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The new Cruise classics: Class of 1999
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2025
All hail the great Class of 1999.
New auto models from 1999 will celebrate their 26th year at the Woodward Dream Cruise’s giant auto reunion this weekend — and their official coronation as antique cars under Michigan law. The Secretary of State bucks convention by declaring cars antiques after 26 years — not a quarter century — which makes them eligible for historic plates at a flat fee of $30 for 10 years and (likely) reduced insurance costs.
In ‘99 the Tigers played their last season at Michigan and Trumbull, the archrival Colorado Avalanche denied the Red Wings a shot at their third straight Stanley Cup, the post-Barry Sanders Lions made the playoffs, and the Pistons endured a season-shorting NBA lockout. The Dow crested 10,000 for the first time, the first Matrix movie thrilled, Legoland opened in California, Y2K doomsayers predicted Armageddon, and future NBA star Luka Doncic was born.
Thousands of classic cars roll down Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak during the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Katy Kildee, The Detroit News
Automakers birthed their own future classics from mega-utes to sedans (remember them?) to wee sports cars. Here’s a look at the new antiques …
Mazda MX-5 Miata
They don’t get any more wee than Miata.
Mazda introduced the MX-5 in 1992 as a 2,200-pound, stick-shift throwback to 1960s European sportscars like the Lotus Elan and Fiat 124 Spider. MX-5 was an instant hit and became an enduring halo for Mazda’s performance brand. After skipping the ‘98 model year, 1999 brought Miata’s much-anticipated second-gen. Would it suffer a sophomore slump? Nope.
The new Mazda got a 24-horsepower bump over the original to 140 from its four-cylinder engine (while only gaining 100 pounds). Designers added more curves while removing the pop-up headlights. The rarest of the ‘99s are 10th Anniversary Edition models, which came equipped with unique wheels, a two-tone blue and black interior and Sapphire Blue Mica paint.
Ford SVT F-150 Lightning
Before there was an electron-guzzling F-150 Lightning pickup, there was a gas-guzzling SVT F-150 Lightning V-8.
For 1999, Ford introduced the fire-breathing SVT F-150 Lightning, powered by a supercharged V-8 that pumped out 360 horsepower. Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Company
It was a beast with 348 cubes, 360 supercharged ponies and 139 mph top speed. And when it wasn’t towing 5,000 pounds, it could launch from 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds. It stood out from its sibling F-150s with dual exhaust tailpipes and SVT-badged seats.
Along with late 20th-century pickups like the Dodge Lil’ Red Truck, Chevrolet 454 SS and GMC Syclone, SVT Lightning helped establish a niche of muscle-bound trucks that continues to this day.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The OG SUV received major upgrades for its second-generation, including a 4.7-liter V-8 engine to complement the standard 4.0-liter V-6. Owners had fussed about the spare tire’s location in the cargo wall, so engineers hid it underneath.
The second-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee that bowed for 1999 offered a V-8 engine option. Stellantis, Stellantis
Unchanged was the Jeep’s signature off-road capability with standard all-wheel drive (Quadra-Drive full-time AWD optional) and Wrangler-like solid axles front and rear. The classic seven-slot grille and boxy shape signal Jeep from a mile away on Woodward.
BMW 3-Series (E46)
The fourth-gen Bimmer 3-series still ranks as a purist favorite for its sleek styling, high-revving M performance model (more on that come 2027 when it turns 26 years young), unflappable road manners and a multitude of body styles, including convertible and wagon.
1999 BMW 3-series Hardy Mutschler, BMW
The so-called E46 generation also debuted electronic bits foreshadowing innovations that have transformed today’s vehicles: satellite navigation, electronic brake-force display, rain-sensing wipers and LED taillights.
At its heart beat a signature 2.5-liter, inline six-cylinder engine that, while smooth, lacked the ponies of the Infiniti G35’s 260-horsepower 3.5 liter V-6 — and therefore finished second in a Car and Driver comparison test. The G35? Gone from the market, as are other competitors from 1999, including the Acura TL, Saab 9-3 and Jaguar X-Type 3.0.
Chrysler 300M
One of three sedans based on the LH platform (including the Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde), the 300M was a peach. It featured upscale styling, taut handling and easy power from its 254-horse V-6. Enthusiast publication Motor Trend crowned it Car of the Year.
1999 Chrysler 300M Stellantis, Stellantis
In naming the Chrysler to its annual Ten Best list alongside classics like the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z3, Car and Driver wrote: “the 300M can be hurled through sporting roads with a surety and enthusiasm that will make you forget you’re transporting three passengers and their luggage. We rarely encounter such capabilities in luxury sedans priced near $30,000. That value is perhaps the 300M’s greatest achievement.”
Alas, 300M had a short shelf life and production ended after the 2004 model year. The good news? It was succeeded by another future classic, the V8-powered 300 gangster-mobile in 2005. Huzzah.
Volkswagen Beetle
Sales of VW’s iconic, rear-engine Bug were discontinued in the United States after 1976, and the compact was replaced by the front-engine Rabbit/Golf.
Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech with the revived Beetle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 4, 1999. The new-gen Bug enjoyed a 20-year run. CARLOS OSORIO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two decades later, boomers went ga-ga for retro, so V-dub brought Beetle back to life based on the Golf’s front-wheel-drive chassis. Complete with a built-in flower vase, the Beetle legend was rebooted for another 20 years.
Bug Part Two was awarded Motor Trend Import Car of Year and North American Car of the Year.
Cadillac Escalade
Have the words “humble” and “Escalade” ever been used in the same sentence?
In response to the popular pickup-based Lincoln Navigator, GM rushed the Escalade to market in 1999 as a humble, rebadged GMC Yukon Denali mega-ute. The exterior was little changed from the Yukon (wheel caps were changed to Cadillac from GMC), but the real difference was inside, where Escalade introduced real wood trim on the doors and the same leather found in Caddy cars.
The first Cadillac Escalade was sold in 1999 (right). It took 24 years to make the first V-series model – the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V (left). Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Based on the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra ladder frame, the humble ’99 was only a two-row but capable of towing up to 6,500 pounds. Come 2001, the Caddy would be redesigned with three rows and its now-signature, bling-tastic crest grille and Fox Theatre-like vertical taillights so rappers, pro athletes and other celebs could party inside like it was 1999.
Lotus Exige
Not to be outdone by Michigan’s curious 26-year antique law, the feds have their own historic eccentricity: after 25 years you can import cars that weren’t legal on U.S. roads in 2000. My favorite not-legal-now-legal car for ‘25 is the track-focused 2000 Lotus Exige complete with rear wing, front splitter and wide bodywork. This race car for the street weighed a mere 1,750 pounds and was dynamite to drive with its four-banger making a healthy 177 horsepower.
More on its Class of 2000 peers next year.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Corvettes on Woodward: King ‘Vette fires up the Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 14, 2025
Pontiac — It’s good to be king.
If the Woodward Dream Cruise were the Pride Lands, then Chevrolet Corvette would be its lion king. For eight generations and 72 years, America’s longest-running sportscar badge has ruled Woodward Avenue with its roaring V-8 engines and muscled bodywork. And for over 20 years, the Corvettes on Woodward event has been a focus of Woodward Dream Cruise week with its massive gathering of muscle.
This year’s Pride Rock is Michigan’s premier motorsports club, M1 Concourse in Pontiac, where over 500 Corvettes gathered Wednesday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. for pictures, exhibits, panel discussions, camaraderie, and, of course, cruising.
M1 Concourse
“There’s nothing like a Corvette with the top down on Woodward,” said Andre Walker, 60, of Detroit as he rolled onto Woodward at Rapid Street, rowing the gearbox of his red, fifth-generation 2002 Corvette C5. “They only made 178 of this particular trim because the manual was rare for that model year.”
Passion for the Corvette runs deep and brought not only generations of cars but generations of owners here to celebrate the marque. Larry Courtney, 78, of Warren and his wife, Vern, started Corvettes on Woodward over 20 years ago to benefit the Open Hands Food Pantry in Royal Oak. It’s grown into the largest Corvette gathering in Michigan, attracting owners from all over the country — and spectators with a $20 gate charge.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“The urban legend is there were 40 of us hanging around with our Corvettes having ice cream, and someone said: ‘we can do a lot better than this,’ because we have Michigan’s largest Corvette Club,’” smiled Courtney, then a member of America Corvette Club who now runs Michigan Corvette Events.
Corvettes on Woodward first gathered at the Kingsley Hotel in Birmingham, where it eventually burst at the seams. Over 500 Corvettes were crammed into a hotel lot with 180 parking spaces. When the group spilled out on to Woodward for a lap of the Cruise route, the chain would run for seven miles.
“The police said we couldn’t all go out at the same time anymore,” said Courtney. “It was just too many cars.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
So Corvettes on Woodward has found a new home here in Pontiac on M1’s 87-acre campus where ‘Vettes can sprawl across two paddocks, a skid pad and 1.5-mile race track.
“It’s logical for Corvettes on Woodward to be here,” said M1 CEO Paul Zlotoff, who teased that Corvettes on Woodward will move to Thursday in 2026 as part of a three-day M1 Dream Festival. “We’re set up for this kind of event because we celebrate motorsports in an organized way. We could bring 2,000 Corvettes in here.”
On Wednesday, dozens of red, white and blue Corvettes gathered in front of M1’s event center to form an American flag for a drone-snapped photograph. Corvettes like a white, first-generation, front-V6-engine 1954 C1 convertible owned by Tom Gamache, 85, from Canton Township — and a red, eighth-generation, mid-V8-engine 2023 C8 Stingray owned by Aldrin Santiago, 53, of Sterling Heights.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“I was 12 years old in 1953 when General Motors showed the first Corvette at Motorama in New York,” said Gamache, who bought his car in 1999. “And I thought it was the most beautiful car I had seen and I would own it someday.”
How does he think the first-mid-engine Corvette C8 looks?
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“It’s great. That’s the Corvette that Zora (Arkus-Duntov, Corvette’s influential first engineer) always wanted to do,” he said, standing next to his new friend Santiago, who he had just met at the flag photo. “The handling of those things is unbelievable.”
Corvettes on Woodward founder Courtney likes all generations but settled on a 1999 Corvette C5 for himself wrapped in an American flag color scheme. “I like the C5 because I can fit and we do a lot of road trips,” he said. “We travel all over the country doing events.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Bobby Keyes, 69, of Lake Orion enjoys so many generations of Corvette (he owns a 1969 and 1982) that for his third Corvette he bought a rare custom model with a 1957-style, C1 coupe body on top of a C5 chassis.
“I liked it because it was different, custom, and they only built five of them,” he said of the Stewart, Florida-made ‘Vette built in 2017. Colored blue, his car formed the top left corner of the American flag photo.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
M1’s Event Center offered relief from the day’s blazing sun — and activities like sim racing, a slot car track, and Corvette jewelry for sale. Cindy Pronze, 50, of Canton Township showed off a white bracelet she bought featuring the Corvette flag logo.
“It will go nicely with the 1976 Corvette that I’m restoring,” she said.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
How Chinese-owned, Volvo-inspired, foreign-made Polestar startup is navigating the EV market, tariffs
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2025
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Montreal — Volvo Cars created its performance-focused Polestar electric vehicle brand to go head-to-head against Tesla. A subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, it is also the first Chinese-owned EV brand for sale in the United States and sits at the intersection of swift industry currents, including import tariffs, electrification and government subsidies.
Made in South Korea and coming to the North American market this fall, the Swedish-designed, compact Polestar 4 SUV is the brand’s most important product in the industry’s biggest segment, taking on the best-selling Tesla Model Y.
The 4, built on the same platform as China’s Zeekr 001, is at the heart of a model lineup that includes a Polestar 2 (Model 3 sedan competitor), Polestar 3 (midsize SUV), Polestar 7 (due in 2026) and Polestar 1 sports coupe. When it goes on sale this fall, Polestar 4 will face ill feelings toward China post-COVID, the stagnation of the EV market and 25% import tariffs at a time when Canadian and U.S. EV government subsidies are going away.
Nevertheless, Polestar says it is full speed ahead for the North American luxury market.
“Since Polestar was created, it was always designed, engineered and managed from Sweden. It was very important that we had independence,” Dean Shaw, Polestar’s chief of public relations and communications, said in an interview here. “We have many shareholders (and) a very large shareholder, of course, that’s based (in China). We don’t see any concerns around this. We’ve got a lot of independence, we’re free to do what we need to do, and we are overseen by regulations in the U.S.”
Owned by Ford Motor Co. from 1999-2010, Volvo was sold to Geely, which today owns about 80% of the company. Polestar earned early notoriety for modifying Volvos as race cars and ultimately evolved to Volvo’s official performance partner (think AMG for Mercedes). Volvo bought Polestar in 2015 and repurposed it as an EV brand in 2017 to attract investment — and engineering learnings — at a time when EV startups were red hot amid soaring Tesla evaluations.
“I don’t think people know that Polestar is owned by the Chinese,” said auto analyst Rebecca Lindland, managing director for Allison Worldwide. “I don’t think people know Volvo is owned by Geely, either.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Lindland said that there was a “lot of tension” in Gothenburg (Volvo’s Swedish headquarters) when Geely bought Volvo. “But (the Chinese) have basically taken the Warren Buffett approach: if you’re doing things well, I’m going to leave you alone,” she said.
Unlike EV startups Rivian Automotive Inc., Lucid Motors, Fisker Inc., and Bollinger Motors that have struggled to build sustainable capital and manufacturing models, Polestar has access to Geely’s deep capital resources and international manufacturing footprint. Its four EVs have been built in Chengdu, China (Polestar 1 alongside the Zeekr X EV small SUV), Luqiao, China (Polestar 2 alongside the Volvo XC40), Ridgeville, South Carolina (Polestar 3 alongside Volvo S60 sedan, XC60 and EX90 EV SUVs), and Busan, South Korea (Polestar 4 alongside Geely and Renault models).
“We have access to all of the technologies within the broader Geely group — and from a manufacturing perspective as well,” said Shaw, who has had multiple roles with Volvo over four decades in the United States and Europe. “Rather than trying to build our own factory — and the heavy investment needed from that — we can be very nimble. (We) build our cars at other existing factories within the greater infrastructure that gives us a really competitive advantage, I think, against other EV startups.”
Being part of an industrial colossus like Geely is a huge capital benefit (see Hyundai/Kia), said Los Angeles-based analyst Lindland, who was communications chief for EV startup Fisker before it went bankrupt last year. She said it also gives Geely a foothold in the U.S. market by building a subsidiary production here.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Polestar built its brand identity slowly. In 2020, it introduced the six-figure Polestar 1 coupe to signal the brand’s performance intent. That was followed in 2022 by Polestar 2, a fastback competitor to the Tesla Model 3 with similar sleek proportions and power. Polestar has since stopped selling new Polestar 2s in the United States.
Since the introduction of the 2 hatchback in the United States, Polestar has sold 33,262 units here as of July 31, including the introduction of its second U.S. model, the 3 SUV, for 2025. The Polestar 3 starts at $67,500 and has up to 350 miles of range.
Now come Polestar’s core electric SUV products, and none too soon as global Polestar sales slumped in 2024. The compact 4 SUV joins the midsize 3 (the brand names its vehicles, not by size, but in chronological order as to when they are introduced) in the U.S. market. The Polestar 3’s 2,396 unit sales in the United States in the first half of 2025 placed it eighth (of 14) in the luxury midsize EV SUV segment.
Globally, Polestar retail sales grew to 30,319 units in the first half of this year, up 51% year over year. “Volume growth of 38% in the second quarter and 51% in the first half of the year is a clear sign that our retail expansion is delivering and that more customers are choosing Polestar,” said CEO Michael Lohscheller.
