Charlotte, North Carolina — Wild horses gotta run.
RAAAAWRRR! I flattened the throttle of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R out of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield track and onto the front straight. The mighty 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 exhaust echoed off the grandstand as I tore past 100 mph on the way to the moon.
Alas, like a spine-tingling Adele aria, all straightaways must come to an end, and I stomped on the giant 15.4-inch Brembo brakes, which slowed the two-ton missile — like NOW! — into a hard, 90-degree hairpin. Retrieving my eyeballs from the dash, I surveyed the stallion beneath me.
This is a Mustang race car.
2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
America’s favorite pony car has long competed in GT4 racing, but with the introduction of its global, top-drawer Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona-winning GT3 racer, Ford is taking Mustang racing to an elite level. Welcome to the Mustang race car lineup.
The production Mustang lineup, of course, starts with the 315-horsepower, 2.3-liter, turbocharged, 4-cylinder Ecoboost at $33,515, with standard wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 25.6-inch twin screen display and cloth seats. Then you can walk up the trim line to the 480-horse, 5.0-liter V8-powered, $47,055 GT, followed by the 500-horsepower, V8-powered Dark Horse and $300,000, 815-horsepower GTD.
If you want to go racing, Dark Horse R is your gateway drug.
2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car is the entry-level Mustang Challenge racer behind Mustang’s GT4 and GT3 race cars.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My V8-powered Dark Horse R tester costs $146,595 for entry into the Mustang Challenge race series — including a trip this year to France’s iconic Le Mans race track.. Get hooked and more powerful thrills await: the $250,000 Mustang GT4 race car followed by the 495-horse GT3 racer with a price tag around $550,000. In addition to the horses, expect your racing budget to top six figures as well with GT3 race teams likely spending over $1 million for a season of racing against competition like Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage, Chevy Corvette Z06 and Ferrari 296. Bring a fat wallet — or sponsors with fat wallets.
The common thread through all production and race cars is the spot-welded chassis — aka the body-in-white — that emerges from Flat Rock Assembly. Then the ‘Stangs get sent off to different stables to be bred as pure race cars: the Dark Horse R to Watson Engineering in Brownstown Township; the GT4 to Multimatic in Markham, Ontario; and GT3 to Multimatic’s Mooresville, North Carolina, shop not far from Charlotte Motor Speedway
Then the engineers add — and subtract — technology to make my R into an asphalt-eating cyborg.
2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I hammered the impressive 3,949-pound production Mustang Dark Horse around Charlotte a year ago. Physically, R looks similar, save for a lower stance and tweaks like a more prominent front splitter, rear wing and tow hooks. But under the skin, it’s been heavily modified. Beginning with the interior.
You thought a narrow-greenhouse production Mustang had blind spots? Encased in a full-face helmet and HANS safety device, I was strapped to a high-bolster Recaro racing seat by a six-point Sparco harness and surrounded by a full roll cage and left window-netting.
I peered out the front window. Deep-sea submersibles have better window visibility.
The seventh-generation Mustang showcases the most high-tech interior ever seen in the pony car with those hoodless digital screens sprawling across the dashboard featuring wireless smartphone navigation and lush graphics by Unreal Engine. The R couldn’t give a damn.
Sparse cockpit of the 2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It rips out all this hardware, saving about 350 pounds in the process. Racers only need to navigate a racecourse. A simple MoTec display sits atop the quick-release racing steering wheel. I secured the wheel and pushed the starter button. WHOOOOOM! The V-8 exploded to life.
While the six-speed manual-transmission-controlled powertrain is similar to that of the production 500-horse Dark Horse, the race car gains a Borla racing exhaust and strips the catalytic converters. The R sounds like a Jurassic Park T-Rex that just laid eyes on Jeff Goldblum.
Within two turns on Charlotte’s track, I knew this was a different animal.
That lowered stance, explained Ford Performance Motorsports Program Supervisor Dave Born, is the result of stiffened 700-pound front/1000-pound rear springs. Combine them with a lighter 3,590-pound curb weight, Formula One-inspired spool-valve shocks and sticky Michelin slicks, and the R is, well, racy.
With little roll through the corners, my confidence rose with each apex. More power. More g-loads. More brake. Chasing NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz (yes, the former “Malcom in the Middle” actor is a heckuva race jockey), we carved up Charlotte.
The 2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R race car thundered around the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Stereo stripped from the car? The V-8 is all the audio you need. Like a high school kid at the playground begging for pickup games, I hung around the pit the rest of the day looking for more laps.
I have raced cars all my adult life and prefer lightweight sports racers, especially with open cockpits for better visibility. But if your tastes run to pony cars and you have the coin … the R is a true race car.
Beware, it’s addicting.
