Latest from Motor Trend
Motor Trend
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Volkswagen Cars Lineup: Hope You're OK With Crumbs
Volkswagen is still figuring out its strategy for the United States. After a hard push for electrification in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal VW has walked back its efforts to bring more EVs to our shores with the cancelation of the ID7 for the US market. Volkswagen's 2026 lineup sees minor updates after a 2025 model year overhaul. The Jetta gets standard rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and a new audio system. The GTI and Golf R remain mostly unchanged. The ID Buzz continues with existing trims and a standard two-in-one charging cable. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next Still, the automaker's lineup supports a range of body styles and powertrain options. All of VW's non-SUV nameplates were either newly introduced or refreshed for 2025, so its existing models carry over to 2026 with only minor tweaks. Read on for all updates and changes to the 2026 Volkswagen cars lineup. 2026 Volkswagen Jetta A refreshed Volkswagen Jetta just arrived for 2025 with new exterior design, a reworked interior, and fresh tech. The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta carries over with only a few updates. Rear seatbelt pre-tensioners are now standard, and Volkswagen also includes an updated seatbelt reminder, seemingly in a bid to better the Poor score it has received from IIHS. Finally, VW equips a new eight-speaker audio system for the SEL and Jetta GLI Autobahn trims. MotorTrend Ranked: No. 7 in compact sedans (2025 model). Read Our Experts' Full Volkswagen Jetta Review 2026 Volkswagen GTI Like the Jetta, the 2026 Volkswagen GTI is still fresh from a major update that arrived for the 2025 model year. Volkswagen introduced revised exterior accents including new headlights and taillights as well as new wheel designs. Inside the cabin, the GTI got a new voice assistant powered by Chat GPT. Volkswagen did away with the capacitive touch controls on the GTI's steering wheel in favor of new physical buttons. All trims carry over for 2026. Read Our Experts' Full Volkswagen GTI Review 2026 Volkswagen Golf R The 2026 Volkswagen Golf R is only available with the Euro Style package, which was introduced as part of the 2025 refresh. Other updates from the prior model year include Graphite Gray Metallic, now offered as a new exterior color. Read Our Experts' Full Volkswagen Golf R Review 2026 Volkswagen ID Buzz With a design reminiscent of the first-generation T1 Transporter 'Microbus,' the Volkswagen ID Buzz just joined the automaker's lineup for the 2025 model year. Volkswagen drops the First Edition trim as the all-electric ID Buzz moves into its second model year. For 2026, the electric van carries over in Pro S and Pro S Plus trims with a ZEV3 two-in-one charging cable now standard. Volkswagen says in an official release that details on the 2026 ID Buzz will be announced later, so it's possible that a special edition model could join the lineup. Read Our Experts' Full Volkswagen ID Buzz Review 2026 Volkswagen Cars Lineup 2026 Volkswagen Jetta: Minor Update 2026 Volkswagen GTI: Unchanged 2026 Volkswagen Golf R: Minor Update 2026 Volkswagen ID Buzz: Minor Update
Motor Trend
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Is It Time for EV Charging Stations to Simply Offer Quick-Time Battery Swaps?
