Oakland County — The auto industry’s emerging electric car segment begs the question: how do you differentiate brands if everything sounds like a quiet, electric motor-driven Tesla? Porsche’s answer is Porsche-like handling. The Mustang Mach-E pipes in an artificial growl. Dodge says its Daytona Banshee’s electronic Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust will roar like, well, a banshee.
Actually, luxury automakers have been struggling with this issue for a while. As electronics democratize auto tech and nanny mpg laws forced drivetrains to downsize to 4-cylinders and CVT transmissions, premium brands have had to hone their brand identities.
Take the Lexus UX 250h F Sport sitting in my driveway. You can see it from space.
With big grille, lots of body cuts, and flashy wheels, the 2023 Lexus UX 250h stands out. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Lexus’s entry-level ute wears a wild wardrobe that would make Gene Simmons proud. Yuuuuge front grille. Angular peepers with L-shaped eyebrow running lights. L-shaped gills. Dramatic swept flanks that look like the sheet metal was shaped by desert winds. Narrow greenhouse that finishes with three-dimensional taillights arching across the rear.
It’s polarizing. Outrageous. A design statement. At $47,930, my hybrid F Sport Handling tester added a moonroof, power-folding mirrors and a kick-open rear hatch. This is a brand you won’t confuse with any other.
Open the front doors and the drama continues. The front seats wrap me in red leather. A Cyclops-eye instrument gauge slides back and forth, depending on how you like your drive data displayed. Drive modes are selected using one of the devil’s horns that sprout from the instrument hoodie. Tweak the horn to SPORT or SPORT PLUS and the instrument gauge glows (appropriately) red.
The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers lush, red leather seats. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Loud mouth. Red leather. Hoodie. Devil’s horns. Oh, this bad boy wants to misbehave. Grab the shifter, yank it into DRIVE and the Lexus’s bark … is worse than its bite.
Stomp the throttle and the 181-horsepower engine drones. Never mind that similarly priced luxury competitors like the Audi Q3 and BMW X2 boast much more powerful turbo-4s — the Lexus will be eaten for lunch by mainstream brands like the 250-horse Mazda CX-30 or 210-horse Kia Soul Turbo.
The latter pair cost less than 35 grand while also offering all-wheel drive and distinctive styling.
Indeed, for a grand less than my 250h tester, you could buy my coveted all-wheel-drive hot hatch VW Golf R with 315 horsepower, digital tech, two more inches of rear legroom/two more cubic feet of cargo space and be the envy of every motorhead on your block. Heck, for the same coin, the BMW X1 has 60 more horsepower, four more inches of rear legroom, and eight more cubic feet of cargo space.
But they don’t carry Lexus badges.
The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers front or all-wheel-drive with the latter preferred for Michigan winters. . Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The auto industry talks about the Cult of Tesla and its hordes of fans who worship the brand’s pioneering, risk-taking, high-tech EV cars. Never mind the, ahem, quality issues. Lexus owners are no less cultish — they just prioritize.
Lexus vehicles are bone reliable, winning so many quality trophies that Tokyo HQ long ago ran out of shelf space. That quality is backed by Disney-quality dealer service, which lavishes customers with attention. I’ve met Lexus owners who love their dealer contact more than their dog.
Tesla fans marinate in sex appeal but, um would like a little show of quality every once in a while. Over on the Lexus side of the dance floor, they are at home in the trusty arms of their brand, but, um, would it kill them just to take me out on the dance floor and do the swing?
Just once?
The 2023 Lexus UX 250h isn’t quick on the open road, but its AWD system is useful in slippery conditions. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Tesla quality is improving and so is Lexus sex appeal. Beneath the UX 250h’s wardrobe is a good ol’ conservative, reliable appliance.
While autos like the $35K Chevy Bolt EUV (Super Cruise) and $50K Tesla Model 3 (Autopilot) push cutting-edge driver-assistance features, my Lexus offered adaptive cruise control. Cruising down Telegraph Road toward stopped cars at a traffic light, the Lexus’s average system would only brake hard once it was nearly on top of the traffic. Um, better to intervene.
BMW and Cadillac sport superb interior ergonomics like tactile steering-wheel controls that you can locate easily with your thumbs so you never have to take your eyes off the road — or squint at the controls in the dark. UX’s average control buttons, however, are flat and hard to locate by touch alone.
