do. But one number that fewer and fewer automakers aspire to is the lowest price. We’re avoiding the word “cheap” because it has a negative connotation as it defines both quantitative and qualitative attributes. This gives us reason to celebrate the newly recast and redesigned Chevrolet Trax, which is simultaneously affordable and exceptional. HIGHS: Quiet when cruising, composed in corners, spacious back seat and cargo area.By our count—we include the unavoidable destination charge—there are 19 automobiles on the market today that cost less than $25,000. A bare-bones Trax is $21,495, and the Activ, tested here, represents the top of the line at $24,995. That trim opens the door to some deluxe features, including an 11.0-inch touchscreen and keyless entry and starting. The Sunroof ($895) and Driver Confidence ($795) packages, found on our test car, net wireless charging, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-departure warning. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, even in the base model. The cabin does feature plastics that a durometer would scratch, but pleasing switchgear compensates. Chevy got the touchpoints right—the steering wheel has a most welcome supple leather wrap, and the shifter is a lever coming out of the console, not some dial or confusing array of buttons. Pull the lever into D, and the turbocharged 1.2-liter inline-three makes it obvious that it’s got but 137 horses. Holding your foot to the floor for 8.8 seconds will take you to 60 mph. Thanks to its torque peak of 162 pound-feet occurring at 2500 rpm, the wee size of the engine goes unnoticed in typical day-to-day driving—until you need to get ahead of a semi before a merge. The 50-to-70-mph passing time is 6.4 seconds, and a 70-to-90-mph jaunt is more like 10. The gravelly growl the three emits under duress is more offensive than the 72-decibel reading at full throttle indicates. But at 70 mph, the cabin hums a 69-decibel tune you’d swear was lower still. At that speed, the engine turns about 2250 rpm, and the Trax tracks arrow straight with great on-center steering feel. Like its predecessor, however, the new Trax fell short of its EPA highway estimate (32 mpg) in our 75-mph real-world test, returning just 30 mpg. LOWS: Torpid when passing, hard-plastic interior, no all-wheel drive or manual.What you can’t get in any Trax is all-wheel drive. You have to step up to the roughly $5000-pricier Trailblazer to get that in a Chevy SUV. But a decent set of winter tires will get a Trax anywhere you want it to go. Chevy’s press release calls this new model “reimagined,” a euphemistic way of acknowledging that the previous-generation Trax needed a thorough rethink. Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe Korea-built Trax checks a lot of the boxes SUV buyers want: excellent outward visibility, strong curb appeal, tons of room. The lack of all-wheel drive eliminates the need for a floorpan hump, giving two rear-seat occupants space to spread out and three plenty of room for their Reeboks. The rear compartment isn’t filled with luxuries, omitting basics such as a center armrest and cupholders (not even molded into the door panels). Back-seat riders do get a pair of USB ports and tons of legroom—3.0 inches more than in the old Trax. The newfound space isn’t the result of some packaging marvel. The vehicle is just bigger, by a whopping 5.7 inches between the axles and 11.0 inches in total length. This also creates a larger cargo hold, up seven cubic feet to 26, for all of that active-lifestyle gear automakers imagine their customers tote around. More on the Chevy TraxWith so few cars on the market, a top-level Trax may give Ford’s entry-level offering, the Maverick pickup, a run for its money. The Ford has the edge in cargo and towing capacity—Chevy does not recommend lashing a trailer to the Trax’s bumper—but the back seat is better in the Chevy, and your cargo won’t get wet if it rains. The similarly priced Honda Civic and Volkswagen Jetta are dynamically superior to the Trax, but it isn’t a runaway. The 0.84-g effort the Trax makes on the skidpad is in the ballpark of the sedans, as is its braking distance. VERDICT: A high-value vehicle in an otherwise cheap segment.Among vehicles under $25,000, whether they’re in an SUV wrapper or not, the Trax handles well. It’ll corner at its limit without protest or excessive body roll. It won’t set any Lightning Lap records, but it feels richer and looks more expensive than it is. So don’t call the Trax cheap—it’s way too jampacked with value for that descriptor. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Chevrolet TraxVehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $24,995/$26,685Options: sunroof package (power sliding glass, manual shade, wireless charging), $895; Driver Confidence package (rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change alert with blind-zone alert, adaptive cruise control), $795
ENGINE
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 12-valve inline-3, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 73 in3, 1199 cm3Power: 137 hp @ 5000 rpmTorque: 162 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/torsion beamBrakes, F/R: 11.8-in vented disc/10.6-in discTires: Goodyear Assurance Finesse225/55R-18 98H M+S TPC 3179MS
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 inLength: 178.6 inWidth: 71.8 inHeight: 61.4 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 54/44 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 54/26 ft3Curb Weight: 3069 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 8.8 sec1/4-Mile: 16.8 sec @ 81 mph100 mph: 30.5 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.5 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.8 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.4 secTop Speed (C/D est): 115 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 180 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 25 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 30 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 390 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 30/28/32 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDExecutive EditorK.C. Colwell is Car and Driver’s executive editor, who covers new cars and technology with a keen eye for automotive nonsense and with what he considers to be great car sense, which is a humblebrag. On his first day at C/D in 2004, he was given the keys to a Porsche 911 by someone who didn’t even know if he had a driver’s license. He also is one of the drivers who set fast laps at C/D’s annual Lightning Lap track test. More

