Summit Point, West Virginia — Put the top down. Put on your favorite tunes. It’s time for the first convertible of spring.

Our Payne family of four packed into a 2024 Ford Mustang convertible rental and cruised toward downtown Winchester, Virginia, after a full day at Summit Point Raceway. I took requests for favorite rock ‘n’ road tunes — specifically, favorite instrumental song intros. The requests from all four seats piled up, then we cranked up the volume. Hey, Spotify, play:– Hell’s Bells by AC/DC

– Where the Streets Have no Name, U2

– The Final Countdown, Europe

– Life is a Highway, Rascal Flatts

– Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne

– Thunderstruck, AC/DC (because every playlist should have more than one AC/DC song)With the ‘Stang’s 350-horse turbo-four engine beating a steady rhythm in the background, we rolled merrily to dinner over the Virginia hills.

It’s been another looooong winter, and there’s no better way to celebrate spring than in a convertible on a country road. Or down Woodward. Or at a drive-in theater.

Mrs. Payne and I picked our convertible Mustang at Enterprise Rental at Dulles Airport on the way to West Virginia’s Summit Point Raceway for the annual Jefferson 500. My two sons and I were competing in Lola sports racers. Since my boys were arriving at the track via, respectively, Uber and a VW Golf GTI, I opted for a fun, drop-top coupe that still offered four seats when needed.

That flexibility makes Ford’s convertible a popular choice among renters as well as buyers. It’s a rare convertible option on today’s car lots.

In this SUV/EV age, convertibles are an endangered species under $50K. Sure, you can go topless in an Audi A5, BMW Z4, Jaguar F-Type, Mercedes-Benz SLC or Corvette C8, but you’d better bring a trunk-full of dough. Affordable convertibles have fallen by the wayside: Chevy Camaro, Fiat 124 Spyder, Toyota Solara, Pontiac Solstice, Chrysler Sebring, VW Beetle.

Want a convertible SUV? Your choices are Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. And as government electric-vehicle mandates squeeze manufacturer bottom lines, niche products like convertibles are harder for automakers to justify. With automakers sounding the alarm bells about global Armageddon, there’s not much room for whimsy. Pity.

Convertible coupes are a visceral treat. Feel the wind in your clothes, touch the sky, hear the noise. But options under $50,000 are scarce. Want to go topless in a Bimmer? They start at 60 grand. A Porsche Boxster? Fill your wheelbarrow with $80K. Your choices are few: Mini, Miata, Mustang.

I love the $30,00 Mazda Miata — just reach up and peel back its soft top like taking a blanket off your bed (a more sophisticated hardtop is also available). It’s a treat to drive, but not ideal for long trips with my knees under my chin and my head stuffed into the roof (with top up). Mini steps up with a four-seater, but with just five cubic-feet of cargo space.

For $43,185, Mustang is the convertible sweet spot.

Start with styling. Miata ‘n’ Mini are adorable, Mustang is sinister — even when compared to the last-gen pony. Walking down the Enterprise aisle, I found 2023 and 2024 ‘Stangs side-by-side. I liked the sixth-generation pony; the seventh is heaven.

Evolving from the last-gen coupe’s modern aerodynamic lines, the ‘24 has spent more time in the gym. Its angles are crisp. Thin headlights glow with menace, chiseled taillights are a knockout. And it has 11½ cubic-feet of (suitcase-friendly) cargo room and a backseat.

Sure, it’s one of the smallest backseats in the biz, but it’s useful. We generally took both the Golf and Mustang to the track, with the convertible getting the nod for group trips (arranging the seats to accommodate our 6’5”, 6’3”, 6’1” and 5’5” bodies).

Seating is low because the pony is a lean, mean sporty machine. At the other end of my lead foot was a terrific 2.3-liter turbo-4 engine. With 315 horsepower/355 torque, the ‘Stang’s 4.5-second zero-60 mph sprint beats a $60K BMW 430i convertible’s 255 horse turbo-4 by 0.7 seconds. Buh-bye.

Yet the Ford gives up little to the Bimmer with a refashioned interior that includes a 26.5” dash screen containing twin digital instrument and infotainment displays. Gorgeous graphics are courtesy of Unreal Engine (a gaming company. The kids’ll tell you about them).

Ergonomics are first-rate. Slide into the Mustang, poke the ON ignition button — then immediately turn OFF the Stop/Start button next to it. Stop/Start drives enthusiasts nuts and Ford gets it. Designers have made it easy to adjust radio stations, temperature and cruise control as well.

