Detroit — Vehicles, take your marks.

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards announced their “Best of 2026” candidates this week. The list of 30 vehicles will compete in three different categories — car (six nominees), truck (five nominees), and utility vehicle (19 nominees).

American brands make up 11 of the entries, while ten nominees are electric. The number of electric vehicle nominees is down from 50% for the 2025 awards to 30% this year as EV sales have stabilized at 8% of the market and may decline as $7,500 government purchase subsidies end.

Through August this year, the average transaction price of a new vehicle was about $49,000, and the average price of the NACTOY nominees is $52k. The most affordable offering? The $23k Nissan Sentra while the most expensive sticker belongs to the electric $130k Cadillac Escalade IQ.

Culled from a list of 55 eligible new vehicles for the 2026 model year, the 30 nominees will be evaluated by NACTOY’s 50 jurors at their annual gathering in Ann Arbor October 21-23, after which three finalists in each category will be named at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The winners will be announced at the January 2026 Detroit Auto Show.

Car of the Year

The stylish Dodger Charger and affordable Kia K4 Hatchback and Nissan Sentra will be early front-runners for the car crown. The small number of nominees is evidence of a market dominated by SUVs, but the two Asian compacts are evidence that sedans are the market’s best value — especially when loaded with digital technology that could only be found on luxury vehicles a decade ago.

Charger returns for the 2026 model year with an all-new lineup of coupes and four-door hatchbacks bearing gorgeous lines reminiscent of the classic, 1966 OG. The only Motown nominee in the category, the Dodge hopes to reboot brand sales with its visceral, gas-powered, inline-6 cylinder engine after sales of the 2025 Charger Daytona EV disappointed.

NACTOY awards are typically won by mainstream, volume brands, but the all-new Audi A5 gets major interior and exterior upgrades to go with its utilitarian hatchback. The sporty Honda Prelude returns to North America for the first time since 2001 — this time as a hybrid, and the Mercedes CLA is the lux maker’s entry-level offering at just over $40k.

Notable cars that did not make the Best list are the $329,000 Ford Mustang GTD and $167,000 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid, the German brand’s first hybrid sports car. While boasting state-of-the-art tech, both are exclusive, small-volume cyborgs.

Truck of the Year

Detroit brands dominate the pickup truck space, and Ford and Ram dominate the nominees for 2026.

Ford’s new Lobo badge brings street-rod cred to the truck space with the Maverick Lobo, the favorite here given its $38k starting price and twin-rear clutch pack drifting capabilities (yes, a pickup drifter). The Ram 1500, however, is the early front-runner as Stellantis’s truck brand brings back the revered Hemi V-8, the truck’s volume engine that faced extinction before new management took over Washington’s EPA this year.

The Rivian R1T Quad Motor is new to the American EV maker’s lineup and boasts a hypercar-like 1,025 horsepower and 0-60 mph time to match — all while towing 11,000 pounds with lots of cargo capacity. However, its $117k price tag means few can afford it.

SUV of the Year

The SUV aisle is where the U.S. consumer comes to shop, and brands have flooded the space with everything from compacts to three-row family haulers to battery-powered chariots.

The 500-pound gorilla in the room is the all-new, sixth-generation Toyota RAV4, the best-selling non-pickup in America. Sitting atop the biggest volume SUV segment, the compact RAV4 lineup is now all-hybrid with trims ranging from base hybrid to the adventure-ready Woodland trim to a new GR Sport offering.

The Volkswagen Tiguan, Jeep Cherokee, and Subaru Forester Hybrid are all nipping at the heels of the Toyota with significantly upgraded vehicles. In the mid-size segment, Toyota’s Tacoma pickup-based 4Runner is ready to rumble off-road, while Honda’s Passport has been recast as an off-roader with standard all-wheel-drive and rugged looks. Three-row SUVs are all the rage with high-tech to go with their people-moving talents. The Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV, Cadillac Vistiq EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ EV, and Ford Expedition all made the list.

There are luxury entrants galore including a new Audi Q5, Genesis GV70, Lucid Gravity EV, Volvo EX30 EV, and Volvo’s sister performance EV brand, Polestar 4. Cadillac’s transition to all-electric is well-represented with three electric vehicles in contention including the Escalade IQ, Vistiq, and Optiq.

