The Honda Civic is a popular small car that comes in different styles, like a four-door sedan and a hatchback. Many people like the hatchback because it's more practical for everyday use.
The Hyundai Elantra is a small car that is popular for being affordable and having good fuel efficiency. It's a good choice for people looking for a reliable vehicle.
A two-liter turbo engine is a type of car engine that is two liters in size and uses a turbo to make it more powerful. This helps the car go faster without using a bigger engine.
All-wheel drive means that the car can send power to all four wheels at the same time. This helps the car grip the road better, especially when it's slippery or wet.
A seven-speed dual clutch is a type of automatic transmission that can change gears very quickly, making the car feel sportier and more responsive when driving.
The Mustang is a famous car made by Ford that is known for being fast and sporty. It's a popular choice for people who love driving and want a powerful vehicle.
A head-up display is a feature in some cars that shows information on the windshield so you can see it without looking down at the dashboard. It's helpful for keeping your focus on the road while driving.
The Audi S3 is a sportier version of the Audi A3, which means it has better performance and handling. It's designed for people who want a fun driving experience in a compact car.
Muscle cars are powerful American cars that are built for speed. They usually have big engines and are designed to go fast in a straight line, making them popular for racing.
The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is a special version of the 911 sports car that provides more power and features than the regular Carrera but isn't as extreme as the Turbo model.
The Toyota RAV4 is a small SUV that many people like because it's practical and dependable. It's very popular in the U.S. and is often the best-selling car in the country.
The Toyota Camry is a popular family car that’s known for being dependable and getting good gas mileage. It's a comfortable car that many people choose for everyday driving.
The Subaru Outback is a versatile car that can handle different types of weather and terrain. It has a lot of space for passengers and gear, making it great for families and adventures.
The Hyundai Palisade is a big family SUV that has lots of space for people and their stuff. It’s known for being comfortable and packed with useful features.
The Land Rover Range Rover is a fancy SUV that can handle rough terrain while keeping you comfortable inside. It’s known for being stylish and powerful.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a super luxurious car that has all the latest technology and comforts you can imagine. It’s known for being very smooth to drive and really nice inside.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a nice car that’s a bit smaller than the S-Class but still very luxurious. It has a lot of tech features and is comfortable for driving.
The Ford Bronco Sport is a smaller SUV that’s built for adventure and off-roading. It’s tough and has features that make it great for exploring the outdoors.
The Cadillac Escalade is a large, luxurious SUV that’s very stylish and has a lot of space inside. It’s often seen as a status symbol because of its high-end features.
The Nissan Leaf is a car that runs on electricity instead of gas. It’s designed to be good for the environment and is one of the first electric cars that many people could buy.
The Tata Motors Aria is a crossover vehicle that was made to be comfortable for passengers while also being useful. It didn’t do very well in sales but was an important step for Tata in making SUVs.
The Porsche Taycan is a fast electric car that looks and drives like a sports car. It’s designed to be high-tech and luxurious, making it a standout in the electric vehicle market.
The Porsche Cayenne is a fancy SUV that drives like a sports car. It’s powerful and stylish, making it a popular choice for people who want both luxury and performance.
LIVE
From Motor Week,
video's original automotive magazine,
made possible by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper,
and TireRack.com.
Please welcome from our studios in Owings Mills, Maryland,
John Davis and the staff of Motor Week
to present the 2026 Drivers' Choice Awards.
Hello and welcome to Motor Week.
We're glad to have you with us.
For 45 years, we've helped our viewers
make the right choices when it comes to car ownership.
Each year, we research, drive and conduct
instrumented testing on more than 150 new cars,
trucks and utilities.
And at the end of the year, we meet as a group
and hammer out which ones we like the best,
and name those our Motor Week Drivers' Choice Awards winners.
And joining me in the studio today
to talk about this year's picks
are writer, producer Brian Robinson.
Hello John.
And producer Greg Carlos.
Staff writer Alex Kellum.
Howdy.
And digital producer Jessica Ray.
Hey everyone.
Okay everybody, let's dive right into it.
Our first category is best family car.
And in a world full of SUVs, it's great to see
some manufacturers still investing in new car models.
And I have to admit, this one was a little bit
of a surprise to me until we actually had to drive it.
And that is the Kia K4.
So let's dive right in and talk about it.
Greg, why don't you start?
Well, you know, I am a family man.
I also like sedan.
So this category was, you know, important to me.
And I really kind of looked at it.
And the K4 to me was an easy choice.
It starts with the style.
It's got very modern style.
Kia has been trending in this direction for a while.
But what surprises me, it's a compact, right?
Right.
In name only, though.
To me, it's a full on family sedan.
I mean, I have two kids, small children.
We can all fit in there, a full family of four.
And it's just, it's fun to drive.
You have a four cylinder turbo option.
And there's something about the ethos of a compact car
being simple.
And I'd like that, I got in it.
It felt like I was in a simple car,
which is kind of refreshing these days,
but there's still enough tech.
And yeah, I just, I really enjoy driving it.
Jessica, I know one of the things you pointed out early on
was the fact that we had the sedan,
but that was, there was a second act.
Yeah, I mean, I think obviously we really like the sedan.
And the fact that they're bringing a hatchback
to the market is huge.
Just because of, you know, competition,
something like the Civic, right?
Comes in both sedan and hatchback configurations.
And a lot of people want to opt for the hatchback
just for the more daily usability aspect of it.
Functionality.
Functionality for it.
So Kia kind of looking at the K4, expanding it, you know,
in a time where everybody is almost like tightening things
when it comes to sedans is really impressive.