2025 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, single-passenger race car
Price: $146,595
Power plant: 5.0-liter V-8
Power: 500 horsepower, 418 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; top speed: 165 mph
Weight: 3,590 pounds
Fuel economy: NA
Report card
Highs: Sticks like glue, V-8 soundtrack
Lows: Poor visibility; affordable only compared to its GT4/GT3 siblings
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Sebring, Florida — Like a St. Bernard, my Hyundai Kona tester is two-toned and funky-looking outside — fiercely loyal on the inside.
Its looks may not be for everybody, but it’s got everything you need.
Hyundai has been one of the industry’s most creative stylists with lookers like the Lego-brick Santa Fe and bar-of-soap Ioniq 6 EV. The 2025 Kona goes ultra-modern with a design right off a Mars movie lot. Wraparound running lights like a Tesla Cybertruck, low headlights/taillights integrated into black fender cases, abstract Mondrian wheels, sharply-angled hatchback like a Bladerunner spinner.
My 32-year-old son thought it was cool.
My 34-year-old son hated it.
The 2025 Hyundai Kona’s sci-fi design integrates headlights into the fender design making for a clean fascia.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Let’s call it polarizing. Otherwise, Kona proved a welcoming companion. On a dark, rainy Wednesday night, I slipped into the interior of my Neoteric Yellow (a color made for Florida) $28K Enterprise rental in Orlando International Airport and surveyed an interior that wouldn’t be out of place in a $60K luxury car: molded console and hoodless 22-inch screen arching across the dash housing twin digital instrument/infotainment displays. Yum.
It’s a common sight in Hyundai models these days in both internal combustion engine and electric vehicles — including the Kona EV across the Enterprise aisle across from my gas mule. With 261 miles of range, the Kona EV could theoretically make the 260-mile round-trip to my Sebring International Raceway destination. With rain and highway travel in the forecast, I knew that range could be cut by 25%.
And Sebring is in the middle of rural Florida.
With a tight, busy weekend racing schedule ahead and Sunday return flights out of Orlando, I opted for the Kona ICE with its 422 miles of range and ease of use. Though a small ‘burg two hours from everywhere, Sebring did have charging infrastructure: two fast chargers at its Lakeshore Mall, a pair of 240-volt chargers at our destination hotel and … an eight-stall Tesla Supercharger in Route 98 through town.
The interior of the 2025 Hyundai Kona showcases a hoodless screen.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The latter was particularly significant as Hyundai now has access to Tesla chargers, and — beginning with the ‘25 model year — Kona EV models are equipped with Tesla-style NACS charge ports so you don’t need to worry if there is an adaptor in the trunk.
Still, the convenience and efficiency of gas power made the Kona ICE the obvious choice for this trip.
Also worth noting was the electric Kona SE model ($34,952 market price) would have cost $16.50 to fuel every 100 miles at 50 cents/per kWh versus $9.50 for the 31-mpg Kona SEL model ($28,085) at $3-a-gallon regular gas. Indeed, I never visited a gas station until it was time to top up the Hyundai outside the airport at weekend’s end for return to the rental lot.
Like the Kona experience, gas power was carefree.
Kona fit like a glove. For the drive into Florida’s interior, I synced the car wirelessly to my phone’s Android Auto app then barked my destination:
Navigate to Sebring International Raceway.
The 2025 Hyundai Kona is available in FWD and AWD. It continues the Korean brand’s daring design direction.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Done. Hyundai was one of the first automakers to adopt smartphone apps, and Kona paired like it was old pals with my phone. Other brands can be less certain, their screens spinning before finally making a connection.
I exited the rental garage into a black, wet monsoon. While I navigated the conditions outside, Kona’s ergonomics helped me easily navigate interior controls. Climate buttons on the dash were horizontal, logically laid out between twin temperature dials.
Hyundai has adopted GM’s philosophy on raised steering wheel controls, so I could set cruise control with one button, then finger a scroll wheel next to it to adjust speed. All by touch so that I didn’t need take my eyes off the road. Similar buttons on the wheel’s right spoke controlled radio and volume while other switches (voice control, lane-centering) were nicely segregated when needed.
The subcompact SUV class is a shark tank of competitors, and Hyundai — long a value brand — trails some rivals in standard safety equipment. Both the Mazda CX-30 and Volkswagen Taos, for example, offer adaptive cruise control and blind-spot assist standard for fewer rubles than Kona. Kona, however, does match the palatial V-dub in rear-seat space with knee room that bests a compact BMW X3.
The Kona design may look Chunky Monkey, but under the hood it’s all vanilla.
The base engine in the 2025 Hyundai Kona is a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder. A more powerful 1.6-liter turbo-4 is on offer in upper trims.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Hyundai has about the same horsepower — 147 — as my 1,000-pound, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Lola sports racer. Yet, the SUV weighs three times as much (3,053 pounds). Mate those horses to a CVT and there were few thrills to be had on rural Sebring roads.