Like their 1 and 2 predecessors, the 3 and 4 SUVs are quick and bear simple, Scandinavian designs. The 4 starts at $56,400 and offers up to 300 miles of range.
“What Polestar wanted to do was (take) a slightly different direction, a performance direction,” said Shaw. It enabled “Volvo to stay true to Volvo’s heritage. (Polestar) wanted to be the performance electric car brand, and that is very clearly our point of differentiation.”
Analyst Lindland is less convinced a new brand is worth the effort. “You do a lot of marketing, and it’s very capital intensive to establish a brand in any market,” she said. “A brand like Volvo has such a clear message of safety, reliability. Polestar should just be an alternative powertrain.”
Polestar reported a first-quarter net loss of $190 million.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The South Carolina plant is an important asset for Polestar as the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported vehicles take hold. The Chinese-assembled Polestar 2 has already been discontinued in part due to a 100% tariff on Chinese-sourced products, and the Polestar 4 faces a 25% tariff coming from South Korea.
“At the moment, the pricing that we’ve launched for Polestar 4 is set up with the current level of tariffs in mind,” Shaw said. The luxury SUV starts at $57,800.
With multiple manufacturing plants around the world feeding 28 markets, Shaw said that Polestar and Volvo are hoping for stability from governments.
“The situation at the moment is probably more complex than ever, but everybody’s facing the same situation,” he said “It’s a global business. We can’t put plants in 28 markets in the world, so we have to distribute that in the smartest way. How do we optimize our manufacturing footprint?”
Henry Payne
Shaw said the rich U.S. market — the world’s second-largest after China — has always been a manufacturing focus and Polestar/Volvo are expanding production here just as transplant manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., BMW AG, and Mercedes-Benz Group AG did in the 1980s in the face of that era’s tariff threats. Today, foreign plants anchor communities from Ohio to Georgia to Alabama.
The South Carolina plant also opens the possibility of other Chinese brands being built here.
Zeekr, for example, showed its Mix electric minivan at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year and is making platforms for self-driving Waymo vehicles destined for the streets in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities.
“It’s really a conundrum, right? Normally, we encourage production by foreign entities,” said analyst Lindland. “That’s always been a great hedge against tariffs, so we want local production. But the Trump administration has also been quite critical of Chinese ownership of landmarks and properties. At the same time, Chinese-owned brands are bringing automobile production here. Is it a loophole for production of Chinese vehicles here in the U.S.?”
Whatever the political currents may bring, Polestar products like the 4 will be hard to miss on U.S. streets with their distinctive, dual-blade headlights, fastback designs and quick acceleration.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“The Polestar 4 will be our volume driver, both in the U.S. and Canada,” said Shaw. “We’re expecting more than half our sales to be this product. It opens up a whole big market for us.”
Like Tesla, the 4 boasts a minimalist, screen-centric interior and daring design innovations like a deleted rear window. For $62,900 the all-wheel-drive 4 model puts out 544 horsepower and will go 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
“It’s more than a gimmick,” Shaw said of the window-less rear. “It’s about how can we look at progressive solutions that really challenge the industry? Our engineers found that, if they deleted the rear window and replaced it with a high-definition camera, they could lower the rear roof line, but grow interior space for passengers.”
Allison Worldwide’s Lindland said Polestar products are gaining traction in the EV-mad, upscale California market.
“The product is head-turning,” she said. “They really represent Swedish design. They’re different than Tesla (which are) a dime a dozen out here. If you want an EV with a great brand standing behind it, Polestar is a good choice.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Tesla-fighting Volvo EX30 is cute, quick, and range-challenged
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 7, 2025
Henry Payne
Midland — Cubism in the 1910s, surrealism in the 1930s, pop art in the 1960s, installation art in the ‘80s. The art world has seen multiple movements over the last 100 years. So too has the art of the automobile. The post-WW2 jet-inspired tailfin era, muscle cars of the ‘60s, mid-engine ‘80s sportscars, 1990s jelly bean sedans.
Digital age electric vehicles have given designers a new canvas to paint on. One of my favorites is the 2025 Volvo EX30 that I recently piloted to Charlevoix and back.
Like its Tesla, Rivian and Cadillac peers, the EX30 has embraced the grille-less fascia and simple, screen-centric interior. And, just as installation art is limited to a specific place, so are EVs best admired as urban vehicles — as my trip’s charging follies demonstrate.
My two-tone yellow and black EX30 cutie welcomed me with a smile.
That is to say, the mouth-like diagonal line through the circular Volvo logo that anchors the fascia. No internal combustion engine, no grille. The fascia is anchored by signature “Thor’s hammer” headlights inside a black frame (a theme repeated on the rear facia). EX30 reminded me of one of the colorful characters from the 2005 flick “Robots.”
Sensing the card key in my pocket, the door unlocked. As its nomenclature implies, the subcompact EX30 is Volvo’s gateway to its EX40 and EX90 EVs lineup — though you’ll need to adjust your pricing expectations. Stylish subcompact, affordable, premium, internal-combustion-engine SUVs are a thing, including sub-$40K cuties like the Buick Envista, Mazda CX-30 and Acura ADX.
My all-wheel-drive, $48K EX30 Performance Ultra tester is priced more in line with premium EV compacts like the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Lexus RZ450. All-wheel-drive, panoramic roof, 19-inch wheels, posh materials. Unlike those machines, however, the EX30 has little rear legroom (32 inches) compared to, say, the Tesla at 40 inches. A six-footer can’t sit behind himself. Starting at $54K, the EX40 will buy you four more inches of legroom.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Under the airy, panoramic roof, the cabin is beautifully spare. Like Scandinavian furniture.
Like a Tesla, the interior is anchored by a big screen. Doors are scrubbed of buttons, and essential controls (mirrors, glovebox) are accessed through the screen. Unlike a Tesla, the 12.3-ich display is vertical and the cabin trimmed with classic Volvo touches like silver vertical air vents and door handles — and a floating console that offers plenty of space underneath for a handbag.
Volvo (and sister Polestar EV performance brand) were first to market with the Google Built-in operating system (now ubiquitous on GM products and coming to Honda), which makes navigation easy — especially in a low-range electric car that needs to find chargers on trips. To keep costs down, EX30 has a small (69 kWh) battery with just 253 miles of range compared to, say, Model Y’s 311 miles of range.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hey, Google, navigate to Charlevoix, Michigan.
The Swede scheduled two stops to make the 250-mile trip and still have 25% of charge left at destination (in case I have to make another trip on arrival). Why two stops for a 250-mile trip, you say? Because EPA estimate range numbers appear calculated for a perfect, 70-degree day traveling at 55 mph.
This July summer’s day, however, was running hot at 95 degrees with rain in the forecast on a 75 mph interstate. My range would be more like 200 miles. That, and you only charge to 80% at fast chargers because that last 80-100 % is (like filling a beer) sloooow. Actual range? 160 miles.
ZOT! The peppy 400-torque EX30 merged with authority onto I-75 North.
Henry Payne
Like its electric peers, the Volvo is smooth as silk. But for the price, it’s lacking hands-free driving like Model Y/Chevy Equinox. Volvo telegraphs the feature is coming, however, as a steering wheel-mounted camera watched me constantly. This being a Volvo, it nagged me incessantly to keep my eyes on the road, my hands on the steering wheel, and my teeth brushed (kidding about that last part).
EX30 navigated to the first fast charging stop in the parking lot of a Bay City Meijer store, an Electrify America station that … was shut down. Oh.
“OUT OF ORDER” read the charger screens, the stalls wrapped in yellow tape with a line of blue shopping carts blocking access just in case customers didn’t get the message. Unlike Tesla, which integrates its charging network with its car’s navi system, the Volvo is dependent on third-party companies. EX30 had no idea the EA charger was down.
Henry Payne
Plan B. Right next to the EA chargers was a bank of eight Tesla chargers, seven of them available. Volvo has signed an agreement to use Tesla chargers, so I plugged in and opened the Tesla app to connect.
“No chargers within range,” read the app. Huh?
According to Clean Technica, 150 kW Tesla V2 chargers like those at Bay City are un-accessible to non-Tesla users.
Plan C. I asked the Google navigation to find fast chargers nearby. Success: Blink and ChargePoint stations were available within two miles. I chose Blink because the map indicated all four stalls were available — and because it was in a Ford dealership and (presumably) well maintained.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At the Ford dealer, I plugged in at 56 cents per kWh and walked across the street for a Tim Horton’s doughnut while EX30’s battery charged for 20 minutes from 50-90%. Note to self: at 56 cents per kWh, the 500-mile round trip would cost $93 versus $73 for a comparable, gas-powered Volvo XC40 at $4.10-per-gallon premium fuel.
Back on the road, Volvo navigated me to a second Electrify America charging stop in Gaylord, but (fearing EA unreliability) I chose a ChargePoint in Waters instead and arrived in Charlevoix with 36% of charge left (72 miles). All told, the trip had taken 6.23 hours to complete — longer than the 4.37 hours Google Built-in promised (which was already longer than the 3.52 hours in a gas XC40).
No wonder EV sales have stalled.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Back in its natural habitat (that is, an urban environment) in Charlevoix, the Swede was happy as Bjorn Borg on a clay tennis court. On two-lane M-32, it squirted from 0-60 mph in a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS-like 3.3 seconds — quicker than an all-wheel-drive Model Y’s 4.8.
I’m a fan of Tesla and Rivian spare interiors, and EX30 was a pleasing place to spend time. Clever details abounded like a fashionable square steering wheel, storage cubbies and Google Built-in, which was always ready with a joke. “Hey, Google, tell me joke,” I said.
Why can’t a bicycle stand up on its own? Because it’s two tired.
You have to have a sense of humor to survive the charging follies. More were in store for the trip home.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After a Traverse City airport detour to drop off family, EX30 navigated to Midland to recharge at a “very fast 240-kW fast charger.” Wrong.
The charger was actually a very slow 240-volt charger in the parking lot of the H Hotel on Main Street. Sigh. Fortunately, Midland wasn’t far (20 miles) from the same Bay City Blink charger that saved me on the way up. Though this time, the first Blink charging stall I tried was out of order. Hey, Google, tell me a joke!
Henry Payne
I had 70 miles (33%) of charge left when I arrived home. Which is where EVs belong. Close to home.
With its peppy acceleration, cute looks and iPhone interior, EX30 is an artistic statement. Need a trip car? Allow me to suggest the midsize, gas-powered XC60 SUV with 38 inches of rear legroom and 564 miles of range. For the same price as a subcompact EX30.
2025 Volvo EX30
Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: Base $46,295, including $1,295 destination charge ($48,395 Performance Ultra as tested)
Powerplant: 64 kWh lithium-ion battery pack mated to dual electric motors
Power: 422 horsepower, 400 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.3 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 114 mph
Weight: 4,189 pounds
Range: EPA est. 109 MPGe; 253 miles on full charge
Report card
Highs: Stylish Scandinavian design; sportscar acceleration
Lows: Small back seat; pricey
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
100 years young: How Model Ts keep on T-icking in northern Michigan
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 2, 2025
Charlevoix — In the 1920s, the Ford Model T transformed America.
Bringing affordable, personal transportation to the masses, “Tin Lizzies” — as Model Ts were fondly nicknamed — established Detroit as a manufacturing colossus, made farming more efficient, replaced the train as the primary means of long-distance transport, and opened rural areas like northern Michigan to tourist travel.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
A century later, Ford Motor Co.’s Model Ts are still plying the roads — and turning heads — here thanks to its durable design, dedicated repair infrastructure and passionate owners.
Mary Carr Leatherman is celebrating the 100th birthday of her family’s 1925 T this year by going on long country drives with her sister, Irene, and husband, John Dean. With its two-speed transmission and 40-mph top speed, the four-cylinder Ford can be seen chugging along Charlevoix County’s two-lane roads in daily traffic.
“It’s a special feeling, because I like antique things,” said Dean, 78, decked out in 1920s-style goggles, flat cap and elbow-length leather gloves. Mary and Irene sit behind him, resplendent in full period white skirts. “I keep thinking about what (the Model T) was like then, what the people were like, and what they experienced when they were driving it. It’s a bit of a reverse time machine.”
Made from 1908 to 1927, Model T production revved up after 1910 when it moved to Ford’s Highland Park facility, reaching more than 2 million units a year by 1925. Prices dropped from $850 in 1909 (about $30,000 in today’s dollars) to $260 in 1925 (about $5,000 today), making it widely affordable with 10,000 cars a day rolling off the line. Henry Ford and his son drove the last Model T — the 15 millionth — off the line in May 1927.
Henry Payne
Leatherman’s grandfather Richard Sr. purchased the T in 1925 in Commerce, Mississippi, where he used it as a daily driver on his cotton farm. Two generations later, his grandson, Richard Jr., moved the car to Memphis, Tennessee, where it made cameo appearances — like transporting Mary and Irene to their weddings.
“I remember as a child my brother and first cousin, Ted, playing around with it — and my grandfather teaching them how to drive it,” said Leatherman, 71. “They loved cars.”
One hundred years on, the Model T’s revolutionary design is still remarkably relevant. Its left-side drive makes it easy for passengers to exit curbside (legend has it Henry Ford designed it that way so his wife, Clara, could safely exit to the curb). Its Model T nomenclature has been copied by Tesla Inc., which fancies its popular electric vehicles (Model X, Model 3, etc.) as Ford’s 21st-century successor. And its high-riding, good-visibility seating position dovetails with the current craze for high-riding SUVs.
In the 1920s, that tall wheelbase was essential to navigating rutted, muddy, horse-and-buggy roads that were suddenly busy with thousands of Fords. It is hard to understate how the T changed life here.
Reliable, durable and powerful, Model T proliferated on farms.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“It was called ‘the farmer’s friend,’” Ford Heritage and Brand Manager Ted Ryan said in an interview. “Its tall wheelbase was essential to navigating rutted roads, and its versatility made it a tremendous farm tool. Like an F-series platform toy, you could put different top hats on it, from a four-door to a pickup bed.”
Farmers used the T for a variety of farm chores, including hooking up wheat thrashers, running grist mills and transporting goods to market. “The only thing that limited the Model T was the imagination of the owner,” Ryan said.
Leatherman and Dean brought their Model T to Charlevoix because their extended family reunions are here each summer. And because it felt like home.
“When my father died, he sent (the T) back to the farm in Mississippi … and no one was caring for it,” Leatherman said. “My sister and I decided we would put this project in (John’s) hands, because he loves a challenge. And Michigan, of course, is the car state.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
They follow in the tire tracks of scores of Model T owners who headed north a century ago with their new contraptions. Before the T, northern Michigan had mostly been accessible only to upper-income families who would load their families on trains for long hotel stays.
Charlevoix, for example, had some 1,000 hotel rooms in 1920 — and just 350 today. The move away from trains toward automobiles was signified by the closure of Charlevoix’s massive, 250-room hotel, The Inn, in 1937.
“The effect of reduced train ridership due to the continued rise of the automobile sealed its fate after 43 seasons,” records a Charlevoix Historical Society documentary. “It has no room for parking for the large number of cars.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Dean took the Model T to Ed Baudoux, one of Northern Michigan’s “Model T whisperers,” who restored the car to its original mechanical condition.
“People look at these cars and think they are worth a million dollars,” said Baudoux, who works from a barn behind his Grayling home. “But Ford made 15 million of them. The Model T is the poor man’s collector car.”
Model Ts today can fetch anywhere from $5,000-$20,000 with good restorations somewhere in between, said Baudoux. Rare models like a two-door Runabout might push $50K. Along with help from Jeff Humble, president of the Northern Michigan Ts (the local Model T club), Dean trained himself to drive the Model T using an original owner’s manual as thick as Manhattan’s phone book. A Ford poster on his wall prescribes regular maintenance.