And I also think specific to the K4,
one of the reasons why we picked this as our best family sedan
was that you can also get so many premium options in it
that you wouldn't be able to get otherwise, right?
Like you can option ventilated seats in the K4,
which is just not found in this class of vehicle.
Yeah, and I mean, I think it's a worthwhile replacement
for the Forte.
And one thing that I do like about the K4
is that you have different powertrain options.
So there is also a GT line, which I, if I'm not mistaken,
they've also made some changes, slight changes
to like the suspension work and stuff
to make it feel a little bit more lively,
which to me kind of opens up maybe the door one day
for a K4 GT.
You know, we have the Elantra over on Hyundai
with the Elantra N, would love to see a K4 GT.
It's also a really good looking vehicle.
Definitely.
You know, I mean, the stylists really had,
they knew they didn't have to jam it into a two box design
and I think they did a great job.
Well, speaking of cars,
because that's what we're going to be covering
during this first portion of this broadcast,
I was surprised when we had our ConFab
and we talked about it,
that this almost immediately came to the top of the heap.
And that is the winner for best luxury car,
the Audi A5.
Alex, why don't you pick up on that?
Sure, I'll pick up.
Ironically, luxury cars have never really been my whole thing.
It's just a genre of car, I don't know,
maybe it's too luxurious for me, this, that or whatever.
But what I like about the A5 is that it finds a way
to be luxurious without being too over the top,
if that makes sense.
Now there is a lot of tech
and we all kind of got to experience that a little bit.
I'll let others speak to that.
But with this A5, what they've done,
so it replaces the A4,
they did a mid-2025 kind of new generation with it.
And it's kind of gotten bigger in every dimension,
but I don't think it's too obtuse, it's not too large.
And same with the powertrain.
To me, a luxury car needs to have some sort of powertrain
that backs up all that prestige.
And what they've done here,
it's Volkswagen-derived a two-liter turbo
for 268 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque.
I said it in the piece,
it's not going to run out from underneath you,
it's not unwieldy, but it's more than enough
to kind of give you that feeling.
And with the all-wheel drive, the seven-speed dual clutch,
I mean, it feels plenty sporty.
To be fair, you're kind of the staff sport coupe guy.
For better or worse.
You've got a Mustang, that's where your heart is.
So when you drove this, you liked it anyway,
so it must have hit some of those buttons.
Believe it or not, yeah.
Yeah, I mean, look, it doesn't have the same ferocity
as a five-liter V8 or anything like that,
but it's still, again, it's enough.
And there are other, if you want more power from an Audi,
there are other levels that you can go to,
but this is like right in that kind of sweet spot.
Brian, what about you?
Yeah, for me, it was just Audi's way of
just unrefined kind of excellence right there.
They're not over-the-top, classy, not flashy.
A lot of tech inside, but it's not in your face, right?
The screens are appropriately sized.
There's actual controls where you want them to be.
All the materials are top-notch,
but it's incredibly functional as well.
So that's what I liked about.
Now, they sort of departed from what they'd been doing
on the interior.
This was the first car with this that I can remember.
They had this new style of interior.
Do you think it still encompasses
that Audi sort of minimalistic,
but very purposeful approach?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think it just put a big exclamation point on it.
Jessica and Greg, anything?
A luxury car should be solid.
It should give you tech features that you feel are premium.
And it should drive smooth with a good powertrain.
And I think the A5 checks all those boxes.
And it still balances.
Like we had talked about before,
it tows that line of sport and luxury,
but I do think that the A5 did kind of
lean a little more luxury this time.
Yeah, and I think within its price point,
which I think was somewhere just,
it starts around $50,000,
we were pretty impressed with all of the technology
that was available in it because it did feel like
it punched above its weight class for sure.
Especially like the head-up display
was probably like the most comprehensive,
I think we've ever seen in a vehicle in that class.
Yeah, Brian said it's not in your face,
but it is in your ear.
It has those headrest speakers that,
that was at times maybe a little obtrusive,
but it was pretty neat.
But that's something you almost always just found on
something really much more upmarket
than even this car was.
Okay, let's move on and to a kind of unexpected
twofer for Audi, our best sports sedan, the Audi S3.
Jessica, let me come back to you.
Why don't you lead us off?
Yeah, I think when we drove the S3,
everything just kind of like felt right in it.
It's a really nice upgrade from the A3.
If you just, if you want a little bit more sportiness
to the vehicle, but also you get a really nice power upgrade,
you go from 201 horsepower to 328.
So, you know, you can really dial things in
and it's in its sport mode, it sounds good,
it feels good, the interior just gets all those little bits
that just really up the ante for the S3.
So, Brian, this is definitely a family affair
between the A5 and the S3, right?
Yeah, similar to the A5, more classy than flashy,
but I think all the European brands try to have
that tweener model right between the basic
and the super high performance like the RS3,
which is phenomenal, but the S3 really nailed
as far as being perfectly in between.
It's a car you can have a lot of fun with,
a lot of performance, but without, you know,
getting yourself into too much trouble.
Greg, any driver's comments?
Yeah, I mean, the whole tweener model,
I certainly, you know, if you're gonna put it on a scale,
it probably leans a little more towards performance.
I mean, it's not like a half baked like tweener,
whether just put a few badges
and maybe like a different exhaust sound.
I mean, it's, it nuzzles up right to a performance car,
in my opinion.
Which happens to be our next category.
Best Sport Coupe and Best Performance Car.
Let's do Sport Coupe first, Dodge Charger.
Alex, take it away.
Yeah, so I'm not gonna do my whole spiel.
