Quick Spin

Mercedes-Benz had a problem: convertible and coupe variants of almost every car model. While this is good for folks that want an S-Class coupe, or a C-Class cabriolet, it does add complexity to the portfolio. While more options are always better for the end-user, the Mercedes-Benz is shrinking some of its coupe and convertible options and rolling out a one-size-fits-all replacement. Cleverly dubbed the CLE-Class, this cabriolet or coupe-only machine fills the void from its C and E-Class stablemates and still gives Mercedes-Benz shoppers a comfortable, stylish cruiser. Powering the base-model CLE 300 is the 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 that makes 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Stepping up to the CLE 450 nets you the ‘Benz mild-hybrid 3.0-liter I6 that cranks power up to 375 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.    On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLE 450 and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the CLE 450 and highlights some of its features before taking you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Mercedes-Benz CLE, its place in the ‘Benz lineup, and why it exists. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the CLE 450 special.

Porsche was no stranger to large, grand tourers when the company showed off the 989 concept. Still, that saloon was just one of a string of sedan-based concepts, or custom pieces from the company. It wasn’t until Porsche pushed the Panamera into production that Porsche fans saw easier access to the rear seat of a sedan. Panamera formally joined the Porsche family in 2009 and has been successful enough to enter three generations. This third-gen Panamera joined the lineup in 2024 and brought along a series of updates. While the shell itself isn’t dimensionally a departure from the past, the styling is tweaked inside and out.On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Porsche Panamera and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Porsche Panamera, highlighting some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review of the third-generation Porsche Panamera. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Porsche Panamera, its position in the sales charts, and what it represents for the company. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Porsche Panamera special.

Subaru’s Solterra joined the Subie lineup in 2022 for the 2023 model year after making its debut at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sharing the bones with the Toyota bZ4X, the Solterra offered Subaru shoppers a battery-electric option. While the Solterra is gearing up for a major overhaul for 2026, the 2025 Solterra still packs effectively the same powertrain as its launch edition. That means there’s a 72.8-kWh battery pack underneath, which feeds a pair of electric motors. Together, those electric motors send 215 hp and 249 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. For 2025, the folks at Subaru slashed the Solterra’s price and brought the starting price to $39,915.On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Subaru Solterra and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Solterra and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Solterra, its spot in the market, and Subaru’s future in the battery-electric space. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Subaru Solterra special.

Mazda rolled its beloved MX-5 onto U.S. roadways just over 35 years ago. The most recent iteration rolled into the public eye a decade ago and launched formally for the 2016 model year. Over the last decade, this so-called ND-generation Miata has gone through some update cycles and added more features and power. The most recent update also gave the Maita a new steering rack and some updates to the interior. That said, the main design and philosophy of this fourth-generation Miata haven’t changed too much from its launch almost a decade ago. The revised powertrain does add some welcome extra oomph, making 181 hp from a 2.0-liter I4 since the ND’s first overhaul for 2019. You can row your own gears through a six-speed manual transmission, or a six-speed automatic can be tasked with the gear selection duties. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the MX-5 Miata and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Mazda Miata, where this generation sits, and what could happen to the Miata in the future. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata special. 

Audi’s hopped-up entry-level sedan saw a slight overhaul for the 2025 model year. Launching as a 2022 model year vehicle, the latest generation S3 sees updated styling and extra oomph. The 2025 Audi S3 packs a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood that sends 328 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque through the seven-speed automatic transmission. That power then travels through the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system before making its way to the wheels. That’s a 22 hp bump over the previous model year, with the peak torque staying the same. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Audi S3 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the updated S3 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Audi S3, how it stacks up with the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Audi S3 special.

