2026 Volkswagen Golf GTI S

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For those who like to drive with spirit—but who also have a daily life

By Gary S. Vasilash

Earlier this year Volkswagen of America, which relaunched its “Drivers Wanted” marketing campaign, held a contest to win various items of VW swag. . .and, for the grand prize, a 2026 Golf GTI Autobahn.

Here’s the thing.

VW has been making a concerted effort of late to provide an array of crossovers to the U.S. market. There are the Atlas and the Atlas Cross Sport. The Taos and the Tiguan. The ID.4 and the ID.Buzz (yes, this last one is a minivan, but VW categorizes it as an SUV, so. . .).

This makes a whole lot of sense because let’s face it, American consumers just like that architecture so they buy lots and lots and lots of crossovers.

So VW Marketing has been putting a particular focus on those vehicles (e.g., some of the TV spots for the new Tiguan are really well done and that work has probably had more than a little something to do with the fact that in Q1 2026 Tiguan sales were up 55.2% compared with the period a year earlier.

Another thing that VW Marketing had been doing was touting the EVs on offer, the ID.4 and the ID.Buzz. Those efforts have been put on the shelf, it seems, for now, because, well, there is exceedingly diminished interest in electric vehicles at the moment, even though they continue to receive outsized media (paid and otherwise) attention.

But the thing is, when it comes to the notion of “Drivers Wanted”—which really ought to be “Drivers Wanted,” with huge emphasis on the driving, none of the aforementioned vehicles are really Drivers vehicles.

The crossovers are pretty much predicated on the packaging.

The EVs on the propulsion system requiring no gasoline.

This is not Driving.

(Yes, yes, the ride and handling of all of the above are certainly factors. But carving a turn is not the sort of thing someone is even going to think about in an ID.Buzz.)

Driving is what you do in a GTI.

VW Golf GTI. Looks quick. Is quick. (Image: Volkswagen of America)

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The 2026 Golf GTI is the eight generation of the model, so there is considerable experience behind it.

The Golf GTI has been available in Germany since mid-1976. It became available in the US in late-1982. . .but as the “Rabbit GTI,” because that was what the hatch was called in the US at the time. (And perhaps even more extraordinary, the vehicle was built at VW’s first US assembly plant, in Westmoreland, PA. (The plant opened in 1978 and closed 10 years later.) The Golf GTI name was applied in the US in 1985.

The eighth-gen has been available in the US since model year 2022, but the vehicle got a facelift for model year 2025.

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The vehicle is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, designated the EA888 evo4. It produces 241 hp at 5,000 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque.

The “4” in the engine designation means that this is the fourth-generation EA888. (It could mean that it is a four-cylinder engine. But it doesn’t mean that.)

To given an indication of how there were significant efforts made to improve the evo4 versus its predecessor: the evo4 uses a high-pressure direct-fuel-injection system that puts the gas where it needs to go at 5,076 psi. The previous generation a mere 2,900 psi. (And to be fair to it: generally when you’re talking direct-injection systems the average fuel pressure is from 1,500 psi to 3,000 psi, so at 2,900 psi, it is at the high end.)

One feature of the GTI powertrain that may make some people think “Driver, my foot,” is that there is no third pedal. (And know that the pedals in the GTI are performance-appearing metal.)

That’s right: it isn’t a manual.

Rather, it has a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic with Tiptronic (with the last bit meaning you can use steering-wheel pedals to shift—but trust me: the transmission probably knows what it is doing more than you know about the appropriate gear to be in under given conditions).

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Now there are other compact hot hatches out there.

But there is one characteristic of the Golf GTI that is different than what you’ll often find, which is a chassis that is rather robust. This is a consequence of the use of high-strength, hot-formed steel. The steel is so strong that in order to form it it has to be heated up first or the dies will break if someone attempts to stamp it. After it is stamped and cooled, it reverts back to its very-strong state. Even ultra-high-strength steel is used for the chassis. Why is any of this important? When you want a substantive chassis when you’re driving hard.

There are other things done to make this a solid vehicle, like using two solid-mounted subframes. And the use of laser welding in some areas rather than the conventional spot welding (the laser provides more precise positioning of the welds and allows linear welds were needed rather than a series of spots separated by gaps).

