There once was a Dodge concept car back in 1999, a propane-powered Charger R/T that used many styling cues from the iconic second-generation 1969 Charger, like its wasp-waisted Coke bottle styling, wide sharp-edged fenders and soaring rear pillar (see YouTube video)

It also had four doors, unlike the original, rear handles hidden in the C-pillars to retain that coupe-like look. I drove it, and loved the design – but it was never made. Instead, the Charger line that stopped in 1987 as a compact front-wheel-drive coupe did not come back until 2006, with a bigger 4-door sedan that became home for a revived HEMI V-8.

Then the HEMI Charger died, at least for now, with the “Last Call” edition in 2023; replaced with a new generation for 2024 that due to some delays didn’t actually reach customers until 2025.

Dodge created an entirely clean-sheet next-generation Charger that debuted with a slick Daytona EV, as tested here on EV Rider.

Then came the one featured in this road test – the Charger Sixpack with a 3-liter inline Hurricane six with twin turbos, in two flavors. So when Dodge delivers a Redeye (metallic red) all-wheel-drive Charger R/T with a 420-hp/468 lb-ft engine, you drop in on car shows to find lots of MOPAR royalty or reaction.

At one, a man rolls up in a 2022 Charger Hellcat, then says, “I don’t not like it,” as he checks it out intently. The owner of a 1967 (second-gen) Plymouth Barracuda I parked next to liked it too. So did an old friend who restores classic MOPARS, saying Dodge “did a good job and I like the shape,” showing surprise (many did) at the hatchback; and wondering what aftermarket performance goodies will come. And time and time again, “Is that the electric version?”

Nope.

2026 Charger Is One Of The Biggest Sedans Available

Now while the 2026 Charger R/T looks a tad smaller than its HEMI predecessor, it is not. Our 4-door hatchback is 206.6 inches long atop a 121-inch wheelbase; 84.3 inches wide and 59.2 inches tall. That’s actually longer/larger than the musclebound 2023 models I tested, which were 198.4-inches long atop a 120.2-inch wheelbase, 75 inches wide and 58.2 inches tall. 

Specs aside, this sleek and muscular hatchback sedan’s shape is clearly very retro, retaining some essence of the 2023 model, and hints of that stillborn 1999 concept that I drove. The slim grille has LED headlights connected by a thin DRL line. A center dimple mimics the third-gen (’71-’74) Charger grille’s chrome center bar, and has a backlit Fratzog – the name of a three-pointed split-triangle logo used on Dodge muscle cars in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The logo has no official meaning. One glows between the taillights as well.

Under our R/T’s slim grille is a slit intake and gaping lower maw over black air dam – menacing yet sleek. That maw and its intercooler are framed by real vents. The hood’s power bump has a vent with “SIXPACK” embossed on it – the Charger Daytona EV’s hood airfoil won’t fit with a gas engine underneath.

That said, our hoodline dips nice and low at the nose, while fenders get nostalgic edges over smooth flares that frame meaty 20-inch Goodyear Eagle rubber on 10-spoke gray alloy wheels, Brembo brake calipers visible inside in front.

Yes, it has four doors – a sleek 3-door is available – but designers did a nice job giving the door design echoes of the 1969 model – wide rear fender upper lines starting on front doors, then widening into edgy hips in the rear. And the almost fastback rear window/hatchback glass seamlessly flows from the smoked glass roof.

The hatch ends with a gloss black spoiler over slim LED taillights that really echo the 1969’s chopped tail. The bumpers get real vents at each corner, and a black lower fascia with reflectors and neatly integrated exhaust tips. Good news – that glass roof was tinted so well, there wasn’t much heat transmitted inside – still, I’d like a shade.  

Yes, the 1999 concept was about 20 inches shorter than this one. But I know this one’s designers had images of that propane-powered could-be around when the new R/T was crafted. Everyone who saw our 4,816-lb. sports sedan said it’s big, and definitely wide – almost as wide as a seventh-gen Wide Body, but smooth in shape, disguising some of that. And having compared this R/T side-by-side with the last-gen Charger, this one may lose some of the last one’s muscular look, but isn’t as comic book character either.

Is the 2026 Charger Bigger Inside Than The 7th-Gen Model?

The 2023 Charger R/T has a 104.7-cu. ft. interior volume; the 2026 has 103.08-cu-ft. of interior space. The driver of the 2023 version has 38.6 inches of headroom and 41.8 inches of legroom; I had a max of 39.1 inches of headroom and 42.6 inches of legroom. But the big winner is the new Charger’s hatch. It has 22.7 cubic inches of space with rear seats up, and 38-cu.-ft. seats down. That’s compared to the 16.5-cu.ft. in the 2023’s trunk.

The black leatherette and suede bucket seats have neat red and white stitching, as does the pleather on the dashtop, armrests and fascia in front of the passenger. There’s ribbed hard black plastic on the doors, and dashboard centerline – warmed up nicely with accent lighting, called Attitude Adjustment. Red was my attitude adjustment of choice. 

Those front seats are comfortable, but look more supportive than they are – the driver gets memory presets, and both get heat and ventilation up front. The thick stitched leather-clad squircle steering wheel offers good grip but very small paddle shifters; audio controls behind, and cruise, with control buttons in front for the 10.25-inch gauge display. That gauge display can show speedometer and tachometer, or navigation map and digital speed, or just speed. 

Then there’s a 16-inch center infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in Amazon Alexa and TomTom Connected Navigation, although navigation was sometimes slow to load. There’s a real volume and tuning knob. Below is a strip of slightly clunky haptic feedback buttons for climate control.

A sports sedan in the tradition of past Mopars, the center screen gives access to Performance Pages that include real-time engine gauges, 0-60 mph timers, G-force, quarter-mile times, and more. Along with the Drive Mode selector on the steering wheel, you can access that in the Performance Pages, along with the Eco mode, which isn’t accessible off the steering wheel.

You can set your rpm level for launch control, which lets the engine and transmission computers get the best for quick all-wheel-drive launches. You can also select rear-wheel-drive only. And for a drag strip, you can line-lock front brakes to spin the rear tires only and warm them for better launch grip.

The center console is framed in stitched pleather, which looks cool, but is an unpadded touchpoint for your right knee. There’s a ventilated inductive charger for your cellphone, and storage space under dual USB ports. Then a classic, albeit plastic pistol grip shifter falls readily to hand. A start/stop button and electronic handbrake is nearby, as is a decent storage with 12-volt outlet under the center armrest.

The new Charger gets push buttons to open doors and hood, although manual door handles and a fabric pull strap are near both to use if power fails. We had a squeak from the upper dashboard on bumpy roads, and some icons on the touchscreens took a few taps to work, as did the outside door lock buttons.

The swoopy sedan roofline means I had to duck to get under it and into a very roomy back seat – cool to have frameless side windows. There’s a/c vents, USB ports and heated outboard seats – but no manual door release, only power release buttons under more accent lighting on ribbed door panels. Seat backs split and fold to augment a long cargo area – under a hatchback! That power hatch stunned folks at car shows, and may be a game-changer for some looking at crossovers when they really want a car.

Dodge loves nostalgia when it comes to its modern Charger and Challengers, so SIX PACK originally referred to Dodge’s 1960s-1970s performance package – three, two-barrel carburetors on its 440-cu.-in. V-8. But for now – despite the 2026 Dodge Charger Drag Pak concept’s 5.8-liter HEMI V-8 – no V-8 has been announced for the street. I hope that changes.

But while this is no HEMI, this milder Hurricane six has a nice meaty, rumbly idle and a solid growl under pressure from its twin pipes – complete with a very HEMI-like “whoomp!” on each upshift.

We had no traction issues here with our 5,300-mile-old SIXPACK R/T and its all-wheel-drive, with its 40% front, 60% rear torque split. So we tested it in Eco mode first – a moderate start, then the first turbocharger came online around 2,500-rpm, and we hit 60 mph in 5 seconds. There was precise steering feel and a neat exhaust snarl under load.

Switch to Sport mode, and with more aggressive throttle mapping came a quicker launch and 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, with more aggressive downshifts and passing power, plus an even cooler, yet civilized exhaust snarl. Then in launch control and rear wheel drive only, with the RPM point set at 2,000 rpm, we hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, just a hint of wheelspin on each upshift – we pulled over 1G on launch.