If you want viewers and listeners out there,
podcast 366, I go on a whole thing.
So go back to that one if you want the whole thing.
But the Dodge Charger one, this is a repeat win.
Last year it also won for Best Sport Coupe.
What kind of gave it another edge this year
is the return of an internal combustion powertrain,
which we always knew was in the works for this.
And it's the Solantis Group's Hurricane twin turbo,
three liter inline six, a little bit of a mouthful.
But that was the choice.
So no Hemi V8, maybe one day, maybe one day.
We're hoping, we're hoping.
Besides that hustle stuff, drag pack, hyper limited,
doesn't count.
But this thing in the scat pack, which is out now,
that's the 550 horsepower version of it.
That's the high output.
There will be an RT coming later
with the standard output of it,
which still does like 420 horsepower,
468 pound feet of torque.
But part of the reason we picked the Charger
is because of the engineering,
the fact that it positioned to be either a battery electric
cause the battery electric Daytona is still available.
But it can also go internal combustion.
And really our award is for both.
Yeah, exactly.
This is, cause the vehicles are very similar.
And we should also mention that there is a two door,
that's what we've spent most of our time with,
but there's a four door,
and that will be coming for the internal combustion.
It's for the electric.
It's all pretty much universal there.
And this thing, it's all wheel drive,
but you can send 100% of power to the rear,
just like a muscle car should.
It's super rad.
It looks super cool.
It's massive.
It dominates the road.
We did car to car at Robling.
And there's a great clip of you and...
Yeah, I think I'm following Roberts in the Miata.
And it just, I didn't realize the difference in scale
from the charger to a Miata.
I mean, it dominates the road.
Yeah, it is quite...
But that's...
Two ends of the spectrum.
That's what we think of with muscle cars, right?
Like dominating the road.
And I think that it still has an old school feel,
but with modern propulsion, right?
So you have the EV available.
You have a twin turbo inline six, all wheel drive.
I mean, these are thoroughly modern propulsion systems,
but it still manages to have that old school muscle car feel.
And it's just, it's big and practical.
We were, while we were at Robling, you know,
we went out to dinner in it one night and we had the coupe
and we were able to fit Robinson and Benny D
in the back seats, you know, two full size adults.
And I sat in front and I didn't,
I could sit as far back as I wanted to.
So, you know, things like that you don't think about.
You could actually use it for four people in the coupe.
And it was on a racetrack.
And in the past when we've had chargers
and challengers there, they've been a handful.
Was this?
There were still glimmers of it being a handful.
The power did not need any more power.
I mean, you didn't miss the V8,
maybe just in sound a little bit, but power's there.
And yeah, it still felt like a big American machine
on the racetrack.
And we're talking about performance,
but we actually have our best performance car,
which really is a world away from the charger.
And that best performance car for 2026,
the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.
And this is not just any old 911, Brian.
Right, when we hear GTS with Porsche,
usually we're talking about that tweener model, right?
It's more than a Carrera, but it's not a full on turbo.
This is a whole new kind of GTS for Porsche.
And it is their new T hybrid system.
And it's not your typical hybrid.
It's got two electric motors,
one inside the transmission and one in the turbo,
which basically spools the turbo up.
So you don't have to wait around for exhaust gases
to build up.
So you got zero lag from the turbo, 532 horsepower.
And it was a blast to drive.
Right, Greg?
Especially on the track, you know what?
When I'm driving around the track,
there's only so many things you can think of.
You're looking forward,
you're thinking about your braking points.
I don't need to think about how complicated
this hybrid system is,
because we were just talking about
the feeds of engineering.
That's what this hybrid system is,
the way the motors work to feed power one way.
And then instantly they go back to feeding the battery.
I mean, it's really incredible.
The price is high, right?
Like it's an expensive car.
Somehow I still feel like it's worth the money
because the track performance is pretty incredible.
I mean, the response from this system,
this is not an efficiency system.
This is all performance minded.
And I was blown away by the response from it.
And it's just, it makes,
like all Porsche's and 911's,
you just feel like a hero out on the track,
the way it all works together.
Alec, Alec, I'm sorry, do you want to, Jess?
I think what's really great about it is like,
you can truly see, like, this is the future of Porsche.
This is where they're going with performance.
And it's a really phenomenal start.
To be able to find new ways,
I think we said in our script,
new ways to do Porsche style performance,
moving forward without looking at the heritage,
but not being held back by it.
Exactly.
And you know, it's like,
we've tested so many 911's over the years, right?
And they keep getting better and better and better.
But I mean, I think we all realize there is a point
in which internal combustion,
like it's hard to get that much better.
We've taken it about as far as we can.
And then, yeah, we just,
they're taking the next step
while still kind of Porsche's great at that, right?
They kind of, they're always thinking to the future,
but they kind of leave like one toe in the past.
I think it's half a foot.
Anyway, Alex.
Yeah, the street performance is there
and running hot laps.
I was able to ride shotgun
with our chief test driver, Dave Scrivener.
And when I got out of it,
I was about as pale as the paint job.
So it's definitely a fast car and a very cool one.
Okay, well, that wraps up our Motor Week drivers choice.
Cars best of the year.
So let's move on to what is really 80% of the market now.
SUVs are utilities and trucks.
And we're going to start with our best small utility.
I'm not sure this is a surprise to anybody,
the all new Toyota RAV4.
And Alex, let me go back to you.
Why don't you kick us off?
Yeah, so Toyota with this RAV4,
I mean, the RAV4 has already been such a successful
nameplate for them over the years.
It is the best selling vehicle in America.