Driving back and forth to Summit over the weekend, I kept Drive Mode in SPORT or TRACK (the latter turning off traction control). Selecting between drive modes never gets old — the instrument display changing depending on mode, including TRACK mode, which mimicked the horizonal digital tachometer of our purpose-built race cars. If you prefer, you can fix the instrument display as a single design, including a special throwback, Fox-body Mustang cluster from the ‘80s.

The engine could use more muscle, though. Not performance … emotion.

Get the GT convertible, put the top down, and you don’t need AC/DC. The $56k V-8 makes raucous, head-bangin’ rock ‘n’ roll – but is a healthy 13 grand upgrade pushing it close to Bimmer territory. The turbo-4 is a jazz quartet. But the $1,225 Active Exhaust option adds welcome testosterone. Active Exhaust also allows a Quite Mode if you want to turn up the radio.

The race weekend brought inconsistent weather, and our ‘Stang spent as much time with its top up as down. The advantage of topless luxury chariots is you can put their automatic roofs back up without stopping — typically up to 30 mph. Like the Miata, Mustang requires that you pull to the side of the road to put the roof on. It’s a quick process — just remember to manually secure the roof and close all four windows.

On Sunday, the clouds parted and I took the Mustang out between races for photographs. My sons lament that soft-tops look awkward with the roof on. But with the top down, they’re awesome. Raked windshield, seats and screens exposed, muscular rear shoulders flexed.

I turned up “Where the Street Have No Name” and attacked the twisties.

Next week: 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

2024 Ford Mustang convertible

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-passenger sportscar

Price: $43,185, including $1,595 destination fee

Powerplant: 2.3-liter turbocharged, inline-4; 5.0-liter V-8

Power: 315 horsepower, 350 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4); 480 horsepower, 415 pound-feet of torque (V-8)

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (Car and Driver); Top speed, 155 mph

Fuel economy: EPA, 21 mpg city/24 highway/29 combined (turbo-4 as tested); range, 528 miles

Report card

Highs: Head-turning looks (with top down); quick drivetrains

Lows: Tight backseat; adaptive cruise control standard, please

Overall: 4 stars

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

The days of lab experiments are over. General Motors Co. is taking aim at the meat of the American electric vehicle market with one of its most respected SUV badges. My 2024 Equinox EV tester is not only a statement that the General’s historic transition away from internal combustion engines by 2035 has begun, but that Tesla Inc. is the target.

Where its EV predecessors (especially the Bolt hatchback, which went head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3’s launch in 2017) all sought to blaze the EV trail, Equinox EV acknowledges Tesla as the OG.

Now Chevy aims to beat it with a formidable entry. The harder task? Beating the formidable, internal combustion engine-powered Equinox across the showroom.

Tesla put the smartphone on wheels, and Chevy signals its high-tech ambitions with a sci-fi design right out of the movie “Tron.” An LED running light wraps Equinox EV’s upper fascia — wee headlights barely discernible below. Light Cycle meet Equinox.

Cruising downtown Detroit, my two-tone, blue-and-white 2LT test mule was easy on the eyes — just like Tesla’s Model Y, which has aged nicely since its 2020 debut. Merging with authority onto I-75 North, the Equinox EV responded to my lead foot with liquid-smooth power.

But like other GM models I’ve tested based on the Ultium battery platform, Equinox EV was porky. The AWD version lags Model Y to 60 mph by a second, and I could feel its girth in the curvy bits.

Equinox EV tips the scales at 1,000 pounds more than the 4,400-pound Model Y. All that weight comes even as the EV eschews a frunk (front trunk), a clever piece of engineering that Chevrolet adopted for the Silverado EV — and that the Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E have used for added cargo room where the engine used to be.

Equinox’s Tesla learnings grow stronger inside.

“Hey, Google, navigate to Charlevoix,” I barked, and the native Google Maps system methodically traced a route from Detroit northward (starting with 50% charge of 167 miles) with two charging stops in Detroit and West Branch.

Google Built-In is Tesla’s navigation equivalent in planning a trip with charging stops.

This system is embedded in a big dual dash screen now common across the Chevy EV/ICE lineup from Silverado on down. I’m a fan. Its horizontal dash layout kept my eyes on the road compared to vertical, single-tablet interiors like those found in Tesla, Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 2, Rivian, etc.

Paired with a digital instrument display, the infotainment screen offers superb ergonomics (a GM hallmark) with helpful knobs, buttons and movable icons. Notably, Chevy does not offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there will be blowback.

Mrs. Payne, for example, likes to set her route options on her phone ahead of a trip — then see them replicated on the screen of her Subaru’s CarPlay app when she gets in the seat. The Chevy, by contrast, requires that you use its native Google Built-In system, just as Tesla has done for years.

