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Cartoon: New Years Baby Autonomous
Posted by Talbot Payne on January 1, 2025
Cartoon: Carter RIP
Posted by Talbot Payne on January 1, 2025
New year, new cars: Here’s what’s coming in 2025
Posted by Talbot Payne on January 1, 2025
If you’re making a New Year’s resolution to buy a new car, there will be plenty of new toys to tempt you in 2025. A flood of new battery-powered models is coming from brands as diverse as Cadillac, Alfa Romeo, Dodge and Mini. Legacy luxury automakers like Audi and BMW are filling out parallel gas and ‘lectric lineups, while some famous badges like the Porsche Boxster/Cayman are plugging in.
Most customers still prize gas-powered SUVs, and 2025 will bring remakes of popular models like Expedition, Navigator, Yukon and Tiguan. But all of that investment in premium EVs is driving up costs. The average price of the 36 cars models listed here is $62,866, with nine under $40,000 and just one under $30,000. So be sure and have resources to back your resolution.
Here are the models we expect on the horizon from each auto group.
Jeep North America CEO Bob Broderdorf addresses the media as part of a Stellantis press conference at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2025 Wagoneer S, the brand’s first full EV, at left, will hit showrooms in the new year. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
BMW/Mini
BMW 3-series/EV: Price: $47,000 (est.)
BMW’s bread-and-butter 3-series sedan will offer parallel gas and electric models. Styling is expected to be based on the New Klasse Concept, a break from the brand’s traditional, center-mounted kidney grilles. The interior should feature fashionable, wall-to-wall screens like rivals Mercedes and Cadillac. Engines will likely be based on Bimmer’s tried-and-true, turbo-4/inline turbo-six formula.
BMW M5 and M5 Touring: Price: $123,275
After a year’s sabbatical, the BMW M5 muscle car is back for ‘25. The wicked version of the 5-series sedan uses electrification to boost performance, marrying an electric motor to a turbo-V-8 for an eye-watering 717 horsepower. Zero-60 mph? 3.1 seconds. BMW will also bring a wagon version to the States called the M5 Touring; it’ll go paw-to-paw with the Audi RS 6 Avant superwagon.
BMW X3: Price: $50,675
BMW’s popular gas-powered X3 SUV gets major plastic surgery for its fourth generation with a remade exterior and minimalist interior. All-wheel-drive power comes from a 255-horse turbo-4 or 393-horsepower, turbocharged inline-6. Navigation instructions can be overlaid on the road ahead using an augmented-reality head-up display.
Mini Aceman: Price: $39,000 (est.)
Mini is rushing to an all-electric future by 2030. The five-passenger Aceman EV targets the meat of the Tesla Model Y-dominated, premium, $39,000-$50,000 electric EV compact market with two front-wheel-drive options making 184 or 218 horses. With a short-ish range of 200 miles and smaller dimensions than the gas-fed Countryman, the Aceman is on the bubble for U.S. sales.
Ford/Lincoln
Ford Expedition: Price: $63,695
The big three-row Expedition gets a redesign, adding numerous family-friendly features to its palatial interior. Goodies include a movable front console that can be shared with second-row passengers, and a split rear gate with the lower portion doubling as a pickup-like tailgate that can be used as a seat or table.
The 2025 Ford Expedition launches the fifth generation of the Dearborn automaker’s mega-ute. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Tech features include optional BlueCruise hands-free driving and a 24-inch digital display that stretches across the bottom of the windshield. Built on the same frame as the F-150 pickup, Expedition sprouts a Tremor model with raised, 10.6-inch ground clearance and 33-inch all-terrain tires.
Ford Maverick: Price: $27,990
The Blue Oval’s popular entry-level pickup gets a number of upgrades, including all-wheel drive now available with the base hybrid model. A larger 13.2-inch infotainment display replaces the old eight-inch tablet, and standard features will include wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic high-beam headlamps.
Seen at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the lowered Ford Maverick Lobo is targeted at enthusiasts. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Enthusiasts will flip over a lowered, performance-oriented AWD Lobo trim with a 238-horsepower turbo-4 and paddle shifters borrowed from Europe’s Ford Focus ST.
Ford Bronco Sport: Price: $31,490
Like Maverick, Ford’s junior Bronc gets the upgraded 13.2-inch infotainment screen and increased standard features. A new Sasquatch package joins the family. Available on the Outer Banks and Badlands models, it adds off-road goodies like skid plates, 29-inch all-terrain tires and Bilstein shocks.