Yeah, so how do you make that better?
Well, one way that they've done that
is pretty much an all hybrid approach.
So, and Toyota is in a really good position right now
to kind of leverage their hybrid system this way.
So there are different styles of hybrid
that you can get with it.
There's the traditional hybrid and a plug-in version of it.
And there's a bunch of different trims now.
One of them that I'm very excited for
is the first ever GR Sport.
And if you're not aware, GR, Gazoo Racing,
this is not quite a full blown GR effort, mind you.
This is not supposed to go toe to toe.
Yeah, so it does get a little bit unique chassis tuning
and suspension work, but that's pretty much it.
And styling, of course, but it just goes to show
that they're trying to broaden this portfolio.
And again, it's just taking what's already been
so successful and just making it better.
Jessica.
I think what's interesting, you mentioned the GR Sport.
And a big thing about it is that it's a plug-in hybrid.
And so the RAV4 Prime was a bit more pointed
in the last generations.
It didn't expand in their lineup and other trim levels.
Now you can get the plug-in hybrid on other trims,
like the Woodland.
And I think what's also really interesting too
is that it's not just carry over
like the traditional hybrid powertrain is.
It does get a larger battery so that you can get,
I think, just about 50 miles of range
on electric charge for the plug-in hybrid,
which is kind of a standard that needs to be set.
It's been a goal for a long time.
And I think too, coming back to standards,
going all hybrid, that is setting the standard
for the rest of that class.
It's sort of saying, hey, we're here,
we're looking to the future, to what the technology is.
Going all hybrid has been very successful
for the Camry, which we loved, I think we gave it,
I don't know if last year or the year before,
we gave that a driver's choice for a very similar reason,
but sales have not gone down.
Instead, they've gone up.
So clearly, they're following the market,
they're following trends, and again,
setting the standard for everybody else to follow.
And Toyota is sticking to its guns
through all of the EV, mania, and here we are,
hybrids are the big deal.
Greg, anything?
People's big knock on the rap for a long time
was it was kind of boring, unexceptional.
I don't think you can really say that anymore
with the amount of trims we have,
especially with the GR Sport.
And it's just interesting that now,
a performance-minded model and a lineup
is often a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid.
So it just tells you where we are.
Any final comments, Brian?
Yeah, I would just say since the late 1990s,
when Toyota and Honda started this whole segment,
Honda with the CR-V, Toyota with RAV4,
they've both been pushing each other
and kind of making all the big progress in this segment,
but I think Toyota maybe a little more
with first with hybrids,
like the electronic rear-wheel drive system,
plug-in hybrids to the segment,
so they've definitely been pushing the boundaries
continuing to do so.
Okay, let's move up a class to best mid-size utility,
really where we're getting into the growing family size.
Our pick this year is the Subaru Outback,
and this is not just another Outback,
it's a significant change.
Greg, what do you think?
Big change, maybe the biggest change
we've seen with the Outback.
It's now fully embraced the SUV style.
I mean, it was a wagon for a long time,
but as we've found in recent years,
Americans don't like the term wagon,
and even automakers don't like to use the term wagon,
and Subaru was getting away from it.
But I think it's fully embraced the SUV lifestyle,
and the things that I like about Subaru,
the practicality and the ruggedness,
and being able to take this thing off-road
right out of the showroom,
I mean, you don't need the wilderness trim,
you don't need to go to the aftermarket
to go and hit the trails with this thing.
I mean, you go buy it, you drive it home,
and you can go hit a trail and feel really, really confident.
And I love the practicality of little things,
like in the back, they rethought the cargo cover,
which people generally just pull the cover over.
They said, well, why don't we make it useful?
So they turned it into a hammock,
now you can move it to different levels,
you can put things on top of it.
So it's things like that.
Which we all did anyway.
Right, yeah.
But now you can actually do it.
I love how Subaru kind of approaches little things like that,
that you don't really think about until it's in a car,
and then you're like, wow, that's really useful.
Yeah, Greg was mentioning a lot about how
this is pretty much out of the box,
ready to kind of go on adventures.
But you can't forget the fact that this is also tuned
for getting to the adventures,
and that requires driving on a road.
And I think it's just, every generation
just gets a little bit more refined, right?
And I spent a fair amount of time driving this on the highway.
I took it out to our racetrack,
which is pretty far from,
and requires a lot of highway driving.
And it was so nice and soft on the highway,
very comfortable.
And also what's kind of great too,
is they've introduced a new hands-free driving system,
which I thought was very nice.
It sort of knew its limits.
It wasn't quite up to maybe like a super cruise
or a blue cruise standard.
But there were still very long stretches
where I could utilize it.
It's something Subaru's kind of taken a chance on.
They've always sort of maybe gotten conservative
when it comes to tech.
So to see them introduce a new infotainment setup,
which we all had issues with the last one,
this one is much more in the here and now.
Like you said, the semi-autonomous driving,
or the hands-free driving is a big deal for them.
But to that end, the steering,
they actually, that was one of the first things I noticed
was they improved the steering feel,
which maybe a lot of people don't notice,
but as somebody who drives a lot of vehicles,
I think huge improvement.
Brian, you've written every road test, I think,
for every outback we've ever done.
Were you impressed with the new one?
Yeah, I think they were able to make it look very different,
but still feel the same,
which I think is what every Subaru owner loves.
The two things I didn't like about the previous gen
was the entertainment setup that you mentioned,
and the seat comfort was never great.
I don't think on any outback,
but they've addressed both those big time.
Big time on the seats.
Yeah, I think so.
It's definitely a better outback.
Clean up, Alex.