“I’ve driven a modern stick car for a good part of my life, and you have to unlearn that, because the Model T methodology (of) levers, pedals and the tools of the car are not common sense. They’re not what you’re used to,” Dean said. “My new best friends Ed and Jeff were very patient with me.”
Courtesy Of The Leatherman Family
Dean juggles the controls as he drives — an art that he has passed on to Richard Leatherman Sr.’s 16-year-old great-great grandson, Richard.
For all its accessibility to average drivers, the Model T required owners to pay attention to mechanical detail. A six-volt battery under the rear seat powers the flywheel magneto ignition system. The nine-gallon gas tank is under the driver’s seat, requiring a careful fill lest fuel drip on the hot exhaust running beneath the car. A single carburetor delivers fuel to four pistons, and Dean closes the fuel line valve when the car is not in operation.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Allow the fuel to run low, and the Model T might stall on an incline due to its gravity-fed fuel line from tank to carburetor,” Humble, who owns three Ts, said in an interview. Should that happen, he explained, drivers would turn the car around, put the T in reverse gear (thus allowing fuel to flow downhill into the carburetor) and drive it backwards up the hill.
Sideboards make for easy access to the driver’s seat (via the right passenger door only), where operators encountered a blizzard of controls, including a parking brake, three floor pedals (left clutch/first gear, center clutch/reverse gear, right engine brake), floor-mounted starter button, dash key and choke, steering wheel-mounted accelerator stalk and spark plug advance.
“It was a unique system that Ford designed for the Model T,” said Baudoux, 59, who learned to work on Ts at Saginaw’s Douglas MacArthur High School at the foot of shop teacher — and renowned Model T whisperer — Robert Scherzer. Scherzer’s class built a 1923 Model T pickup that is one of two Ts Baudoux owns today.
“By the time the Model T went into mass production, it was obsolete,” said the Grayling mechanic, citing the relentless pace of automotive development in the early 20th century. “But Henry Ford was a manufacturing genius and kept making the T more affordable.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The T’s successor, the Model A (one of which Baudoux also owns), in 1927, adopted the three-pedal clutch system familiar to stick-shift cars today. But the T was simply designed and repeatable to make — a feature demonstrated by the Model T Club of Greater St. Louis, which publicly assembles a T in 10 minutes every year. With so many Ts still alive today, a global supply chain has grown to support it: tires made in Vietnam, axle shafts from Taiwan, radiators by Brassworks in California.
“The Model T was brilliantly designed,” Humble said. “It could be put together quickly and reliably. For a public that had never driven a car before, it was a clever, easy introduction into automobiles.”
In northern Michigan, the T phenomenon brought a flood of visitors onto an antiquated road system. Among them was Henry Ford himself.
“He loved walking the walk,” said archivist Ryan. “He loved his Ts and making people’s lives easier.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Paved roads were largely exclusive to Metro Detroit in the early 20th century (the first concrete road was built in Motown in 1909) with out-state roads mostly dirt or gravel, co-traveled by horse-and-buggy. The American Automobile Association was formed in 1902 as 23,000 cars joined 17 million horses on the roads.
By 1916, Model Ts were transforming travel, and AAA instituted roadside assistance for stranded travelers. Fuel? Travelers carried their own cans, buying petrol at general stores where kerosene was also sold (for lighting and cooking). AAA spearheaded a campaign for better roads, including federal funding for highways. Gas stations began to pop up on heavily-trafficked routes and, by 1919, gas had surpassed kerosene as the best-selling U.S. petroleum product.
Each year, Humble said, the northern Michigan Ts get together to make a trip around the region’s roads, including through the Tunnel of Trees and over the mighty Mackinac Bridge.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It’s a trip that Dean and Leatherman want to do someday with their new friends Jeff, Ed … and more.
“Once you start talking about (old) cars in this part of Michigan … it’s very different,” Dean smiled.“ There’s a gentleman in Petoskey that specializes in replacement carburetors. There’s this network that just goes all over the place, and every time you turn around, you end up with yet another new friend.”
One of Henry Ford’s favorite destinations was Lovells Township, just 23 miles northeast of Baudoux’s Grayling shop, where the Ford founder enjoyed fishing on the Au Sable River beginning in 1916. The Lovells Township Historical Society recounted to promotemichigan.com how Ford once met a local, frustrated Model T owner who had stalled his Model T on an incline.
Ford turned the car around, put it in reverse, then backed it up the hill.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Hyperlap: Corvette ZR1X sets American record at Nürburgring
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 1, 2025
Chevrolet’s Corvette ZR1X is the fastest American production sports car made and now it’s taken its place among the world’s elite sportscars around the world’s premier race track, Germany’s Nürburgring.
The all-wheel-drive, 1,250-horsepower ZR1X recorded the fourth fastest production time ever around the epic, 12.9-mile track — and the fastest by a U.S. brand and non-professional driver — at a blistering 6.49.3 minutes.
Only the 1,063-horsepower Mercedes AMG ONE (6:29.09 minutes), 700-horsepower Porsche GT2 RS MR (6:43.30 minutes), and 730-horse Mercedes AMG GT Black Series (6:48.04) have lapped the so-called “Green Hell” in the Eifel Mountains quicker. All three were piloted by professional drivers.
GM
Not far behind in sixth place was the ZR1X’s sister, 1,064-horse, rear-wheel-drive ZR1 at 6.50.7 minutes. Chevrolet brought its trio of Corvette performance models — the ZR1X, ZR1, and Z06 — to the ‘Ring this summer in a historic bid to become the fastest U.S. brand. The Z06 recorded a time of 7.11.8 minutes.
“No auto manufacturer has done a Nürburgring lap attempt like this before,” said GM President Mark Reuss, himself a Level 6 driver and trained engineer. “From development through production, and now at the Nürburgring, we have clearly shown there is no limit to what our GM engineers and vehicles can accomplish. These are the best Corvettes in history, period.”
All three ‘Vettes were driven by Corvette engineers who are licensed (so-called Level 6 drivers in GM-speak) to drive Nürburgring and have a combined 1,825 development laps around the 154-turn circuit.
GM
The so-called Nürburgring Nordschliefe has long been the benchmark for performance for its high-speed rollercoaster turns and 200 mph straightaways. The Corvette team has tested there extensively, but has resisted setting an official time, in part due to the complexity and expense that an official lap time entails.
Nevertheless, as home-team German automakers continued to top the charts and the Nürburgring’s fame spread across social media, Detroit automakers have ramped up their efforts. What’s more, Corvette and fellow Motown muscle-car Mustang are no longer parochial, North American sub-brands as Chevy and Ford market them for sale internationally and in GT3 racing series where their chief competition is Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, and other international performance brands.
Ford threw down the gauntlet earlier this year when its (estimated) $325k Mustang GTD — a winged, production pony produced alongside the Mustang GT3 racer by Canadian partner Multimatic — became the first U.S. sports car to shatter Nürburgring’s seven-minute market (6.52.0 minutes), and become the fastest car around the ‘Ring not named Mercedes or Porsche.
Game on.
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD lifts a wheel on its sub-7 minute lap around the ‘Ring. GILES JENKYN, Ford
“We’re at the Nürburgring right now with our Corvette,” Reuss told reporters at the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 14 when asked about plans for Corvette marketing in Europe.
Like Merc and Porsche, the Mustang’s lap was set by a pro driver (IMSA ace Dirk Muller). But Corvette has taken a different tack in headlining its supercar (the ZR1 starts at just over $178K), which retails for much less than competitors.
“We’ve created a different kind of relationship between our cars, iconic tracks, and our engineers, it is how we develop our vehicles,” said Senior Vice President of Product Programs, Safety, Integration and Motorsports Ken Morris. “These Corvettes weren’t piloted by pro racecar drivers. They were driven by the same engineers who designed, engineered and tuned them.”
GM
Last year, in a preview of its ‘Ring run, Corvette engineers took the ZR1 on a U.S. road tour, obliterating records at America’s major tracks including Road America (Wisconsin), Watkins Glen (New York), Road Atlanta (Georgia), and Virginia International Raceway Full Course.
Some of the same characters were back in Germany with Global Vehicle Performance Manager (and VIR record holder) Aaron Link setting the Z06 time, and ZR1 Vehicles Dynamics Engineer Brian Wallace (Road America record holder) clocking the ZR1 fast lap.
ZR1X vehicle dynamics engineer Drew Cattell (not among the U.S. record holders, indicating the depth of driving talent in GM’s engineering ranks) was the headliner with the Nürburgring ZR1X lap. In so doing, he put down the fastest time of any non-professional driver around the ‘Ring.
in the Chevy Corvette ZR1.
GM
Cattell’s time just pipped other notable laps recorded by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (06:49.3 minutes), Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (6:49.4), and Radical SR8 (6:52.7).
Reuss had previewed the ZR1X’s capabilities earlier this year after taking his own Nürburgring laps. “Driving this car will change your life,” he said.
The all-wheel-drive, electrified cyborg puts up bigger horsepower numbers than sibling ZR1 by adding an electric motor up front to power the front wheels while a twin-turbo, 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8 spin the rears. The combination makes for Corvette’s first hypercar to compete against the likes of million-dollar exotics like the AMG ONE.
GM
ZR1 models were equipped with track-focused ZTK Performance Package including sticky, Michelin Cup 2R tires and high-downforce wing and spoilers.
The ‘Ring ‘Vettes were U.S. production-spec vehicles with only safety equipment modifications (roll hoop, fire extinguisher, six-point safety harness) added at Nürburgring’s suggestion. Sadly for drooling Germans, the ZR1 twins are not available in Europe because they don’t meet draconian emissions regulations.
The ZR1s go on sale this fall. The $116,995 Z06 is available everywhere. Chevrolet produced a documentary, “Homegrown Speed: A Corvette Story,” that chronicles the ‘Vette gang’s Nürburgring assault.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne
Payne: Genesis G80 gets comfortable in its own skin
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 1, 2025
Gaylord — Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, announced this year its intent to enter the world of elite motorsports in 2026 — joining the big boys in the IMSA Weathertech/WEC World Endurance Championship’s Hyper class.
It’s a natural progression for a brand that makes the terrific G80 sedan that I just stormed Michigan’s twisties with. The fastback sedan is a looooong way from the G80 I first tested in 2015.
Cresting a hill on M-32 west of Gaylord, I floored the throttle — accessing all 375 horsepower of the twin-turbo V-6 engine in front of me. Standard all-wheel drive translated 391 pound-feet of torque to the road and the big sedan surged forward. Big as in 4,600 pounds, which is hardly a lightweight in the midsize luxe aisle. But in SPORT PLUS mode, electronic suspension firmed the ride to reduce body roll.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I rushed a series of S-turns like Lions running back Davd Montgomery crashing through the line of scrimmage. The G80 held firm, the eight-speed transmission holding a higher gear as I rocketed out of the last turn and onto a brief straight stretch. BRRRAAAAAGH! The engine’s growl opened into a full-throated roar.
Bring on Cadillac, Porsche, Acura, BMW and other luxury hypercar brands!
A decade ago, the 2015 G80 was a pretender. Affordably priced, it bore an Audi-like grille, Acura-like V-6 engine and BMW-like infotainment system controlled by a rotary dial. The 2025 model is no pretender; Genesis has come into its own.
They did it the old-fashioned way — poaching talent from the competition.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Belgian designer Luc Donckervolke came over from Lamborghini and gave Genesis its own design language. It’s hard to miss. Rather than dual racing stripes over the hood like a Dodge Viper or Ford Mustang, Donckervolke wrapped the cars with a distinctive dual-lighting signature. At auto shows, the Genesis team likes to pose next to their creations with two fingers held out horizontally — scissor-style — to echo the design theme.
The G80 got a lotta looks on my trip up north.
As I cruised down Bridge Street in Charlevoix, I watched the heads of the high school football players swivel as the Genesis cruised past. In a parking lot, a couple circled the car. It’s not just the swept sportback and dual headlights/taillights that get noticed — the bold shield grille gives the fascia presence.
And lots of air to feed the beast within.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Genesis hired BMW M Division chief Albert Biermann to tune its cars for performance. My Sport Prestige tester’s twin-turbo V-6 is a step up from the base model’s 300-horsepower turbo-4. Thus equipped, it is aimed squarely at all-wheel-drive performance sedans like the Audi S6, BMW 540i and Cadillac CT5-V.
Those brands have entered top-drawer motorsports, too (Genesis will be going head-to-head in the Hypercar class with Bimmer and Caddy). With the G80 Sport Prestige, Genesis is commanding a top-drawer price as well.
The Audi S6 leads this fleet of comparably equipped all-wheel-drive performance sedans with an eye-watering sticker price of $85K, but the Genesis is not far behind at $78,250. That’s a healthy 10 grand north of the 540i M-Sport and CT5 V-Series.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The latter is one of my favorite performance sedans and raises the bar for 2025 with a 36-inch dash screen run by state-of-the-art Google Built-in like its Lyriq EV sibling. And you thought big screens were just for EVs?
G80, too, takes design cues from the Hyundai group EVs. A striking 28-inch hoodless display stretches across the dash — complemented by a head-up display. Cadillac was a HUD pioneer, and the Genesis follows with useful information like Android Auto directions, speed limit and adaptive cruise control mph so I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road.
The Genesis has also taken a cue from General Motors’ excellent steering wheel ergonomics. Raised toggle buttons made it easy for me to adjust ACC and volume controls without glancing down. The Genesis’s console ergonomics were another story.
Following in the footsteps of BMW, G80 offers dual controls for the infotainment display: touchscreen as well as a fat rotary remote dial. Unfortunately, the rotary dial is the same size as the rotary automatic gear shifter on the console — and they are directly in line with one another.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Turn the rotary dial left to turn down the volume, and …
Ooops! I shifted the car into NEUTRAL!
Turn the rotary dial to DRIVE, and …
Oops! I turned up the volume!
I learned to be deliberate in choosing the two functions, but — though it would throw off the aesthetic appeal of twin rotary dials — drivers would be better served by a steering stalk or T-shifter to avoid confusion.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Biermann’s team has clearly been working with the G80 in the gym. I enjoyed taking the big dog off the leash on the M-32 twisties. But competition at this level is ferocious, and the Cadillac not only employs impressive electronic suspension dynamics — but offers toys like the steering-wheel-based V-button, which allows drivers to instantly summon their favorite performance settings.
Alas, the M-32 rollercoaster is all too brief, and I spent most of my journey north on I-75. The G80 aims to make the long stretches drama-free with a good adaptive cruise system that not only deploys a bubble of lane centering/distance-keeping safety systems — but also didn’t nanny me every 15 seconds with a warning to pay attention.
The system combines a camera — Cadillac Super Cruise-style — to monitor your attention while also sensing steering input. The G80 would even switch lanes automatically for me at the tug of the turn-signal stalk.
But here, too, it trails the ‘25 Cadillac and its optional Super Cruise system — one of the industry leaders in autonomous systems. Hands-free, automatic lane changes, lane centering. The works.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The new kid on the block dresses to kill and my G80 sported a striking red interior. My friend Suzie slipped inside. “Ooooh, I could get used to this,” she smiled. “I love that red leather smell.”
Genesis is turning heads and it intends to keep it that way. At the 2024 New York Auto Show, it set its sights on the Audi RS, BMW M5 and Caddy CT5-V Blackwing super-sedan models when it rolled out a bright-orange G80 Magma extracting over 500 horsepower from the familiar twin-turbo V-6 powerhouse. A variant of that engine is likely to power the IMSA Hypercar.
As the name “Genesis” implies, the luxury brand is just getting started.
