Fifty years ago, Cadillac entered the record books with the longest production car ever – the 252.2-inch Fleetwood 75.

This was a 9-passenger sedan powered by an 8.2-liter V-8 atop a 130.5-inch wheelbase – factory-built, not a limousine done by a coach builder. Cadillac made 7,500 of them during its 1974 – 1976 production run – quite a car, according to this cool video by HotCars.

Alas, other than Cadillac’s current CT4 and CT5, and the $300,000-plus Celestiq EV hyper-lux model, there are no long, lethally-luxurious Cadillac sedans around anymore. The last Fleetwood was made in 1996. But you can experience a modern, (almost as) long and very luxurious 7-passenger Cadillac with lots of power, prestige (look at red carpet events) and more tech than any Fleetwood 75 ever experienced with the latest Escalade.

And in this case, it’s the ultimate gas-powered luxury version of the Cadillac SUV – the Escalade Platinum Sport.

We also have had the luxury – pun intended – of testing a 2025 Escalade ESV Sport Platinum in mid-2025, right after its mid-cycle refresh. EV Rider also experienced it EV stablemate, the Escalade IQ. And late last year, we drove the most top-tier, all-wheel-drive long-wheelbase gas version – the 227-inch-long Escalade ESV Platinum Sport.

Now we have the 211.9-inch-long Escalade Platinum Sport. It gets a 6.2-liter V-8 under its bonnet, and the highest-tech interior this side of Cadillac’s CT5 V Blackwing. This fifth-generation luxury wagon has that mid-season refresh’s high-tech interior, plus some. And like the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL, it has 4-wheel-drive.

Done in Deep Sea Metallic, our Escalade starts with familiar light blade LED DRLs flanking a big, Sport Platinum-specific black shield-shaped grille, the central Cadillac badge glowing at night. There are stacks of vertical multi-element LED headlights, living in intake-shaped inserts. There’s a low center intake on the angular blunt nose, thin black blade accents wrapping into the sides over a lower air dam.

Unlike bespoke Cadillacs of old, there’s some shared architecture – fenders and doors are basically like GM’s cousins, the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Suburban, roof included. But inside the flat-edged fender flares are 24-inch Bridgestone Alenza rubber on 15-spoke alloy wheels. Black accents lower sill slashes, tucked-in power running boards and side window pillars.

The roofline is formally squarish, with black side trim and slim roof rack. In back, LED light blades flow into D-pillars, framing a step bumper over twin rectangular exhaust tips in gloss black. There’s steel fenders, but lighter aluminum hood and doors.

It’s an impressive looking SUV with serious glamour at night –light blades glow as you approach, Cadillac shields projected on the ground. But as edgy and chiseled as it looks, it might not be as elegant looking – in its boxy way – as the longer Escalade ESV.

I told friends what I was piloting, and one said, “Is that the one with the wide-screen dashboard?”

Why yes, it is – 55 inches wide.

There’s a configurable high-res gauge cluster visible through a power-adjustable steering wheel that’s got haptic touch buttons to handle that screen. It can range from map to safety systems, or widescreen nose camera, Night Vision image, even basic drive info.

That flows into a center touchscreen section with driver information, then infotainment – navigation, audio, blind spot cameras when a turn signal is tapped, backup/overhead view for parking, etc. And there’s only smooth black as it flows into a 20-inch front-passenger touchscreen that allows streaming and internet browsing, equipped with privacy filters so the driver can’t see it.

For comparison, the Lincoln Navigator’s widescreen measures 40 inches from dashtop speaker to speaker; the Celestiq’s is 55 inches wide; and the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV/Sedan is 6 inches in width.

We may be in an SUV with Suburban infrastructure, but you’d be hard-pressed to see any Chevy here. Stitched leather and perforated alloy AKG speaker grilles accent the sweeping design, a wide polished slab of wood at the base, accented with buff silver.

Under the sweep of air vents, more stitched black leather. Door panels get wood and alloy trim, plus a unique gray tweed insert over stitched white leather – the tweed also covers the lower dash, disguising the basic plastic seen in Suburbans.

The plush white semi-aniline leather seats get quilted inserts with V-shaped alloy accents in upper seatbacks, plus cooling, heat and massage, and dual memory presets for the driver. All four doors are power operated – brush a finger on the touchscreen at the head of the center console, and they hands-free open and shut – sensors look out for cars nearby and stop them as needed.

There are no physical controls on the sweeping upper dashboard, only touchscreen controls, although some things like headlights or massage are a menu or two down.

More tweed accents the sides of the center console, where there’s a volume knob for a superb 42-speaker AKG Studio Reference audio system with front head restraint speakers. There’s a knurled steel main menu twist/tap control and basic buttons for auto-engine on/off and auto-hold braking. Then more stitched leather with a buff silver “ESCALADE” crest accents the center armrest which hides deep storage and USB ports – the phone inductive charger is next to the lower screen, which also handles climate control along with power door

That center console touchscreen also handles climate control and seat massage, as well as the power door open/close function, auto-high beam, auto-park assist, universal remotes, even the power side steps. But again, some functions require two or more dives into menus to do things, like adjusting cooled seats, or opening the glovebox.

Comfy captain’s chairs with center armrests occupy the second row of this luxury jet on wheels, facing dual 12.6-inch touchscreens with access to streaming content, games or the web, same as the front passenger screen. The Escalade has Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Wi-Fi Hotspot , but no HD Radio. Those center row seats have heat, cooling and massage.

There’s plenty of room between them to get to a decent-size third-row bench seat with room for two, maybe three adults in a pinch. The center seats do adjust to add rear leg room. Aft of the third row is 25.5-cubic-feet of space; or use buttons back there to drop the 60/40 split third row seatbacks for 72.9 cubic feet of space; or fold second row seatbacks to get a flat 120.5 cubic feet of space. Yes, that’s less than the longer Escalade ESV’s 41.5/94.1/142.2 cubic feet space respectively – you lose an inch or so of legroom in back too. But our Escalade has a shorter (120.9- vs. 134.1-inch) wheelbase, thus is 15 inches tidier to park.

Nice news – the Escalade’s rear window pops open for quick loading of small stuff, or the whole tailgate powers up if needed.

This shorter Escalade is 6,014 lbs. of blue SUV; 174 pounds less than the ESV we tested. So with 420-hp and a healthy 460 lb-ft of torque funneled to all or rear wheels only via a 10-speed automatic, it’s quicker than its longer brother.

With drive mode set for Tour (there’s also halfway hidden buttons for Sport, Tow/Haul, Off-Road and My Mode), in rear-wheel-drive, we saw 60 mph in 6 seconds. Set to Sport, the Escalade made a mellow bellow from its exhaust en route to 60 in a quick 5.5 seconds upshifts are quick. It can handle 1,580 pounds of people and cargo, and tow 8,100 pounds of stuff. A Low Mode button on the steering wheel allows for manual paddle shifting, and it did it fine, holding gears unless you punched it hard, when it downshifted. It returned between 13 and 16 mpg, the latter on cruise-control highways.

To compare, the long ESV did 60 mph in 6.5 seconds in rear-wheel/Tour; and 5.2 seconds in Sport mode/auto AWD, netting about 16 mpg.

It has an independent suspension up front, multilink in back, plus coil-over shocks, stabilizer bars, adaptive suspension and magnetic ride control reading the road and altering shock absorber rates. The result is composed and quiet at speed, barring some tire noise. It’s smooth but just taut enough in Tour mode with quick bump control. Sport mode firmed up the steering, with nice feel, and bumps still had a comfortable edge, even with those 24-inch wheels. Only on some badly pocked pavement was there a bit of suspension jitter once – this was a quiet and composed 3,700-mile-old SUV.

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Automatic load-leveling saw the Escalade drop down to help load people or stuff, or go higher if you take it off road – we did not. The brake bias controls for a trailer are on a lower-left dash panel, which is about the only interior piece that still looked basic Suburban plastic.

This big rig was well behaved in daily driving, handling corners quite well for its size and height, even in rear-wheel-drive, where we could feel a hint of power oversteer if we pushed, caught quick by stability control. Slipped into auto AWD, its electronic limited-slip differential directed torque to the wheel with the most traction for a neutral feel and no understeer in corners. Push harder in steady-state cornering – and we got almost no understeer again, which was very reassuring. There was solid traction in the rain in AWD-auto. The brake pedal has decent high-up bite with minimum nosedive and no brake fade after hard use.

Hands-free Super Cruise maintained speed and distance in highway traffic, stopping when others do. There’s full lane-keep, but it did waver in lane sometimes. And the system did shut off sometimes, only to resume a few hundred feet later. The auto-lane change can be set to happen when you want, with the tap of the turn signal, and not when it “thinks” it should, like some others. It even worked on the state highways we tried.

Other driving aids include blind spot cameras that display in the center screen; seat-bottom buzzers to alert you to things closer than they look in the mirrors; and front/rear/side camera views at the tap of a button to see what’s around you. The rear-view mirror is a wide-screen display; the gauge display shows that night vision or wide-screen nose camera image.

A base rear-wheel-drive Cadillac Escalade starts at $93,995; our 4-wheel-drive 2026 Escalade Platinum Sport started at $123,400 with so much standard. The only options: $1,800 for the 24-inch wheels, and $725 for the Deep Sea Metallic paint. Our total was $128,820.

Bottom line: If you don’t need an SUV limo, this Escalade has spacious luxury, serious tech, some cool luxury touches, and still not much to remind you there’s a Suburban under there.

2026 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Sport Specifications

Vehicle type – 7-passenger four-wheel-drive luxury sports utility vehicle
Base price $123,400 ($128,820 as tested)
Engine type – OHV 16-valve aluminum V-8

Displacement – 6.2-liter
Horsepower (net) – 420 @ 5,600 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 460 @ 4,100 rpm
Transmission – 10-speed automatic
Wheelbase – 120.9 inches
Overall length – 211.9 inches
Overall width – 85 inches
Height – 76.3 inches
Front headroom – 44.5 inches
Front legroom – 38.2 inches
Second row headroom – 38.9 inches
Second row legroom – 41.7 inches
Third row headroom – 38.2 inches
Third row legroom – 34.9 inches
Cargo capacity – 25.5 cu. ft./72.9 w/3rd row folded/121 w/2nd and 3rd row folded
Towing capacity – up to 8,100 lbs.
Curb weight – 6,014 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 24 gallons
Mileage rating – 14-mpg city/18-mpg highway

The post ’26 Escalade Platinum Sport: High Tech Interior, V‑8 Punch appeared first on EV Rider.

I could make jokes about all the soccer Dads and career Moms who drive a Ford Explorer – I literally drove past dozens as I tested this one.

But in my city, and many counties around, a version of the Explorer called the Ford Police Interceptor Utility is the go-to for those in uniform, mostly in Carbonized Gray. Ours have reflective logos that sort of blend in during the daytime, so with the slimline LED light bar and no cargo rails (standard on police Explorers), they are quite invisible – they are quite invisible –civilian‑looking to other drivers. And my Explorer Tremor’s Vapor Blue Metallic – kind of metallic gray – almost looks like my local Sheriff’s Office’s.

The first Explorer in 1991 looked like what it was – a rear-wheel/four-wheel-drive SUV atop a Ranger pickup. But as of 2011’s fifth-gen, it shifted to a front-wheel/all-wheel-drive platform with turbocharged fours and sixes. Then came the fully revamped sixth-gen atop a new rear-wheel-drive based platform in 2020 – our 2026 Explorer is a 2025 refresh of that model. And one look tells you it’s an Explorer, from its sweptback, almost Range Rover silhouette that’s an evolution of its recent generations. And there’s lots out there – the Explorer has always been a top selling SUV – almost 187,000 in 2023; just over 194,000 in 2024; and almost 223,000 in 2025.