The good news? The Tesla and Chevy Google Built-In systems are just as good as Google phone maps, while going above and beyond their phone peers in mapping your charge route — even providing helpful information on where to eat/shop while you wait to charge. Chevy goes a step beyond Tesla in delivering you to your destination with 30% of charge left — so you aren’t stranded on arrival.

Where the Equinox separates itself from Tesla is on driving assist and value.

Telsa may have pioneered Autopilot semi-autonomous driving, but it’s become annoying over time with constant nagging:

Keep your hands on the wheel!Keep your eyes on the road!

Aw, Mom. Super Cruise, on the other hand, allowed me to drive hands-free up I-75 so I could eat a snack and relax — the SUV taking over tasks like automatically changing lanes when it encountered a slower car.

This sci-fi tool will set you back $2,700 compared to Tesla Autopilot’s (cough) $8,000 Full-Self-Driving system. All told, an AWD (gotta have it for Michigan winters), $49,790 Equinox EV 2LT is over 10 grand cheaper than a comparable Model Y AWD. Subtract the $7,500 federal subsidy for the made-in-Mexico machine, and you’re looking at $42,290. Tesla beware.

But … that sticker is still a whopping 7 grand north of the top-trim, full-leather full-monty Equinox ICE Premium model, which gaps its EV sibling in important ways.

Start with the gas ute’s superior interior cargo and passenger room (40 inches of legroom in back). Or the fact that the upgraded 2025 Equinox ICE gets the same screens and nifty ergonomics as the EV. Or the ICE’s 468 miles of range, which will nearly get you to Charlevoix — and back! — without a gas station stop. Need petroleum? Refuel it in five minutes. My one-way, two-stop EV charging trip up north requires 5.5 hours. That’s, ahem, 1.45 hours longer than the ICE model. Are we there yet?

Clearly not, which is why EVs remain a luxury buy.

You’ll want to shell out an extra $2,000 for a home charger so you can use the Equinox EV around town. That’s $44K total for the Equinox EV, which is just a few grand shy of a Cadillac XT4 Sport. I like what Chevy is doing with its Equinox design, but can it compete with GM’s vaunted luxury brand? That will be a tough sell for the average Chevy customer.

GM and its government allies are betting the farm on an all-electric future just like Tesla. The General is banking on EV fueling infrastructure catching up with gas stations — and to government jacking up petrol prices to deter ICE sales (see California’s expected $1 jump in gas prices over the next year to $6 a gallon).

First in the line for infrastructure relief is Tesla opening its NACS charger network to GM vehicles. When that day comes (perhaps later this year), an Equinox EV on a Tesla charger should gain 105 miles in 10 minutes compared with a CCS charger’s 77 miles.

For those who don’t have to slog through six-month Michigan winters, the front-wheel drive Equinox EV 2LT I tested will save you $3,300. Burying the right pedal out of stoplight, the FWD Chevy smoothly transferred power via the front wheels. No torque-steer, no bother.

With Equinox EV, Chevy joins Hyundai in offering parallel EV and ICE products lines. Unlike Hyundai (the EV9 EV vs. Telluride ICE), Chevy is giving its models the same name (Equinox EV vs. Equinox ICE, Blazer EV vs Blazer ICE, and so on).

The General’s’ march to full EVs is on.

Next week: The first convertible of spring, 2024 Ford Mustang

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

Vehicle type: Electric, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $43,295, including $1,395 destination charge ($52,795 3RS as tested)

Powerplant: 85-kWh lithium-ion battery with electric motor drive

Transmission: Single-speed

Power: 213 horsepower, 236 pound-feet of torque (FWD); 288 horsepower, 333 pound-feet of torque (AWD)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.9 seconds (mfr.)

Weight: 5,400 pounds (est.)

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 319 miles (FWD); 285 miles (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Sci-fi styling; Google Built-In navigation

Lows: No Apple CarPlay/Android Auto; porky

Overall: 3 stars

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

Detroit — Cadillac is bringing the bling for its all-electric future with the extravagant, custom-built, $350k Celestiq sedan and the $100k Escalade Q mega-SUV.

And its entry-level Cadillac Optiq ain’t too shabby either.

Studded with many of the gem-like features found in the midsize Lyriq — Caddy’s first EV entry launched for the 2023 model year — the compact-class Optiq turns up the volume on electric vehicle design compared to segment pioneer Tesla with its minimalist, iPhone-like Model 3/Y.

Here are five notable things about the 2024 Optiq, coming to dealerships later this year.

