2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

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Even if you have no intention of taking on trying conditions, this truck has got to make you smile just looking at it

By Gary S. Vasilash

If there is any television segment that is more popular than “Saturday Night Live’s” “More cowbell!” it has to be that of Jeremy Clarkson in the early days of Top Gear—series 3, episode 5—when he takes a beat-up Toyota Hilux pickup truck and beats the you-know-what out of it.

If you haven’t seen it, here you go.

It is amazing what that midsize truck can take.

Now the Toyota Hilux and the Toyota Tacoma are relatives, but they are not the same vehicle.

While the Hilux is engineered for an array of global markets—including places on the globe where demanding circumstances are just the order of the day—the Tacoma is engineered for the North American market where, let’s face it, there is a desire for comfort, the latest tech, and the like.

But let’s face it: when you have the Hilux in your bloodline, the engineers who put together the Tacoma aren’t oblivious of what can be accomplished.

The 4th generation Tacoma, which debuted in model year 2024, is available in eight different trim packages–SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter—each providing its own packages and available options.

Arguably because of the variety there was the possibility to tailor the Tacomas to their likely use, from daily driving to, well, traveling in extreme conditions.

Some times you just want to get out there. (Images: Toyota)

Which brings me to the TRD Pro.

The thing about this truck is that it is a toy dream-come-true for grownups. Grownups who can look at the base MSRP of $64,450 and see it as nothing unsurmountable, just as the truck seems as though there’s little it can’t overcome.

There’s cool stuff galore on the TRD Pro.

Like TRD-tuned FOX Quick Switch 3 adjustable internal bypass shocks with rear remote reservoirs. External FOX Internal Floating Piston (IFP) rear bump stops. An ARB steel rear bumper with recovery hook. Rigid Industries LED fog lights.

And a plethora of Toyota tech, too.

One of the elements that indicates just how serious this all is: the IsoDynamic Performance front seats.

You know when the seat is engineered to this extent, this truck is built to take it.

Yes, there are those clever shocks to deal with the structure of the truck, but in the case of this seat, there is an air-over-oil shock absorber system that accommodates lateral and vertical seat movement so that the head and neck stay better aligned with the spine.

Yes, under some driving conditions that isn’t a quick run for some milk, the head, neck and spine are certainly considerations.

And here’s another feature that just seems incredible: This model is a hybrid.

It has the i-FORCE MAX 2.4-liter turbocharged four that is integrated with a Toyota hybrid setup. It produces 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. The vehicle—and note it is a double-cab 4×4—is EPA stickered at 22 city, 24 highway, 23 mpg combined.

Yes it has a solid 10-speaker JBL audio system (and one of the speakers, the one on the top of the IP, can be removed for listening outside the truck. It has a 14-inch infotainment screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A moonroof. And, of course, the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system with pre-collision.

One can only think that the engineers who put this truck together—especially this TRD Pro truck—had one hell of a good time.

2026 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium

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What’s in a name? Plenty.

By Gary S. Vasilash

A slightly unusual aspect of the 2026 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium is the name of the 2026 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium.

Mazda CX-70: More styling than most two-row crossovers (Images: Mazda)

Not the CX-70 part because that’s the naming nomenclature that Mazda uses for its vehicles. Alphanumerics rather than names.

There is one exception. The Miata. Its “official” name is the “MX-5 Miata.” Initially the third-generation of the sports car was labeled simply “MX-5.” That didn’t last long and the word was reapplied.

But I digress.

No, the thing that seems odd about this handsome, two-row crossover’s name is that it includes a truncated designation for the vehicle’s engine.

The engine’s full name is the “e-SKYACTIV-G 3.3 inline six turbo.”

So the model includes the amount of displacement (3.3), which probably means very little to anyone who is in the market for a family-oriented crossover, and the fact the engine is turbocharged, which carries more meaning.

Perhaps this is in keeping with what, say, a BMW does with its naming approach, which also includes a number for displacement.

But the CX-70 is not the sort of thing that would get cross-shopped with a BMW.

