San Diego, California — Rounding the 180-degree, left-hand bend at the east end of Pechanga Arena’s autocross course, I stabbed the throttle pedal of my 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo and twin clutch packs accelerated the pickup’s outside rear wheel. SQUAAAWWWWWWWW! The tires squealed in protest as I drifted sideways through the next gate of pylons before flinging the wheel left to navigate the next right-hander. SQUAAAWWWWWWWW!
Wait, what?!!! Payne, you’re autocrossing a pickup truck? Have you lost your mind?!
Sometimes a vehicle comes along that you covet even though it makes no rational sense. The wee Mazda Miata. Carbon-fiber Alfa Romeo 4C. Stainless-steel Tesla Cybertruck.
Lobo is one of those vehicles. It’s irresistible. Torque-vectoring. Lowered suspension. Turbofan wheels. Lobo loco.
With its twin rear clutch packs throwing torque from wheel-to-wheel, you can really hang out the 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo tail.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I imagine bringing it home and parking it in the garage.
Mrs. Payne: You bought a pickup truck?
Me: Not just any pickup, a Maverick Lobo! It has the Ford Focus R clutch packs and a lowered suspension. I put it in Lobo Mode and it’s a riot around an autocross course.
Mrs. Payne: You’re going to autocross a pickup?
Me: Yeah, isn’t that cool! And we can use the bed to pick up the Christmas tree every December.
Mrs. Payne: Have you lost your mind?!
Lobo gone loco. The 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo is a hoot on an autocross course with 250-horsepower, AWD, and tail-drifting Lobo mode.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Ford has been making gotta-have-‘em hellions for as long as I can remember. The winged, cannon-exhaust, fenders-out-to-here Focus RS looked so evil that cops would ticket it when parked at the curb. My friend John got a 2007 Mustang GT500 with 500-horsepower and a manual gearbox even though he didn’t know how to drive a stick. And the Fiesta ST made an affordable, sippy entry-level hatchback into a ferocious Rottweiler that dragged you on its leash to local autocrosses so you could chase Miatas up a tree.
The Maverick Lobo is cut from the same cloth.
Maverick debuted in 2022 as an insanely practical $21K hybrid pickup that drove like a Ford Escape while doing the daily chores of a Ranger and sipping 42 mpg around town. Dude. Maverick was so practical that it won back-to-back Detroit News Vehicle of the Year awards for its hybrid and Tremor off-road models.
The Lobo, by contrast, is pure indulgence. It’s a nod to hot rod street culture and the irresistible tuner urge to take a small truck, slam it to the ground with short springs, paint it neon and bolt on wheels that would burn a Hollywood designer’s eyeballs.
The 2025 Ford Maverick comes in multiple models with two engine choices including XL, XLT, Lobo, Lariat, and Tremor. XLT Hybrid and Lobo 2.0-liter turbo-4s shown here.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
DJ Smith of Crestview, Florida, bought his ’22 and had to wait a year for delivery Mav was so hot. When it finally arrived, he lowered it for more menace. He wasn’t alone. Ford noticed the groundswell for an urban truck and went to work.
“I like the facelift. I like the turbo-4. I loooove the turbine wheels,” smiled Smith after taking a spin ‘round the autocross course.
In this age of commoditized products, Nanny State finger-wagging and electric fashion, I must admit I wondered if Ford still had it in ‘em. Facing electric mandates and SUV fashion, Ford had long ago sent its Focus and Fiesta ST performance stallions out to pasture. Lobo is welcome evidence that Mr. Hyde still resides in Dr. Ford.
The 2025 Ford Maverick cabin is roomy with plenty of cargo storage.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I mean, just look at my black tester. Lobo means wolf and this is one stealthy predator. Merging onto I-8 East heading out of San Diego, I toggled SPORT mode and the exhaust note lowered to a GRRRRRRR.
Yes, master. What are we hunting?
A Mustang GT ambled around the 180-degree freeway ramp. Black Mamba circled the ramp, then struck. WHOOOM! I exploded onto the freeway, blowing the doors off the unsuspecting GT. What was that?! The GT pursued, pulling up next to me in traffic and noticing the big 19-inch Turbofan saucers spinning like circular saws. A grin, a thumbs up. He knew.
I first saw Maverick Lobo at its Detroit Auto Show introduction in January. The Frankenstein’s monster was adorable. Those Focus RS twin clutch packs. Lowered springs and Bilstein shocks from the Bronco Sport Badlands. Rear sway-bar like, well, any performance sportscar.
Check out those saucers. The 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo comes standard with cool, 19-inch Turbofan wheels.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I couldn’t wait to drive it.
It lives up to expectations. In addition to its autocross antics, Dr. Frankenstein — er, chief technical officer — Eddie Khan and his minions have created a wildly diverse product lineup for 2025 that would make Papa F-150 proud.
I jumped into the base, hybrid, AWD model — 40 mpg highway! — and headed to the San Diego hills. Upgraded with new front and rear fascias for 2025, Maverick is true to Ford’s performance DNA with firm steering that feels rooted to the pavement. The unibody 3,800-pound pickup is no Focus RS, but it weighs a whopping 1,000 pounds less than a Ranger with no bed flutter. The result is a pickup that’s fun to drive hard.
It gets more fun as you climb the model ladder with the off-road focused Tremor and on-track Lobo bringing the twin-clutch pack handling magic. The fact that clutch packs used to be the exclusive domain of vehicles like Audis is a reminder of the shrinking gap between luxe and mainstream.
Equipped with Pro Trailer Backup Assist, the 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo can back autonomously to its trailer hitch – then park itself.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Indeed, Maverick has so much personality that I would buy it over numerous luxury brands — and not just because of the bed utility. Interior instrument graphics are stunning — just scroll from ECO to NORMAL to SPORT modes.
And the door design is inspired with a floating armrest so you can fit tall thermoses in the cupholders.
The only thing missing is affordability. Three years ago, Maverick debuted at a Chevy Trax-like $21,490. No more. That price has risen by a whopping 33% to $28,590. Oof.
The 2025 Ford Maverick has a clever door armrest design so you can store your tall thermos.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
What’s more, you don’t get essentials like adaptive cruise control until you shell out $36,850 for upper trims like Lobo. Sporty compact SUV Mazda CX-30 gets standard ACC and blind-spot assist at, ahem, 10 grand less.
Desire has a way of justifying price. Once you’ve settled on Lobo you’ll want to add toys like Pro Trailer Backup Assist that autonomously steers Lobo to your hitch. A trailer full of racing go-karts, for example.