Lexus steps it up when it comes to infotainment.
Long a laggard in tech like voice command software and Apple CarPlay, Lexus offers an “Intelligent Assistant” system with a native navi system on par with Google Maps. On the way to the airport with Mrs. Payne, I barked our destination — Hey Lexus! Navigate to QuikPark, Romeo, Michigan — and the system understood my West Virginia accent like we’d grown up together.
Still, Mrs. Payne prefers Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto) so she can play her Spotify music lists and pre-set a destination on her phone in the house (that then translates to Apple CarPlay in the car). It’s a wireless world (except, ironically, for government edicts forcing automakers on the electric car cord), and the Lexus hybrid is in sync.
Though not on par with competitors, the ergonomics of the 2023 Lexus UX 250h are much improved over past, mouse-pad operated screens. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
As the car rotated onto Telegraph, my wife instantly grabbed for the ceiling handle to brace herself. But the Lexus is no Mazda CX-30 Turbo, so I took the corner at a moderate pace.
The F Sport trim offers paddle shifters, but I never touched them. Indeed, the AWD system is hardly necessary for burning rubber out of stoplights — Lexus clocked an 8.4 second run from 0-60 mph — but owners will find it useful in Michigan snow. Indeed, the most interesting drivetrain feature was to gauge how long I could maintain electric power at low speeds before the gas engine kicked in.
True to the commoditization of vehicles today, the UX 250h has the same CVT automatic transmission found in a Toyota Corolla Cross. But unlike the UX Darth Vader-mobile dressed in red leather, Gene Simmons would never give the Toyota a second look.
Next week:
2023 Lexus UX 250h
Vehicle type: Front engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hybrid SUV
Price: $36,490, including $1,150 destination fee ($47,930 F Sport as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mated to twin electric motors (as tested)
Power: 181 horsepower
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 110 mph
Weight: 3,604 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 41 city/38 highway/39 combined (AWD as tested)
Report card
Highs: Much improved interior displays; lots of personality
Lows: Tight rear seat; personality ends when you press the pedal
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Las Vegas — Honda Motor Co., the U.S. market’s sixth best-selling automaker, has made its Civic, Accord and CR-V models household names.
Now, as it embarks on an all-electric future, the Japanese automaker hopes that “0 Series” will resonate as well.
Honda unveiled its new, battery-powered model line Tuesday at Las Vegas’s sprawling Consumer Electronics Show with two futuristic-looking concepts, the Saloon and Space-Hub. In contrast to the internal combustion engines in its existing lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs, the “0” (zero) is meant to represent zero emissions. Sitting on Honda’s in-house, skateboard battery platform, the two models share design elements like illuminated, cube-like front-and-rear fascias and cutting-edge steer-by-wire yoke steering wheels (debuted on the Tesla Cybertruck last year).
The Honda Saloon shows off a sleek form with lots of interior room. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda
The 0 Series line appears to follow the EV offerings from other mainstream auto competitors like Hyundai Motor Co.’s Ioniq models, Kia Motors Corp.’s EV models and Volkswagen AG’s ID lineup of cars. Honda is bullish on an EV future (if not as bullish as General Motors Co.’s promise to sell only EVs by 2035). Come 2040, Honda says its sales will be EV and hydrogen alone. Honda established itself in the U.S. market as an affordable, enthusiasts’ brand, but the sustainability-focused 0 Series appears to be an attempt to follow Tesla as an electric brand with a social conscience.
Like its main Japanese competitor, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda has not rushed into EVs as quickly as other automakers in part due to its sale of fuel-efficient models. Hybrids and sales of high-mpg models like Civic have helped it weather strict carbon dioxide emissions regulations that are becoming increasingly expensive for some automakers.
The American Automotive Policy Council, an industry trade group, predicts that U.S. emissions rules through 2032 will cost GM $6.5 billion in government fines, Stellantis $3 billion and Ford $1 billion due in part to their truck-heavy lineups. Volkswagen faces upwards of $1 billion in penalties, the most among foreign carmakers. As its electric lineup of ID.4, ID.7, and ID. Buzz come to the U.S., their sales should help reduce those fines.
