Bisected by the Arctic Circle, nestled between Norway and Finland, Sweden’s Lapland routinely sees temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees below zero over its depressingly dark winters. That makes the area around Arjeplog a hotbed of cold-weather testing—including our prototype drive of the first-ever Range Rover EV. 

Climate change is shortening the testing season here, thinning meter-deep ice on frozen lakes where automakers develop and coach their sheet metal skaters. That only underscores the urgency of the electric task; including the need to goose northerly adoption by making EVs charge faster and hoard range in bitter conditions.

Range Rover EV

Here in Arjeplog, the wintertime population swells from 2,500 to 6,000 as engineers and executives—from Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, Bosch, Continental and more—rent local homes or swarm seasonal hotels.

For the past two winter seasons, Range Rover EV prototypes have undergone 45,000 miles of testing over lake ice and land tracks here; now add a few more with me behind its sumptuous wheel. I’ve been sworn to secrecy for now on personal driving impressions. But I am free to discuss my sensations from the shotgun side, with engineers driving through deep snow and shimmying on ice.

So start with this: Picture a Rolls-Royce Spectre, likely the world’s quietest automobile, a royal stateroom wafting on waves of air-sprung flotation, all heightened by its BMW-based electric powertrain. Next, the Mercedes G 580, the Rover’s only direct off-road rival (no Rivian is this luxurious), whose own legendary 4x4 skills only get better in electric guise.

Range Rover EV

As with those models, a Range Rover’s electric evolution feels right and inevitable, as an SUV that casts itself as the benchmark of all-encompassing luxury, serenity and capability. These days, such haughty claims become nearly impossible to support with an ICE powertrain.    

This Range Rover EV seems expressly designed to be the best Range Rover, to put an end to performance debates on any given Sunday or surface. It rides on Jaguar Land Rover’s aluminum-intensive MLA-Flex architecture, designed from the get-go to support EV, ICE and PHEV versions on a single assembly line. All the brains of this SUV, its power electronics and control modules, fit neatly into an existing transmission tunnel. 

The power here comes from a 117 kilowatt-hour (usable) battery, designed and built in-house, backed by 67 patents, with 344 prismatic cells on their edges in two stacked tiers. The cell-to-pack design eliminates module boxes to save space and weight, but is fully armored for wilderness adventure or deep-water wading. 

Suspension geometry, ground clearance, roofline height, breakover and departure angles are all virtually identical to gasoline models, with the EV version adding dual-stage dampers to its air suspension. Unlike Jaguar and its hot pink, Code Red bet on EVs, Land Rover—the brand that currently pays 100% of JLR’s bills—isn’t about to ditch its ICE-leaning customers for good. 

Range Rover EV

Still, that doesn’t mean JLR half-assed the effort. One high-voltage argument is settled: The Rover’s 800-volt architecture has the 400-volt Benz beat. Given a robust enough charger, engineers claim the Rover can charge at a peak of 350 kilowatts, versus 200 for the Mercedes. My observations sussed out dual Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports, one on each rear fender of the prototype — ostensibly for flexible positioning at charging stalls — but JLR representatives weren’t ready to confirm the arrangement for production models. 

Land Rover hasn’t estimated the EV’s driving range, but my rough calculations suggest roughly 280-300 miles on the EPA test cycle, versus the Benz’s 239 miles. Based on real-world data on 350 million journeys taken by its drivers, Rover says the electric version will cover 99% of daily trips on a full charge.

Other off-road gizmos include a four-wheel-drive system that senses and reacts to wheelspin with a 50-millisecond latency, or 100 times faster than gasoline-powered models. That’s not a contest; it’s a laugh fest. Even on ice polished to a Zamboni sheen, and shod with 21-inch all-season tires, the Rover hesitates for a beat under hard throttle,  then digs in and hustles like it’s on damp pavement. 

On a forested off-road course, the Rover toboggans through snow with such cruise-controlled ease that a pilot could sip cocoa and steer with a finger and thumb. Terrain Response modes, managed via a familiar console dial, are optimized to take advantage of the electric largesse. Regenerative braking adjusts automatically based on driving modes. A one-pedal mode operates smoothly even on icy slopes of up to a wicked 28-degree incline, and automatically engages Hill Hold so drivers can move off again without touching brakes.

Range Rover EV

Non-PHEV gasoline Rovers will tiptoe 0.4 inches higher in maximum off-road mode, but the EV’s 10.4-inch peak still tops the G-Wagen’s 9.9 inches. This British royal carriage still kneels graciously at the curb to admit riders. 

Most importantly here, a sophisticated five-link independent rear suspension outclasses the Benz’s archaic de Dion solid axle, a workaround necessitated by the Mercedes’ retrofitted EV design. Translation: This Rover should carve circles around the Mercedes on pavement, where these SUVs will spend 99 % of their working-and-playing lives. 

A pair of permanent magnet electric motors, designed entirely in-house with power-dense silicon carbide inverters, send 550 horsepower and 628 pound-feet of torque to four wheels. Lynfel Owen, Rover’s chief engineer for vehicle architecture, says the motors’ laminate windings are thinner than Tesla’s, allowing a stronger magnetic field and more torque in a given space. No stopwatch numbers yet, but engineers say the electric Rover should meet or beat standard V-8 models from zero to 60 mph. Figure a plenty-quick 4.5 seconds, versus 4.1 seconds for the more powerful Mercedes. 

Range Rover EV

Regarding electric-motor count, a reductive take suggests the G-Class’ four beats the Rover’s two. Owen compliments the ingenuity of the Mercedes’ quad motor system, but says Rover considered and rejected the approach. Because individual motors can’t direct power side-to-side, they must be relatively upsized to ensure adequate torque at each wheel, dinging efficiency.

Rover’s larger dual motors can shuttle 100% of torque across an axle, so they can actually send more torque to a single wheel on demand. Mercedes’ approach also demanded an additional two-speed transmission at each wheel, and two more inverters, adding weight and complexity for what Rover insists is little practical gain. Unless you count the Mercedes’ notorious dance move, which, enjoyable as it is, is a YouTube gimmick. 

“If you want to do a tank turn, great,” Owen says. “But our system is lighter, less mechanically complex, and more efficient in performance, energy usage and vehicle packaging.” 

Rover further expects its “ThermAssist” to be the most advanced thermal management system of any EV. Where ICE cars waste the majority of their potential energy, an upside is surplus heat. EVs don’t have that luxury, so the development mantra for electric Rovers is that “Every watt is precious.” With eight onboard cooling loops and a boatload of algorithms, the system evaluates 700 environmental and onboard parameters to send watts where they’re most needed: Cabin, battery or powertrain. 

Land Rover says the system reduces heating energy consumption by 40%, boosting cabin comfort and driving range. It can recover heat at ambient temperatures as low as 10 degrees below zero; this SUV is designed to sit outdoors for weeks in cold weather and lose little juice. Winter testing should ensure cold starts at up to 22 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, even after long idle periods.

The Rover’s flexible architecture and holistic design approach pay off with an estimated curb weight of about 6,000 pounds. If the brand can pull it off, that’s on par with a PHEV Range Rover, about 750 fewer pounds than the boxy Benz, and 3,000 fewer than the gargantuan GMC Hummer EV or Escalade iQ. Which again suggests a more nimble electric SUV, though that verdict must await a road test of a production model. 

Range Rover EV

On the move in Sweden, dramatically backlit by sparkly snow, my ink-black Range Rover is barely distinguishable from gasoline models —  just the way designers wanted it. Why mess with success, with the Range Rover’s impossibly smooth, yacht-like skin among its top selling points? It’s the same story inside, where nothing intrudes on the five-star Mayfair hotel vibe. There’s a power meter in the digital driver’s display, a few EV-centric screen pages, and that’s about it. 

In a smart bid for wider adoption, the Range Rover EV will be offered in short- or long-wheelbase versions. We’re a long way from pricing, but executives hint at rates roughly in line with V-8 models. For short-wheelbase models, those gasoline swillers range from about $121,000 for a P550e SE, to $153,000 for a P550e Autobiography. In other words, it won’t be cheap, but a Range Rover never is.

For any truly blue-chip auto brand, the unavoidable question is how receptive people will be to an unfamiliar, even challenging face at the country club gates. That’s even more true now that EVs are being roiled by geopolitical storms and scrutiny over tumbling residual values. 

Headwinds be damned, Range Rover intends to bring its electric flagship to showrooms early next year as a 2026 model. (If tariffs don’t sabotage exports from Solihull, U.K. to our benighted shores). 

Range Rover EV

I’m gonna guess JLR would be satisfied if 10 % of Range Rover’s U.S. customers chose the electric version in its opening year. Fifteen percent would have champagne popping: That would be about 4,000 cars at current sales rates, with North Americans buying 27,000 of the 75,000 Range Rovers sold globally in the fiscal year ending in March. 

Hell, the fictional Roy family in Succession would’ve bought a convoy of these, just to get climate protestors off their backs at staged public appearances. Even grumpy old Logan would notice a ride so creamy, and a cabin so blissfully silent, to amplify every epithet toward his trembling offspring. Maybe tell reactionary bastards that this Range Rover is electric after they’ve experienced it first, and JLR may have a hit on its hands. 

Lawrence Ulrich is an award-winning freelance automotive journalist. He's also the former chief auto critic of The New York Times and a contributing editor at Road & Track.

More Jag Land Rover

The 2025 Chevy Blazer EV SS isn’t the drifty, playful performance EV of our dreams. Chevy made that clear before I even got in the driver’s seat.

“One more spoiler for you: I will tell you, if you decide to explore the outer limits of the vehicle on the track today, no surprise, you will experience a bit of understeer in the vehicle,” Blazer EV Product Marketing Manager Chris Boman said during the introduction presentation. “That’s a characteristic of the vehicle. It’s the safe way to tune the vehicle for normal customers that we’re going to be selling this vehicle to.”

Understeer—the tendency of a vehicle to push wide when you go too fast in a corner—is the opposite of oversteer, the drifty sliding action that looks feels incredible but carries a high risk of spinning. It’s the kind of thing that looks great in a commercial for a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, with its drift mode. But this isn’t that car, and that’s ok.

It’s a performance electric SUV designed for the people who buy them. That means it’s not the most exciting car in its class, but it’ll probably dust the Hyundai on the sales charts. 

(Full Disclosure: Chevy flew me to Charlotte, North Carolina to drive the Blazer EV SS. The company paid for my travel and lodging, and provided access to a closed course at Ten Tenths Motor Club.)

What Is It?

The Blazer EV SS is the long-delayed performance variant of Chevy’s midsize electric crossover. It uses the same 102-kWh battery pack as the existing Blazer EV RS, good for 303 miles of range here. But the SS gets way more power, with two permanent magnet motors putting out up to 616 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Unlike the Hyundai, where full power is available only in 10-second bursts, the SS will deliver that full dollop as long as you are in “Wide Open Watts” (WOW) mode. 

Chevy claims a 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds. That’s a tenth behind the Hyundai but a tick ahead of the Tesla Model Y Performance. Pricing also splits the difference. A Model Y is in the mid $50,000 range, an Ioniq 5 N is $67,675 and the Blazer EV SS goes for $62,095 with destination included. The only major option box is the $395 Performance Package, which adds summer tires and brakes with a different coating for better high-stress performance. The price is bang on with the Kia EV6 GT, probably the closest competitor in terms of overall feel and purpose.

Where the Blazer separates itself from the other fast electric SUVs is in sizing. This is a big car. It measures about five inches longer than a Model Y, nine inches longer than the Ioniq 5 and 8 inches longer than the Kia. This doesn’t offer a huge payoff in cargo space—the Model Y is the packaging champ of this class—but the Blazer EV’s rear seat is giant, and the wide cabin makes it feel like a big, American SUV in the best way.

Is It Fun?

God, who’s asking? This is where reviewing electric SUVs gets tricky. As an enthusiast, fun to me means engaging to drive, rewarding to wring out and communicative. The only electric SUV I’ve driven that ticks those boxes is the Ioniq 5 N. Not even the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric made my hair stand up. But I also hear constantly from readers telling me the smooth power of their bog-standard electric crossovers makes them more fun than any gas car.

For that crowd, the Blazer EV delivers. Its 650 lb-ft of torque kicks you right in the ass, delivering a stomach-churning off-the-line launch. But it’s the only trick in this performance SUV’s wheelhouse. . Ok, it also bites in the corners and delivers some surprising agility given its—wait for it—5,730-pound (!!) curb weight. But here’s the thing. Anything so ridiculously heavy is not going to be something you want to push hard, and the Blazer SS is no exception. The awkward combination of dazzling speed and complete numbness, with no steering feel or audio cues to inform you of what’s going on underneath you, there’s really no joy in pushing the limit.

More Fast Electric Crossover Options

That’s ok. I don’t think the average electric SUV driver will be doing track days. But Tesla manages to deliver similar performance and range with more cargo space in a package that is over 1,000 lbs lighter. The Ioniq 5 N, which I drove at Laguna Seca, is 900 pounds lighter. Its range is a comparably paltry 221 miles, but I think Blazer’s absurd weight is a bit damning here if you’re a driving enthusiast.

As the heaviest car in its segment by quite a bit, the Blazer EV can only be so fun. It’ll kick your butt off the line, but find a bend and you’ll have to manage a full-size truck’s worth of weight. 

Is It Good?

The better news is that the Blazer EV is much more biased toward daily driving than many other performance EVs. It’s a big, cushy crossover with a notably smoother ride and far more road-trip endurance than the Ioniq 5 N. It’s also a better tripper than the EV6 GT or Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.

Chevy decided to give the performance version a bigger battery than my personal Blazer EV, the LT, meaning you don’t lose range by going up to the fast one. The RS rear-wheel-drive is still the range king—up to 334 miles—but I think Chevy is smart to make sure the pricy one gives you over 300 miles of range. 

The SS also gets Super Cruise standard. The technology allows you to go hands-off on the highway, and it’s simply my favorite driver assistance system on the market. It’s confident and feels safe, with a driver monitoring system that makes sure your eyes never leave the road. The fixed suspension doesn’t feel noticeably stiffer than my base-model 2024 Blazer; that along with more rangehas me thinking the SS is actually a better road trip car. That’s a good thing: People don’t want to spend $62,000 on something that sucks to drive for more than a few hours.

Like lesser Blazers, the SS does better with big bumps than small undulations. Dips and long-radius bumps in the road can overwhelm its suspension, reminding you of just how heavy this car is. Pretty much every electric SUV I drive has a similar problem, with an annoying among of head-tossing motions over tricky surfaces. The Blazer isn’t the worst offender, but it’s much better on high-speed roads than it is on broken pavement in the city. 

The Blazer EV SS weighs over 5,700 lbs. That's about as much as a fully loaded, crew cab Chevy Silverado 4x4.

I also saw between 2.8 and 2.9 miles per kWh during mostly country road driving, giving it around 290 miles of real-world range in those conditions. But I didn’t have time to do a full range test or charge test. Chevy says it’ll charge at 190 kWs—same as the RS—and add just under 80 miles of range in 10 minutes on a charger.

Its infotainment suite is pretty top-flight, assuming you can live with General Motors’ decision to ditch CarPlay in most of its EVs. You still get access to Google Maps, Spotify, YouTube Music and other apps through the car’s built-in Play Store. You can even stream movies and shows when charging, thanks to available apps like Prime Video and Max. That functionality should roll out to other GM EVs, too. 

The Blazer EV SS and other GM EVs are getting streaming video access, which should make charging stops a bit more tolerable.

All of this makes it a reasonably solid medium-sized electric SUV, irrespective of performance. It has the same issues as other Blazers—no frunk, very heavy, no CarPlay—but makes very few tradeoffs compared to them.

Is This The One To Buy?

Throughout the two-day event, I got one question about four times from Chevy representatives who knew I lease a Blazer EV: “Are you going to trade yours in for this?”

Of course not. My main qualms with the Blazer EV are that it’s too heavy, too expensive and too much for most of my needs. That there are buyers of 5,000-lb family SUVs who think 0-60 in 6 seconds is “too slow” is wild to me. I cannot deny, however, that they exist. I have already seen people in the Blazer EV subreddit posting about how they traded their RS models for SS versions. 

The good news is that they will experience few, if any, tradeoffs. The Blazer EV SS rides well, is just as practical and goes further than the LT. It’s more all-weather-capable than the RWD RS thanks to its standard all-wheel drive, and it comes with every option you’d want.

It is not more fun than the Ioniq 5 N, nor as mature as a Tesla Model Y in terms of technology and ownership. Yet the outgoing Model Y Performance is far less comfortable and offers a love-it-or-hate-it ultramodern interior. The Hyundai is smaller, extremely stiff, offers nowhere near as much range and costs more. So the Blazer EV SS may not be track-capable or hair-rising fun. In this segment, it doesn’t have to be.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com.

If you want to understand the areas where Chinese electric vehicles shine, look no further than the Zeekr 7X. It is designed in Europe and tailored to European tastes, but it's built in China by one of the world's largest automakers. It's good enough that the established players on the continent should be really worried.