The new grille gets wider, a copper bar accent across the Tremor model’s black honeycomb mesh between LED headlights with strip DRLs. Fog lights live in deep sculpted side vents, while the lower center intake gets copper-colored tow hooks and a silver skid plate. The flanks don’t change from 2020 – gently flared fenders framed in black over gloss black alloy wheels, one spoke done in – yes, copper – wearing off-road oriented 18-inch Bridgestone Dueller A/T rubber.

The familiar rising accent line across the doors is there over prominent black sill accents. Slim roof racks are black. In back, large taillights now get a gloss black bar connecting them over a black bumper with silver skid plate-like accents, a hint of copper in there.

And gaze underneath – there’s a real skid plate behind that bumper, in case you run over a sunken palm tree. And off-road lights flank the Ford emblem – really bright LEDs – but they can only be activated with high beams on, and only after diving two steps into a screen menu.

The 2025 refresh of the Explorer eliminated a lot of physical controls inside, and expanded its digital content. And with our Tremor model, there’s some subtle upscaling going on as well.

Under the padded black dashtop lives a total redesign of what faces the driver and passenger. It does away with the original 2020 model’s multiple buttons. There’s a fine mesh black cloth, then silver trim over textured gray facing the dashboard, with copper thread underneath. Perforated aluminum Bang & Olufsen speaker grills accent doors over more stitched armrests.

Dash center is a wider touchscreen that handles almost every infotainment function you wish, albeit some a menu tap or two down. Only a volume knob remains under that screen and next to some basic safety system buttons over a very handy mini-shelf. That said, our Tremor did not have what I’d expect right on that shelf – inductive phone chargers.

The copper-stitched leather steering wheel rim is thick and grippable, small plastic paddle shifters in back, familiar Ford audio and digital gauge screen controls in front. And that gauge package can go from simple – digital speed – to navigation map, or gauges with info displays that include climb and lean angle, since Tremor models aim for some off-roading.

The plush leather and suede seats get heat, cooling and massage, plus more copper stitching and “TREMOR” embroidered in the seat uppers. They were comfortable and supportive on trips on and off-road. There’s good storage room at the head of the wide center console, trimmed in leatherette with copper stitching, with a rotary gear selector and cup holders, with more space under the – you guessed it – copper stitch-accented center armrest.

Captain’s chairs in the second row have great head and leg room, living under a fixed-glass moonroof with retractable cover, also with “TREMOR” embroidering, plus heat. There’s rear climate control, and USB/12-volt power ports. And there’s room in between to access a usable if low rear 2-person bench seat. The second and third rows fold flat to really expand space – and the last row power drops or lifts. The power tailgate climbs high to clear my head, as well.

2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD Has 5,000 Pounds Of Towing Muscle

The Tremor, and the Police Interceptor can have one of two engines – a 3.3-liter hybrid with 318 hp, or a 3-liter EcoBoost V-6 with 400 hp. I got lucky – my Tremor has that twin-turbo V-6. And while most civilian Ford Explorers play family SUV and never play with in the rough, I opted to run the Tremor up and down a muddy, pot-holed mud path next to a salt marsh, usually home to folks in 4×4’s going fishing.

The Explorer Tremor gets an off-road suspension with an extra inch of ground clearance over family Explorers – 8.6 inches of it. There’s more steel underbody skid plates, revised bumpers with better approach and departure angles, and those knobbier tires to help. Along with the 400-hp V-6, we had a 10-speed automatic transmission, limited-slip rear differential for improved traction, plus a dedicated off-road drive mode with selectable Rock Crawl, Mud/Ruts, Tow/Haul, and Slippery condition selections.

2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD Handles Light Off Roading Well

We activated off-road mode, which backs off throttle input to help limit wheelspin, and move out. The mud road heads downhill through deep puddles pocked with coral-based rocks. Our 4,457-lb. SUV’s multi-link suspension with off road-spec dampers just absorbed those splashing dips without any head toss or harshness. And the tires grabbed and pulled us through the slimy route with no issues. In off-road mode, the main screen shows what’s right in front of that new grille, with tire tracks to show where you are headed – and there’s a 360-degree overhead image of what’s around, plus a big screen image of that tree in back as you reverse. FYI – rubber floor mats kept the muddy footprints contained.

The 40-foot turning radius make it somewhat easier to turn around at the end of the trail – didn’t hurt that the Tremor’s rear axle gets brake-based torque vectoring that locks its inside rear wheel during slow off-road maneuvering. That can cut the turning radius by up to 25%.

Call the Tremor a pretty legit off-roader for the basic stuff like a dirt trail, forest road or rainy beach – no mountain roads to test in Florida, though.

Back on the asphalt again and set in rear-wheel-drive, we checked how the Tremor handles commuting and shopping duties.

In Eco mode – you have to select it each time you fire this Explorer up, since it reverts to Normal mode – the 7,000-mile-old SUV moves out well, rearing up a bit as it gains turbo boost to hit 60 mph in a 5.3 seconds with a subtle exhaust growl. Tap in Sport mode, and as the steering loads up with a bit more feel, the Explorer seems to pull out of the hole quicker en route to 60 mph in a quick 4.8 seconds, its exhaust a bit meatier. Paddle shifters respond well, a l’il throttle blip on downshifts.

With the V-6, it can tow up to 5,000 pounds of trailer. Auto-engine shutoff was transparent when it refired – no lurch. And driven mostly in Eco mode, we averaged up to 25 mpg.

Our test of a 2020 Explorer SVT with twin-turbo, DOHC 3-liter V-6 giving 400-hp (w/premium) and 415 lb.-ft. of torque took 6.5 seconds to hit 60 mph in Sport mode. Observed mileage was 20 mpg.

The chassis is designed with rear-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive unless you select Sport or an off-road mode, with MacPherson strut in front, and multi-link rear. Yet even with it being a bit taller in the saddle, and with more offroad-specific rubber, the Explorer Tremor had a taut yet nicely supple ride that handled bumps quickly, good buffering at compression on all but the sharpest potholes, and a fairly quiet ride at speed.

Set in Sport, power steering stiffens up with a nice direct feel, if a bit artificial. The Tremor also invokes all-wheel-drive in Sport mode, adjusting power distribution to the wheels as needed. So it stayed neutral with a little body roll around corners, powering nicely out. Power harder in a turn and we got a bit of understeer, but the handling remained predictable. And in steady-state cornering, understeer was more evident, but it did not plow off course. The brake pedal on our test vehicle had a nice bite early, good control and decent stopping power.

We had BlueCruise autonomous driving, which maintained speed, distance and the lane (with a bit of hunting) just fine on interstates and many state highways. I still don’t like auto-lane change – it activates if someone ahead is slower than preset speed – and it takes a steering jerk to shut it off.

The base rear-wheel-drive Explorer Active 100A with turbocharged 4-cylinder engine starts at $38,465; our four-wheel-drive Tremor 4WD started at $48,465 with a $11,850 Ultimate package with fixed moonroof, ambient accent lighting, B&O Sound System and a few more goodies, plus $495 Vapor Blue paint, $455 entry keypad and some other items for a final price of $64,495.

Bottom line: Seriously powerful with solid handling on-road; capable on moderate off-roading, and real roomy in its nicely lux interior – looks cool too.

2026 Ford Explorer Tremor Specifications

Vehicle type – 5-door, 3-row/six-passenger all-wheel-drive off-roadable SUV

Base price – $48,465 ($64,495 as tested)

Engine type – aluminum block 24-valve, dual-turbocharged DOHC V-6

Displacement – 3-liter

Horsepower (net) – 400

Torque (lb-ft) – 415

Transmission – 10-speed automatic w/paddle shifters

Wheelbase – 119.1 inches

Overall length – 198.8 199.3 inches

Overall width – 89.3 inches w/mirrors

Height – 69.6 70.2 inches

Front headroom – 40.7 inches

Front legroom – 43 inches

Middle headroom – 40.5 inches

Middle legroom – 39 inches

Rear headroom – 38.9 inches

Rear legroom – 32.2 inches

Cargo capacity – 18.2 cu. ft./47.9 w/3rd row folded/87.8 with 2nd and 3rd row folded

Towing capacity – up to 5,600 lbs.

Curb weight – 4,631 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 20.2 gallons

Mileage rating – 17 mpg city/22 mpg highway

The post 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD Is Powerful appeared first on EV Rider.

What’s in a name?

A proper question as we test this 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness – not too long after we trod the pavement, and some grassy fields, in the new Outback Premium.

Yes, the sheet metal is the same, but this Subie’s different – more attitude, 80 more horsepower, and a bit more off-road.

Do not forget, the 2026 Outback has been moved into a more SUV-like shape by designers at what was formerly Fuji Heavy Industries. So let’s see what’s in a name – and a design.

In the beginning the Outback started as a gently-cladded version of the Subaru Legacy sedan and wagon decades ago. Over time it gained ride height and more serious fittings so it could handle what many other folks’ crossovers and SUVs did. Think things like fields and beaches. So the first thing we see with the Outback Wilderness, other than that boxier, chunkier shape; is a far more serious set of body cladding front, center and rear.

Subaru sold almost 169,000 Outbacks in 2024, its highest since 2019. Outback sales dipped to just under 158,000 in 2025, while the factory says it sold 37,626 as of April this year, versus 51,435 in the same 4-month period in 2025, down 26.9%.

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The Outback Premium has its share of angular black plastic in its lower air intake and side fog light pods. The Wilderness gets a more serious dose. The black grille gets “SUBARU” written large as its center bar over larger honeycomb and accent pieces. There’s no Subaru star emblem here. It’s flanked by thick black bars that go from the slit LED DRLs that live under the hood’s corner edges, right down to the lower cladding where they flank the intake and skid plate accent. Big, round fog lights get Wilderness-specific copper rings for a serious standout look. The real headlights live below the DRLs’ black trim.

Geometric black fender flares with real rear venting frame slightly chunkier, all-terrain 17-inch Bridgestone Dueller rubber on semi-gloss black 10-spoke alloys. Lower side cladding is deeper, taller, more willing to take a beating when you sling dirt.

The roof rack is chunky as well. It’s able to handle 220 pounds of stuff, and almost four times more when parked, if you want to mount a rooftop tent. A copper-colored Wilderness badge is affixed to accent panels on each C-pillar.

Most of this body is aluminum. Only the rear quarters are steel. And to make sure you know it’s an off-roader, the center of that alloy hood is done in matte black to lessen reflections on the trail. The new Outback Wilderness sure looks more the part of an off-roader, and less a family station wagon.

Along with the “OUTBACK” name embossed on lots of the black cladding, there’s a real skid plate behind the front bumper to help with off-road travels.

Copper Accents Adorn 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Interior

The copper accents outside continue inside the Outback Wilderness, as driver and passengers easily slide into the faux leather seats due to the increased ride height. And since this is the Wilderness model, the gauge and navigation screen show off welcome animations of a mountain range, sunrise and all.

The boxier shape sits atop the same 108.1-inch wheelbase as the more sedan-shaped predecessor. That does seem to translate into a bit more room, particularly above our heads. The StarTex (waterproof faux leather) seats feel supple, with heat up front and nice copper stitching, as feet rest on swirl-patterned black rubber mats, and hairdos have “Wilderness”-embossed head restraints.

The chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel is copper stitched inside. It gains a copper bottom spoke accent, small paddle shifters behind, and the usual buttons in front. Manually adjustable, it offers a clear view of a configurable digital display that can show a 160-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach, or map with speed display, or other streamlined options.

It also displays Subaru’s safety systems, like blind spot sensing that shows when something’s ahead or beside you, or if you are drifting out of a lane. The EyeSight safety system monitors where the driver’s eyes go. If you glance away too long at the audio system or car beside you, it garners a “Hands on Wheel” flashing red alert.

The 12.1-inch navigation touchscreen has a volume knob with all other systems attached to menus accessed by a left-side row of icons. The system is a bit slow to fully warm up when you start, and some items are a menu or two down. But I liked that many needs can be accessed by a simple “Hi Subaru” voice command, then asking for the function.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and there’s HD Radio as well. And while you can adjust climate control via the screen, there are dual zone temperature knobs and real buttons below to handle the basic stuff. 

More copper accents the gearshift next to cup holders and there is an inductive charger for your cellphone along with USB ports. The 360-degree/overhead/side camera button is there, as are other driving controls. I really liked the flannel-like cloth lining the door map pockets, to keep water bottles from rattling.

The rear seats have decent leg room, and good headroom, perfect for two adults with a/c vents. They fold fairly flat to access a larger (32.6- to 34.6-cu.ft) cargo area. If you drop both second row seatbacks there is 80.5-cu.ft. of space. There’s a soft, washable security cover as well that can be set up like a hammock to hold wet clothing. The power rear hatch opens high enough to clear my forehead, which is appreciated.

Overall, there’s a sense of sturdy richness here. We have tested an Outback Premium recently with 8.7 inches of ground clearance and a normally-aspirated 2.5-liter BOXER (opposed-four) engine with 180-hp and 178 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm. But this is the G.O.A.T. Outback. It has 9.5 inches of ground clearance and a turbocharged 2.4-liter BOXER with 260-hp and 277 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,000-4,800 rpm. Both get power funneled through a Lineartronic CVT, this one with 10 simulated speeds vs. 8, plus paddle shifters and all-wheel-drive. There are no drive modes, just an X-MODE mud and snow option.

Extra Subaru Outback Wilderness Horsepower Makes A Difference

That added power revealed itself at launch. Our 3,973-lb. (232-lb. more than the Premium) Outback Wilderness, on all-terrain rubber, grabbed and got to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The engine revved to between 5,000- and 6,000-rpm as the CVT’s belt and pulley did its thing. That compares to 7.9 seconds for the lighter, less powerful Outback Premium.

The continuously-variable transmission did a decent job of simulating up- and downshifts in regular driving, and even as it varied between rpms under harder acceleration, it remained fairly quiet doing so. We averaged about 21 mpg, which is a tad less than the Outback Premium. The auto-engine off system was clean enough shutting the engine off at stops, but lurched a bit re-firing as I went from brake to gas.

The Outback Wilderness’s electronically controlled dampers allow for firmer or softer suspension tuning depending on road, or off-road surfaces, based on sensor inputs. The result was a supple yet taut ride over bumps, with no harshness on any speed bump except for sharp little ones, where the rear suspension thumped a bit on rebound. The other result was minimal body roll despite the added height in turns. The Outback Wilderness was quite neutral in corners, and well-mannered in steady-state turns under power in roundabouts. There was almost no understeer in tight, twisty two-lanes.

All-wheel-drive not only showed its ability in the dry, but in a 30-minute Florida gullywasher. On slick, fresh, very wet asphalt, traction was solid straight and curved.

And with X-Mode, when sat-nav put us on a narrow dirt road in a downpour to get from one road to another, traction in the mud was fine. Each wheel did its job. The ride over holes and lumps was controlled and comfortable. The two X-Modes cut out at 25 mph. But there’s also a hill-descent control.

Steering was a tight 2.3 turns lock-to-lock, with decent feel and acceptable power assist. It had better feel than the Premium. The 12.4-inch front/11.8-inch rear disc brakes had a decent pedal feel, and a tad of travel before bite on our 4,700-mile-old test car. They stopped the car straight and drama-free. There was a tad of nose-dive and ABS at full stop, but no fade after hard repeated use.

We also had a bit more time to get used to the EyeSight Driver Assist, which looks at the driver’s eyes to make sure they are looking at the driving world. It is hyper-sensitive, beeping if I looked too long at a merging car or my gearshift. The adaptive cruise control offers a sometimes firm lane centering and steering wheel feedback. But it does alert you to those in the left and right rear blind spots – and can be backed off via the in-screen menu, albeit one a layer or so down.

The base Subaru Outback starts at $34,995; Our top-line Outback Wilderness gets all we had standard for a final MSRP of $44,490.

Bottom line: A very complete, all-weather mini-SUV, for a price.

2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Edition Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-seat all-wheel-drive sports utility wagon

Base price – $34,995 ($44,490 as tested)

Engine type – turbocharged 2.4-liter 16-valve DOHC aluminum boxer 4-cylinder

Displacement – 2.4 liters

Horsepower (net) – 260 @ 5,600 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 277 @ 2,000 – 4,800 rpm

Transmission – CVT automatic with 10-speed – manual mode and paddle shifters

Wheelbase – 108.1 inches

Height – 67.5 inches

Overall length – 191.7 inches

Overall width – 74 inches w/mirrors

Ground clearance – 8.7 inches

Front headroom – 40.5 inches

Front legroom – 43 inches

Rear headroom – 40.5 inches

Rear legroom – 39.5 inches

Cargo capacity – 34.6 cu. ft./80.5 w/seats folded

Towing capacity: up to 3,500 (800 more) lbs.

Curb weight – 3,973 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 18.5 gallons

Mileage rating – 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway

The post 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Adds More Horsepower appeared first on EV Rider.

Have you heard the rumor? GM may be getting back into the sedan and coupe game.

Word has it that along with a new Chevrolet Camaro, a Buick sedan – the first since 2020 Regal – is under consideration on an updated version of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 underpinnings.

But until and if that happens, there are some serious coupe and sedan lines in one Buick – the 2026 Envista crossover we tested.

And in fact, this fastback CUV carries some serious hint of one of Buick’s last concepts – the 2022 Wildcat with a long, low-profile silhouette and a forward-leaning nose. You can watch a video on the Wildcat in the EV Rider archive.

The Envista is the baby of a 4-vehicle line of Buicks that includes nary a coupe or sedan, unlike its glory days of rides like the Riviera and Skylark. All starting with “E,” there’s the Enclave, Encore, Envista and Envision. And the one with the slickest look, introduced in 2024, is this week’s test car.

Some may liken its sharp-edged nose to the exotic Lamborghini Urus.

There’s the sharp nose line over a black grille framed in flaring smoked chrome winglets. LED headlights are inset in intake-like housings, and slim LED DRLs are glaring out of top corners. There’s the slim lower center intake with silver air dam. Yes – it seems to share the aggressive look of the quarter-million dollar Urus.

There’s a coupe-like roofline, similar to the BMW X4 Coupe, which despite the name, is also a 5-door hatchback. It’s dramatic, especially with dagger point accents flowing off black side window trim, following the fastback rear hatch. Gently-flared fenders frame black 10-spoke alloy wheels shod in P245/45 R19-inch Continental ProContact rubber, framing gently angular lower sills.

The tapered rear roofline’s D pillars get black angular slashes that frame the hatchback and add some dash to the rear. Tightly slim LED taillights wrap around the rear fender edges, carrying edges from the rising beltline accents. A big Buick tri-shield emblem accents the slightly be-spoilered tail over a black bumper accent with blades that match the lower nose. There’s a low, wide stance to the Envista Sport Touring in tan, the black accents offering a nice touch.

Sleeker, simpler and slightly more upscale – that’s the direction seen in the Envista, albeit in mostly gray and black, with some chrome and silver accents – and sporty perforated steel pedals.

The Buick and Chevrolet Trax both get upgrades in the form of a sweeping glass panel that contains an 8-inch screen for driver instruments, then an 11-inch infotainment touchscreen.

There’s stitched grained leatherette on the dashboard top, and wavy stitched accents on seat and door inserts, although it is hard plastic on dashboard lower sections and doortops.

The driver gets a simple display with digital speedometer and circular 7,000-rpm tach next to a bar graph gas and temperature displays. Our 4,000- mile-old Envista also showed some basic info like cruise control status and miles-to-empty.

The center touchscreen is basic as well with 6-speaker audio system, which sounded fine. It also contains phone, other audio sources, main menu and a traction/stability control panel. It offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to run navigation and Google, plus a handy volume knob. But the dashboard screens washed out in Florida’s bright noonday sun, making them tough to see at a glance.

Along with that neat diagonal stitching over dash, door panels and leatherette seatbacks, there’s embroidered ST logos on the front head restraints and white piping on seat bottoms and backs. But those perches are a bit flat. Only the driver gets power adjustments. We liked the neatly tucked-in inductive phone charge slot with twin USB ports and a 12-volt port under the single-zone climate control, its temperature and fan speed knobs including buttons for more adjustments. But I wondered, why black rubber floor mats in a semi-lux Buick?

This subcompact’s long wheelbase means the back bench seat has pretty decent leg room for adults, even when tall folks sit in front. They also sit higher than in front for a nice view out, but there’s not much else here bar a USB port. There’s no center armrest.

The 20.7-cu. ft. rear cargo area is deep and long for the overall size, although the fastback will limit the height of some stuff. The fastback does leave us with a small oval rear window opening in the rearview mirror, framed by rear head restraints. It could do with a wiper as well.

Do not look for a Buick Nailhead under that Envista bonnet. Instead of a V8 you’ll find a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder with 137-hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 to 4,000 rpm. It runs through a 6-speed automatic transmission with low range, and a rocker switch to manually shift. There is only front wheel drive. All-wheel-drive is not offered. It is quiet at speed, with just a bit of dashboard noise on bumps. There are no drive mode options.

This 3,060-lb. crossover is quick enough, starting a bit moderately off the line before it gets a turbo head of pressure and hits 60 mph in 9 seconds. That’s compared to 9.2 seconds in a 2024 version I tested with the same drivetrain for retired website. The 2026 Envista does have some decent passing power. The three-cylinder engine sounds busy, even a bit sporty from the exhaust, but not strained. Its best torque is under 4,000 rpm.

There’s McPherson strut front/Watts Link rear suspension on those decent-sized 19-inch rubber tires, making for a stable and fairly agile l’il Buick that did well on curves. The ride was just taut enough, but supple. It handled speed bumps with a decently-buffered rebound and no harshness or head bob at full depression. It also tracked nicely around corners, neutral with a bit of body roll. Push harder in a curve and there’s controllable understeer, but nothing major. It pulls out nicely, call it collected and capable.

The 11.8-inch front/11.3-inch rear disc brakes had a precise bite high on the pedal and lots of control, offering fade-free stops with some nose dive and a bit of ABS action time after time. The steering had a precise, well weighted feel. The Buick offered a decent turning circle. For safety, it includes lane-keep assist with departure warning, automatic emergency and front pedestrian braking, auto high beams and adaptive cruise control with full stop and go.

A base Buick Envista Preferred starts at $26,495, and the top-line Avenir starts at $31,295. Our ST (Sport Touring) starts at $26,100, with a $4,360 Studio Series package with heated steering wheel, power driver’s seat, power liftgate, wireless phone charger and a bit more – final price – $31,855.