From the December 1995 issue of Car and Driver.René Dreyfus, who lived with unique grace for 88 years until August 17, 1993, was one of the last of the legendary Grand Prix drivers from what is often called the Golden Age of motorsport. Ironically, at the time of his death, the race car that brought him to his adopted homeland was in the final stages of restoration in a shop tucked in the hills of western Connecticut. This massive yet oddly sensuous Maserati 8CTF served as a centerpiece in an epic that transformed Dreyfus from world-class race driver to one of the most renowned restaurateurs in New York, and finally to a living icon among racing afi­cionados (all of which is recounted in My Two Lives, the autobiography Dreyfus wrote with historian Beverly Rae Kimes a decade before his death). The elegant single-seater Maserati, chassis-number 3031, was one of three surprisingly potent GP cars built by the Maserati brothers in 1938 to contest the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union panzers under the new, downsized formula of 4.5 liters unblown, 3.0 liters supercharged. The car would go on to numerous appear­ances at the Indianapolis 500, to win the Pikes Peak hillclimb, and eventually, after meticulous restoration, to live in high pro­file as part of the vast collection of auto­motive historian Joel Finn of Roxbury, Connecticut. Now the 8CTF shrieks and wails again in vintage events across the country, as it did this past summer during a major reunion of prewar Indianapolis cars at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. Running with a nimbleness surprising for its age, it serves as a vital relic of the pin­nacles of American and European racing in an unforgettable era. In 1930, René Dreyfus surged onto the international racing scene, winning the Monaco Grand Prix as an unknown ama­teur from nearby Nice, beating hometown favorite and France’s best driver, Louis Chiron. His performances throughout the 1930s aboard Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, and Maseratis were consistently good, but his alleged Jewish background (actually, he was Catholic) prevented enlistment by the dominant Nazi-backed Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams. In early 1938, Dreyfus scored his greatest victory on the narrow streets of Pau in the foothills of the Pyrenees. He was at the wheel of an ungainly Delahaye entered by Laury Schell and Lucy O’Reilly Schell, wealthy American expatriates living in Paris and Monaco. She was the brash daughter of an Irish immigrant who had made his fortune in the New World. The pair had moved to Europe in the 1920s and immersed them­selves in the world of rallying and ama­teur sports-car racing. In 1937, after Laury had finished third in the Mille Miglia, they formed Ecurie Bleue in concert with Delahaye, a small but respected Parisian sports­-car manufacturer that had created a 4.5-liter V-12-powered car for the new Grand Prix formula. For the first race of the Grand Prix season, Mercedes-Benz came to Pau with new W154 cars for the team leader Rudi Caracciola and Hermann Lang. Auto Union did not enter, leaving Dreyfus as the only serious opponent. He deftly exploited the Delahaye’s nimbleness and better fuel mileage to win by nearly two minutes. While fellow Frenchmen were cele­brating Dreyfus’s upset, in Italy the three remaining Maserati brothers—Bindo, Ettore, and Ernesto—and their 10-man staff were completing a trio of Grand Prix machines that on paper were the equal of anything in the world. Since the death in 1932 of brother Alfieri, the acknowledged family leader, the Maseratis had established a reputation for technical brilliance and financial blundering. Their output was minuscule compared with that of rivals Alfa Romeo and Bugatti: 16 cars in 1934, 17 in 1935, a mere nine in 1936. But 1937 brought an infusion of money from the Orsi family of Modena (who would move the operation to their home turf by 1939) and a fresh resolve to reenter Grand Prix competition. View PhotosPaul Pietsch runs third in the 1939 German Grand Prix.Bruce Craig and Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayErnesto, who was the best designer among the brothers, created the 8CTF. The name stood for eight-cylinder competition testa fissa, or “fixed head,” meaning that the valve seats and combustion chambers were integral with the cylinder block. It was a DOHC straight eight with twin Roots superchargers that produced 350 (gross) horsepower at 6300 rpm from just 3.0 liters. The chassis featured an inde­pendent front suspension (with longitu­dinal torsion bars) and quarter-elliptic leaf springs at the back. The first two cars, chassis 3030 and 3031, appeared for the Tripoli Grand Prix on the lightning-fast Mellaha circuit in May 1938. They immediately created a sensation in the hands of Count Felice Trossi and Achille Varzi. Masterpieces in cast and polished aluminum, the cars proved to be as quick as they were beau­tiful. Unfortunately, the minuscule size of the Maserati operation had forced economies in testing and development that were to haunt their entire campaign. Varzi broke his transmission on lap seven and Trossi retired with the same difficulties four laps later, after leading the Mercedes and Auto Unions and setting the fastest lap of the race. This was to establish a pattern for the cars—Trossi, on the pole at Livorno but didn’t finish; Pescara, the race lead and fastest lap before retiring.By September, a third chassis (3032) was completed for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Goffredo “Freddie” Zehender crashed, bending the car slightly, while Trossi got as high as third before being dis­qualified. View PhotosDreyfus (second from left) confers with LeBègue as Luigi Chinetti (third from right) ponders the Maserati’s lack of speed.Bruce Craig and Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayDespite their erratic performance, the 8CTFs were attractive to many Americans, who had seen four of the older V8RI single-seaters perform well in 1936–37 