John and Jane Public aren't warming to electric cars at the rate many in the automotive industry thought they would, and that's mostly because EVs still can't match the cost and convenience of gasoline-powered alternatives. The steady march of progress is chipping away at EVs' cost, boosting the distance they can drive on a single charge, and hastening their charging speeds (1-megawatt or better is almost here). But maybe there's a holistically better idea. The article advocates for battery swapping in EVs, citing Chinese company Nio's success with its extensive swap stations. Benefits include quick swaps, cost savings, and greener energy use. The author suggests adopting this system in the West to boost EV adoption and to be able to compete globally. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next Perhaps it's time we dust off General Electric's plan from 1910, when it equipped its GeVeCo electric trucks with separately leased Hartford Electric batteries designed specially to be swapped quickly when depleted. Together, these electric trucks covered 6 million miles between 1910 and 1924. Electric forklifts have used battery swapping since the mid 1940s, and Israeli startup Project Better Place (later just 'Better Place') endeavored to revive that idea for electric cars beginning in 2007. Better Place was neither a battery company nor a car company, and the challenges of engaging those stakeholders, combined with an immature electric-car market, ultimately doomed the enterprise. And while Israel and Denmark might have been reasonable launch markets, our nation's size seemed logistically daunting, even if enough car companies could come to agree on a battery size, shape, or performance envelope to achieve critical mass. But experiencing Nio's Power Swap experience in Shanghai felt like gazing into a brighter EV future. CATL Goes All In Chinese automaker Nio (founded in November 2014) made battery swapping its unique selling proposition, building a network of more than 3,200 swapping stations in much the same way Tesla built its own Supercharger networks. In the seven years Nio has sold cars, it's revised the battery and station designs a few times. Its newest model, the Firefly EV, uses yet another new swappable battery, designed in conjunction with battery giant CATL and a consortium of companies. One of these, Changan, just delivered 1,000 Oshan 520 taxis in Chongqing, using similar batteries that can be swapped at any of 50 CATL swapping stations promised by the end of 2025. (Swapping is particularly valuable for taxis, ride-share services, delivery and similar commercial vehicles.) Chocolate-Bar Batteries CATL got into the battery swapping concept a while back with small 25-kWh packs that resembled two blocks of baking chocolate that could be used individually or ganged two or three to a vehicle, heightening the baking chocolate allusion. CATL's QIJI swap solution for trucks still follows this model, and the name Choco-Swap, or Choco-SEB (Swapping Electric Block) has stuck. CATL's light-vehicle strategy, however, has morphed to now covering the breadth of vehicle sizes and range needs with two battery form factors, each offering a choice of LFP or NMC chemistry. Swap Station Design Both Nio and CATL swapping stations require approximately the footprint size of three normal parking spaces, with the car driving up a ramp high enough for battery packs to shuttle underneath to begin the process. The two adjacent parking spaces typically house 24–30 batteries that remain bi-directionally connected, charging at moderate rates (up to 100 kW) to a level just past 90 percent. Nio's stations assemble like Legos, allowing a new station to be set up and operational in 4–5 hours overnight. Nio owns and operates most of its stations but is now allowing investment groups or provinces to buy, operate, and share revenues generated as power companies pay to tap this stored energy. Having sold 700,000-plus cars, 80 percent of which are still in service, Nio claims its inventory of swap-available batteries amounts to 6 or 7 percent of the on-road fleet. And to prep for big-travel weekends like Chinese New Year, heavy incentives go out to entice large-capacity battery owner/lessees who don't plan to leave town to swap down, making bigger batteries available for travelers. Anatomy of a Swap Using your car's native navigation system, a trip is plotted including convenient swap stations. As you approach one, a specific time slot is allotted, and a particular battery gets assigned to your car. Your car's battery temperature is shared, and the station adjusts the coolant in the replacement battery to match, thereby preventing expansion or thermal shock. When it's your turn, the station talks you through the process (explaining what the automatic system is doing). You sense the station lift the car slightly, you hear 10 bolts simultaneously undoing, the swap occurs, the bolts tighten, you drop back down and you're on your way. (Note: CATL says Choco-Swap batteries are air cooled, sidestepping the temperature-alignment issue.) What are the advantages? Quicker My Nio Power Swap experience replaced a depleted battery with one charged to 91 percent in less than three minutes, which included the time needed to maneuver into and out of the station. CATL's Choco-Swap requires the driver to pull in, as when entering a car wash. It then swaps packs in 100 seconds (presumably more if adding extra batteries). My ET9 showed 352 miles of range following the swap. Even 1-megawatt charging can't add that many miles that quickly—especially when multiple charging-station users lower the peak rate. Cheaper Drivers can buy most Nio cars with or without batteries included. Opting for the battery-lease deal knocks $17,900 off the luxury ET9's $110,320 price, adding a monthly battery lease of $179. Owned or leased batteries can be swapped, with drivers paying the net difference in energy at a price higher than home charging but lower than high-speed DC fast charging. Then there's the savings of leasing a small battery and simply upgrading and paying for a longer-range one only when traveling. Car companies could slash both time to market and program budgets by offloading or sharing the R&D, safety testing, warranty, and other liability costs that batteries entail. And these standard form-factor batteries can potentially be upgraded over time as new chemistries or solid-state cells become available. Infrastructure pricewise, a battery swapping station is also way cheaper to install than a bank of 1MW chargers able to serve the same number of customers. Power companies faced with adding grid capacity, sub-stations, and transmission lines to support multimegawatt charging banks could save a lot by investing in swapping stations, each of which draws way less power, can absorb excess solar or wind energy, and will help even out loads during periods of peak usage. Greener Batteries that are regularly charged at level-2 rates to 90ish percent should last longer than those that are frequently fast-charged. Each battery has a digital twin in the cloud, and when monitoring detects bad cells or modules, they can be replaced while out of the car, extending the pack's useful life. When usable capacity drops below 80 percent of new, a pack can be reassigned to non-EV use. When drivers use a lighter commuting-sized battery most of the time, they use less energy to operate and generate less wear on the tires and brakes. What exactly changed my mind on swapping? My Shanghai adventure proved China's auto industry is miles ahead of ours. It seems to me that to be at all competitive in the global market, we need to quickly overcome buyers' reluctance to electrify and up our collective EV game. It also seems like high time 'the west' teams up to fight off this Chinese threat, and an automaker/energy-industry collaboration on a battery-swapping ecosystem that ends buyers' battery-life worries while delivering gas-station refueling convenience—all at gas-vehicle operating cost parity—looks like the quickest way to get there.