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Inside the S trim there is something that is completely throwback in the otherwise completely contemporary car. (Yes, yes, there are things like a 12.9-inch color touchscreen infotainment system (called the Discover Pro MIB3) and a 10.25-inch configurable driver gauge screen (called the Digital Cockpit Pro). (You’ve sometimes got to wonder about VW and its naming regime.)

The front sports seats are trimmed with a grey and black tartan plaid pattern, a nod to heritage that GTI enthusiasts will appreciate and first-timers will find to be a look that is different than can what can be found in the interiors of other vehicles. (Like the other vehicles there is an abundance of the use of red on the interior for trim bits and bobs, including the stitching.)

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OK. It looks quick. It is quick (Car and Driver went 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds).

But as sporty as you may be, sometimes there are other people and stuff to take along for the ride.

Yes, “Drivers Wanted.”

But even Drivers need some additional space (unless they have sufficient funds to have a sporty car and a utile vehicle, and speaking of funds, the starting MSRP for the S trim is $34,590).

While it is said to seat five, let’s be realistic and call it four. Open the hatch and there is 19.9 cubic feet of cargo capacity, which is useful. And if you really need some additional usefulness and don’t need to put people in the rear seat, you can fold it and get 34.5 cubic feet of space for stuff.

Stuff and speed.

Imagine.

Toyota Studies Crashes. . .

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. . .so maybe you won’t have to experience the consequences

By Gary S. Vasilash

An adult human head weighs an average 4.5 kg.

A child, 3.5 kg.

Clearly something that you’re unlikely to know.

But some of the researchers at the Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) in Saline, Michigan know that and a whole lot more about the human body, particularly the human body in relation to motor vehicles, whether that body is on the outside of a vehicle at speed or inside one.

Yes, the CSRC researchers are all about determining the consequences of accidents as well as doing research on preventing accidents, be it by assuring that drivers pay attention to their task or by creating infrastructure that can alert drivers to potential hazards ahead.

Toyota established CSRC in 2011 and through FY 2027 will have invested $115 million in the operation.

Inside the Toyota CSRC. (Image: Toyota)

One interesting aspect of the approach taken is found in the first word of the name of the outfit: Collaborative.

CSRC works hand-in-hand with universities and research institutions to carry out the investigations, some of which it has long-term relationships with (e.g., it has been working with the University of Virginia (UVA) for 15 years).

As Jeff Makarewicz, Toyota Motor North America Group Vice President, R&D, put it: “CSRC was built on the idea that the best safety research happens when you invest in relationships over time, with the best institutions, the best researchers, and a shared commitment to publishing what you find.”

Yesterday (June 2) it announced 10 new research projects—including three with UVA:

  • “Virtual testing sensitivity to human model body updates”
  • “Foot posture and implication for ankle injury risk prediction”
  • “Lumbar spine injury prediction with crash test dummies”

The other seven range from “Adapative interfaces for increasing ADAS adoption” with MIT to “Naturalistic vulnerable road user detection with Micro-Doppler Radar” with Purdue.

One of the things that Toyota researchers have developed for this research is THUMS—the Total Human Model for Safety. This is a virtual crash-test dummy. It recently released version 7 of THUMS, which includes greater fidelity to things including the spine and the small intestine.

(Let’s face it: thinking about a motor vehicle accident in relation to the small intestine may be more disturbing than the average weight of a head.)

Not only does Toyota make THUMS freely available to whoever wants to use it, the research performed by CSRC and its research partners is also open.

There is an interesting knock-on effect of CSRC.

Dr. Zhaonan Sun did his Ph.D. work at UVA: he was a graduate research assistant at its Center for Applied Biomechanics, supervised by Dr. Jason R. Kerrigan. That center is the largest injury biomechanics research center in the world.

Sun is now a principal scientist at CSRC. Consequently, given the collaborative research model he is working with Kerrigan and other former UVA colleagues on safety-focused research.

So not only does CSRC contribute to the knowledge base that can lead to safer vehicles, but also to helping develop more people who can carry on that work.

You spend some time learning about lap belt interaction with the pelvis in frontal crashes (work Sun performed) and the effect of subcutaneous adipose tissue (a.k.a., “fat”) and you quickly know that safe driving isn’t just something to think about, but something to do.