and believed that a modern European GP car could win at Indy. During the early spring of 1939, Cotton Henning, the chief mechanic for Chicago union boss “Umbrella Mike” Boyle, purchased chassis 3032 and a spare engine. This machine, with some modifications for the Indi­anapolis Motor Speedway, was to carry the great Wilbur Shaw to two consecutive vic­tories (1939 and ’40), with a third in 1941 prevented by a broken wire wheel.German driver Paul Pietsch reached a high-water mark with 3031 in the 1939 German GP at the Nürburgring. He led the race against the full might of the Mer­cedes-Benz and Auto Union teams, but finished third because of repeated failures of the Maserati-manufactured spark plugs. By this point, Lucy Schell, who was now running Ecurie Bleue following a highway crash that badly injured her hus­band, had tired of Delahaye’s uncompeti­tive cars. She purchased the two remaining 8CTFs: chassis 3031 and 3030. Both were entered for the Swiss Grand Prix in August, where Dreyfus soldiered home eighth in 3030 (the other car did not start). Less than a month later, on September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. View PhotosMauri Rose put the 3031 car on the Indy pole in 1941.Bruce Craig and Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayFrance and Great Britain declared war on Germany two days later. Dreyfus, like thousands of his countrymen, enlisted and was slated for officers’ training. But once Poland fell, the German panzer advances ceased and Europe lapsed into a seven-­month hiatus that is recalled as the “phony war.” It was during this lull that Lucy Schell, widowed after her husband had been killed in a second road accident, decided to send her two Maseratis to the 1940 Indianapolis 500. Her intent was to perform well in the race and then to sell the cars, which already had a solid reputation based on Shaw’s victory the previous year. In early 1940, political strings were being pulled to give Dreyfus a 45-day fur­lough from his military duties. He would be joined by René LeBègue, a French sports-car and rally driver, who would serve as number two on the team.The crew chief for the blue-painted Ecurie Bleue “Lucy O’Reilly Schell Specials” would be Luigi Chinetti, a transplanted Italian endurance-racing driver who had set up shop in Paris in the early 1930s. Chinetti, an ardent anti­fascist, had demurred in returning to Italy to join the Army, having served in the brutal Trentino campaign of World War I. He was more than happy to make what he considered a one-way trek to America. Joining the little team on the sea voyage aboard the Italian liner Comte di Savoia was Lucy Schell’s 19-year-old son Harry, an American citizen who had been raised a Frenchman and spoke little English. In fact, none of the team was fluent and relied on Bernard Musnik, the New York-based correspondent for L’Auto, to act as inter­preter. Lucy Schell, the instigator of the entire expedition, remained in France. Dreyfus’s beloved France would never be the same, whether he returned or not. While they were at sea, Hitler’s hordes poured across the lowlands and drove the British Expeditionary Force back to the English Channel. The Ecurie Bleue con­tingent arrived in New York on May 23, and then flew to Indianapolis for practice and qualifying. The brace of 8CTFs were completely unsorted regarding suspension setting and American fuel mixtures, and too-low gear ratios limited top speed. But the French­men were greeted warmly by the Speedway establishment—especially by Shaw, who had his winning chassis 3032 per­fectly tuned for the monster track. In 1940, the fastest cars—including Shaw’s—were lapping at 127 mph. Both LeBègue and Dreyfus struggled to get past 118 mph with their hastily prepared cars. When qualifying ended, only LeBègue had squeezed into the field, in the 31st spot at 118.98 mph. Dreyfus, at 118.83 mph, was bumped by Billy Devore and Floyd Davis and relegated to second alternate starter. How and why this happened remains something of a mystery. In his autobiog­raphy, Dreyfus claims he misunderstood the qualifying procedure. He thought, as in Europe, he had been guaranteed a starting position, and thus he did not exert full effort. This may be the case, although the notion that a driver as intelligent as Dreyfus would have remained that ignorant of the rules, regardless of the lan­guage barrier, appears doubtful. (Some believe he was disheartened by Shaw’s much faster lap times, as well as those of other American drivers he felt were inferior.) No matter—Dreyfus redeemed him­self in a roundabout manner. It was decided that he, as team leader, would share the driving with LeBègue, who would start the race and run the first 250 miles. Dreyfus would take over and pre­sumably charge to a high finish. This appeared to be possible when he began to turn practice laps in LeBègue’s car at about 125 mph—perhaps overrevving the engine in the process. Then a con­necting rod broke. Dreyfus’s autobiography appears to conflict with the facts here. He states that he was driving his own car (3031), but Speedway records indicate it was LeBègue’s car (3030), and that in a des­perate last-hour thrash Chinetti transferred Dreyfus’s good engine into LeBègue’s qualified machine. They ran according to plan, with Dreyfus taking over while the car was in 10th place. His planned assault (which he believed might have carried him as high as fifth place) was halted when the final 50 laps were run under the yellow flag in a light drizzle. Wilbur Shaw won again in his Maserati, and the LeBègue-Dreyfus car motored home 10th. While the Schell team was disap­pointed with their showing, the race results paled in comparison to the critical inter­national situation. On June 17, the French sued for peace. It appeared that going home was impossible. Being unsympa­thetic to the French Vichy puppet govern­ment, Dreyfus ended up buying a restaurant in Closter, New Jersey, which he ran until December 7, 1941. The day after Pearl Harbor, he joined the United States Army and served with distinction in the European theater. View PhotosJohn Rogers and the engine from the Maserati 8CTF, the restoration he worked on for 10 years.Bruce Craig and Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayFollowing the war, he and his brother Maurice opened a restaurant called