The Honda Saloon concept features steer-by-wire, a feature found on Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda
While Tesla has dominated the EV market, sales of other electric model lines have been modest. The Ioniq 5 last year sold 33,918 units compared to 209,624 units by its gas-powered ICE counterpart, the Tucson. The electric VW ID.4 sold 28,031 units last year compared to 76,227 by its ICE Tiguan doppelganger. As regulatory agencies from D.C. to California increase penalties on gas car sales over the next decade, manufacturers expect EV sales numbers to increase.
Honda’s first EV, the Prologue, hits showrooms this spring and is a departure for a brand that has traditionally targeted budget conscious buyers with $25,000 Civics and $30,000 Accords. The Prologue is a $50k SUV aimed at upscale EV customers.
The Prologue is also a departure in that it is built on another automaker’s architecture — GM’s Ultium battery platform. The 0 Series will be built on all-new Honda battery platform that that Japanese automaker calls “thin, light and wise.” That mantra runs counter to the industry trend of heavy EVs. The GMC Hummer, for example, weighs nearly five tons, while the Chevy Blazer EV — with which the Prologue (and its sister Acura ZDX EV) shares its chassis — tips the scales at a porky 5,500 pounds.
The sci-fi design of the Honda Space-Hub is right out of the movies. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda
“The mobility we dream of is not an extension of the trend of ‘thick, heavy, but smart’ EVs,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. “We will create a completely new value from zero based on thin, light and wise as the foundation for our new Honda 0 EV series to further advance the joy and freedom of mobility to the next level.”
The first 0 Series model will launch in the U.S. in 2026 and will be based on the Saloon concept, which looks like a Lamborghini supercar married a vehicle from the movie “Tron.” A global model line, 0 Series will also be sold in Japan, other Asian countries, Africa and the Middle East. The vehicle will also bear a new Honda logo which the brand calls its “H mark” and signals its U-turn to an all-electric future.
“We have gone back to basics and formulated the Honda 0 Series with a design for the new era,” said Global Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama. “A bold and pure proportion that from the first glance is overwhelmingly different from other EVs to evoke a new perspective for people.”
For all the 0 Series’ newness, Honda says it wants EVs that carry on the brand’s tradition of nimble, fun-to-drive vehicles — a tradition rooted in its successful motorsports history. That principle will endure in a dedicated “thin” EV platform that creates a low center of gravity for aerodynamic performance, and in powerful, lightweight “e-Axles.”
The Honda Saloon looks like something out of a Blade Runner movie. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda
Sensitive to Americans’ resistance to EVs due to their inferior range, refueling time and long-term battery degradation, Honda promises battery advancements on all fronts. It asserts its 0 Series cars will have high-density, long-range batteries able to fast-charge from 15% to 80% of battery capacity in 15 minutes while minimizing battery degradation to 10% after a decade of use.
The Saloon flagship aims to be sporty to drive while also sporting a roomy interior with its battery stored below the cabin. The Saloon appeals to green customers with environmentally-friendly materials while a video of the Saloon indicates rocket-like acceleration.
The Space-Hub appears to be a different animal designed for an autonomous age. Developed under the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives,” Space-Hub looks like a living room on wheels with bench seats facing each other in the second row. Thus the “hub” name, as the boxy vehicle accommodates multiple passengers similar to GM’s Origin autonomous vehicle.
The Honda Space-Hub is like a living room on wheels with autonomous driving capability. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda
The new Honda logo — which symbolizes two outstretched hands — is meant to represent the brand’s historic transition to a self-driving, electric future realizing “the possibilities of mobility.”
Similar to autonomous systems like Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise, Honda’s next-gen autonomous system will integrate artificial intelligence software, sensors and driver-monitoring cameras with a goal of safe, hands-free driving on both highways and city streets.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Gaylord — Early electric vehicle adopters have lots of questions: What’s the 0-60 mph acceleration time? How big is the screen? Does it have a frunk? Does it have one-pedal driving?
But as manufacturers broaden their EV selections beyond enthusiasts and toward family vehicles to satisfy looming government mandates eliminating gas-powered chariots, the question on buyers’ minds is:
Are we there yet?
As the market’s first electric three-row SUV, the 2024 Kia EV9 begs the question as families size up its handsome exterior, sci-fi wheels and lush interior. It’s a compelling ute, but is it road trip-friendly like its gas-powered 2024 Telluride sibling costing $20,000 less but featuring nearly 200 miles more range?