And when you see a demonstration of a head model being propelled into the hood of a Toyota Sienna minivan by a large electrohydraulic device you also know that being a watchful pedestrian is a good thing to be.

Should You Need to Run the Nürburgring. . .

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. . .Toyota has a car for you

By Gary S. Vasilash

The just-introduced Toyota GRMN Corolla can, according to the company, handle hot laps at the Nürburgring.

It has two seats.

So given where it can run and given the limitation in the number of passengers it can handle, odds are it won’t become a daily driver to take the kids to school or make Costco runs. As it is going to be available in an unspecified low quantity, that may not be an issue.

(Image: Toyota)

One interesting aspect of the GRMN Corolla is that its 300-hp, three-cylinder 1.6-liter engine was tuned taking cues from the hydrogen-powered engine that Toyota runs in a GR Corolla in the Super Taikyu Series.

To make it light, not only was the rear seat eliminated, but extensive use of carbon fiber was used. As in:

  • Hood
  • Front fenders
  • Front side spoilers
  • Rear wing

And the Carbon Section at the Toyota Motomachi Plant produced carbon fiber ornamentation for the instrument panel.

Speaking of the instrument panel, the pad surface features Morizo’s—a.k.a., Akio Toyoda’s—signature. As the chairman of Toyota Motor Corp.—and Master Driver—he’s the guy who can greenlight vehicles like the GRMN Corolla.

When you like to drive fast and you’re name is on the building that is the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, why not?*

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*Yes, the company name is spelled “Toyota” and the family name “Toyoda,” but that was a business decision made back in 1936.

On the Ferrari Luce Design

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Something entirely different—especially on the inside

By Gary S. Vasilash

What’s interesting about the Ferrari Luce, the first-ever five-seat Ferrari as it is (1) based on an all-new platform and (2) happens to be an electric vehicle (according to Ferrari, its conventional setup with a front-mid engine and a rear gearbox doesn’t allow that center rear seating position), is that it doesn’t look like a Ferrari.

Ferrari Luce. (Image: Ferrari)

Which is probably a good thing for a new generation of buyers who don’t even remember the reboot of Magnum PI, to say nothing of the original.

The primary reason why it looks un-Maranello is because it wasn’t designed in the Ferrari Design Studio but by LoveFrom, “a creative collective of designers, architects musicians, film makers, writers, engineers and artists.”

Which was established by Sir Jony Ive of Apple fame. Who has been joined by Marc Newson, who has designed everything from furniture to table wear to the Ford 021C concept car of 1999 which, incidentally, he designed at the Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, Italy.

Ford 021C concept (Image: Marc Newson Studios)

Small world. (Maranello is about 190 miles from Turin.)

Ive may have developed a car, too, the one that Apple worked on, but at the moment that’s not apparent to the outside world.

In the description of the 021C proffered by Newson’s studio it says:

“The car interior is a primary focus, relating strongly to Marc’s signature furniture designs.”

And arguably the interior of the Luce says “This wasn’t designed by typical automotive interior designers” far more forcefully than the exterior says “This wasn’t designed. . . .”

There are mechanical buttons. Dials. Toggles. Switches. Aluminum. Gorilla Glass (a nod to the iPhone?).

An interior designed for physical engagement. (Image: Ferrari)

The analog clock looks remarkably like the classic Braun alarm.

Yes, yes, there is digital tech, too.

But the interior design is something that the driver tactually engages with.

And that is what I think Ive brings to it. He knows there is a difference between staring at a screen and directing a vehicle with a reported 0 to 100 km/h time of 2.5 seconds.

That’s the difference between a guy who spent his career designing for the leading consumer digital products company and someone who works in the auto industry and wishes they were in Cupertino.

2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition

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Retro with a smile

By Gary S. Vasilash

This is a car you will likely never buy. Likely not even see outside of pictures:

Corolla Hatchback FX Edition: There aren’t many of these. (Image: Toyota)

That’s because this model is a limited edition.

Severely limited.

As in 1,600 copies of the car produced for sale in the U.S.

Let’s put it this way: If every one of those FX Editions was parked at the Mall of America, there would still be room for 10,700 more vehicles.

This vehicle is a tribute to the 1987 Corolla FX16.