Le Gourmet in Manhattan. In late 1952, they started the famed Le Chanteclair on East 49th Street. Until the early 1980s, it was a watering spot for motorsport enthusiasts. Chinetti spent the war in Manhattan as an imported-car mechanic and “enemy alien.” He ultimately became the U.S. importer for Ferrari. LeBègue did return to France and somehow managed to smuggle a Talbot GP back to the United States for the 1941 500. (It failed to qualify. He then went into the perfume business in New York.) Harry Schell entered prep school, then returned to Monaco to be with his mother. During the 1950s he became an accomplished, if second-level, Grand Prix driver before dying in a 1960 crash at Sil­verstone, England. Following the 1940 race, Lucy Schell sold both Maseratis to former racing driver and car owner Lou Moore. With a year to tune them for oval-track racing, Moore was able to at least demonstrate the 8CTF’s potential. With Elgin Piston Pin sponsorship, the talented Mauri Rose behind the wheel, and a taller ring-and­-pinion gear, chassis 3031 gained the pole position for the 1941 Indy 500 at 128.69 mph. After the car retired with ignition trouble at 60 laps, Rose took over for Floyd Davis, who was mired mid-pack in an Offenhauser-powered car also owned by Moore, and won the race. The second former Ecurie Bleue car, 3030, was driven by Duke Nalon, who started 30th and struggled to finish 15th. When racing resumed in 1946, the Dreyfus car was sold to one R.A. Cott of the Federal Engineering Company in Detroit for driver Russ Snowberger, who started 10th at Indy and finished 12th. Louis Unser won the Pikes Peak hillclimb in the car in 1946 and 1947. By 1949, the Maserati eight-cylinder had been replaced by an Offenhauser four­-cylinder which stayed in the car until 1951. View PhotosRené LeBègue at the Indianapolis 500 is 1940.Bruce Craig and Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIts final outing at Indy came in 1953, with its original engine back in place. Now 15 years old, the veteran machine failed to qualify (as it had since 1950) and drifted into limbo. The car’s recovery began when English Maserati enthusiast and collector Cameron Millar purchased 3031 and began its restoration and active vintage racing career in the 1970s.In 1982, Millar sold the Maserati to Joel Finn, who ranks among the world’s top vintage-car collectors, historians, and racers. He and his chief restorer, John Rogers, began a laborious 10-year project to bring the old car back to its former glory. It required all of Rogers’s prodi­gious talent as a machinist and fabricator. The engine was in particularly rough shape. The complex blower drive on the lower Roots supercharger was bent and seized. New valve guides had to be machined and set in the fixed head by employing a special jig and working with a mirror inserted through the exhaust ports. New bearings, rods, pistons, tappets, and valves had to be installed. Massive restora­tion of the body, which had been modified over the years, was required. Rogers had just completed refurbishing Finn’s rare Mercedes-Benz 154/163 Grand Prix car when he set to work on the Maserati. He found amazing contrasts between the two contemporary machines. “The Mercedes was big, tough, almost crudely military,” he recalls. “But the Maserati was like a sculpture. The alu­minum was cast as if it was going to a car show rather than a race. The fabrication, considering the time that it was built and the size of the Maserati operation, was beyond belief.” While Finn and Rogers were toiling to restore chassis 3031, another top-rank col­lector, Bob Rubin, was completing the second Schell car, chassis 3030. The restoration was done by Chris Leydon of Lehaska, Pennsylvania. Each owner attempted to replicate the cars during dif­ferent periods; Finn painted 3031 in the red livery of the Maserati brothers as the car last ran for the factory at the 1939 German Grand Prix. Rubin and Leydon dressed 3030 in the Ecurie Bleue colors, as it appeared at Indianapolis one year later.The Shaw car (3032), is a centerpiece of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum’s collection. The Finn and Rubin cars were brought to the Milwaukee Mile this past summer for a reunion of prewar Indi­anapolis cars. There they electrified the gath­ering with the unearthly screech of their super­charged straight eights. The memory of the great machines and their extraordinary journey to America has once again been revived. More

While at dinner one evening during the media drives for the 2024 Range Rover Velar, the server informed us the chef had prepared a special dessert: popcorn soufflé. I believe one should try things if they sound interesting, no matter what they’re called. Dubious marketing occasionally hides mastery. The server brought the dessert, its delicate white cap poking out of the traditional French soufflé dish. I tasted a spoonful of cake and the creamy pink sauce inside that bore bits of popcorn like amber in some florid tar. I wasn’t prepared for the medley of flavors. It wasn’t bad, and I’m glad I tried it, but I didn’t have any more. It was a unique, perplexing confection, much like the Range Rover Velar.Let’s work backward with the SUV, starting with the confection. Look at the Velar, Range Rover’s first public entry into what it terms “reductionism.” We’ve called the car fetching, tailored, fine-looking, and dripping with curb appeal. It is without doubt more artfully modeled than its competitors, deftly nodding to its brand’s aspirational flagship. In fact, the Velar might be better proportioned than the Range Rover it encourages its buyers to yearn for. Tweaks for 2024For the new year, the Velar makes many of the same changes wrought upon the 2024 Range Rover Evoque. A new grille sits between slender pixel headlights, the 268 LEDs in each headlight adjusting their illumination to shine all available light on the road, not into the eyes of oncoming drivers. In back, reshaped LED taillight signatures sit above a new rear bumper and redrawn diffuser insert that eliminates openings for the exhaust finishers. The exterior color palette makes way for Metallic Varesine Blue and Premium Metallic Zadar Grey. Darker trim pieces provide increased contrast, and new wheel designs come in new finishes.The 2021 Velar introduced the dished steering wheel