It was no secret that Lamborghini was going to launch a crossover – the bigger question was when the company would want to cash in on a second row of seats. Well, the answer came in 2017 with the 2018 Lamborghini Urus. While not the company’s first SUV, it does take center stage as the first people mover from the brand in decades. Expanding on the Urus, the company recently launched the Urus SE, which adds a plug-in hybrid powertrain to the mix. This Urus PHEV packs a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 that works with a hybrid system to make a combined 789 hp. This hybrid system also uses a 21.8-kWh battery pack, which allows about 30 miles of electric-only propulsion. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a guided tour of the Lambo crossover and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the Lamborghini Urus, about this plug-in hybrid, and about the greater high-performance crossover landscape. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Lamborghini Urus special.

Toyota’s popular Highlander has celebrated 25 years in Toyota showrooms this year, but the bigger story might be its stretched sibling. The aptly named Toyota Grand Highlander joined the family-hauling rotation in 2023. Still riding on the same TNGA-K underpinnings as the standard Highlander, this Grand model stretched the wheelbase and shell to live up to the prefix. This larger shell adds more space, almost across the board, with extra space at the rear cargo hold taking center stage. Powering the Toyota Grand Highlander is either a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4, a 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain, or the Hybrid Max powertrain that blends a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 with a hybrid system to net 362 combined horsepower. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander hybrid and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the Grand Highlander and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Carone takes you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Grand Highlander special.

Formerly flying under the GLK banner, Mercedes-Benz shook up its crossover and SUV lineup to better coordinate with its current line of coupes and sedans. That meant the GLK essentially became the GLC-Class in 2015. Mercedes-Benz launched the current, second-generation GLC-Class crossover in 2022. This updated GLC-Class added a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and a soon-to-be-released battery-electric variant to the GLC’s option sheet. In PHEV guise, the GLC 350e packs a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 under the hood and pairs it with a permanently synchronized electric motor for a combined system output of 313 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Mercedes crossover, where it stands in the marketplace, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e special.

Somehow, someway, the BMW X5 launched a quarter of a century ago. Through four generations of Sports Activity Vehicle, as the brand likes to call it, the X5 has helped push midsize luxury crossovers into the high-demand segment we see today. Celebrating those 25 years, BMW added a limited-edition Silver Anniversary Edition to its lineup. This special edition X5 adds air suspension, a set of 20-inch aluminum wheels that can be wrapped in all-terrain rubber, and a locking rear differential. This special-edition X5 is built on the bones of the ’25 BMW X5 xDrive40i, which means it packs a turbocharged 3.0-liter I6 under the hood that sends 375 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission before hitting the xDrive all-wheel-drive system. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the 2025 BMW xDrive40i Silver Anniversary Edition and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the Silver Anniversary Edition X5 and highlights some of its special features before taking you along on a live drive review. Alongside these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the BMW X5, this special edition, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down why the 2025 BMW X5 Silver Anniversary Edition is special.

Lotus is making a massive push for its battery-electric powertrains, with the vast majority of its lineup eschewing internal combustion. That said, there is still one ICE-powered Lotus in the portfolio that carries the name Emira. Taking what the brand has learned from its Elise, Exige, and Evora, the Emira sticks with the brand’s sports car ethos. Powering the Emira is either a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 or a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4. Despite the difference in cylinders, both engines advertise 400 hp. That said, if you want to row your own gears, you’ll have to look at V6.On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Lotus Emira and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a guided tour of the Lotus Emira and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review of this Lotus. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the Lotus Emira, Lotus’s electric endeavors, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Emira special. 

Volvo’s current XC90 launched almost a decade ago and was a pivotal piece of the brand’s U.S. offerings. Unsurprisingly, the large, three-row crossover performed well for Volvo over the last decade. Despite the brand’s pivot into electric vehicles, Volvo has given the second-generation XC90 another facelift to keep it relevant to customers. This extensive overhaul swaps sheet metal and interior pieces to give the XC90’s relatively old bones a new, albeit familiar, look. Powering the updated XC90 is the same array of hybrid powertrains, with the B5 and B6 models opting for the mild-hybrid-assisted 2.0-liter I4 that generates 247 hp and 295 hp, respectively. Topping the chart is the plug-in hybrid T8 variant, that throws 455 hp to the wheels.On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren and Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy put the 2025 Volvo XC90 T8 through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the updated Volvo XC90 and highlights some of the new design elements and features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Murphy about their experiences in different versions of the updated XC90, how the refreshed Volvo is performing in the marketplace, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Volvo XC90 special. 