It just isn’t.

And the Mazda that could be cross shopped with a BMW by an enthusiast, the MX-5, doesn’t stick to that approach. The name refers to “Mazda Experimental Project – Number 5.”

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It might be a better idea if the name of the vehicle included “AWD,” as in “all-wheel drive.” All CX-70 models come with it.

I think that would be something to shout about.

No one cares.

Instead, Mazda goes so far as to put an “INLINE 6” badge on the front left quarter panel.

Do people who are shopping for a midsize SUV know what that means?

Do they know that the long engine block provides for superior mechanical smoothness than a V-block?

Do they know there is an improvement in things including exhaust gas flow?

Do they care?

And if they do care, would they care more about AWD?

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Another thing that’s not indicated by that name is that the 340-hp engine (non-S CX-70s produce 280 hp) happens to be a mild hybrid. It features “M-Hybrid Boost.”

Which is to say that it is a 48-volt system that supplements performance when accelerating from a stop and improves the smoothness of the engine restart during stops.

It also provides a bit of oomph at the other end: when you are on the throttle, hard.

And it is said to improve miles per gallon, which are EPA estimated 23 city, 28 highway and 25 mpg combined.

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Unless the model you happen to be looking at is fitted with Mazda Genuine Towing Accessories you might not know that the CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium can tow.

Capacity: 5,000 pounds.

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There is another number that would be important for someone in the market for a two-row, five-person crossover:

39.6.

That’s the number of cubic feet of cargo capacity with the second row in place for use.

Fold it down and there are 75.3 cubic feet.

Again, a displacement number may be of interest to a handful of people.

A cargo capacity number is of interest to a whole bunch.

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One of the things about Mazda is that it has an earned reputation for nimbleness in ride and handling.

This is something widely hailed, especially by auto journalists.

The CX-70 is 200.8 inches long, 78.5 inches wide, and 68.2 inches high. It has a 122.8-inch wheelbase.

The multilink suspension system does its job well.

But this is not something you’re going to throw through corners like an MX-5 or even Mazda3 (a name that also has nothing to do with powertrain nor with anything someone outside of a carspotter would be interested in knowing about. Trust me.).

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Another number to know about the 2026 Mazda CX-70 3.3 Turbo S Premium: base MSRP is $53,240.

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The “Premium” part of the name designates that, especially on the interior, this is a model with the goods, standard.

Like Nappa leather seating that’s heated and ventilated up front. (In the back just heated.)

Bose 12-speaker audio.

A 12.3-inch infotainment screen that can be used for the wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.

There’s a vast suite of safety tech, including some that is not widely found, like “Smart Brake Support Rear with pedestrian detection”—yes, the sensors will alert the brakes should something untoward seem to be happening.

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There is a vast array of branding companies out there that might add a little something to the name of this vehicle because looking at the vehicle and then looking at how it is doing in the market indicates to me that there are a whole lot of people who are overlooking a good thing.

2026 Volvo EX30 Single Motor Plus

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Looks go a long way even if the vehicle doesn’t. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The Volvo EX30 received a “Best of the Best” design award in the RedDot 2024 design competition. While the small electric SUV has won other awards—like the World Urban Car from the World Car of the Year jury and the Eco Warrior of the Year award from Top Gear—arguably this design award is something that is more significant, for the simple reason that when you walk up to a vehicle you’re looking at the exterior styling, and, of course, when you get in it, the interior cues make a tremendous difference.

The RedDot jurors said of the EX30:

“Typical design elements have been convincingly reinterpreted and integrated into the EX30 – both on the exterior and in the interior. This vehicle is clearly recognisable as a Volvo, even without resorting to too many quotes. It is a product as if cast from a single mould with a consistent, very high design quality that convinced us across the board.”

So from the outside is a stylish small hatch (while it might be in the subcompact SUV category, that probably has a lot more vis-à-vis market positioning than anything else, and whereas “SUV” is acceptable, hatches have a growing but limited acceptance), measuring 166.7 inches long, 72.3 inches wide, 61.2 inches high, and with a 104.3-inch wheelbase. Sometimes designing a small vehicle can be tough to pull off, but this is clearly a contemporary Volvo, which means (were this something designed with tools of a long-gone era) the T-square has been replaced by the French curve. Well, comparatively speaking.