and palm shifter the Evoque just received for 2024, so cabin changes are even more reductive. The main change is the new 11.4-inch curved touchscreen replacing the previous dual screens, and the eradication of every knob and button. On the infotainment display, three ever-present shortcut menus line the sides and the bottom, doing their part to keep 80 percent of functions within two taps of the home screen.Leather interiors are offered in the new hues Cloud, Deep Garnet, and Raven Blue. Those who find hides distasteful can select a fabric substitute. Available only in Cloud Gray for the U.S. market, the wool blend on the seat uppers and door cards gets paired with a new ultrafiber polyurethane in more trafficked areas like seat bolsters and the steering wheel. Trim pieces come in either Shadow Gray Ash Veneer, dark anodized aluminum, or light anodized aluminum.Serenity takes a step up with new active noise-cancellation programming. Lastly, the Cabin Air Purification Plus option integrates a carbon-dioxide sensor to deter driver fatigue. As we said of the Evoque, this is a sensational-looking cabin, sure to appeal to shoppers who ogle homes fashioned from acres of blond wood, glass, and a T-square.Driving the 2024 VelarWhich brings us to the perplexing: The Velar is uninteresting to drive, its dynamics as reserved as its interior design. Powertrains carry over unchanged, the base Velar S and the Dynamic SE fitted standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder known as the P250, making 247 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The Dynamic SE can be optioned with a turbocharged and supercharged 3.0-liter inline-six supplemented by a 48-volt mild hybrid system, known as the P400 and producing 395 horsepower and 405 pound-feet. That’s the version we drove.Both engines are paired with an excellent ZF eight-speed automatic, but in the case of the P400 V-6 the powertrain engineers were able to improve the transmission’s refinement by using more of the mild-hybrid system’s electric torque to fill in gaps during shifts. Around town, you’d need a millimeter wave radar to detect the swapping of cogs. We’ve previously tested the P250 drivetrain (back in 2018), which took 7.2 seconds to hit 60 mph compared to Range Rover’s claimed time of 7.1 seconds. With the P400, the automaker claims a 60-mph time of 5.2 seconds. Adequate if true, but still 1.4 seconds behind our tested time for the Porsche Macan S and 1.1 behind the BMW X3 M40i. The also-luxury-focused Genesis GV70 3.5T is only 0.3 second ahead of the more powerful Velar, but the Genesis is markedly more involving to drive. The Velar’s steering feel, tendency to understeer, and quietude on the go were similar to what we experienced in the Evoque, and the brake pedal feel was just as spongy. However, the Velar’s ride on the standard steel springs was firmer and less pliant than the Evoque’s. Range Rover says that, against its rivals, the three pillars guiding the Velar’s development were: design leadership, the greatest refinement, and the most off-road capability. It succeeds at all of them. Note that none of these are concerned with performance or visceral reactions.Furthermore, because the Evoque and Velar use the same cabin design separated by roughly three inches of width and legroom, there’s no additional drama or sense of occasion in the Velar, which costs at least $10,000 more than its compact sibling. The Velar’s cargo hold, however, is much more commodious.Related storiesNone of this matters much, at least not in the U.S. and not for the moment. First, the Velar sells in paltry numbers here, 5283 units through the end of September 2023—compared to 21,290 units for the Porsche Macan over the same span. Range Rover’s volume sellers on our landmass are its two most expensive vehicles—we’re told that the No. 1 global market for the full-size Range Rover is the New York metro area, followed by L.A. at No. 2, and there’s a nine-month wait for the full-size flagship. Jaguar Land Rover reported its order backlog at the end of Q2 2024 financial year numbered 168,000 units, with the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Land Rover Defender comprising 77 percent of that number. Second, and most importantly, the Velar is unlike anything else in the compact-luxury-SUV segment. It looks like art and is priced as such, ranging from $62,775 to $86,070 before options. Its medley of features makes it about as unique as popcorn soufflé. SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Land Rover Range Rover VelarVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICEBase: Velar P250 S, $62,775; P250 Dynamic SE, $64,875; P400 Dynamic SE, $71,875; P400 Dynamic HSE, $86,070
ENGINES
P250: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 247 hp, 269 lb-ftP400: turbocharged, supercharged, and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter inline-6, 395 hp, 405 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.1 inLength: 188.9 inWidth: 76.0 inHeight: 66.3 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 51/45 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 60/30 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4150-4450 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.2-7.0 sec1/4-Mile: 13.8-15.7 secTop Speed: 135-155 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21-23/19-22/25-26 mpg More