Lincoln Navigator: Price: $101,990
Lincoln’s mega-ute gets many of the same upgrades as its Ford Expedition cousin, including a split-rear tailgate. BlueCruise hands-free highway driving is standard — as is the customizable 48-inch interactive display (compared to the Expedition’s 24-incher) that arcs from A-pillar to A-pillar at the base of the windshield.
General Motors
Cadillac Escalade IQ: Price: $99,000
The Escalade goes all-electric the only way an Escalade knows how: bigger and bolder. The IQ (all Caddy EV models end in “iq”) is a foot longer than its gas-powered brother and wears enormous 24-inch wheels. A 200-kWh battery powers two electric motors for 750 horsepower. The seven-seater can be outfitted with an optional, jet-worthy Executive Second-Row package with stowable tray table, 12.6-inch screens and massaging seats.
The 2025 Cadillac Optiq is the entry-level EV for GM’s luxury brand. GM
Cadillac Optiq: Price: $54,390
It’s a big year for Cadillac as it rolls out its full EV lineup, beginning with the entry-level Optiq. Sharing proportions with the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Optiq goes upscale with Caddy’s signature 33-inch curved screen and standard AWD. Expect range of about 300 miles and 300 horsepower from its 85-kWh battery. Chrome-inspired Luxury and black-trim Sport models will be offered.
Cadillac Lyriq V: Price: $70,000 (est.)
The first V-Series performance version of Caddy’s EV lineup. Expect insane 600-plus horsepower from the all-wheel-drive beast — and big Brembo brakes to bring it back to earth. Other details include a modified front fascia and V-branded button on the steering wheel, encouraging more bad behavior.
The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq features signature, vertical Caddy lighting. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Cadillac Vistiq: Price: $78,790
Slotted between the Lyriq and huge Cadillac Escalade IQ is the three-row Vistiq. With a starting price almost 30 grand north of the gas-powered XT6, Vistiq unlocks a new world of premium family cruising. With a 102-kWh battery, the 614-horsepower Vistiq nearly doubles the XT6’s power while offering half its range at an estimated 300 miles. Vistiq gets state-of-the-art tech, including a 33-inch curved screen, standard Super Cruise drive assist and Google built-in operating system. The palatial interior sits under a standard, two-panel panoramic roof.
Chevrolet Bolt: Price: $30,000 (est.)
After ending production in 2023, Chevrolet’s first mass-market full EV is being resurrected on a newer platform shared with other battery-powered Chevys, Caddies and GMC models. Bolt 1.0 was built on GM’s BEV2 platform, and the new version should offer faster charging. The affordable Bolt is consistent with Chevy’s practice of offering an entry-level model under $30K (currently, the $35K Equinox is the brand’s lowest-priced EV offering) and will likely be standard with FWD.
GMC Terrain: Price: $31,395
The Terrain SUV is remade with a new exterior style and a big, vertical 15-inch infotainment screen. A 175-horse turbocharged 4-banger powers FWD and AWD versions. Standard Elevation trim gives way to an off-road AT4 trim and fancy-pants Denali.
GMC Yukon: Price: $68,895
Following its Chevy Suburban and Cadillac Escalade siblings, the truck-based Yukon mega-ute gets refreshed. A 16.8-inch infotainment screen dominates the interior, and shifting gears is accomplished by a steering-wheel stalk, opening more console room. Two 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V-8 options carry over, along with a sippier 3.0-liter inline-6 turbodiesel.
Jaguar Land Rover
The Jaguar Type 00 Concept previews the brand’s reboot as an ultra-luxury electric automaker. Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar I-Type: Price: $250,000 (est.)
Jaguar rebranded itself as an ultra-luxury EV maker in late 2024 with a controversial ad featuring colorful, gender-neutral models and the reveal of a hot pink coupe concept called the Type 00. How that translates to a production car will come into focus later in 2025 when the Brit brand unveils a majestic sedan called the I-Type with similar proportions to the concept. Expect big proportions, big horsepower and a big sticker price.
Mercedes
Mercedes CLA-class: Price: $46,000 (est.)
Mercedes’ stylish, entry-level “Baby Benz” gets a major design and powertrain update. Expect design to follow the ‘23 Concept CLA sedan with its shark-like nose and lean, Coke-bottle shape. The airy interior will likely feature an expansive dash screen beneath a panoramic roof. The drivetrain will electrify with gas-hybrid and fully electric options.
Stellantis
Dodge Charger: Price: $40,000 (est.)
Dodge fills out its new muscle car lineup with the gas-fired Charger. Production of the Challenger coupe and Charger sedan ended in 2023, and Dodge has consolidated its muscle cars under a single Charger model line. Electric versions (introduced in 2024) will wear the Charger Daytona badge, and gas models will wear simply Charger when they are unveiled in mid-2025.
