Henry Payne, The Detroit New

Hell — ZOT! Like a greased jellybean, my Mercedes CLA 350 sedan shot onto I-75. Past a line of traffic. Headed to the moon.

Quiet as a mouse.

Nine years after the Tesla Model 3 sedan became an overnight sensation and ushered in a new age of performance electric vehicles, it’s, well … playing second fiddle to the Model Y. Model 3’s SUV doppelganger, introduced in 2019, now outsells the sedan by three-fold in a country ga-ga for utes. From the rugged Rivian R2 to the flashy Mustang Mach-E to the sculpted Hyundai Ioniq 5, automakers are drafting electric Model Y rivals en masse.

The CLA EV (which shares the CLA-Class model lineup with gas/hybrid variants) is one of the few sedans that has dared take on the Model 3.

It does so with trademark luxury, comfort, straight-line speed, style and convenience. Asterisks on style and convenience. Walk up to my $67K, all-wheel-drive CLA (the rear-wheel-drive CLA 250 starts at $48.5K) and you might mistake it for a Hyundai Ioniq 6 — another Model 3 competitor shelved this year (only the coming, estimated-$70K track-focused Ioniq 6 N will remain). Jellybean shape, horizontal rear taillight, ducktail, flush door handles.

Mercedes only comes into focus with its giant star logo planted on a black, plastic grille under a Hyundai Sonta-like monobrow. It’s busy … un-Mercedes like.

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Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Buchanan — World Cup fans are in awe of America’s retail cornucopia: Buc-ee’s, Walmart, Costco, Waffle House, Cheesecake Factory.

Wait until they get a load of the 777-horsepower, 6’ 9” tall 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT pickup with 35-inch all-terrain tires, 14-inch suspension travel and 36 inches of digital displays. TRX for T-Rex.

On a rural road in Berrien County, I punched the dash button to initiate Launch Control. Floor the brake pedal. Floor the accelerator pedal. Wait for the tachometer to steady at 3500 RPM. Release the brake.

Release the Kraken.

EERAWRRGGH! The beast exploded down the road, blowing through 60 mph in 3.5 seconds on the way to (speed withheld to preserve my license). Its four paws clawed at the pavement to put down the power of the shrieking, roaring 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood. The sound will send shivers up your spine.

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Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Park City, Utah – If the early 20th-century auto revolution was sparked in Detroit by entrepreneurs like Ford, Dodge, and Sloan, the early 21^st century has brought a new, digital auto revolution on America’s West Coast right out of a science fiction novel.

At its forefront are entrepreneurs like Sergei Brin of Google, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Rivian’s RJ Scaringe.

“I think it’s the most exciting time in human history,” Scaringe said at the media launch of his Tesla Model Y fighter, the electric R2, in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. “We happen to be alive at this moment in human history, where we are creating intelligence that can do tasks humans can do.”

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Stratford, Virginia — With bold styling, peppy performance and more rear legroom than an Audi Q7 for goodness sake, the $23,495 Chevrolet Trax is the most affordable SUV from a Detroit automaker. By a country mile.

But, admit it, the problem we have with entry-level models is the wheels.

Wheels? They look more like they were pulled off the top of a trash can. It doesn’t matter whether they are Detroit, Japanese, Korean or European brands. They’re cheap, tinny, unimaginatively designed. Ugh. How many times have you gone to the online car configurator and blown right by the entry trim?

Or walked right past it in the rental lot?

The entry-level Chevy LS is no different. I walked past it in the Reagan Washington National Airport rental lot and settled on the next, $24,995 LT trim instead. Ahhhhh, now we’re talking. Four cool, 17-inch grey-metallic wheel sculptures worthy of any garage.

Which matters, because Chevy has created a subcompact SUV gem with few compromises.

Indeed, I can think of only two: the LS trash lids — er, wheels — and lack of standard blind-spot assist/or active cruise control safety features (more on that later). Otherwise, my $24,995 LT is a fully baked transportation companion that not only offers the most-compelling entry point for Detroit automakers — but versus European and Asian competition as well.

Entering Westmoreland Couty’s Route 23 in Virginia’s Northern Neck, I put my lead foot to the floor and a healthy 162 pound-feet of torque launched me into the rollercoaster twisties. GRRRRR! growled the ferocious turbocharged three-cylinder engine. WHEEEEE! went my inner child. The LT SUV is LOL fun.

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Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Park City, Utah ― For CEO RJ Scaringe, the time has come to kick Rivian into high gear.

Telsa Inc.’s success with its premium, electric, 2013 Model S sedan inspired a new generation of startup automakers not seen in a century. New brands like Bollinger, Canoo, Faraday, Fisker, Lordstown, Lucid and Scaringe’s Rivian Automotive Inc. launched in the last two decades with high hopes of leading an EV revolution.

But after introducing intriguing, halo models gobbled up by first adopters, these companies have faced the reality of sustaining capital investment and entering mainstream segments where America’s middle class shops. Tesla was first to make the transition with its wildly popular 2017 Model 3 sedan and 2019 Model Y SUV, which have sold in comparable numbers to top gas models from legacy-makers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.

Now it’s Rivian’s opportunity with the R2.

After the success of the halo, $75,000 R1T pickup and $80K R1S SUV, the $45K R2 marks the Irvine, California-based brand’s entry into the mainstream market ― making Rivian only the second (after Tesla) of its startup peers to make it this far. The R2 has debuted to rave media reviews even as Scaringe faces a changed U.S. landscape with no federal sales subsidies, consumer skepticism and looming competition from new models by Slate and Chinese automakers.

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GM, GM

The available articulated center display may beg to differ.

Jump into the Sierra and, with the push of a button, the infotainment screen will rise from the dash, revealing a secret storage space behind where passengers can keep valuable items and avoid cabin clutter. The high-tech feature is part of an available MultiPro console that anchors a working interior with all the comforts of a home office.

Interior

The MultiPro console is equipped with dual wireless charging pads, sculpted cupholders and a horizontal surface that can be configured into a mobile desk.

Once on the highway, drivers can take their hands off the wheel with Sierra’s standard Super Cruise self-driving system with three-year free subscription. With their hands on their knees and the pickup automatically changing lanes, drivers can get comfortable in plush leather materials and survey 60 inches of digital displays, a panoramic roof and premium touches liked forged wood trim.

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