Let’s put that this way: 1987 was the year Fatal Attraction was released, that “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles was number one, that Ronald Reagan urged at the Brandenburg Gate, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

In other words, 1987 probably isn’t remembered by a whole lot of people, so perhaps that limited run of the 2026 FX reflects that outside enthusiasts there probably isn’t a huge market for the car.

But I argue that especially in Inferno body color (above) with the 18-inch gloss white-finished alloy wheels, this vehicle would have the same sort of success with a wide range of people like those who buy the Ford Bronco Sport Heritage in Robin’s Egg Blue with 17-inch Oxford white-painted aluminum wheels. (And to be fair: that trim is a tribute to the Bronco of 1966, the year the number-one song was “The Ballad of the Green Berets” and Thunderball topped the box office (it was the fourth James Bond film. There have been 22 more since.)

The Corolla FX simply has a look about it that evokes a smile, which is a good thing when you’re walking out to your driveway on a dreary morning on the way to work. Yes, a daily drive. But in something that seems like fun.

And a characteristic that is about driving and fun is that although there is a continuously variable transmission (CVTs) mated to the 169-hp 2.0-liter engine, and CVTs don’t have gears per se like an automatic transmission, select “Sport” mode and there are simulated shifts that are fairly convincing. You’re not going to go any faster or be thrown back to the Sport Touring seats with metallic accents and suede inserts, but it is good for effect. A fun effect.

While it is a tribute to 1987, on the inside there is a host of contemporary tech available through the 8-inch multimedia screen, including wireless Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto).

It should be noted that the iPod wasn’t released until 2001.

2026 Mazda Mazda3 2.5 S Premium Hatchback

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An unexpected feature in this particular trim. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

“(a) Rule required.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator and the Federal Communications Commission, shall issue a rule—

(1) requiring devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM broadcast stations be installed as standard equipment in passenger motor vehicles—

(A) manufactured in the United States for sale in the United States, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce; and

(B) manufactured after the effective date of the rule;

(2) requiring access to AM broadcast stations through the devices required under paragraph (1) in a manner that is easily accessible to drivers. . . .”

That is language from S.315 – AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025. The Senate bill, which has  bipartisan support, is still making its molasses-like way through Congress. Some OEMs for reasons ranging from electric vehicles producing electromagnetic interference with AM band reception to car makers figuring that there are few people who listen to AM on radios, so why not reduce costs?

It is probably not a good thing for fans of manual transmissions that there isn’t something like the National Association of Broadcasters lobbying of behalf of the continuation of manuals because they are decreasing.

There are about seven 2026 MY vehicles with stickers under $50,000 that have one.

The 2026 Mazda Mazda 2.5 S Premium is counted among that number.

Another great feature: that superb styling (Image: Mazda)

What’s interesting is that there are six trims in the Mazda3 lineup and this particular model is the only one offering a six-speed manual transmission. (It is also notable that the Mazda3 is the only non-crossover in the Mazda lineup.)

It once was that an argument made on behalf of manuals was that better gas mileage could be achieved. (Funny thing is: that argument was made when gas was really quite cheap, and I don’t mean just in context of the current huge run-up at the pump.)

But in the case of the Mazda3 in question, which is a front-drive car, it is stickered at 25/34/29 city/highway/combined miles per gallon and a Mazda3 with an automatic transmission and the same 186-hp  engine is stickered at 26/34/29 mpg.

Yes, the automatic does a bit better when it comes to squeezing out the mileage.

(“But it is not as much fun to drive!” say the stick enthusiasts. True. But generally driving is if not bumper-to-bumper than traffic signal-to-traffic signal, so the rare moments of fun give way to tedium.)

Not surprisingly, because this is the sportier variant there are things like 18-inch black-finish aluminum alloy wheels and piano black side garnishes.

The front and rear lights are LED and the headlights have an auto-leveling function.

The vehicle is equipped with an “Active Driving Display,” which is generally called a “head up display.” No matter what you call it, it keeps the drivers eyes looking forward, where they should be looking.

The leather driver’s seat is 8-way power adjustable and heated.

And on the subject of seating, the vehicle offers 91.2 cubic feet of passenger volume, biased, of course, to the front passengers, though people can sit in the back.