1) Tech standard. Once stingy on standard features, General Motors Co. has made a dramatic shift as it pushed a high-tech, futuristic identity. Chevrolets like the $29k Bolt EV and $40k Traverse SUV are now loaded with standard tech — even self-driving Super Cruise in the case of the Bolt. The Optiq is no different.

The Optiq comes standard with Super Cruise, all-wheel drive, 33-inch screen, blind-spot assist, adaptive-cruise control, emergency braking, self-parking, 22-inch wheels, steering assist, automatic parking, forward collision alert, 19-speaker AKG stereo system, and a jacuzzi under the rear hatch (kidding about that last one).

2) Big price. All those standard features come with a hefty price tag. The Optiq starts at $54k, just 4 grand shy of big brother Lyriq and a whopping 10 grand north of the Model Y.

“There is some question whether Tesla is a luxury brand,” said Caddy CEO John Roth at the Optiq’s media unveiling. “Cadillac is a luxury brand and the Optiq represents that.”

He backs up that statement with standard all-wheel drive, which neither the Model Y nor even the Lyriq make standard. Most conspicuously, Optiq offers Super Cruise standard — the highly-regarded, semi-autonomous, hands-free system that rivals Tesla’s $8,000 Autopilot option. Indeed, load the Model Y with the same features as the Optiq and it clocks in at a pricier $61k. The challenge for Cadillac will be convincing customers that they want freaky, sci-fi tech like Super Cruise that drives itself.

3) Design. In addition to the futuristic tech is bling-tastic design that recalls Caddy’s postwar years when land yachts boasted jet era-inspired tailfins and enough chrome to be seen from space. At the center of Optiq is a 33-inch screen — the same Jumbotron found on the Cadillac Lyriq. More Lyriq-like features include a floating center console punctuated by a jewel-like rotary shifter.

Unique to Optiq is dramatic cloth interior trim that includes a royal purple option paired with white leather seats. The materials are complemented by dramatic lighting. Like a rolling, neon Fox Theatre marquee, Optiq features vertical taillights and a front LED light show that welcomes owners as they approach with key in pocket. Unlike the Lyriq and its brooding, all-black fascia, Optiq’s body-colored fascia has a more classic Caddy design.

4) Wiper free. EVs are keen on aerodynamic tricks to increase battery range and Optiq showcases a wiper-free rear window. The window is designed to clean itself using airflow from the aerodynamically-designed high spoiler.

And if the rear window gets dirty? Drivers can use their standard camera mirror to view what is behind them.

5) EV vs. ICE. While the Optiq is Cadillac’s first entry-level EV, it is not the brand’s only entry-level vehicle. Caddy also sells the internal combustion-powered CT4 sedan and XT4 SUV that, Roth has confirmed, will be sold alongside the EV lineup.

While governments will increasingly penalize manufacturers for selling ICE vehicles in order to force extinction over the next decade, manufacturers must convince buyers of their superiority. How does the Optiq measure up to its XT4 doppelganger?

An Optiq Sport model starts about $5k north of a comparably equipped $49,890 XT4 Sport — though the Mexico-made Optiq more than makes up the difference courtesy of a $7,500 federal EV subsidy. Optiq brings more futuristic styling as well as a silky driving experience — including one-pedal driving to slow the car and a dedicated, pressure-sensitive paddle on the steering wheel if you want even more electric motor braking.

Both Caddys share the brand’s 33-inch dash screen, Google Built-In infotainment system, and other technical goo-gaws. XT4 does not offer Super Cruise like the Optiq — but does have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (unlike the EV).

Optiq’s estimated 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of instant torque outstrip the 235 horsepower and 258 torque from the XT4’s 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder mill, so expect the EV to be considerably quicker than the ICE’s 7-second 0-60 mph stroll.

On the other hand, the XT4 will refill its 16-gallon tank to its 458-mile range (in two minutes) at the pump more quickly than the 300-mile-range Optiq can fill its 85 kWh battery pack at a roadside fast charger. The EV can add 79 miles of range in 10 minutes.

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

Johnson Valley, California — Supercars conquer the Earth’s most challenging race tracks. Supertrucks conquer the Earth.

At 90 mph, my 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R cyborg skimmed the sandy, undulating surface of the Johnson Valley desert miles from civilization. With its electronic brain making millisecond calculations, the Baja racing-developed, dual-valve Fox shocks negotiated the terrain with remarkable agility for a 6,000-pound beast.

With 13.5 inches of suspension travel, the V8-powered Raptor R put its massive 720 horsepower to the ground with four, aired-down-for-maximum-traction, 37-inch all-terrain claws. That’s McLaren 720S supercar-sized horsepower. On sand.