To compare, a 2021 Charger Hellcat Redeye with 697-hp from a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 saw 60 mph in 4.2 seconds in Sport mode in our tests, and 4 seconds flat in Launch Control. A 2016 Charger Hellcat with 707 hp saw 60-mph in 3.6 seconds. All are rear-wheel-drive only, traction an issue on straight track runs. Pretty close, I’d say – the new R/T still feels its weight, but the Hurricane 6 and all-wheel-drive give it a more mature launch and clearer moves, if lacking in the gale force sound – sigh.

More Charger Coverage (story continues below)

EV Swap: Mustang Mach-E To Charger Daytona

Long-Term Owner Review: Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Drop Top Customs Developing Dodge Charger EV Convertible

Production Dodge Charger EV Unveiled With Full Specs

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Convertible Announced

4 EV Coupe Concepts; 2 Headed For Production

Our R/T’s multilink suspension along with serious rubber gave it a taut but supple ride with forgiving feel over potholes and speed bumps – no head tossing, and no hard rebound. Around town, the car was agile, even though we felt its weight. It was quite neutral around corners, the front/rear bias was just fine for quick maneuvering.

Pushed harder, there was a hint of understeer. And when we really pushed it in steady-state cornering, the G-meter showed a solid 1.5Gs, with minimal body roll and good control bar a bit more understeer when powering through, but not hard to handle. The brake pedal had a nice immediate bite and great control of its 15-inch front/14.2-inch rear vented disc brakes with nice Brembo calipers up front, so stops were quick, short enough and controlled with minimal nose dive and no fade, even after some serious use. And that G-Force display claimed a serious 1.5Gs of stopping power.

A base Charger R/T starts at $51,995; ours added some options like the $4,995 preferred package with ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, digital displays, power hatch and more; $2,995 handling package with hi-back bucket power seats, line lock, rear spoiler, 20-inch tires, Brembo calipers and performance suspension; plus a $1,395 glass roof and a few more options for a final price of $65,365.

Bottom line: Clearly still a Dodge Charger, just one that’s gone to finishing school for shape, ride and handling. The Hurricane 6 has good power across the band, but I wonder what that 550-hp Scat Pack, or the 670-hp EV Scat Pack would feel like – or a HEMI???

2026 Dodge Charger R/T 5-door Specifications

Vehicle type – all-wheel-drive 5-passsenger sports sedan

Base price – $51,995 ($65,365 as tested)

Engine type – Twin-turbocharged DOHC inline six

Displacement – 3 liters

Horsepower (net) – 420 @ 5,200 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 469 @ 3,500 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic w/paddle shifters

Wheelbase – 121 inches

Overall length – 206.6 inches

Overall width – 79.8 inches

Height – 58.7 inches

Front headroom – 39.3 inches

Front legroom – 42 inches

Rear headroom – 37.1 inches

Rear legroom – 33.1 inches

Cargo capacity – 22.8 cu. ft./37.4 cu. ft. w/rear seats folded

Curb weight – 4,816 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 17.5 gallons

Mileage rating – 17 mpg city/20 mpg highway

The post 2026 Dodge Charger R/T Sixpack Puts In Solid Performance appeared first on EV Rider.

Do cooling vests, like the one I am wearing in the video, actually work? Let’s find out.

Product Link: Iaigogo cooling vest

I have been using this cooling vest for several months now, primarily while doing yard work and mowing, but also while riding my motorcycle. It’s inexpensive, costing around $20. The vest holds a total of six ice packs, which are included alongside an extra set. This allows you to easily swap them out once the first set melts. If you are working from home, you can take a quick break to grab the second frozen set directly from your freezer.

Answering the question of whether cooling vests actually work: yes. On a recent motorcycle ride, the ambient temperature in Jacksonville was 91°F, with very high humidity—likely around 95%. I definitely felt the coolness. After riding around for roughly 20 minutes, I jumped on the interstate to head home, and the vest made a noticeable difference for the entire ride. However, you will likely find that it is only effective for one to two-hour rides before the ice packs melt.

Here in Florida, the vest is most helpful during the peak mid-afternoon heat. Because I started the ride later in the day, I got the full benefit. However, if you are going on a day-long ride, you probably wouldn’t need the cooling vest when you first start out in the morning. By the time you need it in the afternoon, the ice packs stored in your saddlebag would likely already be melted. While it has a limited use case for motorcyclists, it offers a much better use case for people working outside for an hour or so.

Another factor to keep in mind is that while you will feel cooler, the vest will not keep you dry. You will still get wet due to condensation from the ice packs, and you’ll likely still sweat depending on the intensity of the heat. These vests are adjustable. You will want to pull it as taut as possible against your torso so that the ice packs remain firmly against your body.

In conclusion, I can recommend this cooling vest for specific situations, particularly outdoor work. Just remember that it will not last all day. The ice packs melt after about an hour. In a best-case scenario—where you have the second set of packs on ice or you are working near a freezer—you can swap them out to get up to maybe two hours of relief in summer heat. Once the packs melt, it’s time to take off the vest and try to finish up as soon as you can.

This vest was not provided by the manufacturer, nor is this content sponsored. It is simply a product I chose to purchase and test on my own.

The post Do $20 Cooling Vests Work? Florida Summer Testing appeared first on EV Rider.

The land of Lincoln these days – the automaker, not the President – is a different world than what made it famous among Hollywood stars in the 1950s.

The massive Lincoln Continental, a nostalgic homage to the huge, luxurious sedan of the same name made back when, was shuffled off six years ago. Since then, the Lincoln land has been SUV/CUV, with Corsair, Nautilus, the Ford Explorer-based Aviator, and the Ford Expedition-based Navigator. But that’s just fine.

You see, our 2026 Nautilus is no slouch in luxury or technology, even if it is on the Ford CD4 platform set up to handle front-or-all-wheel-drive midsize and full-size stuff like the Ford Edge and S-Max. And the Nautilus has been popular, with just under 34,000 sold in 2025, out of the 106,000 vehicles Lincoln that crossed the nation’s lots.

So let’s submerge ourselves in the details behind this third-generation midsize luxury crossover, and see why people shell out lots of Lincolns for it.

Our 31-year-old son, lover of tuner cars and racing motorcycles, summed up his first look with, “Wow, that’s a good looking car.”  And indeed, in a stunning pearl white metallic paint on 22-inch Goodyear Eagle GT rubber wrapped around 10-spoke bladed wheels, it does look good. And at just over 193 inches in length and 67.6-inches in height, it looks long and somewhat lower than some other CUVs.

Slim quad LED headlights connect via a light strip centered on a glowing Lincoln crosshair emblem atop a gloss-black crosshatch grille. There’s 6-bar accents at each corner. The low, wide center intake lives over a buff gray and black air dam, with aggressive side inlets edged in more gloss black – real aerodynamics at work here as they flow air over the front wheels.

On the flanks, black fender vent spears are matched by lower sill accents under a somewhat low black roof with slim cargo bars. The roofline flows down as it heads aft, as window sill lines rise, adding to the slim silhouette as the clamshell hood’s shutlines flow along flanks to end near slim wraparound taillights. The rear fascia gets slim exhaust tips in black, framing for neat contrast with the stunning pearl white paint.  

The design has been around for a few years, gaining some distinction with our test vehicle’s black Jet Package with dark styling elements and those bladed 22-inch wheels.

2026 Lincoln Nautilus AWD Black Label Lights Up The Night

The Lincoln is ready to greet its drivers day or night, its grille emblem glowing as front and rear LED light bars pulse, and seas of tiny Lincoln stars project on the ground. There’s curved, high-mounted handles integrated into the doors, then you settle into light gray leather and suede seats with white stitching and piping, plus heat, cooling and massage. One note – to lock the doors from outside, you can tap an icon on the keycode touchpad panel on the gloss black B-pillars. It’s funny how Ford continues to install a keycode panel on its vehicles in a time of phone apps and remote key fobs.