Next week: 2025 Volvo EX30
2025 Genesis G80
Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, five-passenger luxury sedan
Price: $58,350, including $1,250 destination charge ($79,030 Sport Prestige as tested)
Powerplant: 2.5-liter, turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder; 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6
Power: 300 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque (I-4); 375 horsepower, 391 pound-feet of torque (V-6)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.2 seconds (Motor Trend); Top speed, 140-155 mph
Weight: 4,587 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 16 mpg city/24 highway/19 combined; 367-mile range
Report card
Highs: Striking design; upscale interior
Lows: Easy to confuse shift dial with volume dial; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
Payne: Second-gen Tesla Model 3 Performance takes big leap forward (and a step back)
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 24, 2025
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Charlevoix — After not touching the steering wheel on Full Self-Driving for an hour and a half up I-75, I exited the freeway at Gaylord. Turning on to the M-32 twisties, I took back the controls — my left thumb searching for the turn signal — from Autopilot. ZOT! The sedan rocketed past 60 mph in less than three seconds, its colossal 554 pound-feet of torque burying my spine in the seatback.
The second-generation Tesla Model 3 Performance is here, and it’s two steps forward — and one step back.
Or maybe I should say leaps instead of steps. As the most innovative brand of the 21st century commandeered by the most mercurial CEO since Henry Ford (imagine the blowback to Ford’s building WW2 bombers for FDR in today’s political climate), Tesla hasn’t been shy about trying to reinvent the automobile, whether design, autonomous driving, or electric power. I’ve owned both generations of the Model 3 Performance and they have been a nonstop, exhilarating, nerve-wracking journey on the cutting edge of auto tech.
Happily, the journey is now shorter to pick up a new car.
Leap forward. Six years ago, I picked up my 2019 M3P at Tesla’s Shaker Heights showroom outside Cleveland … because Michigan, um, banned Tesla showrooms. Today, thanks to a Whitmer administration initiative, Tesla has four showroom/service centers in Michigan — including in my West Bloomfield backyard. The no-haggle, online purchase process is easy-as-pie.
Leap forward. I was excited for the new 2025 Performance model for no other reason than designer Franz von Holzhausen has cleaned up the design. With its wide hips and coupe-back roof, M3 was always a looker from behind — but, oh, that face!
Determined to be different (Tesla’s North Star), the American startup’s first mass-produced car (it has sold a remarkable 2 million units since its 2017 introduction) scrubbed its front end of any trace of a grille. The result was a featureless face that reminded me of the Harry Potter villain, Voldemort. Eek.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Gen 2 is a dramatic improvement. The nose is sharper, more sculpted — its lean theme extending rearward with thinner headlights/taillights and more toned stampings. Always distinctive, Model 3 is now the peer of its handsome European competition.
Leap backward. Over those six years, I put just 14,331 miles on the odometer as an auto critic testing over 60 cars a year. No matter. The residuals of Model 3 Production models are through the floor (an EV affliction).
My low-mileage 2019 M3P cost $63,940 in 2019 and was listing no better than $22,000 on the used market — a 65% depreciation. A comparable, gas-fueled 2019 BMW M2 Competition, by comparison, held its value at $51,000 — just a 15% depreciation.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I took Tesla’s $19,500 trade-in on a new, 2025 M3P priced for $62,000.
Unlike 2019, that price did not come with a $7,500 federal tax credit, the ceiling having been lowered to $60,000 for EVs to qualify ($80,000 for EV SUVs like a Tesla Model X). On the other hand, I was able to transfer my Full Self-Driving capability (an $8,000 value, up from $5,000 in 2019) from my old Tesla to the new bot.
Leap forward. And what a bot it is.
The advances in self-driving since 2019 are remarkable. When I drove my 2019 MP3 home from Cleveland, the system only worked on divided highways, and I had to keep my hand on the wheel.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
When I picked up my 2025 Model 3 Performance from West Bloomfield, I gave it my address and it drove itself home. Credit Tesla’s relentless race with Google and Amazon for the Holy Grail of self-driving. Google is trying to achieve full, Level 4 driverless autonomy using Lidar, while Tesla is convinced it can get the job done with cheaper cameras.
Production cars like my M3P, however, are still Level 2, meaning that, on my trip to Charlevoix, the car constantly monitored my eyes for engagement.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
While hands-free systems from General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co.are mostly limited to divided highways, Tesla will drive to your destination as long as the road has painted lines. With a full 296 miles of range, I instructed the Tesla to navigate back from Charlevoix to my home, a 250-mile trip. Included was a 10-minute charging stop at Meijer’s Bay City store.
Not only did the Tesla navigate to the charger, but — upon arrival — it parked itself at one of the charging stalls. Press the turn signal, and M3P backed into the first available space.
Leap backward. That’s right, I “pressed” the turn signal.
In its quest to simplify cabin controls (and, no doubt, manufacturing), Tesla messed up one of the coolest cabin operations in autodom. The OG steering wheel was an aesthetically clean creation with two scroll wheels handling functions from mirrors to steering-wheel position to cruise control-speed to volume. Shifting/FSD and turn signals? Handled by two column stalks.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
For 2025, Tesla has removed the stalks, leading to a mess o’ complications. Shifting is now done in the 15.4-inch center infotainment screen — an echo of other brand methods (think Lincoln’s console shifter buttons or GMC’s piano keys). Operation briefly takes your eyes off the road.
But moving turn signal and FSD commands to the steering wheel requires a blizzard of icons (for voice, cruise control, arrows for turn signals).
The latter is the most problematic, as you now have to feel for the turn signal buttons next to a braille locator. Argh. As I turned the wheel onto M-32 in Gaylord, I fished for the turn signal buttons at the same time — clumsy when compared to the simple pull of a stalk.
“It’s not just dumb, it’s unsafe,” bemoans YouTube colleague Jason Camissa. Aftermarket companies have already crafted stalk solutions. Stalks aside, passengers will appreciate conveniences like ambient lighting, better-fitting seats and a rear-seat screen with climate control.
Leap forward. Of course, you don’t need stalks when you release the Kraken on M-32’s curves.
Here, the new M3P shines. The Tesla is noticeably better screwed together than the last gen. Solid chassis, quiet cabin, while unlocking an impressive 83 more torque (and 37 more horsepower). Remarkably, Tesla has achieved this while actually REDUCING curb weight from 4,072 pounds to 4,054. Has any modern performance car gotten lighter from one gen to the next? Ever?
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That light weight contributes to nimble center entry and face-flattening thrust on exit. Alas, turn-in is still numb, but magnetic shocks have made for a more compliant suspension.
Tesla’s charging and self-driving supremacy hint at an autonomous future. But the Gen 2 M3P’s aesthetics and handling are welcome indications that Tesla hasn’t forgotten what makes performance sedans fun to drive.
Next week: Genesis G80
2025 Tesla Model 3 Performance
Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
Price: Base $56,380, including $1,390 destination charge ($64,630 as tested)
Powerplant: Lithium-ion battery pack mated to dual electric motors
Power: 510 horsepower, 554 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.8 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph
Weight: 4.054 pounds
Range: 298 miles on full charge
Report card
Highs: Improved build; improved design
Lows: Poor residuals; where’d the stalks go?
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Winners, losers, movers. Highlights of U.S. auto sales six months in
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 24, 2025
There’s never a dull moment in the U.S. market as automakers hustle to divine consumer trends, navigate federal regulations, juggle tariff-driven plant production, and dodge activist Molotov cocktails.
The first six months of 2025 saw robust sales on track for an annual 16.3 million in unit sales as gas prices dropped and tariffs rose. America’s love affair with trucks ‘n’ SUVs continued with sales making up 82% of the light vehicle market. Just 10 years ago, cars made up 43% of the market. This year? Just 18%.
General Motors Co. brands led the herd with 17.6% of the market, followed by Japanese behemoth Toyota Motor Corp. at 15.2% and Ford Motor Co. with 13.6%, according to Autodata figures. The General gobbled a point-and-a-half of market share while its two closest rivals also gained.
Despite the threat of potential price increases, the first six months of the year recorded robust sales as gas prices dropped and tariffs rose. America’s love affair with trucks ‘n’ SUVs continued with sales making up 82% of the light vehicle market. Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
On the other hand, compared to 2015, Stellantis NV (then Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) declined to 7.4% from 12.3% and Nissan fell to 6% from 8.7%, stumbling while a company named Tesla Inc. (despite losses the last 12 months) came out of nowhere to reach a 3.3% share versus 0.1% a decade ago.
Enough macro, let’s talk micro. Dig deeper and the numbers reveal a raft of rivalries and rages. What are the best-sellers? Are EVs still the bee’s knees? Is Wrangler tying up Bronco?
The Detroit News sifted the numbers.
Best-sellers. The Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado continue to slug it out in the marquee pickup duel. F-Series was King of Sales (again) with 412,848 units sold over Silverado’s 284,038. Throw in Chevy’s premium sibling GMC Sierra, however, and the GM twins are tops with 453,220 units combined.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff rolls onto the stage in a F-150 Powerboost Hybrid Detroit Lions Edition as Ford Motor Co. touts its metal before the start of the Detroit Auto Show. The iconic pickup is on track to again be the pickup sales leader this year. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
A year ago, three non-pickup SUVs were climbing their way to the 400,000-plus sales summit: Toyota RAV4 (248,295), Tesla Model Y (198,030), and Honda CR-V (196,204). This year, RAV4 (239,451) and CR-V (212,561) are on pace again, but Model Y has hit a pothole with just 150,171 in sales — a victim of the slow rollout of its remade 2025 model and an often violent, anti-Tesla campaign aimed at Trump ally and brand CEO, Elon Musk.
EVs. Tesla Model 3 took up some of the slack, registering a 38% sales jump (to 101,323 units) with its re-worked sedan. So popular is the Model 3 that it not only was the hands-down best-selling luxury sedan (out-selling its closest competitor and segment icon, the BMW 3-series, 7:1), but it outsold every mainstream compact sedan except for the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
The 2025 Tesla Model 3’s recently improved interior, long range and enjoyable performance help make it the Edmunds Top Rated Electric Car for 2025 — and a stalwart in the sales race. AP
Alas, for government regulators targeting 60% EV adoption by 2030, Model 3 sales were an anomaly as the electric market flat-lined at 7.4% share of the market, according to Cox Automotive, despite an expanded menu of offerings.
“The consumer tolerance level for EVs is about 7-8% of the market with all the federal incentives in place,” said ISeeCars.com senior analyst Karl Brauer in an interview. “And as those incentives go away over the next year, we expect to see EV sales continue to slide.”
Despite losing 6% market share in 2025, Tesla still dominated EV sales with 44.7% of the pie. Winners so far are the Chevy Equinox EV, which vaulted to third place in the EV beauty contest in its first stage appearance — its 27,749 sales eclipsing the best sales year of Chevy’s previous entry-level EV, the Bolt, by over 4,000 units.
The 2025 Chevy Equinox ICE Activ is one of three trims including RS and LT. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Equinox EV’s sales paled next to its internal-combustion-engine-powered stablemate, the redesigned Equinox, which surged nearly 50% with 157,638 units sold.
Amidst the EV stall, Honda Motor’s first two battery-mobiles — the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX — shared GM’s Ultium platform and combined to sell 26,652 units. That’s more than the combined 22,053 units sold by their peer, mid-size GM products built on the same platform: the Chevy Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq.
Muscle cars. The Mustang vs. Challenger vs. Camaro war ended as Stellantis and GM exited the segment — for now — to focus capital on EVs. Only Mustang is still standing.
On road, the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse shreds the twisties with tight handling and improved steering. It soon will stand alone among Detroit muscle, as the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro take a hiatus from the market. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Yet, the pony car icon didn’t profit from its rivals’ demise, losing 14% of sales year-over-year to 23,551 units from 27,444.
“Muscle cars are a discretionary purchase, and their sales decline is evidence of consumer concern about the broader economy,” said analyst Brauer. “These cars also have dedicated buyer groups like pickup trucks. Challenger people are not going to buy a Mustang.”
Not even EV muscle-inspired customers. After ditching its Challenger and Charger V-8 models under regulatory duress, Dodge debuted an earth-pawing, all-electric Charger EV coupe that sold just 4,299 units — well below the 21,217 sold by the Challenger ICE coupe as it rode into the sunset this time last year.
The $70k 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV (right) replaces the $50k Challenger Scat Pack V-8 with more power and AWD, but less range and more weight. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Jeep v. Bronco. At the heart of SUV-mania is the battle for off-road supremacy between the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. Wrangler continued to lead the horse race with 85,624 sales (11% gain over ‘25), but Bronc is coming fast.
Revived in 2021 after a 25-year hiatus from the market, Bronco surged past the Toyota 4Runner with 72,063 sold — a 43.7% gain and within striking distance of King Wrangler.
“Wrangler has the advantage of consistent, decades-long production and a loyal fan base,” said Brauer. “Ford has a huge, built-in audience from its trucks, but Bronco’s growth suggests it is pulling in a lot of non-Ford loyalists as well.”
Bronco’s halo appeared to help sales of its more affordable junior sibling, the Bronco Sport, which doesn’t share Big Brother’s ladder frame but is still plenty tough. Its 72,438 units tallied a 21.7% gain over a year ago.
Detroit Auto Show chairman Karl Zimmermann, left, and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan ride in a Ford Bronco on the Ford Built Wild Track Experience during a tour of the Detroit Auto Show, at Huntington Place, in Detroit, January 9, 2025. David Guralnick, Detroit News
Sedan sunset. In 2015, six of the Top Ten best-selling U.S. vehicles were sedans, led by the Toyota Camry. This year, only Camry made the Top 10.
Forty brands vied for U.S. market attention a decade ago. This year that number is 48 as new players like Ineos, Polestar and Rivian test the waters. The next six months’ tariffs and EV welfare pullback will test them as well.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Range Rover Sport vs. Volvo XC90 in plug-in face-off
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 18, 2025
Henry Payne
If you FOMO on BEVs but still must emit CO2 for trips, PHEV may be your GOAT.
Translation: Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are the new fashion statements as luxury customers face the drawbacks of BEVs (battery electric vehicles) yet still require electric for moral or convenience reasons. Two of the latest PHEVs are the handsome 2025 Range Rover Sport and Volvo XC90 T8 sitting in my driveway.
Both bring the latest digital tech, peppy drivetrains and roomy three-row cabins — wrapped in their respective, distinctive European wardrobes. Here’s how I rate ‘em after a weeklong test in Metro Detroit:
Charging
Like BEVS, PHEVs are best fueled on home 240-volt charging systems. I plugged both models into my garage charger overnight for 100% battery range the next a.m. That is, 53 miles of battery-only driving for the Range Rover, 33 miles for the Volvo. That was plenty for daily errands ‘round Oakland County but not enough for my 64-mile round trip to Detroit Metro Airport. Your range will vary depending on temperature, rain and speed.
Driving to the airport on a lovely 50-degree May morning, my XC90 T8 Ultra tester got its advertised battery range at 75 mph on the Lodge and I-94. At 33 miles, just shy of the airport, the Volvo seamlessly switched to gas-electric power without missing a stride. Inside the quiet cabin, I didn’t notice the turbo-4 engine kick in while traveling on I-94 on adaptive cruise control.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Had I been driving the Englishman (its given name, the Sport P460e Dynamic SE a typically European bowl of alphabet soup), the internal combustion mill wouldn’t have kicked in until I was halfway back home. But either way, if I wanted to drive on electrons alone, I would need to plug the two utes in at my airport parking lot, Qwikpark, and its bank of 110-volt outlets.
When I arrived at 6:40 a.m. on a Monday, there were only two spots left at the 12-space charging stable. I dragged the charging cord out of the hatchback’s sub-storage bin and … wrong plug for the Qwikpark outlet. Back to the trunk, I found the proper, three-prong plug, and … it didn’t work.