The 7X is a midsize SUV with a total length of 190 inches (4.82 meters) and a long 115-inch (2.92-meter) wheelbase, meaning it’s marginally larger than a Tesla Model Y. It looks smaller than it actually is, and Zeekr’s designers, who work out of Gothenburg, Sweden, did a great job masking this car’s actual size under a taut body that appears to have been shrink-wrapped around the key mechanical hardpoints.

It’s only when you step inside the 7X that you realize just how big it is. I’m a six-footer, and with the driving position set for myself, I had limo levels of rear legroom behind the driver’s seat. Being aboard the 7X is quite a premium experience, with good materials all around and plenty of toys for all the tech-savvy types out there.

And that’s just one reason of many that the 7X is due to put BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Tesla on notice.

(Full Disclosure: We were invited to Portugal by Zeekr a couple of weeks back to try out the 7X. Zeekr covered flights and lodging.)

What’s A Zeekr?

Chinese automotive conglomerate Geely Group has some 14 brands under its umbrella, but it’s Zeekr that has the clearest European focus. 

Zeekr was founded in 2021, so it’s a new brand even by Chinese standards, and it’s pitched as a premium and tech-packed vehicle with “the power of a giant” (Geely) behind it. Last year, Zeekr also gained a controlling 51% share in another Europe-bound Geely brand, Lynk&Co, essentially taking over the reins, and having its own brand that it controls.

It currently has three models on offer: the X, which is equivalent to the Volvo EX30, with which it’s also mechanically related. The 001 is a Tesla Model 3-rivaling sporty fastback. Then there’s the 7X SUV, which is trying to muscle its way into the competitive performance midsize electric crossover segment.

In China, it also offers a 7X-sized sedan called the 007, which will also gain a more practical wagon body. The 007 will likely be offered in Europe, since all Zeekrs are designed to appeal to Euro buyers, and that’s yet another threat to the established order.

What’s Under The Skin?

The Zeekr 7X rides on a version of the Geely SEA platform, which means it’s an 800-volt vehicle. Zeekr says it’s the quickest-charging EV currently on sale in Europe, with a peak charging rate of 360 kilowatts that allows it to go from 10 to 80% in just 13 minutes. That’s quicker than other 800-volt vehicles, like the revised Kia EV6, which needs 18 minutes for its 84 kWh battery or the 100 kWh Porsche Macan EV, which does it in over 20 minutes.

Zeekr says both the base LFP and optional NMC batteries have been designed to take up to 420 kW of charging power, which would cut the 10-80% time to just 10 and a half minutes (for 75 kWh) cars.

The WLTP range ratings for the 7X are competitive but not class-leading. The base 75 kWh car should be good for up to 298 miles (480 km), with the 100 kWh pack boosting that to 382 miles (615 km). Adding the front motor drops the range to 337 miles (542 km), less than a Model Y Long Range Dual Motor, which has a claimed range of 364 miles (586 km).

The 7X’s closest Geely stablemate is the Smart #5, which rides on the same variant of the SEA platform (called PMA2+), and it has the same 100 kWh battery and power output in dual-motor guise. Looking at them, you wouldn’t know they’re related, but under the skin, they are actually very similar—even if the 7X has a marginally larger footprint.

Zeekr 7X

It features either one permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the rear wheels with an additional one powering the front wheels in all-wheel-drive vehicles. The single-motor 7X has 420 hp, giving it a respectable claimed acceleration time to 62 mph (100 km/h) of 5.8 seconds, whichever battery pack it has. Interestingly, there’s hardly any weight difference between a 7X with the 75 kWh battery compared to 100 kWh-equipped examples. The difference is just 44 lbs (20 kg).

The dual-motor 7X has 630 hp combined from its two motors, and it slashes the sprint time to 3.8 seconds. This is the only variant we tried at the first drive event organized by Zeekr in Portugal, and it felt quite quick, although not as quick as you might think given its output. The fact that it weighs 5,290 lbs (2,400 kg) hampers its ability to launch off the line. It felt about as quick as the Tesla Model Y dual-motor that we tried last month, which, on paper, is around one second slower to sprint.

How Does It Drive?

The 7X has no intention to feel sporty or encourage you to drive it spiritedly. It’s soft and quite floaty-feeling, and it does a great job of ironing out road imperfections. We didn’t get to try a 7X without air suspension, but the one we tested was really smooth and plush with a clear emphasis on comfort.

Even though some have criticized the 7X’s steering, I actually found it pretty good. I set the steering weight to its heaviest setting, and it was precise enough to instill some confidence during brisk cornering. There’s no road feel making its way through the rim into your fingertips, but, overall, the steering is on par with most rivals, even ones from established premium automakers.

The tuning and calibration of the suspension felt like it was nine-tenths ready in the vehicle we tried. While it did a good job over most bumps, some sent a strong jolt through the chassis and into your seat, which was surprising and unsettling in an otherwise smooth and serene vehicle.

Show the 7X a corner, and it holds the line without fuss. I did stick the traction and stability aids into their sport setting, which allows for a bit of wheel spin and slip, and I goaded the car into a touch of oversteer on corner exit. However, bringing it back under control felt more difficult than it had to be, enough to make me want to get all of the nannies back online to ensure I returned the tester back to Zeekr in one piece.

Driving it around twisty Portuguese roads (part of the route included an old rally stage), it was pretty clear that while it looks as sporty as a Porsche Macan EV, its road manners and the level of driver enjoyment are not in the same league. The 7X feels in its element on more open roads and highways, eating up the miles with impressive ease.

You also feel the 7X’s weight through the corners more so than you do in, say, a similar European electric SUV like a BMW iX. The BMW is even heavier with its biggest battery pack, yet it manages to feel smaller and more nimble than it really is. Zeekr couldn't accomplish this task. Despite feeling planted, it also comes across as slightly lethargic and cumbersome at times.

Does It Look Good?

While it doesn’t have any bold details to get people talking, the 7X is subtly muscular in a very tasteful way. It Iooks sporty, elegant and understated at the same time and it blends nicely on European roads. It doesn’t look like a Chinese vehicle, which clearly was one of Zeekr's design goals.

What looks a bit strange is the gloss black panel that wraps around the front of the car, under which you find the daytime running lights and headlights. It’s as if the designers changed their minds about the design of the front clusters after the bodies were already stamped.

This part has light-up elements in Chinese-market 7Xs (which my colleague Kevin Williams drove last year), and one reason it’s not on the Euro-spec model could be EU regulations. Chinese-spec Zeekrs get a panel that even allows you to write messages, so that’s either not allowed in Europe or Zeekr decided to save a few yuan.

Zeekr 7X

Some design highlights include the swooping hood (hiding a 2.3 cubic-foot frunk that complements the 19 cubic-foot trunk) and hidden side window lower trim pieces. Zeekr’s design boss told me this was done for maximum aero efficiency. I’m not sure how much more slippery the car is because of it, but it sure looks good with the frameless windows (which are quite rare on crossovers and SUVs).

Special attention was paid to the shape of the 7X’s rear flanks, which make the vehicle appear wide and planted, but they aren’t as overtly aggressive as on some other similar vehicles. They flow nicely into the tiny rear decklid, creating a subtle spoiler along the upper part of the rear light clusters.

Is It Really Luxurious?

Zeekr made pretty much all surfaces (even lower down) in the cabin soft-touch, and this instantly makes the 7X feel fancy inside. While vehicles that feel this plush inside are coming in from China, premium European manufacturers are putting more and more hard plastic in their cars. The new BMW X3, for instance, doesn’t have any soft materials inside, and it doesn’t feel as good as the Zeekr (or a revised Model Y, which has a similar approach to materials).

There’s a massive 16-inch screen in the middle of the dashboard that seems to reflect Chinese rather than European tastes. It feels almost too big to be in a car, but Zeekr put a row of five physical switches under the screen to control some functions of the car, including opening the hatch, opening the glovebox and pausing the entertainment.

There’s also a button to control the drive mode, but this only changes the powertrain setting and doesn’t change the steering, suspension or any other setting. Since it’s there, Zeekr could tweak it to change all of these settings at once so that you don’t have to go into the infotainment to adjust things manually.

The driver gets a very slim 13-inch screen that displays all important driving information. However, you don’t look down at it that much since the car has a very good head-up display projected onto the windshield. The HUD has an augmented reality feature that allows it to overlay information over what you’re seeing through the glass. It works really well, and it makes the car feel quite futuristic.

It also reminded me that the Tesla Model Y gets neither a driver’s display nor a HUD, a bit of tech I believe is missing in that application.

The 7X has powered doors that open and close on their own. This is apparently a more common feature in China than in Europe, where we only previously experienced it in the BMW 7 Series (which was also designed to appeal to Chinese tastes, so it got automatic doors and that front fascia that we still haven’t grown accustomed to).

The powered doors in the 7X worked better and were less temperamental than the ones in the 7 Series. They were more consistent in how wide they opened, and while in the BMW their inconsistency started to become annoying, I didn’t get any of that in the Zeekr. Unlike in the BMW, which had visible ultrasonic sensors on the doors (to tell them how far to open), the sensors were hidden in the 7X, making for a much cleaner look.

The massive panoramic glass roof also deserves a shout-out, even though no part of it opens. But it is so big and it lets in so much light that it is one of the highlights of the interior. It also doesn’t eat into rear headroom, and I still had plenty of space while sitting in the back. I could probably still fit even while wearing a medium-sized fedora.

Seat comfort was also very good in the 7X, especially in the rear, where you can electrically recline the backrests. Front occupants get cooled seats and a massage function that is more powerful than I experienced in some fancy German cars. If Zeekr also made the headrests powered, it would truly be an uber-luxurious experience.

Should You Buy One?

I arrived at the Zeekr event with no expectations and an open mind, and I left impressed by how good-looking, luxurious and smooth-driving the 7X was. It’s clearly a vehicle designed to appeal to Europeans, but its software and gadget focus shows its Chinese roots. In a good way.

It has a starting price in Europe of €52,990 ($55,650). If you want the big battery it goes up to €55,990 ($58,800) for the long-range battery. That seems like a good deal if you want something that looks and feels posh and isn’t a common sight on the road (for now, at least). If you want the more powerful dual-motor, the price goes up to €62,990 ($66,100) and a fully loaded example, like the one I drove, costs around €70,000 ($77,650). That’s quite a bit more than a Model Y, but it seems justified by its more luxurious feel, plus the market is full of electric buyers looking to upgrade in size and style.

It’s definitely worthy of making premium electric crossover buyers’ shortlists, and it has what it takes to become a big seller in Europe. My short first contact with the car was very positive, even if it’s not the kind of vehicle I would get myself, but it’s clear that a lot of thought and effort has been put into making it. 

The premium car establishment in Europe should be worried.

More EVs From China

Look beyond the ambiguous marketing jargon and overused buzzwords, and there's something here worth being excited about. Cupra is a relatively new brand, spun out from its big sibling Seat in 2018. Even though it builds mostly SUVs, the emphasis is on performance; the “Cupra” name itself is an amalgamation of “cup” and “racing.” Clever.

After initial success in its home market of Spain and elsewhere in Europe, the Volkswagen Group already has ambitious plans to bring this brand to the United States. It won't happen until the end of this decade—and let’s face it, America’s newfound love of tariffs could make this plan a bit awkward—but for now, Cupra is trying to build up some American hype., The automaker flew a few products to Miami ahead of Formula E and offered me seat time in the Formentor plug-in hybrid.

Cupra Formentor

It should be noted from the jump: This exact vehicle may or may not come to America. 2030 is a lifetime away in the fast-moving electrified era, and who knows if the Formentor will even exist by that time. But in just an hour and a half behind the wheel, Cupra's smallest crossover charmed me. 

(Full Disclosure: Cupra gave me a hotel room in Miami for the night and one very fancy sweater with their logo on it. It’s a nice sweater.)

Where Does Cupra Fit In?

The VW Group has big plans for Cupra because, frankly, it needs the help. And it needs America to pay off in a big way.

The German conglomerate used to print money in China. But these days, Chinese buyers pretty much only have a taste for their homegrown brands. And things aren’t going so well in Europe, either, with a stagnating overall market, high labor costs, potential factory closures, and, yes, more competition from China. 

The answer for the VW Group is to take the U.S. market more seriously than ever. The revived Scout Motors brand is one part of that; Cupra is the other. 

Cupra Formentor

Yet the VW Group already has two more mainstream-leaning brands in the U.S.: Volkswagen and Audi. So it might not make a ton of sense to the average buyer why the company needs another one stateside. But while the VW brand operates on the mainstream end of the market, and Audi on the luxury side, Cupra wants to be smack dab in the middle of the two—like a German Oreo with Latin filling (gross). 

Cupra pointed specifically to brands like Mazda, Mini, Jeep, and Hyundai as potential competitors in the U.S., with still enough room between them and higher-end automakers like Tesla, BMW, and, of course, its cousins at Audi. Though U.S. pricing is not anywhere near finalized, it should reflect that market positioning. The company aims to sell about 100,000 units in the U.S. annually in the medium term—about 25,000 less than Volvo did in 2024, for context—with plans to expand from there.

“We’ll never be premium, that’s not us. And we’ll never be volume,” said Cecilia Taieb, Cupra’s Global Director of Communications. “The differentiation is the same differentiation you have in Europe, there’s no comparison. The prices are not the same because we’re between Volkswagen and Audi, so we’re not competing with any of those brands. That’s why we’re the sweet spot in the Volkswagen Group.”

Cupra Formentor

By the brand’s own admission, Cupra does lean more toward luxury—spend time in the Formentor, and you’ll find that true. But executives are adamant that Cupra will attract an entirely new group of buyers, younger than what other luxury brands currently see.

“In Europe, we are able to attract young people,” notes Chief Brand Officer Ignasi Prieto. “So if the average in Europe is around 52 [years old], we’re conquering an average of about 46. So we have a lot of 30, 31, 32 [year-olds] that a lot of other brands in the Group are not able to conquer… So we offer an entrance point into the Group… Audi is more focused on premium. We are not there, we don’t want to be there."

Unlike some other startups, or even Scout, Cupra won’t offer direct-to-consumer sales. It’s tapped dealer magnate and racing impresario Roger Penske for the job.  The automaker recently teamed up with Penske for around 20 “City Garage” locations in the U.S.—aka, dealerships—that should make it easier for potential buyers to pop in and see the products up close.

But success depends on the product. And from what I’ve seen so far, Cupra’s onto something there.

Cupra Formentor

From Spain, With PHEV

So what is a Cupra Formentor, anyway?

The Formentor is the brand's smallest crossover, riding on Volkswagen Group's ubiquitous MQB platform—so think of it as a lifted Golf with sporty GTI- and R-adjacent variants to match. The first-generation Formentor debuted in 2020, and a facelift in 2022 sharpened the SUV with a new “shark nose” grille, better wheels, and fresh technology.

Cupra Formentor

The base Formentor gets a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 148 horsepower, with the sporty Formentor VZ (Cupra's equivalent of a GTI or R model) pumping out as much as 329 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.0-liter gas engine at the top of the range. But for America especially, the plug-ins are the most important.

Cupra initially wanted to be an EV-only brand in the U.S. But as many automakers have, the company slowed its roll on electrification and now plans to bring some of its gas models to America alongside a bevy of plug-in and electric options.

Cupra Formentor

The Formentor PHEV—the one I drove—gets a new eHybrid system for 2025 that combines the base 1.5-liter gas engine with a single electric motor and a now-larger 19.7-kilowatt-hour (net) battery pack for a combined 268 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque. That’s powerful enough for it to reach 62 mph in 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 137 mph, while still returning just over 62 miles of all-electric range on the ever-generous WLTP cycle.

Powertrain aside for a moment—just look at this damn thing. There isn't a compact crossover anywhere in the U.S. that's half as attractive as the Formentor. Its sharply angled “shark nose” is very concept car-esque, while its wide stance and sleek profile buck traditional crossover aesthetics. The optional matte paint job and copper accents on the wheels and badges are a nice touch, too.

Cupra Formentor PHEV Interior

Even around Miami, a city well-known for its unbelievably boring roads, abhorrent drivers, and terrible traffic (I'm from there, I'm allowed to say it), the Formentor PHEV is still a lot of fun. There are obvious shades of Golf GTI in its DNA; the steering is sharp and quick, the chassis is wonderfully balanced and responsive, and even with a heavy-ish plug-in-hybrid powertrain underhood, the Formentor feels light on its feet. It's a genuinely fun thing to fling around.

Low-end torque from the electric motor is ample, and there's more than enough power from the tiny turbocharged engine to keep things interesting at highway speeds. And it's all unbelievably smooth; nary is there a moment where it feels like the gas engine and electric motor are fighting with each other underhood.

Cupra Formentor

The Formentor’s only noticeable downfall is the brakes. Cupra uses an electronic Brake Booster system meant to improve braking speed and energy recovery, but it’s clunky in practice. Squeeze gently on the center pedal, and there’s enough brake pressure to slow the vehicle down. But push harder to bring the vehicle to a full stop, and there’s some clunkiness to push past—seemingly the pedal reacting to the transitioning of the powertrain. It’s difficult to modulate smoothly, especially in traffic.