Want more grunt? Kona offers an N Line model starting at $31K with a punchy turbocharged 1.6-liter mill making 190 horsepower. For harsher climates than Florida in February, Kona also offers all-wheel drive for an extra $1,500.
My Kona SEL satisfied with its 31 mpg and quiet interior — deftly isolating the drone of the CVT. My son’s eyes may have been burning looking at the Kona’s lime exterior, but after a long day of racing across Sebring’s brutal bumps and high-g load turns, the Kona offered comfy seats, lots of hatch space for our gear, and a spare tire if needed.
Nice to have a St. Bernard on call.
2025 Hyundai Kona
Vehicle type: Front-engine, gas-powered, front- and-all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $25,745, including $1,450 destination fee ($28,085 SEL as tested)
Cadillac continued to grow its electric lineup this week. Make that supersize.
General Motors Co.’s luxury electric brand added an extended-length version of its three-row Escalade IQ mega-ute called the IQL. The stretched SUV will feature additional rear cargo storage, four more inches of third-row legroom, and 12.2 more cubic feet of storage in the front eTrunk.
2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL profile
Cadillac, Cadillac
Planned for production in the middle of this year, the 2026 electric Escalade siblings will parallel the internal combustion engine Escalade and its stretched twin, the Escalade ESV. Cadillac is phasing out production of gas SUVs but is continuing production of its gas-fired Escalade icon as well as AT4 and CT4 sedans that are the performance touchstones for Cadillac’s petrol-fueled race cars. The stretched Escalade IQL will offer similar features to the IQ, like a 55-inch, pillar-to-pillar screen, second-row executive package with airplane-like tray tables, and standard hands-free Super Cruise.
“Escalade has been the best-selling luxury full-size SUV in North America since 2014. The Escalade IQL is an important addition to the Escalade franchise and the Cadillac portfolio,” said Global Cadillac Vice President John Roth. “With the Escalade IQL, Cadillac now offers a full lineup of internal combustion and all-electric Escalade options for our customers, no matter the propulsion.”
Despite its iconic status, the Escalade mega-ute has faced increased competition from crosstown rivals Lincoln and Jeep. Both the Lincoln Navigator L and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L compete with the ICE Escalade ESV — but neither brand offers a parallel electric model line like the Escalade IQ/IQL.
Indeed, while there are other luxury, electric, $100k-plus SUV options like the Mercedes G-Class EV and Tesla Model X, only GM makes an electric mega-ute. The closest rivals would be in GM’s own stable, like the GMC Sierra Denali pickup truck or GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV.
Large and in charge: The Cadillac Escalade IQL supersizes the already-big Escalade IQ.
Cadillac, Cadillac
In the screen wars, the Navigator has stepped up its technology game with a 48-inch, pillar-to-pillar dash screen while the Grand Wagoneer boasts three screens – including one for the passenger. IQL follows its ICE and EV siblings with a 55-inch pillar-to-pillar jumbotron.
IQL turns up the wick in the second row with an available Executive Second Row package. The package features those stowable tray tables plus a pair of 12.6-inch screens, rear command center screen, dual wireless phone chargers, massaging/heated/ventilated seats, and 14-way power adjustment and headrest speakers. The added 4 inches of legroom (36.7 inches vs. 32.3 inches in the IQ) and headroom (38.2″ vs. 37.2″) augment the living room feel.
“The IQL builds on our iconic Escalade DNA, with a commanding profile offering additional cargo capacity. Brimming with the luxurious features and design found on the IQ, the IQL is another showcase of Cadillac’s artful integration of innovation,” said Cadillac designer Craig Sass.
IQL has seating for seven passengers, and the third row can be folded flat for more storage. Passengers are surrounded by a standard AKG 4 Studio 21-speaker audio system, with available 42-speaker AKG Studio Reference when the Executive Second Row package is included.
2026 Cadillac Escalade IQL moonroof
Cadillac, Cadillac
When the city disappears in the rear-view mirror and the open road calls, IQL comes with a 5G WiFi hot spot — and the driver can relax with Super Cruise. To get you to your destination, IQL boasts 460 miles of range, which is on par with the V8-powered Escalade. Unlike the ICE Escalade, IQL won’t fill up in three minutes, but on a DC fast charger it can add 116 miles of range in 10 minutes.
The IQ and IQL carry Cadillac’s signature vertical design cues but are strikingly different from their boxier ICE brethren. Like IQ, IQL takes its design theme from the Lyriq EV with its graphically-etched face and sleek rear profile punctuated by split vertical lights at the rear corners.
Put your right foot into it and IQL will sprint to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds with 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque — about 70% more than the ICE Escalade. IQL will likely weigh about 50% more, too, thanks to its big 202 kWh battery.
With 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque, the Escalade IQL can disappear in a hurry.