Much like the Steakhouse of the same name,
I sometimes forget it's an option out there,
but the time I've spent in it has been wonderful,
and that infotainment upgrade is definitely
my favorite thing about the outback.
Okay, well, let's upgrade to our best large utility.
And this is one I'm particularly partial to,
because I've owned one,
and that is the new Hyundai Palisade.
Brian, why don't you pick back up?
You were an early adopter on the Palisade,
but that and its platform-made Kia Telluride,
when they came out, huge, huge success, both of them.
This is the second gen Palisade.
It's bigger, it's longer, there's more room inside,
I think, but to me, it's much more refined.
Drives much nicer.
They redid the rear suspension.
It's got a self-leveling rear,
which makes it much nicer to drive on rough roads.
And there's the new hybrid powertrain,
which is big for the segment.
2.5-liter-based, 15% more horsepower than the V6,
because that actually got a little bit less horsepower
for this gen, but terrific job for sure.
The rear suspension's a big deal,
because the current one, the outgoing one,
that I still own, it can get a little jittery in the back,
and something you don't notice in the front seat,
but you notice in the back.
Yeah, they definitely dialed that out, yeah.
Alex, anything?
Yeah, if you saw this big, boxy styling,
and I know some people did, they saw it and said,
oh, it reminds me of a Range Rover.
Well, good news, there's an XRT Pro model,
which will get you off-road.
And I think that's part of the trends now,
is everybody's gotta have an off-road everything,
but the XRT Pro does actually get some legit hardware.
I mean, it gets extra ground clearance.
It does get the electronic locking,
limited slip in the back, and a few other things
like the recovery hooks and the all-terrain tires.
So if you do like to go on the more adventurous path
from time to time, it's nice to have that,
and just in general, to have options in the lineup.
Let's swing over to the other sofas.
Jessica, any comment?
Yeah, I mean, I think probably, to me,
one of the most impressive things
was the interior of the new Palisade.
I just felt like they really, we had a calligraphy model,
or I've driven a calligraphy model,
and they really stepped it up.
I mean, it is very luxurious in there,
this new like sofa dash design that they've got going on,
which, you know, a vehicle like this
is gonna lead a design for the rest of their lineup.
And yeah, it's just, everything inside's really comfortable,
and like Hyundai has done for a number of their models,
they just are very smart about how they position things
and, you know, putting comfort
where they know people want comfort.
They've done a little bit of rearranging,
not so much rearranging,
but rethinking some of their trims.
The calligraphy really does have features now
that you can't get elsewhere.
So I think they've kind of pushed it
a little further upmarket than it was before.
Absolutely.
Greg, anything?
Yeah, it's impressive.
That was the first thing I noticed getting in,
it was impressive interior.
I mean, that's, it's not even bordering luxury.
It's, I think you, when you get into calligraphy,
it's luxury, and I think it differentiates itself
from the Telluride, which is important
because I think they're two different buyers.
And speaking of luxury, that's our next category.
So best luxury utility,
and this really raises the bar in that class,
the Mercedes-Benz GLC 350E.
And Greg, let me come back to you.
What's so special?
The powertrain, this is a really crowded,
really popular segment, right?
The compact SUV, and then you talk about premium
or luxury SUV segment, very, very competitive,
but it manages to still stand out.
And I think it does that, not necessarily from,
looking at it from the outside, right?
Like it looks fine, but driving it,
that's what made me vote for it.
I mean, it is a thoroughly solid Mercedes feeling chassis.
Everything about it, even closing the doors,
everything about it inside is solid
that we've come to know with Mercedes.
And the powertrain, again,
being able to get over 50 miles of plug-in EV-only driving.
I think that's kind of the benchmark
we're thinking about now with plug-in hybrids,
is getting about 50 miles, and it delivers on it.
Brian Robinson, you're not easily impressed, I know that.
Were you on this one?
True, guilty.
Yeah, so you mentioned 350E, it is the plug-in,
and it's 313 horsepower, which is 58 over the standard
GLC 300, all of that.
And then if you've been in any, like an S-class
or an E-class, they got that whole dash thing going,
and huge screens, and they brought all that down to the GLC,
and it looks fantastic.
And more importantly, it works great too,
which to me says luxury,
when you don't have to be frustrated by things.
So great package altogether for sure.
Jessica, any comments?
Yeah, I mean, GLC is one of their more volume sellers
for their utilities.
So this is kind of an important segment
for them to offer a lot of versatility.
Obviously we are talking about the E,
but of course there's a number of different GLC.
Right, it's a trend.
Models to offer.
And I think this is really like the best of all worlds
if you are looking for, if you're a person
who's commute every day is under 50 miles,
like you're getting everything you want out of Mercedes,
while at the same time,
getting everything you want out of the powertrain.
Alex, were you as impressed as everyone else?
Oh yeah, and again, the powertrain for me,
kind of mirroring what I had mentioned before
with the A5, where it's like a luxury car to me
needs to also have some sort of powertrain.
It doesn't have to be super fast or super powerful,
but it's gotta have something
that adds to that luxury prestige.
And I think here with Mercedes, they've done that.
A lot of fans for SUVs,
but also a lot of fans for our next winners,
which are pickup trucks.
And we're gonna start with best small truck.
And our winner for 2026 is the Ford Maverick.
Jessica, I'm gonna start with you
because you're a former Maverick owner.
That's right.
Although, a former doesn't make the Maverick sound good,
but no, love the truck.
And it was a really easy pick for us this year, especially,
because Ford did what people were clamoring for
since the truck came out in 2021.