Motor Trend
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Gold Rush: The Dodge Deora Is the World's Coolest Skateboard
[This story first appeared in the premier issue of MotorTrend Classic in 2005] Concept car? Custom? the Dodge Deora is both. It started as an idea for one of the most radical, cutting-edge customs ever made and became a concept vehicle shown by Chrysler. Built over two years and at a cost of $10,000, the Dodge Deora would stun the custom-car world and become an automotive icon that transcended the niche world of the chop-'n'-channel crowd. You probably have never seen the Deora in the metal; but if you were a car-crazy kid in the late 1960s, chances are you built the plastic, scale-model kit or loop-the-looped the Hot Wheels version in your living room. The Dodge Deora, a radical custom concept by Mike and Larry Alexander and designer Harry Bentley Bradley, became an automotive icon. Built on a Dodge A100, it featured a unique cab-forward design and innovative engineering, gaining fame in the 1960s as a model kit and Hot Wheels car. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next Detroit-based customizers Mike and Larry Alexander rightly take the credit for painstakingly crafting the Deora. But the radical cab-forward styling is actually the work of a former GM designer and Art Center lecturer, Harry Bentley Bradley. The Alexander brothers first noticed Bradley while he was still studying automotive design at New York's Pratt Institute. Bradley was a regular contributor to the sketchpad pages of magazines that specialized in customizing, such as Rodding and Re-styling, Customs Illustrated , and Rod & Custom . Within weeks of his arrival at GM Design Staff in 1962, he and the Alexanders had forged a relationship that would result in more than 10 Bradley-designed custom cars over the next eight years. The Deora is the most famous by far. The Deora project started in 1964 when the Detroit-based Alexander brothers decided they wanted to build a custom pickup based on one of Detroit's new cab-over pickups. They asked Harry Bradley to design a vehicle based on Chrysler's recently launched A100, figuring they'd get the company to supply them with a truck if they liked what they saw. But if Chrysler wouldn't play, the Alexanders had a back-up plan: They would approach cross-town rival Ford, which had its own cab-over pickup, the Econoline. "Of the three cab-forward pickups on the market at the time, the Dodge was unquestionably the homeliest," Bradley recalls. "What I wanted to do was get rid of that phone-booth cab and integrate the upper with the lower," he says. There would be no doors. "I didn't want cutlines. We were always told at GM to play down cutlines. If cutlines were wonderful, Ferraris would have them running all down their sides. I always thought of it as a conceptual proposal, rather than a customizing solution." To actually get passengers inside, Bradley proposed a front-opening hatch built using the lift-up rear window from a 1960 Ford station wagon. Mike and Larry Alexander loved Bradley's proposal. Surprisingly, so did Chrysler, which handed over a stripped A100 to be chopped beyond recognition. The Alexanders cropped the stock cab sheetmetal right down to the floorpan. When the roof, the first of the new parts, was tacked in place, it nearly rested right on top of the stock steering column. Bradley had originally intended the front hatch to be a top-hinged one-piece affair, like the tailgate of a modern hatchback or European sport wagon. But the narrow A-pillars just weren't strong enough to support it. The Alexander brothers instead developed a split-door arrangement, with the 1960 Ford window hinged at the top and controlled by an electric motor, and a handbuilt lower panel between the headlights that swung on a center pivot. Engineering it all to work was every bit as complex as it sounds. In place of the stock steering column, the Alexanders fabricated a horizontal strut that rotated forward from the left body side--to allow the driver to get in and out--and locked into place when you wanted to drive. The steering wheel was a drag-racer-style butterfly item; steering inputs were transmitted via a sprocket and a chain running through the strut to a vertical shaft in the left body side. Fortunately, the standard A100 pedals came through the floor, like those in a Porsche 911, and didn't have to be moved. Hurst engineers developed a special linkage to connect the floor-mounted shifter to the Chrysler three-speed manual transmission. To make room for occupants, the Alexanders moved the slant-six engine rearward 15 inches. It intruded well into the pickup bed, but as the