Cadillac, Cadillac
IQL can tow 7,500 pounds with the ride smoothed by magnetic shocks and air suspension. It will roll on some of the biggest, 24-inch rims in the industry. IQ will start at $129,695 and be offered in four trims — Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury and Premium Sport.
Complementing news this week of Cadillac’s global ambitions to race four cars at this June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, the IQ siblings will be sold internationally along with the rest of Caddy’s electric lineup. As the brand goes all-electric, it wants the global reach of other EV brands like Tesla and Mercedes’ EQS EV line.
IQLs will be assembled at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Detroit.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Oakland County — The delicious 2024 Genesis GV70 Sport Prestige has tailpipes the size of bazookas, jewel-like dials, seats that hug you in Sport mode, split headlights and a spine-tingling welcome chime from the TV series “Westworld.”
But with winter temperatures below freezing and half a foot of snow on the roads, all that really concerned me was whether it had all-wheel drive and a bottomless reservoir of windshield washer fluid.
With AWD, the 2024 Genesis GV70 was comfortable in Michigan winter conditions.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Viking Ocean ships are posh, but they had better have hot water in the shower.
Michigan’s brutal winters are a test of any vehicle, and the GV70 largely passed with flying colors. Make that salt color. At the end of my week-long journey with the Genesis compact SUV, its Mauna Red exterior (think Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii) looked more like Lotsa Salt color (think Morton Salt in your cabinet).
My $68,870 Sport Prestige model came equipped with SPORT PLUS mode that automatically turns off traction control if you want to explore the limits of, say, M-32’s twisties on a glorious summer day up north. But in Michigan winter, I went to the opposite end of the Drive Mode spectrum — SNOW mode — as I slid onto a sloppy Maple Road on Friday night in the teeth of a frigid Michigan storm.
Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would keep Mrs. Payne and me from our weekend movie.
The 2024 Genesis GV70 options a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 that packs a punch: 375 horses and 391 pound-feet of torque.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Genesis’s AWD system churned away beautifully in the snow — SNOW mode picking a higher gear so as not to access all of the 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6’s prodigious 391-pound feet of torque. Despite low-profile 21-inch wheels, the Michelin all-season tires did their job and I grew in confidence as I urged the dogsled through the gloom.
Entering snowy Telegraph Road, I goosed the throttle to test the ute’s balance, and the rear end slewed sideways like a pup on ice before the front paws gripped and pulled the sled forward. Nicely done, GV70.
“Cut that out!”
My wife was not amused with my antics, and I dutifully returned to my job as chauffeur. Automatic windshield wipers also knew their job and began wiping away the endless flakes.
The 2024 Genesis GV70 rear has a Porsche Macan look – look closer and the dual taillights give it away as a Genesis.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Next morning, I awoke for an early Padel game (if you don’t know it, you have to try it) with friends. I set sail for Sterling Heights by way of I-696 and, thankfully, the salt trucks had done their night’s work. Boy, had they ever. The highways were clear, but I was met with nonstop salt splash on my windshield from traffic in front of me. I repeatedly pulled the wiper stalk toward me to wash away the grit. Genesis obliged by squirting fluid from both base windshield nozzles and jets in the wiper arms.
Pull. Wash. Pull. Wash. Pull. Wash.
So frequently did I use the wiper fluids that I checked the reservoir at my destination should I need to add more. The easy-to-spot blue filler was right where it should be — at the right corner of the engine bay. It was a reminder that most folks don’t pull their hood latch to ogle the engine underneath (guilty), but to fill the wiper/anti-freeze/oil fluids or jump-start the battery. Both were located with easy access.
Some things are harder to find.
It’s trendy these days to locate windshield wipers below the hood cowl to eliminate visual clutter. I get it – vehicles aren’t the bricks of yesteryear, but beautifully-drawn sculptures with scalloped stampings.
But when you wake up to four inches of snow on top of your windshield, hidden wipers are a pain in the ice. I cleaned the windshield of snow, then carefully chipped away at the ice that had encased the wipers (carefully, because I once broke the joint between wiper and blade on a competitor SUV. Argh), eventually freeing them up.
The interior of the 2024 Genesis GV70 options heated seats and a sunroof – so you can enjoy the falling snow but stay warm inside.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Happily, Genesis has a solution which they share in a YouTube video: turn off the engine, hold the wiper stalk to MIST, and the wipers emerge from hiding and stop on the windshield. Pull them off the glass. I’ll remember that for the next ice storm.
Slip into the interior of GV70 (front or rear, it’s comfortable for six-footers) and you’re met with an attractive bezeled dash that reminded me of the Dodge Charger (a mainstream model, yes, but with one of the most distinctive interiors in the biz). It’s a neo-classical look that melds old-school instrument dials with state-of-the-art digital displays.