Volvo EX30: An award-winning design. (Image: Volvo)

And the real design win is on the interior of the vehicle.

One of the things that seems to be forgotten about electric vehicles, as everyone talks about 0 to 60 times, is that they are more environmental than ICE vehicles.

Even some OEMs seem to have forgotten that when developing their EVs (except when they were concerned about meeting regulations, which led to attention on the propulsion system primarily).

But the designers, engineers and materials specialists at Volvo worked to develop an interior that is far more sustainable than the common approach. So there are recycled and renewable materials used throughout the cabin. There are fibers used for seats that come from the leftovers from producing denim or a wool blend with some 70% recycled polyester. There’s trim that uses flax fibers (fun fact: that material is used to produce high-quality paper, some of which is used to print banknotes, so, and now we get to the point of a bad pun: the EX30 interior is money).

While you might think, “An interior that uses lots of recycled materials: this must be as comfortable and as attractive as a pile of wood shavings.” And you would be wrong. This is really well executed and provides a contemporary appearance, one that underlines the overall minimalism of the cabin.

One place where there is a bit too much minimalism is on the IP, where the gauges that you are familiar with is not where you are familiar with seeing them.

Rather, looking forward the only thing in that area is an infrared eye tracking sensor that will cause a “look at the road” warning if your eyes are wandering.

All of the information is available on a 12.3-inch touchscreen centered on the IP. Which means if you want to know how fast you are going you have to move your eyes to the right. If you want to know what time it is you have to read a small font on a screen with lots of other information.

The reduction in instrumentation is not a good thing.

Another thing that seems rather minimal is the range, with the EPA number 261 miles. Maybe the Michigan winter had something to do with it, but that number was cut by about 20%.

Now Volvo undoubtedly wanted to make sure that it was able to give the EX30 a starting MSRP around $40K (it is $40,345), and batteries are the most expensive part of an EV, so it is using a 69-kWh NMC battery in the vehicle. Although a somewhat bigger vehicle, the Chevy Equinox EV has an 85-kWh battery for an estimated 319 miles of range. That’s more reasonable. Even if the EX30 achieved the full 261 miles, it really seems that 300 miles is the number a competitive EV needs to reach.

But one might give that a pass, given the award-winning design it brings.

BMW’s Productive Plant in Bavaria

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BMW Regensburg marks 40 years of manufacturing

In 1986 people were listening to Whitney Houston (“How Will I Know”) and Bon Jovi (“You Give Love a Bad Name”). Top Gun and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off were at theaters.

And in Regensburg, Germany, a BMW plant opened.

ince 1986 BMW Plant Regensburg has produced 8.7 million vehicles. (Image: BMW)

Although it is celebrating its 40th anniversary Plant Regensburg—where the BMW X1 and BMW X2 are produced–, the factory hit record production in 2025, 356,901 vehicles. The factory operates three shifts. There is a new vehicle produced every 57 seconds.

There are ICE, hybrid and EV variants produced in the plant.

While some people might think that a 40-year-old plant in Germany sounds like a place where it would be inefficient to build vehicles, this statement by Plant Director Armin Ebner says what’s really going on at Plant Regensburg:

“Continuous and consistent efforts to increase our competitiveness remain the key to our success.”

Ebner adds: “Every single day in Regensburg, we demonstrate that competitive production is possible in Germany.”

Why “Cool” Matters

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Every OEM creates vehicles that are termed “athletic.” But Genesis does something else, too. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

At the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates, Genesis presented its latest concept vehicle, the X Skorpio Concept.

What’s interesting about this vehicle is that according to the company the X Skorpio Concept is “an off-road concept vehicle designed to perform across demanding terrain including deserts, in the Rub’ al Khali ‘Empty Quarter’ desert in the United Arab Emirates.”