Or maybe I’ll leave the karts in the trailer and race the Lobo instead. I’ve lost my mind.
Next week: 2025 Ford Bronco Sport
2025 Ford Maverick
Vehicle type: Front engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact pickup
Price: $28,590, including $1,595 destination fee ($36,505 AWD XLT Hybrid and $42,345 AWD Lobo as tested)
Powerplant: Hybrid 2.5-liter 4-cylinder mated to electric motor (XLT); 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder (Lobo)
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. Make that Cricket, bangers and mash and Corvette.
General Motors Co. celebrated the opening of its new international design studio in the United Kingdom Monday with the introduction of a Chevrolet Corvette hypercar concept designed by its British design team. In keeping with GM’s aggressive move into European markets with Corvette and electric Cadillac sales, the ‘Vette design concept is battery-powered though GM says there are no production plans as yet.
The striking UK prototype is the first in a series of Corvette designs that will roll out of multiple studios in 2025 as the brand reimagines its halo car for a ninth generation and beyond. Hypercar generally refers to a sportscar featuring in excess of 1,000 horsepower ― a feat the 1,064 horsepower, 2025 Corvette ZR1 has achieved for the first time.
Chevrolet Corvette Hypercar design concept from UK Studio – front view.
Nick Dimbleby, Chevrolet
The futuristic, British concept bears mid-engine proportions like the current, eight-generation, V-8-powered, C8 sportscar, but GM says that the battery is integrated into the chassis. The low-slung design is lower and about a foot wider than C8.
GM’s design teams regularly work on futuristic concepts intended to drive innovation, and collaboration across the company. The concept also bears signature, throwback design elements like a split window first seen on the rear of the 1963 Corvette. The twist? The concept’s front windshield is split.
“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” said GM Senior Vice President of Global Design Michael Simcoe. “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do ― push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”
The new studio is located in Royal Leamington Spa in the West Midlands region of England about 20 miles south of Birmingham and 100 miles north of London. It’s also about 35 miles west of Silverstone Park where Cadillac F1 has located its Formula One race team and chassis design operations.
Chevrolet Corvette Hypercar design concept from UK Studio – 3/4 view.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
Cadillac is the tip of the spear in the General’s plans to go all-electric, and the luxury brand has its eyes on international markets like Europe backed by the marketing power of its F1 team that will debut for the 2026 season. But Corvette already has significant international exposure through racing, having competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France — as well as other international racing venues ― since 2000 with nine wins at the classic French race to its credit.
Cadillac has opened its flagship showroom in the middle of Paris, and Chevrolet is preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and into mainland Europe.
The 24,584-square-foot studio is intended to further connect GM to European customer and cultural trends by employing fresh talent. The office expands a global design footprint that includes studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea.
“Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles,” said Simcoe. “While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM.”
The UK studio employs 30 team members and is outfitted for both digital and clay model development. The team is led by veteran designer Julian Thomson who has penned noteworthy designs like the Lotus Elise, Land Rover LRX (Evoque) concept, and until 2021 oversaw Jaguar’s advanced design department.
Chevrolet Corvette Hypercar design concept from UK Studio – side view.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
The ‘Vette concept is particularly focused on structural innovation. The design is split in two halves with the upper body focused on Corvette-inspired form and the lower half focused on function and how to integrate the battery into the chassis both structurally and aerodynamically. Even the split window featurre is functional.
“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said designer Thomson. “A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”
The concept itself is a product of 3D-printed, additive manufacturing. Inspired by aviation principles, the body is essentially an inverted aircraft wing that ― without tacked on spoilers and wings ― uses surfacing, dorsal fins, and venting to create downforce, sucking the car to the road.
UK design studio that produced Chevrolet Corvette Hypercar design concept.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
Gull-wing doors open to a sparse, two-seat interior.
Corvette has a history of daring design dating back to the 1964 Duntov Mule, 1961 Mako Shark , 1964 CERV II and 1990 CERV III ― the latter pair foreshadowing the first mid-engined Corvette in 2020.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
San Juan, Puerto Rico — Honda is more than an appliance maker. It has thrilled enthusiasts with racy motorbikes, Civic Type Rs, S2000 sports cars on road — dirt bikes, FourTrax ATVs, Talon side-by-sides off-road.
Now it has an armored, dirt-kicking SUV to tow them. Say hello to the rugged all-wheel-drive Passport SUV with standard orange tow hooks, hood rack, big back seat, 285-horse six-banger — even C-clamp headlights and PASSPORT logo stamping that would make a Ford F-series proud.
‘Bama made. Bam-bam looks.
2026 Honda Passport in Puerta Rico.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Style matters. Sure, you say, Honda enthusiasts have towed bikes to the BMX track with Pilots and Ridgelines but they’ve looked soft compared to bruisers in the paddock next door. Jeep Grand Cherokees, Toyota 4Runners, Detroit pickups.
My 2026 Passport TrailSport tester looks like it just emerged from the ring after 12 rounds with a Grand Cherokee. Square haw, flared hood nostril, all-terrain tires, orange tow hooks, steel bash plates underneath. Built on the same platform as the terrific three-row Pilot TrailSport I scaled red rocks with in Sedona in ‘23, Passport duplicated its sibling’s off-road dexterity in the sun-kissed jungles of Puerta Rico near Humacao.
WHUMP! The reinforced rocker panels absorbed a hit from a mogul and I dangled in midair like a turtle on a tall rock, my wheels spinning. No worries; a fellow Honda traveler threw me a rope lifeline, wrapped it around the tow hooks and dragged me to safety. Note to adventure seekers: bring ropes and pals.
Thanks to torque-vectoring from a pair of rear clutch packs, the 2026 Honda Passport can throw all its torque to one rear wheel to keep motoring on uneven terrain.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
WHUMP! WHUMP! More hits followed along rutted trails. GRONCH! Hill descent control managed the brakes down steep, muddy descents. ROAR! The V-6 charged across a slope, the all-terrain, 31-inch General Grabber tires as sure-footed as Billy goats.
Passport takes the Pilot’s confidence, then turns up the dial on personality. And price.
Sensing white space in the midsize SUV segment as Americans have embraced off-road motoring and other brands — Hyundai, Kia, Chevy — have poured money into EVs (or just left the segment altogether like the Ford Edge), Honda has drawn a bead on segment icons Jeep and Toyota.