What is not state of the art on my 2024 tester is wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The industry has moved fast toward wireless tech, and GV70 trailed even mainstream models like the Honda Civic and Dodge Hornet in offering wireless smartphone connections before upgrading for the 2025 model year. An important note for electronics-minded shoppers.
Genesis creates ergonomic confusion by making both its remote infotainment controller and its gear selector rotary dials. Like wipers, it’s an aesthetic choice that isn’t optimal from a use perspective. Neighbors on the console, they led to occasional confusion as I awkwardly shifted into NEUTRAL when tuning the radio — or changing radio stations when I meant to go in REVERSE.
Like other Hyundai products, the 2024 Genesis GV70 steering wheel ergonomics are excellent.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Happily, the dash-mounted infotainment display can also be operated as a touchscreen. I flipped through pages like a BMW or Mercedes. And — should I have needed it — GV70 will parallel park like its electric brother, GV60, that I’ve tested.
Unlike GV60, the gas-fired GV70 comes standard with no range anxiety. While a Michigan snowstorm sucked 40% of range from fellow Korean Kia EV9 SUV (necessitating multiple charging stops on a trip north), I rarely glanced at GV70’s fuel meter despite the bone-chilling temps.
When the needle hit a quarter tank, I simply ducked into the nearest gas station and filled ‘er up. Indeed, Genesis doesn’t publicize GV70’s 418-mile range because it’s not a concern — whereas the GV60’s 235 miles is important to know up front.
When the streets cleared, I took the opportunity to pedal the GV70 hard, and it did a nice imitation of its fleet G70 sedan brother. Walking away for the last time, I was left with two thoughts: 1) With $70K in pocket, customers will likely choose a BMW X3 M40i, but 2) this is no dressed-up snowflake, but a proper, snow-eating ute.
2024 Genesis GV70
Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV
Price: $47,050, including $1,450 destination fee ($68,870 3.5T AWD Sport Prestige as tested)
Power plant: 2.7-liter turbo 4 cylinder; 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6
Power: 300 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4); 375 horsepower, 391 pound-feet of torque (V-6)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.9 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed: 150 mph
In the electrified era, common acronyms include EV, HEV and PHEV. Get used to a new term: REEV.
Ram on Tuesday introduced its new Range Extender Electric Vehicle (REEV), the 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger. The Ramcharger is a truck for customers who want electric vehicle (EV) performance but with the range of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Its internal combustion engine (ICE) — a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 — acts as a generator and kicks in when the battery bricks. It’s just like a gas generator connected to your house when the electric power goes out.
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis calls it the Goldilocks truck: it’s just right for the electrified customer who wants EV performance and ICE utility. It’s also just right for Stellantis NV, which has faced massive government fines for selling too many V-8 ICEs and not enough green EVs.
2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger painted fascia
Stellantis, Ram
Kuniskis made it clear that government rules have forced the industry to make EVs to “comply with the regulations.”
“Who is calling the shots? The government? Or is it the customer that used to be the case?” he said standing in front of the Ramcharger’s huge, 7,507-pound fame.
With the auto industry/government bet on EVs souring and electric truck sales stalled, Ram is determined to make an electrified pickup that will satisfy both its masters, consumer and bureaucrat. So it has moved up production of the Ramcharger to the second half of 2025 due to “overwhelming” consumer interest while indefinitely postponing its battery-only, so-called Ram REV pickup. It claims the Ramcharger meets California’s increasingly stringent SULEV III regulations that are targeting all-electric sales by 2035.
Here are five things about the Ramcharger.
1) How REEV works. Unlike a HEV or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), the Ramcharger is an EV with gas-engine assist — not a gas engine with electric assist.
Like an EV, the Ramcharger’s big 92-kWh battery (about the size of a long-range Tesla Model X) powers twin drive motors, one on each axle. Only when the battery is depleted will the generator — aka, the V-6 — kick in to power the battery and generate enough juice to turn the motors. There is no direct connection from engine to wheels.
Charge the battery overnight and the Ramcharger will deliver about 145 miles of electric range. When that depletes, the ICE kicks in for an estimated total electric-gas range of 690 miles. No long stops at charging stations on road trips. No range anxiety.
“Charging? Who cares?” said Kuniskis. “It runs off the generator.”
2) Truck performance. On electric power, the Ramcharger’s 400-volt architecture posts formidable numbers with 647 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful Ram on the market, eclipsing the Ram RHO performance truck’s 521 pound-feet of torque while nearly matching the legendary (discontinued), Hellcat V-8-powerd TRX truck’s 650. Ram’s 0-60 mph target of 4.5 seconds is shy of the Ford Lightning EV’s 3.8 seconds.
As for pickup utility, the Ramcharger advertises a maximum payload of 2,625 pounds and towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.
3) Eight-lug wheels. The Ramcharger’s provdigious power requires heavy-duty equipment. In addition to the high-strength steel rails to carry its nearly four tons of weight, the pickup will ride on wheels with eight lug nuts — typical of heavy-duty trucks, not the Ramcharger’s light-duty peers.