The gas version of the all-new Dodge Charger with a 3-liter twin turbo Hurricane V-6 is due to be released in 2025. Stellantis
The gas and electric models share a platform and are both available in hatchback coupe and sedan body styles. They also share a roomy interior with features like twin hoodless displays packed with the latest tech. Charger is powered by Stellantis’ so-called Hurricane twin-turbo, inline-6 cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD. The standard engine pumps out 420 horsepower; a 550-horse beast will also be available.
Ram Ramcharger: Price: $60,000 (est.)
As governments force drivetrains to go electric, automakers are getting creative in how to balance regulatory obligations with customer preference. Ram flips the script on the traditional, battered-assisted hybrid-gas engine formula with the Ramcharger, a full-size truck that is primarily powered by a 92-kWh battery pack with about 145 miles of range. When that dries up, a 3.6-liter V-6 engine comes to the rescue, providing nearly 700 miles of extended range by charging the truck’s battery.
The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger comes in the Bighorn trim. Courtesy Of Stellantis NV
Ram is also promising a fully-electric Ram REV to compete with the Chevy Silverado EV and Ford Lightning EV, but Ram has moved up its Ramcharger solution due to consumer demand. It’s a new toy for truckers who want to experience the benefits of twin electric motors — think 663 horsepower, a 0-60 mph sprint of 4.4 seconds, and 14,000 pounds of towing — but with the security that gas engine-assist provides.
Alfa Guilia EV: Price: $50,000 (est.)
After the Dodge Charger, Stellantis’ premium Alfa Romeo Giulia is next in line to electrify. The Alfa will share the STLA Large platform that underpins the Chargers, and will likely also offer battery and inline-6 engine options.
Where the Charger Daytona Scat Pack produces 670 ponies, expect the Alfa to push 1,000 horsepower in performance, Quadrifoglio spec.
A fully electric Chrysler based on the Airflow Concept is expected to bow in 2025. Stellantis, © 2021 Stellantis
Chrysler Airflow, Price: $50,000 (est.)
The Stellantis EVs keep coming. A Chrysler crossover based on the Airflow Concept shown at CES in 2022 is expected to challenge the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID.4. The stylish electric promises a driving range of over 400 miles.
Jeep Wagoneer S: Price: $71,995
Jeep’s first EV is called the Wagoneer S — S for ‘small” compared to its much larger truck-based, gas-powered sibling. The compact S will come with a big $70K price tag, however, and Charger Daytona-like performance numbers with twin electric motors packing 600 ponies and a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds.
Jeep Recon: Price: $60,000 (est.)
The Wagoneer S will be complemented by the Recon, an all-electric dirt-kicker like the gas-fired Wrangler. It’ll feature a power-folding top and removable doors to get closer to nature. Signature features include an illuminated seven-slot front grille, meaty all-terrain rubber and rubberized, washable flooring.
Volvo/Polestar
Polestar 5 sedan: Price: $100,000 (est.)
Volvo’s EV brand will add a sedan to its lineup advertising some gaudy numbers: 884 horsepower, a full recharge in as little as 10 minutes, and $100,000 price tag.
Honda/Acura
Honda Passport: Price: $45,000 (est.)
The boxy Passport is the grizzled off-road companion to the three-row family Pilot. They share a 285-horse V-6 engine, but the muscular Passport will be AWD standard.
Honda Prelude Concept. Honda
Honda Prelude: Price: $35,000 (est.)
The sporty Honda Prelude returns to U.S. shores for the first time since 2001. The new model promises the edgy handling and stylish looks enthusiasts craved in previous generations — and this time, the sixth-gen model will feature a hybrid engine as Honda creeps toward an electric future.
Acura ADX: Price: $36,000 (est.)
Acura’s sporty, compact Integra sedan gets an entry-level SUV mate. The ADX promises nimble SUV performance with a sport-tuned suspension and the same 1.5-liter turbo-4 mill found in Integra. FWD and AWD will be available with a quiet cabin wrapped in Acura’s signature design.
2024 LA Auto Show: Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz with the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hyundai
Hyundai Ioniq 9: Price: $62,000 (est.)
The Ioniq 9 wowed the 2024 LA Auto Show with its sleek looks, and the three-row EV joins the Kia EV9 and Cadillac Vistiq in a growing three-row electric SUV segment. Sitting on Hyundai’s 800-volt platform, the SUV comes in RWD and AWD and is outfitted with a NACS port so it can charge at Tesla Superchargers without an adapter.
Kia
Kia EV3: Price: $35,000 (est.)