Puerta Rico (not unlike the Midwest) was crawling with Grand Cherokees and Toyota 4Runners with their usual blizzard of model trims. Grand Cherokee Summit, Grand Cherokee Altitude, 4Runner Pro, 4Runner Pro Sport, 4Runner Limited. Jeep Grand 4Runner Altitude Hellraiser Pro Donkey Kong!
Get stuck in the 2026 Honda Passport? Just throw a rope through the tow hooks.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Honda takes on this army with three similar, nicely equipped trims: RXL, TrailSport, TrailSport Elite. My TrailSport Elite tester braced for the challenge with familiar Honda tools: tech, room, reliability.
Beginning with its entry-level Civic, Honda has been aggressive about new technology. My Passport is loaded with standard features (including aforementioned items) like Google Built-in, blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, wireless phone apps, 10-speed transmission, leather power-and-heated seats, and rooftop jacuzzi (kidding about that last part).
Complementing the tech is Honda’s upgraded interior ergonomics and materials. Gone are the days of hard plastics on the steering wheel and console. With the Passport’s elevated price comes elevated materials and frame-reinforced seats that were easy on the bones for my looooong island journeys.
The Honda lacks the interior personality of the sleek Jeep and chunky Toyota, but shows attention to detail to match its “Born Wild” mission. Antennas and tailpipes are hidden to avoid off-road scrapes. Doors are configured for deep thermoses. The tablet touchscreen makes satisfying, Audi-like clicking sounds. Interior controls allow you to keep your eyes on the road with beefy climate knobs and raised toggles on the steering wheel.
These features are wrapped in acres of space.
Passport leapfrogs its rivals with best-in-class rear-seat room: There’s a basketball player-friendly 41 inches of legroom. Compare that to 38 inches for the Grand Cherokee and a tight 35 inches for the pickup-based 4Runner.
Where 4Runner excels, of course is its 48 cubic feet of cargo space out back where sister Tacoma’s pickup bed would be — a yawning advantage over Grand’s 37 cubic feet. Passport’s determined to maximize this space.
The hero of this play is Honda chief exterior designer Randall Smock and his design team. If Subaru takes design inspiration from running shoes for its rugged look, then Honda wandered over to the backpack aisle. The result? A squared-off hatchback that will swallow a rhino. Or at least two bicycles (wheels removed). There is 44 cubic feet of space in all.
The 2026 Honda Passport offers a big rear cargo opening – and space for a spare tire and picnic table if optioned.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The backpack complements the bull-nosed front end and its improved 23 inch-approach angle for off-roading. Or just navigating mean streets.
San Juan’s Avenue Isla Verde has the biggest speed bumps I’ve ever seen. They should have signs that read: WARNING: MOUNTAIN CROSSING. My Passport fearlessly attacked the urban hills — the independent rear suspension nicely cushioning the vertical hop — an advantage over solid-rear-axle beasts like 4Runner. When traffic backed up, I nailed the V-6 and the buttery 10-speed transmission helped me vault the congestion.
Like Jeep, Honda has heard from customers that 6-cylinders = premium, and they’ve resisted the urge to downsize to a sippier 4-banger.
I was more careful off-road. Though its underbelly is heavily armed with steel plates, Passport’s bold jaw is more exposed. But it’s not made of glass.
The 2026 Honda Passport gets a more rugged look to compete against the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The short front end managed a series of steep inclines with ease. More fun is the all-wheel-drive system. True to its mission of offering a daily driver with off-road capability, the AWD Honda doesn’t offer a low-speed transfer case like Jeep/Toyota. But it does offer torque vectoring. Ooooooh.
Off-roaders and Michigan winter warriors take note.
Twin clutch packs can sling up to 100% of traction from one rear wheel to the other depending on need. This is the kind of stuff that used to be exclusive to Audis and track hellions like the (sorely missed) Ford Focus RS.
Climb your driveway and hit an icy patch? The clutches will send traction to the grippier tire so you don’t lose momentum. I watched this in real time on Puerto Rico’s trails when a TrailSport in front of me lifted his right rear tire completely off the ground — and the suspended tire stopped spinning as all torque went to the grounded tire. Acura has used twin clutch packs; now Honda is in on the premium game.
The 2026 Honda Passport offers good climate controls for easy use.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Torque vectoring is particularly useful in Puerto Rico sand — or in The Sandbox at Holly Oaks ORV Park in Oakland County. Take the family, explore the park, climb trails … then pull out the (optional) picnic table in back and have lunch.
The table is decorated (more attention to detail) in the same topographical relief as Honda’s Barstow, California, off-road Baja racing grounds. A nice conversation piece when Honda motorbike riders drop by. Or when you take the ute to a football tailgate.
Passport is comfortable in both worlds.
2026 Honda Passport
Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $46,200, including $1,495 destination fee ($53,900 TrailSport Elite as tested)
San Francisco — Twenty-five years from now at the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Cadilac Optiq will get noticed. Blingstastic Caddies are back.
If the electric Tesla Model 3/Y is obsessed with Apple-like simplicity (look, Ma, no steering wheel stalks), then the Caddy is a celebration of good ol’ fashioned American glitz. If Model Y is Frank Lloyd Wright, then Optiq is Fox Theatre. One is Rothco, the other Rubens. Simple Y vs. exotic Optiq.
Optiq wants to be noticed. It’s the cure for the common Tesla.
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq can hit 60 mph in just over 5 seconds.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After all, it’s the entry-level vehicle of an electric brand whose patriarch is the ultimate blingmeister: the ginormous Escalade IQ. In an electric luxury segment defined by pioneer Tesla, America’s most iconic luxury brand wants to take it back for good ol’ American swagger. It’s great to see the automaker that invented the fin-tailed Eldorado leaning into its ol’ luxury self.ye
Shield grille, vertical LED headlights, split vertical taillights, raked windshield, graphic-etched C-pillar, 21-inch tires. Optiq is uniq.
Here in the birthplace of Tesla, the Optiq’s features shadow the Model Y’s every move. Locked in traffic on I-580 north of Berkeley, I engaged Super Cruise and crawled along hands-free in paralyzing Bay Area traffic, using the idle time to glance at email and texts. I say glance because the Cadilac still demands that you maintain attention via a camera mounted on the steering column. For good reason.
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq returns the brand to blingtastic, busy grille designs of old – complete with colorful interiors.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Though surrounded by a moat of radar (five front, five rear) and camera sensors, hands-free systems ain’t perfect. Aggressive commuters cut in and out of traffic. A Honda cut across my bow, then exited to the right lane. After it passed, the Cadillac sped up to close the gap in front of me. Too fast. I hit the brakes to prevent the Caddy from SLAMMING them on when it realized another wall of traffic loomed. On such subtleties are humans superior.