In front of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line shows off its sculpted, sci-fi looks. Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne took the mainstream segment’s first, three-row SUV through the snow to northern Michigan. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I took the top-trim $77,395 EV9 GT-line on an overnight Payne Christmas shopping trip up I-75 to test its family-friendly capabilities.
The big SUV is certainly friendly to the eyes. With its sculpted body stampings, sci-fi “X” wheels and vertical LED lights, my gunmetal gray Kia looks like it just rolled off a “Blade Runner” movie set. Snow-and-salt-blasted after my 470-mile trip north, it looked like it had been through a windswept dystopian landscape to boot.
The interior is state of the art, its layout rivaling luxury automakers. A pair of crisp 12.3-inch digital displays are housed in a continuous dash-top screen. A useful head-up display complemented them on my GT-Line model, and the screen responded quickly to my touch. Interior room is plentiful like the Telluride, including a big third-row seat and healthy 82 cubic-feet of cargo space with the second row folded (perfect for a big chair at Gardner White furniture that we had our eyes on).
At 75 mph in freezing temp, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line sucked battery power on I-75, delivering just 55% of predicted range. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Mrs. Payne and I packed our overnight bags beneath the hatchback, and we were off at 11 a.m. Well, not quite.
With over 400 miles of range and dozens of quick-fill gas stations everywhere, fueling a gas Telluride is an afterthought. EVs, on the other hand, require extensive trip planning. Are there chargers on the route? Are they fast chargers? Are they 350 kW fast chargers? Are they near food/restroom facilities? Chargers at the destination? What’s the weather forecast?
Happily, Kia Connect will not only route you to your destination, but plan your charger stops along the way (like Tesla and its proprietary charging network). Alas, I had difficulties connecting with Kia Connect (problem solved later in the drive), but — no worries — the ABRP phone app (A Better Route Planner) came to the rescue.
The EV route planner is excellent, and ABRP scheduled us for two fast-charger stops on our route in Bay City and Waters. Why two charging stops when the Kia’s 243-mile range (we started with 90% of the full, 270-mile range) should have gotten us the 230 miles to Gaylord? ABRP knew that cold and highway speed — both the bane of batteries — would reduce range. The stops added 47 minutes of travel time compared to, say, a Telluride trip.
Are we there yet?
With a twist of the column steering shifter to DRIVE, we were off into the blowing snow. Like other electrics (Chevy, Hyundai, Tesla, VW), Kia EVs have made the column shifter hip again thanks to their single-speed transmissions. No clunky shifts through multiple gears like the ol’ truck column shifters. And no gas driveline tunnel down the center of the car, opening console space for my knobby knees, wireless phone charger and Mrs. Payne’s purse.
North Pole, Michigan. The 2024 Kia EV9 enters Frankenmuth, home of the Midwest’s most famous Christmas store: Bronner’s. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
First stop: Gardner White in Auburn Hills. The furniture store gave us plenty of chair ideas — and we also began to understand why ABRP’s navi had scheduled a two-stopper: EV9 was sucking battery range at 75 mph in 33-degree temps. With range degradation of 45%, the Kia’s realistic range was 134 miles rather than the 243 we had started with. Whoa.
A recent Car and Driver article came to mind: “A trend has become clear: most EVs fall notably short of their EPA-estimated range figure. On the flip side, we found most cars with ICEs either met or exceeded their EPA fuel-economy ratings.”
After Birch Run, we headed to Bronner’s Christmas smorgasbord in Frankenmuth. Despite its 16½-foot length, the EV9 land yacht was easy to maneuver in Bronner’s stuffed parking lot, thanks to its 360-degree camera and periphery of sensors.
We added gift bags to the cargo bay and headed for our first Electrify America fast-charging stop in Bay City — in a Meijer parking lot. ABRP app indicated 18 minutes to charge to 85% battery, but electric charging is rarely that efficient.
In Bay City, the 350 kWh hour fast chargers were unavailable – one taken, the other out of order – so Payne settled for a 150 kWh hour fast charger in the 2024 Kia EV9. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
First there are the heavy CCS connectors. Unlike light, standardized fuel pumps, CCSs are unwieldy even for your 6’5” reviewer to connect. Then there are balky card readers. It took me two tries in the bitter cold to get it right. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait in line for a charger. Unfortunately, only one of the two 350-kW ultra-fast chargers was in working order — and it was occupied.