Which seems somewhat specific.

But presumably vehicles like this would have more appeal in that part of the world than, say, Kansas, though it would also likely be seen crawling along places like Collins Avenue in South Beach (where the Brembo Motorsports brakes will get a workout as the X-Skorpio Concept is fitted with a 1,100- hp V8).

The X Skorpio Concept: when you want to drive the dunes in luxury. (Image: Genesis)

Talking about the marque’s approach to developing concept vehicles, Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke said:

“We create concept cars to inspire and ignite authentic passion for our vision. They are designed to deepen the emotional connection with our customers by showcasing the ultimate desirability they’ve always dreamt of. At Genesis, we craft cars that drive emotional expansion, showcasing not only our design philosophy but also the future technologies that personalize and elevate lifestyles.”

Which sounds pretty much like what all auto designers say about developing concepts and production vehicles.

But there’s something that is notable about the Genesis approach.

Again, like many brands, there is a design philosophy that the designers hew to. In the case of Genesis this is termed “Athletic Elegance.” (It is remarkable how often terms related to athleticism are applied to vehicles—“taut forms,” “strong haunches,” etc.—even though a point of driving is not having to run or walk to one’s destination.)

Here’s the Genesis difference:

There are “three emotional facets” involved in creating designs predicated on “Athletic Elegance.”

They are:

  • Luxury: Rewarding experiences exemplified by Korean refinement through intricate craftsmanship, understated beauty and meticulous attention to detail.
  • Sport: Represents quiet confidence equipped with ample power for those who enjoy challenges while balancing speed and composure.
  • Cool: Embodying adventurous and lifestyle-driven designs driven by individual taste and self-expression.

And what’s cool is that they actually use the word “cool.”

While designers use that word when talking about what they’ve done, it is almost never admitted to be a defining factor by car companies.

“Luxury” and “Sport”—no problem.

But “Cool”?

This undoubtedly contributes to how Genesis not only produces concept cars that are cool, but production vehicles, as well.

And that’s very cool.

2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Platinum

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Impressive, capable and even fuel-efficient. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The word “grand” isn’t used as much today as it once was.

Way back in the day, the Latin word was grandis, meaning “full-grown,” “big,” “great.”

Then that was picked up the French (grant, grand) and then moved over to Middle English, which added some meanings, including “important” and “magnificent.”

We use “grand” to designate $1,000.

We watch the Grand Prix races.

We sometimes eat a 1000 Grand candy bar.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee was launched in model year 1993.

The Pontiac Grand Prix went out of production with model year 2008.

The Dodge Grand Caravan—evidently the folks in Auburn Hills like the adjective—ended its decades-long run in 2020.

Toyota took up the mantle in model year 2024 with the Grand Highlander.

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One of the things that some people were concerned about who liked the Jeep Grand Cherokee was that grandis notwithstanding, it was a two-row SUV from its beginning in 1993.

Toyota rolled out with its Highlander SUV in 2001 and offered a third-row as an option. It wasn’t much of a third row if a row is supposed to accommodate people above the age of 5. The Highlander offers 28 inches of legroom.

In model year 2021 Jeep put a third row into the Grand Cherokee, creating the Jeep Grand Cherokee L. That “L,” presumably indicating “long,” put a row back there with 30.3 inches of legroom.

For model year 2024 Toyota decided that it wanted to up its game, so it brought out the Grand Highlander.

And one of the most notably grand things about it is the third row. It is designed to accommodate people who are “full-grown,” thereby getting back to that Latin etymology.

The legroom is 33.5 inches.

Grand, indeed.

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The name of this trim—one of 10 trims available—is certainly big: Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Platinum.

2026 Toyota Grand Highlander: yes, it truly is grand. (Image: Toyota)

To dissect that, the “hybrid” part goes to the 2.4-liter turbo-charged four cylinder engine that’s supplemented by a front-mounted hybrid motor and a rear-mounted eAxle electric motor, all of which means total systems output of 362-hp and 332 lb-ft of torque and full-time electronic AWD (you don’t have to do anything; the system will figure out the demand).