GM’s Super Cruise has been superior to Tesla’s Autopilot, forcing the latter to catch up with hands-free driving utilizing a similar camera monitoring system. The Caddy still lags Tesla’s navigation skills, however, and the Optiq — unlike Tesla — won’t navigate to my interstate exit across the Bay Bridge.
I surveyed the roomy cabin around me, and it is impressive. While I find the exterior a tad busy, the Optiq’s interior designers should win a Home & Garden award.
Fancy. The 2025 Cadillac Optiq can be optioned with a blue interior made up of multiple fabrics.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Mrs. Payne swooned when I texted her a picture of my leather & felt blue interior. Like any modern upscale living room, Otpiq has lots of space (best-in-compact-class rear legroom and cargo area) and is engorged with technology.
Jumbotron screen? Check out the 33-inch dash display. Intuitive remote and touchscreen controls? Check. Computer tablet? Check. I dragged my most-used icons around the infotainment display home screen. Alexa device? Check. Hey, Google, tell me a joke.
What is a bunny rabbit’s favorite kind of music? Hip hop.
Stereo? Check, 19 AKG speakers littered about the cabin. Dolby Atmos? Check.
Wait, what? Dolby Atmos?
Yes, Atmos, the cutting-edge sound system like you see you in big cineplexes. Like Mercedes and Lucid, Cadillac has worked with the San Francisco-based audio icon to bring a curated sound space to Optiq like a movie theater. The successor to Surround Sound, Dolby’s “object-based,” 3D audio system enables technicians to remix music tracks and separate individual instruments — vocals, drums — then place them around you as if you were in the midst of a studio recording.
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq self-drives on Super Cruise over the Bay Bridge.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
On the Amazon Music app (Apple, Tidal also available. Spotify, Sirius XM coming.), I scrolled a playlist and selected Queen’s classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Freddie Mercury vocals up front, drums in back, chorus in middle. I found everything from the B-52s’ “Love Shack” to Ray Charles’ “Fever” available in Atmos. Remixed, fresh. Cool.
What’s that, you ask? How does the Optiq drive?
The Cadillac is better understood as a rolling living room than a corner carver. Like I said, Cadillac has rediscovered its luxury roots. Want an athlete? Buy a 4,200-pound CT5-V Series and take it to Hell (Michigan) and back. It’s a treat.
The Optiq? Not so much. With an 85-kWh hour battery under the floorboards, the entry-level EV weighs a whopping 25% more — 1,000 pounds — than CT5. The weight increase mirrors the whopping $13,000 sticker hike over the gas-powered XT4 SUV as Cadillac electrifies its prices.
I felt Optiq’s girth climbing twisty Route 1 north of San Francisco along the Pacific coast. The heavy chassis wallowed through an S-turn before I punched the throttle, accessing 354 pound-feet-of torque. ZOT! I shot downhill to a hairpin turn and — Whoa! Bessie, whoa!
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq offers a full panoramic roof.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The two-and-half ton ox skidded and clawed at the pavement with all-season tires. Corner survived. This is a Woodward Dream Cruiser, all right. Gobs of straight-line acceleration out of stoplights, but when the country calls … settle back into the blue couch, spin the jewel-encrusted rotary dial, select REGEN for one-pedal driving, and turn up Atmos.
And turn down arrival expectations.
With 150 miles of charge on the battery, I navigated from the lush grasslands of Inverness, California on Route 1 to Los Angeles — a 415-mile trip. Unlike, say, its retiring, 477-mile range XT4 peer, Optiq can’t make the journey on a single five-minute stop. The Caddy’s 302-mile range requires three (reminder: it’s most efficient to charge to 80% rather than the full 100% like an ICE).
Those three stops would add another 70 minutes to the seven-hour journey. Buy Optiq for its serene driving experience around the metro area, then plan road trips with charger-stop breaks for lunch, etc. Tesla’s secret sauce is its charging network, and now that GM has access to Tesla chargers, it helps assuage range anxiety with its superb software.
Wherever I drove around the Bay Area, the Caddy’s Google Built-nav system was Tesla’s equal in locating chargers (though beware less reliable networks like EVGo and Electrify America where chargers are often broken).
At a porky 5,200 pounds, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq is no corner-carver.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Arrive at a charger and the graceful Optiq is less coordinated than Tesla. Its charge port is behind the front wheel, meaning you can’t just back up to, say, a Tesla Supercharger and slip the lightweight NACS connector into the port. The Caddy requires some muscle to — not only stretch the cable to the middle of the car — but also to attach the bulky CCS charger.
GM is building more gas station-like chargers and plans to outfit future EVs with the NACS port. But in a competitive ICE vs. EV marketplace, buyers want the future to be now.
In a quarter-century, Cruisers will honor 2025 as the year Cadillac transformed to a full-line EV brand. Optiq is electriq.
Next week: 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport
2025 Cadillac Optiq
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $54,390, including $1,495 destination fee ($60,115 Sport 2 as tested)
Powerplant: 85 kWh lithium-ion battery with twin electric-motor drive
Power: 300 horsepower, 354 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Single-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.2 seconds (Car and Driver est.); trailering capacity, 1,500 pounds.; top speed, 112 mph
Weight: 5,192 pounds (base)
Fuel economy: EPA MPGe NA; range, 302 miles
Report card
Highs: Posh, high-tech interior; Google Built-in electric navigation
Lows: Heavy; gateway starting price over $50K
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Canton Township and San Francisco — Motown has long been a source of great cars and entertainment. So it’s only fitting that Metro Detroit-based Cadillac and Emagine theaters are on the cutting edge of sound.
Premium brands in their respective industries, Warren-based Cadillac and Troy’s Emagine Entertainment have deployed Dolby Atmos, the hot thing from the San Francisco-based audio wizards. General Motors Co.’s luxury brand is introducing the object-based audio system — joining competitors Mercedes-Benz AG and Lucid Motors — into its new electric vehicle lineup, beginning with the entry-level 2025 Optiq.
The curated cabin experience will be familiar to Emagine moviegoers. The ninth-biggest movie chain in the United States, Emagine was one of the first to introduce Atmos over a decade ago.
