2026 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited

Posted on by

Get one of these and you’ll be living a valid old saying thanks to contemporary tech

By Gary S. Vasilash

While there are some old sayings that are no longer relevant—like “A penny saved is a penny earned,” now that pennies are no longer being made (and just what the heck did that actually mean? After all, you need to earn the penny before you can save it, so isn’t the old saying putting the cart before the horse?)—there is one that stands the test of time:

“Time Is Money”

This is something that people who make an hourly wage know all too well. Each minute that ticks by is a little more on the financial front.

While salaried employees don’t seem to be measured that way, when you get right down to it, (1) salaried employees are generally expected to work a minimum-but-defined number of hours a week and (2) vacation periods are generally an established number of days, so it gets back to the coordination of time and earnings.

So while the whole penny business is rather confusing vis-à-vis savings, people can readily understand that reducing the number of even minutes doing tedious tasks is advantageous. By minimizing those tedious minutes helps increase the amount of time that can be spent doing more enjoyable things.

One of the things that probably isn’t particularly enjoyable for most people is going to the gas station to refuel one’s vehicle. Generally it is locationally convenient, given the widespread availability of pumps throughout the land. But it is something that one has to make a time-based detour to get to (i.e., odds are it is not a destination, although some facilities, like the legendary Buc-ees, very well may be).

Which (finally) gets me to the 2026 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited.

You can drive and drive. And then drive some more. (Image: Hyundai)

While driving it around town—urban roads, residential streets, freeways—I noted the vehicle was propelling me while using just 49.4 miles per gallon. That’s a smidge less than the EPA combined number of 50 mpg (49 city/52 highway). While I am confident that had I been concerned with eking out that number I could have done so easily.

The vehicle has a 11-gallon tank. So if I drove it so that I’d leave a gallon in the tank just in case, that means I could drive 494 miles without having to stop to refuel it. (If I was driving a steady 60 mpg, it would take 8 hours and 14 minutes to go that distance, so I could certainly need to make at the very least one stop for, well, you know.)

Now when it is necessary to go to a gas station to refuel the Elantra Hybrid, it is a process that takes literally a matter of minutes. Most fuel pumps at gas stations operate at from 6 to 10 gallons per minute (gpm). Let’s call it 8 gpm.

So once the nozzle is in the fuel filler neck, to get 10 gallons in takes one minute, 15 seconds.

Of course, there are other activities that add to the time, like having one’s credit card read and bringing the nozzle to the vehicle and putting the nozzle back on the pump and so on. But still, it is likely to be under five minutes even for someone who has to go riffling through their purse or wallet to find a credit card.

Under five minutes to get a comfortable range of 494 miles.

Now admittedly one has to pay more for an Elantra Hybrid than an Elantra non-hybrid.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited starts at $30,000.

The Elantra non-hybrid Limited starts at $27,375.

The non-hybrid has a mileage rating of 34 mpg combined. It has a 147-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The Hybrid has a system output (the 1.6-liter engine combined with a permanent magnet synchronous motor) of 139 hp.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited is an amazing value, even if Time Isn’t Money (but it is).

2026 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD Ultra

Posted on by

Get a wagon for driving ease and capacity. And your neighbors won’t have one

By Gary S. Vasilash

Attention all of you who may be considering a midsize crossover just like everyone up and down your street is or has, assuming they haven’t bought a pickup truck. (Or maybe they are considering that crossover because let’s face it, full-size pickup trucks aren’t the most efficient things to use to make a quick run up to Kroger for some milk. That is, let’s take a 2026 Ford F-150 with a 2.7-liter V6. It returns 20 mpg city/highway combined, but 18 mpg city. When short trips—as in under five miles—are taken in any vehicle with a combustion-only engine, the fact the engine never really comes to optimal temperature and other factors, there is a reduction in fuel efficiency of 20 to 25%. So let’s take the low end of that. 18 mpg becomes 13.5 mpg. Not a particularly good number when gas is >$4.00. Don’t get me wrong: the F-150 is a great truck, but as the old saying goes, there are horses for courses.)

Rather than said crossover, why not consider (deep breath) a station wagon?

Yes, like the Volvo V60.

The Volvo V60 Cross Country. Functional and rare. (Images: Volvo)

But you’re going to need to act quick because the V60 is out of production for the North American market as of April of this year.