The latter is a sleeper for best SUV given its entry-level price point and striking styling. Its primary market competitor, the Tesla Model Y, did not make the cut. Despite being the third-best-selling non-pickup in the United States in ‘24 and the best-selling EV in the United States, the refreshed Y won’t be in contention.

Other notables that did not make the list are the GMC Terrain and highly-anticipated, boldly-redesigned Subaru Outback which will likely be released in 2026 and be on the jury menu for 2027 Utility of the Year.

The NACTOY Best of 2026 was announced at the restored Michigan Central Station in Corktown. Judged by 50 independent journalists from across North America (instead of a single publication or outlet as with other auto contests), the NACTOY trophy is one of the industry’s most prestigious baubles.

The awards are intended to recognize vehicles that are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, user experience and value.

2026 North American Car of the Year candidates

Audi A5 $44,000

Dodge Charger $52,000

Honda Prelude $42,000

Kia K4 Hatchback $25,000

Mercedes-Benz CLA $43,000

Nissan Sentra $23,000

2026 North American Truck of the Year Candidates

Ford F-150 Lobo $60,000

Ford Maverick Lobo $38,000

Ram 1500 Hemi $46,000

Ram 2500 $48,000

Rivian R1T Quad Motor $117,000

2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Candidates

Acura ADX $37,000

Audi Q5 $54,000

Cadillac Escalade IQ $130,000

Cadillac OPTIQ $52,000

Cadillac VISTIQ $79,000

Ford Expedition $65,000

Genesis GV70 $50,000

Honda Passport $46,000

Hyundai Ioniq 9 $61,000

Hyundai Palisade $41,000

Jeep Cherokee $38,000

Lucid Gravity $97,000

Nissan Leaf $26,000

Polestar 4 $58,000

Subaru Forester Hybrid $38,000

Toyota 4Runner $43,000

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid $34,000

Volkswagen Tiguan $31,000

Volvo EX30 $46,000

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Detroit — Cars at the Station roars into town this weekend, Sept. 19-20, taking over the Michigan Central Depot grounds in Corktown.

Part Detroit Auto Show, part Woodward Dream Cruise, part cars ‘n’ coffee, it is Detroit’s new fall auto spectacular now that the auto show has returned to its traditional January dates. Call it Motown’s auto-palooza.

The event will take across Roosevelt Park in front the station and surrounding thoroughfares between 14^th and Vernor streets with manufacturer brand displays, Radwood ‘80s and ‘90s hot rods, private-owner vehicles, ride ‘n’ drives, AM General’s HUMVEE military concept, the works.

Ford, Ford

The station’s iconic front yard will host 175 private vehicles of every variety, from foreign sports cars to boulevard cruisers. They will be distributed around the park’s curving walkways. Prime real estate will be The Promenade walkway that rolls out of the front of the station like a carpet through the park.

Here are some highlights:

RADwood

A celebration of ’80s and ’90s lifestyle, RADwood is a time machine that takes attendees back to the late 20^th century, complete with period-correct dress and memorable autos. The Hagerty-owned RADwood also displays at The Amelia, Greenwich Concours d’Elegance and Motorlux, and its sprawling CATS display will anchor the east side of the station celebrating “the essence of a bodacious era.” Among the toys on display:

Twin white Fox Mustangs. George and Megan Koussa of Chesterfield will showcase their matching his-and-hers albino Mustangs. Hers is a 1992 hatchback, his is a 1993 convertible. They share white wardrobes, white wheels, and Fox body design (the third-gen pony car was built on Ford’s Fox chassis) that is hot, hot, hot. How hot? Ford is making a special edition 2026 FX ‘Stang meant to evoke the Fox era, and modern Mustangs feature an optional Fox instrument display.

Map of Cars at the Station

CATS

“It’s cool to see the enthusiasm for the Fox Mustang,” said George, who has shown his car at Detroit Autorama as well as Foxtoberfest in North Carolina. “This is the Mustang generation I grew up with and the one my wife and I always wanted to own.”

Nissan Silvia. Known as the “Baby GTR” (GTR is Nissan’s outrageous, six-figure supercar), Silvia was a rare coupe sold in Japan. Its sedan sibling was the Skyline.