The trail narrowed to a 90-degree turn into the desert’s low brush and I stomped on huge 14-inch brakes to slow the 720 horses. I hurtled a washed ravine. WHUMP. Over a series of washboard ruts created by bike trails crisscrossing the desert. KA-KA-KA-THUMP. Back into the throttle. ROAAARRR.

Comfortably removed from the violence outside by a seat belt, bolstered heated-and-cooled Recaro seats and generous headroom, I focused on the beautiful landscape rushing past — one of a half-dozen Raptor Rs on a desert adventure.

Pinch me.

The $112,895 R (one-third the price of that McLaren 720S, while seating five comfortably) is the world’s premier production supertruck. It sits atop a Raptor food chain that now includes the $57K Ranger Raptor, $80K twin-turbo V-6 “base” Raptor and $92K Bronco Raptor.

Like its supercar peer the Mustang GT500, Raptor R stuffs a 5.2-liter, supercharged V-8 “Predator” engine into the front bay of a $35,000 base production vehicle to push the limits of production performance. Unlike the GT500, the Raptor R is built on a ladder-frame truck. Is there anything that has the bandwidth of a Ford pickup?

No wonder the F-series is the best-selling vehicle in North America. It can do everything from landscape a house to tow a race car to shred a desert race course — taking first place in the 2023 Baja 1000 Stock Class.

When 720 horsepower meets sand, sometimes Mother Nature gets the upper hand.

Scaling a skyscraper dune, I pitched the Raptor into the soft sand to begin a long, lefthand drift turn. Too much pitch. Overwhelmed by the side-G-forces and the Raptor R’s three-tons, the BF Goodrich tire bead popped off the rim, instantly expelling its 25 pounds of air pressure.

Who needs four wheels? But for the rattle of the rim I barely noticed, the truck charging along on three-wheel-power like a determined grizzly bear pursuing its prey. A Ford team member flagged me down. Like a NASCAR pit stop in the middle of the desert, a pair of Baja race veterans hauled a spare out of the bed of another truck and went to work. They raised the beast’s prone right paw into the air with a common “scissor” jack. Dug out a hole of sand underneath. Spin off the lug nuts. Replace the tire. Check the air pressure for (sand-running-friendly low 25 PSI). Get back on the dunes, kid.

Those off-road veterans could be you.

For all of its technological marvels, the Raptor R has been through the paces of Baja to not only absorb punishment, but to quickly fix any boo-boos on the way. Like supercars, you can’t imagine the capability of the Raptor R supertruck until you have taken it off-road. And there are plenty of groups willing to accompany you — whether the Ford-sponsored Raptor Assault School in Utah (open to Raptor buyers) or private shops like Raptor Adventures in Southern California or regional Raptor Club-organized RaptorRuns. Find them, and you’ll enjoy parts of the planet like never before.

Out in the desert, everything is trying to kill you. Raptor R is armed to the teeth. Jacked high in the air, its underbelly is further protected by bash plates. Brobdingnagian parallel steel frame rails shrug off rock impacts, and a modular front bumper can be equipped with a winch to drag your buddies out of (name your obstacle here) .

Only those soft rubber tires are exposed. Sheath them in bead locks (warning, some assembly required) to protect them from mishaps like mine. Or accept tire flats as an inevitable part of the adventure and load your bed with a tire rack and ready-for-action spares.

Like Mad Max remounting his indestructible Mack R-600, I was back on top of my cyborg in 10 minutes and churning sand. There are few vehicles I’ve driven that instill so much confidence. Had William Wallace’s troops rode Raptors into battle, the enemy would have turned tail and run.

Velociraptor, T-Rex and woolly mammoth skeletons inspire awe in the natural history museums, and the Raptor’s skeleton would fit right in. It’s a study in brute force with its reinforced steel bones and coiled orange springs the size of pythons.

Its aluminum top hat adds menace to its steely purpose. Like all Raptors, the fascia is stamped F-O-R-D and is now enveloped with a bold black grille. Signature orange LEDs bracket the grille, and the beast is branded with a small orange R so you know it’s the bull of the herd.

The hood is rippled with air vents like the spines of a stegosaurus. They contribute to an increase in airflow to the monster within. For 2024, the V-8 pumps out 20 more horsepower than the 2023 model while packing 650 pound-feet of torque so you can fling sand from here to Nova Scotia.

The interior bristles with tech to complement both off-road performance and on-road comfort. A head-up display has been MIA in the F-150’s Swiss Army Knife of tools — ‘24 models rectify that, including Raptor R. Choose Baja mode for maximum off-roading and Raptor R — like a BMW M3 — will project a digital tachometer on your windshield so don’t have to take your eyes off the desert.