There is an 8.8-inch color infotainment screen. It uses the large knob for controlling what’s on that screen called the “Multifunction Command Controller” (which is really a bit much for a knob). And on the subject of physical interfaces, the HVAC control is performed via dials, not embedded in the screen.

There is an abundance of safety tech standard including lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, radar cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, rear cross traffic alert, and more.

And there is a Bose 12-speaker premium audio system with aluminum speaker grilles, which add a nice touch to the already nice interior color and materials execution.

While there is a complementary three-month trial for SiriusXM, presumably there are some people who would prefer you listen to AM.

“Get Your Kicks. . . .”

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The intersection of the Rolling Stones, John Steinbeck and postage stamps. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Generationally, there are plenty of people who probably don’t have a great grasp on the notion of physically mailing anything, and if they have to send a package, it is probably one they got through Amazon Prime that they are returning via a Whole Foods Market.

But people in that generation who are music fans, may be familiar with Chuck Berry’s cover of “Route 66.”

(Image: USPS)

Or at the very least the Rolling Stones version that appears on December’s Children (And Everybody’s), released in 1965, 39 years after Route 66 was commemorated.

Older people are familiar with stamps, Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, and for those who also put “auto enthusiast” in their profile, the actual Route 66 to boot.

So it is conceivable that young and old alike may be interested in knowing the U.S. Postal System has released a set of eight stamps commemorating the centennial of Route 66.

Each of the stamps shows a photo of a portion of the road.

David J. Schwartz, who took the photos, said at the ceremony announcing the release of the stamps:

“Route 66 isn’t history behind glass or a velvet rope. It’s living history that people can still step into and become part of. Seeing these photographs travel across the country on U.S. postage stamps is incredibly meaningful to me, because it brings the spirit of the ‘Mother Road’ [coined by novelist John Steinbeck] into millions of homes and hopefully inspires people to experience the road and support the small businesses that keep its story alive.”

If you can’t drive it (the Postal Service says 85% of the original road is still drivable), at least you can get something to acknowledge Route 66 (and perhaps help keep postal trucks running).

2026 Honda Prelude

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The facts and the feelings. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

It is the sixth generation of the nameplate after a 25-year hiatus (2001 to 2026). (People talk about nameplates with pedigree: the first was a model year 1979, or 47 years ago.)

It is a compact coupe.

It is 178.4 inches long, 74 inches wide, 53.4 inches high, and has a 102.6-inch wheelbase.

It rides on 19-inch wheels.

It is a front-wheel drive vehicle.

It is a hybrid.

It is powered by a 2.0-liter Atkinson four-cylinder engine supplemented by a traction motor such that the total system output is 200 hp.

It even drives remarkably well on the types of streets and roads you’re more likely to find yourself on. (Image: Honda)

It has what is known as a “two-motor hybrid system” with the aforementioned traction motor and a generator motor. The generator motor produces electricity for the drive motor.

It weighs 3,261 pounds. This means the power-to-weight ratio is 16.3 lb/hp. That is better than the base fifth-generation Prelude (21.9 lb/hp) but not as good as the fifth-gen Type SH (15.2 lb/hp), but not off by a huge amount.

It doesn’t have a conventional transmission. It has a single fixed-ratio direct-drive clutch system instead. (The clutch comes into play when the engine is operating at higher speeds.)

It offers four drive modes that adjust functions including powertrain response, steering feel, suspension damping, and the graphics on the gauge cluster:

  • Comfort: A smooth powertrain response; light steering; soft dampers
  • GT (the default setting): Stronger powertrain response than previous; more-direct steering feel; firmer dampers than in Comfort
  • Sport: Sharpest throttle response; heavier steering; firm suspension
  • Individual: Select the powertrain, steering, damper, etc. settings

It has an S+ function that is accessed via a button that’s to the right of the gear selector buttons and ahead of the Drive Mode selector on the center console. It simulates a step-gear transmission and allows the driver, through the use of the shift paddles on the steering wheel, to do things like downshift and hold gears even though there aren’t any of those functions physically: it simulates the feeling of an eight-speed very well and supplements engine noises, to boot.

It has a dual-axis strut front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension.

It has Brembo brakes—13.8-inch rotors; four pistons—in the front and rear brakes from the Civic Type R, 12-inch rotors and a single piston sliding caliper. (The suspension is also shared with the Type R, as is the steering system.)