Imported from Japan by Yunus Basheer of Detroit, this right-hand-drive, 1994 Silvia has been modified for track drifting and sports a roll cage, wicked wheels, black paint, and a big turbocharger that pushes out 320 horsepower.

Yunus Basheer

Manufacturer displays

Littered across the campus will be manufacturer displays similar to the Detroit Auto Show — as well as a healthy presence from the giant LaFontaine Auto Group.

Ford and Lincoln. Front and center will be the brands from the Dearborn automaker that restored the station. A highlight will be the first Detroit appearance of the Bronco Roadster Concept that Ford dropped at Pebble Beach, California’s Monterey Car Week last month. The concept is a throwback to the OG, the 1966 U13 roadster in celebration of Bronc’s 60th anniversary.

Future Driven HUMVEE Concept. Speaking of OGs, AM General is still making Hummers for the battlefield even as GMC sells it as a six-figure EV. AMG will showcase its latest Hummer military concept at CATS.  “We’re excited for how we will improve the warfighter’s safety with a cutting-edge restraint system and increased vehicle capabilities for mission success,” said AMG CEO Jim Cannon.

Check out its Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station and its vehicle-mounted counter drone protection system. Who knows, could be future options for GMC Hummer EVs as well.

Genesis. Bucking the industry trend away from auto shows, Hyundai has embraced them. The South Korean manufacturer has been a major presence in New York and Los Angeles in recent years, and for the 2025 CATS it will showcase the full lineup of its Genesis luxury brand. With their signature, dual-strip headlights/taillights and posh interiors, Genesis vehicles stand apart in the lux space.

Lucid. The Silicon Valley electric brand wowed with its first model, the Air sedan, in 2022, and for 2025 it has brought its first SUV to market, the Gravity. In addition to its neck-snapping acceleration and gorgeous, twin-screen dash display, you can sit in its huge frunk.

Lotus. The famed English sports-car maker is now, along with Volvo, part of the Chinese Geely auto conglomerate. That means it is moving towards electric vehicles, but for Detroit the brand is showcasing its bread and butter: the mid-engine Emira supercar complete with Toyota-sourced V-6 engine putting out 400 ponies.

Toyota. Speaking of Toyota performance, the Japanese brand will show off two of its hellions. For the road, the sensational, all-wheel-drive, 300-horse GR Corolla hot hatch will be on display. For off-road, check out the AWD, all-terrain-tired Toyota 4-Runner SUV — essentially a Tacoma pickup with a hatchback.

Polestar. Volvo’s all-electric performance brand, Polestar, is taking aim at Tesla with a lineup of stylish, quick models called simply: the 2, 3, and 4. The 4, due in showrooms later this fall, is the most radical, as it eliminates the rear window to prioritize aerodynamics and interior space. An interior camera mirror gives a full field of view out back.

Aston Martin. La Fontaine will showcase the beautiful, bespoke Brit brand’s lineup including the Vantage sportscar and DBX SUV.

Ride ‘n’ Drive

Ogle the vehicles in their static displays — then shuffle over to 14th street and try them on the road. In addition to display vehicles like Polestar, Genesis, and Ford, LaFontaine will have vehicles from its stores to ride, including Cadillac, Nissan, Infiniti, and more.

Shandoka e-bikes

Located in Newlab next door to Michigan Central, Shandoka retro-fits motorcycles with electric drivetrains. CEO Ernest Eich will show off two examples at the display: a 1982 Yamaha Maxim and a 2003 Ninja 250 Sport bike. With 24-34 horsepower from the e-motors and instant torque, these ol’ bikes can fly.

Cars at the Station: Shandoka e-bike

Shandoka E-bike

Superlap Porsche Cayman Racing Simulator

Royal Oak’s racing simulator shop brings its Porsche sim to CATS. The rig features three full screens wrapped around the cockpit of a mid-engine Cayman S sportscar that moves with the sim.

When you’re not ogling cars (or the stunning station which will be open for walk throughs), the CATS campus has plenty of other activities, including Food Trucks on 14^th Street, a Big Boy restaurant in the park, music courtesy of WCSX 94.7 and The Bounce 105.1 radio DJs, and a Boys and Girls Club of Michigan display.