I plugged into a slower, 150-kW port, which took 32 minutes to charge instead of the expected 18.
Are we there yet?
I got work done while charging, and Mrs. Payne shopped Meijer. After a total stop of 52 minutes, we unplugged with 200 miles of range — and range anxiety creeping in.
The Kia’s onboard computer had recalculated to predict 25% range degradation in current conditions — but we had actually experienced 45% degradation while taking 176 miles off the battery to go 96 miles to Meijer. ABRP’s next stop? A ChargePoint fast-charger in Waters, 108 miles away.
CCS charging cords are the standard of non-Tesla chargers and can be bulky to operate on vehicles like the 2024 Kia EV9 in tight charger spaces. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
With the temperature dropping to 24 degrees in Gaylord and heavy snow predicted (where is global warming when you need it?), we feared we may not make it. So we charged just 54 miles later in West Branch to assure we’d get to Gaylord.
Are we there yet?
Despite its 5,714-pound girth — 1,300 pounds more than the gas-powered Telluride — the EV9’s low center of gravity and all-wheel drive make for good driving dynamics, and I nailed the throttle back onto I-75. Zot! The Kia merged with a burst of liquid-smooth power.
The speed limit jumps to 75 mph north of Bay City, but I backed off to 70 mph to help range. Range degradation decreased to 25% from the 45% I’d been experiencing.
Boasting an outlet mall, West Branch is peppered with 10 gas stations — but only two fast-charge stalls in the back of an out-of-the-way Ford dealership. After another frustrating few minutes coaxing the Shell charger app to sync with my Kia, I filled to 80% of range in 30 minutes before our last 70-mile leg to Gaylord.
At 10:45 p.m., Payne leaves the hotel to charge for an hour to 100% of battery capacity in the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line at Gaylord’s Electrify America charger in preparation for the trip home the next morning. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In Gaylord, our dinner hosts admired the Kia’s lush interior. Not being motorheads, though, they were more interested as to why it had taken 4¼ hours to make a trip they usually do in three in their gas-powered Ford Edge.
The EV9 would make one more demand before I retired for the night.
Are we there yet?
My wife had a business appointment the next morning in Oakland County, and we needed to be as efficient as possible going south. I dropped her off at our hotel at 10:30 p.m. for a good night’s rest and headed to Gaylord’s Electrify American charger (another Meijer parking lot) so the Kia battery would be at 100% charge when we took off in the early a.m.
In northern Michigan chargers are few and far between for EVs like the 2024 Kia EV9. Gas infrastructure is a different story – as is energy-dense gasoline’s much quicker fill-up time. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Gaylord chargers were empty at 10:40 p.m. Kia claims its 800-volt platform can charge quickly on 350 kW chargers, but I never saw a charging rate better than 141 kW. It took an hour to charge from 40% to 100% battery capacity. Exiting Meijer at midnight, I did a few doughnuts in a snowy lot nearby — a big kid enjoying the Kia’s all-wheel-drive system.
The next morning, EV9 was wiser for the previous day’s travel experience.
It calculated the SUV’s range at 214 miles on a full charge (not the full 270 as advertised) — or only 80% of advertised range to account for the subfreezing temperatures. Still, the Kia would lose another 20% of range going south on I-75 — for a total range degradation of 40%, similar to the previous day.
Our biggest worry was that the Bay City chargers might be occupied at 7:15 a.m. on a work-week Tuesday. They were empty. I refueled from 33% to 88% in 35 minutes on a 350-kW charger and we arrived home in 3.4 hours. I immediately plugged in to my 240-volt garage charger.
The 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line is the SUV’s plushest model starting at just over $75k. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
An EV trip is more complicated than travel in a gas vehicle — and at greater cost. EA’s 48 cents/per kWh rate meant that filling up the EV9 cost me $74 for the trip compared to $58 for a 24-mpg Telluride.
I recommend doing small road trips (like our Gaylord shopping jaunt) if you get a battery-powered family SUV. Most folks will buy the cheaper Telluride for its convenience — until Kia retires its gas vehicles to meet government rules, and the EV lineup is all that’s left in the showroom.
Are we there yet? In about 10 years.