It is a four-passenger car (a.k.a., “2+2 coupe).

It provides a passenger volume of 84.6 cubic feet.

It provides a cargo volume of 15.1 cubic feet.

It is equipped with the Honda Sensing system, which includes an array of driver-assistance and ADAS tech including forward collision warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, and traffic sign recognition.

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Now you know a lot about it.

But you really don’t have a good sense of it.

The first thing to know about the Prelude, which comes as a single spec through there are options that can be added, is that it looks great. The roofline is such that the vehicle appears—even when parked—as though it is going to spring forward.

This vehicle had not only lots of turned heads as I drove by, but comments from complete strangers about it. One guy who came to my front door trying to sell me fertilizer service spent more time telling me how much he loved the look of the Prelude than he did talking nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.

In the current environment the fact that it is EPA rated at 46 city/41 highway/44 mpg combined—and those numbers are right on with what I experienced—is certainly a consideration for someone.

One of the things I think is important is not how any given vehicle drives in some ideal setting but on the everyday roads, including freeways. Sometimes smaller, sportier vehicles can make one feel like they’re going to be crushed like a bug by all of the full-size pickups and SUVs that are on the streets. This can be particularly disturbing when on freeways. But the Prelude comported itself just fine, whether it was on the potholed surface streets of southeastern Michigan or the autobahns freeways of the area.

While it could be an everyday driver, it strikes me that given its comparatively limited human and cargo capacities, it is more likely to be something of a weekend car.

The base MSRP is $42,000, which puts it well below the average transaction price for vehicles right now, but ahead of the starting price of a 2026 Accord Touring Hybrid ($39,495). While that is certainly not an apples-to-apples comparison, it sure does make that Accord look like a great deal even though it has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the Prelude (17.6 lb/hp) and probably won’t get as many positive comments from strangers.

2026 Hyundai Tucson PHEV Limited AWD

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Why you might take advantage of a compelling package. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Earlier in my career I needed to get a new job.

There was, it seemed to me, a hitch: The unemployment rate at the time was quite high.

I figured there were few jobs and plenty of people looking for them.

Consequently, I thought, the odds would be stacked against me for finding a job.

When I explained that idea to someone smarter than me, she simply replied:

“You only need to find one job.”

The number of unemployed was irrelevant. The number of people who were looking for work didn’t matter.

It came down to me.

(I eventually found one.)

What, you might wonder, does this have to do with the 2026 Hyundai Tucson PHEV Limited AWD?

Well, it’s this: Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are knocked more than they are lauded.

Just as there were those—mainly in office buildings in southeastern Michigan—who used to harumph about plain, unpluggable hybrids as being too expensive or too complicated or too much for them to handle (though they didn’t say the last one out loud), there are those and then some who are critical about PHEVs because not only do they have all of the issues of the regular hybrids, but they have an additional battery and attendant electronics, too.

Holy moly!

But it isn’t about them. It is about the customer.

(Notice how Toyota managed to sell, one by one, far more hybrids than the others have sold anything other than full-size pickups.)

And then there are those who criticize PHEVs because not only do they have that “complicated” propulsion system (i.e., engine and electric motor) but they have a bigger hybrid battery (they still have the same 12-v that’s found in all manner of vehicles, too).

That’s apparently a bridge too far.

But then there’s another smack on PHEVs.

It is that plenty of people don’t plug them in.

Consequently, they operate just like a “regular” hybrid.

This brings me back to the singular nature of some things.

I needed a job.

You could buy a PHEV. Say a Tucson PHEV.

The 2026 Hyundai Tucson PHEV: features a plug and a gas tank—the best of both worlds. (Image: Hyundai)

You could plug in to a common 120-v outlet when you got home from work.

About 12 hours later the 13.8-kW lithium battery would be charged.

You would then be able to drive your Tucson for about 32 miles on electricity alone.

No gas.

Lots of other people might not do that.

But you certainly could.

Consider: otherwise the vehicle is just sitting in your garage or driveway. (If you live in an apartment this might not be so easy, but if your apartment complex provides Level 2 chargers, your Tucson PHEV can be regularly plugged in and fully charged there in just two hours.)