2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger has eight lug-nut wheels.
Ram, Ram
4) Drive modes. Jeep has a lot of experience with PHEVs, and the Ramcharger will offer drive modes similar to its Stellantis stablemate. In Electric + mode, the Ramcharger will maximize its battery output before calling on the generator (at around 145 miles) for assistance. Or you can choose E-save mode to run on the engine/generator alone. Or you can choose Eco mode to maximize electric range.
5) Toys, toys, toys. In keeping with other HEV and EV trucks, Ramcharger has the ability to charge another EV, charge your home during a blackout, and power multiple electrical devices at a tailgate bash. Ramcharger features signature Ram elements like a smooth-riding, multi-link rear suspension, and Hands-free Highway Assist for assisted driving on those long, 690-mile trips. You’ll know the Ramcharger by its unique, body-colored fascia and updated Ram badging.
2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger bed charge ports.
James Lipman, Ram
Ramcharger — like most EVs — will be targeted at luxury buyers with Ram’s posh interior including 14.5-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch passenger screen. All that hardware won’t come cheap. Expect a starting price north of $70,000 when it goes on sale later this year.
Ramcharger does require more upkeep than a traditional EV because of the gas engine onboard, but executives said it will go longer between oil changes and other routine maintenance because the generator won’t run all the time. The ICE will occasionally kick on automatically if it hasn’t run in a certain length of time to safeguard the engine’s health and ensure water isn’t infiltrating engine oil.
“With unlimited battery-electric range, the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is the pinnacle of the light-duty pickup truck segment and the ultimate electric truck,” Kuniskis said. “The new Ramcharger is a beast (with) zero need for a public charger.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Naples, Florida — In the Dollar Store corner of the auto shopping mall is the wee Mitsubishi Mirage. At $17,965, it is the most affordable new car in the U.S. market.
But you had better act fast; the Mirage is about to disappear.
The 2024 model year is the last for the subcompact, leaving only one car available under $20,000 (destination included) — the $18,330 Nissan Versa. The demise of the Mirage is the latest evidence of an unaffordable U.S. car market with the average transaction price of new vehicles pushing $50K and automakers flooding the market with pricey EVs to meet government mandates. We’ll miss you, Mitsu.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is the most affordable new car in the U.S. market and 2024 is the last model year – leaving the Nissan Versa as the only new car priced under $20,000.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In ritzy downtown Naples, I wheeled the Mirage into the National Pickleball Center’s jammed fenced parking lot. Spying an opening between hulking Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Nautilus SUVs, I maneuvered the hatchback around a tree, between a row of tightly-packed cars and slotted into the space like a magazine into a bookshelf of encyclopedias.
I love subcompact hatchbacks and have sadly watched the Chevy Spark, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta be let out to pasture. These pint-sized bargains were not only easy on the wallet, they were clever toys that immediately engaged customers with their brands. Heck, the Fiesta even had a performance ST version that still terrorizes autocrosses across the country.
Not Mitsu. Like the (also discontinued) Toyota Yaris, Mirage is basic transportation. The auto equivalent of Wonder bread. Tap water, vanilla ice cream, generic drug. It will get you from point A to B.
The wee 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage can park anywhere – a nice attribute in urban America.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I rented the Mirage for a week in Naples, where it shuttled Mrs. Payne and me between the beach, racquet sports, shopping centers, meals.
At a stoplight on Tamiami — aka Tampa-to-Miami, aka Route 41 — I lined up next to a Porsche 911, one of many in this playground for the rich. The light turned green and the 911 disappeared. Zero to 60 mph? 3.5 seconds. The Mirage uses a different metric: Zero-to-someday.
With just 78 horsepower under the hood — half that of a $21K Toyota Corolla compact — Mirage is built for fuel sippin’, not asphalt burnin’. I swear the Mitsu was powered by a gerbil wheel, though a check under the hood revealed a 1.2-liter three-cylinder connected to a droning CVT transmission. DROOOOOOOONE! The Mitsu went down Tamiami. DROOOOONE! It went up the I-75 on ramp. DROOOOONE! It went around a 90-degree turn.
Mirage is not much more exciting standing still.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage comes standard with cloth seats, CVT automatic transmission, front-wheel drive, and steering wheel.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Where I was once smitten by the Spark’s big insect-eyed headlights and Fiesta’s sleek snout, Mirage is a wallflower with blocky headlights and squared-off tail. Square taillights, plastic wheel covers, not even a high rear-door latch like the Spark. Inside, the Mitsubishi was bare bones as well with standard digital infotainment display set in acres of plastic dashboard. No clever-folding Magic Seat like in the ol’ Honda Fit.