Deora was never actually going to haul anything, it didn't matter. They also moved the radiator to the pickup bed and placed it ahead of the rear axle. Holes cut into the bottom of the bed allowed electric fans to draw through cooling air. It was a neat idea, but it meant the fuel tank had to be moved from its standard position behind the rear axle to the pickup bed just behind the cab. To hide everything, the bed was covered with a hard tonneau secured by chrome hood-lock pins. At its first public showing, the Deora caused a sensation, with Chrysler claiming it represented a major advance in modern vehicle styling. Even now, more than 40 years after it was first drawn, the Deora looks modern. Of course, it was designed in an era before crash tests and crumple zones, and that slammed cabin is a tight fit for most people. "The Alexanders were small guys," says Bradley. Those with a sharp eye for detail and a good memory will recognize a surprising number of Ford parts used on this "official" Chrysler custom. Apart from the 1960 Ford tailgate, the rear window is from a 1960 Ford sedan, and those side vents (for the exhausts) are actually 1964-1/2 Mustang taillight bezels. The ingenious taillights, hidden under the wood veneer panel across the rear and visible only when reflected in the angled chrome strip underneath, are the sequential turn-signal units from a Thunderbird. "Chrysler never seemed to understand we used Ford parts to build this car," says Bradley. Although driveable--"Mike and Larry's customs were always well engineered," says Bradley--Chrysler leased the car for a year to appear on its stand at car shows. At the 1967 Detroit Autorama, one of the country's leading custom shows, the Deora won nine awards, including the coveted Ridler Award. In 1968, it became one of the 16 cars in the original Hot Wheels lineup when Bradley left GM to join Mattel. "At one stage, Mattel figured out that every kid in America had 1.3 Hot Wheels cars," says Bradley. That meant a lot of Deoras. "I don't think many knew it was a real vehicle." Chrysler leased the Deora for a second year, but asked for changes, including a coat of lime green pearl paint. When the lease was not renewed at the end of the year, the Alexander brothers sold the Deora to custom-car enthusiast Al Davis, whose son, Al Jr., still owns it. Al Davis Sr. died in March 1970, and the Deora was put into storage. "I was 12 at the time," says Davis. "When I was 18 or 19, I pulled it out, restored it--though not to original condition--and put it back on the show circuit. I won a championship with it in 1982 and used the money as a down payment on a house." Davis pulled the Deora out of storage in 1998 and asked Harry Bradley to help restore it to its original 1967 look. The color is greener than the original gold--Mike Alexander kept none of the original paint numbers--and Harry Bradley remade the exhaust boxes from templates supplied by Alexander so the Mustang taillight bezels could be refitted. As usual, the detail stuff took time to find, but the only pieces missing are the center console between the seats and the special Firestone tires made for it in the 1960s--the engineering drawings were rediscovered recently at Firestone, but the dies were destroyed years ago. The Deora starred at the 50th-anniversary Detroit Autorama in 2002 as part of a special display of classic Alexander brothers customs. "The reaction was unbelievable." More than 40 years on, the Dodge Deora is still turning heads. Except one. To this day, the man who designed it, Harry Bentley Bradley, has never seen the finished truck and is in no hurry to do so. "Building a custom is more engrossing than owning one," he says. Detroit Copies VW The Dodge A100 was the last in a string of smallish, forward-control pickups launched by Detroit automakers around this time--Jeep had kicked off the vogue in 1956 with the launch of its 4WD Willys FC-150 styled by Brooks Stevens; Ford had followed with the Econoline. GM, most radically of all, used Corvair running gear to produce the rear-engine Chevy Loadside and Rampside pickups, trucks whose layout most closely resembled the inspiration for all these vehicles, VW's Transporter pickup. Although the A100's power--it used Chrysler's 170- and 225-cubic-inch slant-six engines, mounted between the front seats--and its interior package were perhaps the best of the bunch, consumers' enthusiasm for forward-control trucks lagged behind that of the automakers by the time it launched for 1964. Chevy had already killed off its Corvair-powered pickups, and Econoline pickup sales were slow. Ford axed the Econoline pickup after 1967; the A100 lasted barely two years more.