Every charging station is different, and Qwikpark secrets their plugs inside covered boxes to keep them out of Michigan’s elements. This box was too shallow for Volvo’s plug. Grrr. A Qwikpark airport shuttle sidled rolled up. I waved her on.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“I’m still plugging in,” I smiled, thankful I left home three hours ahead of my flight. “I’ll get the next van.”
I found another 110-volt box that had been — um, expanded by force — to accommodate larger connections like mine. The three-prong connector snapped into place. Phew. Of course, the beauty of PHEVs is that, even if charging failed, I would still have 497 miles of gas range in the Volvo, 407 in the Rover.
The XC90 indicated it would take 24 hours to fill 32 miles on the 110-volt. That’s a loooooong time. No worries, though. I wouldn’t be back from my trip for 40 hours.
Driving
Assisted by battery torque and turbochargers, the internal combustion powertrains in Rover ‘n’ XC90 can really hustle. On battery power alone? Not so much.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In EV (Range Rover) and PURE (Volvo) modes, the SUVs sail along on smooth, all-wheel-drive power. But these are small batteries — 31 kWh in the Sport, 15 kWh in the XC90 — compared to the massive 100-kWh pack in a comparable Tesla Model X or Cadillac Vistiq. So acceleration is more of a nudge than the face-flattening ZOT! of a luxury BEV peers.
The Brit’s a bit perkier, thanks to its 2X battery capacity over the Volvo, but that added beef comes at a price — the 6,199-pound Rover is 1,000 pounds heavier than the XC90. That’s a lotta meat pies. The XC90 feels downright spry compared to the Rover.
When the battery runs out — or if you switch Rover to HYBRID mode — the big Brit wakes up. RAAAAWRGH! I stomped the gas pedal and the beast let out a roar from its twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six — its formidable 454 horses vaulting past 60 mph in less than five seconds.
With 455 ponies, the Volvo is just as quick, according to our friends at Car and Driver, but gets there with a less invigorating turbo-4 banger. Hammer down, Thor!
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Design
Speaking of the Scandinavian superhero, the Volvo delivers the brand’s signature Thor’s Hammer headlights combined with the expected grille bisected by Volvo’s diagonal bar logo. What’s unexpected is the new, interlaced grille logo interpretation. It’s both refreshing and more distinctive — always a welcome combination when you are paying north of $80K.
Speaking of looks, Land Rover is an industry icon. Its chiseled proportions and simple aesthetic are mimicked by brands from Ford to Jeep. The Sport ups its game inside with the usual lush materials decorated with crisp, thin digital tablets in the console and instrument display. The latter — which seems to float beneath its hood — is particularly eye-catching.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
As expected at this price point, both utes are lathered with luxury features like heated/cooled seats, massaging chairs and comfortable head/legroom. The tight third rows? For small adults and children.
Rover and XC90 adopt monoshifters to save console space and accommodate wireless phone chargers and cupholders. The Volvo shows off its Scandinavian heritage with its shifter made from Orrefors glass. De-lish.
Operation
The brands’ austere design themes mean few buttons. Both mitigate this slight with clever visual, in-screen shortcuts to adjust, for example, temperature and drive modes. But ultimately, I learned to adjust my environment with voice commands:
Hey, Land Rover: Set driver temperature to 70 degrees
Hey, Land Rover: Navigate to CVS Pharmacy
Hey, Land Rover: Turn the radio on.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Volvo was one of the first automakers to adopt the Google Built-in operating system, which accomplished the same mission. Voice commands also avoid sometimes laggy screens.
Tech
Where Range Rover separates itself from Volvo in content and price is its ridiculously capable off-road toolkit. If I owned a Sport, I would take it to Holly Oaks ORV Park, select OFF-ROAD mode, finger MUD/RUTS and exercise it over the auto playground’s hills and valleys. The Brit even has a two-speed transfer case for the really sticky stuff.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
If it’s bandwidth you’re looking for — six cylinders, off-road capability — Rover’s your dog. If not, both these critters will hunt just fine. Often on nothing but electric motors.
Next week: Picking up my second-generation Tesla Model 3 Performance
2025 Range Rover Sport PHEV
Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-door, seven-passenger luxury SUV
Price: $96,725, including $1,625 destination charge ($106,865 Dynamic SE as tested)
Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, inline 6-cylinder and electric motor paired with 32-kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 454 horsepower, 487 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.8 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 6,614 pounds
Weight: 6,199 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 53 MPGe; 21 mpg (gas only); 53 miles on battery alone; 470 miles gas/electric
Report card
Highs: Gorgeous inside/out; throaty inline-6
Lows: Tight third row; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
2025 Volvo XC90 PHEV
Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-door, six-passenger luxury SUV
Price: $81,995, including $1,295 destination charge ($88,695 T8 AWD Ultra as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder and electric motor paired with 15-kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 455 horsepower, 523 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.8 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 5,290 pounds
Weight: 5,124 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 58 MPGe; 27 mpg (gas only); 33 miles on battery alone; 530 miles gas/electric
Report card
Highs: Handsome new face; peppy inline-4
Lows: Tight third row; inline-4 lacks sex appeal of rest of package
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Historic Cadillac win: Brazil victory brand’s first in international Hypercar race
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 14, 2025
A month ago, Cadillac’s V-Series.R Hypercar program made a statement by sweeping the front row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s premier sportscar race. Last weekend, it followed up that historic feat by scoring its first win in international, FIA World Endurance Championship sportscar racing, taking a dominant 1-2 win at the Rolex Six Hours of São Paulo in Brazil.
Cadillac’s WEC effort is part of an international expansion into motorsport, including Formula One, as it seeks to establish itself as a global performance brand alongside makes like Mercedes, BMW and Aston Martin.
Cadillac Racing’s prototype cars have won 32 races and four manufacturer’s championships in North America’s IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series since 2017. The program expanded to the WEC circuit in 2023. Two Hertz-sponsored Caddy Hypercars managed by England-based Team JOTA were first across the line on Saturday at Brazil’s famed Interlagos circuit (where F1 also competes in November). Two Porsche 963 Hypercars entered by Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske finished 3-4.
The #12 Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar took pole and won the brand’s first WEC race at the 2025 Rolex Six Hours of Brazil. Nick Dungan
Corvette Racing (which has been in international motorsports since 2000) continued its successful season in the production-based, LMGT3 class with the TF Sport team’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R finishing second in class at Sāo Paulo.
“Congratulations to the Cadillac Racing team and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R on their victory in the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo,” said Vice President of Global Cadillac John Roth. “Every member of the team can be very proud of their efforts on preparing the race car for success, from both a technology and durability standpoint.”
Tech and durability are key elements of General Motors Co.’s investment in racing. The automaker says that motorsports is important — not only for enhanced brand awareness — but as R&D for production vehicles. The V-Series.R Hypercars are hybrid V-8 engines, while the brand sells a mix of gas/electric production cars in the United States and all-electric in Europe.
Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars scored a dominant 1-2 win at the FIA World Endurance Championship in São Paulo, Brazil – the brand’s first in the international WEC class. Brazil racing legend Ayton Senna is on the background poster. Nick Dungan
“What racing does for Cadillac as a brand is — not only do we go out to compete with global luxury brands that we compete with in the retail space — we also get accelerated learnings,” Roth told The Detroit News at Le Mans in June. “What’s the aerodynamics like in the vehicle? What is the braking feel like? What’s the overall performance of the vehicle? Our engineers that are here with us learn at an accelerated pace.”
As evidenced by the Le Mans pole, the Cadillacs have shown good pace in the brand’s third WEC season. The Brazil win stalled a dominant year to date by Ferrari, which won the first four (of eight) races, including first place at Le Mans. The São Paulo 1-2 result vaulted Cadillac to second in the championship behind Ferrari and ahead of Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Alpine, Peugeot and Aston Martin.
The #12 and #38 Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar teams celebrate their 1-2 win on the podium in Brazil. Cadillac
“This kind of consistency only comes from world-class engineering and well-executed strategies,” said Keely Bosn, Cadillac Racing program manager, after the race. “It wasn’t just a win on the track — it was a win in the garage, in the data room, and in every detail of our race prep this season.”
Prior to Sunday’s result, Cadillac Racing’s best result in the Hypercar class (the fastest sportscar class in the world) was third at Le Mans in 2023.
As at Le Mans this year, Cadillac Team JOTA qualified on pole with Le Mans pole-sitter Alex Lynn once again at the wheel. Not only did Cadillac dominate the 18-Hypercar field over the six-hour race, it also set a race fast lap. The twin Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entries led a combined 165 of 242 laps.
The second-place #38 Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar sweeps past the second-place Chevy Corvette Z06 LMGT3 racer at the Rolex Six Hours of São Paulo. Nick Dungan
“Honestly, this is now year number three for me racing this car and year number four of driving it. And, personally, it’s a huge sense of satisfaction,” said English driver Lynn, who has been with Cadillac’s WEC effort since its 2022 inception. “It’s been a huge journey with Cadillac and to finally win a race of the WEC Championship is special. It’s been a lot of hours driving the car and a lot of hours working on it, and it means everything.”
The significance of motorsports to Cadillac’s brand reboot was on display in Paris last month during the WEC Le Mans race. A Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar was on display in Cadillac’s showroom in the heart of Paris’s downtown fashion district. The showroom is one of four the GM luxury brand recently opened in Europe.
The Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar is a hybrid V-8 racer competing in the international WEC series as well as in North America’s IMSA Weathertech series. Cadillac
While customers ogled the race car next to Cadillac’s Lyriq electric vehicle, they could watch racing on the store’s video screens.
“Cadillac has been on a long journey over the last 10 years to really reestablish itself as the standard of the world, and so everything we do is about raising the bar, raising our engineering excellence, raising what is a luxury presentation for a consumer,” Roth said. “It’s not just a U.S.-orientated mindset. It is a global mindset.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
EVs, racing and tariffs: Mark Reuss on how GM is remaking its brands
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 14, 2025
Le Mans, France — With race-licensed president and product guru Mark Reuss at the wheel, General Motors Co. has put the pedal to the metal in a race to reinvent itself.
In an extensive interview with The Detroit News, Reuss detailed the General’s ambitious product revamp — from electric vehicles to motorsports to SUV models — beginning with its luxury jewel.
“We’re excited to be here again as we build up Cadillac from an electric propulsion standpoint — but also an ICE (internal combustion engine) standpoint,” said the 30-year GM veteran while V8-powered Cadillac Hypercars thundered by behind him on the course that hosts the 24 Hours of LeMans. “We’re not going away with our ICE — this (race car) happens to be a hybrid. Cadillac’s on a real roll. We’ve invested a lot of money (and) I think that’s starting to pay off.”
Cadillac is indicative of a sprawling GM strategy overhauling its four brands — all while navigating a complicated and shifting government landscape of green regulations and tariffs.
“Overall they are in pretty good shape,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an auto industry analyst for Telemetry Insight. “Their EV sales have remained surprisingly strong, particularly at the lower end with the (Chevy) Equinox — and Cadillac Optiq and Lyriq are doing well. They’re spending $4 billion to retool three plants to reposition products — in response to tariffs — that have been built in Mexico and in under-utilized U.S. plants.”
Amplifying the product blitz is the most aggressive push into international motorsports in GM’s history. Cadillac will enter Formula One (with engine partner Ferrari) in 2026, raising Cadillac’s profile (along with the V-Series.R Hypercar entries here) as it enters European showrooms with a historic all-EV lineup. Chevrolet’s Corvette has also gone international, selling GT3-class race cars to global teams.
Cadillac Hypercars lead the field at the opening of last month’s 24 Hours of LeMans. The GM luxury brand is making a big racing push that includes competing in Formula One starting next year. Cadillac, Cadillac
In North America, the same V8-powered Caddy Hypercars and ‘Vettes compete in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series, while the Chevrolet brand provides engines for IndyCar and over a dozen V8-powered stockers for the NASCAR Cup series.
That’s a lot of V-8s, and Reuss underlined the importance of consumer choice in the U.S. market as the Trump administration has rolled back EV mandates from California and the Environmental Protection Agency. But Reuss reiterated the company’s commitment to a zero-emissions future, a cornerstone of its “Zero Zero Zero” strategy (zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion) even as it has shelved its autonomous vehicle ambitions.
“No matter what happens, the end game is zero emissions,” he said. “If we can also sell EVs to be able to sell the V-8s, that’s a pretty powerful thing. We sell a lot of V-8 and diesel pickup trucks. We’re able to do that because we have a successful EV portfolio.”
Cue a nearly $1 billion spend on next-gen V-8s, Abuelsamid said: “GM has made a big investment in its Buffalo Tonawanda propulsion plant for the next-gen V-8s, which was previously going into Mexico.”
Assisting that V-8 future are near zero-emission synthetic fuels, lackluster consumer demand for EVs and fears of battery dependence on Communist China. Millions of gas-powered autos will ply the byways for decades, and manufacturers like Porsche are investing heavily in synfuels to keep those vehicles going while meeting government mandates.
“(Synthetic fuels) would be great. Anything that helps the consumer who wants a car,” Reuss said. “The question is infrastructure — just like EV charging, right? You need a big, big, big supply of regular fuel. We have research and development going on in all those fields.”
The technology appears to be a factor in GM’s Formula One investment as it pushed its power unit (F1 speak for drivetrain) debut to 2029 — reportedly to give the sport time to make up its mind between heavy, expensive hybrid-electric power units — or synfuel.
Whatever the outcome, Reuss is bullish on GM’s investment in a motorsport that boasts a staggering global fanbase of 750 million people.
GM President Mark Reuss enjoys the Cadillac team’s front row position on the front row for the start of last month’s 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. He says racing’s importance for the automaker stretches into marketing, technology and psychology: “I believe it’s important for our employees to understand what it feels like to win.”Nick Dungan, Drew Gibson Photography/GM
“I thought it was important when we started, three years ago, (to enter) Formula 1. But I never imagined that a video of a (Cadillac F1) brand reveal (at the Miami Grand Prix), would get 10 million people” on social media, he said. “It’s just extraordinary. So whatever we thought it was, it’s actually much bigger than that.”
Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. is also entering F1 in parentship with England’s Red Bull. But Caddy’s entry is more comprehensive as a full works team overseeing chassis and power unit development — a first for an American manufacturer.
“We’re here to win, we’re not here to participate,” Reuss said of expectations for 2026, Cadillac’s first year in F1. While GM develops its 2029 power unit, Ferrari will supply an engine for next year.
In addition to glory, the F1 goal is to establish Cadillac as a credible global performance brand like Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche.
Cadillac’s glitzy Paris showroom is part of the luxury brand’s efforts to reintroduce itself to European buyers as a high-tech, all-electric marque. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We haven’t sold cars (in Europe) in a long time, and so people don’t know what Cadillac is,” Reuss said. “How do you start that? You have to have a brand that people believe in. What it stands for is important, (so) we’re going to race Cadillac.”
Telemetry analyst Abuelsamid said Cadillac wins in F1 and Le Mans could boost GM’s global profile and interest in its products: “It raises the awareness of some of those brands in markets where they really haven’t had a presence in recent years.”
All that, plus Reuss just thinks racing is healthy for the company. “We’ve been racing for a while,” he smiled. “I believe it’s important for our employees to understand what it feels like to win.”
A Cadillac Lyriq EV glides along the streets of Paris. It’s among a stable of new battery-powered models GM’s luxury brand is selling in Europe as the automaker remakes itself amid a shifting maze of trade, emissions and tax credit regulations.” Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Cadillac isn’t the only GM brand to embrace electrification. Chevrolet has been remade with parallel ICE and EV lines — complete with distinct design identities. There’s an ICE Silverado pickup and an EV Silverado. An ICE Blazer and an EV Blazer. ICE Equinox, EV Equinox. There even appears to be an EV Corvette on the horizon, judging from a recent design study from the General’s London studio.