2026 Lincoln Nautilus Label Interior Includes 48-inch Panoramic Display

The interior is done in Navy blue over a deep burgundy with stitched edges – even the door top leather has a soft, touchable feel. Tap the “Start” button amid more padded leather, and the 48-inch panoramic instrument panel wrapping from A-pillar to pillar glows to life. There’s basic driver’s information in front, as well as status of the BlueCruise and driver safety stuff. Flowing right, a navigation map appears – or the backup-overhead camera view. A unique time display and audio info is next, then a configurable display for trip meter, weather/forecast and more.

Perched dash-center in front of unique buff wood trim with pinpoint steel dots is an 11.1-inch-wide infotainment screen for Home Screen (map and audio), or car functions, info screens, etc. That center screen is almost superfluous, since almost anything you need there can also be popped on the widescreen. It’s handy for preset radio stations; or accessing apps or phone functions, while main climate control functions are touchscreen icons on the bottom.

The vents cannot be manually adjusted – tapping the screen’s airflow icon gets a screen image of all vents, and a smartphone-like swipe of each allows adjustment. It works, but is a bit fiddly getting air flow where you want – best do it while parked. The same is true for drive mode – tap a physical console button, then tap one of five smallish drive mode icon on the center screen, sometimes easy to miss while driving.

The squared-off oval steering wheel is low so you can see the widescreen main display. The digital speedometer is straight ahead at the right height to be read without eyes straying off asphalt too long.

If you’re feeling stressed, then park and access the Rejuvenate mode. That wide screen turns into a panoramic waterfall, beach or underwater scene with soothing music. There’s also “Elevated Journey.” Motivational therapists calmly give a pep talk; and do not forget Digital Scent – Mystic Forest, Ozonic Azure or Violet Cashmere – to help. And the wide screen is the bookended by perforated alloy speaker grilles, and sculpted accent corner lighting. But Lincoln missed a trick – there are blank panels at each end that would be cool with blind spot camera displays.

That squared-off oval steering wheel’s thick stitched leather rim feels right, while the haptic touch controls handle audio and cruise – just tap them and a menu appears on the widescreen to show which quadrant of the featureless black square handles  volume, tune, mute and voice command, or cruise control and distance setting.

That center console is framed in padded, stitched gray leather, with piano key transmission buttons, then a crystal-like volume knob that’s elegant, flanked by drive mode, camera, flashers and other buttons. An inductive charger slot is nearby, plus a rubberized nook with dual USB ports and cup holders. The cushy center armrest hides good storage space and more power outlets. And those leather and suede bucket seats have separate power thigh cushions, plus heat, massage and cooling. The driver gets 3 memory presets. They are comfy and fairly supportive.

The Revel Ultima audio system’s 28 speakers offered serious sound. That panoramic display can also be used to surf the web, watch videos or stream movies when parked. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Wide back doors open to more leather and suede with white stitching and piping in a roomy 3-person bench seat with great head and leg room, and a long moonroof overhead. Outboard seats are heated, and there’s rear air vents and USB ports. The rear seatbacks power split and fold 60/40 to expand a big, flat cargo area under a hands-free power hatch. Cargo area buttons also drop the rear seatbacks.

Power in our Nautilus comes from a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine with 250 hp and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. A hybrid version with the 2-liter turbo four has 310 hp with a CVT.

There’s five standard drive modes – Normal, Conserve, Excite, Slippery and Deep Conditions (which shuts down traction control). We did lots of driving in Conserve mode, and found our 7,700-mile-old Nautilus launched moderately, with softened upshifts en route to 60 mph in a decent 7.8 seconds with passing power as needed.

The Nautilus becomes the most fun to drive in Excite, where steering tightens up with a more direct and weighted feel, albeit it’s a bit artificial in feel. And when the right foot goes down, the engine responds quickly, as does the transmission, with a sweeter snarl from the exhaust. We got to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds after a slightly less sedate launch. Passing power in Excite is good, although there’s no way to manually downshift. A “Low” button on the transmission keyboard locks it in a lower gear for descending hills, towing or snow/sand..

A week’s worth of driving in mixed modes netted an average 23 mpg. The last Nautilus I tested in 2024 for a now-retired website hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds in Conserve/6.8 seconds in Excite, netting a decent 25 mpg in mixed modes.

The Nautilus hits the road with an all-independent suspension; MacPherson struts with coil springs and stabilizer bar up front, and short-long arm with lateral semi-trailing arms in back, all with stabilizer bars and continuous damping shocks as part of an adaptive suspension. Sensors monitor vehicle motion, body movement, steering, acceleration, and braking activities to modify the ride. Driving in Conserve mode, the ride is plush and very comfortable, with a bit of after-bounce as this 4,349-lb. Lincoln easily absorbs bumps and potholes. Things firm up a bit in Excite mode, with tighter control of rebound, but still a bit plush, nicely buffered at full impact. The ride is also quiet, bar some tire noise, although something was rattling in a front door.

Lincoln Nautilus Black Label Has Luxurious, Comfy Ride

As for handling, the Nautilus was secure with all wheel drive, hanging in well with good steering feel in basic cornering. Pushed harder, we had some understeer and body roll, again belying its luxurious suspension tuning, but the all-wheel-drive helped. It is a basic, confident handler, but some other midsize SUVs offer tighter, yet still comfy suspension feel and handling. In a monsoon rain, it tracked well, staying true in lane with all-wheel-drive grip. The lane-keep system is a serious nudger, working to keep this SUV in lane – but it has to stay on to use BlueCruise

For 2026, it has the updated BlueCruise 1.5 hands-free highway driving system, now with Automatic Lane Change. It moves around slower cars, but is not easy to cancel. It also gains a serious face/eye detection system. If you look away for more than a second it tells you “face detection necessary” to keep cruise or BlueCruise on.

Power steering was precise if a bit numb in Conserve and Normal mode, offering a tight turning radius. The Nautilus has 13.58-inch front/12.59-inch rear disc brakes, and offers a fairly tight bite high up, then solid stops from speed with no sign of fade.. But they were sometimes a bit grabby after initial pedal push.

The Nautilus Premier starts at $53,995; our AWD Black Label was base-priced at $77,130, with almost all we had standard bar the  $3,500 Jet Appearance Package with black and satin accents; and $750 for the White Platinum Metallic paint. The final price was $81,780.

Bottom line: The design may be a few years on, but remains stunning – long, lean and shapely – with an amazingly lush feel and look to the interior, complete with widescreen display. It remains a solid contender in its class, but I’d love a tad less plush ride, and just a smidgeon sharper handling.

2026 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label AWD Specifications

Vehicle type – 5-door all-wheel-drive luxury crossover

Base price – $77,130 (As driven – $81,780)

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

Displacement – 2-liter

Horsepower (net) – 250 hp @ 5,500 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 280 @ 3,00 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic  w/low range

Wheelbase – 114.2 in.

Overall length – 193.2 in.

Overall width – 85.4 in. w/mirrors

Height – 68.2 in.

Front headroom – 39.6 in.

Front legroom – 43.5 in.

Rear headroom – 39.1 in.

Rear legroom – 43.1 in.

Cargo capacity – 36.4 cubic feet/71.3 w/2nd row folded

Towing capacity – up to 1,750 lbs.

Curb weight – 4,349 pounds

Fuel capacity – 20 gallons

Mileage rating – 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway

The post 2026 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label: Worthy Of Luxury Label appeared first on EV Rider.

Jeep’s angular, chunky Cherokee was a trendsetter when it came out in 1984, and remained basically unchanged through its first demise in 2012.

Over three million were sold in what was really the first modern SUV, basic but true.

The Cherokee came back in a compact, semi-square shape in 2002, then renamed the Liberty as a boxier model came out. Cherokee was the name upon the next generation in 2014, only to go back to sleep in 2023.

Now comes the new generation, hybrid only, built in Toluca, Mexico vs. Toledo and based on Stellantis’ STLV Large platform, versions of which underpin Jeep’s Wagoneer S, Dodge Charger, Maserati Levante and some Alfa Romeo SUVs.

And this Cherokee seems to be off to a decent start, with more than 2,400 sold in its first three months.