Motor Trend
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Hotshot Dream Mobile? 2025 Ram 3500 HD Laramie Sport Long-Haul Towing Test
Pros 6.7 liters of Cummins diesel power Adaptive cruise comes standard Automatic exhaust smooth as butter Cons Not cheap Technically not the strongest hauler in the segment Needs one Ford feature in the cabin Ram introduced the 2025 2500 and 3500 heavy duty-lineup with a striking grille, an expanded tech suite, and more standard features—and notably for people who put their pickup trucks to work, an upgraded Cummins inline-six diesel engine with an improved eight-speed ZF automatic transmission behind it. Let's Talk Numbers The high-output Cummins diesel engine now makes 430 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 30 horses and 75 lb-ft compared to its previous generation. There is also a reworked ZF TorqueFlite HD 8AP1075 eight-speed gearbox Ram says is stout enough to grind out all 1,075 lb-ft of torque in each gear. Because of improvements to power and torque management, a taller 3.42:1 gearset is offered behind the new I-6 for better fuel economy. With all this beef, you can option a Regular Cab Ram 3500 4x4 with an 8-foot bed and the brawn to haul 36,610 pounds. This puts the Ram HD ahead of rival General Motors' 36,000-pound max trailer rating but a couple tons behind Ford's massive 40,000-pound capacity. Hotshot 101 I left the recent first drive event for the Ram HD lineup with visions of hotshot trucking filling my mind, and a story was born. I just needed a big truck, a bigger trailer, and some heavy cargo. Ram tossed us the keys to a well-appointed crew cab 2025 3500 HD dually decked out in Laramie trim and with a gooseneck hitch already installed in the 8-foot box's floor. In this configuration, the truck's max trailer weight rating is 33,890 pounds. With some help from Liberty Trailers, I hitched the Ram to a shiny red 30-foot flatbed gooseneck; we just needed one more thing. My bill of lading showed four pieces of cargo: three pallets with a combined 10,000 pounds of 4x6-foot rubber horse mats and one 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 at 5,000 pounds. I picked up this load in Gardena, California, at 11 a.m. on a Monday—with my arrival scheduled for no later than the end of the day just four days later at MotorTrend 's secondary office in Royal Oak, Michigan. No tarps, no refrigeration. With help from the onboard cameras, I managed a 47-point turnaround to get the Ram 3500 and 30-foot gooseneck positioned at the shipping yard. Here was also the first time I truly appreciated this pickup truck's return to a column-shifted transmission, as I relished the muscle memory of guiding the shift lever from drive to reverse and back again repeatedly. This is much preferable to the dainty detents of the old twist-dial gear selector. Strapping the 15,000-pound load to the trailer deck was the easy part. I did some mental math as the first miles rolled past. My initial drive with the new Ram 3500 HD occurred with roughly 19,000 pounds in tow. Between tackling the Davis Dam and putzing around city traffic, the truck self-reported a steady 10 mpg. So I rounded the Ram 3500's 32-gallon diesel tank down to 30, giving me a rough and rather conservative 250 miles between fuel stops. The first push was 235 miles. I dispensed 26.2 gallons from the green pump, flicked all the straps, kicked the tires, and checked the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank. Just less than 80 percent full. Back to chasing white lines. Arizona brought cheaper fuel and hills. Thinking back to a few days prior when the Ram engineers encouraged me to mash the pedal from a standstill on a decent uphill grade, I had no problem digging into the throttle to pass big rigs on the grades. The TorqueFlite eight-speed slid right down into the next appropriate gear, and the Ram growled past slower traffic. Smart haulers know to disregard the instantaneous reports of 2 mpg during these maneuvers because as soon as the grade levels out, fuel economy returns to a pleasant 10 mpg. I passed a sign reminding me Buc-ee's Travel Stop was quickly approaching ... in 834 miles. Fire Season Crossing New Mexico, I found horrendously gusty winds, warm temps, and no humidity. Interstate 40 was a proverbial tinder box, and all it took was one small wreck to spark a blaze that quickly engulfed a 5-mile swath of the highway. Traffic stopped in both directions as a smoky haze covered the horizon of the Land of Enchantment. Hours later as the procession was allowed to wend its way through the smoke and remaining flames, I idled past the smoldering remnants of abandoned vehicles in the ditches and in the median. I was lucky to have passed through with only a two-hour delay. Whoever is at the helm of the Buc-ee's marketing department, cheers