It will continue to exist in other markets.

So here’s some pure speculation: The other markets value maneuverability more than American drivers do—or think they do.

Yes, midsize crossovers are more maneuverable than full-size (or even midsize, in many instances) pickups.

But get into a V60 and take it for a quick spin and unless you typically drive sedans, you’ll be surprised at the level of control you have over where this vehicle goes. And if you spent your entire driving-life in a crossover of some type, you’ll be surprised at what this feels like.

Oh, but wait, you think. You want utility, and you know that crossovers are in some ways analogous to sport utility vehicles.

Well, the V60 provides 51 cubic feet of cargo volume with the second row folded and 22 cubic feet with the seatback up. There’s your utility for when you go the grocery for a major shop.

But then you think you need to have capability that exceeds what regular vehicles can provide, in the event, say, that you might find yourself on a gravel road. (Let’s face it: unless you’re going rock crawling and require a Wrangler or a Bronco or something, that capability isn’t all that challenging to obtain.)

This is why the V60 comes in two flavors, one straight up and one Cross Country.

What does that mean? Well, the Cross Country has more ground clearance—8.1 inches vs. 5.9 inches—and it has body cladding around the wheel arches and bumpers to accommodate impacts with errant pebbles.

In addition to which, the Cross Country has standard all-wheel drive.

Which is pretty much what you need.

The V60 is powered by a turbocharged 277-hp four-cylinder engine that is mated to an eight-speed automatic. It is rated at 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway/26 mpg combined. (It is a mild hybrid, which essentially means there is some energy put in a battery during braking that is then used for propulsion. Some.)

The four-door has a sumptuous-but-functional interior, with those seemingly at-odds descriptors being evident in seats that are trimmed with Nappa leather and engineered to be orthopedic. There is a Bowers & Wilkens audio system with an aluminum-dome acoustic tweeter on the top of the leather-clad instrument panel.

The 9-inch diagonal center touchscreen seems a bit small. But there is a 12.3-inch diagonal driver information screen (a.k.a., “gauge cluster”) so if you are driving and have Google Maps directing you to a destination, you can see it right in it.  There is Google built-in (meaning native smartphone-free Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store), but there is wireless Apple CarPlay, too.

The map is displayed in the gauge clustser.

But to go back to the top: this vehicle is going away and even if it wasn’t, it would be unusual to spot on the road: in 2025 there were 3,886 V60s—all but 30 Cross Countrys—sold in the U.S.

2026 Lexus ES 500e Luxury

Posted on by

The ES sedan has come a long way since it was unveiled on a snowy day in Detroit in 1989. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The first-generation Lexus ES, the first-generation Lexus LS, and Lexus itself were all introduced in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show in January 1989.

The ES back then was the ES 250. It was positioned as something of an executive sedan (ES, get it?), which was more affordable than the LS 400. (Let’s face it: if you were a dealer back then for a brand-new brand, you undoubtedly wanted something that you could possibly get more volume with: the LS 400 had a base price of $35,000 and the ES 250 $21,050—remember, these are 1989 prices.)

The original ES, the 250. It helped Lexus become Lexus. (Images: Lexus)

As time has gone on, the sales of the ES in the US market has been on the order of 1.4 million units while the LS number is about 450,000.

(Model year 2026 is the last for the LS in the US market.)

Clearly, from a volume point of view the ES has been the more popular sedan of the two vehicles, both in the US and globally.

And Now It’s New

The 2026 Lexus ES is all-new.

But it wasn’t introduced in Detroit.

Rather, at the 2025 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

Times change.

And here’s the one for today: the ES 500e. Quite a change.

And while the first ES had a V6 engine, the ES is now available as either a hybrid (no surprise there) or as an electric vehicle (surprise there).

While that early ES produced 156 hp, the 500e is the most-powerful ES, with a total system horsepower—there are electric motors on both the front and rear axles—of 338, more than double the horsepower of the original ES.

Of course, to be fair to the first ES, the 500e has a starting price of $51,895, which is more than twice the price of the original, so that 156 hp is certainly respectable.

Beyond the “Spindle Grille”

The controversial Lexus “spindle grille” was introduced in production on the 2012 GS sedan.

The 2026 ES has a “spindle body,” according to Lexus International Chief Designer Yahiko Kumai.