Cupra Formentor PHEV Interior

Cupra Formentor PHEV Interior

Cupra Formentor PHEV Interior

The interior is also a bit too funky for my tastes. Aside from a few hard plastic touch points, it all looks and feels premium. But multiple textures, patterns, and colors all clash with each other at odd intervals. The squishy faux-stitched material atop the dash is very off-putting. And the Formentor basically uses a version of the Volkswagen ID.4’s with the terrible touch-capacitive controls. 

Then again, this could all change before these cars make it to America. And a lot is up in the air right now. The world’s timeline for going electric is murkier than ever, automakers are asking tough questions about where to even build cars and the VW Group seems to be figuring out a lot of things across the board. And more recently, Wayne Griffiths, the CEO of Cupra and its Seat cousin, has moved on from the company. How Cupra will continue to flourish without the architect of its success is a tough question for the VW Group to answer. 

But if this brief drive in the Formentor PHEV represents even a fraction of what Cupra plans to bring to the U.S., they're on the right track.

Cupra Formentor

Contact the author: jeff.perez@motor1.com

Más Cupra

When I first got behind the wheel of the Lucid Gravity late last year, I was floored. But that test drive of a pre-production vehicle was also so rushed that it felt wrong to draw any real conclusions. Now that I’ve spent some real time in the driver’s seat of the startup’s second act, I can more confidently say what’s been kicking around my brain since December: The Gravity is the most impressive all-around electric vehicle I’ve ever experienced. 

This three-row SUV manages to do it all in ways that almost make no sense. It defies physics by driving like a sports car while also comfortably seating seven. It provides magical amounts of interior space, despite having a smaller footprint than competitors. On top of all that, it knocks all the critical EV specs out of the park, delivering a damn-near-unmatched EPA range and the quickest charging speeds in America. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

But Lucid’s journey with its first car proves that having a great product is only half the battle. On paper and in the flesh, the Gravity is a triumph. That’s for sure. 

The bigger unknown is whether Lucid can get enough customers to bite. 

[Full disclosure: Lucid flew me out to Southern California and covered my food and lodging so I could drive the Gravity]

What Is It?

California-based Lucid Motors wowed electric-car nerds in late 2021 when the Air sedan arrived with a still-untouched 520 miles of range and staggering performance.

But Lucid’s debut product was hamstrung by being a four-door sedan, at a time when the car market largely shifted to SUVs and trucks. Lucid sold 6,000 Airs in 2023 and just over 10,000 in 2024. It’s solid growth for a newcomer, but not exactly the makings of a major car company. Lucid wants to conquer far more customers and make strides toward profitability with the Gravity, which features all of its impressive home-built tech, but in a bigger, more widely appealing package. 

The Gravity isn’t just a taller Air, though. It rides on a new platform with new motors and more energy-dense batteries. It’s built at Lucid’s factory in Arizona and technically went on sale in late December, with a small number of units going to customers close to the company. Real-deal deliveries to actual customers start later this month. 

The launch-edition Gravity Grand Touring costs a lot of dough to own, especially if you want bells and whistles like a third row, 110-volt outlets and soft-close doors. But it’s also a lot of car, with a claimed 828 horsepower, a 3.4-second 0-60-mph time and up to 450 miles of range. A Touring version starting at $15,000 less is on tap for later this year. 

What’s It Like To Drive?

A few weeks earlier, I tested the Cadillac Escalade IQ. It’s wild how differently these two three-row EVs behave on the road. The ginormous Escalade handles like a cruise ship. Sure, it’s quick in a straight line and is a comfy highway cruiser, but it sucks at just about everything else. 

The Gravity, on the other hand, is genuinely a blast to drive hard. It’s so agile that you’re liable to forget you’ve got a whole-ass SUV behind you. Its steering is quick and responsive. And whether you stomp the throttle, slam the brakes or throw it into a sharp corner, the Gravity feels rock-solid and remarkably controlled. It’s all pretty mind-blowing when you consider that this is a full-size family-hauler, not some low-slung sedan or coupe. 

Our friends at The Autopian put it best when they said that the Gravity drives like a sports car trapped in a minivan’s body. That’s most true in the Gravity’s “Sprint” drive setting, which slams the vehicle to the ground, stiffens up its suspension and makes the throttle touchier. There’s also a more comfy “Smooth” setting and an in-between “Swift” mode.

2026 Lucid Gravity

It’s also brutally quick, delivering the smooth, effortless acceleration all EVs are known for but Lucid is particularly adept at. Even at highway speeds, there’s a seemingly bottomless well of power on tap. 

Who really needs a seven-seat SUV that drives like this? Probably nobody. What’s nice is the Gravity also crushes the everyday stuff, no problem. The Gravity’s adjustable air suspension means you can putter around town without the jittery harshness of some other super-SUVs. It’s quiet, too. Its stubby nose means visibility out the front is excellent, especially compared with more upright, boxy competitors. Blind-spot camera views that pop up when you signal a turn are a nice touch. 

One caveat: The tester I drove came equipped with the Dynamic Handling Package, which adds rear-wheel steering and accentuates the difference between its three drive modes. So I can’t speak to how the non-optioned car will perform. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

Regardless, you get three levels of regenerative braking. I tended to stay in the Goldilocks “Standard” setting, but you can also set it to “High” or off. 

Oh, and what about the Gravity’s squished steering wheel? I actually liked this idea a lot. The “squircle,” as Lucid calls it, helps provide an unobstructed view of the SUV’s screen, while still being familiar enough that there’s no learning curve. The same can’t be said of yoke-style wheels from Tesla. 

A Massive Interior

I think the Gravity’s clown-car interior will rope in far more customers than absurd driving dynamics ever will. Because if there’s one issue that unites all Americans during this increasingly polarized moment, it’s a love for hauling as much crap as possible. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

This SUV has the delightful quality of feeling a lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. That’s thanks to an airy, mid-century vibe, plus exceptional packaging. Truly, it's amazing how much space Lucid's engineers managed to carve out of vehicle that's not all that big on the outside. 

At 6-foot-1, I fit comfortably in both the second and third rows, which have flat floors and ample foot room. The back seats felt more spacious than what you get in the Rivian R1S or Escalade IQ, both of which Lucid had on hand for comparison. 

Plus, the Gravity has just about as much cargo room—up to 120 cubic feet with the seats folded—as the much bulkier Escalade. A large, eight-cubic-foot frunk helps, as does a giant cargo bin under the floor in back. 

It’s hard to imagine how big a car is inside based on cubic feet alone, so allow me to paint a picture for you. At the drive event, Lucid packed a Gravity full of cardboard boxes and challenged me to stuff as many as I could into a nearby Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. 

I’ve got pretty good spatial awareness—if you need help moving a couch into your walk-up apartment, I’m your guy—so I honestly thought I’d Tetris those boxes just so. But a few minutes later, the EQS was stuffed to the gills and there was a surprisingly large pile of boxes left over at my feet—probably the equivalent of at least three carry-on suitcases. Point, Lucid.

A Way Better Lucid UI

Lucid’s software game has always been outclassed by the likes of Tesla and Rivian. The Air’s interface was always pretty to look at, but not terribly functional and a little confusing at times. We’ve had consistent issues with the Alexa-powered voice command systems on past cars, for example, and Lucid’s behind many competitors when it comes to advanced driver assistance. 

Tentatively, I’ll say the Gravity represents a big step forward on the technology front. The crescent-shaped, 34-inch OLED screen behind the steering wheel is vibrant and crisp. The larger tablet below is a lot more intuitive to use at a glance than its predecessor. And it features slick animations that correspond to the various drive modes, suspension settings and regen options. On the whole, the new Lucid UX 3.0 comes off more refined and cohesive than what’s been in the Air. There's still no word as to whether those enhancements will hit the sedan too. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

The route-planning system now includes way more options, like your preferred state of charge on arrival and favorite charging networks. The energy page now displays efficiency tips aimed at new EV owners. And, a big one, you can now run two different apps on the Lucid’s two displays, like the maps and music. That was always a head-scratching limitation in the Air. 

I call it a tentative improvement only because a lot of features weren’t functional yet during my test drive, and I noticed a few bugs. The all-new head-up display and voice assistant were both off, various streaming applications were still TBA, and Dog Mode and Camp Mode were not enabled either. This is a pattern we’ve seen with cars like the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90, and I can’t say I hope it becomes the norm.

2026 Lucid Gravity

As physical controls become increasingly rare in the auto world, Lucid is going against the grain by including customizable buttons on both the steering wheel and center console. They weren’t actually programmable yet on the test cars, but that will be a nice touch when it arrives. 

How Good Is It As A Car, And As An EV?

At InsideEVs, we always answer those two questions with our reviews. In this case, I’d argue the Gravity is a great car because it’s a great EV. Let’s start with the basics.

The Gravity Grand Touring can go 450 miles on a full charge, besting key rivals like the R1S (410 miles), BMW iX (364 miles) and EQS SUV (324 miles). The Escalade IQ is the sole exception, with an automaker-estimated range of 460 miles, but it does so with a significantly bigger battery—more on that in a bit. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

Charging speeds are equally impressive here. The Gravity can charge at a whopping 400 kilowatts, which is more power than most stations in America can even dispense. In independent testing, it sucked in 200 miles of range in under 11 minutes, cementing it as the quickest charging EV outside of China. Plus, it’s one of the first non-Tesla EVs on the market to come with Tesla’s NACS charging port, making for dongle-free charging at thousands of Superchargers. 

Those are the obvious benefits of being a great EV. But there are trickle-down effects too. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

For example: Why does the Gravity drive so much better than the Escalade IQ? In part, it’s because of Lucid’s intense focus on doing more with less. The Gravity manages to earn about the same range rating with a 123-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The Escalade’s is 205 kWh, partially explaining why that SUV has about 3,000 pounds on the Gravity. You get all of that range on the Lucid with less energy use and quicker charging times—efficiency, as the company loves to say.

That modestly sized battery pack, plus Lucid’s compact motors, help create the oodles of interior space I described earlier too. 

Early Verdict: Lucid Has A Winner, If It Can Just Sell It

Lucid has the product. Now comes the challenge of selling it. 

2026 Lucid Gravity

One unknown will be how people respond to something I haven’t mentioned yet: that minivan-like design. While I dig the Gravity’s spaceship look, there are no guarantees it’ll resonate with wealthy buyers who have their pick of more conventional-looking, muscular Rivians, Audis and Volvos. Another hurdle will be price. At launch, the 2026 Gravity costs $96,625 and up for the Grand Touring trim, and options can push pricing past $120,000. Like I said—a lot of dough.

And Lucid needs to get the message of its totally badass SUV out to people, which the company itself admits has always been an uphill battle.

“In total honesty, I think all of us wish that Lucid was better known than it is,” Derek Jenkins, the company’s senior vice president of design and brand, told me. He said there’s a big marketing push in the works centered around the new tagline “Compromise Nothing,” which you may have already seen on some web ads. 

We’ll have to see how that plays out. But as far as slogans go, I’ve got to admit it’s pretty spot on.

Got a tip about the EV world? Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

More EV First Drives

Suppose there's such a thing as the iPhone of cars. If that exists at all, it's assuredly the Tesla Model Y. Tesla's midsize electric crossover has earned its stripes as the world's best-selling electric vehicle (and best-selling single model of car, period) for its unassailable combination of range, power, tech features, price and practicality.

But right as an updated Model Y makes its debut, a lot of people have their reasons for wanting to move on from Tesla. That also coincides with a new crop of highly competitive EVs from other brands that just weren't in the same class as Tesla five years ago, but are now catching up and even doing some things better. 

Our friends at Edmunds highlight the state of play in a new video comparison test of highly-rated electric family crossovers: the new Model Y "Juniper," the Honda Prologue, the Chevrolet Equinox EV and the updated Hyundai Ioniq 5. Independent of anything else, each of these is a good choice—but one emerges as being truly on par with the Tesla, which until recently was hard to pull off. 

In fourth place is the Honda Prologue, 2024's surprise EV success story. It's a General Motors EV underneath the skin until Honda starts to do its own thing. But that's not a bad thing at all—especially as the Prologue adds some Honda vibes but keeps Apple CarPlay, unlike GM's own cars.

And it's extra roomy with lots of room for luggage and the biggest cupholders in the test; Honda sure knows how to sell cars to Americans. The Prologue Elite, as tested here, comes in at $59,295 and offers up to 283 miles of range.

Edmunds EV Test

Coming up behind it is the Chevy Equinox EV, our 2024 Breakthrough Award winner and pound-for-pound one of the best electric bargains in America. Edmunds' tester comes in at $34,995, and lately it's been acing the hell out of its range tests with a stunning 356-mile result. (I'll add that I've never experienced anything that good from the Equinox EV, but Edmunds' local Southern California weather is probably helping a lot.)

Equinox EV

But it's also smaller than the rest and the sole contender that's single-motor and front-wheel-drive, so it's no wonder it does better than its all-wheel-drive counterparts. It "almost gets to the top spot on its value proposition," tester Brian Wong says. 

Model Y vs. Ioniq 5

Yet what's really telling about this test is that it ends in a dead heat. Though the Model Y was long the crossover to beat in this space—and indeed, the updated one seems to be very good—it ties with the updated Ioniq 5 here. 

Edmunds' Model Y Launch Series (which was recently discontinued) comes in at $61,635 and offers an impressive 327 miles of range. It's got a nicer, quieter cabin, more range, different looks and finally, better ride quality than the previous Model Y.

Wong calls it one of the most comfortable EVs you can buy today—definitely not something you'd say about the last car. And while Tesla's tech is always good, its Full Self-Driving system "makes some questionable decisions." 

Model Y Interior

Wong notes that the Juniper is a "big improvement" for the Model Y, and that the previous generation "would have only gotten third place in this test. But now, it is on equal footing with the Ioniq 5." That Wong phrased that sentence this way, and not the other way around, says a lot about how Tesla's competition is getting better and better. 

In the Ioniq 5's case, that means a standard Tesla-style North American Charging Standard plug and native Tesla Supercharger access without an adapter. Coming in loaded at $60,285 and with a range of 282 miles, it's simply more user-friendly than the Tesla is: buttons, knobs and physical air vents make operation a lot easier than Tesla's all-screen approach. It also has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a clever sliding center console, a comfortable cabin and punchy performance. 

Ioniq 5 Highway

Is the updated Ioniq 5 now Tesla's most fearsome competition in the U.S. market? I'd say it's looking that way, now more than ever. Ultimately, Edmunds' Wong said your choice comes down to what you prefer: the Tesla's "uncompromising minimalism" or the Ioniq 5's "futuristic familiarity."

But even the tie verdict makes clear that the Model Y isn't the default top choice in the EV crossover world anymore, and that alone is a huge advancement for the entire field. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More EV Buyer's Guides

The Optiq is Cadillac’s entry-level electric crossover. With a starting price of around $55,000, it’s also the cheapest EV in the American luxury automaker’s portfolio, so it has the biggest potential to become a best-seller.

It’s a solid luxury compact crossover, as we found out during our first drive review. However, one question remained after that short drive: how far can the Optiq really go on a full charge? According to Cadillac, the EV is good for 302 miles on a full charge. But as our own Tom Moloughney found out, the real-world result is a bit disappointing.

As with its Chevrolet cousin, the Equinox EV, the 2025 Optiq is powered by a battery pack that’s officially rated at 85 kilowatt-hours. However, several independent tests have shown the usable capacity is actually around 90 kWh. That is good news for anyone stepping out for longer trips on a regular basis.

More 70 MPH Range Tests

However, a combination of factors can gobble up electrons rather quickly. Running 21-inch wheels with all-season tires in an ambient temperature of around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius), our real-world range was 17% lower than the official figure. Mind you, this test was performed at a constant speed of 70 miles per hour, whereas the estimate on the Monroney sticker factors in low-speed city driving as well.

With the tire pressures set to the manufacturer's recommendation and the climate control system set between 60 and 70 degrees, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq with all-wheel drive managed to go 249 miles at a constant 70 mph before restricting performance. The final figure, including the final leg to the DC fast charger, was 252.3 miles.

The car returned an average energy efficiency of 2.7 miles/kWh and a total energy use of 90.5 kWh—further proof that it holds more juice than General Motors claims.

By comparison, a front-wheel drive Chevy Equinox EV that was range-tested during warmer temperatures averaged 3.4 miles/kWh and went 303 miles on a full charge. By our estimates, the all-wheel drive Optiq could drive up to 275 miles in ideal conditions and with slightly smaller wheels, but that’s still less than the car’s 302-mile rating.

China’s BYD is making waves on the global scene. It made headlines by beating Tesla at its own game. It’s reporting huge profits and has promised megawatt charging (though so far that’s only for China), something no one has done before. In Europe, the firm is aggressively expanding, promising reasonably priced EVs and hybrids for all who want them.

BYD’s tech is sound, its software works and build quality is never wonky. For some, the newcomer is hard to ignore, with many of its cars being pretty spectacular.

BYD Sealion 7 review

The Sealion 7 brings BYD’s tech to the family SUV space. It’s big, full of toys, and has a whacking great battery… Should the old guard be worried?

(Full Disclosure: BYD loaned me a Sealion 7 for this review.)