For on-road commuting, Raptors are the only F-150s equipped with an independent rear suspension and coil-over springs (think Ram 1500), which makes for a smoother ride than its stablemates. My tester was complete with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist, 5G Wi-Fi hotspot, moonroof, a console work table and other amenities should you want to turn your desert racehorse into a worksite office. All of it is easily connected to the world by wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you can navigate to the nearest off-road playground carrying three pals, three spare tires in the bed and a 120-volt plug so you can bring along an air compressor in the bed.

How many supercars can say that?

Next week: The first convertible of spring, 2024 Ford Mustang

2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R

Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive five-passenger supertruck

Price: $112,895, including $1,995 destination fee ($113,640 as tested)

Powerplant: 5.2-liter supercharged V-8

Power: 720 horsepower, 550 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.6 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 8,700 lbs.; payload, 1,400 lbs.

Weight: 6,077 lbs.

Fuel economy: EPA, 10 mpg city/15 highway/12; range, 540 miles

Report card

Highs: Astonishing off-road capability; comfortable cabin

Lows: Won’t fit in your garage; affordable to a few

Overall: 4 stars

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

Palm Springs, California — It’s good to drive a Swiss Army Knife.

Miles from my hotel in the California desert, work called. I needed to update a Detroit News story with a quote from a source in Texas. My 2024 Ford F-150 knife went into action. I pulled to the side of the road and dragged my big laptop briefcase out of the backseat. Pressed a button next to the gear stalk and (poof!) the shifter disappeared into the console.

I pressed another button and the rear console folded forward — filling the front console with a tabletop. Opened the laptop, connected to the Internet via my Android phone’s mobile hotspot (I could have used the truck’s 5G WiFi as well), called the source. I typed in the story. Uploaded to our cloud server. Returned the Swiss Army Knife console to its original, gear-shifting purpose.

The 2024 Ford F-150 hope to continue Ford’s ride as the best-selling truck in the industry. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Back on the road. America’s armies of remote business professionals take note.

Full-size pickups — from GM, Ram, Toyota — are Swiss Army Knives and the Ford is the top-selling tool of the lot for 47 years. Heck, it’s been the best-selling vehicle for 42. For ‘24 it gets even more tools including semi-autonomous, hands-free Blue Cruise driving, a head-up display, and Pro Access Tailgate. Add to its dexterity the ability to capture carbon credits while Ford’s Model-E electric vehicles division is hemorrhaging red ink trying to transition to an electric future mandated by government rules.

In order to increase the percentage of Powerboost Hybrid V-6 sales from 10% to 20% to help satisfy regulations, F-150 is also offering customers a little sugar with a $1,900 discount  (to bring the price in line with the best-selling 3.5-liter V-6) and extending the hybrid powertrain option down to XLT and STX models (in addition to higher trims).

That means more people with access to pickup bed tools that can run electric coolers, television screens, and cookers. America’s army of tailgaters, picnic packers, and overlanders take note.

All of this capability, however, doesn’t come cheap, and the F-150 is now essentially a luxury-priced vehicle. The base, rear-wheel-drive work truck opens the bidding at nearly $40k and the best-selling, XLT trim — when equipped with popular four-wheel-drive and towing options — pushes $58k, the same price as a BMW 5-series. Oof.

Like a Swiss Army Knife retail display, you can choose the number of accessories you want. My top-line, F-150 Platinum tester was a beauty with panoramic roof, padded leather thrones, chromed everything, and 22-inch chrome wheels that you can see from space. But I don’t need all that bling.

What I do need is that tabletop tool — aka, the $538 Mobile Office Package — to match my road-wandering lifestyle. It’s available on any model, from the base, XT model right up the lineup. Four-wheel-drive is not.

As a Michiganian with a weakness for off-roading at, say, Holly Oaks ORV Park, I covet the FX4 package which brings all-terrain tires, skid plates, and a rear locker. Which, let’s be honest, I’ll use in Michigan’s relentless, snow-drifted winters more often than I’ll need it on Holly’s high hills. My Subaru-owning wife and I are on the same page: if you drive a lot in the chilly Mitten State better come equipped with 4WD (and mittens). That’s a $3,880 bump.

Gotta have the XLT or STX trim for the off-road-focused FX4 package. Ka-ching ka-ching. That’s another $2,180 bump.

And when it comes to off-roading, I’ll likely be towing with my Ford more than getting its pretty face dirty. I’m tempted by the Tremor, the F-150’s off-road bruiser that can crush off-road trails with its 33-inch all-terrain tires while towing your house. While it can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound like the legendary Raptor (see Thursday Drive review), it boasts more towing and payload capacity while delivering my coveted adaptive cruise control (still no standard head-up display) and fierce looks for $12k less than the V-6 Raptor. But that’s still an eye-watering $68.5k.