Not every comparison has a clear winner and loser. When driver engagement and other factors are virtually even, it’s down to intangibles like mission fulfillment to determine which vehicle best represents its future owners’ needs. Even then, as is the case with subcompact SUVs like the 2024 Hyundai Kona and 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, mere hairs can span the gap between first and second place. Their intended audiences might be radically different, but both of these cars are quite good at doing what they set out to.The Kona nameplate turns seven years old, while Crosstreks have littered REI parking lots for more than a decade. Each enters a new generation for 2024, with the Hyundai becoming bigger and more visually extroverted and the Subaru adding cladding and getting more refined. To compare models from both lineups with the mightiest engine and the closest base prices, we gathered a Crosstrek Limited and Kona N Line. The Hyundai cost $34,145 because of two-tone paint and floor mats, while the Subaru’s $35,030 as-tested price was inflated by $2840 worth of extra-cost paint and a package containing sunroof, stereo, and navigation add-ons. 2nd Place: Hyundai Kona N LineMore than any other small ute, the redesigned Hyundai Kona looks like it fell out of a Ridley Scott fever dream. The outgoing generation was boldly styled, but the new one goes even further—some of us called it good-looking; others said it looks goofy. The N Line guise is purely superficial, mainly replacing the gray fender surrounds with body-colored pieces and adopting an angrier mug.HIGHS: Sci-fi-movie styling, airy interior with a big back seat, smart storage features.LOWS: Sci-fi-movie styling, extra size sacrifices driving verve, fuel economy takes a hit.VERDICT: The new Kona is a better people mover—physically, but not emotionally.The new Kona is up to 6.6 inches longer overall, and its wheelbase has been stretched 2.3 inches. It now closely mirrors the Crosstrek’s dimensions, but the slightly taller Kona has better interior packaging that makes it feel more spacious, and the back seat is now roomy enough to be considered Uber-grade. Along with superior passenger space, its dash looks more Space Age than the Subie’s, which still has analog gauges. Along with the Hyundai’s slick dual displays and physical switchgear, we admire the cabin’s many clever features, like the dashboard storage shelf and the shapeshifting center console.Sadly, the Kona’s growth spurt sapped some of its on-road charm. Blame the extra mass and longer wheelbase for its reduced nimbleness. At least it remains a dutiful—albeit comparatively dull—driving partner. Despite 19-inch wheels and narrow sidewalls, the Kona’s taut ride limits body roll without letting too many bumps reach our backsides. The thin-rimmed steering wheel is quick to respond, which is nice when darting around town but darty at highway speeds.The N Line packs a carryover turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four making 190 horsepower, but it now bolts to a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission that fixes the clunkiness of the old seven-speed dual-clutch unit. Throwing an extra 200 pounds of curb weight into the equation, the 2024 Kona 1.6T AWD takes 7.5 seconds to hit 60 mph, nearly one second slower than a 2018 example we tested. The new Kona’s powertrain still feels sprightly thanks to eager throttle tip-in, and it outraces the 2.5L Crosstrek in every acceleration metric, but it’s still a bit of a downer to see acceleration take a hit.While the Kona beat its 29-mpg-highway EPA estimate during our 75-mph real-world test, its 31-mpg result trails both its predecessor by 1 mpg and the Crosstrek by 4 mpg. The Hyundai’s combined rating also drops from 29 to 26 mpg for this new generation. Ouch.Sure, the new Kona has lots of stretch-out space, but so do other subcompact SUVs like the Chevy Trax and VW Taos. Plus, despite packing more cargo volume than before, the Hyundai held the same seven carry-on suitcases behind its rear seats as the Crosstrek. Fold their seatbacks, and we fit two more suitcases in the Subaru (22 total) than the Kona. More on the KonaBesides a bigger back seat, the Hyundai’s peppier performance and prettier interior are its only advantages over the Crosstrek. It might look like a spaceship, bit the Kona now feels more appliance-like, satisfying most people but truly exciting very few—especially at the pump.1st Place: Subaru Crosstrek LimitedThe third-generation Subaru Crosstrek’s styling will invite little conversation. We needed a double take to recognize the new version, but a closer inspection revealed more prominent fenders and a tougher face atop the same 8.7 inches of ground clearance. Subie fans will find it comfortingly familiar, while newcomers can better distinguish it from the Impreza hatchback.HIGHS: All-day comfortable, great fuel economy, a lifestyle accessory that’s a useful tool too.LOWS: Far from speedy, shoddier interior fit and finish, archaic infotainment graphics.VERDICT: The Crosstrek checks all the important boxes without compromising its personality.Interior fit and finish falls short of the Kona’s quality, but the Subaru’s mix of materials makes it otherwise feel less drab. A portrait-style touchscreen takes center stage, but the brand’s infotainment graphics look 10 years old. Thankfully, you can largely avoid that with the now-standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The rear seat isn’t a penalty box, but it’s not nearly as roomy as the Kona’s. More importantly, the Crosstrek’s front seats feel forever comfortable. They’re cushier and more supportive than the previous-gen ‘Trek’s—not to mention the current Kona’s—and Subaru now bolts the seat rails to the frame, which is claimed to reduce head toss and fatigue. Consider us awake and appeased.The Crosstrek’s driving demeanor is relaxed, but the low seating position and snappy steering give a rally-car vibe—albeit a woefully underpowered one. Its softly sprung suspension reinforces that sensation and smoothes rough terrain under our tester’s 18-inch all-season tires. Subaru also stiffened the new Crosstrek’s structure to reduce NVH, and its increased refinement is obvious whether executing highway passes or traversing washboard roads. The Limited’s 182-hp 2.5-liter flat-four is the larger of the Crosstrek’s two available engines. It pairs with a continuously variable automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive. Drama-free but far from speedy, the Subie gets to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds and crosses the quarter-mile in 16.3 ticks at 88 mph. While the Crosstrek’s four-pot has little urgency, a lower torque peak helps it feel responsive enough to keep pace with highway traffic, and engine sounds don’t drone into the cabin.More on the CrosstrekThe Crosstrek is more impressive when it’s time to fuel up. Not only is its EPA combined estimate 3 mpg higher than the Kona’s, but its real-world results are even better. The Subaru beat the feds’ highway rating by 2 mpg, averaging 35 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy loop. As for the Subie’s range advantage, it’s even better than our 75-mph results suggest because its 16.6-gallon tank holds 3.4 gallons more than the Kona’s.Both the Crosstrek and Kona are well suited for their missions. This new Kona’s backsliding in fuel economy and driving vim diminish its position as an efficient commuter with character. The Crosstrek is no quicker, but it can carry more cargo, it’s more economical, and it’ll take Subaru owners down any road, paved or otherwise, in greater comfort. It wins this close contest by giving its buyers more of what matters.SpecificationsSpecifications