While most EVs target higher-income buyers, EV3 is a funky, youth-oriented compact slotted below the upscale EV6 and EV9 models. Its smaller 58.3-kWh battery should made the FWD vehicle more affordable, while a larger, more conventional 82-kWh unit will push range to 300 miles. The interior is signature Kia with a pair of 12.3-inch touchscreens.
Lucid
Lucid Gravity: Price: $81,550
2024 LA Auto Show: Lucid Gravity. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Silicon Valley startup follows up its gorgeous Air sedan with the Gravity SUV. Gravity defies the average EV with a 900-volt platform that can add 200 miles of range in 10 minutes at a fast charger. Stuff in seven passengers and the SUV promises 440 miles of range and a neck-snapping 0-60 mph run in under 3.5 seconds.
Nissan
Nissan Murano: Price: $41,860
Finally updated after 10 years in the wilderness, Murano is gas-powered but features the futuristic design cues of the all-electric Ariya. Murano’s V-6 is gone, replaced by a more regulation-friendly turbocharged 4-cylinder. The trendy Murano promises advanced adaptive cruise control, panoramic roof and colorful LED ambient lighting inside.
Toyota
Toyota 4Runner: Price: $42,220
The popular truck-based 4Runner SUV gets its turn at major chassis, design and drivetrain upgrades previewed on its Toyota Tacoma pickup, Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX peers. A 278-horse, 2.4-liter turbo-4 engine is standard with a beefier hybrid, i-Force Max turbo-4 offering 326 ponies also available. For all it upgrades, the rear window still powers up and down. Vintage 4Runner.
Volkswagen-Porsche-Audi
VW Tiguan: Price: $31,000 (est.)
Following upgrades to the subcompact Taos SUV, Tiggy gets its own remake. The optional third row is gone and 201-horsepower turbo-4 on offer. Taos is plenty roomy, but the Tiguan offers upgrades like a head-up display, massaging front seats and heated rear seats.
Audi A6 E-Tron: Price: $80,000 (est.)
Audi continues to build its electric E-Tron lineup in parallel to its gas-powered vehicles. The midsize A6 joins the A5 and A7 Sportback models. Three powertrains will be offered on Audi’s familiar 800-volt platform: 1) A base, RWD, 362-horse model, 2) AWD E-Tron Quattro with 422 horsepower, and 3) a high-performance, AWD S6 version with 496-543 horses.
Audi Q5: Price: $50,000 (est.)
On the gas side, the Q5 SUV gets a major update with a screen-tastic interior featuring a curved, 11.9-inch instrument display and 14.5-inch center touchscreen. The passenger can also be outfitted with a 10.9-inch display. Electronics include driver-assist options, and if the driver wants to take the wheel, a turbo-4 is standard with a powerful 362-horse turbo-V-6 on offer.
Porsche Boxster/Cayman EV: Price: $78,000 (est.)
The Boxster coupe and Cayman convertible are going electric. While the iconic 911 carries on as a hybrid, its junior brother will offer battery power only. Porsche promises a lightweight, 800-volt EV platform capable of quick charging times. The lightweight bod is key to maintaining the sports car’s reputation for quick changes of direction.
Volvo
Volvo EX30 Price: 36,245
The Swede’s EV lineup gets an entry-level crossover that competes head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3 — and starts under $40K. The EX30 even reminds of the Model 3 with its distinctive exterior styling and minimalist interior anchored around a single center screen. Unlike Tesla, the EX30 will be powered by Google built-in, which will sync with your favorite phone apps.
The 2025 Volvo EX30 features the distinctive "Thor’s hammer" headlight design. John McCormick, Special To The Detroit News
Expanding its EV offerings, Volvo is launching the small EX30 SUV with chic styling to go along with its expected high-tech platform. Single RWD and dual-motor AWD versions will be available, the former pumping out 268 horses and the latter 422. To keep costs down, however, the battery is a mere 64.0-kWh, which will restrict range to a modest 261 miles.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Cartoon: Biden Weapon Control Massacre
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 28, 2024
Cartoon: DOGE Budget Pork
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 28, 2024
Payne: On Dasher, On Dancer, On Silverado! Christmas-tree shopping in Chevy’s pickup
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 28, 2024
West Bloomfield Township — My 2024 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 is ready for anything that Michigan winter throws at it. Knobby 33-inch all-terrain tires to drift through three-foot Gaylord snowdrifts. Lifted 11.5-inch chassis lift to scale Holly Oaks’ off-road course. Beastly 420-horsepower oomph to merge with authority onto the (finally completed) I-696 racetrack.
But on a December Saturday, I just needed it to haul a Christmas tree.