This first new Cherokee in years hews close to the Jeep formula of what ingredients go into its CUV and SUVs. It starts with the trademarked 7-slot grille seen on most Jeeps since the World War II military hero. U-shaped LED DRLs frame headlights at the outer, upper corners, with slim grille-like accents heading south to black LED fog lights that frame a chunky fender with air intakes athwart a lower honeycomb grille.

• Squared-off fender flares with black trim – check.
• Black lower door sill accents – check again.
• Squared-off-rear hatchback with large taillights over another chunky bumper – check and check again.

The Cherokee has gently curved fenders. The roofline is low but squared off, with black cargo rails – and black side mirrors. And it rides on Nexen Rodian 18-inch rubber, with enough air space between tread and fender to imply it can bounce a bit off road, although it doesn’t get a Trail Rated badge.

Overall, it says modern Jeep, handsome and up to date, but a hint of classic. I like the Grand Cherokee’s smoother looks.

But one car guy friend said “It looks like a RAV4” – hmm?

OK, so it gets some of the Grand Cherokee’s looks – what about its size?

Well, a 2-row Grand Cherokee is 193.5-inches long, with a 116.7-inch wheelbase; the new Cherokee is 188.1-inches long, on a 113-inch wheelbase. It’s got 8 inches of ground clearance, just a tad below the Grand Cherokee base model’s.

2026 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Limited Has Attractive Interior

That height means it’s just the right height to slide into, where we found a comfortable, perforated white leatherette seat facing a very thick stitched leather-rimmed squircle (squared circle) steering wheel with controls for audio in back, and the usual cruise/info screen buttons in front

The squared-off wheel does not block any of the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, which can be configured to show gauges, map with speed readout, or a simplified look, most with a variety of info screen shown in center or side. Dash center under a/c vents is a 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment touchscreen with real volume knob and touch icons for seat heat, steering wheel heat and more on the left and right sides.

Our Alpine sound system was good, but the squircle steering wheel blocks the driver’s view of the screen’s left side controls. And a few times, the navigation map blanked out when we were in “Home” screen – split – mode.

The dashtop is finished in stitch-edged black leatherette, with more padded white faux hide under a center trim that resembles plastic corduroy.

Below the center screen, which also displays exterior cameras, off-road and hybrid info and more, is a strip touchscreen with haptic a/c controls that click as you tap, above basic – and slightly hard to see – buttons for low gear, traction control and lane-keep, plus parking sensors and dual USB ports. 

There’s rubberized storage space under that at the head of the wide center console, which gets hard plastic where knees touch, and had some gaps in its inside trim. There’s a big start/stop button, a gear selection knob and buttons for off-road cruise control and auto-hold. There’s big cup holders, and lots of room under the center armrest.

One note – I could use a bit more leg room in the driver’s seat, even when it’s all the way back. But even there, back seat leg room is really nice, as is head room, with rear vents, USB ports, and folding center armrest.

The seatbacks do a 60/40 split and fold flat to expand a seriously big (33.6 cubic feet) cargo area, expanding it to 68.3 cubic feet – but a spare tire takes up the decent underfloor storage space. The rear hatch is power-operated, with a foot wave under the bumper getting it to rise higher than my head.

We did hear an occasional buzz from the dashboard on rougher roads, plus a squeak in back, but the new Cherokee is a solid piece of kit. 

Jeep has backed off plug-in hybrids for now, with the Wrangler 4xe and others gone, and only hybrids in the mix; but a new range of pure EVs are coming. So we have a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder – the gas engine has 177-hp, paired with dual electric motors for a combined total output of 210 hp and 230 pound-feet of torque. A CVT (continuously variable transmission) and standard all-wheel drive funnel the power to the wheels.

2026 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Limited’s Hybrid Set Up Improves MPG

One look at the E-HYBRID status screen shows that this Jeep’s front – and rear axle – are hooked in to the gas engine. There’s a drive shaft aft to turn the rear wheels when needed, or disconnect and run front-wheel-drive for efficiency or just plain commuting. Four-wheel drive engages automatically.

The 1-kWh lithium-ion battery can briefly propel the Cherokee without any help from the engine up to 62 mph, as well as breeze through your neighborhood quietly, or nicely shut off the gas engine at suburban speeds. But just as there is no “TRAIL RATED” badge on this Jeep’s flanks, there’s no low-range available, nor locking differentials. The “Low Gear” button increases torque to all four wheels for better traction on slippery or uneven ground, and puts more power to all wheels. Jeep hints at more rugged Trailhawk version to come with real 4-wheel-drive and off-road equipment.

So on our daily commutes, I chose Auto in the Drive Mode menu – there’s also Sport, Snow, and Sand/Mud. The engine is a bit vocal when pushed, revving to a point as the CVT does the ratio work – there’s no tachometer, so I do not know where it revs to. There’s a bit of get-up-and-go off the line in Auto, the Cherokee cantering to 60 mph in a decent 8.7 seconds, EV first, then gas joins in. Set in Sport, the Cherokee jumps out of the gates, hitting 60 in 8.2 seconds as the engine and electric motors work well together.

Sport mode really makes itself known off the line, where EV and gas combine to get this SUV away from a stop light quickly, or even just when you pass. The gas engine jumps in audibly when it joins the EV system, and revs high at first as the CVT puts its power down with the electric motors. But when the gas engine sleeps and EV takes over in normal cruising, the transition back and forth is quiet and transparent. Oddly, invoking Sport mode automatically turns off traction control with a button tap restoring it.

Auto-engine off is quiet, with no driveline lurch when it brings the gas engine back online. Towing is rated at 3,500 pounds.

We did not feel any regeneration kick in when we backed off the throttle, although the hybrid screen shows it feeding energy back to the battery. We started with an estimated 500-plus mile range from the hybrid powerplants, with an average of 35 mpg during our time with it.

With a strut front suspension and a multilink rear, this 4,295-lb crossover swallows speed bumps, comfortable and refined as it just swallows speed bumps and rougher pavement with no after-bounce or head bobbing. Handling with all-wheel-drive allocating power where needed was solid in our suburban loop, neutral in cornering with no body roll.

Those who want some sportiness will find there’s no way to manually downshift as you come near a curve, but push harder and the 18-inch Nexens in front only show a hint of understeer. And in steady-state cornering, we had more understeer, but mild and easy to back off throttle and stay tucked in line. Overall, handling was good, but maybe a sharper feel would be cool.

The electric power steering was a bit light in feel, but direct in Auto drive mode, with a solid on-center feel which felt a bit artificial. Our 2,200-mile-old Jeep has 13-inch front/12.8-inch rear disc brakes with a firm regen invoked pedal bite up high, then solid braking with some nose dive at full stop, but no brake fade after repeated hard use.

The new Cherokee is a soft-roader, although Jeep says it has very good approach and departure angles – 19.6-, and 29.4 degrees respectively. So we tackled a pine forest route with Drive mode in Sand/Mud, and it had great traction, comfortable rebound over roots and ruts, and no issues fording some shallow ditches. In summer Florida rains or December snow storms in New Jersey, it will do just fine. You also have an off-road display that shows body lean and nose-up/down angle, but only at low speed, plus another screen with engine gauges like voltage, coolant, oil, transmission temperature and more.  

The lane-keep system is very evident when smart cruise is engaged, and you really feel it keeping the Cherokee arrow-straight between the lines – you also get a steering wheel vibration if you go near or over a lane line.

A base Cherokee Drive 4×4 starts at $35,000 with cloth seats and that 210-hp hybrid powerplant. Our Laredo starts at $38,000. It’s add-ons included the $2,000 Limited package with leatherette seats, power liftgate, power front seats, alarm and phone charging pad; $995 Tech Group with off-road info page, in-dash map, Alpine 9-speaker audio and more; $1,595 panoramic moonroof and a bit more for a final price of $45,580.

Bottom line: Welcome back to a roomy, capable, handsome and fuel-efficient hybrid Cherokee that needs a bit more polish – can’t wait for the Trailhawk.  