San Francisco – In Dolby Lab’s Atmos theater at its San Francisco HQ, Dolby introduces the partnership between the audio company and Cadillac in bringing Atmos into its luxury vehicles.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Experience Disney’s latest release, “Snow White,” in Emagine’s biggest-in-Michigan, 95-foot screen, 74-speaker, Super EMAX Canton theater and birds chirp overhead while Snow sings in the forest. Or view Warner Brothers’ new movie “Mickey 17” in another Emagine Atmos theater where characters appear to speak from theater seats, putting ticket-holders in the center of the action.
Drive an Atmos-equipped, 19-speaker Cadillac Optiq, select Queen’s rock ‘n’ roll classic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and you’ll hear it like never before. Lead singer Freddie Mercury belts out vocals from the dashboard:
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
A piano plays from the rear seat, then the chorus hovers in the middle of the cabin:
No, we will not let you go!
Sopranos in back:
Let him goooooooo!
Freddie up front:
Mama Mia! Mama Mia!
It’s a fresh, immersive, 21st-century digital remix of a 1975 song inside a 2025 EV.
“A couple years ago, Dolby introduced us to Dolby Atmos music,” Optiq Chief Engineer John Cockburn said. “There were Grammy Award-winning mixing engineers there, and it became very clear to us that the whole music industry was transitioning into this recording format.”
Atmos is best understood as three-dimensional sound, where audio engineers use Dolby digital tools to separate sounds — vocals, drums, guitars, airplanes, race cars, and so on — into three-dimensional objects that can be moved individually through space. Simply put, sound is no longer limited to a specific speaker.
“I could do a cinema analogy,” said Cockburn, sitting inside an Optiq outside Dolby’s San Francisco headquarters. “It would be like a helicopter flying over your head, and you can hear that helicopter moving through space. The musicians are doing the same thing.”
Emagine has been flying helicopters over moviegoers’ heads since it installed its first Atmos system in one of its Royal Oak theaters in 2013. Like Cadillac, it was introduced to Atmos at an industry trade show.
At Emagine Entertainment’s Canton cinneplex, the 95-foot screen Super EMAX theater uses Dolby Atmos. CEO Paul Glantz reads from a cue screen in a theater ad promoting the technology.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“I thought it was really cool, and that we had to get on board with this,” said Emagine CEO Paul Glantz, standing in the middle of Canton’s 300-seat Super IMAX theater. “We were a very early adopter and one of the first 100 installations in the world.”
Atmos is the latest in a decades-long evolution of theater technology, beginning with the introduction of stereo in the late 1940s, said Emagine Chief Entertainment Technologist Tom Ruhling. Surround Sound — which equipped theaters with front, side and rear speakers (or “channels,” to use industry jargon) — followed, debuting in 1979 with Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic, “Apocalypse Now.
“We saw society trends, and we boldly went there,” said Cadillac’s Cockburn. “We are creating a luxury experience.”
So, too, is Emagine, which has grown since its 1997 founding to become one of the biggest theater chains in the country, with 28 Midwest locations across Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In 2005, it was the first theater chain to adopt all-digital projection.
The 19-speaker cabin in the 2025 Cadillac Optiq uses the 7.1.4 channel Dolby Atmos standard to play music in a 3D form.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Curating an Atmos environment requires creating a 360-degree sound field by coordinating Dolby’s processors and software with an array of speakers. Upgrading from last-generation Surround Sound, Atmos speakers pepper the auditorium on front/side/rear walls — and, inherent to Atmos — hanging like bats from the ceiling.
“An Atmos system brings the addition of height with ceiling speakers,” Ruhling said. “Audio objects can then be moved anywhere in the theater, adding effect and realism.”
Movie studios use Dolby’s digital tools to mix movie soundtracks that maximize the new hardware arrays.
In the case of the automobile, Cadillac not only worked with Dolby on speaker placement (a so-called 7.1.4 system made up of seven surround channels, subwoofer and four high channels) but coordinated with music services that support the Atmos format.
Emagine Entertainment CEO Paul Glantz has been an industry pioneer in using Dolby Atmos in his theaters.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“(Dolby engineers) connected us to top recording engineers and mixers so we could learn exactly what the creative side is thinking,” Cockburn said. “From there, we knew … we needed to create an actual studio environment in the car. We know where people are sitting.”
Amazon Music, Apple Music and TIDAL are the first streaming services to offer Atmos music as studios mix not just new tracks but older music, too. Cadillac has embedded the Amazon app in Optiq SUVs so customers can take advantage of the fast-growing library of Atmos songs. Meanwhile, Dolby is working with other streaming services so they, too, can deliver Atmos songs.
Inside Dolby Laboratory’s 63,000-square-foot San Francisco headquarters, Grammy Award-nominated recording engineer and Universal Music Group’s Director of Audio Engineering Nick Rives demonstrated how engineers mix a song in a 7.1.4 channel Atmos studio. Dolby sells its Atmos tools to record labels, movie studios, auto companies and other professionals to perfect Atmos for different environments.
Ultimately, Dolby’s biggest audience is home theater systems from which customers can enjoy the Atmos 7.1.4 experience from their couch. In addition to music streaming services, video streaming services Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus are compatible with Atmos.
Dolby Atmos fits the Cadillac brand’s history of tech innovation. The 2025 Cadillac Optiq also employs hands-free Super Cruise.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“It’s a brilliant move by Dolby to move into cars as well as theaters,” said Glantz, “because ultimately, the real value is to sell consumers in the home.”
Auto and movie theater environments scale the 7.1.4 format for their own multi-speaker environments.
“We recently took an Optiq to the National Association of Music Merchants (trade show), which is a who’s who of the recording industry,” said Cadillac’s Cockburn. “Surprise! Why is there a car here? Because most people hear music in the car. We’re getting a resounding response (from the recording industry) about what we had created.”
After the now-on-sale Optiq, Cadillac plans to expand Atmos into the rest of its EV lineup, which also comes standard with hands-free Super Cruise driver-assist tech.
“When you have Dolby Atmos playing and Super Cruise is going down the road, the traffic doesn’t matter anymore,” grinned Cockburn. “It is such a luxury experience.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Aspen, Colorado — With snow piled three feet on either side of a mountain trail, I punched twin ceiling buttons to activate front/rear differential lockers on my 2025 Ineos Grenadier tester. GRRRRRRRR! With all four wheels churning in unison in low gear, the British beast charged across the white landscape.
Grenadier may have been born to take on the arid grasslands of Africa, but this Brit feels right at home in America.
