Category: Automotive Reviews

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Quick Take: 2026 BMW M5 Touring

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026  BMW M5 Touring. That’s a station wagon with a difference – or two – or more. The seventh-gen version of this M-Division autobahn burner, it’s a plug-in hybrid with rorty V-8 and a sleek shape that starts with twin-kidney grill, lots of gaping air intakes and spoilers, serious Continental rubber – and four doors plus a hatch done in a wild Vegas Red Metallic.

The interior is designed for the driver, with body-hugging buckets seats up front, a thick-rimed steering wheel with shift paddles – and a sweeping digital display that starts with a configurable 12.3-inch gauge display, a 14.9 inch infotainment touchscreen with BMW’s iDrive 8.5 interface, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as HD radio and more..

Four adults fit nicely in here – so does 27-cubic-feet of luggage, or 67 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded flat. And over it all, a long panoramic roof with power shade in a lush Alcantara Suede headliner.  .

Under that long bonnet lies the happy place here – a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 with 717 hp and 738 lb ft of torque, some of that from an electric motor in back that adds 195 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. There’s an 8-speed M Sport automatic. There’s six drive modes, from eCONTROL (best hybrid efficiency) on up to Dynamic Plus. Plug it in, and BMW says this M5 Touring’s 14.8 kWh battery allows for up to 87 mph (and up to 33 miles) from electric motor alone. Or launch control achieves 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, electric motor torque immediate with a hint of rear wheelspin, then the V-8 mellow bellowing – .92Gs on launch. It’s also very agile, flat and secure to play with due to grippy rubber, four-wheel-drive and adaptive suspension, pulling a very impressive 1.03Gs in steady-state cornering with no understeer.

So read lots more about this – 2026 BMW M5 Touring: V8 Muscle With An EV Twist – and check out a full video – plus more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan.And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Look: 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD, basically the police package of this SUV for the civilian who wants to play with serious off-road equipment.

The 2026 is a 2025 refresh of the revamped 2020 model, the Tremor’s new grill getting wider, a copper bar accent across the black honeycomb mesh between LED headlights with strip DRLs. Black alloy wheels, one spoke done in copper, wear off-road oriented 18-inch Bridgestone Dueller A/T rubber. It’s recognizably an Explorer, but with off-road lights flanking the Ford emblem.

Inside, the 2025 refresh of the Explorer eliminated a lot of physical controls – perforated aluminum Bang & Olufsen speaker grills accent doors over more stitched armrests, while dash center, a wider touchscreen that handles almost every infotainment function you wish, albeit some a menu tap or two down. Plush leather and suede seats get heat, cooling and massage, plus more copper stitching and “TREMOR” embroidered in the seat uppers. Captain’s chairs in the second row have great head and leg room with a usable if low rear 2-person bench seat – second and third rows fold flat to really expand space.

There’s a 3-liter EcoBoost V-6 with 400 hp, easily tackling a muddy, pot-holed mud path next to a salt marsh. On the road, in Sport mode, the Explorer seems to pull out of the hole quicker en route to 60 mph in a quick 4.8 seconds. And in corners – all-wheel-drive is invoked in Sport mode – power distribution is sent to the wheels as needed, so it stayed neutral with a little body roll around corners.

So read lots more about this – 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor 4WD Is Powerful – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan.And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take: 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness, with more attitude, 80 more horsepower, and a bit more off-roadability..

The 2026 Outback has been moved into a more SUV-like shape by designers, boxier, chunkier shape, is a far more serious set of body cladding front, center and rear. The black grill gets “SUBARU” writ large as its center bar; big, round fog lights get Wilderness-specific copper rings for some serious standout look. It rides on all-terrain 17-inch Bridgestone Dueller rubber. And there’s a real skid plate behind the front bumper to help with off-road travels.

Inside, StarTex (waterproof faux leather) seats feel supple, with heat up front s feet rest on swirl-patterned black rubber mats. The driver gets a configurable digital display that can show 160-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach, or map with speed display. The the EyeSight safety system monitors where the driver’s eyes are. Rear seats have decent room, fold fairly flat to access a larger (32.6- to 34.6-cu.ft) cargo area.