2024 Subaru Crosstrek LimitedVehicle Type: front-engine all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $32,190/$35,030Options: Option package 33 (Power moonroof, Subaru Starlink 11.6-inch Multimedia Navigation system, Harman/Kardon Surround Sound 10-speaker audio), $2445; Alpine Green paint, $395
ENGINE
DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 152 in3, 2498 cm3Power: 182 hp @ 5800 rpmTorque: 178 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
continuously variable automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 12.4-in vented disc/11.2-in vented discTires: Falken Ziex ZE001A A/S225/55R-18 98V M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 105.1 inLength: 176.4 inWidth: 70.9 inHeight: 63.0 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 55/44 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 55/20 ft3Curb Weight: 3412 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 8.1 sec1/4-Mile: 16.3 sec @ 88 mph100 mph: 21.9 sec120 mph: 39.9 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.8 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.7 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 secTop Speed (mfr est): 129 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 172 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.81 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 23 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 35 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 580 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 29/26/33 mpg

Specifications
2024 Hyundai Kona N Line AWDVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $33,485/$34,145Options: Ultimate Red metallic paint w/ Black roof, $450; carpeted floor mats, $210
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 98 in3, 1598 cm3Power: 190 hp @ 6000 rpmTorque: 195 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilinkBrakes, F/R: 12.0-in vented disc/11.2-in discTires: Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91235/45R-19 99V M+S Extra Load
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 104.7 inLength: 172.6 inWidth: 71.9 inHeight: 63.6 inPassenger Volume, F/R: 52/47 ft3Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 64/26 ft3Curb Weight: 3450 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.5 sec1/4-Mile: 15.8 sec @ 89 mph100 mph: 21.1 sec120 mph: 42.1 secResults above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.1 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.0 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.9 secTop Speed (C/D est): 124 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 172 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.82 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 22 mpg75-mph Highway Driving: 31 mpg75-mph Highway Range: 400 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 26/24/29 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDSenior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

It’s tough enough when inflation and feature creep give us $40,000 Priuses and $80,000 pickups. But before we spray champagne praise all over the Ferrari 296GTS convertible—ooh, see how that Blu Corsa paint sparkles!—a sober drip must ping off a $500,300 as-driven price, from a base of $371,139. That base figure represents a $28,934 premium over the 296GTB coupe—a sum that repays itself the minute one retracts the roof panel on a sunny autumn day or moonlit night, as we did in New York’s Hudson Valley. But Ferrari is also asking nearly $45,000 more for its plug-in-hybrid V-6 convertible than its F8 Spider predecessor. You know, the supercar with the mid-engine V-8 that’s been Ferrari’s stock-in-trade since the 1975 308 GTB. After nearly a half-century, Ferrari’s V-8 bloodline has been broken. Yet instead of baying for blood, like Porsche 993 airheads, Ferrari fans are largely taking it in stride, or even celebrating the 296. Why? It doesn’t hurt that the Ferrari is gorgeous. Coupe or convertible, the 296 design seems certain to stand the test of time. Ferrari designers say their goal was authentic Italian forms, a silhouette that appears drawn with a single pencil stroke. A compact greenhouse sits low, bobbing in impossibly wavy fenders. Compact dimensions and a 1.9-inch-shorter wheelbase (versus recent mid-engine models) amplify the simplified charm in an era of relentless bloat. There’s nothing extraneous, no overcompensating wings or South Beach jewelry, or even stark color contrasts between body and trim to interrupt the flow.Then there’s the magic of electrification, which turns the V-6 Ferrari into an 819-hp superhero that even a plug-in skeptic might find hard to lob kryptonite at. Recall that the 296GTB coupe is the quickest rear-drive car C/D has ever tested, sprinting into record books with a 2.4-second blast to 60 mph and an insane 9.7-second quarter-mile at 150 mph. Beyond objective speed, Ferrari insists it can measure driving “fun” via five discrete factors, including steering response, engine sound, and brake feel. Using those metrics as goalposts, Ferrari designed the 296 to objectively be its most fun-to-drive model. After the top’s 14.0-second opening ceremony near Bear Mountain, the six-cylinder fanfare begins, set to the symmetrical firing order of a naturally aspirated Ferrari V-12. Easing through opening curves, we’ve got an unbroken connection between our noggins, a pair of whooshing 180,000-rpm turbos, and a patented “hot tube” exhaust resonator that channels the engine’s emotion into the cabin. Maintaining the coupe’s thrilling sound when the top is raised, including a wicked trebly register as the engine ascends to 8500 rpm, required redesigning the engine bay. Pro tip from a Ferrari technician: Lowering the rear glass and raising side windows further concentrates the delightfully