2026 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Limited Specifications

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

Base price – $38,000 ($45,580as tested)

Engine type – turbocharged inline 4-cylinder

Displacement – 1.6 liters

Gas engine horsepower (net) – 177 @ 5,500 rpm

Combined gas/electric horsepower – 210

Combined  torque (lb-ft) – 230

Battery pack: 400V nickel manganese cobalt

Transmission – CVT automatic

Wheelbase – 113 inches

Height – 67.5 inches

Overall length – 188.1 inches

Overall width – 74.7 inches w/mirrors

Ground clearance – 8 inches

Front headroom – 40.3 inches

Front legroom – 41.3 inches

Rear headroom – 40.5 inches

Rear legroom – 38.5 inches

Cargo capacity – 33.6 cu. ft./68.3 w/seats folded

Towing capacity: up to 3,500 lbs.

Curb weight – 4,295 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 13.7 gallons

Mileage rating – 39 mpg city/35 mpg highway

The post 2026 Jeep Cherokee Laredo Limited Gets Electrified appeared first on EV Rider.

The Queen has arrived. Or maybe this 2026 Range Rover SE LWB is transporting a British rock star to their next show at the Palladium.

Either way, this long, smooth drink of British SUV is almost the top-tier luxury member of the venerable Land Rover clan. And while a “regular” fifth-generation Range Rover Sport is 199 inches long, this long wheelbase version ranges out to 207 inches.

So let’s arrive in style – to the sandwich shop – supersize my sub, Kevin.

The formula for this sleek aluminum-bodied shape was born in 1970, when the makers of the legendary Land Rover, a utilitarian go-anywhere SUV beloved by military and farmers, decided the world needed that rugged off-road capability combined with the comfort and on-road refinement of a premium sedan.

This fifth-gen Range Rover was introduced in 2022, aero-carving the previous generation into a super-slick, tightly wrapped design with a very slick .29 coefficient of drag. And while there’s a regular wheelbase, and shorter Sport version, this is the queen of the fleet – and it looks it. This is as long as the Cadillac Escalade I tested recently.

Its distinctive squared-off shape starts with a slim black grille that flows into thinner quad-element LED headlights with DRL slashes that wrap around the corners. They are flush with the clamshell aluminum bonnet, forming design lines that head aft to spear rear fender marker lights.

The aggressive black lower grille gets LED fog lights under a chrome strip, and over a simple pewter air dam, on a very short front overhang. The front doors get black accents that look like side intakes over wider black lower door sills. And it’s nicely planted on 24-inch Pirelli radials on 10-spoke alloy wheels.

Flush door handles pop out of each door. The lock/unlock button on our driver’s door was a bit loose. Glossy black is the design thrust above the beltline, framing sweptback windscreen, side pillars and mirrors, the latter getting LED repeater turn signals with puddle lights that shine a Range Rover on the driveway. In profile, the Range Rover’s shape gets sleeker as it heads aft. The roofline dips as the beltline rises, tapering a bit to meet a sleek hatchback with long spoiler/shade.

The taillights are slim LED bars at rear fender edges, connected by a glossy bar with “Range Rover” in black, and with the step bumper on the bottom. That bumper gets a tow hitch and tucked-in exhaust tips 

Range Rover SE Interior: Luxury-grade Everything, Including Refrigerator

Drop the Range Rover to its entrance/exit ground clearance of 6.6 inches (vs. 8.6 inches normal), and you slide in. “Wow, I’ve never felt such plush” leather seats up front, said a friend. Both get three memory presets, plus heat and ventilation. The dashtop is done in a stitched low-gloss black leather, with a gloss black trim band housing smoked chrome air vents, then white leather over a smoked gray wood. There’s more leather on the lower dash, with accent lighting hither and yon.

The driver faces a thick leather-clad steering wheel with big alloy paddle shifters in back, and haptic touch buttons in front to handle audio, configurable gauges and cruise control. That gauge display can showcase classic gauges, or a map with speed readout, and more. One issue – the audio info screen in one mode sometimes flicked off, and had to be clicked back again.

There’s no physical buttons anywhere – only that smooth expanse of leather and wood. OK, there’s one to the left of the steering wheel to pop the rear hatch. The rest of the controls are in the high-mounted 13.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display that handles wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus navigation, off-road info, surround-view (and other) cameras, climate controls and more.

Tap once, then tap deeper into menus for the heated/cooled seats, lumbar support, drive modes, suspension height, off-road modes, 4-wheel-drive status, even a cool “transparent hood”  view to see what you are driving over.

Yes, a bit too many taps needed for some things – and to get the full navigation map, you have to tap “Home,” then again to access levels that includes the map. Or just say “Hey Range Rover, and ask. It isn’t super quick, but does access many menus hands-free.

The center console gets more wood and alloy, cup holders under one sliding door. Slide them back for a deep storage area. Under a door in front of the electronic gearshift you find an inductive phone charger, plus USB ports. There’s upper and lower glove boxes, while a small refrigerator lies under the padded center armrest. The front seats even have adjustable center armrests outboard of the center cushion.

The rear doors are longer than on the short wheelbase Range Rover, allowing access to 60/40 leather bench seats with big fold-down center armrests, plus outboard heating, cooling and A/C adjustments. The added wheelbase means you’ll have limo-like leg room with power side window shades and a long moonroof overhead. And like the front seats, seat-shaped power controls handle adjustments – and have memory presets integrated into the ergonomic controls.

Switches let you adjust leg room to give more to folks in the third row. You can also power the second row forward for easier access to the third row. There’s just-OK head and leg room back there, with more A/C vents and cup holders.

The power rear hatch is a clamshell with a long upper section, and a smaller lower one that forms a handy seat under the shaded upper to watch cricket. A long rubber floor mat covers the floor behind the third row. It’s flat when it’s power folded down. Multiple buttons power raise and lower second and third-row setbacks with one even dropping the tail a bit more to ease loading. Cargo space is 8.7 cubic feet with all three rows in use, or up to  92.9 cubic feet with second and third rows folded (vs. 83.5-cu. ft. in the short wheelbase version).

Range Rover SE Offers 3-Liter Turbo 6 Or V8

Our Range Rover SE LWB can be had with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8, or our 3-liter turbo inline six with 395 hp, and a nice 406 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 to 5,000 rpm. Both remain BMW-sourced, the engine swathed in plastic.

There’s a selectable four-wheel-drive system, and eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and a Sport shift option. You have electronic air suspension, which drops it down for ease of entry; sets it at 8.6 inches of ground clearance for daily running; or up to 11.6 inches in its highest for offroad terrain.

Tapping the Drive Mode screen to select Comfort sees air suspension and throttle set for a comfortable ride and acceleration. Dynamic goes for full engine power, stiffer suspension and sharper shifts and steering. Eco backs off on throttle mapping and climate control to maximize fuel efficiency, while Auto uses vehicle sensors to read the road and select drive parameters.

We set Eco – it resets to Auto when you turn the Range Rover off – and the 5,600-lb. SUV launches briskly enough to hit 60 mph in 6.9 seconds, with clean but unrushed shifts.

Setting Dynamic also changes the gauge to a digital speedometer with bar graph tach. I added a 4-wheel-drive torque split/suspension firmness info box on one side. Slapping the gearshift into Sport mode saw our 11,000-mile-old SUV launch with more alacrity to hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds with sharper shifts, suspension and steering feel and a bit more exhaust excitement. Driven in a mix of Eco and Auto on mostly highways, we averaged 19 mpg. And it can tow up to 7,450 lbs.

For comparison, a 2026 Range Rover Sport SE Dynamic we tested – smaller and with a turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 with 523 hp – hit 60 mph in 4.6 second and got as high as 22 mpg.

Every Land Rover/Range Rover I have taken off road always keeps as many tires on the ground as possible when going over rough terrain. That’s because of a front and rear independent multi-link suspension with automatic air suspension that keeps every wheel in touch with dirt. There’s also active roll control, and active differential with torque vectoring by braking.

There’s multiple off-road modes for Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl and Configurable. You just have to delve into some menus to get those. There is a Wade function to lift its skirts so it can go through up to 35.4 inches of water.

There’s also low range, hill descent and dual locking differentials, plus a multi-camera system with Ground View, that shows a simulation of what’s under the hood via a delayed image of the nose camera, so you can “see” what you’re going over. There are displays for altitude, front and center diff lock status, steering angle, and roll angles. It also shows steering angle and hill descent control.