What Is It?

The BYD Sealion 7 is a big SUV with a really dumb name. Sounding like it belongs in a kids book aside, it comes with some pretty impressive performance specs and loads of space. With the Sealion 7, BYD’s looking the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 squarely in the eyes and hoping they’ll blink first. It looks pretty cool all told, thanks to the firm’s swoopy design language.

What Are The Specs?

There are two drivetrains available. The first is a rear-wheel-drive, 318-horsepower version with 280 lb-ft of torque, an 82.5 kWh battery and a max range of 300 miles (482 km, WLTP). Or you can have both axles driven, providing 530 hp and 509 lb-ft, All-wheel-drive models come with either an 82.5kWh battery in in Design AWD trim or a 91.3kWh unit in Excellence AWD spec. They promise 283 miles (455 km) and 312 miles (502 km) of range, respectively. 

BYD Sealion 7 review

Each comes with BYD’s fancy Blade Battery, which means not only can it survive things like nails being fired directly into it (a common occurrence somewhere, I’m sure), but it’s also a structural part of the car and helps keep things rigid. Your max charge capacity changes depending on which battery you opt for: Smaller batteries can accept up to 150 kW while the bigger pack can take up to 230 kW. 

Performance is a BYD ‘thing’, and the Sealion 7 isn’t one to shy away from tradition. The RWD car will crack 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds, and head onto 133mph. That’s is decent, but the bigger-battery all-wheel-drive version will get from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds and manage the same top speed. Much like the quick Seal, BYD’s so proud of its 0-62mph sprint that it put it on the trunk lid to show the world how quick it is. I guess some people must like that sort of thing.

In the UK prices kick off at £46,990 ($61,000 at today’s exchange rates) for the RWD car, topping out at £58,990 ($76,000) for an ‘Excellence’ trim with all the bells and whistles. That’s more than the Tesla Model Y, and neither version offers more range than the American car. But for some, the fact that it’s not a Tesla means none of that matters.

How Does It Drive?

In the Design AWD car you get plenty of toys and all the grunt, so it will likely be a hit. That’s the one we drove. If you’re expecting the ride of your life you’ll be disappointed. It’s a biggish, tall SUV that weighs north of 5000 lbs. A Caterham it is not. Sure, it’s smooth, quiet and incredibly quick when you pin it in sport mode, but at no point will you feel engaged or busy. It’s a family SUV—not a Ferrari-baiting monster, no matter how much BYD wants to make of its mammoth power outputs. Come in with the right expectations.  

There are a handful of drive modes to choose from: normal, snow, eco and sport. Unless you’re really in a hurry, you’re best leaving it in either normal or eco and going about your business. Power delivery is silky smooth in either, though in the latter mode it’s numbed to extend range.

The ride is a mixed bag. On the highway and smooth roads it’s just fine. You roll around trouble-free, but it can be a touch spongy in the corners, and oddly tough over the rough stuff. For the UK’s roads, it’s an interesting mix.

BYD’s hope that the Sealion’s speed will turn it into a sports car is misplaced. It’s not the sort of car that’ll excite people who talk about apexes, lap times and other such things. The steering doesn’t excite, and its handling doesn’t leave you tingling. In all honesty, it is aggressively OK to drive. Unless a dragon or ogre has chased you for a portion of your drive, you probably won’t remember a thing about your journey after you get out. It’s A Car, and that’ll be fine for most buyers.

What’s Good?

While the drive isn’t anything to scream about, there are some neat touches that stand out. Its 18.3-cubic foot trunk can hold more than enough stuff for five-passenger load, and the trunk’s aperture itself is wide enough that you won’t struggle to get things in and out unless you have a truly knackered back.

Then there are the gadgets. BYD views itself as a tech company as well as a car company. If you’re terminally online you’ll have seen its jumping supercar leaping over potholes, or maybe driving itself around a race track. While the Sealion 7 can’t bunnyhop its way around town, it has a few neat tricks. 

Its 15.6-inch infotainment screen can rotate from portrait to landscape at the press of a button (or via voice control), so you can choose your own adventure. While Apple CarPlay isn’t supported vertically, the car’s inbuilt tech is supported either way up. Of course, to enjoy it, you have to accept that it’s an all-touch interface. To get to the A/C controls you have to go to a separate screen to fiddle around. If buttons were available it would be easy, but it’s a bit of a faff.

But BYD has packed in plenty of tricks. In the Sealion 7 if you place three fingers on whichever screen you’re on (music, nav… anything) and drag them up and down you’ll change the temperature, moving them left to right will adjust fan speed. It’s a really neat touch, and something other screen-heavy manufacturers should copy ASAP.

Finally, the build quality and materials inside are cracking. You’d expect it for a car in this class, sure, but trying to find where the ‘budget’ materials are will take some digging. 

What’s Not Good?

As with a lot of modern cars, the rear visibility in the Sealion 7 is woeful. It comes with a backup camera, and all the sensors available to man (ish), but turning your head to see out the back is met with a sliver of glass that sits quite high. It’s broadly useless if you like kicking it old school.

Besides that, the Sealion 7 does almost everything well enough. It doesn’t really excel in any area, but neither does it fall down catastrophically either. It’s simply not very exciting, which isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world. But if you’re spending huge sums of money on a car you’d hope to remember something about it after you’ve parked up.

With the 82.5kWh battery on board, a 283-mile range isn’t very good, either. Yes, that’s the WLTP number (on a drive in the Design AWD spec in mixed conditions it managed 2.8 miles per kWh… down on BYD’s quoted 2.9 - albeit not by much), but c’mon, BYD. As the world leader in EV sales, you’d expect them to be pushing more boundaries. 

And while being stuffed with the latest and greeted Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a win, the Sealion 7’s fatigue awareness camera is a bit oversensitive. Plonked on the A-Pillar, it sees if your eyes aren’t directly on the road and will let you know they should be. When you’re looking at the big ‘ol screen to fiddle with the maps or music and it goes off… it’s irritating. Especially because you have to look at the screen to do much of anything.

How Is It As An EV?

It’s fine. Charge speeds, while not as quick as some rivals, are more than enough for most people. The tech inside is slick, and does what it needs to do without fuss. BYD’s more than got its eye in when it comes to building solid EVs now. It’s just a shame this one isn’t more exciting.

BYD Sealion 7: Verdict

Slightly more expensive than a Tesla, not quite as efficient and from a brand that doesn’t quite carry the same caché… all the makings of a car that’s doomed to be overlooked. In reality, its good looks will do some heavy lifting for it, as will the fact it’s not a Tesla (See: the news).

For driving enthusiasts, it’s not going to appeal. But for those searching for a car that does everything without any fuss or drama, it’ll do just fine.

Related Stories

The electric vehicle world is moving at warp speed. But maybe not every EV needs a brand-new generation every couple of years, especially when they possess enough joie de vivre already. This is the case with the 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT, the German brand’s flagship performance sedan representing the peak of its high-performance EV technology. 

But the updates here do mean something. Packing a larger battery with improved cooling over the previous 2024 model, plus more power, faster charging, some significant chassis tuning, and less weight, it’s come up with something quite compelling. Especially from behind the wheel; this beast will hit 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds.

2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT

I recently had the opportunity to experience this during the ‘25 RS E-Tron GT’s first North American press drive in Las Vegas, Nevada. Between having a short test track, plus a good variety of in-town and twisty rural roads at my disposal, I got a good sense of what this $168,295 sedan is all about. 

While it's almost $20,000 more expensive than before, it does more than ever—and more quickly than ever.

2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT: What Is It? 

It’s almost hard to believe the E-Tron GT is nearly five years old now. Launched at the end of 2020 as Audi’s second EV model (third, if you separate the Q8 E-Tron and Q8 Sportback E-Tron) and a close cousin to the Porsche Taycan. If you wanted a premium, coupe-like, ultra-quick grand tourer with crazy good fast-charging times, you really couldn’t go wrong with either.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

So like the Taycan, the E-Tron GT gets a slew of updates this year. The most significant change to the 2025 RS E-Tron GT is its face, though casual observers will most likely have to do a double- or triple-take. The dimensions of its honeycomb mesh grille design are ever-so-slightly larger, and the four-ring emblem is now blended into a flat panel, rather than standing atop a plane in front of an intake. Actually, make that a quadruple-take. It’s not much of a change, though it is presumably more aerodynamic. 

Audi also offers forged carbon inlays on either side of the lower bumper area, which looks more aggressive and motorsport-inspired over the previous model, and the same material can also make up the side mirrors and rear diffuser.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

Optioning this package costs $8,400 and includes handsome 21-inch wheels with summer tires, plus a lot more forged carbon inside. Otherwise, the only other noticeable changes include new paint choices, some sporty new wheel designs (I’m partial to the 21-inch double-spoke RS units), and new materials for the interior.

Honestly, it’s refreshing to see that Audi didn’t do much to the RS E-Tron GT’s overall look, as it’s such a beautiful design that really pulls its weight (pun lightly intended) as the brand’s peak performance offering.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

The interior itself is rather chic, too. The GT’s sport seats were some of the most comfortable that I’ve ever sat in, and their position was nicely hunkered down below the belt line. The center infotainment screen measures out to a modest yet appreciated 10.7 inches, and is surrounded by solid-feeling materials and ample Alcantara throughout, though a bit too much piano black plastic on the center console.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

A handful of highlighted buttons made quickly selecting different drive modes a breeze, and steering wheel controls, such as radar cruise control and haptic buttons for stereo volume, were laid out in a logical manner.

2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT: Specs And Performance

By and large, the 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT’s biggest changes over the 2024 model are found underneath. It now sports an 800V 105 kWh (97 net) battery, 11.6% larger than the 2024 model. Range is rated at 249 miles, which is to be expected of such an extreme performance car.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

It also packs a maximum charging rate of 320 kW instead of 270, and reaches 80% charge from 10% in just 18 minutes at this figure. That’s 3.5 minutes faster than before, so like the related Taycan, you can get back to smoking tires pretty quickly if you find a powerful enough charging station.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

However, the whole system is 25 pounds (11 kg) lighter—no easy task in this industry—and its charging profile is more efficient, dropping off from its peak initial charging rate far more gracefully compared to the old iteration. Significantly improved cooling between the cells is to thank for all of this, and the system’s now able to maintain its highest charge rate up to 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) as opposed to 59 degrees F (15 degrees C), previously.

As far as power reaching the ground, the front motor features a revised pulse inverter and improved electronics, while its sibling out back is brand new and possesses higher copper density in its windings, a more compact rotor, and all in a package that’s 22 lbs (10 kg) lighter.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

The whole unit is dimensionally smaller than the one it replaces, and puts out 107 more horsepower. Total system output peaks at 912 horsepower, up from 637 in the previous model, and is responsible for a curb weight of 5,137 lbs. For those keeping score of large, electrified high-performance German hardware, that’s less than the latest BMW M5 PHEV, yet capable of producing nearly 200 more horsepower.

What’s The 2025 Audi E-Tron GT Like To Drive?

Let’s get something out of the way: The 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT is very fast. Insert the expletive of your choice, fast. According to Audi representatives, the development team was able to reduce its published 2.4-second 0-60 mph lunge down to 2.1 seconds on track, where we got some time behind the wheel. And I certainly believe it. 

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

I’ve driven a wide variety of very fast high-performance vehicles over the years, but none have given me tunnel vision from the jump like this—it relentlessly pulls until it’s time to brake, which with me behind the wheel was 132 mph just before a braking zone that felt barely big enough. 

Unfortunately, that peak 912 horsepower is only available when you configure it to launch with a button on the left side of the steering wheel, but to use a turn of phrase that’s often slathered in hyperbole, it truly was like engaging hyperdrive in Star Wars. There’s a new top dog in town for scrambling your friends’ and family’s inner ear equilibria.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

The RS is amply fast in the corners, too. Independent double-wishbone suspension joined by two-chamber air suspension at each corner delivered excellent composure and ride quality in all driving scenarios, yet with barely any body roll once the road got twisty on a short stint in the mountains above Las Vegas. The steering ratio was bang-on and response was excellent, though, weight was just OK. I would’ve preferred a bit more weight/resistance, and sadly this wasn’t customizable in the GT’s drive modes.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

For 2025, an entirely new suspension system is available: active damper control, dubbed Active Air Suspension by the four-ringed brand. This sway bar-less system utilizes two motors to pump pressurized hydraulic fluid to chambers in each corner's damper—one motor for compression, the other for rebound—giving it remarkable handling dynamics.

Like a cyclist, motorcyclist, or even high-speed ICE train from Audi’s native land, it leans into the corner, giving it impressive body control. If the car is taking a left-hander, there’s more pressure in the driver-side dampers’ upper chambers, where compression is controlled, while there’s more pressure built up in the passenger side dampers’ lower chambers, where rebound is controlled.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

Not only that, this system alters pressures depending on pitch, too, meaning under acceleration and braking. Under braking, the lower chambers receive more pressure up front, whereas the upper chambers receive more in back. Then, vice-versa for acceleration. With it switched on, it mostly just floated through corners and under braking, and felt incredibly solid at pupil-dilating speeds. It completely threw my concept of cornering grip and G force through a loop, but thankfully my tester’s sticky 285-front and 305-rear Summer rubber was well up to task.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

This sensation comes at quite a steep cost, though: $11,000. It’s possible Audi realized that with great cornering speed comes great responsibility, as 16.1-inch front and 14.4-inch rear ceramic brake rotors are included. These are handy for the open road, too, as the RS channeled its German sports sedan heritage quite thoroughly: It felt incredibly solid and unbothered at Autobahn-level speeds. Not only did this slender beast have no trouble getting up there, it feels downright placid doing so.

Finally, around-town driving was equally relaxed, and having such power on hand made quick and easy work of slicing and dicing through afternoon Las Vegas traffic. 

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

Audi’s native navigation system was a bit convoluted and laggy, but luckily, quickly ripping U-turns was made easy by the RS’ short 38.1-foot turning circle, which is made possible by its rear wheels turning up to 2.8 degrees.

Early Verdict: A Forward-Thinking Flagship

The 2025 Audi RS E-Tron GT is a great step forward for the brand and platform, and represents some very impressive engineering. Its base price may reach nearly $170,000, but hopefully, the rest of the brand’s lineup follows suit in battery technology, exterior styling, motor design, and other features that move the ball forward in its electrified catalog.

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

A standard 2025 Audi S E-Tron GT starts at a somewhat more attainable (maybe?) $125,500, and it still packs 670 hp and the ability to hit 60 mph from a stop in 3.3 seconds. That car also comes with 300 miles of range when equipped with 20-inch wheels but also has the same battery improvements and crazy-good charging speeds. It may be the better all-around deal, but the RS is where it’s at.

Sadly, I wish I’d had more time on track to get more familiar with a cornerstone of Audi’s killer app: quattro all-wheel drive. According to Stephan Reil, Chief Technical Engineer for E-Tron GT and Head of Research and Development at Audi’s Neckarsulm facility, the RS’ electrified drivetrain will drift, do donuts, and engage in basically every form of high-performance four-wheel-drive hijinks. With so much power on-hand, it’s gotta be a freaking riot, and hope I someday get the chance to find out. 

2025 Audi E-Tron GT

It’ll be interesting to see if any of this will make its way into lower models, such as its enthusiast-centric mid-size and compact sedans. But one thing is for sure: the future certainly is bright for battery-sourced high-performance.

Peter Nelson is a contributing writer for Motor1 and InsideEVs. His work has appeared on The Drive, Winding Road, Car Bibles, HotCars and more. 

More Audi EV News

As long as I’ve been reading and writing about cars, Mazda has served as a sort of anti-hero counterpart to the automotive giants, namely Toyota. Like, check any comments section of any sort of news information about any given Toyota (especially hybrids) at any time between 2003 and, well, now, and it won’t take very much time to find a guy calling someone sheeple for opting for a Prius rather than a stick-shift Mazda 6 hatchback.

In real life, it’s never been that deep, I promise. Mazda has been underrated in a lot of ways. The cars, trucks and crossovers have a reputation of generally being reliable, good-looking vehicles that are sharp to drive. The company deserves points for keeping the Miata alive, against all odds. Yet, in other ways, they’ve lagged behind. The brand’s powertrain development has been limited. It spent a lot of money on a big rear-wheel-drive platform and inline gas-powered six-cylinder engine and resurrecting the rotary, none of which seems to have paid off too much.

Its EV, PHEV, and hybrid efforts have been lackluster. After the Ford-based Mazda Tribute Hybrid was discontinued in 2011, Mazda had no electrified model until the MX-30 was introduced (and canceled) in 2023. In today’s world, Mazda is going to need some sort of electrification to stay relevant. That’s not easy for a small, independent company to do when you’re up against Tesla, BYD and Toyota, among others.

I would like to think the Mazda CX-50 hybrid is a sort of return to form for the brand.  Instead of developing its own hybrid system from scratch or somehow shoehorning the CX-90 and CX-70’s RWD-based getup into the front-wheel-drive, transverse-mounted CX-50 wrapper, Mazda opted to go to its corporate partner and metaphorically ask to borrow a cup of sugar. 