For generations, we Yanks have fallen in love with English-made Land Rover 4x4s featured in the movie “Born Free,” National Geographic documentaries and African safari trips. The boxy, rugged, lovable Grenadier is a Rover for a new generation of adventure-seekers.
The 2025 Ineos Grenadier is on sale in 50 countries with the United States making up 60% of sales so far.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Grenadier is as familiar as a brawny Jeep Wrangler, as exotic as the BMW drivetrain under its hood, as quirky as a pith-helmeted safari guide. Indeed, it was inspired by Ineos chairman and adventure-seeker Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his safaris with veteran South African guide Charles Van Rensburg. The two friends mourned the passing of the iconic, ladder-framed, solid-axle Land Rover Defender in 2016 (which was finally succeeded by a softer, unibody, independent-suspension SUV in 2020).
The pair brainstormed a Rover replacement that could not only deflect charging elephant tusks on Botswana expeditions (Van Rensburg told me this happens a couple times a year) but also wow U.S. luxury buyers with a hip daily driver. Marshaling the capital resources of petrochemical giant Ineos Group Ltd., billionaire Ratcliffe sought to recreate the Defender to repopulate African safari fleets — and global garages.
The result is Grenadier — a Jeep with an English accent, powered by a German BMW inline-6, and loaded with Ratcliffe’s personality.
Appropriately, this gas-swiggin’, upscale Wrangler has a sibling, the Quartermaster pickup that echoes Jeep’s Gladiator.
The 2025 Ineos Grenadier comes standard with 4WD, all-terrain tires, and off-road toughness.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I flogged both all over Aspen’s Rocky Mountains and they performed like they had lived there as long as imported European draft horses. Like the World War II-born Jeep and Land Rovers, Grenadier and Quartermaster take their names from English military tradition.
The twins differ only in that the Quartermaster sports a 5.1-foot box out back and reduced rear-seat legroom — in keeping with the cramped back seats of midsize competitors like the GMC Canyon AT4, Chevy Colorado ZR2 and Ford Ranger Raptor.
Step up into Grenadier’s cockpit 10.5 inches off the ground and drop into a WW2 Lancaster aircraft. A waterfall of switches, buttons and dials roll down the console controlling climate, radio, altimeter and more. Altimeter? Yes, the round gauge registered 9,532 feet in the Rockies.
Ratcliffe is also an avid sailor, so naturally the dash is bracketed by red and green hash marks designating, respectively, port and starboard in accordance with maritime colors. Aye aye, Captain.
The 2025 Ineos Grenadier is a two-row SUV with a roomy cabin in front and back. The Quartermaster pickup is much tighter in the backseat.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Overhead are more buttons and switches to manage the aforementioned off-road tools as well as external add-ons like winches and lights. Screens? You get one — atop the dash like a piece of bread that just popped out of a toaster. The Ineos is simple, quirky, mechanical, cool.
I awoke the Lancaster bomber — er, SUV — with an old-fashioned turn-key and thought about running down the airplane checklist with my co-pilot.
Four-wheel drive?
Check.
Altimeter?
Check.
Center differential?
Check.
Twin 12-volt batteries under the rear seat in case one expires in the bush?
Check.
BMW monostable shifter?
Check. What the-?
The idea for the 2025 Ineos Grenadier was birthed in the Grenadier Pub in England by Ineos Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, an avid safari adventurer.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
A small-volume automaker, Ineos shopped for a third-party engine with performance, reliability, brand cache. Cue the 3.0-liter, 281-horsepower, 331-torque, turbocharged inline-6 cylinder ubiquitous in BMWs and paired with that eight-speed automatic monostable shifter. It stands out like a greyhound in a horse barn.
It works. WAAAUHGGHGH! The automatic flicked off buttery shifts up a Rocky Mountain four-lane. More importantly, the monostable quickly engages NEUTRAL so you can engage the big, black transfer-care shifter and shove it into LOW when:
– a blizzard blows in out of nowhere- an off-road trail calls- you need to ford 30 inches of water.
The monostable is accompanied by a rotary BMW-like iDrive dial, which comes in handy when you are heaving over off-road moguls, rendering the touchscreen useless. Bimmer details aide, the Grenadier/Quartermaster exudes testosterone.
The 2025 Ineos Grenadier has a pickup sibling, the Quartermaster. They share everything – except the Quartermaster features a 5.5-foot bed, tailgate and smaller backseat.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The front bumper is made in three pieces so that if — you know, an elephant tusk tears off a corner, then the whole bumper won’t fall off. The steel hood and roof support 350 pounds in case you want to climb up the rear ladder (or pickup bed) and survey the Serengeti while your three Labrador Retrievers nap on the warm hood.
The doors feature MOLLE webbing (as does the cargo bay) so your safari guide can hang baggage off the side. The 17-inch steely wheels (18s optional) are wrapped in 32-inch all-terrain tires so you can survive Colorado creek beds — and Detroit potholes. Then there’s a recessed handle above each of the four doors so you can strap down equipment, Christmas trees, and safari trophy kills to the roof.
More clever features abound like the 30-70 rear cabinet doors, so you can just open one side when you are, say, trailering the Ineo’s 7,716-pound limit. Peek under the Ineos and it wears bright red underwear — the color of its ladder frame.
At 6’7” tall, Grenadier has no more ambition to pull corner g-loads than your kitchen toaster. And its Wrangler-like solid axles mean it has all the on-road driving verve of a tractor. With just 15 mpg fuel economy, the three-ton rhino will need to visit a watering hole every 355 miles.
The 2025 Ineos Grenadier has a ceiling-full of switches to control drive modes and three differential lockers. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
As its dimensions suggest, Grenadier focuses on offering utilitarian — not performance — upgrades.
A smorgasbord of options are available for all three trims — base Station Wagon, Fieldmaster and Trailmaster. Options include twin sunroofs, snorkel, roof racks, hood pads (so your Labs don’t slip) and shovel. Its 115-foot wheelbase is competitive with Jeeps and old Defenders — not only good for breakover angles off-road, but also for urban parking.
Alas, safety goodies like blind-spot assist and adaptive cruise control are unavailable in keeping with its simplicity theme (finding a service station that can fix electronics is a bear in the African jungle) — but will be missed in the urban jungle. The good news is the same big, square windows Grenadier needs for safari visibility also aid urban visibility.
And Sir Jim has equipped the Grenadier with a secondary red TOOT button on the steering wheel so that you can politely warn a bicyclist that you’re coming without leaning into the horn.
How very British. And very welcome to the American safari.