Bottom line: It’s sleek, roomy and agile – style and handling with an adequate powertrain.

2026 Buick Envista ST: 5-passenger, 5-door subcompact crossover

Base price – $26,100 (As tested – $31,855)

Engine type –Turbocharged DOHC, in-line three

Displacement – 1.2 liters

Horsepower (net) – 137 @ 5,000 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 162 @ 2,500 – 4,000 rpm

Transmission – 6-speed automatic with manual shift mode

Wheelbase – 106.3 inches

Overall length – 182.6 inches

Overall width – 71.5 inches

Height – 61.3 inches

Front headroom – 39.4 inches

Front legroom – 41.9 inches

Rear headroom – 37.3 inches

Rear legroom – 38.7 inches

Cargo capacity – 20.7 cu. ft./42 w/rear seats down

Ground clearance – 9.3 inches

Curb weight – 3,060 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 13.2 gallons

Mileage rating – 28-mpg city/32-mpg highway 

The post 2026 Buick Envista ST Echoes Buick Wildcat Concept appeared first on EV Rider.

It’s a ruby red chunk of a truck, a near-luxury SUV that has three rows of seats and can tow up to 8,100 pounds of trailer.

It’s as quiet as can be on a long trip to dinner with six on board – or it can bring all of you into the pine woods down a dirt road for a nature trip.

Born in 1992 as a full size pickup truck-based people hauler, the Yukon is five years into its sixth generation (and one into its mid-cycle refresh) with a distinctive look, but a shared roof and doors with its GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade sister ships. And have no fear, it’s a truck under all that metallic red paint, and chrome and black trim.

The Tahoe is a popular big SUV. Chevrolet sold almost 86,000 last year, a bit below 2024’s 105,000. And it loves to show off its family heritage, borrowing the Silverado’s bold face in 2021, then again in the 2025 refresh.

The High Country is at the mountaintop of the six trim levels for the Tahoe. At 210.7 inches it’s just under 16 inches shorter than its big brother Suburban. LED headlights ride inside curved LED DRLs framed in side aero intakes that move air over front wheels to help wind flow. A black bar splits slim upper (capped w/LED light bars) and big lower grilles, ending with a bumper that edges into those side blades. A lower intake gets a gloss black strip over silver air dam trim. This rounded-yet-blunt face is close to the 2021 redesign. The mid-cycle refresh gives it a bit more aggressive yet smoother look that works well under the broad sternum-high expanse of hood.

Those upper LED lights flow into bodyside upper lines that flow aft under tall side windows with black trim. There are power-deploying running boards. The roof gets slim black roof racks, and flows into a rear window shade/spoiler. Its window is framed by aerodynamic D-pillars. The High Country rides on 22-inch Bridgestone Alenza rubber wrapped around black 8-spoke wheels with slightly squared-off fender lips. The fronts are integrated withg running lights. Clear plastic around the tall taillights, connected by gloss black is a nice detail.

Related: Chevy Suburban Raises Bar For 2025

The tailgate opens high enough to clear my head. There’s a step bumper below, and very impressive quad stainless steel exhaust tips to finish the look, which was liked by all – especially the “gorgeous” Radiant Red Tintcoat paint, some said.

2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country Gets Fully Optioned Interior

The power running boards are handy to help the driver ascend into the jet black leather interior, which lacks a pillar-mounted grab handle that the passengers all get. That planted me in a nicely firm if slightly flat bucket seat with copper thread accents, thick dark piping are at the edges. “High Country” is embroidered on the head restraints. Both front seats get heat and cooling, while the driver has power adjustments and twin memory presets. More copper accents a leatherette-covered dashtop, doors and center console framing, which gives a nice upscale look despite familiar GM plastic and controls on the lower interior sections nearby.

The 2025 refresh gave the Tahoe’s helm a needed digital upgrade. An 11-inch digital instrument cluster joins an 17.7-inch touchscreen and a lot of dashboard buttons go away. The gauge display is configurable, from simple digital speed with basic info, to a navigation map, or two versions of full gauges with 8,000-rpm tach and inset info panels with audio, time/temp, etc. It’s complimented by a color head-up display with a big dashtop projector.

The center touchscreen gets an audio volume control. All other functions are accessible by big touch icons for phone, audio, climate control, Wi-Fi, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a solid 10-speaker Bose system. However, the Bluetooth system kept dropping my Samsung phone and SiriusXM coverage was spotty.

The steering wheel gets the usual phone, voice command, cruise and gauge display controls in front, then small paddle shifters and audio in back. Driving controls live on a basic Chevrolet panel to the left of the wheel. There are 4-wheel-drive selection buttons, a Normal, Sport, Off-road and Tow/Haul drive mode knob and headlights as well as e-parking brake, lane-keep and auto-engine off buttons.

Under the stitched and patterned leather center armrest lives lots of storage, while the wide center console gets a deep inductive phone charger nook with twin USB and a 12-volt outlet and cup holders. Under the navigation screen there are some hard buttons for fan speed and other climate controls. There’s a classic gear shift stalk with a low gear push button at the end, which activates manual up- and downshift paddle shifters

2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country Offers 3 Row Seating

Second row occupants get the real deal. There are captain’s chairs with heat and separate a/c controls, flip-up armrests, big video screens for gaming and streaming (including wireless headphones), all under a long power moonroof. The seats slide fore and aft. There’s decent room between to access a third-row bench seat with real head and leg room for two adults and three in a pinch. There are USB ports as well.

There’s a very usable 25.5-cu.ft. of space behind the last row, with a very shallow storage slot under the carpeted floor. Second- and third-row seatbacks can be lowered for up to 122.9-cu.ft. space, the rears powering up and down, the second row remote-dropped, all with handy cargo area buttons. The rear power hatch opens to a big, but fairly high load floor.

Smooth Aluminum V8 Powers 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country

A powerful naturally-aspirated and familiar engine is a cast aluminum 6.2-liter V-8 with 420-hp, 460-lb-ft of torque, 10-speed transmission and selectable rear-wheel or four-wheel-drive. And our Tahoe had a newby of an engine with just over 770 miles on the odometer when we began driving it

There’s 5,845 pounds of SUV here, but in Normal drive mode, it moves out well. With rear-wheel-drive selected, our very new engine hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds with a satisfying V-8 exhaust note, but not too loud. Sport mode quickens throttle response and shifts, firms up steering and suspension, and gives the quad exhaust a bit more muscle. We hit 60 mph in 6 seconds in rear-wheel-drive mode and 6.3 seconds in Sport 4WD High. We had quicker downshifts to access rpm for passing power, while auto-stop/start was pretty seamless at stops, only once engaging abruptly as we came off the brake to the gas pedal. Fuel mileage started at just over 12 mpg, then rose to an average 15 mpg after mostly highway miles in Normal/RWD mode.

To compare, a 2023 Tahoe RST we tested for a defunct site hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds in Normal/RWD, and 5.9 seconds in Sport/4WD Auto. It averaged 14 mpg in mostly highway driving. And a 2021 GMC Yukon we tested back then with the same engine hit 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Under our red box is independent front/multi-link rear suspension, with coil-over shocks and stabilizer bars and Magnetic Ride Control. It’s active suspension system “reads” the road, and firms or softens the suspension as needed quickly, Chevy says. The Tahoe offered a supple yet taut and well controlled ride that reacted quickly to bumps, firming or softening as it swallowed speed humps with no harshness. That said, there was gentle body shudder from the heavy body-on-frame SUV over tar patches on a local highway.

For its size and height, the Tahoe went easily around corners with no drama and a hint of body roll. In 4-wheel-drive auto, it shifted power fore and aft as needed for some fairly neutral handling in curves, handy for its size. Pushed harder in a roundabout, there was understeer and some traction control.

Power steering was direct in Sport, a more responsive feel that was appreciated along with a tight turning radius for such a large truck. The disc brakes had a good bite high on the pedal, and decent stopping power with some nose dive, and a bit of ABS chatter at full shove. We had no brake fade after repeated hard use. The Tahoe was fairly quiet at highway speed. There was some wind noise around the side mirrors.

Being a “High Country,” we sought to get off-road in flat Florida. We found a very sandy trail through pine barrens where it had solid traction in 4WD-High. The ride was comfortable but not springy, easily absorbing bumps at higher speeds without head toss. Here, the Tahoe structure was stiff and squeak-free. Off-road mode backed off the throttle input so you don’t spin wheels and dig in. The four-wheel-drive has a limited slip differential.

We had SuperCruise, which gave us hands-free driving on interstate and state roads, keeping cleanly in lane without too much wiggle. It maintained speed and distance to a stop, then resuming as the guy in front moved off. I wasn’t a fan of the auto-lane change. It did that whenever someone in front slowed, safely. But there’s times I wanted to stay put. For added safety there’s an automatic emergency and front pedestrian braking, forward collision alert, 360-degree camera and seat buzzers to alert of things ion blind spots.

A base rear-wheel-drive Tahoe LS with the 5.3-liter V-8 starts at $66,495; our Tahoe 4WD High Country starts at $83,700. The biggest option is $7,690, which includes Super Cruise, power side steps, moonroof, air ride suspension, 2-speeed transfer case, trailer assist and more. A $4,995 package adds dark wheels and trim, while $2,15 adds tech like the rear video screens for a final tally of $100,670.

Bottom line: A real SUV that handles a family and off-road action. But $100,000-plus is a lot for this comfy, capable Tahoe, although that engine is very nice.

2026 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD High Country Specifications

Vehicle type – full-size 7-passenger four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicle
Base price $83,700 ($100,670 as tested)
Engine type – OHV 16-valve aluminum V-8
Displacement – 6.2-liter
Horsepower (net) – 420 @ 5,600 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 460 @ 4,100 rpm
Transmission – 10-speed automatic
Wheelbase – 120.9 inches
Overall length – 210.7 inches
Overall width – 81 inches
Height – 75.8 inchesGround clearance: 8 inches
Front headroom – 40.4 inches w/moonroof
Front legroom – 44.5 inches
Second row headroom – 37.5 inches
Second row legroom – 42 inches
Rear headroom – 38.2 inches
Rear legroom – 34.9 inches
Cargo capacity – 25.5 cu. ft./72.6 w/3rd row folded/122.9 w/2nd and 3rd row folded
Towing capacity – up to 8,200 lbs.
Curb weight – 5,845 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 24 gallons
Mileage rating – 21-mpg city/27-mpg highway

The post 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country: Comfy Family Hauler appeared first on EV Rider.

Way back in the dark ages, Subaru decided to make its all-wheel-drive station wagon a bit more macho, and voila. Some body cladding made it the Outback in 1995.

Fast forward 31 years later, and cladding on a Subaru denotes a far more serious offroad-capable model, as the boxier new 2026 Outback shows.

But now Subaru ups the ante with its latest Forester Wilderness, which has more than just some angular cladding. It gets some copper jewelry to jazz up the chunky design.

2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness Has 9.3 Inches Of Ground Clearance

This is the sixth-generation Forester, specifically what Subaru calls “the most rugged Forester Wilderness yet.” It lives at the top of the 2026 Subaru Forester food chain, which starts with the Base and Premium trim levels.

Immediately evident is its 9.3 inches of ground clearance, a bit more than the fifth-gen predecessor. The same bold black grille remains on our pearl white warrior, but with a bit more angular sculpting and less honeycomb. It digs deeper into the chunky bumper cladding, with copper accents.