Said another way: compared to all previous generations of the ES, this is the greatest step-change of all. And perhaps this change has something to do with the fact that the ES is only available as an electrified vehicle.

Kumai said the design, based on the concept “Clean Tech x Elegance,” was executed by starting from a “super-ideal” design, then working to make it something that could be produced, rather than starting with the existing product and modifying it to make it new.

Bigger. Of Course.

Dimensionally it is bigger than the ES that preceded this, the eighth gen of the sedan. It is 202.4 inches long, 75.6 inches wide, 61.2 inches high, and has a 116.1-inch wheel base.

A big change is in the height: from 56.9 inches in the last generation to the current 61.2 inches.

In order to provide a look that is long and clean, the body side features a black molding that runs from the bottom of the character line on the front door to meet the rocker at the back of the rear door.

From the front to the rear, the whole execution has an appearance of an of-the-moment sport sedan, which takes the sporty appearance of the seventh generation and turns it up to 11.

Some of The Tech

While many EVs have flush door handles that pop out when necessary for aerodynamic reasons, the ES features a pocket-style exterior door handle. You stick your hand in and then depress a pad to actuate the door release. This might be problematic for people with long finger nails (as would be the interior door release, a design that is used on other Lexus models).

On the interior more remarkable than the horizontally oriented 14-inch infotainment screen is the use of touch-capacitive “buttons” on a trim piece that runs below the screen and to either side of the cabin. So it is functional and decorative. These control the HVAC settings as well as seat settings. There are additional touch-capacitive buttons on the steering wheel. Perhaps as a nod to actual tactility, there is a knurled roller knob for adjusting audio volume.

The gauge cluster is a crisp 12.3-inch screen with an anti-glare surface. The information pops. And when driving a head-up display allows eyes-always-forward driving: the speed you’re traveling is right there.

(One of the things you should know about EVs is that because there is no traditional engine and transmission it is very quiet. One thing about the traditional setup is that the engine and transmission both make noises that give you a sense of how fast you’re going. You don’t have that with an EV, so you may suddenly realize you are going too fast. The head-up display might save you from a speeding ticket.)

The ES is the first in the Lexus lineup with Lexus Safety System+ 4.0, which includes features such as front pre-collision with pedestrian detection, risk avoidance emergency steer assist, intersection turn assist, and much more.

One of the things that strikes me as underwhelming about the ES 500e is its range: 276 miles. NACS charging capability notwithstanding, that is, at the very least, about 24 miles below what its minimum ought to be. (And really, for a Lexus, a 300-mile range might even be a bit too short. After all, it is a Lexus.)

Some EV Numbers

Posted on by

A key reason why used may be more appealing. . .

The fact there are leased EVs coming back and ending up in dealer lots in some number and so being less expensive by far than when they were new is indisputable.

According to the June “EV Market Monitor” from Cox Automotive, used EV sales are up 20.3% compared to what they were a year ago, undoubtedly reflecting the influx of vehicles.

And when it comes to pricing, the average listing price for a used EV in June was $38,342, which is actually up 7% compared to last year but still just $3,382 higher than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine—which listed at $34,960.

But looking at the new market, the average transaction price for an EV in June was $56,238 while the ATP for an ICE+ vehicle (the “+” signifies “hybrid”) was $49,558, or $6,680 less than the new EV.

So in the used space the EV is 9.7% more expensive but in the new space it is 13.5% more expensive than an ICE+ vehicle. And that is likely a price too far.

A data point for that is this: Director of Industry Insights for Cox Automotive Stephanie Valdez Streaty reports that the EV share of the new vehicle market in June was 5.4%.

Ain’t great.

2026 Toyota C-HR XSE

Posted on by

This time, all-electric

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Toyota C-HR was first available in the US in early 2018, imported from a place that you probably don’t associate with vehicles, be they subcompact crossovers or anything else for that matter: Turkey. But Toyota Motor Manufacturing Türkiye built the C-HR for the US. (And a completely unrelated vehicle had been built for the US market prior to the C-HR: the Ford Transit connect was produced in the Ford Otosan plant from 2010 to 2013.)

The first-gen C-HR was a quirky-looking model that was in the US market until late 2022. It went away for three years. The first-gen is powered by a 2-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 144 hp and 139 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to a continuously variable transmission.