Cars at the Station runs from 4 PM-9PM Friday, and 9 AM-4 PM Saturday.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Phelps — Two years ago at M1 Concourse’s American Speed Festival, I took my 1964 Porsche 904 GTS on track. The OG.

The first GTS (aka, Gran Turismo Sport) performance trim made by the German automaker, the wee, 1,450-pound 904 was one of 108 street-legal models built in 1964-65 to homologate Porsche for international racing. With my head stuffed in the ceiling and my knees in the Spartan dash, I rowed the five-speed manual gearbox around M1 — the glorious, normally aspirated, 3.0-liter flat-6 engine wailing in my ears at 7,000 rpm. Before me, my father used the 904 GTS as a daily driver for four decades in West Virginia.

Sixty years later, the legendary GTS badge lives in the roomy, 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid tester in my driveway: an automatic, turbocharged, gas-electric hybrid with Android Auto, 11-inch infotainment screen, 18-way heated/cooled seats, and launch control.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Toto, we’re not in 1964 anymore.

In SPORT PLUS MODE, I pushed the brake pedal and accelerator pedals to the floor. The tachometer stabilized at 4,000 rpm. The instrument gauge flashed LAUNCH CONTROL SET. I released the brake and released the Kraken. BWAAAWRR!

The T-Hybrid shot past 60 mph like it has been launched from a cannon. It’s a Porsche worthy of the GTS badge. Solid as oak. Stunning performance. Flat-six engine note from the gods. 911 has been a sports-car icon since it was introduced in 1963 for eight model generations. It’s maintained its place with elite engineering, timeless design, incremental change, and obsessive dedication to its brand.

Like the resurrection of the GTS badge from the 904.

Representing extra performance paired with excellent trip qualities, GTS reappeared on Porsche production models like the front-engine 928 and Cayenne SUV models at the turn of the 21^st century before becoming a fixture on the 911 in 2010.

The eighth-gen car (the so-called 992 series) has taken big, risky leaps at a time when technological advancements and regulatory hammers present historic challenges to the industry. My 911 992.2 (translation: the second evolution of the 992 generation) tester maintains GTS thrills by integrating new tech, resulting in a supercar that — while not the most spectacular firecracker in the market — sits at the sweet-spot of supercar speed, price, and ergonomic refinement.

The compromises? Weight gain, price gain, complexity, and more robotic performance.

911 T-Hybrid — short for Turbo Hybrid — redefines the popular conception of hybrid. For example, Porsche uses the electric motor wedged between the gearbox and engine for “torque fill.” Like the $109,795 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Porsche introduces electrification into its lineup a step above standard Carrera/Carrera S models, but below the track-focused GT3. Unlike E-Ray, which uses its front e-motor to create an all-wheel-drive, all-season daily driver, GTS is pure hellion.

“Oh, this is nice and stiff!” said my son as we carved corners on M-66. WAPPA! WAPPPA! went the auto downshifts as I quickly slowed into a left-hander courtesy of massive, 16.5-inch ceramic brakes.

Where the first, 1960’s sportscar Golden Age set the tone for brands from Porsche to Ford, our second Golden Era has to contend with the Fun Police. The 2019 model of the 992 generation (992.1) introduced turbochargers to augment performance while also reducing CO2 emissions.

My 992.2 tester adds an e-motor (wedged between the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox and engine) to increase power from 470 ponies to a stout 533 — while also meeting Europe’s draconian emissions regs. Porsche faces a watershed moment over the next decade as the European Union gradually bans internal combustion engine sales — a game-changer for the flat-6-powered 911.

Chevy and Ford have decided not to sell Corvettes and Mustangs in Europe because European regulations make it prohibitively expensive to offer V-8s. That’s not an option for Stuttgart-based Porsche, so it’s meeting the challenge with a turbocharged-electrified-flat-6.

If that sounds complicated, it is. And a concern for long-term durability compared to, say, the 904’s pure, normally-aspirated, 3.0-liter flat-6 screaming behind my ear at M1.

The 911 GTS’s hybrid works seamlessly. WHAP! The Porsche lights like a firecracker because the e-motor doubles as starter motor. There’s no turbo lag on acceleration thanks to electric torque fill. And that famed launch control? Car and Driver recorded a staggering 2.6-second 0-60 mph — a gain over 992.1’s 3.2 seconds.