And that is they added both all-wheel drive
and their 4K tow package to the hybrid models, which-
Thank goodness.
Right, previously it was only available
with the gas EcoBoost engine,
but the Maverick, we love the Maverick.
It was our best of the year.
The reason we picked it was because hybrid
had a low price point doing something nobody else is doing.
And so for Ford to,
because again, like a lot of the other changes
are just like small cosmetic stuff,
but this, I mean, they had the ability to do all this.
The all-wheel drive has been available
on the Escape hybrid for quite some time now.
It was just probably a matter of production strain
and things like that.
But yeah, for a small truck,
nobody else is doing anything like this.
Speaking of no one else is doing something,
they did have a lot of fun with it, right, Alex?
They did because they came out with a new trim
called the Lobo.
And you're gonna have to explain what that really means.
Ford has a whole thing with Lobo.
There's a history with that name,
but here with the Maverick,
what they've done is they've created a sport truck.
So, and it's not just like a gimmick.
It does get extra ground effects and things like that.
Really cool, like turbo fan style wheels,
stuff like that, or rally inspired wheels,
but it also does get lowered.
The transmission in it,
the eighth gear is like electronically locked out.
So it's a seven speed,
and we know seven is sportier than eight.
So that's the place, yeah.
Archetypes, man, archetypes.
It all plays into it.
And this is one of those things that I love it
when manufacturers do this,
because this is very much a case of,
they did not need to do this.
I don't know how many people were really asking for this,
but someone there, engineers, designers,
whoever said, this is a cool idea,
and the Blue Oval said, run with it.
They made it, and I think it's been positively received
by a lot of people, and Jess, you autocrossed one.
Yeah, it's silly fun.
I mean, just, you'd think in a little pickup truck,
and also, you know, I mean,
we're talking about a vehicle
that's built on the Escapes platform, right?
But what Ford's been able to do,
building the Bronco Sport off of that,
that's incredibly capable,
and now a Maverick Lobo that just is silly fun is,
it's pretty amazing.
Greg, any closing comment on?
I love silly fun.
I imagine, look, we have one right over there.
Yeah, I'm looking at it.
It's a good looking truck,
and like Jess said, I'm a big fan of silly fun.
Well, let's move on to best full size truck,
and I have to tell you,
I sort of feel like we're a broken record here.
Our winner for best full size truck is the Ram 1500.
Brian Robinson, why do we keep coming back to Ram?
I think just overall package that they offer.
We talked before in podcasts
about how Stellantis Group has been
writing a lot of wrongs lately
when a charger and everything else they got going on.
So the big thing for this year
was the return of the Hemi to the Ram.
It's the e-torque version with 395 horsepower,
which a lot of people complained about the inline six,
although it's a pretty impressive engine.
But now they can get the Hemi like a lot of people want,
and they got a crazy new TRX version coming out
with a Hellcat motor in it,
777 horsepower on that.
So yeah, the Ram continues to kill it right now.
Greg, it just seems like with Ram,
they keep looking at new ways to make it
more of a personal use vehicle
to actually replace SUVs and cars.
Did that play a factor into your vote?
For sure, I've long been a Ram voter in our awards.
For me, it starts a few years back with their suspension
and how much more comfortable it is over F-150
and what they have from GM.
I mean, if you drive back to back,
Ram to forward to Chevy,
it is a noticeable upgrade jumping into a Ram
of how comfortable, you wouldn't know
that a full-size pickup truck could ride this comfy.
And then you talk about the tech,
and you have all the tech,
all the big screens that you want,
the seats have always been comfortable.
Yeah, I mean, that's really the biggest thing I think of,
even beyond powertrain.
But as much of a work truck and a business decision
as trucks can be, I think they can also be emotional.
And I think that's where the Hemi comes back into it.
I think that'll bring a lot of people back to Ram.
Alex, speaking of emotion, did it hit your buttons?
Hey, they put a Hemi V8 back in it, I'm happy.
Though I do have to say that hurricane engine,
I mean, every application they've put it in has been great.
But there's something about a full-size truck
with what I would say is a full-size engine
that just feels right.
My first vehicle was a pickup truck with a V8
and it, you know, driving it again,
I drove one at Robling, not on the track,
picked it up for stand-ups.
And it was, yeah, you get in it
and you just remember how comfortable it is.
And it's just such a good truck.
Yeah, the Hemi is a really nice return to the Ram 1500.
But yeah, we cannot overlook the fact
what they've been doing with the hurricane in line six.
I mean, to bring that back into the fold
and the performance that they're able to get out of it
is really impressive with the RHO.
We've driven both the standard output and the high output.
So I think what's really great now about the Ram 1500,
because we are talking about the entirety of the lineup,
is that it is so versatile.
They have something for everyone and that's important.
Okay, thanks for that.
And in the vein of Monty Python now
for something completely different,
we're gonna talk about our best EVs.
And just because the public is turning their attention
towards hybrids, doesn't mean the manufacturers
don't have a lot of new EVs in the wing.
And we're gonna start with one of three.
Our best EV, our first one is the Cadillac OPTIQ.
Alex, let me turn to you.
Why don't you start us off?
Why the OPTIQ?
Yeah, so Cadillac is full throttle
or I guess velocity max into this whole electrification
strategy of theirs.
And they have this whole IQ portfolio.
We have this stick, Lyric, Escalade IQ,
which doesn't really roll off the tongue, but it's there.
Now we have the OPTIQ, which is this smaller offering there.
And what's kind of impressive to me about the OPTIQ is,
so kind of like starting with the value there,
I mean, being in the 50s.