But Toyota added the Corolla Cross to its lineup, which proved to be more popular. That is, in 2021 the company sold 35,707 C-HRs in the US and 7,203 Corolla Crosses (as it was its launch year). In 2022 C-HR sales were down to 12,141 units and the Corolla Cross was up to 56,666.

So rather than hanging on (something that seems to be the case when it comes to many OEMs that have a vehicle that is starting its slide: they tart it up with some unfunctional bits, such as embossed headrests, and ride it out), they removed the C-HR from the US market (it continued in other global markets) until model year 2026.

And Now This

But this time, the quirky style has given way to a look that says, “Yes, we are more than a quarter of the way through the 21st century” and replaced the rather underwhelming engine/transmission combo with an electric propulsion system that produces 338 hp.

Arguably more for performance in terms of quickness (0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds) than in terms of “Hey, let’s go climb some rocks,” the C-HR comes standard with all-wheel drive.

Toyota C-HR: an exotic exterior, not quirky. (Image: Toyota)

It is still a compact SUV, having an overall length of 177.9-inches, an overall width of 73.6-inches, a wheelbase of 108.3-inches, and an overall height of 63.8-inches. Ground clearance is 8 inches, just 0.1-inch less than a RAV4. It’s not that ground clearance is much of an issue for either vehicle, but this goes to the point of the C-HR’s “SUV-like appearance.”

Inside Space

There have been many interpretations of what the “C-HR” means. One of them is that the “HR” signifies “High Roof,” which the C-HR certainly has, but in a way that helps provide the interior volume (98.9 cubic feet), not making it appear from the front or rear view as though it will tip over. It also helps with the cargo capacity, which is 37.8 cubic feet with the rear seatback in the upright and locked position and 70.4 cubic feet when folded.

The interior has a minimalist and clean look—and actually is physically minimalist in that there is no glove compartment. Yes, people only wear gloves in the winter and are unlikely to store them there during the other seasons.

But whether it is the proliferation of self-storage facilities or the use of garages for stuff, not vehicles, one thing is certain, which is that people have a tendency to need places to put various and sundry objects in their vehicles, and the center console container—which is cleverly hinged so that the driver can open it so the top goes to the right or the front passenger can open it and the lid goes to the left—simply isn’t sufficient.

Maybe Marie Kondo consulted with the C-HR interior designers.

About the Electrics

In terms of the electric bit, it has a 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery and a NACS charging port. On a fast charger the battery is said to go from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.

It features the SAE-Electric Vehicle Public Key Infrastructure Consortium-developed “Plug & Charge” system, a protocol that means there is no need for multiple charging network apps at most major charging networks (e.g., Electrify America, Tesla Supercharger, IONNA, IONITY, BP Plus, Shell Recharge).

What I would argue is almost-there-but-not-quite is the estimated range of the XSE trim: 273 miles. It is better for the SE trim with 18-inch wheels rather than the XSE’s 20s: 287 miles. I think that 300 miles is the number to offer. According to the J D Power 2026 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study, 73% of vehicle shoppers won’t consider an EV unless it provides “at least 500 miles of range.”

But for the first half of 2026 Toyota delivered 3,748 C-HRs, which is better than the number of Chevrolet Blazer EVs sold during the same period (3,166).

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD

Posted on by

There’s a reason its sales are up while others are going down. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

There are various types of people who are interested in electric vehicles. There are those who simply think the vehicles are cool. There are those who are of an environmental bent and want to drive in something that doesn’t have a tailpipe. There are those who simply want to be on the bandwagon, and although that bandwagon has come to a crawl in the US, it isn’t entirely at a stop, just really slow.

But there is probably a very large cohort of people who might buy an EV but have a sense that EVs are too complicated or too time-consuming when it comes to charging or something else that keeps them in the market for something that takes gasoline. A hybrid perhaps, but still gasoline.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 came out at the very end of December 2021 as a model year 2022 vehicle.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5: An impressive exterior design—contemporary without looking kooky, which can be a problem with those who try to seem too much of the moment. (Images: Hyundai)

In that time it has garnered an increasing number of customers. For example, during the first half of 2026 there were 20,730 Ioniq 5s sold, a 9% increase compared to the number delivered in H1 2025.

Meanwhile, over at Ford, Mustang Mach-E sales during the first half were 11,632, a decline of 46.6% compared to H1 2025.