OK, in Florida you won’t find many rocks, but we had a pine forest with lots of roots and dips, so we set grass/gravel, which activated the Ground View with front wheel animation and 4-wheel-drive articulation and differential setting, and dove in.

The ride was comfortable but not mushy as we went over tall, exposed roots, through pine straw-strewn dips, and sandy stretches. The Range Rover just kept on keeping on, with no issues, no head tossing from any bumps, and a quiet ride. Going down a gully, traction was solid, all four tires on deck, as the screen showed a steep few degrees of incline.

On the asphalt, the ride was plush in Comfort Mode, swallowing speed bumps with no head bob afterward, and smoothing out bad pavement. In Dynamic mode, it firmed up with a nice buffering at rebound. In corners and expressway ramps, there was a bit of body roll, but this long Range Rover was neutral, shifting power as needed to the wheels that needed it. Push harder in longer, tighter turns, and a hint of understeer showed, but very controllable. The power steering had a precise if slightly overboosted feel in Comfort mode, tightening up but still a bit remote in Dynamic mode. Despite its length, the turning radius was tight enough. And with 15.7-inch front/14.5-inch rear disc brakes, there was decent pedal feel and real bite, with some nose dive but good control on hard braking from 60 mph, and no real fade after some repeated use.

Safety systems include emergency braking.

The base price of a Range Rover LWB is $117,200. Our SE had lots of options like: $2,400 24-inch alloy wheels, $1,200 tow package; $1,000 Comfort Pack with cabin air purifier, refrigerator and more; $1,000 clack trim package; $740 black roof; $650 walnut interior accents and more, for a final price of $128,695.

Bottom line: It’s plush and capable on and off-road, quiet and comfy everywhere, and quick enough to glide you to West Palm or Wa-Wa.

2026 Range Rover SE LWB 7-Seater Specifications

Vehicle type – 7-passenger luxury all-wheel-drive SUV

Base price – $117,200 (as tested – $128,695)

Engine type – Turbocharged 24-valve DOHC inline 6

Displacement – 3-liter

Horsepower (net) – 395 @ 6,500 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 406 @ 2,000 rpm

Transmission – 8-speed automatic with paddle/sport shift

Wheelbase – 125 inches

Overall length – 207 inches

Overall width – 80.6 inches

Height – 73.6 inches

Front headroom – 38.8 inches

Front legroom – 40 inches

Center/rear headroom and legroom: N/A

Ground clearance – 8.5 to 11.1 inches

Cargo capacity – 8 cu. ft./92.9 w/2^nd & 3rd row folded

Towing capacity – up to 7,715 lbs.

Curb weight – 5,932 lbs.

Mileage rating – 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway

The post ’26 Range Rover SE LWB 7-Seater Offers Off-Road Luxury appeared first on EV Rider.

Use THIS LINK and discount code 25EVDBILL for 25% off the EVDANCE charger extension cable

If you’ve ever been traveling and run across a level 2 EV charger cord that’s too short—or maybe even at home—this episode of EV Rider is going to solve that problem once and for all.

In the video at the top of this post you’ll see EVDance’s 40-foot-long, Level-2 EV charger extension cable in action. It’s rated for 50-amps or up to 12 kW of continuous current.

I’m sure long-time EV owners are already running through the scenarios in their minds of how this extension cable could help out in a pinch. But for you newer EV owners, let me give you a couple of personal, real-life examples.

I tend to go on a lot of road trips. I put more than 67,000 miles on my last EV, driving to more than 20 states. Sometimes I stay with friends or family, or at hotels. Occasionally what I’ll find is the cords are just too short. Or, if I’m overnight charging at a friend’s house with just a regular household outlet, maybe that outlet is in the back of the garage and my charging cable just won’t reach. This solves all those problems.

Another problem that you’re likely to run into at some point is you’ll occasionally find gasoline drivers that park smack in an EV spot in a shopping center or a parking garage, blocking the charger. When this happens if there’s another spot one or two spaces over, you’ll have no problem since you’ll have 40-feet of additional length to work with.

I’m fortunate to live in a home with a garage, but I do remember the days of living in downtowns, so I do understand the plight of EV owners that might be in an urban environment, in an apartment complex, or another spot that might be away from chargers. Again, a 40-foot extension cable—in addition to whatever your regular cable’s length is, gives you a lot of flexibility that’s likely to come in handy.

Having the extension cable could also save you money by allowing your electrician to skip a long cable run when installing a charger. Or, if you’ve already got a Level 2 outlet, for example in the laundry room, the extension cable might save you from needing to install a second outlet in the garage or driveway.

The extension cable comes with its own carrying case, so it’s easy to just put it in your frunk or some place out of the way. It includes a UL-rated cable, IP 66 water and dust resistance rating along with a 4400-lb load resistance. Bottom line: this is one sturdy accessory that appears very well made. During my day-long testing, it never became warm to the touch inside the garage.

Although it’s rated at 50-amps and 12 kW of continuous current, I personally wouldn’t push it that hard. I would limit it to no more than just under 10 kW. That’s because I prefer to maintain a wide safety margin, rather than pushing a product to its absolute limit.

For new EV owners that may not be aware, most EVs allow you to manually set the amperage that the EV will accept in your car’s infotainment system when you’re AC charging.

If your car doesn’t have that feature, and if you’ve got a smart charger, the charger or the charger’s smartphone app may also allow you to adjust amperage.

There are a few EVs out there that can take in more than 12 kW of continuous power. For example, Hummer EVs can handle 19.2 kW, so you’ve got to be sure if you’re going to use this cable with the fastest AC charging EVs that you dial the power back. Exceeding any charging component’s power or use rating is never a good idea.

Another thing, if you’re new to EVs: this cable will only going to work for level 1 or level 2 AC charging. It will not work at level 3 DC fast chargers, such as a Tesla Supercharger or an Electrify America station. And again, for you new EV owners, there are two main types of level 2 chargers: J-1772, which is what my review unit has, and NACS, which is what you see on Teslas and some of the brand-new EVs.

EVDance has got you covered either way. You can get either an NACS or a J1772 extension cable. And for you EV Rider viewers, the company is offering a 25% discount for anyone that want to purchase one. Use THIS LINK and discount code 25EVDBILL at checkout

Editor’s Note: EVDance provided EV Rider with the charging extension cable featured in this review but did not have any editorial input into this video’s or post’s production, nor did it see an advance copy of the video. EV Rider’s editorial policy regarding review units is available here for anyone that would like to review it.

The post Is Your EV Charger Cable Too Short? Here’s The Fix appeared first on EV Rider.

This week on EV Rider, after four years and 67,000 trouble-free miles, I’m saying goodbye to my Ford Mustang Mach-E, as I welcome a new to-me EV to my home stable.

Post your ChargerDaytona or Mustang Mach-E questions or comments here

Before I talk about my just acquired used 2024 Dodge Charger Scat Pack EV, here’s a quick summary about my Mach-E.

The Mustang Mach-E has been a wonderful car. Since I just recently did a 60,000 miles review, I won’t bore you by repeating what’s in that video, but here it is for anyone that would like to watch it:

The Mach-E’s short story is that in its final 7,000 miles with me, including a seven-state road trip, everything went just as smoothly as always.

As I end my ownership experience with the Mach-E, I can heartily recommend it to anyone considering a new or used EV.

Next, let’s look at what I replaced it with.

Dodge’s Charger Daytona is one of the most controversial EVs on the road today. A good number of V8 HEMI fans are furious that the fastest 0-60 mph Dodge currently has in production is now an EV, and not many EV fans are likely to consider a two-door muscle car that by EV standards, is fairly inefficient.

Plus, early Charger EV owners have a reported a variety of issues, a good many of which required the cars to be towed. Add it all together and these cars have lost up to 50% or more of their value in under two years.

Since I absolutely love the style, comfort, handling and performance of the Charger, I decided to take a chance, given the price plummet.

For you Charger owners out there, my CarFax report shows the flashes have been performed on the car, so I’m hopeful that many of the software glitches and 12v accessory battery issues that plagued early owners might be in this car’s rear view mirror.