But Mazda assures you that the borrowed cup of sugar is going into a different recipe. The brand insists that enthusiast cred won’t be damaged, tacitly cementing Mazda’s underrated anti-hero status for the folks who will buy anything else except a Toyota.

I got one for a week, and around the same time I drove a RAV4 Hybrid as well. Was it as differentiated as Mazda said? Is it any good at all? I think for the most part, yes.

What is the CX-50 Hybrid?

The Mazda CX-50 is a compact crossover—no marketing bullshit here. It slots adjacent to the Mazda CX-5, which at its core is an older model that the CX-50 was meant to replace. However, it sold strong enough for Mazda to keep it around. It's priced marginally above its CX-5 stablemate, but still smack dab amid the ubiquitous compact crossover segment. For now, the CX-50 is a sort of stopgap, since a CX-5 hybrid is coming in a few years, with a proper in-house hybrid system.

Normally, the CX-50 would come with naturally aspirated or turbocharged versions of Mazda’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder, but when it came to hybridizing the CX-50, it turned to Toyota. Curiously, the CX-50 is made in the same Huntsville, Alabama factory as the Toyota Corolla Cross, but they use different hybrid systems.

The CX-50 lifts the whole hybrid system directly from the RAV4 hybrid. Yes, this means it uses the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder from Toyota (not related in any way to Mazda’s same-sized unit), the same eCVT with three motors (including one mounted on the rear axle for eAWD), and a 1.6 kWh Ni-MH traction battery that makes all that stuff work. In total, the CX-50 hybrid generates 219 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque. 

Mazda’s engineers said they differentiated the two quite a bit. Of course, the Mazda CX-50 uses a Mazda chassis and suspension more in common with the Mazda 3 compact car, whereas the RAV4 is firmly in the Toyota space. The CX-50 Hybrid has the same interior features and exterior styling as its gas-powered sibling, save for some hybrid-exclusive wheels and a little blue badge that says hybrid. Mazda’s engineers said they did a lot of work making the CX-50’s implementation feel more in line with what a Mazda customer would want.

“To ensure more consistency between the CX-50 model line-up – 2.5 S, Hybrid, 2.5 Turbo – most of our work went into noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) tuning to bring the [Toyota Hybrid System] more in line with the experiences of 2.5 S and 2.5 Turbo so that if customers want to make the switch between different models they all feel related,” said Mazda representative Jake Stumph. He also said that if you get the optional Bose audio system, it continues to help cancel out some of the inherent noise of Toyota’s setup.

Driving the CX-50 Hybrid

In a Toyota hybrid setup, pedal demand isn’t always proportional to engine load, as the car’s onboard computerized systems do their own balancing act to ensure its engine and three electric motors all work in concert for ideal performance and economy. The result is a feeling of acceleration that I’ve equated to making a milkshake that randomly hits a lump of unmixed ice cream. It's smooth, but lumpy at the same time, if that makes sense.

Yet, this might be one of the smoothest implementations I’ve driven yet. Of course, under hard acceleration, the CX-50 will hold an engine note steady and drone on like any eCVT, yet the relationship between pedal demand and actual forward movement felt natural, if not downright responsive. It’s not often that a Toyota hybrid could be called responsive, save for maybe the new Prius Prime. 

According to Stumph, this was intentional. “Mazda went to a lot of effort in tuning the CX-50 Hybrid so that it feels distinctly like a Mazda. The most obvious aspect is the accelerator pedal response and mapping, which has a much smoother and more precise ‘tip-in’ sensation allowing for easier low-speed driving when you’re trying to keep the vehicle in EV mode, for example. This tuning ends up impacting the overall performance and response of the powertrain,” he said. 

Add in the CX-50’s well-resolved, surprisingly grippy handling dynamics, and engaging steering, and it might be the most fun-to-drive hybrid crossover in its price range right now. 

Unfortunately, the CX-50 hybrid’s observed economy during a chilly week barely cracked 30 MPG mixed, down quite a bit from the 38 MPG mixed it is rated for by the EPA. The RAV4 Hybrid edges out the CX-50 on paper, with a combined rating of 39 MPG. The CX-50 hybrid is still predicted to use less fuel and emit fewer emissions into the environment than its gas-powered variants—233 grams of CO2 per mile to the 335 of the purely gas car. 

Verdict

We are primarily an EV and technology publication that dabbles in hybrids, so I won’t go out of my way to encourage hybrids when we should be weaning off gas entirely. Nope, not gonna do it. But I think the CX-50 is an important vehicle for several reasons.

For starters, its an olive branch for the Mazda lifers in search of a compact hybrid crossover that doesn’t cost all that much. Mazda smartly priced the Hybrid between its gas-powered cousins, starting above the standard 2.5-liter but below its turbocharged cousin. If you want an identical CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus like my tester, expect to pay $42,065 including the destination fee. Which in today’s prices, isn’t so bad. 

Secondly, it flies in the face of the criticism that shared powertrains or parts will equate to cars that feel identical. As the world further electrifies, I expect parts like batteries, motors, and even gas engines (as they’re phased out) to become somewhat standardized. The real tricky problem will be figuring out how to differentiate vehicles among brands and in lineups when they’re all using the same basic equipment. 

Coincidentally, I ended up with a 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid directly after the CX-50. These cars share the same basic powertrain, yet they don’t feel all that similar at all. Only car geeks would know that the two cars share the same heart.

That’s a good thing, especially for Mazda.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

More Car Reviews

Folks, it's a strange feeling to get up in the morning, make your coffee, look out your kitchen window and see a Dodge muscle car parked in your driveway—with a plug running into your home Level 2 electric vehicle charger.

I can't say that's a sight I ever expected to see.

Yet it's my reality for the next few days as I test the Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack, Dodge's answer to this country's pervasive sleep pod problem. With 630 horsepower (and up to 670 hp in boost mode), dual-motor all-wheel-drive and a 3.3-second zero to 60 mph run, it's a serious performance machine—and a legitimately cushy, imposing American muscle car.

But is it a great EV? And can it really cross barriers with the Hemi-loving folks who may be a hard sell on going electric? That, I'm not so sure of. I'm going to try and find out. In the meantime, what do you want to know about it? 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

This thing's full name is, hilariously, the Charger Daytona Scat Pack Track Package. Its power comes from a 93.9 kWh battery pack, rated here at 241 miles of range (which isn't great these days, but is understandable for a high-performance car.) The Scat Pack is the current top trim of Charger you can buy; the lower-trim R/T is cheaper starting at $59,995 before destination fees, but you have to live with "only" 496 hp instead. 

As press testers tend to be, this one is fairly maxed out in terms of options. The Scat Pack Stage 2, Plus Group and Track Package add-ons give you goodies like an adaptive suspension, Brembo brakes with red calipers, second-row heated seats, a wireless charging pad and more. All-in, this Charger stickers in at $85,965.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

That's certainly steep, but it's undeniably quick. I drove the Charger Daytona EV home late last night after a work trip and it certainly kept me awake with the speaker-driven Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, which mimics the sound of a V8 rumble inside and outside the car. It's much more subtle inside, and even as someone who likes the quiet of driving electric, I didn't mind it at all. So far, I like what it adds to the experience. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

As you'd imagine, it's extremely quick. Like, lose your license quick. Some EVs make you feel good about saving the planet; other EVs have you scanning for cops everywhere you drive. This is the latter. It's also very refreshing to drive an EV coupe—have I ever done that? I'd have to think about it—and one that's low to the ground, unlike the endless sea of electric crossovers out there.

So far, however, I'm not a huge fan of the hard-feeling sport seats, the often laggy software interface, the haptic touch buttons around it or the unusual way it treats key EV features. The regenerative braking is grabby and awkward, for example, and its one-pedal driving is often far from smooth. It may be electric, but it's trying very, very hard to emulate the traditional Hemi V8 Dodge experience—perhaps to a fault.

Efficiency isn't so great, either. Between the late March upstate New York cold weather and the fact that I'm not exactly behaving behind the wheel, I finished my drive home at about 1.8 miles per kWh. I may or may not try to get that figure up a little higher. 

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Track Package

I know this thing has proven controversial with the Mopar crowd, and I get why. Even Dodge will admit that battery power isn't really the jam for the Hemi folks—and it's worth asking whether Dodge built this thing because it wanted to, or because it felt like it had to. But I actually really enjoy driving it so far. Will that be the case after a few days? We're about to find out.

In the meantime, what do you want to know about the new electric Charger? Drop me a note in the comments or shoot me an email.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Mopar Or No Car, EV Edition

The snow is finally melting, and though it's been an uneven process, spring is starting to do its thing in upstate New York. As such, we're looking forward to another summer of road-tripping and exploring in the 2024 BMW iX that has been a part of our family for nearly 18 months.

2024 BMW iX 

Over that year and a half, we've covered 16,523 miles through two winters with a total average efficiency of 3.0 mi/kWh. That tracks favorably compared to the thing's official EPA rating of 2.9 mi/kWh, though naturally, it slipped a fair bit in the coldest of temperatures. Our low so far is 2.3 mi/kWh when the ambient air was eight degrees below zero Fahrenheit (-17 C.) 

But that didn't stop us from getting out there over the winter, a process made a little more adventurous lately thanks to an unfortunate habit our iX picked up a few software updates ago.

'Time Slot Mode'

Like most EVs, the iX can be set to start charging immediately when you plug it in, and you can, of course, set a maximum charge percentage to keep from topping out all 105.2 kWh every time. (We usually have ours set at 90% to preserve the battery long-term.)

2024 BMW iX App

The iX can also be set for scheduled charging, something BMW calls "time slot mode," so it won't start pulling down the juice until a set time. This is great if you have a metered plan with your utility provider, serving you cheaper rates overnight. 

The problem is, we've not enabled this mode in the iX or in the My BMW app, yet our SUV keeps falling back to a delayed start to charging of 10 pm. We keep disabling this feature and yet it keeps coming back, zombie-like, catching us by surprise. We plug the car in, and it says it's charging.

Later, we then discover it didn't actually start charging until the evening, or sometimes not at all, leaving us with insufficient range the following morning. This is, as you might guess, not ideal.

Short Circuit

2024 BMW iX Cupholders 004

The problem caught me out once in January. The car was plugged in the night before but still had barely half a charge the following morning, leaving me firing up my Subaru for a run up to Vermont. I would have much rather taken the iX. A few weeks later, the same thing surprised my wife, who had a morning event way up north in the Adirondack Park. 

It was a 320-mile round trip in the middle of winter, which normally would have necessitated one quick charging stop along the way. Instead, she had to make an emergency stop at a charger on the way up, grabbing as many electrons as she could without being late for her meetings, then had to charge up in time to make it back, too.

BMW iX charging 005

That's obviously not an ideal situation, but in some ways, it actually boosted our confidence in the car. So well, in fact, that despite the charging glitch, my wife had nothing but praise for the iX at the end of the day.

Silver Linings

The first positive note was the iX's remaining range estimation. I've tested plenty of EVs over the years that leave you running some advanced calculus as you're driving, mentally plotting a curve of range degradation in a desperate attempt to determine whether you'll make it to your destination.

As I've noted previously in these updates, the iX's range estimation on the dash is spot-on, rarely straying by more than a few percent even when the drive is hundreds of miles long. That was the first saving grace of this potentially terrible trip.

BMW iX charging 006

"This is the only car I've driven where the range prediction actually reduces my range anxiety," my wife said. "If any other car had told me I'd get somewhere with six percent left, I'd have been freaking out the whole way."

Getting accurate range estimates requires using the car's integrated navigation, and thankfully, BMW's is quite good. I still use Google Maps in Android Auto most of the time because it's usually figured out where I want to go as soon as I get in the car, meaning I can just tap and go.

However, for longer trips, I defer to the nav experience within iDrive, and it rarely disappoints. I generally have a wide overhead view of the route on the central infotainment screen, a closer view of the map in the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, and then the HUD configured to give me augmented-reality arrows.

Yes, that's navigational overkill, but when I'm dealing with tricky routing somewhere with big consequences for a wrong turn, like getting out of Newark International Airport during rush hour, it's awfully nice.

Plug and Pray

The other factor that helped ease the potential stress of the day was easy charging. By now, we should be well and truly into an age where Plug and Charge just works. Sadly, it still feels like a surprise when it does.

BMW iX charging 002

I'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised when my wife checked in from the charging station. The iX comes with two years of free 30-minute sessions with Electrify America, but we've struggled in the past to get those sessions to start automatically. So, it was with a little trepidation that my wife pulled into the EVolve NY charger in North Hudson, operated by Electrify America, which features nine 350 kW stalls. 

I was on standby to help troubleshoot or, worst case, find another location. Blissfully, I didn't have to. "I just plugged in and it recognized my car and said I have free charging," my wife texted me. "That's the way these should all work."

Indeed it is, and hopefully, that's how it will increasingly be going forward. 

That charging session hit 169 kW, not too far off from the iX's official max charge rate of 195 kW. The curve was flat enough to deliver just over 70 kWh in 28 minutes, and performance that's was more than solid given it was a chilly day.

Fool Me Twice

I hate that we have to do this, but we've since learned to bring up the My BMW app and make sure charging has actually started if we have somewhere to go the following day. Indeed, as I write this, just last night the car decided to flip back to time slot mode again on its own accord.

We're not the only ones seeing this. Plenty more iX owners are reporting that time slot mode isn't working right for them, either. But I noticed the car has a new software update pending, so with any luck, it'll fix what's become our biggest annoyance with the SUV. 

BMW iX charging 001

Still, sometimes frustrating situations like that help make you appreciate just how good you have it in other areas.

Tim Stevens is a veteran editor, analyst, and expert in the tech and automotive industries. He helmed CNET's automotive coverage for nine years and acted as Vice President of Content. Prior to that, Tim served as Editor-in-Chief at Engadget and even led a previous life as an Enterprise Software Architect. Follow Tim on X at @tim_stevens and catch his Substack.

More BMW iX Tests

There are many internal combustion vehicles that the electric market has no answer to. If I want a $3,000 beater truck on the used market or a brand-new lightweight sports car, I have no shortage of fume-spitters to choose from.

But the EV market is newer, less mature, less fleshed out. There are crucial internal combustion products that still haven’t been replicated with full battery power, and there’s no better example of this than the Honda Civic Hybrid.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

The Civic is vital because it is attainable. Honda built its business on selling affordable, fun, reliable vehicles to young customers on the upswing. The Civic has been core to that mission for decades. It has long offered a phenomenal mix of pleasant dynamics, value pricing and superb quality. The new Civic Hybrid only improves on that. 

EVs may be the best way to get to a lower-emission future, but the path to victory will require many different solutions in the meantime. The electrified Civic is a great one. It’s fun to drive and great on gas, with a price that makes it far more attainable than any electric equivalent. So if high prices and limited options are keeping you from buying an EV, the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid is a damn good alternative.

(Full Disclosure: Honda loaned me a 2025 Civic Sport Hybrid sedan for a week. It arrived with a full tank of gas.)

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

Driving Experience

The Civic Hybrid is a new-for-2025 variant for the stalwart sedan. I tested this $30,100 Honda directly after getting out of a $130,000 Mercedes-Benz EQS. You’d expect that to be a lopsided comparison, and it was; the simple, cheap Honda was far more charming than the bloated Mercedes. 

Because I primarily test EVs and because automakers insist on offering only their most optioned-up models to the media, most of the cars I review are heavy, overcomplicated and expensive. Stepping into the Civic was a breath of fresh air. Its simple design and perfectly positioned controls remind me of why I fell in love with the Civic Type R during my Road & Track days. 

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

Driving around town, the 3,208-pound Honda feels sprightly, light and lively, made all the better by its hybrid powertrain. Steering is direct and responsive, and while the Sport Hybrid is no Type R, it’s an order of magnitude more engaging than any SUV on the market.

It’s also eager. The 200-horsepower hybrid drivetrain is ripped straight from the wonderful Accord Hybrid, except here it has less weight to lug around. It doles out a 232-lb-ft torque surge right off the rip thanks to that electric motor, giving it the around-town charm of a true EV. Since Honda’s clever two-motor hybrid system has no conventional transmission, it also feels far closer to an EV in operation, with none of the jarring power-blend issues I’ve had in hybrids from other automakers (Hyundai and Kia, I’m looking at you).

Of course, even the best blended powertrain can’t match the butter-smooth operation of a full-fat EV. I felt the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder straining on highway merges, with a decent racket that didn’t scale linearly as speed increased. Honda offers variable regeneration settings via the paddles that can increase how much deceleration you get on lift-off, but there’s nothing like a true one-pedal driving mode here. No worries, though. The calibration of the braking system was perfect. You’d never guess it’s bleeding friction and regenerative braking.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

The rest of the on-road performance was indiscernible from the Civic’s well-known reputation. It’s plenty comfortable, but with just enough spring rate to keep it composed and entertaining on a twisty backroad. Wind and engine noise are appropriately damped, but Honda’s decades-long struggle with road noise has not yet been won. The Civic’s tires drone on the highway, and I heard some weird electronic whining when I accelerated. It was fine in small doses, but combined with the road noise and seats that could use some more support, the Civic is a great commuter but merely acceptable for longer trips. You get what you pay for.

