Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
Google Gemini rolls out to 16 Volvo models from 2020 forward starting April 30, 2026. What changes for drivers, who qualifies, and whether conversational AI earns its dashboard real estate.
Read moreTechnology | Updated: May 14, 2026 Almost six years after BMW shipped the first vehicle with Apple Car Key, the technology now ships across 23 automotive brands, with ten more on Apple’s announced list. Three of those brands moved from announced to shipping in the past six months: Rivian in December, Toyota in February, and Porsche this week. The Toyota launch matters most. The world’s largest automaker spent years charging for its proprietary digital key system before quietly rolling out Apple Car Key on the 2026 RAV4 in February without a press release. Owners discovered it on Reddit. Toyota’s implementation still requires an active Remote Connect subscription at $15 per month after the one-year trial. Apple Car Key is free
Read moreThe 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+ is the new and least expensive electric sport utility vehicle in the German manufacturer’s lineup. It joins the EQB 300 4Matic EQB and 350 4Matic as the brand expands its EV focus. All of the models have Premium, Exclusive and Pinnacle trim levels, opening the configurations to a wider audience, particularly with EQB 250 debut. It’s a financially attractive way to enter the EV market with the enduring carmaker. The EQB 250+ features 188 horsepower and is powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor. With its more powerful relatives, the EQB 250 uses a 70-kWh battery pack. The manufacturer promotes the battery charges from 10 to 80 percent in 32 minutes while using a DC
Read moreThe 2024 Lexus UX 250h continues the now six-year run for the uniquely positioned vehicle. It’s arguably the country’s best-valued, most fuel-efficient luxury subcompact sport utility vehicle. It’s a long title and worthy of it. The least inexpensive Lexus starts at $35,340. The Premium and F Sport Design trims both start at $37,800. The top F Sport Handling model begins at $42,770. All-wheel-drive is a $1,400 option on every trim. The top-line choice costs about the same as the average price of a new vehicle in the United States, which makes the little-but-not-so-little SUV additionally attractive. When it debuted, the UX (Urban eXplorer) lineup was offered in gas and hybrid options. The former was discarded in 2023, leaving four hybrid
Read moreIn the rapidly evolving world of electric vehicles (EVs), strategic partnerships and technological advancements are key to staying ahead of the curve. Volvo Cars, renowned Swedish automaker, is making significant strides in this direction. The company recently announced a landmark agreement with Tesla, granting Volvo‘s EV drivers access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger network across North America. While Volvo is leveraging Tesla’s charging infrastructure, it has chosen to develop its own autonomous driving technology, underlining its commitment to innovation and independence in the EV sector. A Strategic Partnership with Tesla Volvo Cars is the first European automaker to sign an agreement with Tesla, enabling current and future electric Volvo car drivers to access Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network across the United States,
Read moreFrom time to time during the more than five years of The Weekly Driver Podcast, co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia catch-up on automotive news instead of having a guest. This week on Episode #260 we visit four diverse topics — cheap SUVs, the death of speed racing icon Craig Breedlove, the most expensive states to own vehicles and no ignition new car It’s no secret, Hyundai and Kia have drastically improved in recent years. The related manufacturers’ vehicles have had some of the industry’s top ratings, from economy to luxury segments. The 2023 Hyundai Venue is also the country’s cheapest SUV. It only has 121 horsepower and its cargo area is a postage-stamp sized at 32 cubic feet. And
Read moreGreg Abbott, an ordained minister for nearly 40 years, is also a steel fabrication artist, craftsman, prop builder and television personality based in Los Angeles, California. Mostly, he’s known as “Reverend Gadget” or just “Gadget” for his leading role in a custom car build team on the short-lived Discovery Channel series Big! Abbott, my guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast, has also been part of several other cable television programs, including his current show on EarthxTV. During the episode, Abbott discusses his advocacy of alternative energy sources by converting gasoline-powered vehicles to electricity. Abbott took the name “Reverend Gadget” to reflect his craftsman works and because of his minister responsibility that began in 1986. According to his website,
Read moreSelecting the cars of the year helps celebrate another year reviewing new cars and trucks, visiting auto shows and talking with vintage car owners, book authors and industry experts about their cars of the year. There are always great and not-so-great moments driving vehicles. The industry is always abuzz. There are always changes, oddball statistics, recalls and new models and makes. What has Elon Musk done now? Will autonomous driving and EVs ever make a significant difference? Will low-profile tires stop blowing while negotiating small divots in the road? Will Audi ever change its front-grille design? As much as the automotive industry changes, sometimes not much happens. In 2007, the year the iPhone debuted, the starting price of the Toyota