GM Chevrolet Equinox EV had H1 sales of 16,249, but that was off 41.4% compared to the year-earlier period.

Certainly one of the reasons the Ioniq 5 is selling is because it looks contemporary, inside and out. Exterior design can be a tricky thing when it comes to trying to achieve that of-the-moment look because moments are fleeting and the result can be something that looks like its time is past—in an instant. The vehicle, which seems bizarrely EPA categorized as small SUV, is planted. The creased sheet metal on the body side brings to mind that these creases are what the Cybertruck missed: the industrial combined with the aesthetic.

The Ioniq 5 is something that telegraphs the message that it is something that is advanced but not a science project. Let’s face it: people not only buy vehicles because they are enamored of its exterior sheet metal but also because when they have it in their driveway they want to say something to their neighbors without words.*

One of the things that Tesla brought to EVs—a thing that I find a weak spot, not an advantage—is the elimination of a physical control to start the vehicle. Rather, the vehicle “wakes up” when the driver gets into it (there are key cards or phone-as-a-key instead). It is just a matter of putting it in gear and going. Upon parking, just get out and you’re good. Presumably.

I’ve been in more than a couple EVs of late that I’ve parked and departed and that continued to be active. Not a good feeling. Arguably the vehicle can’t be driven without the card or phone, but the fact that the radio is still on, the HVAC still running, and the lights can be troublesome to experience. (I was driving an EV north of $100,000 and parked it in a structure. I walked away, and happened to look back to see things were still going.)

The arrow goes to a start/stop button. A small thing that can provide operational piece of mind when you’re parking the Ioniq 5 and want to know that it is shut off when you leave.

The people who are concerned about EVs being too tricky are likely those who will walk to the other side of a dealership to look at the gas-powered vehicles when told about the “just get in and go and leave it when you’re done.”

To its credit, the Ioniq 5 has a button for starting and stopping. There is something to be said for certainty.

The vehicle seats five and the person in the back seat middle doesn’t have to deal with a transmission hump because there isn’t one; there is a flat floor. (Someone could sit in the middle, but really. . . ) Passenger space is 106.5 cubic feet, which probably means not much but know that it is roomy. There are 26.3 cubic feet behind the second row for cargo and that increases to 58.5 cubic feet if the second row is folded. And this means: not an issue vis-à-vis going to Costco.

Now with the AWD setup the range of the Ioniq 5 is 269 miles which is somewhat short—but then know that if you go to a fast charger the battery will go from 10% of charge to 80% in about 18 minutes, which is impressive in the EV space.

The people who know EVs know that the Ioniq 5 is impressive. Those who may be on the fence should know that this is one that may put them behind the wheel.

==

*In my neighborhood there are so many full-sized pickups that whereas a pickup once might have signified that the owner likes to do things and get things done, now it is that they have the ability to get mulch in the Spring and to take their kids and gear to college in the Fall. The whole truckiness aspect is pretty much eliminated as the trucks have basically become a common suburban transport. So what does a given pickup communicate to one’s neighbors? That you chose a black one and they got one in red.

Good News About VW of America

Posted on by

Things are improving sales-wise. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

While it seems Volkswagen gets mentioned only in the context of its European and China problems, it is worth noting that in the US it is actually doing better than many OEMs when it comes to both first half 2026 and second quarter 2026 sales.

Total sales for Q2 are up 24.9% compared to Q2 2025, and they are up 2.3% compared to the first half of 2025.

It must be noted that Volkswagen of America had a bit of a bad Q1 2026, with sales down 16.1% compared to Q1 2025.

So in Q2 2026 that’s quite a recovery.

2026 VW Tiguan: Posting solid sales numbers for the brand. (Image: VW)

In Q1 there were numbers like the Atlas being down year-over year by 3.2%, but in Q2 they were up 18.6%.

The Jetta was down 34.9% in Q1 but it is up 9.7% in Q2.

And even the charming but controversial ID. Buzz electric minivan gained some traction because in Q1 2026 it was -35.2% compared with Q1 2025, but in Q2 2026 it made an impressive recovery, being up 121.5% compared to Q2 2025.

However, that major increase was off a low base: in Q2 2025 there were 564 ID. Buzz vehicles sold and in Q2 2026 1,249, so it is not like there were lineups at dealerships to get the vehicles.