Next week:2023 Lexus UX 250h
2024 Kia EV9
Vehicle type: Battery-powered rear- and all-wheel-drive six-passenger SUV
Price: $56,395, including $1,495 destination ($77,395 GT-Line e-AWD as tested)
Powerplant: 76.1 kWh or 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to electric motor(s)
Power: 215 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (Light RWD model); 201 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (Light LR RWD); 379 horsepower, 443 pound-feet of torque (Wind and Land e-AWD); 379 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque (GT-Line e-AWD)
Oakland County — For those of us on the 2024 North American Car, Truck & Utility jury, the expected mid-size truck showdown between Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado for Best Truck fizzled this year. Colorado will likely win the class as the Taco and Ranger arrived too late for jury testing.
But there is another intriguing showdown over in the Best Car class: Honda Accord Hybrid vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV.
The Accord, of course, has been one of the best-selling sedans in America over the last five decades and is a three-time finalist and one-time NACTOY winner (2018) over the award’s 30 years. The all-electric Hyundai is a newcomer and a contender to take over the class lead should government bureaucrats have their way and ban gas-fired vehicles like the Accord in coming years.
The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid is all new with sharp handling, new digital displays , and a hybrid gas engine with a range of nearly 600 miles. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In short, it is a mano a mano test between the king and the contender. Between gas and electric. Consumer favorite and government favorite.
Despite vastly different powertrains and styling — and 4.5 inches of wheelbase difference (116.1 for I6 and 111.4 for Accord) — the two mid-size sedans share interior dimensions (including palatial rear seats), all-digital displays, generous standard safety equipment, even regeneration paddles (more on that later). And the Accord mimics many of the electric features of the Hyundai as Honda sees its hybrid as a bridge to a government-compliant EV lineup.
But the differences are where it gets interesting.
My sleek, soap bar-shaped Hyundai tester got a lot of attention. “Oooooh, it’s very attractive,” said my Tesla-owning friend Janice. Tesla designers have led the way in crafting new grille-less fascias on EVs that don’t need grilles to feed petrol engines under the hood. Other EV makes like Ford (Mustang Mach-E) and Genesis (G80 EV) have kept faux grilles. But Hyundai (and sister brand Kia) and Porsche have made the obvious leap to mid-engine sportscar-like front ends with attractive tapered noses.
It’s a sporty — and minimalist look — that Hyundai replicates in the tapered tail (think design icon Audi TT). The clever design includes hiding the car’s sonar in a black strip beneath the headlights. Determined to break with tradition, the I6 completes the mod look with sci-fi wheels.
The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV is the brand’s first electric sedan with handsome looks, rear-wheel-drive (AWD optional) and up to 361 miles of range.
The Accord is hardly a wallflower — “That’s a lovely car, I especially like the color!” — said the security guard at my 910 AM radio station. But Honda achieves its looks the conventional way — by evolving the last-gen Accord’s head-swiveling, coupe-like shape with a more pleasing mouth.
Both cars are effortless to drive.
The rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 won’t flatten your face like my all-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3, but its instant 248 pound-feet of torque still gives you the kick in the pants you expect from an EV. I merged with authority onto metro interstates, instantly shot gaps in traffic and ruled stoplight getaways.
My top-line front-wheel-drive $39K Accord Touring model has similar features (plus a sunroof) to the well-equipped Ioniq 6’s SE trim — and is nearly as quick from 0-60 mph with its hybrid 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder/1.3 kWh battery. It’s cheaper than the Ioniq 6 without all that battery pack to pay for — and then uses those savings to try to re-create an EV-like experience with an internal-combustion-engine married to twin electric motors.
Pulling out of my driveway, the Accord ran on battery power alone under 20 mph until I put my boot into it off a stoplight, where its direct-drive transmission showed how it’s carefully engineered to shift like butter through gear changes. Toggle SPORT mode on the console, and the engine’s voice lowers an octave to a satisfying growl (eat your heart out, EVs!). Side note: Accord ergonomics are excellent, with raised toggle switches and tactile rollers that my fingers found without my eyes leaving the road.
The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid features a remade cabin with digital displays and wireless Android Auto.
But wait, there’s more. The Accord also comes with steering wheel paddles like the Ioniq (pioneered by the Chevy Bolt) that enable regeneration for single-pedal driving. Like instant torque, single-pedal driving is one of the signature features of the EV experience. It’s gimmicky compared to full-electric regen experiences like the Hyundai and Tesla, but it’s fun to try.