Read moreVolvo‘s push for an all-electric future ramped up as the Swedish automaker recently unveiled in Stockholm the Volvo EX90, its largest and most expensive electric vehicle to date. The debut of the Volvo EX90 follows the carmaker’s pledge to eliminate all gas-powered vehicles from its lineup by 2030. Volvo currently sells two EVs — the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge — yet the electric architecture of the EX90 has been built from the ground up for peak ergonomics. Volvo’s newest model is propelled exclusively by two electric motors sending power to all four wheels. Currently no single-motor option is available but this could change. The standard, Twin Motor model generates 402 horsepower and 568 lbs/ft of torque. Volvo EX90: Engine
Read moreThe 2022 Lexus NX 350h is an automotive dichotomy. Now in its second generation and eight years removed from its debut, the futuristic-looking sport utility vehicle is categorized as a subcompact luxury crossover. The description is contradictory and inaccurate. Luxury in vehicles was once determined by spaciousness, top-end construction, top-line materials and a handsome, confident and powerful presence powering along the highway. The NX 350 is none of that. Lexus remains the luxury brand of Toyota. Its upscale offerings were vaulted to the top of the J.D Power & Associates in 1991, the car maker’s third model year. More than 30 years later, the brand’s SUV lineup gets similar industry ratings. But as represented to an extreme by the NX
Read moreEarly in 2021, a teenage boy witnessed a colleague and me exit a 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost at a local sandwich shop. He approached us, looked at my friend and said: “Excuse me, sir. What kind of job do I need to get to afford a car like that?” A few hours later while waiting in the Ghost at a stoplight two men in a vehicle to my right that may not have made it to its destination, caught my attention. Before the light changed, they uncorked a jubilant dance of synchronized hand signs and body gestures. I didn’t know what the display meant, but I’m certain it was a good thing. Far more expensive vehicles exist. But the Ghost, with
Read moreUnveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Lexus UX 200 is the upscale Toyota brand’s newest sport utility vehicle. It’s a subcompact crossover smaller than its NX sibling. The 2021 edition receives a few minor upgrades and tweaks. Small even by sub-compact SUV standards, the Lexus UX 200 is available in Base, Luxury and F-Sport trims. It has a close relative in the UX 250 hybrid. Key Takeaways Smallest Lexus SUV punches above its size: The UX 200 feels bigger than its subcompact profile suggests, with athletic handling and precise steering through mountain roads and city traffic. Sluggish acceleration is the biggest weakness: At 8.9 seconds 0-60 mph with just 169 hp, the UX 200 struggles noticeably on steady
Read moreWelcome to the 14th annual Cars of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. This year, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I announce the top-10 list on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and I individually picked 10 vehicles from the nearly 40 cars and trucks in 2020 models I reviewed and Bruce drove. Neither of us was surprised. Our choices for cars of the year were nearly identical, including our No. 1 choice, the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Unlike many publications, we wait until the end of the year to announce our selections. A year’s perspective is important. Cars of the Year Here are The Weekly Driver Podcast’s choices for 2020 (with prices), followed by cars of the year
Read moreThe 2020 Corvette Stingray is rare in the automotive universe. Envisioned for decades and initiated eight years ago, the mid-engined sports car revitalized the faltering brand. It’s TheWeeklyDriver.com’s Car of the Year. Every new car is promoted with a mess of adjectives best-suited for romance paperbacks. The Corvette deserves the rabid praise. After years of diminishing sales, the new eighth-generation is unlike any previous Corvette, influenced by Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren masters. Specs are impressive: a 6.2-liter V8, top-speed of 194 mph and 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. It’s an exotic, equally well-suited on the track and as a daily driver. Top-line cost is $78,000, less than half of top competitors. Car of the Year Here are the remaining top-10
Read moreGrande Prairie, Alberta is a petroleum and agriculture-dominant city about 300 miles northwest of Edmonton. Winter driving is brutal. Citizens and seasonal oil field workers mostly rely on pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles. A few years ago, when visiting the city for several days during the late summer Tour of Alberta, the now-defunct professional cycling event, I re-enacted a version of the old family vacation game. But instead of counting license plates from different states, I counted vehicles. On two early morning runs with temperature in the mid-30s, I categorized the first 25 vehicles viewed. Combined, 43 of the 50 were pick-ups or SUVs. The roads were icy and muddy, potholes plentiful. Driving a heavy, all-wheel-drive vehicle made sense.
Read moreThe amalgamation of sport utility vehicles has continued in 2020. About half of the new vehicles sold this year in the United States will be full-on SUVs or crossovers. Many brands are interchangeable, but Volvo has emerged from the cluster of sameness. The Volvo XC40 was introduced last year and for 2020 has a few updates, including varying upholstery and other equipment tweaks and a more efficient interior with new storage areas. But this year’s edition is largely the same vehicle the debuted last year and gained plenty of attention for automotive watchdogs and prominent review sites. A two-row, five-passenger crossover, the XC40 features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with either a T4 or T5 designation. The T5 offers 248
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