The Outback Wilderness gets 9.5 inches of ground clearance and a turbocharged 2.4-liter BOXER with 260-hp – 60 mph in in 6.6 seconds. And with X-Mode – Snow/Dirt or Deep Snow/Mud and a shorter final-drive ratio – a dirt road in a downpour gave us solid traction and traction in the mud was fine, and the ride over holes and lumps was controlled.

So read lots more about this – 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness Adds More Horsepower

– and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan.And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take Review: 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country, designed to tackle a bit more than a trip to the golf course.

This is a big red rig – the top of the six trim levels for the Tahoe, at 210.7 inches just under 16 inches shorter than big brother Suburban. The High Country – black moniker on each front fender – rides on 22-inch Bridgestone Alenza rubber wrapped around black 8-spoke wheels.

Inside, really usable three-row seating for six adults, maybe one more in the back row middle. And it now joins many other SUVs with an 11-inch digital instrument cluster and an 17.7-inch touchscreen – plus Wi-Fi and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with solid 10-speaker Bose system.

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Quick Look Review: 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited – a totally new EV with some serious offroad vibes – Subie calls this its “most adventurous EV,” with 375-hp and 8.5 inches of ground clearance..

This Indiana-built Subaru sure shows an aggressive face, slim LED DRL units bisected by lit accent lines. Black plastic frames front and rear tires – 20-inch silver alloy wheels clad in somewhat street-biased Bridgestone Turanza rubber. It’s a familiar Outback-style SUV-like shape, with a grill-less EV face. It’s a blunter, more SUV-like visage than Subaru’s Solterra EV.

Inside, black and gray Star-Tex pleather seats, the driver getting power adjustments and dual memory presets and facing a squircle – squared-off circle. There’s two digital screens, a small number of physical controls, and a funky transmission controller on a floating center console. There’s decent adult-size room front and rear – comfy seating, all enjoying available cloud-based navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also 31.3 cu. ft. of rear cargo space, 74 w/seats folded.

It’s a pure EV – 190.8-inches long, on a 112.2-inch wheelbase – 8.5 inches of ground clearance. It’s 4,475 lbs., with an estimated 274 miles of range and 375-hp from two motors and a 74.7-kWh high-capacity lithium-ion battery. It’s quick – in Power mode – our 1,100-mile-old crossover leaped off the line, hitting 60 mph in a quick 4.3 seconds. And since Subaru adopted the North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug, we can use the slim (and quick) Tesla Supercharger charger so many places..

So read lots more about this – Could Subaru’s 2026 Trailseeker EV Replace Your Outback – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan. And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take Review: 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss, an all-electric pickup truck that is slick, fairly compact (for a full-size truck), and full of smart stuff and very good range. Plus, it lives on GM’s Ultium platform, designed for EV specifically, and ours had the Max Range battery..

This is a good-looking pickup that’s also smaller than a gas Silverado – 12 inches less wheelbase, and 7 less in length. It’s aerodynamically sleek, quiet on the highway, and gets a decent-size frunk, tightly-mounted running boards, and a 2-inch factory lift kit for a decent 10 inches of ground clearance.

Inside, a wide set of digital screens with configurable gauges displays in front, and a multi-media navigation/audio/climate control screen that also shows more. It seats five adults just fine, and even has a pop-out rear window and flip-down midgate to haul longer stuff in a 57.3-cu-ft) cargo bed with retractable cover.

It’s a truck – it can tow up to 12,500 pounds of trailer and still keep decent range – GM estimates up to 478 miles on a full charge from a massive 205 kWh battery pack, and we had 450 miles when we got it at 93% charge. Quick too – 5 to 80 percent charge in under 50 minutes on a DC fast charger. Oh yes – it’s got rear-wheel-steer, and it crab walks as you see below- rear wheels turn a bit in tandem with fronts.

So read lots more about this – 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Is The Real Trail Boss – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan. And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take Review: 2026 Subaru Solterra Touring XT

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Subaru Solterra Touring XT, a mid-cycle refreshed EV with more power, extended range and a NACS-capable charging port.