Yet, Reuss did not bemoan recent government EV policy reversals eliminating the $7,500 federal consumer tax credit, federal Inflation Reduction Act subsidies, and California zero-emissions mandate.
“The strategy that we put in place on electric vehicles was prior to any of the Inflation Reduction Act stuff,” Reuss said. “We’re capacitized to vertically integrate cells, which no one else is really doing. We’re the number one producer of cells, modules and packs. There’s a lot of cool stuff happening that is to plan, so long-term capital investment is the way we want to structure our business.”
He welcomed the elimination of California’s regulatory exemption, which had created market uncertainty and threatened big industry fines for noncompliance beginning in 2026.
“The amount of money that we have spent — that the whole industry has spent — around a non-harmonized regulatory environment is very large,” Reuss said. “The harmonization of that, however it happens, is really good. We can concentrate our spend, because some of those regulatory things were in direct opposition to other ones.”
Tariffs have also introduced uncertainty, echoing federal import quotas on Japanese imports in the 1980s. But this time, tariffs are aimed at Detroit Three manufacturers as well as foreign brands. Like Japanese automakers 40 years ago, GM is scrambling to bring production stateside — including bringing pickup and large SUV production to Orion Assembly in Oakland County.
“We’re looking at (hiring) around 3,000-4,000 people and 1,000 retained,” Reuss said of Orion’s reboot, which has received bipartisan support from the White House to Michigan congressional leaders to UAW President Shawn Fain. “Probably 2,500 new jobs. That’s just us — not the supply chain around us.”
GM’s Orion Assembly complex, which closed after Chevy Bolt EV production ended there in late 2023, is getting new life building large, V8-powered trucks and SUVs, part of the automaker’s strategy of investing in multiple powertrains. Andy Morrison, The Detroit News
Analyst Abuelsamid said Orion will benefit from the “move of full-size pickup production from Mexico to Orion while adding additional capacity for the full-size SUVs that they’ve already built in Arlington.”
Reuss said the move will relieve pressure on the Texas assembly plant where Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade mega-utes are produced: “We run that plant flat-out. It’s not sustainable for our people, so that’s a big deal.”
For all of GM’s big moves, Reuss still reserves a soft spot for a smaller piece on the chessboard: the Chevy Camaro, an icon shelved in 2024.
“My first car was a Camaro — a 1967 Camaro that my dad and I went and found in southern Illinois. It was $1,300,” he mused. “It was high school, I was 16, and it brought so much joy to me. Not because I was racing the car, but because it was a really pretty car.”
Reuss was asked if it would return.
“I think that formula of beauty — and a little bit of functionality and fun — all of that is important. If we were getting back into Camaro, that piece of it is really important. That segment is declining — I think they sold more Mach-Es than they did Mustangs. I think that would be a great formula, and we have the ability to do that.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: The first convertible of summer, Mazda MX-5 Miata
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 10, 2025
Oakland County — It was a looooong Michigan winter this year with bitter temperatures, record snowfalls and chilly May days. In the South where I grew up, we hail the first songbird of April spring. Here in Michigan, I look for the first convertible of June summer.
It arrived in my driveway as a Mazda MX-5 Miata.
What a joy this little car is. With its drop-top, manual gearbox and normally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine, Miata is the purest expression of a roadster on the market today. It’s a throwback to the glory days of Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo Spider, Fiat 124 Spider. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Remarkably, the Miata has gained little weight over its four generations (Gen 1 weighed 2,210 pounds), staying true to its purpose as a driver’s car. Unlike other performance cars — Mini Cooper, Porsche 911, Chevy Corvette — the MX-5 has maintained its svelte, 2,332-pound figure by remaining tiny. At 6’ 5” I don’t so much sit in the Miata as wear it.
Knees in the dash, elbows in the console, seat all the way back, skull stuffed in the roof. Thank goodness the Miata goes topless. So small is the cabin that I can reach up, unlatch the roof from the windshield, pull it back, and stow in in the trunk in one motion. On a crisp 65-degree evening, I took the Miata over to Woodward Avenue to play with its kin — classic convertibles like Camaro, AC Cobra, Dodge Viper, Jaguar E-Type, MGB, Honda S2000, Mercedes SL, Chevy Corvette, Ford Mustang. But for the latter trio, all have left the market.
And none of them are featherweights as tossable as Miata.
Henry Payne
Exiting Woodward, I headed for Oakland County’s twisties. Miata smiled that big jack o’ lantern grille smile and hustled from turn to turn, clipping apexes, rotating on demand, chirping tires.
Mazda makes the best six-speed shifter this side of a Porsche (or you can buy, ho hum, the automatic option) and it’s a joy to row. Relatively affordable at $30K, the Mazda is your car for summer fun — and to teach your children the joys of driving stick. Master the Miata’s manual and you feel in total command of the car.
Amidst this organic goodness, Miata hasn’t totally ignored the modern digital world. The cabin revolves around that glorious shifter, while modern cars (like the Tesla Model 3 in my garage) are built around big screens.
The Miata is properly equipped with an improved infotainment display.
Henry Payne
My Android phone synced wirelessly with the nine-inch display and took over the touchscreen — a welcome alternative to the Mazda’s native, remote-controlled rotary device screen. The touchscreen works — ahem, as long as the car is in PARK, but then shifts to the rotary controller when on the move.
I set my destination to Zmash Padel in Sterling Heights and was off, listening to my Sirius XM subscription through the phone app on the screen. I cranked up my favorite COMEDY GREATS XM station so I could hear over the wind howling thought the cabin — eventually turning it off to enjoy nature’s (and the 2.0-liter engine’s) sound track. Though it pumps out just 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, the Miata never feels underpowered thanks to its light weight. The 12.8-lb/hp power-to-weight ratio is better than the turbocharged 2.0-liter, 13.5-ratio GTI, my favorite hot hatch.
The ride of the Miata is firm, if not harsh, over Detroit roads.
Henry Payne
Beyond that rotary controller, ergonomics are good with the cabin’s round vents giving off an aviator vibe. On cold evenings, I cranked up the climate knobs to blow hot air while going topless (did I mention my head is uncomfortably stuffed into the ceiling when the top is up?). Even the cupholder is cleverly designed as a console snap on — so spare is interior room.
My Grand Touring model is less gym-toned than the Club trim, which is preferred if you want to autocross the little roller skate. But if it’s track days you want to do, you’ll want to modify your roadster with a roll cage (not to mention optimizing the limited slip differential for better cornering grip).
That’s a big investment — and a big compromise to the Miata’s breezy, convertible cabin. If hot laps are your thing, the MX-5 (the most raced car in the world) community has a number of options. For example, my friend Tom bought a race-prepared Mazda Global MX-5 Cup car and tracks it at M1 Concourse in Pontiac.
Henry Payne
Or rent an MX-5 Spec Miata for, say, $1,000 a day from the Sportscar Driving Association. That way you can navigate to the track (while getting an impressive 35 mpg, I might add) in your Grand Touring model — without having to worry about injuring it on track.
Back to the streets, did I mention that the MX-5 is a great date car? The cabin is naturally cozy for a big night out with your partner. Mrs. Payne is a big fan of the Mazda for its cute vibe, open top and free spirit. Rolling ‘round town, the Miata is not unlike taking a puppy for a walk. The car returns smiles from strangers and is a conversation piece at, say, Dairy Mat ice cream in Birmingham.
I just had to remind my wife that she has to pack light for road trips given MX-5’s wee boot and lack of a back seat. Heck, my tennis bag alone took up most of the trunk on my journey across town to Zmash.
Henry Payne
For four decades, MX-5 has been halo to a brand that has evolved into into a mostly SUV stable. I’m happy to report that the MX-5’s DNA has been faithfully transported to everything from the three-row CX-90 to the best-selling CX-5 and CX-50 midsize SUVs.
Still, there’s no substitute for the Miata’s playfulness. So if you own a CX-50, be sure to leave room in the garage for a MX-5.
Topless of course.
2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger sportscar
Price: $30,765, including $1,185 destination charge ($36,115 Grand Touring manual model as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Power: 181 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual; six-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 140 mph
Weight: 2,332 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 26 city/34 highway/29 combined (manual)
Report card
Highs: Fun to drive; easy to go topless
Lows: Limited cargo for trips; touchscreen only works in Park
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Honda CR-V TrailSport taste test. Still has that special sauce.
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 3, 2025
San Diego — We Americans love our hamburgers and our mid-size SUVs.
Burgers are the meat (pun intended) of popular food. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Shake Shack, Five Guys, Sonic, White Castle, Whataburger, Culver’s, Hardee’s and so on meeting consumers’ insatiable appetite for the patty. So, too, are mid-size SUVs the meat of the auto market. Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Ford Bronco Sport, Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-50, Chevy Equinox, Equinox EV and so on meeting consumers’ unslaked thirst for the SUV.
But just as the Big Three of McDonalds’, Wendy’s and Burger King dominate the burger market, so too did RAV-4, Model Y and CR-V rule the segment in 2024 with each topping a staggering 400K in sales (over 400,000 served!) — numbers exceeded only by the Detroit Three pickups of F-150, Silverado and Ram.
McHonda CR-V wants more.
The Made in America CR-V vaulted to 402,791 units sold last year by offering a recipe that appeals to a broad swath of Yanks. The sixth-generation model, introduced in 2023, split the lineup with two powertrains: an entry-level 1.5-liter turbo-4, and a gas-electric hybrid. Call it the Big Mac-V: two all-beef engines, special sauce, served on an all-wheel-drive bun (oh, I’m just getting started with the burger metaphors).
The terrific 190-horsepower/179 torque turbo-4 — shared with the Civic Si pocket rocket and luxury Acura ADX — has ponies aplenty. But the hybrid is no tree-hugging gerbil wheel. It’s a 202-horse/247-torque beastie that can stomp the Acura out of a stoplight while also sipping 40 mpg.
Henry Payne
Offered in the upper-trim Sport models (Sport, Sport-L, Sport Touring), the hybrid made up 50% of CR-V sales last year despite carrying a $1,500 premium. Smart shoppers no doubt figured out gas savings would pay for the premium in about four years (not to mention the time saved with its healthy 500 miles of range).
No surprise that CR-V has changed little for its 2026, mid-product cycle update other than the addition of another hybrid model — my $39K TrailSport.
The CR-V TrailSport follows its larger stablemates (Passport ‘n’ Pilot) in appealing to Americans’ recent taste for off-road models. Dressed in Ash Green Metallic, with black accents and standard all-wheel drive, TrailSport is a looker (note to my sis who thought the fifth-gen model a dog) — if not as capable as its peers (more on that later).
Henry Payne
TrailSport’s special sauce — like all CR-Vs — is its attention to passenger detail and reliability. Let’s begin in back.
Open CR-V’s second-row passenger door — and it keeps on opening. All the way to 90 degrees, a rare feature in automobiles, which makes ingress/egress a cinch whether you’re a 6’5” freak like me or a wee mom struggling to load in one of those modern Brobdingnagian child car seats.
Once inside, row two keeps on giving with a palatial, best-in-class 41 inches of legroom (just two inches shy of a Ford F-150, for goodness sake). More convenience for my long limbs and that mega-car seat. Need more room?
Henry Payne
The second-row seats fold flat to expand the best-in-class cargo space. Climb behind the wheel and CR-V sports excellent ergonomics combined with standard, state-of-the-art tech — all wrapped in signature orange TrailSport trim. After setting my navigation course with wireless Apple CarPlay, I merged onto San Diego’s crowded I-5 and engaged (standard) adaptive cruise control.
I thumbed the steering wheel’s raised toggle switch to increase/decrease speed without taking my eyes off the road. Climate controls are fat knobs under a nine-inch screen located high on the dash for good road visibility while navigating.
The entry-level, alphanumeric turbo-4 CR-V models (LX, EX, EX-L) are all you need beginning at $32K, but TrailSport’s pricier hybrid system offers cool toys.
Henry Payne
Chief among them is the B mode selection (short for regenerative braking) below D (Drive) which doesn’t actually select gears at all. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system replaces a transmission with an electric motor, and B mode allows the e-motor to slow the car without brakes.
So-called one-pedal driving is a unique feature of electrified vehicles, and Honda makes good use of it. The hybrid also has a SPORT mode which enables maximum engine torque for interstate merges and two-lane road passes. The engine gets shouty — WAUUUURGH! — under load, but the extra grunt is appreciated.
Henry Payne
Less inspiring is the hybrid’s long-term reliability given its complexity compared to old-school internal-combustion engines.
Honda’s reliability secret sauce is an asset in the motor mall. An iSeeCars longevity study, for example, gave CR-V the best chance of any mid-size SUV lasting over 250,000 miles.
“I bought a Honda because they are sporty and reliable,” said friend Mike. “Detroit automakers keep getting recalled, and Hondas keep on ticking. I have a family and don’t have time to keep taking my car to the shop.”
Henry Payne
CR-V’s dependability, however, has slipped in recent generations as powertrain complexity has increased. As hybrid sales grow, consumers will have their eye on reliability as well as the gas gauge.
As for McTrailSport’s off-road chops, CR-V is not as ambitious as other brands. Want a mouth-watering beef burger? Ditch Mickey D’s and go to Five Guy’s. Want a dirt-kicking off-roader? Check out a Ford Bronco Sport with lifted chassis, underbelly bash plates and twin-clutch packs out back for gnarly mud-slinging at Holly Oaks ORV Park.
Use the CR-V TrailSport to haul your Honda motorbikes there.
TrailSport will tow up to 1,000 pounds (the turbo-4 1,500 pounds) and comes equipped with all-terrain tires to navigate dirt trails. I grunted around dusty Barona Parks Motocross Park near San Diego, where its off-road tools (all-terrain tires, no-slip all-wheel-drive system, low-speed hill descent control) worked nicely.
Henry Payne
These tools translate to real-world Michigan roads — whether covered by snow or potholes. More aggressive off-roaders be warned — the underbody is not protected by skid plates (like the Bronco Sport — and Passport and Pilot TrailSports), and CR-V hybrids don’t come with a spare tire to make room for the battery beneath the cargo floor.
After a day of driving the CR-V, I devoured a food truck burger at Barona Parks. I recommend both.
Next week: Topless in the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2026 Honda CR-V
Vehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, five-door, five-passenger SUV
Price: $32,315, including $1,395 destination charge ($40,195 TrailSport as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder; hybrid 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder driving two electric motors paired with 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 190 horsepower, 179 pound-feet of torque (Turbo-4); 202 horsepower, 247 pound-feet of torque (Hybrid)
Transmission: Continuously-variable automatic; direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.9 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 1,000-1,500 pounds
Weight: 3,900 pounds (TrailSport as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 28 mpg city/33 highway/30 combined (Turbo-4 FWD); 40 mpg city/34 highway/37 combined (Sport Hybrid AWD); 38 mpg city/33 highway/35 combined (TrailSport Hybrid); 30 mpg observed
Report card
Highs: Rugged styling; awesome ergonomics/cabin detail
Lows: TrailSport limited off-road bandwidth; Google Built-in only available on top Sport Touring trim
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
An American (EV) in Paris: Driving Planet Europe’s regulated byways
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 2, 2025
Paris — Merging onto Paris’s suburban ring roads, my mid-size Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle felt supersized surrounded by subcompacts, motorbikes, and small panel vans. Unlike Detroit’s I-96 and I-75 speedways, we moved like a school of fish, toeing the speed limit in an orderly procession out of France’s biggest city.
Welcome to Planet Europe.