Mazda launched the current generation CX-5 in 2016. Over the last decade, Mazda has given the CX-5 some updates, but Mazda’s biggest mover hasn’t seen a massive generational shift. Even though Mazda has stretched its second-gen CX-5’s underpinnings for almost a decade, it’s still Mazda’s anchor in the hotly contested compact crossover space. Without any major changeups for 2025, the CX-5’s powertrains shouldn’t be a huge surprise. Powering the CX-5 is either a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four or a turbocharged 2.5-liter I4. Both powertrains shuffle their respective ponies through a six-speed automatic transmission. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Mazda CX-5 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 CX-5 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Mazda CX-5, the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Mazda CX-5 special. 

Kia’s Carnival might be better known as Sedona in the United States. However, as the brand launched its minivan’s fourth generation back in 2020, Kia pivoted the van to its Korean Domestic name: Carnival. For ’25, Kia gave its Carnival a once-over – updated styling and a new powertrain. Kia moved the license plate mount a little lower and added a dark edition to the lineup. More importantly, Kia also added a hybrid powertrain to the Carnival. This hybrid system blends a 1.6-liter turbocharged I4 with a 54 kW electric motor and a six-speed automatic transmission. Kia says that this hybrid Carnival is good for 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque and 33 mpg combined. The 3.5-liter V6 is still available for those who want extra displacement, which makes 287 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the ’25 Kia Carnival and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Carnival and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Carnival, minivans in the marketplace, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Carnival special.

Nissan’s Murano has been giving Nissan customers another crossover option for over two decades. Since its launch in 2002, the Murano has sat near the top of the brand’s pricing strategy. While the Murano has ventured into some strange body styles, with the CrossCabriolet leading the pack, the latest, fourth-generation Murano is back on track -- albeit a track that looks more toward the Infiniti side of Nissan’s lineup. This ’25 Murano also ditches the popular 3.5-liter V6 and replaces it with the variable compression turbocharged I4 mill. The variable-compression turbocharged engine sends 241 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Those figures are almost exactly flipped from the VQ-powered predecessor. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek Executive Editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Murano and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the fourth-generation Murano and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review of the 2025 Nissan Murano. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Murano, how it stacks up against the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Nissan Murano special.

Toyota’s 4Runner has built a legacy on its off-road chops, and its off-road aesthetic. You’re just as likely to see a 4Runner running through a trail as you are handling the tough task of school pickup duty. However, with the fifth-generation 4Runner launching all the way back in 2009, there was only so much the Toyota could do to keep it updated enough to please the soft-road enthusiasts. Well, Toyota fixed that by rolling out the sixth-gen 4Runner for the 2025 model year and bringing some serious quality-of-life updates – for a cost. The ’25 4Runner packs the modern Toyota interior, which comes with a large touchscreen and plenty of tech. Toyota also stuffed its i-Force Max hybrid powertrain under the hoods, which blends a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 with a hybrid system to net 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Powering base-model 4Runners is a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 without the hybrid help that makes 278 hp and 317 lb-ft. Both powertrains work through an eight-speed transmission. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the latest 4Runner and highlights some of the changes and his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Patrick Carone about the 4Runner, how it compares to the latest Toyota Landcruiser, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 4Runner special.