Now here’s an impressive thing to know, also to the point of the hybrid: even though this model has a curb weight of 4,905 pounds, the estimated fuel economy is 26 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined.

That in a vehicle that can accommodate seven people in—dare I say?—grand comfort.

And it takes regular fuel.

Consider: this is a vehicle that’s 201.4 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, 70.1 inches high, and features an 8-inch ground clearance. This is a large vehicle with lots of visual presence. A large vehicle that is accommodating of the aforementioned seven adults. A large vehicle with plenty of technical amenities. A large vehicle that features a well-appointed cabin that is both quiet and immensely comfortable.

Yet it gets a combined 27 mpg.

And let’s take that number a bit further.

The fuel tank on this Grand Highlander has a 17.17-gallon capacity.

So let’s say that you’re a bit heavy-footed and are getting 25 mpg. And let’s round that capacity to 17 gallons.

This means that there is a possible range of 425 miles. You could drive from Memphis to St. Louis and still have some gas in the tank.

Of course, if you’re towing that number is going to be reduced. But the tow capacity is a notable number, too: 5,000 pounds.

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Inside, where it really matters, the Toyota Grand Highlander must make the product planners who work on the Lexus TX look over their cubicle walls. This Platinum trim is very nicely done.

The seats from front to rear are trimmed with leather. There are Ultrasuede insets. The front seats are heated and ventilated; the second row heated; the third row. . .well, they’re in the third row.

There is three-zone automatic climate control, so that’s a benefit throughout.

There is a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. There is an 11-speaker JBL audio system. There is a panoramic moonroof. There is a 10-inch color head-up display.

The color and material combinations in the cabin are absolutely well done.

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The base MSRP is $59,575.

Certainly not humble, but certainly not grand.

Arguably for all that it provides, it very well may be a bargain, which is certainly not something that you’d expect for something so grand.

2026 Volvo XC90 B6 AWD

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Where solidity meets style. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Last year a colleague was involved in a serious automobile accident. After his recovery, he needed a new vehicle.

He told me, “My wife said no more fooling around. You are going to buy a Volvo.”

She remembered the company once emphasized the safety engineering that was part and parcel of Volvo vehicles.

The company pioneered such things as the three-point safety belt and the rear-facing child seat. It devised the side-impact protection system (if you are driving and in a front end collision you’ve got the whole engine in front of you and if you are hit in the rear, there is a lot of real estate between you and the rear of your vehicle, but if you happen to look to your immediate left, there isn’t a whole lot of there there). Then there were things like seat-mounted airbags and a curtain-style airbag. And there were sensor-based safety development like “City Safety,” which was autonomous emergency braking followed by pedestrian detection with full automatic braking.

But what is key in Volvos is that the company builds them using ultrahigh-strength and hot-formed boron steels, and those elements that make up the structure that you don’t see (it is under the sheet metal that you do see) are geometrically arranged so that not only is the structure sound, but any outside forces acting on it (e.g., something running into it) are channeled so there is essentially a safety cage for the occupants of the vehicle.

Safety.

But people tend to buy vehicles based not on that—at least not top-of-mind, unless they’re like the wife of my colleague, who knows what’s important—but on style and stuff.

And the 2026 Volvo XC90 B6 AWD brings both.

Volvo XC90: Style and substance. (Image: Volvo)

It is a large—seats up to seven—SUV. It has a handsome exterior. Although Volvos were long known for being “boxy,” that’s long gone from the brand’s design language, but there is still a hint of the upright rectangularity in the XC90, which is something of a subtle nod to its roots.

The inside is simply SCANDANAVIAN writ large.

The colors. The materials. The configuration of the seats.

One of the things that Volvo designers have working for them is a long history of a distinctive Swedish design approach that they are able to bring to the vehicle. This is a sort of aesthetic authenticity that makes the vehicle distinctive.

Let’s face it: there are plenty of large SUVs out there so having a solid basis is helpful in differentiating the XC90.