With gas prices at $8-a-gallon (1.80 Euros per liter), mandated in-car speed warnings, speed cameras everywhere, narrow city streets, and the European Commission banning internal combustion engines over the next ten years, the automotive landscape in statist France is a very different place than open-road, low-cost energy USA.
Henry Payne
No wonder Cadillac’s European product lineup is dramatically different than in its U.S. backyard. There are no V8-powered Escalades or fire-breathing CT5-V Blackwing hellions here. Or Ford Mustangs, Dodge Challengers and Chevrolet Corvettes for that matter. Full-size pickup trucks, the best-selling vehicles in the Unites States? Nowhere to be found.
But General Motors’ luxury brand sees paydirt here as it re-invents itself as the electric Standard of the World. European autos, analysts say, are increasingly luxury goods as entry-level vehicles become unaffordable — opening windows for premium, American EVs and heavily subsidized Chinese makes.
“With the electric mandates, small cars are going away. Cars are something for the rich,” said President Emeritus of the World Car of the Year awards and veteran writer Jen Meiners, who splits his time between Europe and the United States. “People are being pushed into public transportation. Even Smart cars and VWs have become unaffordable with the regulations.”
The once-popular, three-cylinder, gas-powered Smart Fortwo microcar cost about $15,000 in 2015 (adjusted for inflation) before the brand switched to electric power in 2018, increasing the price to $25,000 by 2024 when it was discontinued. Smart has moved on to larger, pricier EVs starting at $42k for the Smart #1 subcompact crossover.
The VW Golf GTI, the only Golf hatchback sold in the United States (starting at $34k), sold for $33,000 here 10 years ago. Today it stickers for about $45k, a 30% increase.
Henry Payne
The EV market in Europe, as in the United States, has taken hold among affluent, urban buyers. Cadillac has planted its flagship showroom in the heart of Paris, and there is not a gas-powered car in sight (save the Cadillac V-Series.R Le Mans race car on display).
My rear-wheel-drive Lyriq Sport EV starts at $95,500 in France, compared to $65,000 in the US.
“We have a great opportunity here in Europe to grow our presence, especially in the current environment around EVs and the growth and the attraction that they’re bringing for the brand,” said Vice President for Global Cadillac John Roth in an interview here.
Two Lyriqs are on the showroom floor, and visitors can sign up for test drives around Place de l’Opéra square — nickname, “The Hub of the Universe” — where the showroom is located. My Lyriq journey would be a little longer: three hours west over 133 miles to the city of Le Mans where I would be covering the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s premier endurance race.
Henry Payne
I awoke to a fully-charged Lyriq with 326 miles of range waiting for me outside my hotel. With France’s rush towards EV-only sales, Paris has embraced battery power. Regulators have drawn up plans to eliminate ICEs in the city with expanding “low-emission zones” that allow/fine cars according to their carbon emissions. My Lyriq, of course, wore an approved green badge.
“Cities want to give special rights to EVs and they push all ICEs out by 2035,” said Meiners. Paris regulations have been delayed due to consumer pushback.
Cadillac said inner city parking garages are littered with 220-volt chargers for overnight charging. European metropolises are famous for residents throwing cords out of second-story windows to charge their steeds curbside, and Paris has carved out EV-only parking places with chargers. The nuclear power-fed electric grid here has kept utility costs around 20 cents per-kWh — or about the same as Michigan.
That’s affordable compared to $8 a gallon prices I passed in Paris that have kept vehicles small (along with engine emissions taxes). Heading west on Paris’s Left Bank south of the Seine River, the Lyriq EV’s instant torque was well equipped for stop-and-go city traffic as I repeatedly shot through gaps — ZOT!
I pulled over in front of the Eiffel Tower tourist magnet for photos on a crisp, 60-degree morning. The Lyriq was a tourist attraction itself, provoking long stares. Its bold, vertical, that’s-gotta-be-a-Caddy lines stood out in the sea of homogenous econoboxes.
“There’s a lack of consumer choice here compared to 25 years ago,” said Meiners, who is also founder of the German Car of the Year awards. “Cars are expensive, and they are not as much fun anymore.”
Henry Payne
A fun-killer is the EU’s mandated vehicle speed warnings — aka, Intelligent Speed Assist. Exceed the limit and the cabin will emit a BONG! BONG! BONG! alert. No wonder everyone was minding the speed limit. Exceed the limit in France and Big Brother may record your license plate number — with the fine mailed to your home.
So hated was ISA when it was introduced in 2019 that working class “yellow vest” protestors — rebelling against government taxation and regulations — vandalized 60% of the country’s speed cameras. As an American in Paris, I tucked into the (slow) flow of traffic out of town. Mercifully, my Lyriq tester’s ISA was turned off (a process that needed to be repeated each time I got into the car).
Regulations have deterred Cadillac from bringing its V-6 and V8-powered CT4 and CT5 sedans to Europe because they can’t meet (along with similar U.S. performance cars) Euro 6 emission rules that will soon escalate to tighter Euro 7.
Henry Payne
The regulations concern England-headquartered Ineos CEO Lynn Calder, whose gas-powered, inline-6 cylinder, luxury Grenadier SUVs are built in the Hambach, France, plant where the Smart Fortwo was once made. Ineos is targeting the U.S. auto market for a majority of its sales.
“If (EU regulators)) aren’t careful, they will kill the industry,” she said in an interview. “Europe is a massive problem. EVs are more expensive, residual values are worse, and total cost of ownership is worse, so it’s double whammy after double whammy. It’s a rich person’s thing, and therefore the answer is there are going to be (gas cars) on the road for much longer than 2035.”
Looming electric mandates have, however, attracted new brands in addition to Cadillac — most notably America’s Tesla and Chinese brands.
Planet Europe also differs from the United States in that the majority (about 60%) of vehicles are purchased not by consumers but by companies that then distribute them to employees as perks of the job. Cadillac’s biggest customers, for example, are insurance and infrastructure companies, said Cadillac France Communications Director Isabelle Weitz.
Henry Payne
Model S/E/X/Ys from Tesla — the OG of EV revolution — were everywhere, the electrics of choice among Parisians. Since corporate fleet sales tend to be more compliant with EV mandates, they are also a big opening for Chinese companies.
“We are starting to see the Chinese brands coming into the fleets with little fanfare,” said Meiners. “BYD, XPeng, Great Wall — even MG, which is now an EV brand owned by the Chinese. They are not great quality, but the MGs are fun to drive.”
On a two-lane country lane, the slavish following of speed limits fell away. A white Tesla Model 3 blew past me at a high rate of knots and I gave chase.
As in Paris, EV torque was an advantage. ZOT! We quickly vaulted slow-moving camionette (small utility trucks) in broken-line passing zones. When we approached small towns, the Tesla would slow abruptly, apparently knowledgeable of the speed cameras — located inside big, road-side, graffiti-covered boxes.
Traffic thinned in the countryside as did EV sightings. As back home, rural charging infrastructure is scarce.
Also scarce is government approval for hands-free drive assist — a common feature in U.S. vehicles, including Cadillacs, Chevys, Teslas, Fords and Lincolns. I relied on adaptive cruise control as the EU approves neither Cadillac’s SuperCruise nor Tesla’s Autopilot systems.
Henry Payne
I pulled into Le Mans after my journey with 50% charge left. But for my brief, pedal-to-the-metal playtime with the Tesla, I had traveled below 70 mph — the sweet spot of batteries — so my range had degraded only 10% below expected mileage.
I spent the weekend watching V8-powered Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars, Corvette Z06 GT3 and Mustang GT3 race cars pound around the 8.5-mile circuit against V8s from Porsche, Ferrari, and Mercedes. On Planet Europe, the racetrack is one of the last refuges for the mighty V-8.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Super charged: Cadillac Optiq EV bulks up on power, rear-wheel-drive, and price for 2026
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
The Cadillac Optiq is gaining options. And power.
Introduced for the 2025 model year as the gateway drug to the luxury brand’s full electric lineup, the Optiq was only available in 300-horsepower all-wheel-drive guise. For 2026, Optiq expands its offerings with a standard rear-wheel-drive model, a higher-horsepower AWD model and and a steroid-fed V-Series hellion.
The rear-wheel-drive model is significant as it will be $3,500 cheaper than the all-wheel-drive model at $52,395, opening Optiq to more customers — especially in the Sun Beltm where RWD EVs are popular and moderate weather does not affect battery range.
The compact Optiq’s midsize stablemate, the Lyriq, also offers standard RWD starting at $60,090.
“In California’s climate, customers will pay less money with the rear-wheel-drive model,” said Karl Brauer, Los Angeles-based executive analyst. “Buyers in Michigan need all-wheel-drive, but in southern California — the meat of the EV market — there is a higher-percentage of, for example, rear-wheel-drive Teslas.”
Despite its single motor, the Optiq RWD does not suffer on power compared to the 300-horse, 2025 twin-motor system. Indeed, the RWD Optiq will clock in with 315 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, nearly on par with the 2025 AWD model’s 300/354. Given the RWD Optiq’s similar power, Cadillac says that range will stay the same as the 2025 AWD model at about 300 miles.
Cadillac
Of note: the RWD Optiq’s torque translates to 450 newton meters, a European spec that will be tattooed on the hatchback, indicating the Optiq’s move into international markets.
Meanwhile, the 2026 dual-motor Optiq gets a massive boost to 440 horses and 498 pound-feet of torque. That will also come with a $1,505 price boost from 2025.
“Cadillac introduced the all-wheel-drive model to appeal to first adopters willing to pay for the higher output,” Brauer said. “But the 2026 RWD model will get the same power but without the price tag.”
Cadillac
The RWD Optiq entry still marks a substantial, $10,405 price increase over Cadillac’s outgoing, entry-level internal combustion engine SUV, the XT4. The 2025 model year is the end of the line for the XT4 as its Fairfax, Kansas, production line retools to make the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Along with the price jump, the EV boasts more power than the entry-level, front-wheel-drive, $41,990 XT4 and its 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The Optiq is also about 1,200 pounds heavier due to its porky, 85-kWh battery and lags the XT4’s 461-mile gas range, which can be added in a couple minutes. The Optiq can take on 79 miles of range in 10 minutes at a fast charger.
The battery is a key reason for the EV’s price premium over the ICE model, Brauer said. “The reality is battery-powered cars cost more, so brands like Cadilac are translating that into repositioning their brands upmarket.”
Cadillac
Cadillac introduced its new EV line with the halo, $300,000-plus, hand-built Celestiq model featuring new-age styling and enhanced tech. The Optiq follows suit with an upgraded interior over the XT4, including a 33-inch LED display, Dolby Atmos immersive sound and standard SuperCruise hands-free interstate driving.
“Cadillac is using its EV transition to elevate itself to a luxury brand from a premium brand,” Brauer said. “That is what it takes to be profitable in the more expensive battery space.”
The Optiq competes in the luxury EV market with the Audi Q4 e-tron, Genesis Electrified GV70 and Mercedes EQB, with BMW expected to introduce an electric iX3 SUV in 2026. The Tesla Model Y is the largest selling premium SUV in the U.S. market with over 400,000 units sold in 2024 but Cadillac does not consider it a luxury player.
GM-DESIGN
Also coming this fall is the high-performance Optiq-V, which shares its dual-motor system with the larger Lyriq-V that went on sale this year. The $68,795 Optiq-V, introduced in April, wows with 519 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque and a zero-60 mph sprint of 3.5 seconds. Range will suffer with a reduced 275 miles.
Further broadening Optiq’s appeal, 2026 models will be equipped with a lighter NACS (North American Charging Standard) charger connector popularized by Tesla. Thus equipped, the Caddy will have access to some Tesla Superchargers (Cadilac estimates over 21,500, or a little less than a third of Tesla’s 70,000-plus chargers), the nation’s most robust and reliable charging network.
Other upgrades include improvements to park assist and SuperCruise integration with Google Maps that navigates the EV to the correct lane when exiting freeways.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Tremor time: Rugged Ford Explorer Tremor expands off-road sub-brand
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
The Ford Explorer is getting the Tremor treatment.
The Blue Oval’s best-selling SUV gets more rugged for the 2026 model year with an all-new, off-road capable model. Following in the footsteps of the F-150, Ranger, Bronco and Maverick lines, the three-row SUV becomes the latest Ford to wear the Tremor sub-brand badge.
You’ll know it by its orange-accented wheel pockets (to better locate the tire valve stem), tow hooks and grille mustache. But the Tremor badge is hardly cosmetics alone.
Replacing the Timberline model that was discontinued after the 2024 model year, Tremor expands the Explorer’s off-road capabilities with standard all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, one-inch suspension lift, underbelly bash plates and unique suspension shocks and springs. The Tremor is even offered with the choice of Ford’s twin-turbo, 400-horse V-6 engine.
Thus equipped, the Tremor stands atop the Explorer lineup alongside the road-focused Explorer ST with the same powerful V-6.
“The Explorer expands the Tremor family and satisfies our customers’ thirst for adventurous SUVs,” said Ford SUV Marketing Manager Craig Patterson at the Explorer Tremor’s media introduction in Louisville, Kentucky,
Key to Explorer Tremor’s rugged chops are 18″ wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires with stiff, broad sidewalls to withstand rocks and other off-road obstacle — not to mention Detroit potholes. The two, front/rear skid plates and one-inch increased ride height further improve off-road capability with better clearance and departure/approach angles.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor gets unique interior stitching and seat badging. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Complementing the tires is a Torsen limited slip rear differential to aid with traction.
The Tremor badge was introduced on Ford’s iconic F-150 pickup in 2014 as a less-extreme sibling to the truck’s legendary Baja-racing Raptor model. The F-150 Tremor offered off-road ruggedness without the super-price tag of the Raptor super-truck. Tremor models throughout the Ford lineup (including Explorer) have followed suit with similar off-road tools for their segments.
Under the hood, the Explorer Tremor comes standard with a 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder mill.
True to Ford’s high-tech tradition, the Explorer Tremor will be equipped with the latest, big Ford Digital Experience that includes WiFi hot spot, Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation and Google Play apps. Explorer Tremor comes standard with Copilot 360 Assist 2.0 (including a 360-degree camera for added visibility on trails or in parking lots). The tech is housed in Explorer’s standard, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 13.2-inch touchscreen.
Even BlueCruise hands-free highway driving comes standard to get you to the trailhead comfortably on divided highways.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor comes standard with off-road goodies like AWD, bash plates, one-inch lift, and all-terrain tires. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Explorer Tremor and ST performance models sit atop a lineup that includes the base Active, sporty ST-Line and luxurious Platinum models.
Ordering for the first-ever Ford Explorer Tremor opens on June 24 with deliveries in late 2025. Pricing is likely to start around $52,000 and will be announced closer to the Tremor’s appearance in showrooms.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Road trippin’ in the eager, entry-level Acura ADX
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
Charleston, West Virginia — Acura has finally completed its SUV menu with the entry-level ADX appetizer. It’s a tasty little morsel.
On a road trip to see family in West Virginia, I switched drive modes from NORMAL to SPORT and headed up Charleston’s famed Loudon Heights Road, a twisted two-lane carved into the rocky hill that overlooks the capital river city. The firm, rooted steering rack gave me immediate confidence as I dove into blind bends, narrow sweepers, tight hairpins.
I’ve been driving this road since I was 16 years old in Volkswagen Golf GTIs, Porsches and BMW M3s, and the Acura SUV showed impressive poise for a high-riding SUV. Credit Honda engineering, which has taken the solid Honda HR-V chassis and dialed it up to Acura standards.
Acura has thrown out the HR-V’s 158-horsepower gerbil wheel for the turbocharged, 1.5-liter 4-banger shared with Acura’s entry-level Integra sedan (and the Honda Civic Si hot hatch). Charging into a left-hander at the top of Louden Heights, the all-wheel driver gripped nicely before I flattened the throttle on exit and let loose the turbo-4 and its 190 ponies with a satisfying howl.