One nice, early surprise, the Charger is showing a 3.6 mile per kWh average since I reset the trip odometer after taking ownership.

It’s too soon to know, but when driving the Daytona in Eco mode it’s looking like it will probably match or maybe even exceed my Mach-E’s range, which if that proves to be accurate, would be a wonderful surprise.

I’m still in the honeymoon phase and learning, so I won’t begin to try to evaluate the Daytona yet.

But here’s what I will say early on, the Charger has the two-door personal luxury coupe presence I love, which is a rare find among new cars, whether gas or EV. And it’s making a strong first impression.

For you Charger owners, I’d invite you to watch the video I did on a fellow owner’s Scat Pack a few months ago and be sure to subscribe since I’ll be doing follow-ups on my Charger as I get to know it better.

More Dodge Charger Daytona Coverage

Long-Term Owner Review: Charger Daytona Scat Pack

Drop Top Customs Developing Dodge Charger EV Convertible

Production Dodge Charger EV Unveiled With Full Specs

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Convertible Announced

4 EV Coupe Concepts; 2 Headed For Production

EV Muscle: Dodge Unveils ’24 Charger Daytona

More Ford Mustang Mach-E Coverage

How To: LED Car Interior Lighting Accessories

EV Vs. Gas Mustangs: Fuel Cost Difference Is Striking

60,000 Miles Later: 2022 Mustang Mach-E Review

Should Ford Build This Mustang Mach-E Convertible?

Ford Shows Off Tri-Motor Mustang Mach-E For NASCAR

Mustang Mach-E EV Sells Better Than Gas Mustang

The post EV Swap: Mustang Mach-E To Charger Daytona appeared first on EV Rider.

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.

More Cadillac Coverage (story continues below)

2026 Escalade ESV Platinum Sport Review

Cadillac With Corvette Heart: 2025 CT5 V Blackwing

2026 Cadillac Vistiq: Stylish 3-Row Family Hauler

2025 Cadillac Escalade Combines Pace With Grace

Why Former Rivian, Tesla Owner Switched To Escalade IQ

1st Look: 2026 Cadillac Lyriq V

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.

Now that I’ve got a full year of data, let’s look at how my rooftop solar set up is performing, and most importantly, how much money it’s generating.

I had my 8.4 kW system installed in January 2025 by Jacksonville’s Synergy Solar, which installs solar, EV chargers and battery systems across the First Coast. Synergy is also a full service state certified roofing contractor. The system was turned on in February 2025 after permitting and inspections were completed.

The system cost $21,705, including taxes and fees.

In its first 12 months it generated $975 worth of electricity. That’s based on my utility’s per kWh rate, including taxes and fees. It also qualified for a 30 percent federal tax credit of $6,511, which puts the return in year one at $7,485.

But I haven’t mentioned two significant payback factors yet. First, having solar keeps us from tripping into our utility’s higher tier two rate, which we would face many months of the year without solar.

And second, we own three EVs, which means our fueling costs are running less than half of what they would be to buy an equivalent amount of gas.

Let’s look at just one of our vehicles, my 2022 Mustang Mach-E, which runs almost exclusively on solar power, except when road tripping.

If we compare it to the most fuel-efficient gas 2022 Mustang, the EcoBoost Turbo 4, the electric Mustang saves $1,140 in fuel costs over 10,000 miles, which is my best guess of how many miles I probably drove on solar power over the past year.

I’m basing that assumption on the price of regular at my neighborhood gas station, which $3.91 on the day story was written and on my home per kWh cost, which was 14 cents..

To keep my payback assumptions from potentially being overly optimistic, I’m skipping calculations on what the other two EVs saved in fuel costs, especially since one of them is primarily charged at night, using grid power. That also gives me wiggle room to account for constant fuel price variations and any other factors that might skew the true return.

So, being conservative, it’s safe to estimate that we earned back $2,115 in year one, plus the $6,511 tax credit.

Now let’s look at the grand totals. After the tax credit, our solar system cost $15,194. Assuming we keep earning $2,115 a year, the system will have completely paid for itself in 7.18 years.

But keep in mind, those numbers don’t include inflation, which is another factor that should speed up the payback.

This year alone, JEA, which is my publicly owned utility, is seeking an 8% rate hike, which if approved, will kick in this October. Based on historical trends, it’s reasonable to assume JEA will seek additional rate hikes.

While it’s impossible to precisely predict our payoff period, based on the numbers, it appears to reasonable to forecast our solar setup will earn back its total cost in under seven years. After that, it will literally be generating free electricity.

By the way, for you numbers nerds, as I record this episode, we’ve generated 15.5 MWh of power since we turned on the system in February 2025.

That equates to saving more than 10 metric tons of C02 being pumped into our atmosphere, according to Google’s Gemini AI, which estimates the savings as ranging from 10 to 11 metric tons, depending on a variety of factors.

Whether rooftop solar makes sense for you depends on a lot of factors, including: how old your roof is, how much sun you get, whether you’ll be taking out a loan, what your power use patterns are, what your utility’s net metering policy is, whether you’ll want a battery storage system and more.

If I can help answer any questions you have about solar, feel free to drop me a line in this video’s YouTube comments section.

Related: 8.4 kW Rooftop Solar Install

Editor’s Note: Synergy Solar sponsored the video at the top of this post but did not have any editorial input or say about its production.

The post Is Solar Worth It? 1 Year Update appeared first on EV Rider.

Artist Diana Brewer’s 1952 GMC pickup truck, nicknamed Pa2unia, is a stunning shapely classic design with some handcrafted touches by her.

But as we united this classic, artfully patinated 196-inch-long green pickup with its way bigger great-great grandson, one thing was for sure – it was dwarfed by this high-tech 64-year-old descendant – which does not use petrol as its motivation.

Standing a good foot taller was the 231-inch-long, 75-inch tall 2026 GMC Sierra AT4 EV, as in electric vehicle. And while Pa2unia’s 100-hp inline 6 was a sturdy workhorse then and now, it’s no match for our Summit White Sierra AT4’s 725 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque. But gosh, did they look happy together among some amazing stuff in the Brewer’s Towing Service yard, as family cats wandered over to check it all out.

Then we decided to leave Pa2unia and play with our EV Sierra on Northeast Florida’s roads. After all, Pa2unia looks best in the sun, not shaded by a grandchild.

OK, both the GMC Sierra AT4 EV and Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss EV that we just tested share GM’s Ultium battery platform. So they match each other within an inch or so. There’s also basically the same silhouette.

But the Sierra EV has one thing the Silverado EV does not – a grille, or at least a neat black panel that looks like one. And that black panel makes this EV look more GMC, plus it’s got a cool backlit GMC badge dead center, framed by a lit LED accent.

Outer corners are framed by angular DRLs, while the AT4’s red tow hooks are flaked by LED headlights under a ribbed bumper with the only vent, flanked by fog lights – and over a lower skid plate. Squared-off fenders edged in black frame 18-inch AT4 wheels wearing meaty, knobby off-road Goodyear Wrangler rubber with seven inches of clearance between tread and fender flare edge.AT4’s get a 2-inch factory lift.

There are running boards under smooth doorskins. The roofline is low, with higher sills for a streamlined look aided by the sloping C-pillars flowing into cargo bed sides. LED taillights flank a multi-purpose tailgate over a meaty bumper and more silver skid plates. There’s a folding solid tonneau cover to protect what’s in the bed.

Cool fact – this Sierra EV is about 11 inches shorter than the gas Crew Cab version – it’s big but short overhangs and a cleaner body shape help visually shrink it. I also like the GMC heritage in its look.

The running board does not deploy, and there’s no grab handle for the driver. All other doors get them – so you grab the steering wheel and hoist up and into black leather seats with white piping and stitched accents. Only what’s below that looks like basic GM plastic.

Our seats were 16-way power-adjustable, the driver’s getting dual memory presets, although the lumbar control on the driver’s seat cushion did not work on our 5,100-mile-old truck.

While the Silverado EV gets a sweeping, almost one-piece digital gauge and infotainment display, our Sierra EV starts with a standalone 11-inch screen ahead of the driver. It offers everything from a simplified digital mph readout, to a navigation map with speed, or various gauges. Almost all add a small info screen.