In northern Michigan I gave friends launch control thrill rides. Who needs Cedar Point?

For all its tech savvy, 911’s fundamentals — rear-wheel-drive, rear-engine, unibody constructions — are unchanged. It’s not as nimble as the lightweight, carbon-fiber-monocoque chassis McLaren 750S I tested this summer. At 3,590 pounds, the German’s girth is evident compared to the 3,200-pound Brit. In 2001, 911 weighed just 3,000 pounds, but years of tech and regulation have taken their toll. McLaren’s lightweight carbon-fiber solution means, ahem, a $450,000 sticker compared to my $182,895 GTS tester which in turn is nearly twice the price of the Corvette E-Ray.

Where the 911 GTS really impresses is its dexterity.

Porsche and good ergonomics are not words you would have seen in the same article a decade ago. This is a brand, after all, that denied customers a console cupholder until the 992 generation.

But ergonomics matter in a GTS that promises good track and trip manners. New-gen 992 comes with: 1) center console cup-holder, 2) (still problematic) glovebox passenger cupholder, 3) door pocket holders for bottles (like my favorite Snapple). Also fitting nicely was my 6-foot-5-inch noggin — an advance from my ol’ 904 shoebox.

The cockpit is also state-of-the-art with a similar digital tach and infotainment display to other Porsches. 911 purists will note — heresy! — that the traditional, five-gauge layout is gone, replaced with a more conventional three-gauge layout. The digital gauges are stuffed with good content — like tire temperature before engaging launch control.

The logical console is anchored by a compact “chicklet” shifter — and the steering wheel is an ergonomic gem. My hands never left the wheel. On Interstate 75 North I turned on Adaptive Cruise Control (lower left stalk) and adjusted radio volume with a roller on the wheel spoke. A rotary knob engaged SPORT PLUS mode before I ripped through the M-32 twisties.

This modernity is wrapped in timeless 911 design sitting on big, gummy, Goodyear summer tires. You’ll know 992.2 by its center-locking wheels and front shutters that open in SPORT PLUS mode to feed air to the hungry beast within.

Enjoy your sixties, GTS.

Next week: 2025 Hyundai Palisade

2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid

Vehicle type: Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-passenger sportscar

Price: $166,895, including $1,995 destination fee ($182,895 as tested)

Powerplant: 3.6-liter flat-6 cylinder mated to electric motor and 1.9 kWh battery

Power: 533 horsepower, 450 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 8-speed, dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 194 mph

Weight: 3,590 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 17 mpg city/24 highway/20 combined

Report card

Highs: Big ergonomic improvements; launch control all day long

Lows: Getting’ porky; increased drivetrain complexity

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Beaver, Pennsylvania — After a weekend of racing sportscars across the plunging twists and turns of Pittsburgh International Raceway, my son and I crawled — exhausted — into our Honda Pilot SUV for the long five-hour ride home.

“Man, this car is so easy to drive,” said my 34-year-old son. “It’s so easy, a kid could drive it.”

With the comfortable front thrones cradling his sore bones, he pressed the cool seats button, put his tall drink bottle in the side pocket, then pressed the steering wheel voice recognition button. “Go home,” he said, and wireless Apple CarPlay app charted our course on Google Maps for the duration of our journey.

Midsize SUVs, you’ve come a long way, baby.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Utes have their origins in the early 1990s as Ford put an Explorer top hat on a truck chassis to satisfy families looking for a new breed of family station wagon. The idea took off along with other boxy, jacked wagons like the Grand Cherokee and Nissan Pathfinder and Chevy Trailblazer. Fast forward to today and the three-row SUV is in its prime.

I’ve driven the Pilot, Ford Explorer and Chevy Traverse — all Made in America — in recent months and they are three of the most capable Swiss Army knives in the U.S. market. No longer vanilla family haulers, these three-row limos are stuffed with style, character, power and tech. Crave a luxury SUV? Save $20K and buy one of these chariots instead.

They represent a segment teeming with talent, including the Mazda CX-90, Kia Telluride and Dodge Durango. How do Pilot, Explorer, Traverse stack up?