It’s a dramatic change from the HR-V with its droning 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which struggles off corners with just 138 pound-feet of torque.
At rest in a parking lot, my $45,950 A-Spec Advanced tester looked sharp. Signature “chicane” LED running lights, black trim, Urban Gray wardrobe, scalloped shoulders, sharp-edged Diamond Pentagon grille. The wardrobe matches Acura’s performance mission and is as different from the soft, cute lines of the HR-V as a Doberman is from a beagle.
Acura
Together with Integra — a gateway drug to hotties like the Integra Type-S hatchback and TLX Type S sedan (not to mention the Acura team that races in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar series), ADX is a proper introduction to the brand’s performance-oriented SUVs: RDX A-Spec and MDX Type S.
Performance, meet utility. ADX is no sports sedan, but neither is it your average family hauler, offering surprisingly fun-to-drive dynamics in a ute. For 10 grand extra, it’s a significant step up from HR-V — a signal you’ve entered a premium store in the car mall. Good thing, because there’s little to choose between premium and mainstream in digital features these days. Like Honda, ADX offers a generous suite of standard features such as wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and a rear hot tub (kidding about that last one).
ADX’s sport ‘n’ style upgrades offer more separation from HR-V compared to, say, an Integra and Honda Civic Si — the latter a hot hatch as compelling as its luxury relative.
Mission accomplished, ADX. Welcome to Acura.
Acura
Ultimately, however, Acura must also justify itself relative to competitors. And subcompact luxe is a boiling shark tank. Ask $40K-plus for an SUV and you are playing in the same league as two of my favorite performers: the BMW X1 and Mazda CX-5.
Like ADX, these sport utes welcome you with distinctive styling, confident handling and a basket-full of standard features. And they expose ADX’s weaknesses.
Chief among them is the drivetrain. A comparable $47,725 Bimmer and $40,015 Mazda offer significantly more performance. The X1 and CX-5 pack a whopping 25-35% more giddyap — 241 and 256 horsepower, respectively — from their turbo-4s. The Mazda also brings, ahem, 320 pound-feet of torque.
Acura
Stomp CX-5 out of a corner and it translates that grunt to all four paws with one of the smoothest six-speed auto transmissions in the business. While ADX’s throaty four is a step up from HR-V’s power, it does not ditch the Honda’s CVT transmission, making for less invigorating acceleration. The result is a 5.5-second 0-60 mph sprint for the BMW (seven-speed dual-clutch tranny), 6.2 seconds in the Mazda — and (yawn) 8.7 seconds for the Acura.
The ADX’s Integra sibling is also equipped with a CVT transmission — but it options a six-speed manual that enthusiasts can row to their hearts’ content. ADX? You’re stuck with the CVT, though Acura adds shift-like “steps” to the experience to simulate gear changes.
The Acura’s cabin also isn’t as dramatic a wardrobe change from its Honda sibling as its exterior suggests.
My A-Spec tester’s interior offered lovely material touches like a two-toned stitched dash and blue suede door inserts, but the twin digital screens are right out of a Honda. No knock on Honda (which has elevated its game with a fine mainstream interior), but Acura has to compete against the BMW’s luxurious, hoodless two-screen layout that sprawls across the dash with graphics galore.
Acura
The Mazda can’t match the Bimmer either, but then it is the value play here (a role Acura usually plays). The CX-5 interior exudes class with its organic lines and horizontal layout.
For hours of interstate driving on our 800-mile round trip to Charleston, ADX was a serene companion. Mrs. Payne took over the wheel for a stint and I laid the driver’s seat (almost) flat and was snoozing comfortably in minutes.
Acura’s excellent ergonomics made for easy driving over a variety of roads. I engaged adaptive cruise control down I-75, across U.S. 35 in Ohio, and into Charleston on I-64. Speed and radio controls on the steering wheel are raised so I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road to find them with my fingers.
Acura
Happily, Acura has ditched the fussy remote True Touchpad Interface screen controller it introduced on the RDX SUV last decade. A nine-inch touchscreen does the job.
BMW, Mazda and Acura complement their controls with voice commands, and my ADX tester stands out with Google Built-in (a system familiar to owners of GM brands).
Hey Google, set driver temperature to 70 degrees.
Done.
Hey Google, navigate to Charleston, West Virginia.
Done.
Hey, Google, what is a good pizza restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia?
“Lola’s and Pies & Pints are often recommended.” Oh, Google you are good.
Acura
But Google Built-in is only offered on the top A-Spec model with the Advance Package, an oversight for this technically focused brand. Otherwise, the interior is spacious for a subcompact with 37.7 inches of rear legroom. Competitive with Bimmer, two inches shy of the Mazda value king.
Head-to-head comparisons aside, ADX sets the bar for Acura. And that’s what you want in an entry model (plus Acura reliability).
After having my fun up Loudon Heights Road, Mrs. Payne finally had enough.
“Can we slow down now?” she pleaded.
ADX SUV, take a bow. As we say in West Virginia: Almost heaven.
Next week: 2026 Honda CR-V
2025 Acura ADX
Vehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV
Price: $31,590, including $1,595 destination charge ($44,925 Badlands Sasquatch as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 190 horsepower, 179 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 125 mph (est.)
Weight: 3,611 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 25 mpg city/30 highway/27 combined (26 mpg observed)
Report card
Highs: Sharp styling to match handling; suite of standard features
Lows: Less power than competitors; Google Built-in only available on top trim
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Struttin’ down the runway in the stylish, Nissan Murano
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 19, 2025
Farmington Hills — You don’t so much drive the Nissan Murano as wear it. It’s a fashion statement.
Even coated in salt from a days’ drive across Metro Detroit’s wintry tundra, my Aurora Blue Pearl Metallic Murano looked ready for the Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview. Bezeled silver roofline like a Saarinen arch, muscular hips, slim front light signature over a lit lower grille (a touch of Ferrari Purosangue there?).
The Nissan Murano is lovely. Always has been. Since it strutted down the runaway as the first midsized crossover in 2003, it has put the “sport” in sport utility vehicles. Elegant lines, lush grilles, high-tech interiors, albino seats you want to lick they’re so sweet.
Now in its fourth generation, the 2025 Murano is once again on the cutting edge of fashion, for good and ill.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
For good, it has lost its voluptuous Rubenesque figure from the 2010s and emerged from the gym with a more svelte, athletic torso for the ‘20s. Cars are fashion, and this is the era of sleek iPhones and Teslas. So, too, the interior, which ditches the ol’ vertical lines for lean, horizontal lines accented with high-tech screens and haptic touch controls.
For ill? Murano has conformed to the same common turbo-4 engine found in every other bot these days, from the Nissan Rogue SUV to the Hyundai Tucson to the Chevy Traverse. Sigh. Government emissions regulations force uniformity, and that works against elegant non-conformists like the Murano, which used to belt out healthy V-6 exhaust tunes.
As we danced across Huron River Parkway, I buried the throttle and … oh. like watching Beyonce leaning into a chorus and Rosanne Barr’s voice coming out.
The Ariya, Murano’s fetching electric sister, boasts smooth torque that better complements its similarly exotic wardrobe — right down to the same twin screens and haptic wood dash accents. But that comfort becomes discomfort on a cold Michigan day, where 305-mile range drops 30% and the 270-mile trip to Nub’s Nob suddenly looks challenging.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
With 505 miles of gas range, the 27 mpg highway Murano is the safer date.
While I bemoan the absence of the optional 260-horse V-6, the 241-horse turbo-4 pairs with a smooth nine-speed transmission instead of the coarse, continuously-variable V-6 tranny of yore.
Speaking of yore, many Nissan shoppers will be empty nesters looking to downsize after years carting kiddies in a three-row Pathfinder or Armada. Murano is just the ticket. As is the subcompact Kicks, another stylish turbo-4 entry that is new for ’25. Proving style doesn’t sacrifice quality, both led their segments in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which tracked reliability over three years of ownership.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Both SUVs boast big backseats for leggy friends, but the Murano bring more sophistication for its higher price. The interior is a great place to spend time.
Start with “Zero Gravity” seats, which you’ll want to rip out of the car and use in your living room they are so comfy. The leather-wrapped console is easy on the eyes — and my knobby knees that rested against the console for miles.
For ill? Ergonomics are a mixed bag. Steering wheel controls are superb, with raised buttons that you can adjust without your eyes leaving the road. However, Nissan chose a push-button console shift design that requires you to look away from the road to shift gears. Better that they had chosen a stalk shifter solution like Chevrolet if it was the console space-saver they were looking for. And that stylish haptic climate control? It also requires taking your eyes off the road.
For good, Murano is tech-tastic.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My list of safety must-haves — adaptive cruise control, blind spot-assist, rear-backup assist, are all standard. Google Built-in (standard on the SL trim and up) has good voice recognition abilities. So you change the temp by voice rather than haptic touch.
Hey, Google, turn the driver-side temperature to 70 degrees.
Done. I like a car with a sense of humor, and Murano knows dumb jokes.
Hey, Google, tell me a joke.
What’s a pig’s favorite karate move? A pork chop.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Boom. Murano has a deep bench of convenience settings. My favorite: it locks automatically when you walk away with key in pocket — or unlocks automatically as you approach. Just like a Tesla.
Unlike a Tesla: Nissan brings 360-degree camera innovation. Not only will its eight cameras provide a bird’s-eye 360-degree view, but it offers multiple views, including the ability to see through your hood so you can perfectly place your tires in a parking spot or avoid parking-lot potholes. I’m not making this up.
To discover more tech goodies, Nissan thoughtfully provides video guides in the infotainment screen.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My Murano tester was a top drawer, $51,415 all-wheel-drive Platinum model. But I’d recommend the SL, which allows you to option all the features above. Make mine an SL with standard Google Built-in, wireless charging, panoramic roof, all-wheel drive, 360-degree camera, plus … Auria Blue Metallic paint ($425), spare tire ($180).
Boom. A state-of-the-art Murano for $47,950 that you’ll never get tired of wearing.
Next week: An Amercian in Paris, 2025 Cadillac Lyriq
2025 Nissan Murano
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $41,860 base, including $1,390 destination ($51,415 AWD Platinum model as tested)
Power plant: 2.0-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 241 horsepower, 260 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.0 seconds (Car and Driver est. AWD); towing, 1,500 pounds
Curb weight: 4,438 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 21 city/27 highway/23 combined (FWD and AWD); 505-mile range
Report card
Highs: Sculpted exterior; high-tech features
Lows: Uninspired turbo-4; distracting shifter, climate controls
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Massive Nissan Armada trades fire with Detroit mega-utes
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 19, 2025
Farmington Hills — Where Titan failed, the Armada might break through.
Nissan has sent big truck-based warriors with fierce names into battle against Detroit’s formidable armies of full-size pickups and mega-utes. The Titan pickup finally waved the red flag after bashing its brains in against endless waves of Detroit 1500, 2500, 3500 and even bigger dually pickups with more technology than a NASA launch site and enough towing power to tow, well, a Titan ballistic missile.
Doing battle against the Ford Expedition and Expedition XL looks more feasible. Based on the same truck chassis as the expired Titan, the 2025 Armada has been remade into a state-of-the-art mega-ute matching Ford, Chevy Tahoe and Jeep Wagoneer weapon-for-weapon.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Heading onto I-696, I stomped the gas and the new twin-turbo V-6 awoke with a roar. WHAAAUUGGRH! I miss the V-8s Nanny State rules have suffocated, but turbo sixes like Titan, Toyota Sequoia and Wagoneer have character and make the ocean liners fun to drive.
More compelling is the tech.
Mega-ute land yachts must endure long hours on the road. Nissan has always prioritized comparable seating with its “zero-gravity seats,” and Armada’s no different with its plush thrones. But Nissan has also stepped up with state-of-the-art, hands-free autopilot like Chevy (Super Cruise) and Ford (Blue Cruse) peers. Nissan calls it Pro Pilot Assist 2.1.
Self-driving tech is freaky at first — especially in such a big ocean liner — and Ford and Tesla, for example, smartly offer subscription packages for their systems so you can try ‘em out. Try it, you’ll like it. Unfortunately, Nissan (like Chevy) requires an expensive, $3,375 leap-of-faith purchase.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I toggled the left steering button (nice, raised tabs like a Chevy) and I was hands-free, cruising I-75 with hands on my knees. Tug the left turn signal and Armada switched automatically into the left passing lane. Tug the right signal, and it moved back. Nissan calls such goo-gaws “super powers,” and it will impress the kiddies sitting waaaay back in the third row.
The roomy third row (I could sit behind myself sitting behind myself) benefits from independent rear suspension technology that allowed for more legroom than the traditional, truck-based solid rear axle that Toyota Sequoia employs and that proved cramped on a trip north a couple of summers back. Nothing makes a trip more tiresome than knees in your chest.
Unfortunately, Nissan doesn’t offer a panoramic roof — or split roof like the Expedition — to give third row travelers more light. Not does it attempt to compete with the Detroit utes with an extended-cab XL model like Ford and Jeep (or Suburban, in Chevy’s case).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Such long cabs make up 40% of Chevy’s business and came in handy when, for example, I towed a sailboat with the Wagoneer L last summer and fit the entire boom through the middle of the cabin so it didn’t rattle around in the boat. Extended cabs are also useful for lots of baggage on, say, ski trips.
What Armada does offer is fold-flat seats so you can store big items (think TV screens or stacks of boxed books) when you aren’t using all three seat rows.
Nissan also keeps up with the Joneses — er, Detroiters — with big, hoodless digital displays that are choked with content and ergonomically sound. While you can outfit Armada with premium trims like the Detroiters, I would recommend starting with the SL model, which offers tech goodies like Pro Pilot and standard Google Built-in.
Google Built-in is General Motors Co.’s new secret sauce — an operating system on par with your phone — and Nissan has embraced it as well.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Google, tell me a joke,” I barked and Armada chose from a library of dumb one-liners to lighten the trip.
More practical is the SL’s standard surround-view that coordinates eight cameras so you can dock the big ship with precision. I turned into a cramped Walled Lake gas station and put the cameras to good use. Most impressive is the hood view, which allows you to look right through the hood to place the front wheels where you want them.
It helped me miss tall curbs as well as potholes opened up by Michigan’s’ long winter.
7Pro Pilot Assist package with a head-up display offers further ease of use on the highway. Ring it all up and Armada comes in at 73 grand, a healthy $4,000 cheaper than a comparable Tahoe LT. And with 70 more horsepower on tap from Armada’s 425-horse turbo-6, you may not miss the Chevy’s throaty 355-horse V-8. But the Ford’s flexible subscription price for Blue Cruise is much more affordable (especially if you only use it during, say, summer trips) and Ford’s Activ model clocks in at a more affordable $71,900. Oh.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Conservatively styled, the Nissan should age well, though it doesn’t have the swagger of Motown’s hunks — or even the nicely styled Toyota Sequioa. Nissan does offer a tough, armored off-road model called the Pro 4X.
Armada has come with big guns blazing so it can trade blows with the Detroit armada. It’s a better battleship than the Titan and offers a legitimate alternative to the Detroit Three.
2025 Nissan Armada
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and-four-wheel-drive, six- to-seven passenger mega-ute
Price: $59,530, including $2,010 destination fee ($81,900 Platinum Reserve as tested)
Powerplant: 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6
Power: 425 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.1 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 8,500 pounds
Weight: 5,886 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est., 16 mpg city/20 highway/18 combined (RWD); 16 mpg city/19 highway/17 combined (AWD); 472-mile range
Report card
Highs: Roomy in all three rows; tech-tastic features
Lows: Meh styling; lacks extended wheelbase model
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.