The Porsche Macan followed the wildly popular Porsche Cayenne and gave would-be crossover and SUV shoppers another Porsche-badged option to haul their family around town. The first generation Porsche Macan came online in 2014, and for the last decade stood proudly in Porsche showrooms. Of course, a decade is a long time for a Porsche to stick around without a major chassis overhaul, which came in 2024. Except, this was more than just a second-generation Macan – it came without an engine, entirely. That’s right; Porsche has pivoted the Macan to a battery-electric nameplate for its second-gen car. The base-model Macan Electric sports a single motor that shoves 335 hp through the rear wheels. While there are more powerful versions of the Macan EV, all these machines use a 100 kWh battery pack. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Porsche Macan Electric and puts it through its paces. Later in the show, Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the latest Macan and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the battery-electric Macan, the state of battery-electric crossovers, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Macan Electric special.

Chevy’s Equinox entered its fourth generation for the 2025 model year and moved away from the car-like styling of the previous generations. Instead, Chevrolet pushed the latest Equinox in the same truck-and-SUV-inspired direction as the rest of its latest Traverse. This more upright styling gives the latest Equinox a more aggressive direction. The latest Equinox also joins the fleet of GM vehicles to add a massive screen to its cockpit, which also anchors the interior. Despite the overhauls inside and out, Chevrolet stuck with the 1.5-liter turbocharged I4 from the previous generation, which feeds either a continuously variable transmission in front-wheel-drive models or an eight-speed automatic transmission when equipped with an all-wheel-drive system. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Chevy Equinox and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Equinox and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Carone takes you on a live drive review of the latest Equinox. Adding to these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the Equinox, the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’25 Chevy Equinox special. 

Putting a wing on anything just makes it more fun. Even if its aero manipulation is moot, adding a wing lifts the fun levels on just about anything, and the latest Toyota Corolla is no exception. Toyota’s Corolla FX might technically be a nod to a Corolla hatchback of yore but now exists in sedan form with sporty styling. Built on the bones of the Corolla SE, the Corolla adds a wing to the trunk lid, a new set of 18-inch wheels, and some new design elements. While the Corolla FX does get some sporty visual enhancements, the Corolla FX still uses the same 2.0-liter I4 that feeds 169 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque through a continuously variable transmission and to the front wheels.On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Toyota Corolla FX and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the Corolla FX and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of the Corolla FX. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the 2025 Toyota Corolla FX, volume knobs, and fun compact commuter cars. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2025 Toyota Corolla FX special.

The days of the bare-bones work truck are slipping away. Sure, you can still buy a relatively Spartan workhorse, but it’s going to come with some of the same creature comforts people have grown to expect from their commuters. The days of a fixed seat, fixed steering wheel and crank window piece of work equipment-on-wheels are all but dead. That said, the Work Truck name, and price positioning, will chug along, at least in the Silverado EV. The entry point into Chevrolet’s BEV truck, the Work Truck trim cuts away the carpet and nice finishes on the inside, but the large screens and digital experience stick around. The powertrains, too, carry double duty between the standard commuter grade and the entry-level Work truck. Chevrolet kicks the Silverado EV off a dual-motor powertrain that’s good for 510 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. Feeding that dual motor array is a standard-range battery pack that’s good for 282 miles, according to GM. Of course, you can bump that up to the extended range and net 422 miles per charge, or the max range battery for 492 miles per charge.On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV WT and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a tour of the Silverado EV WT and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV WT, work trucks, and battery-electric pickups. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV WT special.  

Hyundai’s fifth-generation Santa Fe hit dealer lots last year and ushered in a new era for Hyundai’s people mover. The latest generation Santa Fe moves away from the rounder styling of the past four generations of Santa Fe and moves into the growing trend of boxy SUVs. That boxy, Land Rover-esq shell also helps hide a larger footprint. The new Santa Fe is 2.5 inches taller and 1.7 inches longer, and rides on a longer wheelbase than the previous model. This extra size also translates to additional space on the inside, as you’d expect. Hyundai chose a turbocharged 2.5-liter I4 to power every new Santa Fe, which is mated to an eight-speed automatic. On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Santa Fe and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Carone takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe, the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’25 Hyundai Santa Fe special.