Cleverly, however, you would be taking advantage of that 13.8-kW battery.

And conceivably (depending on commute) drive to work and back the next day without a drop of gas.

The battery would drive the 72-kW (a.k.a., 97-hp) electric motor, which is sufficient for normal driving.

And when there’s insufficient energy to do that solo, then the gas engine (a 178-hp, 1.6-liter, turbocharged four) joins in. This provides a system horsepower is 268 hp. A solid number for a compact crossover.

You would have a compelling package.

2026 Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Ultra

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Yes, an SUV. But one that seems like a wagon—in a good way.

By Gary S. Vasilash

There are certain things that have long been true about automotive journalists, and if they are not true, they are sufficiently well-repeated such that they might as well be.

For example, there is a tendency for them to love diesels, not because any particular positive feelings toward particulates, but because of the low-end torque compression ignition provides. I remember talking to one car critic for a major newspaper (yes, there used to be several) right after the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal broke and he said that he thought it was outrageous that there should be any penalties because he thought the performance of a diesel-powered vehicle was the most important aspect of things. (“Umm, you don’t think there is a problem with VW having covered up the spew that was coming out of tailpipes,” I asked. “No,” he replied. “You just gotta drive one.” “Erm. . . .”)

Then, of course, there is the auto journo love of manual transmissions. The engagement of driving a vehicle with a manual can be exhilarating—assuming you’re driving on a nice, empty, twisty bit of road with no police in the vicinity. But drive in rush hour traffic in a major metro and you can feel the muscle in your left calf growing as you deal with the clutch. But hey, being an auto journalist often means not working the 9 to 5, so things like rush hours can be given a swerve.

And then there is the deep affection for the station wagon. Now the Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Ultra isn’t a station wagon per se. Volvo has the V60 that is a wagon, but it is reportedly going out of availability in the U.S. But the XC60, while officially described as a midsize SUV, really looks like a wagon. Really. I had an OEM product planner see the XC60 in a parking lot and say to me, “I see you’re driving a wagon.” He said it with such admiration that I could sense a potential in him to become an automotive journalist.

When you take the 2026 Volvo XC60 T8 AWD Ultra out for a long drive, the four-way power lumbar front seats surely make it a pleasurable one. (Image: Volvo)

While the vehicle isn’t a wagon, it sure drives like one, by which I mean that most SUVs, because of the way they are architected, generally lack a feeling of litheness. They can be small, medium or large and powerful, but no matter the size, there still tends to be a certain sense of bulk associated with them.

And in the best possible way the XC60 feels like a car—something that too many people have forgotten the sensation of—and I mean a really good car.

And a peppy one at that, because this also happens to be a plug-in hybrid, which not only means that it can drive purely on electricity for up to 35 miles before the 2.0-liter turbocharged four has to kick in, but that the electric motor that supplements the engine helps provide a system output of 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque.

It offers AWD and a smooth eight-speed automatic.

Even a diesel enthusiast should be impressed by the throttle response of a vehicle that can comfortably seat five (OK, there isn’t a middle position in any vehicle on Earth that some is going to call as theirs) and provides cargo capacity of 17.8 cubic feet with the rear seatback up or 63.3 cubic feet when it is folded. (Compared to the non-hybrid XC60 there is a sacrifice of space. However, the non-hybrid gets 26 mpg combined and the T8 Recharge 28 mpg on gas alone as well as the 63 MPGe for those who are diligent in plugging it in in order to get the full advantage of electric-only driving, so that space isn’t given up in vain.)

Of course, Volvo offers a superlative Scandinavian sense to its interiors. In this case the vehicle features a material called “Nordico” for its seats, which seems just like leather but “blends recycled materials and bio-attributed pine resin sourced from sustainably managed forests.” It looks good while doing good.

Of course there is an 11.2-inch infotainment screen for a system with Google-built in, which simply means things like Google Maps, Assistant, and Play Store are “native” to the vehicle’s operating system—but in this case you can use Apple CarPlay, too. There are also a 12.3-inch driver display (a.k.a., gauge cluster) and a head up display to keep your eyes up and forward looking. And in this top-of-the-line trim package there is a top-of-the-line Harmon Karman audio system. A final truism about automotive journalists: they infrequently buy new cars. If they were to get this one it would set them back some $75,000.