For all the extraordinary physical attributes modern pickups have been endowed with, their signature feature continues to be that big box out back. It’s what defines pickups. They can pick up what other vehicles can’t. Mulch, trailers, motorbikes, go-karts … trees.
Like many of its performance pickup peers, the ZR2 only comes with one bed option: a standard 5’8” box. That’s enough. Mrs. Payne and I fished our tree base out of the closet and headed for English Gardens. We should have brought a ladder, too.
For off-road convenience, ZR2 has no running boards and that 11.5-inch ground clearance. Which is an inconvenience to my 65-inch-tall wife, who contemplated the climb into the truck’s passenger seat like it was the oak in our backyard. Woof, that’s high.
Thank goodness for A-pillar grab handles. The effort is worth it as the interior of the Chevy is posh and palatial. Like the Goodyear Wrangler Territorial MT tires and two-story grille, everything is supersized, including a digital 12.3-inch instrument panel and 13.4-inch touchscreen.
Beginning with the $49K LT truck, this state-of-that-art combo brings premium looks to the Silverado range of trucks above the Work Truck/Custom starter trims. Sometimes you just need a bed — but the digital wizardry makes the pickup a pleasant, everyday tool. The screens are powered by Google Built-in, and I instantly synced truck to my Google account in the cloud so that I could navigate on Google Maps like my phone — but without using up its battery.
“Navigate to English Gardens,” I barked, and we were off.
I should have taken the long way. Chevy’s base truck chassis is the best engineered in the business, and ZR2 feels sporty despite its Brobdingnagian dimensions and 5,500-pound girth (actually 300 pounds lighter than the, ahem, midsize Cadillac Lyriq EV). Firm steering. Multimatic shocks. I dialed the Drive Mode selector to SPORT and cracked the whip on the brawny eight cylinders like Santa lashing his reindeer into the night.
BWWAAAARRGHHH! My sleigh leapt across Oakland County.
“I thought we were going to English Gardens, not the race track!” said my wife, once again grabbing for the A-pillar handle. Take it easy, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, we don’t want to make Mrs. Claus uncomfortable. Or anyone else who might want to come along for the ride.
It was just my wife and I this day, but we could have packed all the North Pole’s elves in the backseat. Good gravy, these Silverado Crew Cabs are yuuuge. I’m impressed the Dodge Charger Daytona EV has gained four inches of legroom to 37 inches, but the Silverado has a yawning 43! You could pack in the elves plus Victor Wembanyama and you’d still have room for more.
There are even cubbies in the seatbacks to hide presents.
At English Gardens we selected our tree — a healthy seven-footer — and screwed on the base. Were we driving anything other than a pickup, we would have spent time securing the Fraser Fur to the roof, worrying about scratches or about it falling off on the way home.
Not with a full-size pickup. Silverado makes loading even easier with the Multi-Flex tailgate, an affordable $445 option on any Silverado starting with the $37K Work Truck. The tailgate features six configurations, with my favorite being the stairway. To deploy:
1) Drop the gate
2) Drop the middle gate
3) Drop the middle step
Voila! Two steps up and I was into the bed carrying our tree. Placed diagonally in the sprayed bed, the fur fit fine, base and all. No concern about scratches. I walked back down the stairwell, collapsed the gates and was ready to go.
To preserve the tree (and my marriage), I wasn’t tempted into any V8-powered antics on the way home. You can look up my review of the Silverado ZR2 in the Joshua Tree desert to see its enormous bandwidth, from trail-running in OFF-ROAD mode to rock-climbing using the two-speed transfer case and locking differentials.
In addition to the Google Built in system where I managed my most-used icons (just like my Android phone home screen), Chevy’s brute boasts superb steering-wheel ergonomics. Forget the touchscreen, my hands never left the wheel on the drive home — and subsequent trips around Metro Detroit.
With my left thumb, I set Cruise Control with a downward pull of the dimpled steering wheel roller. Rolling up/or down adjusted speed. Punch it upward and return to the set speed. All the while, I followed directions to my destination in the instrument display.
I scrolled through favorite radio stations with the buttons on the left, back-side of the steering wheel. Settling on Sirius XM’s Comedy Greats, I adjusted the volume using the buttons on right, backside of the wheel.
Back home, I easily walked tree-from-bed using the Multi-Flex stairway. The most difficult task was getting my wife down from her seat.
Hey, Chevy, Mrs. Payne wants to know if you’ve thought of a Multi-Flex stair-step solution for the cab? Would make a great Christmas present for 2025.