layered sound.Flavio Manzoni and his design department took an entirely new company approach to chopping the GTB’s roof to deliver an appreciably better GTS convertible. The folding hardtop splits into two sections above the B-pillar that fold flush over the V-6, assuring proper thermal dissipation and a smooth roof appearance. The loss of the coupe’s engine-under-glass setup is the only trade-off, although the redesigned deck still makes room for a smaller tinted viewing window.An alluring tonneau cover design mimics the aerodynamic and cooling behavior of the coupe, including zero loss of downforce when the roof is lowered. The GTS can surge to a 205-mph top speed with roof up or down. The coupe’s bravura flying buttresses are still here but with sculptural extensions that smartly house the fuel filler and charging port for the lithium-ion battery. Cozied into a classic Kamm tail, inspired by the 1963 250LM, an active rear spoiler switches up the function of previous Ferrari aero tails. It rises to boost downforce rather than ease drag, adding 220 pounds of wind heft to the rear axle. Ferrari says the fancy-folding top adds 154 pounds to the 296GTB, that when equipped with lightweight Assetto Fiorano package weighed 3532 pounds on our scales. Ferrari also claims the GTS is 50 percent stiffer than the F8 Spider. Flying through colonnades of trees, the open roof amplifies every piney smell, streak of sun, and chirp from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. As for top-down turbulence, it’s not Dorothy-in-Kansas level, but there is buffeting as speeds climb toward triple digits. The cabin is a fantasy perch, from the instrument cluster’s starfighter-style structural supports to an expanded passenger display screen. Like the coupe, the GTS adopts the digital interface concept first seen in the SF90. The design is striking, but the infotainment system is a stubborn collection of haptic steering-wheel controls managed exclusively through the instrument cluster. On this model, optional carbon-fiber racing seats look like Picasso sculptures. Manually adjusting the backrests via a stiff crank and a fumbling rearward reach recalls an old VW. An analog high point is the lovely cloisonné key fob, enameled in Italian flag colors and a prancing cavallino, that snugs into a console holder. But the steering wheel’s haptic startup switch has all the drama of an ATM touchpad. With its efficient hot-vee twin-turbo layout, the V-6 makes 654 horsepower, threatening the 670-hp output of a Corvette Z06’s 5.5-liter V-8 that has nearly double the displacement. By itself, that might be enough. But consider the V-6 as 654 Trojan horses, with another 164 electric horses ready to spring a surprise attack. They’re housed in an axial-flux AC motor between the engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. A tag-team 819 horsepower sets a new record for specific output in a production convertible. A clutch allows decoupling in hybrid operation or all-electric driving for an EPA-estimated seven miles at speeds up to 83 mph. The electric motor fills any gaps with a peak 232 pound-feet of torque, and it’s also responsible for starting the V-6. Ferrari warns us that, though the 296 is a plug-in hybrid and not an electric vehicle, you can run out of electricity as well as premium unleaded. Leave the 296 in Hybrid mode for too long, and it may drain its battery low enough—especially if you’re sitting with power and accessories on—to resist a restart. The easy solution is to drive in Performance mode, one step below the maximum Qualify setting. Performance mode can fully recharge the small battery on the fly in 20 minutes or less. Speed the process by finding excuses to hammer the Herculean brakes to slurp up regenerative juice through the rear wheels. The brake-by-wire system is simply the best in the electrified game. You can stand on them like you’re coming down the Mulsanne, yet they work just as well in city traffic. And the electrically assisted steering brews up that signature Ferrari blend of lightness and clarity.The power feels, well, naturally unnatural. On Route 9W, a mini Highway 1 that clings to bluffs overlooking the Hudson River, the Ferrari blitzes a downhill chicane on the descent into West Point. Magnetorheological dampers ably suppresses pavement jitters, but the Bumpy Road setting still works best for compliance on virtually any public road. More on the Ferrari 296The Ferrari’s greatest trick is feeling serene at superhuman speeds, yet fully engaging for mortal pilots of any skill level. A pert wheelbase and epic rear-drive force might spell trouble, but the Ferrari never threatens to overwhelm its rear tires or pirouette under high-g lateral loads. Nor does it feel like it’s nannying or withholding max power. That’s a testament to a raft of F1-based chassis and powertrain tech. Driven hard, the GTS kept emitting strange little “whoops” in lower gears that we don’t recall hearing on another sports car: It’s the sound of wheelspin being stopped almost before it starts. Some may think that a six-cylinder model must be some “son of” Ferrari, akin to the Dino GT named for Enzo’s tragic scion. As it turned out, the 296 is more like the little brother who finally beats big brother in a game of one-on-one. Once that happens, baby bro will never lose again. Even in this Italian realm, the writing on the industry wall needs no translation. Like turbocharging before it, if your sports car isn’t electrified—in whatever form—in the next five years, it won’t stand a chance against the high-energy squirts. SpecificationsSpecifications
2023 Ferrari 296GTS Vehicle Type: mid-engine, mid-motor, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE
Base: $371,139
POWERTRAIN
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter V-6, 654 hp, 546 lb-ft + AC motor, 164 hp, 232 lb-ft (combined output: 819 hp, 546 lb-ft; 4.9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack [C/D est])Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 102.4 inLength: 179.7 inWidth: 77.1 inHeight: 46.9 inCurb Weight (C/D est): 3700 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.5 sec100 mph: 4.8 sec1/4-Mile: 9.8 secTop Speed: 205 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 18/15/21 mpgCombined Gasoline + Electricity: 47 MPGeEV Range: 7 mi More