Fuel Economy 

The Civic Hybrid is rated for 50 miles per gallon city, 47 mpg highway and 49 mpg combined. I only saw efficiency in the mid-30s according to the computer, but that included some idling time along with a lot of highway on-ramps and other demanding scenarios. As with all EPA numbers, you may not hit them, but the ratings alone are impressive. 

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

A full EV would still be cleaner, but if you don’t have home charging, gassing up the little Honda may actually be cheaper. I suggest running the numbers with local public charging rates and gas prices, as this comparison can be tricky. But I know that at $0.56 per kWh at many public DC fast chargers around me, I’m paying far more than I would to gas a Civic.

Interior & Infotainment

The Civic is a $30,000 car in 2025, which unfortunately means its interior isn’t going to dazzle you. Yet Honda has mastered the art of shaving money where it makes sense and spending up where it counts. The steering wheel is great, as are the touch points for the climate system. All of the switches and panels feel nice for the price, and the build quality is unimpeachable.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

My Sport Hybrid tester is the cheapest way to get the Hybrid Civic, though, and the dinky screen gave it away. The 7-inch unit got the job done, but with the little buttons next to it, it felt like a relic from a bygone era. It was pretty much only good for CarPlay/Android Auto or, barring that, showing the track on a simple text screen. There wasn’t much to it, and even the backup camera was cruddy. 

As someone who gets sick of giant, blinding screens, I still found the Civic’s interior charming. But if you are a more-is-more person who wants the latest tech and software, there are better options. First, you can step up to the Civic Touring and get Honda’s newer, Google-powered infotainment system on a 7-inch screen. A Chevy Equinox EV can be had for similar money as the Sport Hybrid after the tax credit, and while the rest of the interior feels cheaper than the Honda’s, the screen blows this one away.

Honda Civic Infotainment

At least the Civic is practical. While sedans are never the best format for hauling, the Civic’s comfortable back seat and reasonable 14.8-cubic foot trunk make it good enough for most couples or small families. Those who want to load bikes and the like should step up to the hatchback, which starts at $31,300. The rest of you should be happy with the Civic, which has grown in size to be bigger than Accords of yore.

Tech Features

For better and worse, there aren’t many tech features to speak of. The Civic comes with the stuff you’d expect, including CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a digital instrument cluster. But that’s about where this train stops. Besides safety features—which I’ll get to—the Civic Hybrid is as simple as new cars come. Even the standard speakers are basic, with some of the worst sound quality I’ve heard in recent memory. At $30,100, you’re lucky it comes standard with heated seats.

All of the money here went into that sophisticated, smooth drivetrain and suspension. Since all you really need beyond that is a phone connection and climate control, I’ll call that a fair trade.

Safety & ADAS

The Civic comes standard with Honda Sensing, the company’s suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). It provides automatic collision braking, lane departure warning with lane keeping assist, lane centering and adaptive cruise control. Honda’s newest system has pared the front sensor suite down from a dual-camera stereoscopic system to a single-camera unit. 

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

I don’t know if that’s made it worse or if the competition got better, but the Civic’s ADAS suite is near the bottom of the bunch for me. Its lane-keeping was shaky and its adaptive cruise performance in traffic wasn’t smooth enough. I turned it off.

I don’t consider that a dealbreaker. I’ve driven plenty of $50,000 cars that don’t include lane-centering systems standard, including my own car. But note that there are plenty of non-luxury systems from companies like Hyundai, Toyota and others that blow Honda’s suite out of the water.

Honda spent more energy on the car’s passive safety systems. The Civic Hatchback received an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick + Award, the organization’s highest safety honor. The sedan is a Top Safety Pick (non plus), as it received a slightly worse “Acceptable” score in the Moderate Front Overlap test. The sedan received a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Pricing & Trims

The Civic Hybrid is offered in two trims and two body styles, with no major option packages to speak of. Here’s the starting price for each, including the destination charge:

The Touring model gets nicer wheels, a 12-speaker Bose audio system, wireless phone charging and a larger 9-inch infotainment screen with Google Built-In. Google Maps access is included on that system for three years, after which you’ll need a paid data plan to keep it running.

Verdict

If you want an affordable sedan, your cheapest (new) electric options are the $44,130 Tesla Model 3 or the $39,045 Hyundai Ioniq 6. Both are solid options, but the Hyundai only gets a $7,500 tax credit if you lease it, and the standard range model isn’t the one you want. Even with the tax credit, the Model 3 is $6,530 pricier than the Civic. (Arguably, this would compete against, say, a used Model 3 or a recent Chevrolet Bolt, but it's not especially fair to compare a new car to used ones; if we go down that road, I'd be weighing this against a massively depreciated Jaguar I-Pace, or something.) 

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

Honda proudly notes that the Civic and Accord are the number one and two cars for buyers under 35. Both of those EV options I mentioned may be tough as “only” cars if you don’t have home charging, which seems all the more likely for the sort of young buyers that traditionally buy Civics.

So while I’d love to encourage every 20-something to go out and get an EV, I know the economic reality doesn’t support that. Not yet, anyway. And while my lease payment is actually cheaper than it would be for a Civic, the purchase price of my car is $25,000 more than this Civic.

If you’re a young buyer who wants to buy a car now, keep it for years and never worry, and things like cutting carbon emissions and gas use are top priorities, this is a stellar option. Not because it is cool, or impressive. But because it is fundamentally good. And with a 50-mpg hybrid drivetrain, it’s a bit better for the world, too.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

Contact the author: mack.hogan@insideevs.com

More Honda News

There’s nothing normal about riding in a vehicle that actually, really drives itself.

The sensation only intensifies when there’s no distinguishable front or back end, no steering wheel, brake, or accelerator pedals, and the exterior more closely resembles a microwave than a car. The Zoox robotaxi ticks all these boxes and more.

Zoox Experience Las Vegas

I got a chance to ride with the Amazon subsidiary's CTO and co-founder, Jesse Levinson, around Las Vegas during CES. It was an eye-opening look at one of the more interesting and ambitious efforts in the self-driving space, and one that could be a competitor to Google's Waymo—if a lot of things go right first. 

Rolling Out 

The boxy vehicle rolls up to the curb, and a technician opens sliding side doors (not unlike those on a bus or New York City subway) using an iPad. Levinson, me, and a PR person pile into the spacious little vehicle, each of us sitting in one of four firm seats facing the middle of the vehicle. It’s a remarkably communal space, with plenty of room for passengers to cross their legs comfortably without awkwardly bumping into someone (that is, as long as passengers don’t have suitcases with them. The Zoox Robotaxi has no trunk space.) 

Zoox Experience Las Vegas

The seats are slightly cushioned, an upgrade from the very firm first-generation Zoox vehicles, a few of which sit in a Las Vegas warehouse slowly being used for parts. Because the seats sit at either end of the square vehicle, there’s very little front or rear visibility out of windows high above passengers' heads at the front and rear of the vehicle. You get more views out of the mostly glass side doors, but it’s difficult to see what kind of potential road hazards lie ahead given the layout.

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Levinson launches into an explanation about why he got into robotaxis more than 10 years ago, noting that individual vehicle ownership is “really inefficient.” As Levinson said, “People don't really think about that because we're so used to just car culture,” calling out the fact that there are more than two cars per family in the U.S., and 96% of the time they sit around taking up space in someone's garage, rather than being used. 

“It's really wasteful, not just economically but also environmentally," he said. "The question is, can we use our resources more efficiently? The reason why Zoox is compelling to me is that we have the opportunity to both make a way better customer experience for moving around our cities and really utilize our resources on this planet more efficiently, all while saving lots of lives from a safety point of view."

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

The Ride: Safe And Overly Cautious Like A New Driver

Once you’re boarded, you start the ride by using any touchpad located in the interior of the vehicle, near each of the doors. You can control everything from the audio and lighting to controls for pulling the vehicle over or checking how much longer your ride might take. But that’s where direct human control stops. The rest is up to the little toaster ushering you along at the speed limit, jouncing over potholes and road grime while making some very conservative—and somewhat beginner-level—driving decisions. 

The first such behavior happened in a construction zone. We were riding along in the right-hand lane when the vehicle stopped rather abruptly. It had driven right up to where the lane was physically closed and activated its left signal, waiting patiently for a gap in traffic. Since the Zoox isn’t exactly efficiently shaped, it needed a relatively large gap before changing lanes, which it did eventually, and proceeded to the next traffic light. 

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Had a human driver been navigating the construction zone, they would have (hopefully) looked well enough ahead to make a move far sooner than what actually happened. That would’ve prevented any awkward merging, which could be very problematic during rush hour traffic.   

The Zoox has a 133 kW battery pack, and multiple redundancies so there is  “no single point of failure” according to the company, meaning that if, for example, one of the motors or drive units fails, the others can take over.  The vehicles can run for about 16 hours before needing to charge and can safely reach 75 mph, according to the company, though wind noise and comfort at those speeds might be a bit to reckon with. We likely didn’t go more than 50 mph since that was the speed limit on the roads we traveled, but that’s just an estimate. There is no accurate way to know how fast you’re going in a vehicle with no steering wheel or gauges.

“We've been able to put more safety and more redundancy and more customer features in this vehicle, knowing that we don't have to be able to sell it for a consumer price point,” said Levinson. “We think that's a really great product and a great service, and the best way to get this technology out there safely.”

During the pre-planned route (which the vehicle had already driven numerous times), we stopped at a traffic light where a pedestrian crossed the road. We were first at the line; the Zoox waited patiently for the pedestrians and the light to change and we proceeded straight ahead, no harm or foul. However, I do wonder what would have happened had we needed to make a right turn. 

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Would the Zoox have waited until the pedestrian got out of the way before making a legal right on red? Or would it have acted like that same newbie driver in the construction zone, waiting for a green light while annoying everyone stacked up behind? 

As it was, we carried on our way with a few more slightly aggressive stops after a traffic slowdown, like a New York driver who doesn’t know how to modulate the pedals and is surprised by a suddenly stopped car. Our path took us from the Zoox warehouse on the edge of Las Vegas to the back part of the Las Vegas Strip and took roughly 30 minutes to complete.

Arguably, the true test of an autonomous vehicle without controls is how many times it makes passengers wince, cringe, or tense in a single session. The Zoox didn’t once make me nervous, though the abrupt stops, rough ride over potholes, and the rookie-style decision making made me slightly uncomfortable. It’s more like a tentative, somewhat frightened teenager learning how to navigate the real world, aggressively applying the brakes on occasion at stop signs or traffic lights. Sure it jostled us around a bit, but it was far more comfortable than the ride I had in a Lyft on the way to the airport, in a vehicle with broken shocks. In this case, there was no driver who insisted on turning around to talk to me, and did not pay attention to the road ahead. 

The ride inside the Zoox is not what you’d call cushy, by any means. With the wheels pushed to the corners and the ride height so low, uneven surfaces translate readily into the cabin. The seats, though they are upgraded from the previous version to be softer and more comfortable, are still very firm. The interior offers plenty of space for passengers, but if you packed four people in there with luggage (there’s no trunk, obviously), it would get tight. Plus, if the luggage included roller bags, they’d be everywhere with the way the vehicle lunged at stops.

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Safety First?

Levinson says that the reason for the lungy stops and newbie behavior is to prevent crashes and collisions.

“The last few years at Zoox, we have been really focused on the safety case,” he explained. “You know, how do we put these vehicles on public roads with no safety driver and make sure they're safer than a human? Now, it's about expanding those geo fences, adding lots of great pick up and drop off locations, getting our first customers, but also making sure we can do that in a sustainable and economical way.” 

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Zoox has been operating test rides and routes in the purpose-built toaster-shaped vehicles in Las Vegas, Foster City and San Francisco for the last few years. The company says it will open up semi-public rides in the microwave-style vehicles sometime in 2025, but those rides will only be available to a very limited group of employees, their families and friends, as well as a group of “Explorers” who gain access on an invite-only basis.

There's no concrete timeline on when the service will be available to the wider public, and Zoox wouldn’t share how they plan to choose these Explorers, for the test rides in the tiny handful of cities and locations where you can actually hail one. 

A Bumpy Road Ahead?

In addition to the toaster-set of taxis, Zoox also has a fleet of retrofitted Toyota Highlanders that serve as test beds for the future bespoke vehicles. These don’t carry passengers and are for testing only, but that testing has not been without safety incidents. The company has been under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for collisions that its specialized Highlanders had with motorcycles near its headquarters in San Francisco. Just last week, it had to recall 258 of those Highlanders to fix a sudden braking issue. 

Zoox Experience Las Vegas

Zoox is also working through some issues that have arisen with its self-certification, which the company argues all automakers do. Zoox, however, is the only self-driving company that does so, which has made regulators nervous. 

There’s also the question of whether or not it makes sense to build these vehicles as bespoke options, especially against the backdrop of the current autonomous taxi environment and the general mayhem that the current administration seems set on causing in the automotive sector.

The autonomous cab space is expensive, very small, and shrinking. Just last year, GM’s Cruise closed up shop. Argo.AI closed in 2022. Elon Musk says his Cybercab will launch in Austin this year, but as the world knows, the gap between his promises and reality is a wide one.

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Alphabet’s Waymo is currently the only autonomous taxi company that is making real headway, and the company has a partnership with China’s Zeekr for their own bespoke people-mover vehicle. But that has been delayed significantly (it was due to launch in the US in 2024.)

While the Zoox experience still feels far from a human driver experience, the company has made slow and steady progress toward its autonomous taxi goal. Whether or not it will be the future that Levinson and Amazon hope it will be is another story altogether. That’s especially true given the backdrop of current political and economic upheaval. Yet Levinson is upbeat.

“I think it's great that there are multiple approaches out there,” he said. “Our personal view at Zoox is that the types of engineering and design and business choices you make—with a car that's designed to sell to customers, versus a robotaxi that is really designed to be owned and operated as a fleet—are pretty different. We'll see what happens with our fellow travelers.”

Zoox Autonomous Vehicle

Abigail Bassett is an award-winning and experienced freelance journalist, writer, on-air talent and television producer with more than two decades of diverse experience. A winner of numerous awards, including two Emmys, her bylines have appeared in The Atlantic, Elle Magazine, National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, Fast Company, Inc., Fortune, The Verge, TechCrunch, CNN and more.

More Robotaxi News

I had to call 911 when my $600 Segway Ninebot electric scooter got stolen recently in broad daylight. The NYPD officers who showed up at the crime scene in South Brooklyn were, coincidentally, the same ones who two weeks later pulled me over in my neighborhood when I was driving the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

No, they didn’t have any good news about my stolen scooter. But they wanted to see the van.

After casually trailing me for a few blocks, the NYPD Ford Explorer flashed its lights, so I moved to the roadside, as any driver would. The officers stepped out and walked towards the ID. Buzz, with their hands resting on their utility belt where the firearms and handcuffs are mounted. My friends started getting tense.

I’m a law-abiding driver and didn’t recall violating any traffic rules. I had been driving the ID. Buzz at posted speed limits. I don’t remember jumping any red lights, either. I reached for my driver’s license and was ready to explain whatever violation I had unintentionally, inadvertently committed. But the officers weren’t interested in any of that.

“Is this electric?” one of them asked.

“Yes, it is,” I said.

“Must be powerful,” he replied.

He then asked my permission to open the sliding powered rear door to check out the room in the second and the third rows. The other officer turned out to be battery-curious and peppered me with questions about its size, chemistry and weight.

They simply wanted to know what this van was, the space inside, its cost, how it drove and more.

Volkswagen had loaned me the all-wheel-drive Pro S Plus trim, which gets a dual-motor set-up with 335 horsepower. Its EPA range is 231 miles. The rear-wheel drive version produces 282 hp and has a 234-mile range. It rides on the MEB platform, is festooned with tech and is incredibly roomy inside.

Above all, it proved to be an immediate crowd-pleaser. 

I had more than a dozen interactions in a week of driving the ID. Buzz around New York City and its suburbs. The electric van, in its striking Candy White/Pomelo Yellow dual-tone paint, was a rolling spectacle, turning heads at every stoplight. Kids were curious, strangers in parking lots struck up conversations and even the police wanted a closer look.

In the parking lot of the Jersey Gardens Mall, there are several Tesla and Electrify America charging stations. Two Tesla Cybertrucks, one Lucid Air and several Hyundais and Kias were charging there, but the ID. Buzz was attracting more attention than any of those vehicles from shoppers entering and exiting the mall. 

It's not antagonizing, it's not controversial, it doesn't carry any political or cultural baggage. It's just a friendly giant that wants to help you get around with the help of electrons. But I'm afraid it commands a higher sticker price than it should. The original VW Bus, across its T1-T6 generations, was mostly considered practical, easy-to-repair and dirt-cheap, before it became iconic.

“Please put this car on the market so I can buy it,” one lady told me. She raised her eye-brows after I told her that it's already on sale, starting at $60,000.

“If I didn’t live in Brooklyn, I wouldn’t have bought that [Hyundai Ioniq 6], I’d have bought this,” another EV owner said, referring to the parking constraints in New York City.