Next week: 2025 Kia K4
2024 Chevrolet Silverado
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive five-passenger pickup
Price: $37,445, including $1,695 destination charge ($72,560 ZR2 as tested)
Powerplant: 2.7-liter, turbocharge inline-4 cylinder, 5.3-liter V-8, 6.2-liter V-8, 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-6 cylinder
Power: 420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque (6.2L V-8 as tested)
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Performance: As tested — towing, 8,900 pounds; payload, 1,440 pounds
Weight: 5,500 pounds (est., as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA: 14 mpg city/17 highway/15 combined (6.2L V-8)
Report card
Highs: High-tech, big-screen interior; Multi-Flex tailgate
Lows: 35-inch tire option, please; gets pricey
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Cartoon: EV Charge
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 27, 2024
Cartoon: Santa Christmas Delivery
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 27, 2024
Cartoon: Government Trust Drone Explanations
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 19, 2024
Cartoon: Jaguar DEI Models
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 19, 2024
Payne: Here’s the 2024 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 19, 2024
Reducing the field of new vehicles to three finalists this year wasn’t easy. We value value and my favorite trends in the market are the proliferation of electronics and standout design that has narrowed the distinction between luxury and mainstream cars.
The 2024 auto shopping aisle is full of new toys from pickups to electrics to compacts to SUVs and sports cars. Well, not too many sports cars.
As automakers stretched to meet government mandates and develop electric vehicles, small-volume performance cars like the Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Audi TT, Audi R8 and Kia Stinger were left by the side of the road. We miss you. Of the 50 new-for-2024 vehicles that I tested and reviewed, just four were sports coupes — the Subaru BRZ tS, Mercedes-AMG GT-63, Mercedes SL63 and Dodge Charger Daytona EV.
The Charger was one of the headliners in the industry’s push towards EVs. The big car’s 100 kWh battery replaced the Challenger’s iconic V-8 engine at the summit of Dodge performance. But as consumer adoption of EVs has cooled, so has the introduction of new EVs, and 25% of the new cars I tested were electric. Standouts included the Chevy Equinox EV, Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Rivian R1S. If it’s performance you’re looking for, off-road was the place to find it. New dirt-kickers included the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota Tacoma TRD and Ram 1500 RHO.
Our top three 2024 Detroit News Vehicles of the Year are all-around performers that bring tremendous value to their respective segments.
Second runner-up: Kia K4
After years of escalating vehicle costs (the average transaction price for new vehicles is north of $48K), the market has received an infusion of affordable, entry-level vehicles. The sub-$30K Chevy Trax and Buick Envista were finalists for our 2023 Vehicle of the Year, featuring roomy interiors, state-of-the-art electronics and standard goodies like lane-keep assist, rear-park assist and auto headlights. More subcompact SUVs followed this year like the new Nissan Kicks and VW Taos.
The $23K Kia K4 continues the trend in the compact sedan segment.
Honey, I shrunk the Cadillac CT5. The Kia K4 is a looker inside and out with teardrop head-and tail lights like the Caddy, and a wide, 29-inch hoodless screen inside. The screen can be personalized with the logo of your favorite NBA team — say, the Detroit Pistons. The base car is loaded with standard safety tech, including adaptive cruise control, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and automatic braking.
What hasn’t been shrunk is interior room. The K4’s rear seat is, remarkably, the same size as the midsize CT5 (and bigger than a BMW 5-series). Combined with sharp handling and 34 mpg fuel economy, the K4 also undercuts Toyota’s stylish Prius hybrid compact by seven grand.
Runner-up: Tesla Model 3 Highland
The Model 3 was an immediate sensation when Tesla’s flamboyant CEO Elon Musk introduced it in 2016, and the game-changing EV has inspired a flood of competitors in the years since. The Model 3’s first update for 2024 is a reminder of why Tesla still dominates the EV space.
The second best-selling sedan in the U.S. market after only the Toyota Camry, Model 3 received a pleasant (if modest) so-called Highland update to its exterior and added interior goodies like a rear-seat infotainment screen. The $40,000 car refines the core elements that made it a sales sensation: simplicity, charging, over-the-air updates.
Already iPhone simple in its interior hardware, the Highland model ditched its steering wheel stalks so that shifting is now accomplished in the screen (think a digital version of Lincoln shift buttons) and turn signals are accessed by buttons on the steering wheel. The cabin is quieter, but the added materials have not compromised neck-snapping acceleration. Tesla’s navigation system and charging network are integrated for range anxiety-free road trips — an advantage so coveted by other automakers that they have paid for access to Tesla’s Superchargers.