The headlights and DRL shape is slimmer than before, above LED fog lights indented into faux side vents in chunky black. Below the slim lower center intake lives a serious looking silver skid plate. The angular black fender flare accents are thinner, with functional rear vents for aerodynamics on the front set. There’s a big hands-width of room between flare and treads on the 17-inch Yokohama Geolander A/T rubber on matte black spoked alloy wheels. The added ground clearance is due to suspension mods and taller off-road rubber.

There are “Subaru Wilderness” badges with mountain range on each front door, and a bronze badge proclaiming “FORESTER” on each sculpted black sill accent. The rear of the Wilderness gets the same attitude as the face, including black bands flowing from smoother, bigger taillights to a slim lower bumper with more bronze accents and a buffer lower skid plate in silver under imprinted “SUBARU.” The hatchback window gets a long white and black spoiler/shade. There’s a chunky, usable roof rack. And let’s not forget the matte black hood decal, a nod to rally and race cars to reduce glare.

The latest Wilderness has improved approach, departure, and breakover angles, compared to the rest of the sixth-generation Forester lineup. The approach angle has been extended to 23.5 degrees compared to 19 degrees. The ramp breakover improves up to 21 degrees compared to 19.6 degrees; and the departure angle edges up to 25.5 degrees compared to 24.6 degrees.

2026 Subaru Forester’s Interior Headlined By 11.6-Inch Touchscreen

Our sixth-gen Forester lives atop the Subaru Global Platform that underlies most of its car-like, and more SUV-like siblings, such as the Outback.

It’s easy to slide into the Forester Wilderness’ dark gray buckets seats, done in supple StarTex pleather with heat and power adjustments for the driver. There are embossed “Subaru Wilderness” logos on head restraints. The dark interior is made up of lots of hard plastic, with some pleather accents edged in bright copper stitching. There’s also a carbon fiber-like copper accent under the faceted plastic passenger dash, also edged in stitched pleather. The adjustable steering wheel has a thick stitched leather rim, with copper accent on the lower spoke. Small plastic paddle shifters in back work eight simulated gears on the CVT, while a button up front shifts drive modes. 

The sixth-gen Forester’s comprehensive interior redesign is centered around a big 11.6-inch touchscreen as part of a higher-mounted dashboard for increased space. The fifth-gen’s climate control knobs, plus some other physical switches, are now integrated as touchscreen controls into the tall display with mixed results.

Audio tuning and volume knobs remain, as do dual-zone temperature and defroster buttons. Fan speed, seat heat and a/c controls are now touchscreen icons. To activate safety systems like lane-keep, you need to tap the “car” icon, then work that menu. X-Mode, which activates off-road and snow settings, can be accessed by sliding the main screen’s upper info screens. Or by tapping the “car” icon again, you can select Snow/Dirt or Deep Snow/Mud on the screen. That’s twice as much to do as with a dedicated button. But really handy – the center screen can show a nose camera video of what you are driving over, or you can switch it to show all-wheel-drive status, roll and dive angle and steering articulation, with climate controls still active below.

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As nice and concise as that center screen is, it took up to a minute to boot up all functions like navigation and audio when we started it. And voice-recognition didn’t always understand our instructions. That said, we had HD Radio, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technology to run functions through my smartphone. And we had an inductive charger for phones, although mine slid a bit when driving.

The digital revolution continues inside a hooded gauge. Its screen has an 8,000-rpm tach display (configurable info inset) paired with a 160-mph speedometer. In the middle, a digital speedo joined by the EyeSight safety system screen showing vehicles in front, behind and in the blind spots, plus posted speed and other safety info. You can also pop the navigation map in the middle, or just cue up turn-by-turn directions in the tachometer info window. 

The center console gets USB slots over that phone charger, cup holders, copper-accented shifter and a button to pop on surround-view cameras. The padded center armrest hides some decent storage.

Head aft, and while the rear wheel-wells do intrude a bit, the back doors open to a roomy bench seat within a 104.9-inch wheelbase. It sits high, with lots of leg and head room, air vents and more USB points.

The rear cargo area is under a power hatch that rises high. It’s boxy and very usable with textured rubber mat. The floor mats are spill-catching rubber. There are outboard grocery bag hooks and a remote mechanism to drop the 60/40 rear seatbacks. All in all, practical and comfy.

Subaru Forester Boxer Engine Continues For 2026

Subaru has long adopted a different mode of propulsion for its vehicles, namely a horizontally-opposed Boxer (like an old VW Beetle, only water-cooled). For 2026, the familiar 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque feeds power through a continuously-variable automatic (belts and pulley vs. gears), with an 8-speed “manual” mode that you can “shift” via paddle shifters. An uprated transmission cooler offers an increased towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, up 500 from the past and the highest towing capacity ever offered on a Forester, Subaru said.

It is all-wheel-drive, with Intelligent (fuel efficient) and Sport modes for pavement driving.

Our 7,500-mile-old Boxer four gives off a sweet chuffing exhaust note under load, and is sprightly in response, more than enough power for commuting purposes. The CVT does a nice job of mimicking an 8-speed automatic most times, up- and down-shifting as demand ebbs and flows. But when we launched hard from a stop in Intelligent mode, the engine revved to 5,800 rpm, then mostly held there as the CVT’s belt and pulley changed ratios – we hit 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. In Sport mode, it launched a bit quicker, with a sportier exhaust snarl. But as speed climbed, the CVT hit about 6,000 rpm as it again worked its ratios, 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. In mixed driving modes, we saw just about 21 mpg on regular.

With taller off-road rubber and fully independent coil spring suspension (double wishbone in back) retuned in 2025 for a nicer ride, the Forester Wilderness’ all-wheel-drive system now has a faster center differential lockup and reduced wheelspin when off-roading, and incorporates steering angle data for better stability at turn-in and cornering on higher-speed roads, Subaru says. It also has Dual-Function X-MODE – Snow/Dirt for slippery surfaces like gravel or snow, or Deep Snow/Mud for that stuff, allowing more wheelspin to maintain momentum. Subaru also installs underside skid plates for when you cruise off-road.

So we went off road, tackling a grassy lakefront shoreline, where we found the suspension nicely handled bumps and divots with no harsh rebound or head tossing. Set in X-Mode Snow/Dirt – you can only do that up to about 20 mph – traction was solid in slippery areas, and if there had been any branches or ant hills, the skid plates would have helped. It also remained sure-footed in dirt and gravel, and we liked the 180-degree view nose-mounted camera to see where we were headed.

On the highway, speed bumps were handled quickly, suspension just taut enough in response to bumps and again, no rebound afterward. The overall ride was quiet and composed, the steering direct in Intelligent, a bit tighter with more feel in Sport. When we tackled some corners it was nimble enough for a slightly tall wagon. It was neutral in an arcing turn with a decent turning radius too.

There’s a bit of understeer when we pushed it harder in our skid pad, but controllable. Our 12.4-inch front/11.8-inch rear disc brakes had a solid pedal feel and decent bite. The auto-engine off does refire the Boxer four with a slight wiggle, but it doesn’t transmit into a drivetrain lurch at a stop.

The new Forester Wilderness looks like it can get into the weeds, and can to a point. But it also does very well as a daily commuter, agile and quick enough to make the drive on- and off-road fine.

The sixth-generation Forester starts at $29,995. Our Wilderness model based at $38,385 with the $2,200 digital gauge display/11.6-inch center display, harmon-kardon audio and power tailgate options. Final price: $42,035.

Bottom line: The Subaru Forester Wilderness is a right size for handling a family, commuting and some gentle off-roading. It’s also got great grip on and off-road, and fairly nimble when it needs to be. I’d love to try it in the snow.

2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness Specifications

Vehicle type – 5-passenger 4-door compact all-wheel-drive SUV

Base price – $38,385 (As tested – 42,035)

Engine type –DOHC, 16-valve Boxer four

Displacement – 2.5 liters

Horsepower (net) – 180 @ 5,800 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 178 @ 3,700 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed CVT

Wheelbase – 104.9 inches

Overall length – 182.9 inches

Overall width – 81.2 inches w/mirrors

Height – 69.3 inches

Front headroom – 40 inches

Front legroom – 43.3 inches

Rear headroom – 37.7 inches

Rear legroom – 39.4 inches

Cargo capacity – 27.5 cu. ft./69.1 w/rear seat down

Curb weight – 3,675 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 16.6 gallons

Mileage rating – 24-mpg city/28-mpg highway

The post 2026 Subaru Forester Ups Its Game With Wilderness Trim appeared first on EV Rider.

Way back in the 1930s, the 126-year-old company behind our latest test vehicle proclaimed that “When Better Automobiles are Built, Buick Will Build Them.”

And in 1959, the Flint, Michigan-based GM subsidiary said “You’re Better Off with a Buick!”

So I guess I’m doing pretty good when I have my second2026 Buick Enclave Avenir to test in the same season – except it seems to have a better fuel mileage rating.

Let’s see if I’m better off.

Buick Becomes The SUV-Only Division

The Enclave is an SUV – one of four – from a company that used to be known for some pretty interesting sedans, coupes and convertibles, but makes none of those any more. Under the Enclave’s skin lives the same front-wheel-drive platform that makes up the gas Chevrolet Equinox, Traverse, and GMC Acadia. It’s sleek compared to the first-gen version from 17 years ago, with a nice profile for a 3-row crossover with the flagship trim.

We pointed our Buick’s smoked chrome honeycombed grille, slit LED DRLs and stacked headlights toward the historic waterfront town of Fernandina Beach for some cruising. That’s when I noticed its pointed prow over that tall grille, and the chrome accenting its lower intake and framing the honeycomb; gave it some of the sleekness seen in Buick’s compact Evista CUV.

Our Ocean Blue Metallic crossover lives on a relatively long 120.9-inch wheelbase. The 18-spoke silver alloy wheels are shod in 22-inch Continental CrossContact rubber connected by chrome sill spears. The flanks get a gentle tuck for some definition, aided by flattened flares in each fender.

The roofline’s got a gentle dip as it heads aft, with chrome side window trim that rises over gentle rear fender shoulders. In back, LED taillights with clear lenses thin to a lit red line under a high rear window, with rectangular steel exhaust tips framed by the rear bumper,. It’s a handsome design, but does not stand out in the crowd.

2026 Buick Enclave Avenir Has Lush Interior

Ah, but everyone who looked or sat inside its nautically-inspired blue-over-dove gray interior with bronze accents and glowing ambient lighting liked it. Almost every visible surface, from the stitched blue leatherette atop the dash, to the sculpted alloy accent edging more dove gray with dotted decorations, felt and looked plush. There are ash gray wood door accents and perforated alloy Bose speaker grilles that add a British feel here too.

I tested a 7,000-mile-old version of this Buick in January with the same lush interior color scheme. The leather seats, dashboard surfaces and doors showed no smudging after so many miles. But the white carpet mats and flooring underfoot showed some dirt – and so did our sub-400-mile-old test vehicle last week. So maybe this is not the color scheme if you have lots of kids, dogs, or wet/snowy weather to drive in.

The comfy leather-clad steering wheel has tiny plastic paddle shifters in back that are only usable when you select low range, and look a bit cheap – radio controls are integrated with them, a big – and handy volume knob on the center console. The buckets are comfortable if a bit flat, with heat, cooling and very gentle massage. You tap a screen icon to get heat or cooling, and fiddle with the seats’ power-adjust buttons to get the massage active and adjusted – a main screen display showcases that. We also had dual memory preset for the driver.