Indeed, rather than buy a new Mirage, I’d take your $17K and go to, say, a Honda pre-owned lot and buy a used (50,000 miles on the odometer) Civic Hatchback. More car, more power, more style.
Still, there’s a charm about Mitsu’s simplicity. Like putting an old LP on your home turntable instead of listening to Spotify.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage offers four doors and good hatchback space for cargo. Rear seat roomy is tight, however.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I’ve been driving electric cars — Chevy Equinox EV, Tesla Model 3, VW ID.Buzz — that turn on when you tap the brake pedal. The Mirage requires that you dig into your pocket (or worse, rummage through Mrs. Payne’s bottomless purse) for a key, then turn it in the ignition to turn over the gerbil wheel — er, starter motor. A good ol’ hand brake separates the seats, which I grabbed when I leaned my 6’5” frame into the car to steady myself. The Mitsu is so basic it doesn’t even have a center console arm.
Standard is a steering wheel, emergency braking, excellent 10-year/100,000-mile drivetrain warranty and back-up camera so I could back into those tight parking spaces. However, the camera is so basic that it doesn’t follow the path of the car, so I generally craned my neck. How dependent on technology we have become.
Most cars these days come standard with a cocoon of safety systems including blind spot-assist and adaptive cruise control. With Mirage, you get basic cruise control — so basic it doesn’t tell you what speed you’ve set. I figured it out when it settled on a number in the analog gauge cluster.
Yet analog Mirage acknowledges the digital smartphone.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage is no speedster with a 0-60 mph time of more than 10 seconds. But it’ll get you where you need to go.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
When we picked up the hatchback at the Fort Myers airport, my wife synched her iPhone — then started Apple CarPlay on the seven-inch screen to guide us to our hotel. No, the Apple CarPlay isn’t wireless, but it did its job.
As did Mirage. With the back seats down, we loaded our daily needs — tennis bags, towels, beach chairs — into the roomy hatchback. The gas tank was tiny. as you’d expect, but with 43 mpg highway, the 9.3-gallon tank still gets you 400 miles of range — equivalent to an electric $81K Tesla Model S but with quicker refueling times.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage hatch has plenty of room for the Paynes’ stuff on a Florida vacation.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Once Mirage sells out, Versa will stand alone as the only new car under 20 grand. Or you can get that used Civic on the pre-owned lot.
Oakland County — The midsize sedan segment’s perennial sales leader, the Toyota Camry, is winning huzzahs for its comely 2025 makeover. Sultry face, coupe-like roof, all-wheel drive.
It had to upgrade. Camry has a galloping herd of competitors breathing down its neck.
Take a look at the Korean tag team — Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited and Kia K5 GT — sitting next to the Camry in my driveway. Chiseled fascias, lean lines, tech-tastic interiors.
“What is that?” exclaimed my friend Mark when he saw the K5. “That’s a nice-looking thing. Looks luxury.”
Detroit automakers may have abandoned sedan segments, but Japanese and European automakers continue to slake our thirst for cars. American makes are gone but not forgotten. To my eye, they once set the standard for looks and ergonomics. Think the aging Ford Fusions, Chrysler 200s and Dodge Chargers that still populate our roads. Dodge has long set the standard for ergonomics with its intuitive Uconnect system, knob controls — even clever goo-gaws like radio volume and station controls on the backside of the steering wheel.
Asian makers have won over customers with their reliability and 100,000-mile warranties (Hyundai/Kia), and now they’re making strides in exterior and interior design. Good looks and handling are a must in the midsize segment to attract customers who would otherwise choose SUV hatchback utility.
Give the K5 and Sonata high-fives.
Lookers
My midsize $39K Kia GT stunner borrows luxury-class tricks like flat-gray paint and colored calipers to turn Mark’s head. Heck, the Korean automaker even poached Audi TT designer Peter Schreyer to sketch its distinctive “Tiger Nose” front grille. Sonata impresses, too, with its sci-fi wraparound LED running light and scalloped shoulders.
The 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has an impressive range of 673 miles.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The art tour continues inside, where Kia and Sonata share BMW-like hoodless, 24.3-inch jumbotron screens that sprawl across the dash housing a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen. The tech echoes the cockpit of a Bimmer 5-series costing twice as much.
Camry was a leading contender for the 2025 North American Car of the Year because it has spent hours at the beauty parlor.
Its face takes cues from the handsome Prius, which got its own extreme makeover for the 2024 model year (scoring a COTY trophy). Alas, that aesthetic restraint doesn’t apply to the rest of the Toyota’s body, which is a maze of sheet metal stampings. There’s a lotta Lexus here, which may be the premium intent.
The Kia-Hyundai twins are sleek, the Toyota busy.
The 2025 Kia K5 GT is quick with 291 horsepower – but, curiously, does not offer AWD like some lower trims.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Inside, Camry is more traditional than the Koreans, choosing a hooded instrument display and separate 12.3-inch console screens on up-trim models like my XSE. The Toyota wows with optional red leather seats. Red never gets old and Mrs. Payne enjoyed slipping into Camry’s rouge thrones whenever we went out.