And now there's an OPTIQ V, which I think is super cool,
but that's like closer to about 70.
But around that, a little bit more
than the average transaction price of a vehicle.
If you wanna get into electrification,
a full battery electric vehicle, you can hop in.
And even at those base trims, the luxury and the sport trims,
I mean, it's a very well-equipped vehicle.
I think pretty much everyone here, when we all drove it,
we felt like you were getting pretty solid bang for the buck
there in terms of that luxury feel.
Now it's their latest, but it's also their smallest.
And we think obviously they're best.
Jessica, you wanna pick up?
Yeah, I think, you know,
I think the way that Alex was talking about it,
like it screams luxury.
This is a Cadillac model.
And I think it's not just a fancy version
of the Equinox EV.
Well, that's important though.
It is based on the same chassis.
It's the same chassis, the same powertrain setup,
all of that battery technology,
but it does have like its own personality.
I felt like the interior for us really shined.
It's very unique.
It works with different materials.
It's not boring and bland,
like we've been seeing in a lot of luxury models,
you know, kind of recently.
They're going with color and textures and materials.
And so that like really stands out to us,
but also I think what's great about that platform in general
is that it's a really nice size.
Like this is their smallest offering,
but it's still pretty spacious both inside and out.
So yeah, we really like the app.
And of course the Equinox EV won
in this category last year.
Brian, anything?
Yeah, I mean, entry level Cadillacs over the years
have certainly been hit or miss,
but if you want to be an all electric brand
that makes mostly SUVs,
nailing that entry level EV SUV is important
and they certainly did it.
Speaking of entry level, our second best EV,
the reborn or rethought out Nissan Leaf.
Greg, why is this so different?
Well, it's in its third generation,
but the difference is it's now considered
a utility technically.
So I'm not sure how many people will look at it
and say utility, but Nissan's-
There's always a hatchback.
Right, but Nissan now officially calls it a utility
rather than a car or hatchback,
but it's in its third generation
and we finally have the range we all wanted
out of the Leaf, right?
The Leaf was the first mass market EV,
but very quickly it got caught up to in terms of range.
Now, for just over $30,000, you can get 300 miles of range.
If you go up in trim level, it gets to 250,
but still I think we can all agree
that's pretty competitive right now.
Good packaging and it's just,
I've always had a soft spot for the Nissan Leaf.
Actually, it was the first car I ever did a drive-by zone
with motorway, so maybe that's why.
But it's just a very charming car.
I was concerned that growing up with styling
and throwing more tech in there
that maybe would lose some of that,
but I still enjoy driving it.
And yeah, now my favorite shifter's gone,
that little joystick shifter is gone,
but replaced by a push button.
But no, I think it's very competitive,
much more so than it was the previous generation.
Yeah, it was the OGEV, right?
As far as mainstream, way before everyone else.
And it's easy to forget what a big of an impact
that vehicle was on the industry.
And they sold over 650,000 of them, I think, so.
It was the world's best selling EV for a long time.
Yeah, so to make it into this third generation,
I mean, as you mentioned,
it was always kind of SUV adjacent already,
but I think the Nissan Leafs follow up the Aria
somewhat less successful,
but I think this new Leaf takes a lot of the things
that work great about the Aria,
especially where they integrate the touch controls
and stuff like that.
And you mentioned the push button for the transmission now,
integrating that into the new Leaf,
I think is really great.
And the NACS charging.
Now, it's a little bit different the way it works
because it's only for fast charging,
but you do have the ability to go to
Tesla's vast supercharger network
and plug it in on one side,
or use your J1772 on the other side for level two charging.
So they're thinking ahead.
Again, it's firmly now amongst the running
for the modern EV.
Any comments, Jessica?
Yeah, I mean, I think truly to sum it all up
is that they finally brought the Leaf on par
with the rest of the market.
I mean, they've been selling the Leaf,
it's not like it went out of production and it's come back.
It was kind of falling off.
It was this option that they had, but it was aging.
And I think we're just really excited
to also see it still thriving and being competitive.
But also that price point is very entry level right now.
I think we talked about on other podcasts,
30,000 is the new 20,000.
So that's sort of this entry level threshold in a way.
And for them to be able to produce a vehicle
at that price point, getting the amount of range
with the amount of standard technology in it is very good.
Okay, Jessica, let's stay with you now
and go to a much higher price point
for the third member of our best EV picks.
And this is the Porsche Taycan.
Why the Taycan?
You know, we've always liked the Taycan since it came out.
I think we've always been impressed
with how Porsche has been able to keep its engineering
and its heart in the Taycan,
even though it's completely electric, battery electric.
But I think as they've moved forward with the updates
for what we're talking about now, the latest Taycan,
the battery technology in it is so much more improved.
It's a huge step forward.
And it's now where it needs to be to be competitive
with the likes of Lucid, Mercedes, et cetera.
I mean, we can now get over 300 miles of range
with crazy like gobs of performance
in specifically we drove the CrossTherese Mo4S.
Not only have they improved the battery technology
with range, but charging is some of the fastest speeds
that you're gonna find in the industry.
So yeah, I think Porsche with the Taycan
is trying to set a benchmark,
especially as they move forward with the Macan EV
and the Cayenne EV.
Alex, what would you like to add?
Yeah, when you look at our winners
for the best EVs, right, we have the Leaf,
which is this entry level, not just for EVs,
but arguably an entry level car because of the price.
Then we have the OPTIQ, which kind of gets you in the middle.
Let's be blunt about it.
The Taycan is the money is no issue here.
It's above that six-figure threshold there,
and that's okay.