The sweeping 30-inch gauge/infotainment display atop the dashboard’s centerpiece continues to impress. Multi-configurable, it’s concise. I like the digital speedometer with sweep-hand needle over a bar graph 7,000-rpm tachometer and gas gauge, plus 2-wheel/4-wheel-drive indicator. Day, date, time and temperature are to the left, your media choice to the right, with cellphone status nearby. You can pop up a navigation map with digital mph for simplicity; simpler still is just speed and basic driver info, all doable from steering wheel buttons.

Head to starboard (right) a bit and you’ve got time and temp, then tap icons for functions like navigation, audio, phone and main menus. The navigation screen quickly showed traffic jams, or a (slightly small) backup camera with 360-degree view overhead. I liked that. There’s wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto. HD Radio has to be enabled via a screen menu. The 16-speaker Bose audio system was solid as well.

Praise be, there’s real fan and temperature controls above big center vents, with vent position, seat heat/cool and others relegated to touchscreen icons nearby. Headlight controls are activated on that display after tapping the light icon on the screen – tapping another menu icon next to it allows changes in vehicle operation, including traction control. I wish instead it had distinct, direct-action buttons. That said, drive mode and front- to all-wheel-drive changes get a button to the left of the steering wheel. Visually the change is confirmed on the center-screen.

Another fave remains the floating gloss black center console. Yes, it attracts fingerprints, but a big volume knob is next to an inductive phone charge slot and a small rubber padded storage nook and cup holders. There is huge rubberized storage space underneath, and a 12-volt port. More space is under the center armrest, plus there are dual USB ports nearby.

Twin captain’s chairs recline and slide in the second row, with center armrests and solid adult head and leg room. Overhead vents keep them cool or warm, with more USB ports. There’s enough room between the white leather seats, with the same blue piping as in front, to slide into a usable 3-person bench seat in back. There’s just enough head and leg room for adults if the second row slides a touch forward.

And what’s a family SUV without rear cargo space? The rear power hatch rises high, and folding the 60/40 rear seatbacks expands stowage, plus some storage under the floor. Remote buttons on the aft bulkhead let you drop third- and second-row seatbacks, while second rows slide when folded down via seatback buttons. 

It’s a richly appointed interior, if a bit bright, and prone to showing dirt.

2026 Buick Enclave Avenir 0-60 MPH: 7.5 Seconds

Buick’s used to mean a powerful V-6 or V-8 under the bonnet – think 401-cu. in. Nailhead with 325-hp, or the 1987 GNX’s 300-hp turbocharged V-6. Well, the Enclave has a respectable 328 hp and 326 lb.-ft. of torque – from a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. But it sounds a bit coarse when pushed, although it is quick to respond when asked.

There are many driving modes: Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice, Off-Road and Tow/Haul. There’s also switchable front-/all-wheel-drive.

Auto-engine off works unobtrusively, refiring without a lurch as you tap the gas pedal to move out. It can tow up to 5,000 lbs.

The last Avenir we tested was comfortably used, with 7,200 miles on it. This, our second go-round tester, had less than 800 miles, just getting comfy in its own skin.

We did our usual tests. Set in front-wheel-drive and Normal mode, the Buick launched strong, turbo boost coming in smoothly to hit 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. That’s a tenth-of-a-second more than the one we tested in early 2026. Same as before, no wheelspin on launch, but the exhaust note was a bit hard-working 4-cylinder.

In Sport mode and all-wheel-drive, our test Buick hit 60 mph in 7.9 seconds with smooth upshifts and seemingly a slightly sportier exhaust note. That’s compared to 7.2 seconds in Sport/all-wheel-drive in the early, higher-mileage version.

Fuel mileage on regular was better than the last one, seeing an average 28 mpg vs. 24 mpg on the earlier model. And while that earlier tester had an EPA average of 19-mpg city/24-mpg highway, this one was listed as 20-mpg city/24-mpg highway – a magic extra mile meaning better testing?

Enclave Avenir’s four-wheel independent suspension delivers a very comfortable ride. It’s quiet and composed with a bit of float after some bumps. On a concrete bridge with some slight sag to each segment, the Avenir had a tightly-controlled bounce on each, but quickly settled. In other words, it gave what I would expect a well-suspended Buick CUV to give in many miles of highway and 2-lane country road driving.

On curves, set in front-wheel-drive, this Buick neutrally tackled sweeping turns and expressway ramps under power with a bit of body roll and no understeer when pushed harder through a corner. Tighter turns in all-wheel-drive saw it corner with just a hint of understeer and a hint of traction control, but no drama. Even when pushed in our skidpad, it was easy to handle as traction  control nudged in more.

Steering is direct if a bit over-boosted in Tour mode, but firms up noticeably in Sport mode, a bit artificial in feel. We applaud a 3-row CUV with a tight turning circle. The Avenir’s 17-inch front/rear disc brakes’ pedal had a decent bite on initial tap, then gave solid control, and minimal nose dive on hard stops. We had a touch of fade after a few hard hits from 65 mph.

As with many higher-end GM vehicles, we had Super Cruise, a hands-free autonomous driving system with auto-lane changing if something slower is sensed ahead – and that greenlight bar when it’s on. During our brief stints on interstate and state highways that were in its map/cloud database, the system maintained lane control with only occasional wiggling, usually over bad pavement. It was a lifesaver during a half-hour slowdown due to a crash ahead, holding speeds as low as 10 mph, stopping when needed, then resuming. Just keep your eyes on the road. The sensors read wandering pupils and it shuts the system off.

The auto-lane changes were done safely and smoothly, or the move could be triggered with a steering wheel touch. Super Cruise shut off once after we hit a pothole on an interstate. On some stretches of federal and state highway, it would shut off sometimes for no obvious reason. It would flash the steering wheel light bar red and buzzing seat buzzers when it did. Once it did shut off on a state highway bridge in a curve, and we had to steer.

The Lansing, Mich.-built Enclave Avenir’s base version starts at $48,395 with front-wheel-drive; Our Avenir starts at $59,600 with lots standard except: the $3,015 Super Cruise package with auto-parking assist, $2,000 all-wheel-drive and $825 Illumination package – add destination and total price is $67,335.

Bottom line: The Enclave Avenir is handsome, quick enough, comfortably roomy and very well-equipped. A more refined powerplant presence and a slightly sportier ride would be nice.

2026 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD Specifications

Vehicle type – mid-size luxury all-wheel-drive 5-passenger crossover

Base price – $59,600 ($67,335as tested)

Engine type – turbocharged 16-valve DOHC in-line four

Displacement – 2.5 liter

Horsepower (net) – 328 @ 5,500 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 326 @ 3,500 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic

Wheelbase – 120.9 inches

Overall length – 207.6 inches

Overall width – 79.6 inches

Height – 71 inches

Front headroom – 42.6 inches

Front legroom – 44.3 inches

Center headroom – 39.9 inches

Center legroom – 41.4 inches

Rear headroom – 38.2 inches

Rear legroom – 32.1 inches

Cargo capacity – 22.9 cu.ft./57.1 w/rear seats folded/97.5 w/2nd & 3rd row folded

Curb weight – 4,537 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 18.4 gallons

Mileage rating – 20-mpg city/24-mpg highway

The post 2026 Buick Enclave Avenir Moved By Turbo 4 appeared first on EV Rider.

I have been mourning the loss of the station wagon from many major carmaker lineups for years, replaced by cookie-cutter crossovers that look alike.

Sure, there’s a few still left. Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Volvo make some snazzy wagons. Heck, even Ferrari had a shooting brake – that’s station wagon in our lingo – in the 2016 GTC4Lusso.

But all of those cost $50,000 or more for the luxury of hauling four adults and a tall dog – until now.

Hot on the heels of the 2026 Dodge Charger – yes, it’s a full-size 6-cylinder fastback sedan with a hatchback – comes a very sexy shooting brake from Kia. And mine had Star Wars lightspeed animation on startup, then Darth Vader and his red lightsaber as part of the main display’s themed graphics.

Yes, the Force is with this golden rocket.

Kia’s Global Design Center Jazzes Things Up With K4 Hatchback

A year ago, Kia’s Global Design Center really spiced things up when it replaced its midsize Forte with the angular K4. Now comes what the South Korean company calls its K4 Hatchback – “the athletic counterpart to the K4 sedan, featuring a distinctive floating roof design and versatile cargo space.” 

Our long, sleek press car retains the 2025 K4’s redesign of the company’s trademark “Tiger Grille,” with its slim center section that flows outward, with inverted amber “Ls” framing vertically with LED projector headlights and smaller staggered double stacked elements at each end. The lower grille gets very aggressive with an air dam and gloss black side inlets. The glossy black air dam continues aft to frame the slightly flare wheel arches as well as the doors’ lower sill. Its visually long 107.1-inch wheelbase is capped with 10-spoke black alloy wheels shod in 18-inch Kumho Majesty rubber.

The hatchback’s design differs from the B-pillar aft, with a shapely long roof (with dark glass moonroof up front) whose horizontality tapers just a tad down to a more upright rear window under a shade/spoiler. The flared D-pillar gets mid-level black slashes for a semi-floating roof look over squared-shoulder rear fenders. The short tail gets a squared-off edge under the window, while angular rear light clusters have slim LED elements that echo the headlight design and help with a nice broad-shouldered look. The wide rubber underneath gives it a squat, sporty look. A bold lower black fascia gets aero finlets and a dual exhaust in one corner.

I like the fastback shape of the sedan, but I love the leaner, more aggressive look of this hatchback, which says continental tourer more than plain Jane station wagon. And I love the back door handles hidden in the black C-pillars. I wasn’t the only one. I took it to a Euro-centric cruise-in near me. It garnered some interest as the only golden (officially Sparkling Yellow) station wagon GT among a row of import hatchbacks, and a cool red Kei pickup truck. Some construction workers circled it, smiling as they looked it over.

Slide into the K4 Hatchback, and the black over off-white pleather bucket seats are low-slug like a sports sedan, comfortable and decently supportive.

There’s the sweeping digital infotainment display, 28 inches wide and about 5 inches tall. It’s inset into the padded gray dashtop. There’s a neat color-variable accent light strip splitting top and bottom on either side. The squircle (squared-circle) steering wheel gets simple function buttons in front, plus scrolling audio volume, a Sport/Normal drive mode button on the bottom spoke and small paddle shifters behind.

Dead ahead through the thick leather-clad wheel is a simple digital speedometer and tachometer display framing a center screen that can show trip info, navigation and more, with basic temp and gas level/distance-to-empty always there. A now-Kia standard – the tach or speedometer switch to that side’s blind-spot camera when the turn signal is flipped, while one center screen display shows icons of cars behind, in your blind spot and ahead..

That said, the steering wheel’s right rim pretty much eclipsed the central climate control screen and its touchscreen buttons for defrost, vent position and recirculate. There’s real buttons along the display’s base for Home screen, navigation, audio and the like, framing a thumbwheel for audio volume. And glory be – real buttons below center air vents for dual-mode fan, temperature and vent position.

The widescreen navigation map can be “Home Screen”-ed into segments you can swipe left or right for map, audio, phone. And the Force is with you – each of those menu items gets a Star Wars character as its icon – Darth Vader for Phone Projection, Gen. Grievous for Entertainment, or a lightning-firing Emperor for Voice Memo – go figure.

And as part of the overhead surround-view camera system, Kia gives us a simulated K4 Hatchback with live camera views all-round, which you can circle the view.