to you! These billboards (much like the 'Mysterious Thing 'of the desert advertised across I-10)had me anticipating a BBQ brisket sandwich from California to Missouri. For much of the Midwest, I could use almost entire tanks of fuel without touching the throttle. With adaptive cruise control (now a standard feature), lane centering, and the smart exhaust brake, this truck almost drove itself. No bouncing within the lane, no unnecessary interruptions when another vehicle cuts in front. Managing your speed only requires a few thumb blips to the buttons on the wheel, and the automatic exhaust brake gracefully engages and manages your speed on bigger descents. After multiple five-hour stints in the cabin, I appreciated the truck's ergonomics. The eight-way adjustable seats can morph from an upright throne to a relaxed easy chair at a moment's notice, and this kept my fatigue at bay. Controls for tow/haul, the exhaust brake, and even the transfer case and climate controls are all within easy reach with nothing crucial buried three menus deep inside the 12.0-inch Uconnect 5 system. Even the simple action of stowing a smartphone is streamlined. Instead of a tray, where an errant pothole could send your Android bouncing toward the floormats, I became well acquainted with the rubber wireless charging dock below the infotainment screen and its secure rubber clasp. Bravo, engineers; this one holds even the bulkiest phone and its oversized protective case. Noise, vibration, and harshness seemed very well managed in this truck, even with heavy exhaust braking and aggressive accelerations. Cruising on the interstate was so plush and quiet, I found myself sometimes wishing for the visceral sensory inputs of an 18-wheeler. Transitioning to office tasks at the truck stop is where I had some gripes. Although there are plenty of USB ports to power a laptop and storage space to keep it stowed, I wished for Ford's fold-flat work surface instead of balancing the computer awkwardly on the console. No biggie, as swapping into the passenger seat worked in a pinch. Way Out of Its Element After unloading in Michigan from the 2,300-mile haul, we dropped the Liberty trailer and learned three things at the test track: First, the Cummins diesel engine will happily smoke all four rear tires with zero traction control intervention. Second, this is not the way to achieve the truck's 7.0-second hustle to 60 mph. For that you must resist the urge to indulge in the full turbo boost from launch and instead remove your left foot from the brake at about 2,000 rpm, letting the big train surge forward. Finally, and this is more of a confirmation than a surprising discovery, the big truck will understeer its heart out when pushed hard through a turn. How does this translate to heavy-duty truck buyers? Well, unladen, the 6.7-liter high-output Cummins will shove the big pickup truck down the dragstrip at a pace right on par with its competitors. Both the 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD and the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD High Country (both in DRW configuration) accomplished the same task in 6.6 seconds. The 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat needed 7.8 seconds. And from our testing and observations, traction and stability control remain at bay until you're really close to getting into trouble. Stopping the big Ram takes some thigh engagement to cycle the brake pedal, but its 135-foot 60–0-mph stopping distance is better than many of its close competitors. The 2024 Silverado 3500 HD needed 139 feet, the 2017 GMC Sierra Denali 3500 HD needed 141, and the non-dually 2023 Ford F-350 Super Duty 162 feet. It's no surprise these four-ton beasts require some of the longest stopping distances of any vehicle we test. When it matters, the service brakes (and the automatic exhaust brake) do a stellar job at scrubbing off speed. How Much Gas and DEF? The EPA doesn't require anyone to report efficiency scores for heavy-duty trucks, but we will. During this 2,342-mile heavy-duty haul, we burned 251 gallons of diesel for about 9 miles per gallon. We also squeezed about 300 miles to the gallon of DEF—again, all while pulling 22,500 pounds. Is Ram the Best Hauler? If you need a heavy hauler, GM, Ram, and Ford all offer one-ton duallies trimmed in everything from work truck pleather to cowboy cosplay. Ram leads the charge on standard adaptive cruise control, which only comes as part of a $5,075 Lariat Ultimate package on the Ford F-350 and wc. Fiddle with options to your liking, but this is a world where these trucks can fetch close to $100,000, and each one boasts towing figures that are equally staggering. So where does your diesel loyalty lie? After a week of punishing the 2025 Ram 3500 HD, siding with Team Cummins seems like a solid choice.