While people’s eyes sparkled and hearts warmed at the sight of the ID. Buzz, most of them were unimpressed by the $70,540 price tag of my press loaner. That’s a big letdown for someone who just wants a family hauler. After all, there are several minivans out there that offer great value and cost substantially less. 

The hot-selling Toyota Sienna starts at $39,000 before destination. The Kia Carnival is priced $36,800. The Chrysler Pacifica costs $42,450 and its plug-hybrid version starts at $51,000. A close competitor is the Kia EV9, but that isn't apples-to-apples with VW's van. 

Granted, the ID. Buzz is the only fully electric minivan in the U.S. right now. None of its gas-powered competitors have the visual lure of its dual-tone paint and styling that harks back to the original VW Bus. And I doubt any of them accelerate like the ID. Buzz either, or have the room and modularity of its cabin. But that may not be enough to justify that price tag.

I don’t think Volkswagen is trying to make the ID. Buzz its high-profit margin vehicle in the U.S. It’s just dealing with the reality of EV economics. It suffers from the same cost-related downsides of electrification, even though electrification makes it vastly superior, more powerful and enjoyable to drive.

While cheaper EVs are on their way, mainly in the crossover and hatchback categories, EVs as a whole are still somewhat pricey. The average transaction price of an EV was 16.2% higher than the average price of a gas car in February, according to Cox Automotive. Three-row SUVs and minivans are still substantially more expensive than their ICE counterparts.

The batteries on bigger vehicles tend to be expensive. New software, advanced tech and production costs all get baked into the final sticker price.

Yet, despite its cost, the ID. Buzz plays an important role: It makes electrification feel fun, nostalgic and desirable. Even if it doesn’t sell in massive numbers, it can serve as a halo car, draw people into Volkswagen showrooms and, perhaps, into the EV world.

But for all the compliments, the ID. Buzz feels about $15,000 more expensive than it should be. The short-wheelbase European version might have been a better fit for the U.S. as well, if it started at around $50,000. It's priced at roughly £60,000 ($76,000) in the U.K.

Bigger and longer isn’t always better, especially in the EV era, even if automakers in the U.S. have followed that mantra for decades with gas SUVs and trucks. The long-wheelbase ID. Buzz might have had a real shot at the minivan market if it was priced at around $55,000.

For now, it’s largely a premium vehicle. Maybe one day, when battery costs drop and EVs become truly mainstream, the ID. Buzz might live-up to the rich history of its predecessors. But even then, it's still a great ambassador for EVs.

Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

Related Stories

The fact that the Tesla Model Y was the world’s best-selling vehicle for two years in a row is no accident. For a while now, it’s offered a nearly unbeatable combination of range, tech features, pricing, practicality and outright performance—always the top target in the electric vehicle space.

But times change. When the Model Y was launched almost five years ago in 2020, its rivals—if you could even call them that—were the likes of the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-Tron. These days Tesla no longer has the EV tech lead it once had over traditional automakers, which have not only caught up but also surpassed it in some areas. 

We’re far beyond the point when buying a midsize electric crossover that wasn’t a Model Y incurred some kind of big compromise, be it range, price or both. Meanwhile, the Model Y has long been overdue for some upgrades to compete in a field that it helped create. 

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

Now, it gets them. Enter the Model Y “Juniper.” This update addresses some of the old car’s biggest problems, improves the overall package in countless ways, and brings a new visual language to mark Tesla’s next era.

It packs more electric range, a dramatically improved interior and some clever new tech features that the rest of the pack isn’t even trying yet. It’s better equipped with things like standard heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats and rear-seat entertainment. I tested it in Dual Motor Long Range and came away deeply impressed. 

Yet even after almost 2.4 million units sold since launch, the Model Y is facing what is shaping up to be its most difficult year ever.

(Full Disclosure: Tesla’s European arm loaned me a fully-charged Model Y Launch Series for 48 hours.)

Two things are objectively true right now. The first is that the Model Y is an incredibly important car to the entire auto industry. It is likely to remain the benchmark for electric crossovers—at least outside of China—for some years to come.

The second is that the new Model Y launches under a cloud. People all over the world are angry with Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk. I won’t recap why in this review; you’ve read the headlines, including here. My goal is to evaluate this EV solely on its own merits. What you do with this information is up to you.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that here because it does speak to the test facing the Model Y: is it good enough that it might make electric crossover buyers get over their averse feelings toward the company boss? Or will that alone keep the Model Y from being a best-seller yet again? 

Purely on its own merits, it deserves to keep its crown—but whether it can is an open question.

Cyber Makeover

Whether you like the exterior makeover or not, the Juniper refresh makes the Model Y look more modern and easier on the eye. The front end now borrows the light bar design from the Cybercab, and the bumper is a bit more aggressive than before, featuring slats on the side that are open and serve an aerodynamic purpose.

The side profile looks almost the same as before, but the nose is a bit sharper and more aggressive-looking. You’ll also spot new wheel designs like the 19-inch set that was on my special Launch Series tester. You can also get 20-inch Helix 2.0 wheels, which look considerably sportier, but they make the range drop by around 20 miles.

For the rear of the Juniper, Tesla reserved what is considered to be a premiere for the automotive industry: a full-width light bar that projects its light onto a panel below it. You don’t see the source of the light, which is hidden, but what you do see is the diffuse light it emits onto a panel below, and it looks really cool and unique—it paints with light. This reminded me of architectural lighting and how that has the power to transform and beautify a building facade, and it does the same for the Model Y’s rear fascia.

The rear also has a redesigned rear bumper, which has a bigger diffuser-type element on the bottom, making it look like a Performance model. The impression that you’re looking at the Performance could be further strengthened by the presence of the Launch Series badge on the rear, which is similar to what you find on the trunk lid of the hot variant of the Model 3.

Other improvements abound, like the self-cleaning camera feature that blasts the lens with liquid to clear away dirt or debris. Anyone who’s had to wipe down their backup cameras during winter to see anything will love this feature, but it’s equally important to Tesla’s camera-based autonomous driving goals. Even if Full Self-Driving isn’t your thing, it’s useful.

Great To Drive, Now More Comfortable Too

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

The revamped interior also makes a very good impression. Both the build and assembly quality seem to have been improved, and it still retains the original’s roominess and airy feel. The ultra-minimalist approach still permeates throughout the cabin, but it doesn’t feel like it’s forced or the result of cost-cutting (even though in some places that may be the case.

You sit quite high in the Model Y, higher than I expected, and you really feel this through the corners where the revised model’s more pronounced body roll becomes apparent. It’s a suspension setup that, unlike in the pre-refresh model, prioritizes comfort above sportiness.

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

This approach works better in a crossover than it does in the lower-slung Model 3, whose sporty character has been partially lost with the Highland update. If you have a sporty electric car itch, stick with the Model 3 Performance instead; it’s nimble and light and it rewards good driving.

It still shares the revamped Model 3’s suspension, which is softer than before and uses clever frequency-selective dampers. It feels even more comfortable than the Model 3, and there also seems to be a bit more suspension travel, making it glide over road imperfections with remarkable ease. Being on 19-inch wheels surely helps here too.

Power And Range Specs

The Model Y Dual Motor Long Range (which is what the Launch Series is based on) has a dual-motor powertrain that delivers around 370 horsepower and 363 lb-ft of torque, allowing for a 0-62 mph (100 kph) sprint time of 4.8 seconds, which is more than enough pace for any family crossover and it very quickly reaches its top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h.)

Performance feels effortless in the dual-motor Model Y, and because Tesla doesn’t provide any piped-in acceleration sounds, you often don’t realize how quickly you’re going.

The Juniper update made the Model Y run around 10% more efficiently so it can stretch its battery capacity further—it gets the same 78.1-kilowatt-hour pack with around 75 kWh usable as before. The WLTP range for the Germany-built Model Y dual-motor that I drove is 386 miles (622 km), up from 372 miles (600 km) in the pre-refresh model.

The U.S.-spec Model Y has an EPA-rated range of 327 miles and we’ll be driving one soon to see how close we can get to matching it.

With a fully charged battery, my tester indicated a range of 326 miles (525 km), which is good given the relatively low temperatures that dipped to around 41°F (5°C). One thing I noticed was that compared to the Model 3s that I’ve driven, the new Model Y’s battery thermal management system was much quieter than in the sedan, making it feel more refined and luxurious.

The Turn Signal Stalk Is Back, But...

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

Not all of the minimalist touches feel natural. One that does seem forced is trying to put on your high beams by pulling on the turn signal stalk, which Tesla added back in after catching flak for removing it in the updated Model 3. It’s quite strange to have a stalk and not be able to have high beams on it too, and you put those on via a button on the steering wheel, just like in the Model 3.

It is a stalk that allows you to put on your blinkers, but it’s as if Tesla wanted to intentionally make it bad. It self-centers after each use, just like in my old BMW E90 3 Series. Unlike in my car, though, where it has two clicks either way to get it to flash three times or put it on fully, it only has one in the Model Y, making it a bit more awkward to use.

I also noticed that the self-cancel function is hit-or-miss sometimes, and I found myself moving it from one side to the other, struggling to get it to cancel. BMW did the self-centering stalk much better nearly 20 years ago, making it intuitive and easy to operate.

The steering wheel is the same design as in the Model 3, but since it doesn’t have buttons for the turn signals, it’s slightly simplified. What is just as good as in the Model 3 is how good the steering wheel feels in your hand while you’re driving the car. It’s on the small side, but with the quick steering ratio and direct feel, it was for me one of the defining driving characteristics of the refreshed Model Y.

Software, Tech, Other Improvements

The front screen is still the main point of focus in a Model Y interior. It’s the same size, but it gets thinner bezels that make it look more modern and upmarket. It’s still one of the best infotainment screens on the market blending super-quick touch response with enough processing power to never stutter.

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

Driving the Model Y, it became even more apparent than in the Model 3 that these cars could use a head-up display to project important information in the center of the driver’s line of sight. Embedding a small (even monochrome) display in the upper part of the dashboard serving the same purpose would have been great. The big aftermarket scene for driver’s displays for these cars should have been a hint for Tesla to fit one from the factory.

I’m not a big fan of having to rely on cameras for parking in the Model Y, which doesn’t have any ultrasonic sensors. The camera-based system does a decent job most of the time but in low-light conditions when one or more of the cameras are dirty, relying on the system for parking isn’t very reassuring.

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

Tesla offers an Auto Shift feature that puts the car in either drive or reverse depending on the situation. This is meant to make the loss of the physical transmission stalk less noticeable and even though it’s still in Beta, it worked well enough 99% of the time in my experience. When it doesn’t work, swiping up or down in the corner of the screen isn’t bothersome and it quickly starts to feel natural.

The rear screen is also great exhibiting the same crisp graphics and smooth operation of the front display. It allows you to direct where the air flows or rear occupants and it works great in this role and it also serves an entertainment purpose too.

You can watch YouTube or Netflix in the back and the screen is just big enough to make it watchable. The only problem is that it’s placed way too low for comfortable watching—it needs to be 10 inches higher to properly work as a mini-TV in the back.

A Better Model Y, No Matter Who’s At The Helm

Looking at the Model Y Juniper objectively, it’s hard to not take it into account when shopping around for a sporty electric crossover. Even though it now exists in a much more crowded and competitive market segment than ever, it’s still good enough to be mentioned among the best.

If you judge Tesla on the merits of its boss, then the Model Y may be a hard sell for many. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, there are plenty of other great electric crossovers out there, and we’ve tested most of them. You won’t go wrong with something like a Hyundai Ioniq 5, a Chevy Blazer EV or something fancier like a Genesis GV60 or a Cadillac Lyriq.

2025 Tesla Model Y Launch Series (Euro-spec)

However, the Model Y drives so well, it comes so well-equipped as standard and gives you access to the best charging network out there—although not the best charging performance since it’s only a 400-volt EV—that it's hard to ignore.

There may be a world where Tesla’s CEO gets reined in or puts his focus back on cars. After all, plenty of brands have found ways to move past their own dark clouds. Maybe then, attention will shift back to the simple fact that the new Model Y is a good car. 

More EV Reviews

The last decade has brought us several sedans from Cadillac that proved to be critical darlings but didn't see huge, mainstream sales success. It's tough to be a sedan in an SUV-driven world, after all. And as good as the Cadillac ATS, CTS, CT4 and CT5 have been—especially their V-Series and Blackwing performance variants—the stalwarts from Mercedes-Benz and BMW are pretty tough to unseat.

So now, as Cadillac prepares to sunset the CT4 and CT5, the word on the street is that whatever's next will move on from internal combustion entirely. Here's what we know. 

Cadillac Electric Sedan: What Have We Heard So Far?

It's no surprise that General Motors seems to be moving on from that pair of Cadillac sedans, which replaced the ATS and CTS when they launched in 2020. Sales of the CT4 and CT5 were down 32% and 20% last year, respectively, making them the slowest-selling Cadillac models in 2024 aside from the barely-just-launched Escalade IQ. 

Yet while Cadillac is focusing heavily on its lineup of electric SUVs, including the new Optiq and Vistiq models, it surely doesn't want to lose out in the EV sedan space. Thanks to better aerodynamics, a lower overall height, and less weight, EV sedans tend to carry the best range of any vehicle class; just look at Volvo's upcoming ES90, which should be good for 435 miles of range on Europe's WLTP cycle. 

GM Authority was first to report that the CT4 and CT5 successors would likely be all-electric. "According to sources familiar with the matter, General Motors has no plans to offer a new generation of the Cadillac CT5 and Cadillac CT4 with an internal combustion engine under the hood,"  the outlet reported. "The two upcoming EVs are expected to be roughly the same size as the Cadillac CT5 and Cadillac CT6, and will be so-called 'low hip-point' (or low H-point) vehicles."

More of Everything We Know

A pair of sedans could be quite interesting, especially since Cadillac has had trouble selling even one sedan in volume. But if this report is true, then the plan may be to offer buyers a choice of different sizes and price points for their needs.

What Will The Cadillac Electric Sedans Look Like?

Cadillac Escala Concept

Here's what's really interesting: in the sedan game these days, you have to take risks to stay relevant. So GM Authority claims that these won't be traditional three-box sedans, but rather will have "a sportback profile similar to that of the Cadillac Escala Concept or even the Cadillac Celestiq."

The Escala Concept (not to be confused with Escalade) came out in 2016 and its design informed a generation of Cadillac's production cars. The Celestiq is a limited-production hyper-luxury sedan that will run you at least $340,000. So while these sedans could share similar design vibes, they should be vastly more accessible in terms of pricing. 

2024 Cadillac Celestiq reveal

This is purely speculation on my part, but I wonder if Cadillac could dig into the 2022 InnerSpace Concept for future inspiration. While that was a fully autonomous concept vehicle shown off at CES a few years ago, it was a striking coupe-like design that could translate well to a production four-door vehicle or sportback sedan. But obviously, nothing is official for now. 

Cadillac Electric Sedan: Pricing And Specs Unknown

Beyond those reports—which admittedly, are plausible—we don't know much else. In terms of specs, platform and range, we would expect that a future Cadillac EV sedan would use GM's BEV3 platform and Ultium batteries and motors, as it uses similar power cells and architectures across all of its EV models these days. That would make it a cousin to the Cadillac Lyriq, Optiq, Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV, and more. It would be the first sedan on the Ultium platform besides the Celestiq.

Given that those are larger, less aerodynamic cars that can still manage 300 miles of range or more, we would expect that a future Cadillac EV sedan would deliver well north of that. Is 350 miles of range in the cards here? Again, this is purely speculation on my part, but that seems reasonable to expect given what we've seen of the Ultium SUVs so far and the way the market is trending. 

Cadillac Electric Sedan: V-Series, Blackwing Likely?

Lyriq-V Top

Considering the branding and motorsports success Cadillac has had with its V-Series and Blackwing performance models, we can anticipate these sedans will get similar treatments. Cadillac is already prepping the Lyriq-V with 615 horsepower, and that is pegged to be the brand's quickest car ever. We'd expect nothing less from a future high-performance Caddy sedan.

When Will It Go On Sale?

Cadillac InnerSpace Autonomous Concept

We have no details on any release date timing, unfortunately. But since the CT5 and CT4 models are still around and just got their 2026 editions, our guess is not anytime soon. If these EV sedans are greenlit for production, a launch closer to the end of this decade seems most likely. 

The Competition

It's hard to say what these cars will be up against until we have pricing details, but we can take a few guesses. Right now, there are the Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS sedans, both of which are likely to be phased out in favor of battery-powered versions of the standard E-Class and S-Class, likely to be given the "EQ Technology" name. 

Cadillac InnerSpace Autonomous Concept

BMW has several next-generation EVs due out soon on its Neue Klasse platform starting with a 3 Series-esque sedan expected to be called the i3 and the iX3 crossover. A sedan similar to the 5 Series on that platform seems very likely, and it too could compete against these Cadillacs. There's also the aforementioned Volvo ES90 and wherever else Volvo takes its four-door lineup, and the updated Polestar 2.

Of the current crop of EV sedans, we have the Lucid Air, the Tesla Model S, the Audi A6 E-Tron and a few others. The Cadillacs would certainly have worthy competition in terms of range and luxury features. 