M3’s biggest advantage is it has never really stopped improving thanks to constant over-the-air updates. Having fallen behind GM’s Super Cruise driver-assist system, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system caught up this year by going completely hands free — using internal cameras to monitor the driver’s attention.
First place: Chevy Traverse
Call it the Multiverse. Chevy’s vanilla family bus was transformed into a bold, dirt-kicking, roomy, three-row SUV that can drive itself.
Drawing on Chevy engineering that has produced industry-leading sports cars and trucks, Traverse is powered by a brawny, 328-horse turbo-4 engine wrapped in a muscular truck design with a get-outta-my-way grille and stylish teardrop taillights.
“We love our new Traverse Z71,” beamed a Michigan couple I flagged down at a Meijer gas station in Gaylord. “We just drove hands-free up I-75.”
Hands-free driving in a Chevy? Yup, the third-generation Traverse now options Super Cruise (which Cadillac debuted in 2018) for use on long highway trips. You can even go hands-free on some secondary roads if you really want to freak the kids out. Option the Z71 model, and the family ute is also at home off-road with 32-inch all-terrain tires, underbody skid plates, and twin-clutch rear differential. The latter is made for Michigan snowdrifts — throwing 100% torque to the rear wheel with traction to keep you moving.
Once shy on standard features, the $39K base Traverse is now loaded with blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera, rear cross-traffic braking, auto high beams, side bicyclist alert, 29 inches of digital screens, wireless charge pad, and a partridge in a pear tree. Approach with an arm-full of groceries and the rear hatch will automatically open.
In a three-row class loaded with talent, including superb new models from Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-90 and Lexus TX, the palatial Traverse is the value standout, including a 17.7-inch dash screen powered by a Google Built-in operating system as intuitive as your phone.
Vanilla no more, the Multiverse — er, Traverse — is a rolling exhibition of the industry’s cutting edge in turbo engines, tech and ergonomics. All in a family SUV.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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Payne: Dodge Charger Daytona is an uncaged, tech-tastic beast – tethered to a plug
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 12, 2024
Phoenix — Jaguar introduced its first electric vehicle with an ad featuring an elevator-full of gender-bending models. Dodge’s first EV ad boasted loud engine noises, tire smoke and a taunt.
“We’re building electric vehicles to save our planet … FROM ALL THOSE LAME, SLEEK-LOOKING, SELF-DRIVING SLEEP-PODS EVERYONE ELSE KEEPS POLLUTING OUR STREETS WITH! GAWWWWWWD!!!!” exclaimed the ad narrator while a 2024 Charger Daytona ripped across the screen like a bat out of Hell.
Nice to see Detroit’s muscle car brand hasn’t lost its personality.
At a time when governments, in a repeat of the 1970s, are determined to cage beloved V-8s like the storied Challenger/Charger SRT Hellcat, Dodge has leaned into the performance benefits of electric motors.
The Challenger coupe and Charger sedan lineup is gone, a casualty of the Nanny State’s War on Internal Combustion Engines. But rather than abandon muscle cars as in the ‘70s, the Brotherhood of Muscle has regrouped under a single Charger badge that will make EV ‘n’ ICE coupes ‘n’ sedans on the STLA Large platform for flexible production in the face of changing government ‘n’ consumer trends. EVs are called Charger Daytonas, ICE models are simply Chargers.
Government mandates demand conformity, but the non-conformists at Dodge remain defiant even as they adopt regulators’ preferred electric motors. My Charger Daytona Scat Pack and R/T testers embrace the Hellcat’s gunslinging lifestyle. I spent a day behind the wheel of the EVs in the Valley of the Sun doing doughnuts, drifting, turning heads, drag-racing Porsches and … making loud V8-like sounds.
OK, that last part was awkward.
Charger Daytona is a gorgeous, tech-tastic hatchback tasked with replacing an icon. As Dodge admits, muscle cars are vehicles “Americans don’t need, but want.” The result is a mixed bag marking two steps forward and two steps back for Woodward Dream Cruise royalty.
This is a ferocious, modern Dodge beast — tethered to a plug.
Design. It’s tough to see Challenger’s menacing face and muscled fenders retired, but Dodge couldn’t keep paying hundreds-of-millions in fines to Uncle Sam for making V-8s. So the brand dusted off its design archive and penned a 1968 Charger for the 21st century.
The result is a delicious coke bottle shape draped over a 121-inch wheelbase. It’s longer and wider than the Challenger with four more inches of rear legroom. My red R/T and white Scat Pack models got looks wherever I went.
I sidled up to Phoenix resident Daniel Jaramillo’s white, 485-horse 2018 Challenger Scat Pack in a Starbucks parking lot. My Scat Pack EV was more streamlined to extend its battery range as well as keep its insane 670 horses sucked to the ground. It’s the halo to a fleet of forthcoming, inline-6-powered cars that share its body, chassis, and interior.