Next week: 2025 Cadillac Optiq
2025 Ineos Grenadier and Quartermaster
Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV and pickup
Price: $76,700, including $1,600 destination fee (Grenadier); $85,500, including $1,600 destination fee (Quartermaster)
Power plant: 3.0-liter, turbocharged, inline-6 cylinder
Power: 281 horsepower, 331 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed manual
Performance (Grenadier): 0-60 mph, 7.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing; 7,716 pounds;. top speed: 99 mph
Performance (Quartermaster): 0-60 mph, 8.6 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing, 7,716 pounds; payload, 1,889 pounds; top speed: 99 mph
Weight: 5,901 pounds (Grenadier as tested); 5,900-6,000 pounds (Quartermaster, est.)
San Francisco — The Cadillac Escalade V is the King of Bling. The Lord of Loud. The Knight of Noise. Stomp its massive, 685-horse V-8 — WAUUUUFFRGGH! — and it will alert every patrol car within a 25-mile radius. V for Volume.
The Escalade IQ is its silent partner.
Mat the accelerator and the scenery blurs, your eyeballs flatten . . . and there is no sound. Except for the — PLOP! — of the dude’s jaw on the ground that you left behind at the stoplight. IQ for Incredibly Quiet.
2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
A trophy car of the rich and famous, the Escalade has long defined excess and the IQ is a welcome member of the family. It boasts the usual supersized Escalade wardrobe — 55-inch screen, second-seat Executive package, automatic doors and then adds a few more attributes:
9,000 pounds
A mammoth 200 kWh battery that uses half of the world’s lithium
24-inch wheels the size of a NASA satellite dish
Frunk-tastic 12.2 cubic feet of space where the engine used to be
The 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ brings whisper-quiet, battery-powered performance to the GM luxury brand’s flagship SUV. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
But for all its size, what separates IQ from its hulking sibling is how small it feels. Yes, small. Cruising through crowded San Francisco streets, IQ feels stable. Escalade V puts its V-8 boat anchor up front, while the IQ stores its monster battery below deck. Batteries are the bane of smaller EVs like the porky Cadillac Optiq, which weighs 25% more than a comparable, gas-fired XT4, and you feel its girth on road.
But in a land yacht the size of an Escalade, the IQ’s lower center of gravity is welcome. Docking at a typically tight San Francisco service station off Lombard Street, I used the beast’s rear-wheel-steer to deftly maneuver around the pumps, cars and bollards to find a parking space — next to a compact car. The 360-degree camera helped me position the Caddy perfectly. As I negotiated the space, electronic pulses in the seat (a standard feature on Caddies) provided additional reassurance of my proximity to my wee neighbor — or even when a pedestrian approached at close range.
Take an on-ramp onto a California four-lane with 785 pound-feet of torque and — ZOT! — merge with authority. Then settle into hands-free Super Cruise. IQ OMG.
This nimbleness is complemented by a sportier design than the gas-powered skyscraper. Thanks to the electric Ultium platform shared with its smaller Optiq and Lyriq siblings, IQ also shares those vehicles’ design cues.
Raked windshield. Narrow greenhouse. Fast back. Illuminated Black Crystal Shield grille.
The Escalade IQ’s sleek interior comes loaded with tech. The Command Center is where you access features that include opening all four doors of this massive SUV. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Significantly, Cadillac has not starved the gas-fired Escalade as it has the XT4, XT5 and XT6 SUVs that are headed out the door. The Escalade family shares the same toys and they are fun to play with.
Walking up to my pearl white Escalade IQ tester, I squeezed the door handle and it swung out automatically to let me in. Once inside, I pressed the brake pedal and the door swung shut behind me. What is this, a haunted mansion?
The 55-inch display dominates the interior, but the smaller, thin console tablet — the Command Center — is a real jewel. It enables access to — not just climate — but goodies like those magic doors so that you can adjust settings and even open and close all four doors without leaving the driver’s seat.
Its operation is typical of the attention to ergonomic detail (remember those buzzing seats?) that has made GM products easy to use — beginning with moving the electronic shifter to the steering wheel to open console room for the tablet.
Gettin’ frunky with it: The Escalade IQ offers storage space up front where its ICE sibling has an engine. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Navigating heavy Frisco traffic, I manipulated steering wheel controls without ever looking down. Adaptive cruise control speed and distance controls are located on raised, studded toggle switches. Less-used items like heated steering wheel and Super Cruise are located by braille.
The parity between Escalade ICE and IQ — at a time when the rest of the brand’s SUV portfolio is going all EV — appears an acknowledgement that these mega-utes are travel workhorses and Escalade ICE is a superior product even though the EV has longer range — 460 miles — range than the 432-mile V-8. Tow boats behind these oxen and they will both get 50% of that range — but Escalade ICE is much quicker to fill to a full tank. On a long-range trip, that’s gold.
The Escalade IQ’s charging port is positioned for easy access to public chargers. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I pulled into an EVGo charger in a San Francisco parking garage and noted Caddy IQ’s decision to locate the charger (unlike the Lyriq and Optiq) at the left rear corner. Smaht. It’s much easier to plug in the IQ this way — especially at Tesla chargers where Cadillac now has access (assuming you have an adapter for the IQ’s bulky CCS plug).
Alas, the EVGo didn’t work, a typical problem for the country’s non-Tesla charging network.
The good news is IQ’s native navi system (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not welcome here) will find chargers quickly as well as map your road trip with charger stops.
Take a 230-mile ride up north to your Traverse City cottage for the summer and range anxiety won’t be a factor — especially if you install a 240-volt charger in the cottage. The same rear-wheel-steer that makes IQ maneuverable in parking lots also allows ACTIVE STEER — aka CRABWALK to use the GMC Hummer vernacular.
Initiate ACTIVE STEER in the IQ screen and the land yacht will execute a neat party trick: shuffling side-to-side down the street of your cul-de-sac. Drive to the country club and the frunk will swallow two golf bags. Try that in the V8-powered V series. The ICE, however, gets its laugh thanks to a $89,590 starting price that’s well south of the IQ’s $129,990 when it goes on sale.
King of Bling or Queen of Quiet, it’s nice to have choices. And if the IQ’s silence is too much, you can go into MY MODE in the screen and select SPORT. It won’t wake the neighbors with a roar like the V, but it lets off a satisfying GRRRRR.
2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, seven-passenger SUV
Price: $129,990 including $2,290 destination fee ($150,000 est., Sport 2/Lux as tested)
Powerplant: 200 kWh lithium-ion battery with single rear or dual electric-motor drive
Pontiac―When the auto industry zagged toward electric SUVs, Volvo zigged to an X60 plug-in hybrid station wagon.