For the first half of 2026 there were 2,481 ID. Buzz units sold, which pretty much explains why the company is giving a pass to the vehicle for model year 2026.

Notably, the Tiguan, which is in the highly competitive compact crossover category, is doing markedly—and deservedly—well.

For the first half there have been 52,930 Tiguans delivered, or 32.5% of all the vehicles VW sold during that period.

Quite an accomplishment since VW has eight other vehicles in its lineup.

2026 Mazda CX-70 Turbo S Premium

Posted on by

How to make a precision vehicle

By Gary S. Vasilash

“Cars are primarily made from steel, and we need dies to produce the body parts. The precision of the die determines the quality of our cars. At Mazda, we use machine processing to create dies with high precision, but then our Takumi add the final touches by hand to achieve ‘KODO Design.’

“’KODO Design’ uses the play of light and shadow to create designs that make people feel like the car is a living being. To achieve this beauty, our dies must be perfect down to the micrometer level.”–Chiharu Saeki, a technical engineer in the Tool & Die Production Department, Mazda Motor Corporation

A couple things to think about regarding that quote:

  1. Stamping dies are used, of course, to produce body panels in presses that produce from 1,000 to 5,000 tons of force. The stamping dies that go within the presses are larger than the object being produced. For example, while a door might measure 1.2 meters by 1 meter, the die will measure 2.5 meters by 2 meters. The business portions of the dies (i.e., the areas where the forming occurs rather than the support structure) are made with extremely durable tool steels. And know that not only are they dimensionally big, but they are massive, generally weighing from 50 tons to 72 tons.
  2. A micrometer is one millionth of a meter. The width of a human hair is about 80 micrometers.

Certainly to make a die some serious machining is required at the start of the process in order to remove steel. Realize it starts with a rectangular blocks of steel that must have forms cut into both the female and male sides of the dies.

But precision machining notwithstanding, the Mazda craftspeople then look at the surfaces generated by the machining and make minor adjustments to those surfaces with hand tools.

One could argue that when dealing with micrometers this might not be noticeable to the end consumer of the product. But (a) “might not” doesn’t mean they don’t and (b) the people at Mazda think it important that they do their very best, so good isn’t good enough.

And while on the subject of things at the microscale, Mazda uses a painting process that its engineers developed that puts a precision reflective paint layer on the surface measuring about 5 micrometers, compared to the typical automotive layer that is 20 or more times thicker. By using the precision process Mazda creates what are some of the best finishes in the automotive world—and it helps that it is applied to surfaces produced by attention to the details of the die surfaces.

2026 Mazda CX-70 in Melting Copper. A young parking lot attendant provided an unsolicited enthusiastic response to the color, and let’s face it, he sees a lot of vehicles on a daily basis. (Image: Mazda)

Which brings us to the Mazda CX-70, which is built in the Mazda Hofu Plant, meaning a place where there are craftspeople, a.k.a. Takumis.

The CX-70 is a two-row crossover that is as long as the CX-90 three-row crossover (because it is based on the same platform. But because it doesn’t have the third row it provides second-row passengers with surprising legroom (39.4 inches) and capacious cargo volume: 39.6 cubic feet with the second row up and 75.3 cubic feet with it folded.

It is powered by a 3.3-liter inline six that produces 340 hp, with supplementation from a 16.6-hp electric motor that aids such things as performing a transparent stop-start (no, not all people are against these systems that serve to save fuel) and the acceleration after a stop. The electricity is provided by a 48-V mild hybrid system. There is an eight-speed automatic transmission. There is standard AWD.

The same level of care exhibited on the exterior is also evident on the interior, both in terms of the surfaces and interfaces that people touch and see and in the use of buttons for frequently used functions (e.g., HVAC; audio). On the subject of audio: Mazda has been working with Bose for literally decades and the sound quality shows what experience can do. (I would suggest the Mazda Design Department take a look at the graphics used by many other OEMs for their embedded navigation systems and borrow some cues.)

Compared to companies that offer competitive products—like the Honda Passport and the Jeep Grand Cherokee—Mazda’s US sales are significantly smaller.

But the thing is: what it doesn’t have in volume it more than makes up for in precision of execution, all the way to the level of microns.