The 2-tone front seats get heat and cooling, plus dual memory presets and a bit of power lumbar for the driver. They are comfy and fairly supportive, a softly-embossed “GT-Line” in the upper seatbacks.

Again, like the sedan, the wide center console’s has size-adjustable cup holders, a wireless inductive phone charger slot in a padded below-dash nook, and USB ports. Digital Key 2.0 allows use of compatible Apple and Android smart devices as virtual vehicle keys. And the center armrest hides decent storage room.

The shooting brake’s sloping roofline means I had to duck a bit to get into a roomy rear bench seat with good head and leg room behind the hard-shelled front seatbacks. There’s vents and more USB ports. Then comes the added benefit of wagoning versus sedan-ing – 22.2-cu.-ft. of squared-off space (expands to 59.3-cu-ft.) behind the split and fold rear seatbacks inside a hatchback that opens high enough to clear my head, versus the sedan’s 14.6-cu. ft. trunk. A space-saving spare takes up most of the under-floor space, and the rear seats trio of head restraints does slim down rearward vision.

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Overall, this is a quiet, roomy space for four adults and more stuff – actually a tad more headroom than the sedan. There’s just a hint of tire noise at speed. And along with HD Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there’s decent Harmon Kardon sound, although it took a while to boot up audio.

Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo Offers Good Gas Mileage

Under the bonnet of our GT-Line Turbo is a turbocharged aluminum 1.6-liter four. No serous GT here – it’s got 190-hp at 6,000 rpm, and 195 lb-ft or torque at 1,700-4,500 rpm. Its front-wheel-drive, with an 8-speed automatic transmission and small, but usable alloy paddle shifters. There’s a Normal and Sport drive mode, the latter juicing throttle response and tightening steering feel.

That said, the 3,338-lb. Hatchback K4 is just 73 pounds heavier than the sedan version I last tested, so was there any difference?

In Normal drive mode, we had a moderate launch before the turbo kicked in, a hint of wheelspin in the first-second shift en route to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. In Sport mode, a bit quicker launch, a nice exhaust snarl, and 60 mph in 6.7 – quicker upshifts and a bit more urge in passing. The paddle shifters gave us quick downshifts as we entered corners, but I didn’t use them much. Fuel mileage on our 2,200-mile-old hatchback was almost 30 mpg.

For comparison, the 3,265-lb. K4 Sedan we tested a year ago with the same drivetrain hit 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, while Sport mode saw a slight touch of torque steer and sharper shifts en route to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. It delivered about 26 mpg. And a 2024 201-hp Kia Forte I tested for a since-retired website, with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four, hit 60 mph in about 6.8 seconds.

Our golden wagon has MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, hydraulic twin tube shock absorbers all-round. The ride was just taut enough, absorbing bumps with minimal bounce after a speed bump. Handling was solid, a neutral and flat feel on expressway ramps under power. We had a tight steering feel in Sport mode that mixed well with near-neutral cornering in most corners. Push harder, and front wheel drive shows with some understeer, more evident in our skidpad, but easy to handle with throttle.

The power steering had a direct feel in Sport, tightening up nicely in a curve with some solid feedback, versus a bit artificially over-boosted feel in Normal Mode. With 2.4-turns lock-to-lock, we found a tight turning radius for U-turns. And with 11.3-inch ventilated front/10.3-inch solid rear disc brakes, there was a nice bite after depression, then straight stops and some nose dive on hard stops – no noticeable fade.

The K4 had safety gear like smart cruise and those great blind-spot cameras that display on the left or right side depending on what you signal for. Lane-keep assist works smoothly, if a bit firmly to keep you in lane.

The base Kia K4 EX Hatchback starts at $24,990. Our GT-Line Turbo starts at $28,790 with almost all we had standard except a $2,300 tech option with safety systems, ambient lighting, surround-view cameras, smartphone digital key, memory driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel; $395 golden paint; and $190 carpeted floor mats for a final price of $32,670.

Bottom line: Even more stylish and almost exotic in looks; roomy and comfy; and decent performance. A Kia K4 hatchback is the one I’d get to haul a dog, ladder and friends.

2025 Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-door, front-wheel-drive compact station wagon

Base price – $28,790 ($32,670 as tested)

Engine type – Turbocharged aluminum DOHC, C-VVT in-line four-cylinder

Displacement – 1.6-liter

Horsepower (net) – 190 @ 6,000 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 195 @ 1,700- 4,500 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic with manual and paddle shifting

Wheelbase – 107.1 inches

Overall length – 174.4 inches

Overall width- 72.8 inches

Height – 56.3 inches

Front headroom – 39 inches

Front legroom – 42.3 inches

Rear headroom – 38.3 inches

Rear legroom – 38 inches

Cargo capacity – 22.2/59.3 cu.ft.

Curb weight – – 3,338 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 12.4 gallons

Mileage rating – 26 mpg city/36 mpg highway

The post 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo Is Affordable Fun appeared first on EV Rider.

Every major pickup truck maker offers three basic versions of its rigs – basic fleet, luxury family hauler, and rugged off-roader.

Some even succeed in combining luxury and off-road prowess.

Here’s one of them, which combines some serious comfy kit with serious off-road items from none other than American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), which describes itself as “the leading store for high-quality off-road vehicle parts” and also does a pretty rugged-looking Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison model, which I have also tested.

So let’s drive.

2026 Sierra 1500 AT4X: American Expedition Vehicles Upgrades

The Sierra was born in 1999 as a more macho variation of Chevrolet’s light-duty pickup truck, built on GM’s GMT800 platform with some simple nose and taillight redesigns. Now into its fourth generation, introduced in 2019, the truck got a substantial GMC-specific redesign outside in 2022, resulting in a more square-jawed face. And now we get the AEV upgrades as a separate version of its Sierra 1500 AT4X model, which already gets some off-road kit.

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Big Red’s stacked vertical face looks ready to shred some mud, with a tall black barred grille under a decorative faux hood scoop, side intakes over a body-color and black bumper with tow hooks and inset fog lights.

There’s a prominent AEV-upgrade boron steel skid plate, one of five under this truck. C-shaped LED DRLs frame projector headlights. 

Those are AEV stamped steel front and rear bumpers with front winch capability are shaped to improve approach and departure angles off road. There’s AEV badging on bumpers. Off-road rocker panel protectors help shield the sills and frame rails, while we did not have the optional bolt-on step assist, handy when not off-roading.

Black cladding frames AEV racing-inspired Salta wheels with 12-spoke design and recessed valve stems wearing 33-inch off-road Goodyear Wrangler rubber. It includes offroad-capable Multimatic DSSV spool valve dampers easily visible through lots of fender-to-tread clearance – a 2-inch factory lift. There are no running boards here, so its its 11.5-inch center ground clearance is preserved.

In back, GM’s trick Multipro tailgate, done in contrasting black, has an integrated step.

The whole rig is almost 232-inches long and stands 6-foot, 5-inches tall at the crew cab roof.

2026 Sierra 1500 AT4X Interior: Worth The Climb

With no running board, you grab the leather-wrapped grab handles, or the steering wheels, and pull yourself up into black leather seats with white piping, plus AEV buffalo-embroidered head restraints over AT4X accents, with deep rubber all-weather floor liners.

You sit very tall in these massage, heated/cooled seats, with memory presets for the driver. The stitched leatherette-topped dashboard design, with thick red stitching on door armrests and steering wheel, is refreshingly different than its sister Chevrolet Silverado. Some of the leather in here has a woodgrain effect – cool – and seats front and rear get that piping. That said, there’s basic black plastic in the lower door and dash trim, with some basic GM switches and buttons here and there.

The paddle shifters behind the wheel are small, and only work if you slap the center console electronic shifter into Manual mode. They are joined by intuitive audio controls. I appreciated the steering wheel heat button up front on some frosty Florida mornings.

The 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is clear and concise, with a basic 140-mph speedometer and 6,000 rpm tach, or other designs that include simple digital speed, or a simpler speedo and tach. All come with choices in information, including off-road angle and drive status in the middle, or customizable insets like a compass. There’s a big head-up display as well.

The dash center is a wide 13.4-inch touchscreen with navigation, audio, seat heat/cool and other menus including HD Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has a real volume knob, while voice command handles navigation, audio, phone and more. Underneath there’s a big engine start/stop button, dual-zone climate control with big temperature knobs, and nine buttons to handle differential lock, power tailgate, hill descent control and more.

The wide center console gets a cellphone recharger slot, plus lots of storage space, usable cupholders, trailer brake bias control and a deep center armrest storage area with more USB ports. The rearview mirror can be switched to a widescreen rear camera view, while the center display can access a gander at the cargo bed, trailer hitch or front/side/top-down and more views.

Seat massage settings are adjustable via a knob on the bottom cushion, displayed on the center screen, although you can not actually adjust them from the screen. Controls for headlights, driving modes and 2- and 4-wheel-drive settings are down low on the left of the steering wheel, which are not easy to see. 

Again, it’s a climb into the rear bench seat, but there’s lots of head and leg room, a drop-down center armrest, a/c vents, outboard seat heaters, and more USB ports. Under the split flip-up seat bottoms are storage areas, plus more inside the seatbacks, along with a power rear window.

That 6-foot-long bed has lots of room (2,286-lb. cargo capacity) and tie-downs, while its Multi-Pro, meaning the upper segment that drops independently has a step for easier loading of small stuff, or using a built-in waterproof Bluetooth speaker system underneath for tailgating. 

This is an imposing rig, but there’s a high level of tech as well as luxury for passengers.

2026 Sierra 1500 AT4X: Ready For Off-Road Adventures

OK, no matter how much off-road gear is woven into this Sierra’s DNA, some folks just may not do worse than a sandy parking lot. For those who do really take it off-road, it includes front and rear e-locking differentials, all that ground clearance, 35-inch mud-terrain tires, 2-inch suspension lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers, specific front upper and lower control arms and steering knuckles, larger steel transfer case and other skid plates.

That lifted suspension and knobby rubber could have harshened the ride on and off road, but this rig was quite refined on the highway – and darn nice over some lumpy, hillock-filled fields and weedy, potholed old Navy base back lots. Traction in 4-wheel-drive high and off-road drive mode was solid, with no slip over grass. The ground clearance and clipped AEV bumpers gave a great approach angle, allowing an easy traverse of grassy old Navy drainage ditches. In 4-wheel-drive low, dirt and grass fields presented no challenge, while a mid-field swale was shrugged off too – down, through and up with no harsh suspension rebound and great ground clearance. We saw some steep angles going up and along some shallow hills, and the Sierra stayed planted.

But what about daily commuting?

There’s an available 3-liter Duramax diesel with 305-hp, 495 lb-ft torque and tow 8,800-lbs. We had the 6.2-liter with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm, running through a 10-speed automatic transmission, and rear-wheel-/all-wheel-/4-wheel-drive high or low with Normal, Sport, Off-Road and Terrain drive modes – they adjust transmission shift points, throttle and StabiliTrak.

Driven mostly in Normal mode and rear-wheel-drive on the highway with cruise control, we barely scratched 15 mpg, and saw as low as 11 mpg after some dirt-dogging, even with auto-shut off at stops, which was fairly transparent on restart from a stoplight.

The V-8 gave quick throttle response and precise upshifts in Normal mode en route to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds/5.8 in Normal/all-wheel-drive Auto. It gave a nice exhaust note thanks to its active system, and minimal road noise, mostly from the tires.