Looks

Mrs. Payne shies from minivans and rightly so — who would settle for a dorky van when you have these three SUV lookers on the lot?

My chiseled Pilot Black Edition, new for 2025, wore its black-trimmed, Sonic Gray Pearl trim like a tuxedo for the Oscars. Gloss black 20-inch wheels, black rocker panels, black mirror caps, Black Edition badging. Dude, you’re from the same family that birthed the homely Fit?

The 2025 Chevy Traverse is a three-row SUV with one of the biggest interiors in class.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The Traverse turns up the heat even further by taking its styling cues from the Silverado truck line. Tough grille, bold stance and a Z71 off-road package that leans into our obsession with America’s natural wonders.

But it’s the Explorer that wins the beauty contest. Draped over a longitudinal-engine, rear-wheel-drive-based platform (the Pilot and Traverse are on front-drive platforms), the athletic-looking Explorer pushes its wheels to the corners like a German SUV. Then it digs into sibling Mustang’s wardrobe with dramatic scalloped flanks. Add the ST-Line’s blacked-out wardrobe and it’s no wonder Explorer is at the top of the sales board.

Drivability

All three utes have excellent ergonomics that make them more intuitive to drive than their luxury peers. Control buttons on the steering wheel are raised, so I could easily adjust radio volume and cruise control without taking my eyes off the road. The Chevy is the most ingenious as it adds a set of buttons on the back of the steering wheel so I could adjust volume (right hand) and toggle between radio station favorites (left hand).

The Traverse has also opened space on its console (for phones, storage) by moving the shifter to the steering column. This is no clunky ol’ column stalk, but a compact electronic shifter shared with the Blazer EV. That said, the Honda’s console-mounted, compact “trigger shifter” is the most intuitive of the three since it offers buttons for DRIVE, REVERSE, NEUTRAL. Place your fingers in the “trigger” slots and you can easily find your way through a tight parking lot. The Ford’s rotary shifter may be compact, but it’s also the busiest, given that you have to rotate it all-way-‘round the horn to get from PARK to DRIVE and back again.

Pilot extends its excellent ergonomics to lots of storage cubbies (prized by families carrying electronics, candy bars, pacifiers, etc.) and the segment’s easiest third-row access seat solution.

No one will buy a midsize ute for fun through the twisties, but Traverse shows off GM’s top-drawer chassis and engine development. The three-row ute is not only the tightest of the three, but its crisp chassis and stonkin’ 328-horsepower turbo-4 will give you added confidence on two-lane roads. Explorer also sports an impressive, throaty turbo-4, meaning that the Honda — despite possessing the only throaty V-6 of the group — is the least powerful at 285 horsepower.

Technology

This is where the game has really changed in three-row family land.

Traverse and Explorer sport first-class digital displays and tech goo-gaws. Both systems are run by Google Built-In — essentially the same operating system that powers Android phones — so that the big dash-mounted displays bear familiar, phone-like icons.

Honda is moving to Google Built-in as well, but for now, Pilot’s graphics appear a generation behind even as they are easy to negotiate. Speaking of easy, Explorer oddly does not offer a head-up display like Pilot and Traverse — a driver-friendly feature that is indispensable once you’ve experienced it.

Where Explorer and Traverse really stretch their legs over the Honda, however, is with semi-autonomous driving systems. Chevy’s Super Cruise and Ford’s Blue Cruise are state-of-the-art systems that compete with luxury chariot-makers Tesla and Mercedes. Not only will these systems wow your kids, but they make long-distance road trips easier — not just reducing fatigue but also freeing your hands to, say, eat a Quarter Pounder.

Ford practically gives Blue Cruise away, but Chevy’s $3,250 system is the segment leader. The Traverse system is the most consistent on highways, and will even work on some two-lane roads.

Conclusion

Our terrific trio of SUVs are not only packed with tech — wireless smartphone apps, blind spot-assist, adaptive cruise control, backup assist — but it all comes standard. Add attractive trims and extras like panoramic roofs, and these utes can be had for just over $50K.

My pick is the Chevy Multiverse — er, Traverse — by a nose, given its attention to detail. Deservingly, it received The Detroit News 2024 Vehicle of the Year award.