Speaking of fun, the Honda ran circles around the Hyundai in the twisties. Maybe it’s the I6’s porkier (by 20%) 4,225-pound curb weight. Maybe it’s Honda’s decades of experience on the racetrack. Whatever, the front-wheel driver is effortless to drive quickly.
But where the Honda is most effortless is on long journeys. With a healthy 583 miles of driving range from its 46-mpg hybrid powertrain, I could go to Mackinaw City and back without visiting a gas pump. When refueling is necessary, I could refill in three minutes at a nearby service station.
The cockpit of the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV feature twin digital screens and easy-to-use controls. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Conventional wisdom says that EVs just need to match gas-filling infrastructure in order to be competitive. But in truth, driving EVs requires a change in mindset, similar to switching from a wireless mobile phone to a landline. EVs simply aren’t as convenient as gas cars.
The Ioniq 6 Long Range model I tested has an advertised 361 miles of range — but that’s in perfect, 70-degree, 55 mph conditions. At a more realistic 75 mph (and before you get into the subject of cold weather) up I-75, our pals at Car and Driver put the range at 260 miles, meaning you’d need to stop three times to refill from 10%-to-80% of charge. Try to charge to a full 100%, and you’re going to be at the charger awhile.
At an optimal 350 kW charger (if you can find one), Ioniq will charge from 10%-80% (190 miles added) in 20 minutes — compared to the Accord’s 589 miles in three minutes. Cries of “Are we there yet?” from the kiddies might start to get on your nerves.
While on the journey, the Hyundai exhibited superior adaptive cruise (one of the industry’s best this side of Tesla Autopilot or GM’s Super Cruise) to the Honda, which tends to “bowling ball” from side to side in its lane. Both cars exhibit state-of-the-art, wireless Android Auto, wireless charging and head-up displays.
The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV charged overnight on a 240-volt charger in Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne’s garage. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Ioniq 6 or Accord? The question comes down to the usual EV vs. gas stereotype. If you have deep enough pockets for a multi-car garage, $10K more to spend and another two grand (that’s a lotta green) to wire your garage with a 240-volt home charger, then the Hyundai is your show horse.
If you need a roomy sedan that can do it all effortlessly, then the gas-fired hybrid Accord is Car of the Year.
Next week: Road trippin’ in the 2024 Kia EV9 family SUV
2024 Honda Accord
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel drive five-passenger sedan
Price: $28,990, including $1,095 destination ($38,985 Touring Hybrid as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder; gas-electric hybrid with 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder and two electric motors (as tested)
Hell, Michigan — If I can’t have a Formula One car under the tree for Christmas, I’ll settle for a McLaren Artura. And at $300K — just 2% the cost of a $15 million F1 machine — it’s a steal.
Artura, the latest creation from the elves in Woking, England, has a carbon fiber monocoque similar to the company’s Formula One car. And a hybrid twin-turbo V-6 engine like its F1 car. And similar rear-wheel drive.
Take this combination onto Hadley Road here and it’s Christmas in Hell.
On a lonely stretch of Hadley, I put my right foot to the floor in launch control and Artura exploded forward, blowing past 60 mph in less than three seconds on my way to the moon. But first, a blind right-hander. The McLaren sliced it perfectly, the steering wheel a knife in my hands. With a chassis wrapped as tightly as — well, carbon-fiber threads — Artura exhibited no body roll, its summer Pirelli P-Zero tires responding instantly to my small steering inputs.
Auto racing and manufacturing have been intertwined for decades going back to Henry Ford’s Sweepstakes triumph. Nearly every major manufacturer today is invested in motorsport for its marketing and tech-transfer benefits. Then there are manufacturers who started as race teams. Ferrari, Lotus and the latest to cross over into production cars: McLaren.
Arturo is a case study in a how a brand’s enormous investment in Formula One hybrid tech translates to production. The English company is determined to explore the technology’s envelope to also deliver a luxury touring-car experience. Thus the name Artura — a fusion of “art” and future.”
Arturo is a hybrid in more than one sense of the word. It’s a car with multiple personalities — a country-club tourer for Dr. Jekyll, a track weapon for Mr. Hyde.