Set in Sport mode/rear-wheel-drive, we got some wheelspin en route to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, while 4-wheel-drive Auto saw great traction off line en route to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. This rig can tow up to 9,000-lbs. – better exhaust rumble in Sport. The truck was entertaining to drive, with great passing power – slap the gearshift aft for Manual mode, and the tiny paddle shifters worked well.

To compare, a test I did back in a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Crew Cab 4×4 saw 60 mph in 5.7 seconds in 2-wheel-drive in Normal mode, while switching to Sport and all-wheel-drive auto made for a quick launch to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds with rapid shifts in the power band – it averaged about 16 mpg, with only some tire and light wind noise at highway speed.

Under the skin lives independent coil-over-shocks up front, and a solid axle with semi-elliptic/variable-rate/two-stage multi-leaf springs in back. Both get two-speed transfer cases for four-wheel-drive with high and low range and locking differentials. The result is a firm ride, but with decent buffering over sharper bumps – nothing rattling. Unladened, it swallowed speedbumps with no tail hop.

It was fairly agile for a 5,890-lb. truck, tackling turns well with some body roll, power shifting front and rear in 4-wheel-drive auto to help it get through. Go to rear-wheel-drive only and I could power squeak the rear rubber coming out of a corner, but it’s easy to handle – for a truck. The suspension didn’t get upset by a bump mid-turn. The disc brakes had a nice bite high on the pedal, responsive and controllable with no fade after repeated hard use, hauling its weight down from 60 mph. Pedal engagement was high up, with progressive bite and no drama. And again, steering was precise and well-weighted in Sport mode, with a decent turning radius.

For safety, the Sierra includes front and rear park assist, lane-change alert with blind zone and rear cross traffic warnings via seat buzzers. There’s lane-keep assist that gently nudged steering to stay between the lines, auto-high beams and adaptive cruise control with full start/stop/resume.

A base rear-wheel-drive GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab starts at $40,495. Our 1500 AT4X AEV started at $79,400. The AT4X AEV Edition option is $6,910, with skid plates, bumpers, wheels and all the other AEV stuff; the 6.2-liter V-8 is $1,500; Volcanic Red Tintcoat was $645; and active exhaust $395, for a total MSRP of $89,945.

Bottom line: Great power, ride and good handling for a serious off-roader, eager to get dirty and stay outta trouble, with decent tech and plush interior too.

2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab AT4X AEV

Vehicle type – full-size 5-passenger crew cab all-wheel-drive pickup

Base price – $79,400 ($89,945 as tested)

Engine type –OHV 16-valve alloy V-8

Displacement – 6.2 liter

Horsepower (net) – 420 @ 5,600 rpm

Torque – 460 @ 4,100 rpm

Transmission – 10-speed automatic transmission

Wheelbase – 158.9 inches

Overall length – 252 inches

Overall width – 81.9 inches w/mirrors

Height – 82.7 inches

Front headroom – 43 inches

Front leg room – 44.5 inches

Rear headroom – 40.1 inches

Rear legroom – 43.4 inches

Cargo bed – 6-foot/71.7 cu. ft. volume

Payload/towing – up to 1,050 pounds/8,900 pounds

Weight – 5,890 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 24 gallons

Fuel mileage – 14 mpg city/16 mpg highway

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For the past 37 years, Subaru’s Outback was based on its Legacy station wagon and sedan, with a raised ride height, all-wheel-drive and some chunky cladding to macho it up.

But for 2026, that Subaru’s legacy now turns from wanna-be SUV, to SUV-lite. The rounded wagon becomes a boxy SUV-like shape that still packs a BOXER (flat) four engine, all-wheel-drive, and even bolder cladding.

And yes, with the same 8.7 inches of ground clearance and X-MODE, we could (and did) play off-road.

At its birth, the Legacy-based Outback was just a station wagon/sedan with some macho cladding. But as its generations grew, so did its off-road mods, like more serious rubber, added ground clearance and a more defined look – plus “Save the Whales” and “Save The Trees” bumper stickers, a paddleboard on its roof rack, or even a Jet Ski on a trailer.

For 2026, Subaru Outback Premium Bulks Up Exterior Design

For this seventh-gen, Subaru ditched the car body, but didn’t change the basics. The 108.1-inch wheelbase remains, while the overall length grows almost a half inch to 191.7 inches and it’s an inch taller. The SUV-like redesign was also done as sales for 2025’s Legacy-based Outback dropped just over 6% from the previous year.

The aluminum clamshell hood is just over waist high, fronted by a tall vertical gray grill under gloss black over a slim black lower intake and chunky brush guard, flanked by LED fog lights in boxy bumper corners. Slim LED DRLs accents the hood line’s upper corners, with headlights underneath.

More black body cladding with vents and notches frames P225/60R18 all-season Dunlop Grand Trek tires on gray geometric spoked alloys. The doors in between gain notched lower sills. Burly (and functional) roof rack bars add height to the tall wagon, while the back bumper is chunky under an LED lightbar and taillights. The back window gets a big black shade with sculpted, swept-back D-pillars.

It’s a more purposeful Outback, appearing bigger than it is, and certainly looking more capable to play off-road.

2026 Subaru Outback Premium’s New Interior Gets Smooth Makeover

The new Outback’s interior is dominated by a 12.1-inch center screen, and a 12.3-inch gauge display, the design gaining a nice padded tweed-like cloth on the doors and dashboard, all other surfaces done in padded dark gray with touches of dark plastic wood inserts. But despite the digital revolution, the redesign does not eliminate all the needed buttons.

Changing to an SUV-like shape also benefits those getting into the new Outback, since the seats are just about high enough to slide right into. Underfoot, black rubber mats for those days when snow or mud greets the driver, with neatly done carpeted mats just in case you want something different underfoot.

Those gray and black seats, done in supple StarTex pseudo-leather, were comfortable and mostly supportive. The driver gets a heated seat (turn it off, or it stays on after you restart the car) and warmed steering wheel. The driver also gets power adjustments, while the passenger goes manual.

Subaru keeps some necessary manual controls as it moves into touchscreen systems, volume as well as dual-zone heat knobs. There’s an inductive phone charging pad under it, but it’s so wide my phone just slid. It also has two USB ports.

The center console includes cup holders, electronic parking brake and decent storage under the padded center armrest. The base audio system sounded good, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and HD Radio. There’s also voice command, triggered by saying “Hey Subaru,” for many features. It’s nice to see this feature moving beyond luxury cars. That said, the voice command and some screen features take a few seconds to boot up when you start the Outback.

The rear doors open almost 90 degrees to access a bench seat with decent adult head and leg room. There are rear vents and USB ports. The power aluminum rear hatch opens high to access a big cargo area with a textured rubber mat with lips to prevent mud or snow drip spillage. It’s expandable via split rear seatbacks. There’s also a bit of storage under the floor.

2026 Subaru Outback Premium Keeps BOXER Heritage

The Outback sticks with a naturally- aspirated 2.5-liter BOXER (flat) four with 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm, power funneled through a Lineartronic CVT with 8-speed manual mode function and paddle shifters to all-wheel-drive. There’s no drive modes, just an X-MODE mud and snow option.

The continuously-variable transmission’s belt and pulley do a decent job of simulating up- and downshifts as it strives to get some fuel economy in our 3,741-lb. Outback. Initial response at throttle tip-in was quick as the engine revved up to 6,000 rpm, briefly holding until it settled down to about 5,100 rpm as the CVT shifted ratios enroute to hit 60 mph in an OK 7.9 seconds.

CVT “downshifts” were quick enough when passing power was needed, the opposed 4-cylinder engine giving a bit of classic VW Bug exhaust note. Slap the gearshift left for manual operation, or “shift” vi small paddles on the wheel. The auto-engine off system cleanly stills the motor at stoplights to save gas, but was a bit slow re-firing as I went from brake to gas. Fuel mileage was about 25 mpg.

To compare, a 2,000-mile-old 2020 Subaru Outback XT I tested back then – the one based on the Legacy but with a turbocharged 182-hp engine – got to 60 mph in a quicker 6 seconds. And it got about 21 mpg.

The Outback gets 8.7 inches of ground clearance on top of independent suspension front and rear. The result was a comfortable ride that soaked up every bump quickly. There was occasional bounciness off sharper edges that damped quickly for a very quiet ride.

The Outback handled off-ramps with no understeer, all-wheel-drive sending traction where needed. There was only a bit of body roll due to the ground clearance. Push harder in tight right-handers and again, the Outback hangs on with no drama. Pushed on our tight skidpad, gentle understeer was controllable and easy to deal with. Active torque vectoring taps the inside front brake to push more power to the outside front wheel and reduce wheelspin.

Steering was accurate, with a bit too much power assist for my taste. The brake pedal had a bit of travel before biting. There was lots of ABS at lockup, but it stopped well with a bit of nose dive. There was a hint of fade only after serious repeated hard use. Being a tad taller meant a bit of sideways wiggle during some winter storm crosswinds.

2026 Subaru Outback Premium Exudes Off-Road Vibe

We did get a chance to use X-MODE, which optimizes the engine, CVT and all-wheel-drive for low-traction snow, mud, dirt or steep inclines, generally working at speeds under 12–20 mph. With a well-controlled and comfortable suspension, we easily tackled soft dirt and a recently crushed asphalt parking lot chunks as well as a rutted grassy field. The suspension easily rebuffed every bump quickly, and it crawled easily over every soft or rugged patch with no traction loss

The Outback has EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. It monitors where the driver’s eyes are, nagging you with a message on the gauge display if your peepers stray too long on the radio or a passing Ferrari. The system has automatic emergency braking when driving forward or in reverse, and adaptive cruise control with gentle-but firm lane centering and haptic steering wheel feedback. It’s very sensitive – stray an inch out of lane and it warns you, almost autonomous in its lane keeping – along with messages to pull over for a rest if you don’t stay straight and true.

The center safety display shows cars ahead, and alerts you to those in the left and right rear blind spots. A series of three LEDs in a head-up display alert you to a vehicle ahead, or if you stray out of lane. It’s a bit like a safety nanny, beeping at many infractions, but you can selectively back off some of it via the center display’s menus.

The base Subaru Outback starts at $34,995, with lots of what we had standard. Options included that nice $395 Deep Emerald Green Pearl paint, and a $2,270 option package that included the 12.1-inch center screen, power moonroof, heated steering wheel, wireless phone charger and rain-sensing windshield wiper for a final MSRP price of $39,110.

Bottom line: A station wagon – excuse me, small SUV-ish wagon that can commute, or hit some picnic trails out back with the family in style.

2026 Subaru Outback Premium Edition Specifications

Vehicle type – 4-door, 5-seat all-wheel-drive sports utility wagon

Base price – $34,995 ($39,110 as tested)

Engine type –aluminum 16-valve DOHC boxer 4-cylinder

Displacement – 2.5 liters

Horsepower (net) – 180 @ 5,800 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 178 @ 4,400 rpm

Transmission – CVT automatic with 8-speed manual mode and paddle shifters

Wheelbase – 108.1 inches

Height – 67.5 inches

Overall length – 191.7 inches

Overall width – 74 inches w/mirrors

Ground clearance – 8.7 inches

Front headroom – 40.5 inches

Front legroom – 43 inches

Rear headroom – 40.5 inches

Rear legroom – 39.5 inches

Cargo capacity – 34.6 cu. ft./80.5 w/seats folded

Towing capacity: up to 2,700 lbs.

Curb weight – 3,741 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 18.5 gallons

Mileage rating – 25 mpg city/31 mpg highway

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