Not to be outdone, Kia dresses its GT with yellow seat stitching — matching the yellow brake calipers on the outside. That’s a lot more coordinated than my wardrobe, where I often can’t match socks, for goodness’ sake.
All three sedans provide ample rear legroom to accommodate friends ‘n’ family.
Ergonomics, technology
The Toyota, Kia and Hyundai also bridge the premium moat by stuffing their cabins with tech. There is little here you won’t find in a much pricier Audi, Bimmer or Caddy.
Adaptive cruise control with lane-keep? Check. Emergency braking? Check. Blind-spot assist? Check. Rear cross-traffic alert for tight parking lots? Check. Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto? Double check. Indeed, my $39K Sonata tester is as easy to operate as it is easy on the eyes, with easy auto unlock and phone syncing.
Cruising Metro Detroit’s congested highways, I put the three Asians on adaptive cruise control to maintain a safe distance from the vehicles in front of me. With traffic racing past in both lanes of the Daytona tri-oval race track — er, I-96 — I glanced at the mirror blind-spot indicators before making a lane change.
The 2025 Toyota Camry options comfy red leather thrones.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Impressive tech, but the brands still have work to do to catch up with the ergonomic geniuses at GM, Dodge and Ford.
The K5 andSonata are built on the same platform and their steering wheels have gone to GM ergonomics school with tactile buttons that I could toggle for cruise speed and radio volume without taking my eyes off the road.
However, Kia jumped the shark in designing radio controls that double as climate controls. That’s right, if you want to control the radio, you have to first look down at the console to make sure it’s not set to, um, climate. Otherwise, you might turn the cabin temp to 80 degrees thinking you’re raising the volume. Argh.
Sonata sanely maintains a distinction between radio/climate controls. As does Camry. Alas, the steering wheel control buttons are flat, requiring that I look away from the road to use them.
The 2025 Kia K5 GT has confusing interior controls, with the same buttons used for climate/audio.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The sedan trio don’t take a hint from GM/Dodge to put radio volume/station controls buttons on the back of the wheel. Instead, K5/Sonata paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel are as useful as sneakers on a fish.
None of these boulevard cruisers will tempt you to Hell, Michigan’s twisty roads.
Driving
Performance is what you are really paying for by buying premium these days. Power. Verve. The thrill of side G-forces. At its stratospheric 80grand price, a BMW 550e packs a 483-horsepower hybrid powertrain that stirs a smoking cocktail of turbochargers, six cylinders, and electric motors for gobsmacking acceleration.
The Toyota and Hyundai also offers hybrids … with the sole purpose of thrilling your wallet. At an impressive 44 and 47 mpg, respectively, the Camry and Sonata Hybrid will rarely have to visit a gas station. You’ll rarely stomp your foot on the throttle through a corner, either.
Though their platforms are sturdy, the pair’s handling won’t induce goosebumps. The Camry, however, does offer all-wheel drive over the Hyundai front-wheeler for better winter traction — and 232 horsepower versus Sonata’s 183.
The sleek, premium bod of the 2025 Kia K5 GT turns heads for under $40k.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The K5 GT is more ambitious (Sonata has a similar N-Line offering).
Its 2.5-liter turbo-4 gains a whopping 100 ponies over the standard K5’s 191-horse 2.0-liter. Paired with an eight-speed transmission, I zipped to 60 mph in just over 5 seconds (at the sacrifice of 27 mpg compared to the hybrids). Alas, I spun the front tires because the GT trim (like the comparable Sonata N-Line) doesn’t come with an AWD option like models powered by the standard 1.6-liter turbo-4. A head-scratcher, that.
Hybrids will save you at the pump — but they will cost you at sticker. The AWD Camry clocked in at $45K and the Sonata at $39K. With sexy looks and a lot more grunt, the $39K Kia GT is this gearhead’s pick. But if you demand AWD and better fuel economy … well, the Camry will make up that added $6K with fuel savings in about eight years.
Next week: 2025 Rivian R1S
2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Vehicle type: Gas-powered, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
Price: $38,810 as tested, including $1,150 destination charge ($27,800 Sonata base)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder combined with electric motor, 0.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed
Power: 192 horsepower, 210 pound-feet torque
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.8 seconds. (Car and Driver); top speed, 120 mph
Weight: 3,400 pounds (est.)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 45 city/51 highway/47 combined
Report card
Highs: Sleek looks; excellent fuel economy
Lows: No AWD option for hybrid model
Overall: 3 stars
2025 Kia K5 GT
Vehicle type: Gas-powered, front-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan
Price: $39,625 as tested, including $1,155 destination charge ($28,145 K5 base)
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