2026 Lexus LX 700h Overtrail

Posted on by

Yes, you can take it off the beaten path. But would you? (I wouldn’t)

By Gary S. Vasilash

I will admit that I am sometimes—not all the times, but some—mystified by some vehicles that are engineered to be taken off-road.

Now let’s say that someone can afford more than one vehicle. One is for fun and the other function. The fun one could be an off-road vehicle.

But a question becomes how much that fun is going to cost relative to the amount of fun experienced through the use of that product.

That is: Say you buy a ticket for Cedar Point or Kings Island or some other place predicated on excitement and rather than going on a roller coaster you spend your time in the snack bar. The price of that ticket is largely based on the use of the rides. (You certainly don’t want anyone to skimp on the maintenance.) And there are plenty of snack bars on the other side of the turnstiles that don’t charge a fee to get in.

This may be the only time you see a Lexus on rocks like these. (Images: Lexus)

So if you buy the ticket but don’t take the ride you’re not going to have the thrill of someone who takes advantage of the venue.

Similarly, I suspect, someone who buys an off-road-capable vehicle could think “I can go anywhere and do anything” or “This will show Henry next door that I’ve really made it with my new set wheels” and that is enough to justify the buy. Apparently.

While the percentage of people who actually take off-road-capable vehicles off road is fairly small—I’ve found no numbers above 5%–that’s still a market for the OEMs to address.

Certainly some off-road vehicles are simply quintessential, like, say, the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. These are vehicles that almost beg to be taken off the tarmac—in part because when they are on the tarmac the ride experience isn’t particularly good (and even if an argument is made that the suspension setups can be adjusted for a non-rock-strewn surface, there’s no getting away from the semi-defining sound of the large, chunky tires and little in the way of noise-attenuating countermeasures).

But then there’s something like this, the Lexus LX700h Overtrail.

This is a large (200.59 inches long; 78.35 inches wide; 74.61 inches high; a 112.2-inch wheelbase; 8.07 inches of ground clearance—all of which is to say that (1) the various sensors and cameras are key for things like maneuvering in parking lots and (2) you’d probably pull a muscle were you to try to climb into the cabin without a running board) magnificent beast—with the word beast, of course, in the context of the Disney version of The Beauty and the Beast, with the Beast reverting back to an elegant prince).

That is the smaller of the two screens, primarily focused on the various off-road settings and parameters. Odds are it will be like the additional software people never use on their laptops.

The LX700h is based on the TNGA-F platform, which is also used for the Toyota Tundra pickup truck, a vehicle that is engineered anticipating that it will have the stuffings knocked out of it (and I suspect more pickup owners use the capabilities of their pickups than the owners of off-road vehicles do of their machines).

You may have noticed the “h” in the name of the SUV. Yes, that stands for hybrid. Which might lead you to think that the vehicle might be Prius-like in its performance. Which is not the case.

Rather, this hybrid setup, which supplements the V6 engine with a 48-hp electric motor so there are 457 hp produced as well as 583 lb-ft of torque at 2,400 rpm. A key point of the hybrid setup is to help generate that high torque at comparatively low rpms. Also, it aid the gasoline engine when the vehicle is towing (with an integrated tow hitch it has an 8,000-pound towing capacity) or going up a hill or the like.

The LX 700h Overtrail has front and rear locking differentials, 18-inch wheels and 33-inch all-terrain tires.

Ready to roll over the tough terrain.

But it is a Lexus first and foremost.

As such it has semi-aniline leather seating, which is probably nicer than any furniture in your house. Plus, the front seats are heated and ventilated, which is likely not the case with any at-home furniture. It has open-pore wood trim. It is, in a word, luxe.

Yes, there are things like a 12.3-inch infotainment display and a 7-inch lower touchscreen because evidently more info is what’s needed. The audio system is sweet sounding.

The point is, this is a wonderful package that has a base MSRP of $119,550.

I don’t know about you, but I would worry about scratching the paint during an off-road excursion. So I guess the point is lost on me.

However, the people at Lexus are clever, so there are other variants of this vehicle: the LX 700h Luxury and the LX 700h Ultra Luxury.

And those, I think, are the sweet spot for a Lexus.

2026 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus

Posted on by

Design and details make this a standout vehicle in a category needing difference

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the places that Mazda has consistently been a leader in is exterior design execution.