McLaren has nailed the “art” piece. Before my descent into Hell (when hair sprouts, Hyde-like, from my knuckles and back), I took a detour through Ann Arbor to pick up my favorite Reuben sandwich at Zingerman’s. I might as well have been Brad Pitt.
At a stoplight, backpack-carrying school kids saw the Serpentine Blue McLaren and erupted into cheers, jumping up and down. Couples on the sidewalk stared and pointed at the rolling sculpture. Arriving at Zingerman’s, the McLaren’s scissor doors opened upward and brought a basketball game to a standstill in the adjacent park.
From stem to stern, McLaren has mid-engine proportions down cold. Artura is the love child of the lean McLaren 570 and iconic 720s — the latter one of the most distinctive mid-engine cars ever made. Scalloped side intakes feed huge radiators located fore of the rear wheels. It’s sensual, simple, yet boasts remarkable outward visibility (compared to, say, the pillbox quarters of a Corvette C8).
The simplicity continues inside where McLaren has taken learnings from previous models and consolidated the drive setting and engine mode buttons on either side of the motorcycle-like gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. Only the steering wheel defies the spare theme with more stalks protruding from it than a buck has antlers.
There are shift paddles, wiper stalk, cruise control stalk, light stalk and instrument control stalk. What, no column shifter? No, DRIVE, NEUTRAL and REVERSE are still selected by console buttons mounted below the flame-red START button.
Push START and “future” kicks in. Where Artura’s design and chassis are familiar, the drivetrain is a new animal.
Unlike its forebears, Artura starts in silence. In ELECTRIC mode. On battery power. Like a Prius.
I silently crept out of Zingerman’s parking lot without offending neighbors’ ears — or anti-fossil fuel UM academics. Exiting Main Street onto the M-23 four-lane headed for Hell, I toggled to COMFORT drive mode and squeezed the throttle. The powertrain increased the pace on full electric power before finally engaging the other half of the hybrid performance team: the twin-turbo V-6. Artura was now in full stride, yet the hybrid powertrain only emitted the sound of an angry vacuum cleaner.
Engage SPORT and the character of the V-6 emerges — Porsche six-like in its urgency — as it took advantage of McLaren’s lightning-quick eight-speed automatic gear set. That’s quite a show of the hybrid powertrain’s dexterity with the best yet to come.
TRACK mode, counter-intuitively, is the most ambidextrous of them all.
In the hands of heathens like me, TRACK mode will drink 2/3rd more fuel than COMFORT mode thanks to its prodigious power, short-gear ratio and neck-snapping launch control. But select TRACK mode for your interstate ride home from, say, Hell, and it will efficiently use the motor to replenish the 19 miles of battery-only range you exhausted while being stealthy in Ann Arbor. Gas guzzler and battery charger all in one mode.
Of course, gas guzzling is always more fun, and the howl of the V-6 across Hell’s twisted country roads is irresistible. But choosing the TRACK chassis setting? Not so much.
So stiff is Artura in TRACK setting that the car was frenetic over bumpy Patterson Lake Road. That’s a lotta bumps. This must be what a Formula One car feels like on public byways. I found myself constantly fighting the wheel to stay on course. Leave TRACK for smooth race tracks.
The Artura’s sweet spot is SPORT. The suspension keeps the supercar planted, but not harsh so the chassis and drivetrain can work their magic. While I find Porsche 911s to be the most balanced cars in the supercar library, carbon-fiber wonders like the Artura are like nimble go-karts. A go-kart with a rocket strapped to its back.
Despite giving up 1,000 cc and 2-cylinders to the glorious twin-turbo V-8 found in predecessor 570/600 supercars, Artura healthily beats them in horsepower (671) and torque (531). McLaren points to the electric motor which (overcoming the hybrid system’s additional 300 pounds of weight) serves as “torque fill” to give the six-holer added oomph at the low end to help it fill its lungs on the way to a screaming 8,500 RPM.
“Holy crap!” yelled my friend Anthony over the V-6 as we shot off an interstate on-ramp like a sidewinder missile. Arturo boasts an upgraded infotainment system but we never touched the dial, so engaging is the V-6 audio. Zero-60 blows by in just 2.6 seconds (quicker than the 710 horsepower, V8-powered 720S) and 100 mph in 5.5 seconds (matching 720S).
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