Yes, it has screens—11.2 inches in the center, 12.3 inches for the driver’s gauges—and yes it has an impressive Harman Kardon sound system. But these are the sorts of things that you can find in many vehicles, and many vehicles provide more in terms of screens and sound.

But it is the orchestration and execution that make a difference. Which is where the XC90 really makes a difference.

The vehicle is powered by a 2.0-liter engine. Which might seem like it would be too little for such a big vehicle. But the engine is both turbocharged and supercharged. It produces 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. It moves the mass as necessary.

This is a “mild hybrid,” meaning that it has a 13-hp integrated starter generator and a 48-volt battery system that helps move the vehicle from stops and can add a bit of oomph during hard driving.

The vehicle driven is at the Ultra trim level, which as a starting MSRP of $73,350.

Which might seem like a lot. But then I think back to my colleague’s wife. She has a good sense of what value means.

NACTOY 2026 Winners Announced

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By Gary S. Vasilash

The jurors of the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards made their decisions of the vehicles that take each of those categories, and it is hard to imagine that anyone would be particularly surprised by the vehicles that won the 2026 awards:

Car:                     Dodge Charger

Truck:                 Ford Maverick Lobo

Utility:                Hyundai Palisade

(Image: NACTOY)

The Charger arrived on the scene initially as a two-door muscle car powered by a 670-hp electric propulsion system. But the Dodge faithful like the smell of gasoline, so there is a 550-hp six-cylinder engine they can opt for. (There is also a 420-hp version, but c’mon.) And there is also a four-door variant.

The presentation of the awards was made at the Detroit Auto Show in downtown Detroit, just about 20 minutes away from Ford World Headquarters, which is a convenience for the truck team at Ford, because with the win for the Maverick Lobo, this means Ford trucks have taken the Ed Welburn-designed trophy for six years running. And it is the second win for the Maverick as the original version of the truck got the nod in 2022.

The second-generation Hyundai Palisade, a three-row SUV with an adult-usable third row, has striking exterior design that wraps an interior with a level of design execution and material-appropriateness that would be impressive in a vehicle with a much higher starting MSRP: $38,935. For those who are at the Detroit Auto Show and looking at the three-row SUVs: start with the Palisade. It is simply the benchmark.

(Full disclosure: I am on the NACTOY jury.)

Barra Still an EV Believer

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One of these days. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

General Motors is a legacy auto manufacturer that positioned itself as an EV champion. Back in 2021 corporate execs, including Mary Barra, chairman and CEO, said they intended to be all-electric by 2035.

Plans change, of course.

“We have to meet customers where they are,” Barra said yesterday at a meeting of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.

She didn’t mean in a dealership.

GM, like other OEMs, discovered in 2025 that (a) customers were not buying EVs at a rate that had been anticipated and (b) there is still a keen interest in the customer base for vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.

Still, Barra is confident that EVs are the end game so the company is going to keep offering and developing EVs.

She claimed that 80% of EV customers say their next vehicle will be an EV.

She probably wishes, however, there were more of them.

In 2025 GM delivered 169,764 EVs in the US, so if every one of them went into a GM store only 135,811 would come out with an EV.

Barra said that based on what GM analysts have determined it takes about six months to have a good sense of what the real market impact is when something significant happens to the EV market, like the elimination of the $7,500 tax credit at the end of September 2025. So when Q1 2026 wraps up, there will be a better idea of where EVs are going.

She said there are a few things that will make customers more inclined to get an EV. Yes, there is the instant torque provided by the electric motors, which is always something EV enthusiasts cite.

But she said there needs to be (1) more affordable EVs (the average transaction price for an EV in December 2025 was in excess of $58,000 according to Kelley Blue Book, which is certainly not the defintion of “affordable”) and (2) there needs to be a more robust charging infrastructure.

The way things are looking, even if EVs gain great ground there will still be a place for vehicles with engines under their hoods, a place that in non-trivial. Barra pointed out that even if EVs were to take 50% of the market at some point, that still means 50% for gasoline-powered vehicles.