Arguably no other OEM does as well a job on putting out vehicles with stand-out designs not on a here-or-there basis, but across the board, from the top to the bottom.

There seems to be a recognition at Mazda that whether someone can afford an entry level vehicle or the one that is the most expensive, for that person it is their new vehicle that they are proud of. While the high-end vehicles from marques generally have little someone can feel underserved about, often the other vehicles in the lineup don’t resonate as well.

But Mazda is different. It puts its design mark on every vehicle that wears its badge, and that is a highly laudable thing.

Another way Mazda is different is that it doesn’t follow the overall design trends that tends to make too much seem too much alike.

That is, consider the CX-90, its three-row crossover.

Mazda CX-90: The details make the difference. (Image: Mazda)

Nowadays there is an evident rush toward making crossovers—large and small—boxier. This, apparently, is meant to make people think that these vehicles are ready for the Rubicon Trail, people who couldn’t find the Rubicon on a map. (In case you are wondering, it is about a two-hour drive northeast of Sacramento.)

Rather than boxy—or a previous design approach that can be described as “blobby”—there is an overall theme to the design of the CX-90 brings to mind the Streamline Moderne era of the late 1930s and 1940s. There are curves and lines that seem to be indicate the body is streaming through the air.

The top metallic trim piece with speed lines is echoed below in the design of the door handle. (Image: gsv)

And this design theme is picked up in the cabin, as well, with metallic trim accents that are certainly Moderne.

However, the most distinctive thing in the interior is the material on the instrument panel that is handmade-paper-like in appearance and which has two pieces, top and bottom, that appear to be joined by stitched thread. This is described by Mazda as the use of a Japanese weaving technique known as “Kumihimo.” You will not find this—or anything like it, for that matter—in any other crossover vehicle.

The blue line goes to the Kumihimo” stitching. The green line goes to the metallic piece that runs across the instrument panel, wrapping up to the HVAC vents at the A-pillars. (Image: gsv)

Those delicate stitches show that there is a recognition the CX-90 is a premium vehicle that is about comfort, not something that one can imagine having globs of mud hosed out of, as is the case with many other vehicles in the category.

The CX-90 offers seating for seven or eight, depending on the type of seats selected. And for those passengers it is an environment that is characteristic of the country club, not a nearly inaccessible trailhead.

///

The Non-Design Aspects

The CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus (yes, that’s a mouthful) is powered by a turbocharged 3.3-liter turbocharged straight six. This is a mild-hybrid that, when the recommended 91 octane fuel is used, produces 340 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. When 87 octane is used (a.k.a., “regular”) the engine controller figures that out and consequently there is a reduction of power to 319 hp.

The official name of the engine is the e-Skyactiv G 3.3 Turbo with M-Hybrid Boost. What this means is there is a 48-volt mild-hybrid assist system, an electric motor that helps provide smoother starts and a modicum of efficiency. (This system just works; there is no plugging in required.)

There is an eight-speed automatic. There is intelligent all-wheel drive (i.e., it comes into play when needed).

Even with that highly respectable performance the vehicle returns an estimated 23 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.

There is a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display. The knob-centric Mazda infotainment interface is used; while not great, it is something that one quickly becomes used to.

There are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There are USB-C ports for all three rows. There is a wireless charge pad just below the infotainment screen (though I’ve got to say it would be better if it was a bit larger because I found spirited driving and the phone in that space not to be particularly consonant).

Among the tech offered in the package are i-Activsense (Mazda really likes names) safety features including a 360° View Monitor with See-Through View, Rear View Monitor (dynamic reversing guidelines), Smart Brake Support Rear, Smart Brake Support Front Crossing, Front Cross Traffic Alert, and and Trailer Hitch View. That’s right: the CX-90 can tow: 3,500 pounds or, when equipped with “Mazda Genuine Towing Accessories,” 5,000 pounds.

///

One Thing to Consider

While the entry CX-90, the 3.3 Turbo Select, starts at $39,300, the 3.3 Turbo S Premium Plus starts at $57,570. This puts it into entry-lux category. Which may make one think about vehicles like, say, the Acura MDX or the Infiniti QX60 because those marques are considered to be more lux than Mazda, which is mainly a mainstream brand.

But again, look at the design. Look at the detail.

Those make a big difference and act in the favor of this vehicle.