What do you want to see from a future Cadillac EV sedan? Let us know in the comments. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More Cadillac EV News

A couple of weeks back, I had the opportunity to drive two very different electric Cadillacs back to back at a press launch. The first was the Escalade IQ, and by numerous standards, this was the more captivating of the two. The first-ever battery-powered take on Cadillac’s iconic luxury SUV is the size of your average Manhattan apartment. It’s plush and fancy inside. Its doors swing open and closed electronically. It goes a stunning 460 miles on a charge and can even shimmy on a diagonal just to show off. 

But I was far more interested in the second electric vehicle I drove: the 2025 Cadillac Optiq. Because let’s face it: You and I may love the idea of an Escalade, but most of us aren’t going to comfortably afford one unless we sell a startup or travel back in time and buy Bitcoin. The Optiq, though? This is a premium EV that’s actually attainable. And it’s a damn fine one, at that. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Cadillac’s entry-level EV delivers great style, range for days, powerful tech and a sound system that blew me away—all for a good value. 

You could even say General Motors has done it again. The Chevrolet Equinox EV shook up the mainstream electric car market last year by delivering the first truly compelling budget option in years—and maybe ever. The Optiq, its close relative, seems primed to do the same thing for small electric luxury SUVs, by costing less and offering more capability than the competition.

2025 Cadillac Optiq

(Full Disclosure: Cadillac covered my lodging and meals while I drove the Optiq in San Francisco this month.)

2025 Cadillac Optiq: What Is It?

Cadillac is in the midst of a big electric push, and the Optiq recently hit dealer lots as the brand’s smallest and lowest-cost EV option. The compact crossover joins the popular Lyriq, which has been on sale for a while, and the recently introduced Escalade IQ. Also due out this year are the Vistiq, a three-row SUV, and the Celestiq, an ultra-luxury car that’s said to cost over $300,000 and can only be custom-ordered. 

The Optiq starts at $54,390, including destination fees, which is just over $5,000 less than the Lyriq. Since it’s built in North America with batteries that comply with the Inflation Reduction Act’s various sourcing requirements, the Optiq is one of only a handful of EVs that qualifies for a $7,500 rebate from the federal government. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

As long as that policy remains intact, it brings the crossover’s effective starting price down to just under $47,000, which just about matches the average going price for a new car in 2025, per Kelley Blue Book. 

For that, you get 300 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque from a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain. The Optiq’s 85-kilowatt-hour battery—using modules shared across a bevy of Chevys, GMCs and Cadillacs—returns a solid 302 miles of EPA-estimated range. It’s tough to find another luxury SUV in the segment that offers this kind of range for your buck.

The Sport 2-trim Optiq I tested stickered for $60,595, including destination charges and options like paint and wheels, but you won’t miss much by sticking to a more basic build. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Cadillac also did a bang-up job with the Optiq’s design. Whereas the Lyriq and Escalade IQ have a kind of long, imposing and grand look about them, the smaller Optiq is stubbier, pointier and more youthful looking, which fits the audience it's aiming for. It has an intricately patterned grille area that lights up, sports a unique geometric design on its rearmost windows and comes in fun colors like orange and metallic baby blue. 

What’s The Cadillac Optiq Like To Drive?

The Optiq rides fairly smoothly across different surfaces. It’s quiet inside, thanks to dual-pane glass all around. And yes, like many EVs, its near-instantaneous torque makes it an ace at executing quick highway passes. There is a sport mode that beefs up the steering feel and makes the throttle touchier, but I’d skip it. The Optiq isn’t particularly agile or fun to drive, and that’s okay. It’s pleasant on the road and that’s what matters to most people.

2025 Cadillac Optiq

 The crossover offers three intensity levels for one-pedal driving. In high, the regenerative braking comes on strong as you lift off the throttle, feeding maximum power back into the battery pack. If coasting like a gas vehicle is more your style, you can turn the function completely off. I liked the Goldilocks normal mode best, finding it predictable and easy to get used to. In any mode, I liked how you can see the precise amount of power, in kilowatts, that regen braking is producing at a given moment. 

Just like all GM EVs, the Optiq also includes a paddle on the left side of the steering wheel that essentially functions as a secondary brake pedal, but it only activates regen braking. I haven’t quite figured out what situations this is useful for, and it’s never been second nature for me. But I don’t drive one of these cars every day, so maybe I’m missing something. (GM EV drivers, sound off in the comments below.)

The absolute best part of driving the Optiq—and any General Motors cars that have it—is Super Cruise. And I have great news: GM’s hands-free, highway driver assistance suite comes as standard equipment. Flip on Super Cruise using a button on the steering wheel, and the Optiq will take over basic driving functions like maintaining a lane and speeding up or slowing down in response to traffic. You just need to supervise by watching the road, and that makes long, monotonous drives much more tolerable. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Super Cruise is free for the first three years. After that, you’ll have to pay $25 per month to subscribe.

A bunch more safety tech comes standard too. But I found its blind-spot monitoring to be a bit overeager. Especially while driving around town, it would ding at me when there wasn’t any clear hazard. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq Interior

The Optiq’s cabin is stylish and full of unexpected materials that give off a modern vibe. There’s a woven, recycled fabric on the doors, dash and center console, plus a softer felt inside various cubbies. My test car had vibrant blue accents (though you can spec something a bit more low-key, and I probably would) and in general felt sturdily built. I don’t think it’s on par with the German luxury brands, but it’s nice. 

The Optiq even retains some of the classiest parts of the Escalade—like genuine metal door pulls, stainless-steel speaker grates and an expansive glass roof with a retractable sunshade. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

The back seat offers a flat floor with plenty of legroom, plus decent headroom too. I wouldn’t go cramming really tall friends back there for a long trip—if you want to stay friends, that is. But I think it’s spacious enough for a lot of families’ needs. 

You open the rear hatch by pressing on the Cadillac crest, which is a nice touch. Cargo room behind the rear seats looks solid, too. At 26 cubic feet, it’s only a little bit less than what you’d get in a Lyriq. But, sadly, there’s no frunk under the hood, nor is there any sub-floor storage to speak of in back. Smart EV packaging is still an area where GM—and many other legacy automakers—lag behind startups, Tesla and the Chinese. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq Tech And Audio

I’m a big fan of the Optiq’s user interface, which is found in other Cadillacs like the Lyriq and Escalade IQ. In this car, the star of the show is a curved 33-inch, 9K screen that houses both the digital gauge cluster and infotainment system. It’s all one unbroken, vibrant display that gives the interior a high-tech look. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

The gauge cluster offers several styles to choose from, and I appreciated the inclusion of a low-distraction, minimal option. For a bit of extra cash, you can get a head-up display, which I found bold and easy to read. 

The central touchscreen is snappy and feels a lot like a tech product. It’s not quite on the level of Tesla or Rivian, software powerhouses with truly dazzling and feature-packed interfaces. But it’s a cut above a lot of other automotive software. It runs on an Android operating system and includes Google Built-In services, which means you can download various apps from the Google Play store. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

But the most game-changing benefit of the Google tie-up is you get Google Maps as your native navigation system, rather than some unfamiliar, clunky garbage. Google Maps shows how much charge you’ll have remaining at a destination, makes it easy to search and filter through charging stations and integrates handsomely into the gauge cluster with turn-by-turn directions. 

GM’s EVs don’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but if you use Google apps or others available natively like Spotify, I think you’ll be alright. 

Here’s something you can’t take for granted these days: All the climate functions are housed in a neat row of switches that are easy to reach. No touch-based or haptic controls here. Hallelujah.

I also need to tell you about Dolby Atmos. I’ll confess: I did not know what Dolby Atmos was before this trip. I assumed it was marketing mumbo jumbo for “really good audio.” I was wrong. Atmos is extremely cool, and it’s another impressive feature that comes standard in the Optiq as part of its excellent 19-speaker AKG audio system. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Basically, Atmos is a technology that creates 3D audio and a much more immersive listening experience. In normal stereo listening, sound either comes from the left or right. When you listen to a song mixed using Atmos and played through the right sound system, different sounds can come from all directions: above, below, left, right, in front of you and behind you. So you can hear vocals coming from in front, a cymbal in the back left, and another noise circling around you. 

I know this sounds like a guy trying to explain a dream or an acid trip, but trust me when I say the listening experience is incredible. This is in a handful of cars from other brands too, and it’s coming to all Cadillacs over time, starting with the Optiq. I had a blast sampling different Atmos songs while driving, and I could see buyers having a lot of fun with this too. 

Unlike in-car AI or whatever, this is a tech feature that actually makes a lot of sense.

How Good Is It As An EV?

Over 300 miles of range immediately gives the Optiq heaps of EV street cred. Plus it achieves that with two motors and all-wheel drive, which consumes more energy and knocks range, as compared with a single-motor setup. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

DC fast-charging speeds are less competitive, though. The Optiq maxes out at 150 kW, which is just okay. Cadillac estimates that the Optiq can add 79 miles of range in 10 minutes under optimal charging conditions. On that front, it’s outclassed by quicker charging cars like the Genesis GV60 and Tesla Model Y, both capable of juicing up at well over 200 kW and piling on more miles more quickly. 

And you might not even see that 150-kW speed as often as you’d like, for reasons explained in-depth in this InsideEVs story about the Equinox EV, which uses the same battery pack. In short, this pack operates at a low enough voltage that you probably won’t see peak charging power even if you plug into a station that’s rated to dispense 150 kW. You’ll need to find a higher-current charger for that. 

Once we get an Optiq to test, we’ll be able to tell you more about how it performs when hooked up to various plugs. One important note: The Optiq can charge at thousands of Tesla Superchargers using an adapter. 

2025 Cadillac Optiq

Cadillac says the Optiq can add 33 miles per hour when hooked up to an 11.5-kW Level 2 charger, like what you can install in a garage or also find in public. Spring for the option of 19.2-kW Level 2 charging, and that figure increases to 55 miles, per automaker estimates. 

Early Verdict

The Optiq is an attractive, premium crossover that offers standard all-wheel drive, standard Super Cruise and 300-plus miles of range, all for under $47,000 with the tax credit. On top of that, you get satisfying in-cabin tech and an impressive Dolby Atmos sound system. It’s not exactly affordable—for that, buy an Equinox EV. But it does serve up an overall package that’s tough to beat. 

Just look at the competition: Most other compact SUVs from luxury brands are either more expensive, have less range, or both.

The Genesis GV60 is great, but it starts at $53,700 and doesn’t qualify for the tax credit. Jump up to the AWD version, and you’re looking at more money for a car with just 264 miles of range. The Twin-Motor Volvo EX40 ($55,545) is rated for 260 miles of range. The new Volvo EX30 beats the Cadillac on price, but has way less range and interior space. The all-wheel-drive Audi Q4 E-Tron ($56,495) is getting long in the tooth and rated to go 258 miles. The current Lexus RZ450e costs about as much, but returns an abysmal range of 220 miles. 

What about the world’s most popular EV? The Tesla Model Y costs $52,490 (tax credit included) and is rated for 327 miles of range. So it’s a solid option here too. 

Range and price aren’t everything, but they are two extremely important specs any EV buyer is looking at. The Optiq hits a sweet spot there, and that bodes well for its future sales. 

Cadillac aims to be the top seller of luxury EVs in America this year. And this little SUV will drive that growth more than any six-figure land yacht ever could. 

Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com

More Cadillac EV News

Is there life after Tesla? All over the world, for various reasons, a lot of electric vehicle owners are asking themselves that question right now. While many competitors are catching up or even surpassing the Elon Musk-led automaker these days, most EVs on the road globally are from Tesla. Figuring out what's next is can be a big adjustment. 

YouTuber Robert Rosenfeld is one such owner who's asking himself that question. We have covered his videos before. He has only owned Tesla EVs since 2019, going from the Model Y to the Model X and now to a Cybertruck and building up his YouTube channel along the way. But when he got the chance to see how "the other half lives," as he put it, he went for it, driving only a loaner 2025 Rivian R1S for a week. 

I'll spoil the ending a bit here. Rosenfeld likes the R1S, but decides to keep the Tesla for reasons we'll cover next. (It's also worth noting that he has a big audience of Tesla devotees and is slinging referral codes as part of his videos, so officially making the switch may have had bigger implications for what he does.) 

Yet this is still a good look at the differences between two of the most advanced EVs for sale in America right now. Rivian and Tesla are the only two brands that I believe make truly software-defined vehicles for first-rate smartphone app integration and continual over-the-air updates. And anecdotally, when I talk to Tesla owners looking to move on, Rivian's EVs are often at the top of their list—although right now, Rivian's choices are fewer and more expensive than Tesla's lineup. That should change next year with the debut of the $45,000 Rivian R2. 

In terms of pricing, this R1S Tri-Motor Max Pack costs about $111,000, making on par with a well-equipped Cybertruck or Model X Plaid. This Rivian configuration would get 371 miles of range, handily beating the Model X's 314 miles and the Cybertruck's 325 or 301 miles, depending on its configuration. 

So how do these two brands really stack up? First and foremost, Rosenfeld likes the customization and options of Rivian's R1S and R1T, including trim levels, colors and wheels. Tesla's configurability is far more sparse. But he likes the boxy design, versatility and SUV capability of the Rivian too. "I've got a whole lot of room for hauling, which is nice," he said. 

Rivian YT Int

Rosenfeld is obviously a veteran of Tesla's "very few buttons" approach, so he's at home in the Rivian. (Personally, I wish both brands would add more physical controls.) He feels like it's a premium vehicle inside and said it "checks most of the boxes," but admits Rivian's adventure-y vibe isn't quite his jam. To each their own.

Rosenfeld heaps a lot of praise on the 360-degree top-down camera system and said he wishes Tesla would adopt something similar. He also really loves the driving experience and admits that even Tesla fans would like the increased degree of customization over the R1S' driving dynamics: adjustable regenerative braking, customizable displays, different driving modes and so on. "I'd have no qualms about taking this on a road trip," he added. 

Rivian Software YT 2

But Rosenfeld said that software is what keeps him loyal to Tesla. He doesn't love the Rivian's menu setups (in part because it's just different from what he's used to) and he feels like the maps and HVAC controls are clunky. Frankly, I'm not a fan of the climate controls on either car and wish both of them would add some air vents. He's also a big user of Full Self-Driving, which many Tesla owners are not, and said that not having a direct Rivian equivalent is a letdown. Right now Rivian is just now branching into hands-free highway driving assistance but has more plans for autonomy down the road. 

In the end, Rosenfeld likens the experience to Apple vs. Android: one company tells you exactly what you're going to get, and the other offers a lot more options, customizations and configuration. It can be tough to switch ecosystems, but I'd argue it's a little easier for your car than it is for your smartphone and gadget universe. 

If you want a second opinion, check out this video from YouTuber Darren Byrd, a pilot who normally makes content about aviation but just posted a video about trading in his Model X for a similar R1S. He explains the upsides and downsides in a very fair way, but overall, he's happy with his purchase. "The R1S is a more normal car that happens to be electric" than his Falcon Door-equipped SUV was, he said. 

In the end, for those considering moving on from Tesla, I'd tell them to ask themselves this: what did you like most about your car? If it was range and ease of charging access, I'd recommend the new NACS-equipped Hyundai Ioniq 5. If was software, arguably Rivian is the closest Tesla competitor and likely to close any existing technology gaps soon enough. If it was performance, very few EVs are slow, but the Polestar 3 or the Porsche Taycan are always compelling options. And the entire field of options is getting better all of the time. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

More EV News

People love to hate Mini, for whatever reason. I mean, some of them are justified. The post-2003 Cooper is known for being a pocket rocket, but there’s a running gag that it’s also kind of a steaming pile to own. Some enthusiasts wanted Mini to figure out how to improve its reputation for reliability. It did, kind of, but mostly focused on expanding to other model likethe not-so-mini Countryman. This small crossover has been the fall guy for Mini’s woes since its introduction back in 2010.

“That ain’t no Mini, why are they building a bland crossover?” asked every automotive enthusiast for the past 15 years. 

For 2025, the Countryman is back and bigger than it has ever been. The gas-powered S is back, but we're focused on the all-electric SE. I’m not going to make excuses for the car’s size and how it low-key runs counter to the ethos of the Mini brand. But I do think the conversation is a little tired in this context. The Countryman is part of BMW group’s push to compete in the global market with its EVs. It also marks the start of a renaissance for Mini itself, which has suffered from faltering sales and questions as to where it fits in both BMW's strategy and the market as a whole. 

Underneath, the Countryman SE is a compact electric crossover about the same size as the BMW X1. Power comes from a dual-motor setup with 308 horsepower going to all four wheels, fed by a relatively small 64.6 kWh (usable) battery. This car has an EPA-rated range of 212 miles. To get a Countryman SE just like the one I’ve got for the next week, expect to pay $51,145.

On paper, these numbers sound a little milquetoast. Over the next week I aim to find out if the Countryman SE is more than the sum of its parts. This car also features Mini’s new UI complete with a circular OLED screen. I want to know, is this any good? Or should Mini give up now?

What would you like to know about the 2025 Mini Countryman SE? Tell us in the comments, or feel free to send me an e-mail at kevin.williams@insideevs.com.

Related Articles