Motor Trend
a day ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Kia Sorento Hybrid Review: Expert Insights, Pricing, and Trims
The 2026 Kia Sorento Hybrid provides six-seat versatility with the fuel-efficient benefits of a hybrid engine. Kia also sells the Sorento with non-hybrid gas engines and as a plug-in hybrid, but all have stylish design, high feature content, and a three-row seating layout. Introduced for 2021, this generation of Kia Sorento got its most recent update for 2024. Rivals to the Sorento Hybrid include the Toyota Grand Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, and Mazda CX-90. What's New We expect the 2026 Sorento Hybrid will be mostly unchanged from the 2025 model. The Sorento got a major refresh for 2024, which brought updates including: New design details Larger standard infotainment touchscreen Revised interior controls and touchpoints Fresh paint and upholstery choices What We Think A Kia Sorento with better fuel economy—what's not to like? Well, not much. Although the 2026 Sorento Hybrid isn't as quick as Sorento models with the turbocharged engine, it's otherwise just as solid, versatile, and nice to drive. With its in-between sizing, the Sorento's third row isn't as spacious as in larger SUVs—yet the fact that the Sorento is smaller overall could be a perk. The Sorento isn't a three-row SUV for everyone, but for many drivers it's just the right size. The Sorento Hybrid's lack of power could be a concern, although we suspect that the SUV's improved fuel economy and long driving range will more than compensate for some buyers . Regardless of what's under the hood, though, the Kia Sorento is a great SUV. Performance and MPGs The Sorento Hybrid's powertrain consists of a 1.6-liter turbo-four paired with an electric motor. It makes 227 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. That output is sent through a six-speed automatic transmission, with FWD standard and AWD optional. In MotorTrend testing, a Sorento Hybrid FWD accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds. Fuel economy rates at 36/36 mpg city/highway with FWD, and 34/34 mpg with AWD. Regardless, driving range on a full tank of gas is over 600 miles—impressive. Is the Sorento PHEV Better? Kia also sells the Sorento as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). This powertrain also uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter I-4 but has a stronger electric motor that increases output to 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, which reduces the 0-60 mph time to 7.4 seconds. It comes standard with AWD. Power isn't the point, though—efficiency is. The Sorento PHEV has a 13.8-kWh battery, which can provide up to 30 miles of all-electric driving range. If you can charge at home, the Sorento PHEV could yield significant fuel savings over the Sorento Hybrid. Read all about the 2026 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid here. Safety Ratings and Features When it was most recently crash safety tested for 2025, the Sorento Hybrid earned a five-star overall score, the best possible result, from NHTSA. Standard driver assist and active safety features in the Sorento Hybrid include: Front and rear automatic emergency braking Side cross-traffic alert Intersection collision avoidance Lane departure warning Lane keep assist Adaptive cruise control The higher-end SX Prestige model gains: Emergency evasive steering assist Blind-spot view cameras Low-speed collision mitigation Rain-sensing windshield wipers Semi-automated lane change functionality Cargo Space and Interior Room Part of the Sorento Hybrid's appeal is that it's not as huge as some three-row crossovers. Accordingly, however, it has less space inside than some other hybrid family SUVs. All Sorento Hybrid models are equipped in a six-passenger configuration with second-row captain's chairs. Technology The 2026 Sorento Hybrid is equipped with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with multi-device Bluetooth connectivity. Over-the-air updates keep the system fresh. In the base EX trim, a 4.0-inch display is positioned between analog gauges, while the SX Prestige model upgrades to a 12.3-inch all-digital gauge cluster screen. A wireless charging pad is standard, along with USB ports in all three rows of seats. The Sorento Hybrid EX gets a six-speaker audio system, and the SX Prestige has a Bose 12-speaker premium setup. Other tech upgrades on the Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige include a digital rearview mirror and 360-degree camera. EX vs. SX Prestige: What's the Difference? The entry-level 2026 Sorento Hybrid EX is expected to cost approximately $40,000. It will come equipped with a variety of features and amenities including a 10-way power adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, 12.3-inch touchscreen, a wireless charging pad and USB ports in every row, and a powered tailgate. Choosing the 2026 Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige, which costs about $48,500, brings upgrades like a 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated second-row captain's chairs, leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, faux suede headliner, LED interior lighting, premium audio, and a 12.3-inch gauge display, among other changes. Other Competitors to Consider: Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Mazda CX-90 PHEV Volvo XC90 PHEV