2026 Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus

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Something you probably didn’t know about NASA—and Alabama

By Gary S. Vasilash

Although when you think of “NASA” Cape Canaveral comes to mind (or Houston, as in “we’ve got a problem”), it is actually the case there is “Rocket City,” and it isn’t in Florida or Texas.

Rather, it is Huntsville, Alabama, which is where Dr. Wernher von Braun and colleagues began work in the 1950s on rockets, like the Saturn V, which launched all Apollo missions, which were the ones that got the U.S. to the Moon.

Of course, the whole space industry is changed, with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin gaining ground in, well, space.

Huntsville is still home to operations like the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, which is still working on extraterrestrial programs, like the Artemis II mission and the science operations on the International Space Station.

But like any city, Huntsville is diversifying.

One of the notable changes in the industrial base on Huntsville occurred in September 2021, when the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant went into production. (Although it is actually located in Madison, Alabama, it is in the Huntsville metro area and consequently, for geographical convenience, called the “Huntsville plant.”)

Mazda CX-50 Hybrid. Good stance. (Image: Mazda)

The first vehicle built there was the Toyota Corolla Cross. Then, a few months later, in January 2022, a Mazda went into production in the plant: the CX-50.

Here’s something to know: although both the Corolla Cross and the CX-50 are both compact crossovers, they are not based on the same platform. The Corolla Cross uses the Toyota TNGA-C platform and the CX-50 the Mazda Skyactiv-G platform.

What’s more—and it is more—the CX-50 is significantly larger (e.g., the CX-50 is 185.8 inches long and the Corolla cross 176.1 inches).

However, there is something shared between Mazda and Toyota for the hybrid version of the CX-50: the CX-50 Hybrid uses the fourth-generation Toyota hybrid system, which had been used in the previous-generation RAV4, for example. (The 2026 RAV4 moved to gen five.)

So what we have in the case of the vehicle at hand is an inside and outside executed by Mazda and a powertrain from Toyota. Which is a solid combination.

The vehicle has a good stance. While some vehicles in this category are going for a more blocky look, presumably to make them seem as they’re more capable of traveling on terrain that the owners are highly unlikely to ever even see, this Mazda, like other vehicles offered by the brand, provides a stylish appearance.

This is accentuated by the 19-inch alloy wheels. (Yes, 19-inch wheels, certainly something different for a vehicle in this category.)

On the inside, it is clear that this is a contemporary vehicle. What is refreshing, however, is that there is no pretending that this is something that would be tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Yes, there is a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and the gauges are in a 7-inch LCD cluster.

Good-looking interior materials and, yes, those are HVAC buttons. (Image: gsv)

And there are buttons for various functions, like controlling the HVAC. (Let’s face it, when you get into a vehicle on a cold winter morning, it is much better to make a quick stab at a button and not have to consult a screen. And speaking of winter, the trim driven here has a heated steering wheel.)

There is red stitching (which seems suited to the brand) on the trim. There is the use of metallic surrounds and accents, both bright and brushed. There is no fake wood, which is an absolute plus, as is the little bit of piano black plastic. The whole execution provides a sense of premiumness and purpose, simple and straightforward.

There are nice details, like a small light on the stalk where the windshield wipers are controlled that illuminates when the setting is for automatic wiping. Sure, this is a small thing, but it is often difficult to determine whether that is on or not. And on the subject of windshield wiping, when you activate the windshield cleaning fluid function rather than a spray on the windshield, the fluid goes through the wiper arms, an efficient approach.

You buy a vehicle for the macro. You live with the micro, like that little light on the wiper control stalk. (Image: gsv)

Another nice thing is the wireless charging pad that is tucked under the front of the arm rest covering the center console. The surface is angled back so the phone is in place better than if the surface was flat. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so there is no concern about the positioning of the phone.

About the powertrain: there’s a 176-hp four that’s supplemented by three electric motors (one in the rear to provide AWD) so there is a system horsepower of 219. The vehicle is capable of returning 39 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined.

To be sure, the CX-50 Hybrid is in a competitive field. But it more than holds its own.