You’ll know the Charger Daytona by its distinctive R-wing — an aerodynamic flourish snatched from the 1969 Daytona stock car, the first NASCAR to eclipse 200 mph. Oooooh, it’s sweet — and gives the Charger a long, low snout sniffing the dust for prey. Out back, Charger sprouts a hatchback like the Audi RS7. At half the price of the $131K, 610-horsepower German, the Scat Pack hot hatch offers 50% more cargo utility and 60 more ponies.
If the exterior is retro-‘60s muscle, then the interior is state-of-the-art smartphone. Twin, horizontal hoodless screens are stuffed with features from 360-degree cameras to navigation to performance modes (Scat Pack). I pressed the start button behind the wicked, pistol-grip shifter.
BRAAAAP! The V-8 — er, electric motors? — roared to life.
Sound. The V-8 soundtrack is more gunslinger defiance from Dodge. I like the attitude but found the ICE-like feature gimmicky. Let electric motors be electric motors. Auto analyst Karl Brauer asks: when the first flying car comes to market, will it make the sound of squealing tires in corners?
Challenger Scat Pack owner Jaramillo, 34, disagreed with me.
He liked the rumble and thought it a brand signature. Still, when we pulled out of Starbucks and nailed the throttle onto I-10, the Challenger’s glorious V-8 bellowed like a T-Rex on the prowl while my Daytona Scat in DRAG mode sounded like … an imitation. That imitation costs $70K versus the $50K for the outgoing Challenger Scat Pack.
Noise can be tiring, however, and I welcomed the EV’s quiet AUTO mode. Or I could turn off the sound altogether in the center screen.
Performance. For all the attention to sound ‘n’ style, it’s easy to forget the new Charger brings a much-needed, all-new chassis. Challenger/Charger were based on 20-year-old bones, and could feel like a wet noodle when pushed.
The STLA Large platform is a significant, 25% stiffer for coming ICE models — and 50% stiffer in the EV due to the battery’s structural integration. That stiffness made for a more nimble beast in the twisties of South Mountain Park and Radford Racing School.
Also apparent was the EV’s 5,767-pound girth — a whopping 1,500 pounds over its predecessor. The good news is that battery gut is slung low, which benefits center of gravity — and part of the weight gain comes from the addition of all-wheel drive. AWD helps manage 670 ponies — not to mention Michigan snow, where the Challenger V-8’s RWD can be a handful. Want to drift on Radford’s skid pad? Selecting drag mode turns off the front motor, though I struggled to rotate the added weight.
Charging. Speaking of Radford, its fleet of 85 Dodge muscle cars is a reminder of the ICE’s inherent refueling advantage. Suck down 20 gallons of fuel (426-mile range) around the 450-acre playground, and you can top up at the pump in two minutes.
Drain the Daytona Scat Pack’s 240 miles of range and, well, you’ll have to leave the playground and find a fast charger to fill 180 miles in 24 minutes. Oh.
Like Challenger Hellcat, my $82K Scat Pak tester will be an accessory for most owners with an SUV in the garage for family trips. If you do hit the road, Charger Daytona is prepared. I asked the Uconnect navi-system to take the EV to Los Angeles and it mapped the 390-mile route including three charging stops. Total time? An hour longer than an ICE model. GAWWWWD! I can hear the ad narrator say.
Batteries require patience.
The Charger Daytona Scat Pack is more urgent when it comes to raw speed. I initiated Launch Control at a Phoenix stoplight and blew the doors off an $80K Porsche Boxster. Sixty mph went by in just 3.3 seconds — 0.4 seconds quicker than Hellcat. On Radford’s drag strip, I crossed the quarter mile in under 12 seconds.
Aw, Dodge, you still got it.
Next week: Detroit News Vehicle of the Year
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive five-passenger coupe
Price: $61,590, including $1,995 destination fee ($70,970 R/T and $82,175 Scat Pack as tested)
Powerplant: 100.5 kWh battery and dual electric-motor drive
Power: 456-496 horsepower, 404 pound-feet torque (R/T); 630-670 horsepower, 627 pound-feet torque (Scat Pack)
Transmission: Single-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds (Scat Pack, mfr.); top speed, 135 mph
Weight: 5,767 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA mpge NA; range, 241 (Scat Pack) — 308 miles (R/T)
Report card
Highs: Stylish, tech-tastic hatchback; upgraded chassis
Lows: Porky; $20K more than outgoing Challenger Scat Pack
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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