Sharing some bits with the Toyota bZ4X, the Solterra got a gloss-black mini-grill with a backlit Subaru multi-star logo flanked by stacked LED DRLs over new, inset headlights with the refresh. It’s got a cleaner look with prominent geometric flares. It’s a sleek yet angular crossover with high beltlines and a visually low roof to add sleekness.

Inside, gray and black StarTex pleather seats are crossover height for an easy slide in – and the mid-cycle refresh adds a new 14-inch Subaru Multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The squircle steering wheel has small paddles in back that adjust regenerative braking only. The redesigned 7-inch gauge display gets a higher placement with configurable display. And there’s good room for two up front, and decent head, leg and foot room in back, although they sit a bit low – decent storage space under the power rear hatch.

So read lots more about this – Subaru Solterra Gets Substantial Overhaul For 2026 – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan. And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take: 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness, a brand new and slightly more macho trim level for this well-known all-wheel-drive model.

This is the sixth-generation Forester, the “most rugged” yet, Subaru says, with a higher 9.3 inches of ground clearance, a similar bold black grill remains, and a bit more angular sculpting – with more copper accents. There’s a serious skid plate up front, angular black fender flare accents all-round, and 17-inch Yokohama Geolander A/T rubber.

Inside, that added height means it’s easy to slide into the Forester Wilderness’ dark gray buckets seats, embossed “Subaru Wilderness” logos on head restraints. Small plastic paddle shifters in back work eight simulated gears on the CVT, with a big 11.6-inch center  touchscreen as part of a higher-mounted dashboard for increased space.

You can select Snow/Dirt or Deep Snow/Mud drive modes – on the screen – which can also display a nose camera video of what you are driving over, or all-wheel-drive status, roll and dive angle and steering articulation, with climate controls still active below. It’s frisky enough on-road, and able to comfortably go gently off-road .

So read lots more about this – 2026 Subaru Forester Ups Its Game With Wilderness Trim – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan. And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take: 2026 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD, one of four SUVs that the venerable Flint, Michigan automaker does now – no sedans in the mix anymore. But there is some sense of Buick style here, from the smoked chrome honeycombed grill, slit LED DRLs and relatively long 120.9-inch wheelbase..

There’s some style flash in the use of chrome, the sleek running lights and the big 18-spoke silver alloy wheels shod in 22-inch Continental CrossContact rubber.

Inside, a blue-over-dove gray interior with bronze accents and glowing ambient lighting, plus ash gray wood door accents and perforated alloy Bose speaker grilles. The white leather seats are flat if comfy, with heating, cooling and massage up front. Then there’s the sweeping 30-inch gauge/infotainment display atop the dashboard’s centerpiece, multi-configurable with digital speedometer and more for the driver, then central navigation screen that also offered wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto, plus HD radio via a 16-speaker Bose audio system. There’s lots of room in the twin captain’s chairs in the second row, a usable 3-person bench seat, and decent cargo room behind.

So read lots more about this – 2026 Buick Enclave Avenir Moved By Turbo 4

 – and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan. And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.

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Quick Take Review: 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback

EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan takes a test drive in a 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback – or station wagon in regular speak.

This is Kia’s newest sedan, now with a sleek semi-fastback wagon roofline that adds pizazz to its shape, room to its cargo area, and a serious presence, especially in golden yellow.  LED lights and DRLS make up its aggressive face, while the long roof gets a black glass moonroof, all framed by muscular rear fenders and a shaded rear hatch – angular rear lights, a high hatch and lots of space inside.

Ah yes – inside, it has low-slung, sporty pleather seats, a wide digital screen with 28 inches of gauges, blind spot camera images, navigation and more. There’s Sport/Normal drive modes, paddle shifters behind a squared-off steering wheel, and real buttons for dual-mode fan, temperature and vent position. There’s  good backseat room, and 22.2-cu.-ft. of squared-off space. Its turbocharged four gets a decent 190-hp at 6,000 rpm, and 195 lb-ft or torque through its front wheels -quick enough and almost 30 mpg..

So read lots more about this, and see more interior and exterior images by EV Rider reviewer Dan Scanlan – 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo Is Affordable Fun And check out lots more views of EV, PHEV and ICE vehicles at EV Rider.