Um, back to my STX build. If you’ve got a weakness for on-road racing, buy a sportscar. If you have a weakness for the dirt, buy a side-by-side RZR.

With trailer, that’s about 3,000 pounds to tow, which the F-150 can do with one arm tied behind its back. Opt for the $2,355 tow package and you’ll unlock Ford’s class-leading 13,500-pound tow capability. Oh, and the 400-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 that comes with it.

Ohhhh, the eight-holer.

Ford gets V-8s. They define muscle cars, scream luxury, make grown men’s knees knock. Ford’s Powerboost, twin-turbo hybrid V-6 is a marvelous piece of technology with its 570-pound feet of torque, 734-mile range, and 2.4-or-7.2 kW battery capability that can power a worksite or a tailgate party all day long.

But stomp on the pedal and its doesn’t go WAAAAURGH! Like a V-8. It’s why there’s a Raptor R at the top of the F-150 lineup. It connects with something deep in the trucker’s soul. Count me in.

I don’t do tailgate parties or worksites, but I do like to carry luggage around in the bed, so I added a tonneau cover for $1,200.

My sum for an F-150 STX with 4WD and cloth seats? $56,840. That’s luxury dough.

More than what I paid for a BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo 4C. And it doesn’t include two items I cherish: the head-up display and adaptive cruise control, both standard on my son’s $34,000 Mazda3 Turbo. The lack of ACC particularly pains me as I use it constantly on the interstates and around town to keep me on good terms with the local police.

But, dang-it-all, ACC is only available on high trims and the XLT. Reach for it on the XLT and I have to buy the Powerboost which jumps the sticker to, cough, over $71k. That’s Corvette country. Oof again.

The beauty of the light duty Swiss Army Knife is that it offers infinite combinations (though Ford insists it is simplifying the choices to streamline manufacturing). As I drove from the desert of Johnson Valley to the posh Indian Wells valley in California, I saw F-150s on farms, dirt, and ‘burbs. LT, Lariat, Platinum. There’s a tool for everyone.

2024 Ford F-150

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear and four-wheel-drive five-passenger pickup truck

Price: $38,765, including $1,995 destination fee ($87,625 Platinum as tested)

Powerplant: 2.7-liter “Ecoboost” turbo-V6, 5.0-liter V-8, 3.5-liter “Ecoboost” twin-turbo V-6, 3.5-liter, “Powerboost” twin-turbo V-6 hybrid

Power: 325 horsepower, 400 pound-feet of torque (2.7L V-6); 400 horsepower, 410 pound-feet of torque (V-8); 400 horsepower, 500 pound-feet of torque (3.5L V-6); 430 horsepower, 570 pound-feet of torque (hybrid)

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.4 seconds (3.5L V-6, Car and Driver); towing, 13,500 lbs; payload, 2,455

Weight: est. 5,800 lbs. (3.5L V-6 Lariat)

Fuel economy: EPA, 22 mpg city/24 highway/23 (Hybrid as tested)

Report card

Highs: Multi-tasking interior; an option for everyone

Lows: Won’t fit in your garage; gets pricey

Overall: 4 stars

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

Detroit — My 2024 Volkswagen GTI tester is loaded with state-of-the-art wireless Android Auto, voice recognition and a head-up display so I can bark my destination (“Navigate to Home”) to Google Maps, then keep my eyes on the road using the directions projected onto the windshield (“5.7 miles then left”) while a soothing female voice prepares me with more detailed instructions (“in a quarter mile, you’ll take a left at Exit 16”).

But the part I REALLY like about the GTI is the old-fashioned stick shift in the middle of the console.

Leaving the airport, I downshifted into a cloverleaf onto I-94 — VROOM, VROOM — with old-school, double-clutch shifts from 5^th to 4^th to 3^rd. Pedals perfectly placed for heel-and-toe. Lovely notchy shifter. WAAAUUGGHGHRG! I wound the RPM to redline at 7000 RPM as I exploded onto the interstate.

Cruising along I-94 in 6^th gear in my state-of-the-art GTI, I toggled Adaptive Cruise Control on the left side of the steering wheel and set my speed to 75 mph. The digital instrument display tracked the vehicles in front of me, lane-keep maintaining my position between the painted lines. I toggled the haptic button on the steering wheel spoke to adjust speed by 1 mph faster or slower. With a longer hold, I could electronically adjust speeds in 5 mph increments. Pretty cool.