The thick leather-clad steering wheel gets standard cruise and screen selection controls in front, and audio buttons in back, plus a small regenerative braking paddle. It’s adjustable too.

Stacked vertically center-stage, versus the Silverado EV’s horizontal one, is a 16.8-inch touchscreen that shows navigation, EV info and more, with a big volume knob low and center. A main menu screen handily accesses settings, Wi-Fi hotspot, phone and most other controls.

There’s a separate icon to access headlights, as well as a menu for trailering, activating the Wi-Fi hotspot, or sensitivity for regen braking/one-pedal driving. I liked the simulated overhead camera images to help back neatly into spots, plus focused nose and tail camera – great for tight spots, or just centering on a trailer hitch.

The center screen also shows big left and right blind spot camera views when you activate turn signals. Below are more touchscreen icons for climate control along with 8 physical buttons for those that would prefer to skip the touchscreen.

The wide center console is framed in more perforated leatherette, with a neat inductive phone charger atop the storage area’s sliding door. There is additional space and USB ports underneath along with storage under the padded armrest.

Back seats offer serious head and leg room for two, even three adults, with a/c vents and heated outboard positions. Seat bottoms fold up 60/40 to reveal storage options. The seatbacks flip forward to offer a platform.

GMC Sierra AT4 EV Offers Tons Of Cargo Space

Like the Chevrolet Avalanche of the early 2000’s, there’s a 60/40 midgate behind the seats that folds down to extend storage space into the cargo bed. Even the rear window can be removed for open air driving.

The Sierra EV has a long laminated clear glass roof – no sliding moonroof – tinted to block UV rays. On sunny days, the Sierra did not warm up, but I’d still want that optional $150 sunshade.

That 57.5-cubic-foot cargo bed has low wheel well intrusion, 115-volt power plugs and a folding metal cover for weatherproof stowage. The MultiPro tailgate has a mini-gate that folds to become a chest-high work table. There’s a step when the tailgate is down;- or a barrier to keep stuff in the bed when it is open. It can handle stuff over 10 feet long. There are steps carved into the outer corners of the rear bumper to ease access to its innards.

With no gas engine under the hood, there’s a frunk with 11 cubic feet of room, plus cup holders, 120-volt plug and drain plugs for picnic ice to melt away.

GM has done EVs right with its adaptable Ultium platform with lots of room for multiple liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery modules down low between electric motors, one at the front, the other in the rear – with Torque Vectoring e4WD. Tap the right icons to select Max Power, and you access 760 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque from its 205-kWh Max Range battery in the AT4 trim. It has an NACS Tesla Supercharger-style port, allowing you to add up to 120 miles of range in 10 minutes at the fastest Level DC charging stations due to its 800-volt electrical system, or a 10 to 80 percent charge in about 40 minutes. At home it can it can gain 25 to 35 miles of range per hour at a maximum rate of 19.2 kW, assuming you have an 80-amp Level 2 charger.

The result is a real truck with real range. We saw 466 miles of estimated range with a 96% charge. GMC saysits rated for 478 miles with a full charge. After 217 miles of highway and suburban driving, with full regen braking, we still had 49% of the battery left, and an estimated 237 miles of displayed range. This full-size EV truck came close (20 miles) to delivering the real range it promised. We never needed to charge it – and averaged 2.1 miles per kWh. No range anxiety here. That’s not too bad for a pickup truck that happens to be an EV. It can tow more than 12,000 pounds, and retain usable range, we are told.

There are four drive modes – Normal, Off-Road, Tow-Haul and My Mode, accessible via the main screen menu display’s Drive Modes icon. My Mode lets you customize steering, accelerator feel and motor sound, from Normal to Sport.

Oh yes – there’s a Thors Hammer icon on that screen, unleashing all 760-hp. And you can also change your one-pedal regen braking reaction from Normal, to High, or off.

We spent most of our test drive in Normal mode. It’s very responsive, with an immediate launch and 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. Tap Thor’s Hammer – the icon pulses with rippling sound effects – and the Sierra EV launched hard to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, no drama, no wheelspin. In that mode, motor noise was amplified, a great turbine-like motor noise, while steering really tightens up.

And here’s the fun part. There’s no Sport drive mode, but tap in My Mode, then adjust its settings – Sport steering, Adrenaline in the Acceleration setting, and Sport for motor sound. Tap Thor’s Hammer – this EV rears up and launches, all wheels grabbing, to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds with no drama. There was no diminution of launch torque, or much range loss when we did a succession of quick launches. And acceleration from a stoplight, or to pass, was great due to instant EV torque that stayed online through legal speed.

Chevy Silverado Trail Boss EV Video Road Test (story continues below)

For comparison, the Silverado Trail Boss EV we tested recently hit 60 mph in a quick 5.5 seconds in Normal; MyMode with sport selected did 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. In maximum power mode, 60 mph came in 4 seconds flat.

Our test truck’s fully independent coil suspension with a hydraulic rebound control smooths out rough pavement. Our ride was quite plush yet controlled, probably helped by the weight of the battery pack. Add in tall Goodyear sidewalls and this truck swallowed speed bumps with a one after-bounce. Regen braking allows you to basically “downshift brake” into turns, where this big truck was neutral with a tad of body roll in suburban cornering. Push harder and there’s some understeer, like most pickups.

Like the Silverado Trail Boss we just tested, there’s four-wheel steering. The rear wheels turn a bit opposite from the fronts to tighten turns. We did a U-turn in my neighborhood that a regular gas Sierra can’t handle. There’s also “CrabWalk” – front and rear tires turn the same way to sidestep stuff – novel, with grins from those who saw it.

The 8,844-lb. GMC’s 14.5-inch front/13.5-inch rear disc brakes had a solid pedal feel and decent stopping power with some nose dive at full stop. In daily driving, one-pedal regen invoked right as you let off the accelerator. It was a bit abrupt until I figured it out, then finessing it is easy, to stop this Sierra EV where you want.

Then we tried this 4-ton EV, with its all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, 2-inch off-road lift and underbody protection, on bumpy, dusty Florida woodland roads. Using Terrain mode, which turns off traction control, backs off throttle input and mimics a gas truck’s low range, its easily handled ruts and sandy verges. There was no wheelspin under acceleration.

Super Cruise (included in AT4) easily handled autonomous driving on federal and some state highways, staying on and maintaining lanes hands-free. Unlike some other hands-free systems, this one will only change lanes if you tap the stalk. This is also a very quiet truck, nothing other than a hint of wind and tire noise at highway speed.

And after pitting classic and new GMC nose-to-nose, what did the Brewers think of Pa2unia’s great-great? They loved the shape, technology like its crab-walk and rear-steer, and the EV range. But Pa2unia, as Diane’s pride and joy, is still the GMC to have, they say.

The 2026 GMC Sierra EV Elevation with EPA-estimated 283-mile standard battery, starts at $64,995. Our AT4 Max Range starts at $89,600, with the $2,250 folding bed cover – final price of $93,545; a few bucks less than the Silverado EV Trail Boss we just tested with similar gear.

Bottom line: The range, power, relative agility and room for everything makes this a real choice for a real EV truck – and it looks cool, even next to Pa2unia.

2026 GMC Sierra AT4 EV Max Range Specifications

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

Base price – $89,600 ($93,545 as tested)

Powertrain type – dual-motor w/electronic 4WD and torque vectoring, and 205 kWh battery pack

Horsepower (net) – 760

Torque – 775

Transmission – 1-speed transmission

Wheelbase – 145.7 inches

Overall length – 233 inches

Overall width – 83.8 inches w/o mirrors

Height – 78.2 inches

Front headroom – 43.9 inches

Front leg room – 44.8 inches

Rear headroom – 38.7 inches

Rear legroom – 44.3 inches

Cargo bed – 5-foot, 11-inches/57.5 cu. ft. volume

Payload/towing – up to 2,100 pounds/12,500 pounds

Weight – 8,844 lbs.

Range – 478 miles (GM-estimated w/Max Range battery)

The post GMC Sierra AT4 EV Goes The Distance appeared first on EV Rider.