That attention to detail is also important given that new tech has eroded reliability in vehicles for the first time in JD Power’s 40-year history of polling consumers. Chevy excels in JD Power’s ratings with an 83 score over three years of ownership, outpacing Pilot’s 71 and Explorer’s 60.

Because when you plan a road trip to Beaver, Pennsylvania, the last place you want your SUV is in the shop.

Next week: 2026 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid

2025 Chevrolet Traverse

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV

Powerplant: 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Price: $42,195 base, including $1,495 destination fee ($56,100 RS as tested)

Power: 328 horsepower, 326 pound-feet torque

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,793 pounds (AWD Traverse as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 19 city/24 highway/21 combined (AWD Traverse as tested)

Report card

Highs: Handsome styling; Super Cruise

Lows: Coarse four-banger engine sound

Overall: 4 stars

2025 Ford Explorer

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV

Price: $41,745 base, including $1,595 destination fee ($50,865 ST Line as tested)

Powerplant: 2.3-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Power: 300 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque (turbo-4)

Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,565 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 20 city/27 highway/23 combined (turbo-4 AWD)

Report card

Highs: High-tech interior; Blue Cruise

Lows: Clunky rotary shifter

Overall: 4 stars

2025 Honda Pilot

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive seven-to-eight-passenger SUV

Price: $41,695, including $1,495 destination fee ($57,055 Black Edition as tested)

Powerplant: 3.5-liter V-6

Power: 285 horsepower, 262 pound-feet torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.2 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing, 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,660 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 19 city/27 highway/22 combined (FWD); 19 city/25 highway/21 combined (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Good third-row access, interior ergonomics; throaty V-6

Lows: Screen tech trails rivals; no hands-free driving option

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Chelsea — Corporate branding fails are legend. Coca Cola’s New Coke debacle. Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney detour. Cracker Barrel’s generic logo remake.

Ram and Dodge ditching V-8s.

The Stellantis brands’ epic, head-scratching decision has been the poster child of a bizarre few years in which automakers, reeling from billions in Nanny State fines, scrambled product offerings regardless of customer taste. After the implosion of their V8-focused muscle brands, Stellantis is working to right the ship.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Just as Cracker Barrel restored its traditional logo, Ram has stamped every V-8 model’s fender with the “Symbol of Protest” badge featuring a ram’s head on an aggressive V-8 Hemi engine. If the six-cylinder lineup felt like surrender to The Man, the protest symbol is a rebel’s yell against the Establishment. Take that, nannies!

RAWWWWR! I buried the throttle of the 2026 Ram 1500 V-8 out of Stellantis’s Chelsea Proving Grounds on to Chelsea-Manchester Road, the rear tires squealing with delight as I sailed through the pickup’s natural habitat: farms, small businesses, rural homes.

The majority of Ram 1500 truck sales are V8-powered, and, according to Sales Chief Brant Coombs, 40% of those buyers won’t consider anything else. Detroit automakers have been under assault from their own government for making the engines Americans love, with Stellantis alone suffering $773 million in fines since 2016. Ram had been on a roll until those fines hit, surpassing Chevrolet as the #2 best-selling truckmaker in early 2019.

The 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8 is strong on and off-road.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Battered from federal haymakers, Ram’s new European owners deep-sixed the eight for the ‘25 model year, and sales sunk as buyers delayed new purchases of the brand’s six-cylinder-only lineup. You could’ve seen it coming a mile away.

Heads rolled at Stellantis, and, when the smoke cleared, company legend Tim Kuniskis — mastermind of Dodge-Ram’s strategy a decade ago — had been installed as chief of North American product. That dovetailed with new management in Washington, D.C. that was favorable to consumer choice. In December 2024 — note the post-election timing — Kuniskis & Co. convened a corporate pep rally to bring back the V-8.

“We heard loud and clear from consumers: there is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V-8. At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not to statisticians or ideologues,” roared Kuniskis. “We raise our flag and let the Hemi ring free again!”

To paraphrase John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd, the Bruise Brothers are getting the band back together.

Engineer Marty Jagoda led a crack team to develop the 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“It was reminiscent of a few years ago when we were kicking butts and naming names,” smiled engineer Marty Jagoda, vice president of special projects. “We put together F-15, a top secret team to get the people and the parts to bring the Hemi back. Hemi is not just an engine, it is the engine.”