But the part I REALLY like is the VAQ limited-slip front differential.

At a stoplight, I shifted into first gear and floored the accelerator. Remarkably, the ferocious 273 pound-feet of torque (from a 2.0-liter four-banger!) doesn’t grind the tires to dust. Instead, the LSD manages the torque to the front wheels and rockets me forward, 60 mph flashing by in less than 6 seconds as I snatch second gear in the beautifully-calibrated transmission. Wheeeeee!

What does VAQ mean, you ask? Vorderachsquersperre (liteally front-axle cross lock) if you want to brush up on your Deutsch.

As the moon rose and rain began to fall, Volkswagen electronics went into automatic mode. Automatic high beams switch on, then switched off when traffic approached. On. Off. I didn’t touch a thing. Automatic windshield wipers came on — slowly at first, then speeding up as more rain fell, then turning off altogether as the rain stopped. Auto blind-spot assist as cars whizzed by. Auto temperature control. Auto wireless charging pad for my phone.

Bu the part I REALLY like is the big VW logo on the rear hatchback.

Circling the Golf from the rear when I got home, I simply pushed the logo and the rear hatch opened instantly. No searching above the license plate for a hidden button, no standing there waiting for a sensor to automatically open the hatch. Just a simple mechanical push. Once the hatch was agape, it provided be protection from the spitting rain while I organized my belongings.

The VW Golf GTI hot hatch continues to be one of the most endearing cars in the auto stable, as it adopts the latest electronic goodies while retaining the mechanical traits that made us fall in love with it in the first place.

But better act fast.

The interior of the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI is state of the art with digital displays. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

That wonderful notchy stick shift is going away for the 2025 model year. Sigh. While some automakers like Mazda have made the stick shift a premium item focused on enthusiasts, the GTI is likely nixing it due to onerous government emissions standards (manuals are slightly less efficient than automatics) since Europe is the Golf’s biggest market. To honor the manual’s swan song in the U.S. market, it will comes as a special trim for each GTI model — S, SE and Autobahn — called the 380 package. The 380 package also adds a unique Graphite Gray paint job, black 19-inch wheels and an adaptive suspension system.

I love the electronic upgrades of my 380 Autobahn tester, but let me suggest the seven-grand cheaper 380 SE model both to save you money and to add to your classic stick-shift experience.

The SE model may delete leather seats, but the standard plaid cloth seats are the stuff of GTI legend going back to the first-gen GTI in 1984 (yeah, I owned one). The plaid seats are as chic as phone-dial wheels on an Alfa or kidneys on a BMW.

Indeed, since Golf GTI took away its own classic phone-dial wheels (blasphemy among us GTI fans, but due to return in 2025), the signature elements of the GTI are slowly being removed for a new generation of buyers. Goodbye manual geeks, hello electronics geeks.

Whatever kind of nerd you are, you’ll love the 2024 Golf GTI’s exterior packaging.

Like a Porsche 911, the Golf GTI has evolved carefully over its eight generations, sticking to the design fundamentals of a square hatchback, thin front grille and big wheels while adding subtle tweaks for each model year update. I’m particularly fond of the current evolution.

The headlights are leaner than ever to complement the chassis’ athleticism. But the pair of five-point fog lights above the front skirt are both cool and functional. The pattern reminds of Porsche’s own quint-headlight details. And when the turn signal is activated, the fog lamps will pool light so you can better see your turn-in point.

Interior space has barely evolved, too, and that’s a miss. The VW’s rear seat is cramped compared to competitors like the Honda Civic Si/Type R and Hyundai Elantra N. More controversial is the big dual digital instrument display that stretches across the dash — a major electronic upgrade for the 8^th-gen model. Its lack of buttons has irked many a media reviewer, but I rather like its simple layout once you’ve learned the system’s shortcuts. Plus, my recommended SE trim comes with a smaller 10-inch infotainment display that adds room for volume and tuning knobs.

VW is reportedly adding more buttons for the imminent 2025 model year if you want to wait. Add buttons, subtract the manual shifter.

If it were me, I’d gobble up the ‘24, manual, six-speed 380 SE trim before its disappears. #SavetheManual.

Next week: 2024 Ford F-150

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger hot hatch

Price: $33,190, including $1,150 destination fee ($42,170 manual 380 Autobahn model as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder

Power:  241 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: six-speed manual, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.8 seconds (manual, Car and Driver); top speed, 127 mph

Weight: 3,299 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA, 24 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (manual); 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (auto)

Report card

Highs: FWD from the gods; stick shift

Lows: Gets pricey; last of the stick shifts

Overall: 4 stars