Sleek looks, hatchback utility, electric smoothness, no range anxiety.
After plugging into the 220-volt charger in my garage for four hours, the V60’s battery was fully charged to 40 miles — enough to get my daily chores done on battery power alone, but with another 490 miles of gas range in reserve should I need to take a road trip to, say, northern Michigan.
Freight train. The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered is very quick with 4.1-second 0-60 mph run and terrific, AWD torque off corners.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Volvo wants to do it all. Which explains the absurdly long name: Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered. Let’s break it down.
➤V60. The V designates Volvo’s wagon class as opposed to the S60 sedan or XC60 SUV. It’s a handsome thing. The $51,490 V60 starts as a Cross Country model with a higher, SUV-like stance to accommodate easier entry and egress. Step up to my stealth-black, performance-focused $72,445 Polestar Engineered tester, and the V60 steps down to a more aggressive stance. Approach the rear with its bat-wing vertical lights and the V60 looks ready to rumble. V for vroom.
The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered is a utility wagon in an SUV age. But its low stance and big power make it a credible performance car.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
➤T8 eAWD. A lot of treats to unpack here. T is short for Twin Engine, meaning the Volvo carries a combined gas-and-electric drivetrain that can be used independently or in tandem. The Swede uses the same all-wheel-drive drivetrain concept as the Chevy Corvette E-Ray — but in reverse. Where the Corvette uses its mid-mounted V-8 engine to drive the rear wheels and an electric motor to drive the fronts, V60 T8 uses its front, turbo-4 cylinder engine to drive the front wheels and the electric motor to drive the rears.
The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered combines electric motors and a turbo-4 engine for a remarkable 523 pound-feet of torque, more than double the standard turbo-4 Cross Country model.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
➤Polestar Engineered. The gas/electric double whammy leads to some impressive performance numbers. While the standard Cross Country model boasts a respectable 247 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque, adding the electric motor bumps those numbers to 455 horsepower and 526 torque. With the e-motor proving low-end torque-fill, the V60 accelerates like Thor’s Hammer with Car and Driver clocking a 4.1 second 0-60 sprint.
Better act fast―2025 is the last year for the Polestar Engineered model. Volvo’s decided to zig to EV SUVs.
Sinister Swede. The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered dressed in black with Thor’s Hammer headlights presents a menacing look to complement its prodigious power.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
➤What’s it like, Payne? Driving the V60 T8 is like unwrapping a new toy. Follow the instructions and there are all kinds of fun features to discover. Like Easter eggs, Volvo likes to hide them.
Install a $2,000 charger in your garage and you can fill up the battery each night like a smartphone. With 41 miles of charge at my disposal, I went deep. Deep into the Settings (that little gear Easter Egg in the bottom right of the vertical 12-inch dash screen) where I chose PURE mode for the battery part of the twin-drive chain. Then I chose ALWAYS START IN PURE ON STARTUP so that — when I returned to the car with an armful of groceries — the Volvo would automatically start in battery-only mode.
It’s a 14.9-kWh battery — not a 75-kWh moose like my AWD Tesla Model 3 — so don’t go drag-racing anyone on Woodward, but the Swede glided ‘round town like Zetterberg on skates. No gearshifts, no droning CVT transmission, just silky electric power.
Expect your mileage to vary depending on temperature, but I managed 90% of range (37 miles) in the metro area as I cruised roads as diverse as Telegraph, I-696 and two-lane city streets.
Monostable shifters have come a long way from BMW’s first awkward efforts, and Volvo’s tool is a class act. Make that glass act. Swedish glass maker Orrefors crafts the shift knob for Volvo, and I flicked it back and forth between R-N-D-B.
Wait, B?
B for Brake. It’s another Easter Egg — for brake regeneration — so you can one-pedal drive the V60 using the electric motor’s resistance as you brake (and put charge back into the battery at the same time. I told you this was a fun toy). Regen is a common EV feature popularized by the Chevy Bolt and Tesla, but Volvo extends one-pedal driving to its gas-electric hybrid mode as well. Just select B — instead of D — whenever you drive forward.
When the battery runs out, the Volvo defaults to HYBRID mode using the gas engine (which, by itself, will get you a healthy 490 miles). But POLESTAR mode unleashes the full potential of the T8 twins.
Select POLESTAR (inside the Settings screen) and the V60 suspension noticeably stiffens. The steering wheel gets heavier, the exhaust note lower.
The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that powers the front wheels with gas, the rear with an electric motor.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Grrr. Awright, Payne, enough of this green cruisin’, let’s terrorize some Priuses.
The full 525 pound-feet of torque comes on in a rush. I’m generally critical of rough Volvo transmissions, but the electric motor’s torque-fill tidies that up. ZOT! This Volvo goes.
Look closely and you’ll see big, gold Brembo brakes behind the wheels — a giveaway that this is a Swede with teeth.
Point the Volvo toward a road trip and Google Maps will be your guide. The Swedish automaker has adopted Google Built-In to run its infotainment system like General Motors and Honda. The system is as familiar to use as Android Auto on your phone, but is programmed to help you find, say, a gas station when you need gas.
Your fellow travelers may be less impressed by the V60’s rear seat, which is tight for six-footers. Need more interior room? Consider the bigger V90 wagon across the showroom for a similar $70K price — though the V90 doesn’t come with a T8 plug-in option like the V60.
The Volvo V60 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered suffers from tight legroom for tall people.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That plug-in option is what makes the V60 Polestar Engineered a genuine performance option alongside other segment hotties like the Audi RS5 hatchback, Audi A6 Allroad wagon and Mercedes E-Class Wagon.
V60 is Jekyll and Hyde in a nice wagon suit. It allows you to glide around all day in respectable green company with its electric motor. Then switch to POLESTAR hellion mode when you need a fossil fuel fix.
Like a Swedish hockey player, the handsome V60 is understated on the outside, a fiery competitor inside.
Price: $51,495, including destination fee ($72,445 T8 eAWD Polestar Engineered as tested)
Power plant: 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder (V60 Cross Country); 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder with two electric motors and 14.9-kWh battery (Polestar Engineered as tested)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.1 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed: 113 mph
Weight: 4,494 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 23 city/30 highway/26 combined (Cross Country); 30 city/33 highway/31 combined (Polestar Engineered); Range (gas-electric combined): 530 miles
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