The first reunion concert was Aug. 26 at Chelsea as Ram invited auto media to hear — and test — the resuscitated 5.7-liter hemi V-8. Like a Heavy Metal ‘lectric guitar, the V-8 was everywhere on the Chelsea stage.

RAWWWWR! went a Ram V-8 down a Chelsea straightaway.

RAWWWWR! Went V-8s off-road.

RAWWWWR! Went V-8s around an autocross course. Yes, an autocross course — so eager was the Ram team to show off its signature sound. For this racer, few things are more fun than auto-crossing a pickup.

But the real test was on-road, and the eight felt right at home inside one of the market’s most refined trucks. Stellantis is rightly proud of its twin-turbo, inline six-cylinder Hurricane engine that sits under the domed hood of the rampaging RHO (pronounced Rhino) performance truck that I destroyed Holly Oaks with last year. Can the return of the V8-powered TRX (pronounced T-Rex) be far behind?

With model names like Warlock, Rebel, Lone Star and Big Horn, the raucous V-8 is signature Ram. Assured that the federal government won’t bury Stellantis in fines for making eight-holers, Ram has dialed up the assembly line to offer the Hemi in most trims.

Nanny shaming makes everyone glum, and the Ram’s team energy at Chelsea was palpable now that they no longer have a finger wagging in their face.

“We brought back this engine because our customers demanded it,” said Ram 1500 Product Chief Amy Augustine. “They were asking: Where is the V-8? After taking it out of the lineup we could really feel the customers getting upset and not understanding why we took it out.”

To make sure everyone hears it, the loud performance exhaust comes standard when you order the V-8 along with a massive 33-gallon fuel tank and best-in-the-industry 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.  If your toffee-nosed neighbors sniff, tell ‘em about eTorque, the 48-volt, belt-drive generator that replaces the alternator for smoother, fuel-efficient startups and an increase of 130 pound-feet of torque to help tow up to 11,320 pounds.

The V-8 package is a $2,895 addition over the standard V-6 eTorque on Tradesman, Express, Warlock and Big Horn/Lone Star trims ($1,200 over the inline six-cylinder on Laramie and Rebel models).

RAWWWWR! My $63,380 Big Horn tester is in the sweet spot of the Ram lineup. It’s easy on the eyes, and easy on the behind as well with its coil-spring rear suspension. Bed flutter that you get with most leaf-spring pickups? Not that I noticed.

With tall-sidewall rubber mounted on 20-inch wheels, I rode Big Horn as comfortably on dirt trails as on blacktop.

The interior is as classy as it is massive. Leather steering wheel, eight-way power seats, superb steering wheel ergonomics with everything at your fingertips: cruise control, drive modes, volume/station control. A 12-inch infotainment screen anchors the console run by the award-winning Uconnect 5 software. No wonder trucks have replaced large sedans as the new luxury vehicles.

The rear seats of the Ram have more space than many living rooms, and the 5’7” bed options a must-have tonneau cover so you can throw cargo back there without fear of it getting soggy in a summer thunderstorm.

For $1,000, my tester gained bed utility goodies like a box light, tie-downs, sprayed bedliner and deployable bed step. I don’t know why every truck maker doesn’t adopt GM’s solution of corner bumper steps, but, in the fight-to-the-death Detroit Three truck grudge match, every brand has signature features.

For Ram, that includes Hemi. The band is back together. You’ll know it by the Symbol of Protest. Long live the V-8.

Next week: Chevy Traverse vs. Ford Explorer vs. Honda Pilot

2026 Ram 1500 V-8

Vehicle type: Rear- and four-wheel drive, four-door, five-passenger pickup

Price: $46,115, including $2,095 destination charge (est. $63,380 Big Horn Crew Cab as tested)

Powerplant: 5.7-liter Hemi V-8

Power: 395 horsepower, 410 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph (NA); maximum towing, 11,320 pounds; payload, 1,650 pounds

Weight: 5,712 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway/19 mpg combined

Report card

Highs: V-8 soundtrack is back; premium ride

Lows: Nightmare to park in an urban garage; no TRX yet

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.