Cars like that do exist there.
And the Taycan, what it does is while it is this,
it's always been this battery electric effort from Porsche.
They do what Porsche does really well,
which is offering different flavors of a wide variety.
I mean, you can get a base Taycan.
You can go up to, we had the Turbo GT at Roebling last year,
which is just crazy.
I mean, over 1,000 horsepower is nuts.
And now they have this Cross Turismo variant,
which we had in recently.
And I know we were saying some things about wagons earlier,
but sport wagons are still very cool in the Cross Turismo.
Not only is it more practical,
but if I can be so bold to say it,
I think it's the best-looking Taycan.
Let me stay over here, Brian.
Yeah, the big thing, for this gen,
this update was all new front motor,
not just an upgraded, more power.
It's just a whole new design of the front motor,
which helps every aspect of it with the charging
and with the power.
And they still have the two-speed rear,
which no other, well, very few other EVs have.
So it really gives you that benefit of fast acceleration,
but then you still have some,
after it gets into that higher gear,
you still have more acceleration than typical
when you're already at speed.
So it's just a great driving EV.
Greg, you never really feel that much.
Do you feel the weight as much as it?
I mean, it's a heavy car.
You know, in that turbo GT,
when you're a thousand horsepower,
it can do a lot to just dispel any weight.
But no, I mean, and it's got inherently EVs
have a low center of gravity,
but then Porsche takes it to the next level
with their whole suspension geometry.
They make a great performing EV.
And to your original point,
it being so expensive in this category,
does it really fit?
It does because to me, when I think of best EV,
hands down, my favorite EV is the Taycan.
Thanks, Greg.
Thanks, everyone.
Okay, as you've just heard,
the motorway driver's choice awards
cover a wide variety of vehicle categories,
from family haulers to rock crawlers,
hardworking bruisers and weekend cruisers, EVs and SUVs.
We cover them all.
Now, every year though,
there's one vehicle that best captures that moment
in automotive evolution
and piques our interest as driving enthusiast to boot.
This is our motorway driver's choice best of the year winner.
And that honor for 2026 goes to the Dodge Charger.
...
So the 2026 Dodge Charger, our motorway best of the year,
I know we've all got comments to make about it.
Let me start though and just say for me
my vote was because of the engineering.
Not very many automakers have managed to do a chassis
that can do both electric and internal combustion,
and who knows, maybe something in between.
And that really sealed the deal for me.
Greg, what about you?
Yeah, I'm going to go back to the feeling it gives me when I drive it.
And I'm not even talking about the driving dynamics and things like that.
It's just the feel of being in a big American muscle car,
nice big comfortable seat, comfortable ride, plenty of power.
It's all about the feel of it.
Brian.
Yeah, we were just down at Roebling doing our testing of it.
I got to do the acceleration runs.
You know, it's got all the performance pages in there.
I was able to go in and dial in my launch control RPM,
and the thing launched is super hard.
You know, almost like all the old Challenger Hellcats back in the day,
but you got that all-wheel drive grip.
So it's not quite as fast as the Daytona electric version,
but pretty close.
Yeah.
Stay tuned for the road test on that.
Jessica.
I think, you know, they really nailed the styling of this truck.
It's a great looking car.
It looks fantastic.
I think we agreed on that same wavelength last year
when the electric version came out.
It really pulls from that like 1960s chargers that like we're all thinking of.
And of course, what's great is that it is pretty versatile.
It can come in two or four-door configuration.
And they both have the same silhouette.
They both have the same silhouette.
And the fact that we touched on it earlier,
there is so much room on the inside.
I mean, that's a pretty big deal because people,
if they're going to buy a fun car, they need it to do everything.
Alex.
Yeah, you can tell, speaking of the styling and just everything,
you can tell the people who designed it really cared about making another charter
that would carry that lineage.
And there are so many Easter eggs hidden in there.
For example, has any other best of the year had a crossword puzzle
underneath the wireless charger? That's real, by the way.
But they also put like on the rear liftgate,
they have the rear fascia of a 68 charger.
They have the side silhouette on the side of the infotainment screen.
There's the Daytona oval.
There's all these different nods that are just very, very cool.
But on a more serious note, the charger is a chaotic car for a chaotic time.
And it's not just because it's rambunctious
and you can send all the torque to the rear
and you can have good old muscle car fun.
But it's a car that is poised to either be battery electric
if that's what the market dictates.
It can have internal combustion.
And what we're hoping is maybe a hemi if the market dictates.
And I think that may be what the people want.
Well said.
Well, there you have it.
Our 2026 Motor Week Drivers' Choice Award.
A recap of all the winners is listed on our Motor Week.org website.
And don't forget to catch Motor Week's Drivers' Choice episode
starting February 7th on your local PBS station.
Thanks for watching and we'll see you soon on Motor Week.
About this episode
The 2026 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards highlight the top picks in various automotive categories, showcasing standout vehicles like the Kia K4 as the best family car and the Audi A5 as the best luxury car. The team discusses the K4's modern style and practicality, while praising the A5 for its balance of luxury and performance. The episode also features the Audi S3 as the best sports sedan and the Dodge Charger as the best sport coupe, emphasizing their unique attributes and driving experiences. With insights from the MotorWeek team, this episode is packed with valuable automotive evaluations.
In Podcast #371, John Davis and the MotorWeek crew come together for a special episode to debrief everyone on which cars, trucks, & utilities we like the best this year in our annual Drivers’ Choice Awards! Plus, we reveal which one we liked the best for our “Best of the Year”! This episode was filmed in our studio and can be seen on our YouTube channel.
