#CarReviews

A younger, less informed version of myself was a bit scared that once EVs took over the market, we’d all be sentenced to driving boring machines that silently whisked us from place to place but offered no soul, no character, no fun.

Sixty-five grand doesn’t fetch you what it used to, it seems.

Yes, sure, prices inflate over time, we all know that. But even accounting for that fact, and even accounting for the fact that electric vehicles are commanding premium prices and likely will for the foreseeable future, I was nevertheless disappointed with the experience of being loaned a 2022 Audi 50 e-tron quattro* for a week.

On paper, the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Twin Ultimate seems like a fine compact EV. And it looks cool. Yet it has quirks that detract from the experience – which would be OK if the driving dynamics were just a tick better.

“Quirky” is an adjective that’s been applied to Volvos in the past, in ways both good and bad, and it certainly applies here, though the quirks are more confounding than fun.

You might remember that when yours truly flew to California last year to drive the 2023 Kia Sportage, I didn’t get to spend more than five minutes in the hybrid version. I spent most of my day in the X-Pro, which I was lukewarm about.

A full week with the hybrid showed me I was, indeed, missing out.

The Lexus LC rides on an aging platform, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it to drive it.

Well, the much-maligned older version of the Lexus/Toyota infotainment system might give it away. But otherwise, the LC 500 convertible feels as fresh as ever.

Leave to a luxury car that’s priced beyond the reach of most of us to provide the EV future we want.

Enough range to avoid sweating, a smooth ride, an actually well-designed screen-intensive interior, and just enough fun-to-drive factor to keep you amused.

Cheap speed is almost always welcome, even if there are sacrifices made.

Such is the case with the 2022 Toyota GR86 – it’s a blast to drive, but you make sacrifices for the sake of fun.

The 2022 Ford Explorer Timberline is aimed at a very specific audience – and if you aren’t part of that audience, other Explorer trims will better suit you.

If you are in that specific audience, this Explorer can do a few things that the other trims likely cannot.

This trim is the perfect example of how use case can dictate vehicle purchase decisions.

The idea of a compact, sporty entry-luxury crossover is appealing.

It’s a sort of a “have your cake and it too” proposition – you get the utility of a crossover, but it’s also fun to drive and at least a little bit upscale. Sure, it’s expensive, but perhaps not out of reach for the upwardly mobile young (or youngish) urban professional.

The Toyota Prius has pretty much always been focused solely on fuel economy. The design was driven by the desire to maximize MPGs. Driving dynamics took a back seat to fuel economy. If you bought a Prius (or leased one) you likely bought it for fuel economy – or maybe because it was affordable.

The redesigned 2023 Toyota Prius is supposed to change all that without sacrificing all that fuel-economy stuff.

Does it? Well, for the most part, yes. But is that good enough to lure in those who have long disdained the car as a wedge-shaped penalty box that existed only to lengthen the time between fill-ups?

The Toyota Crown may wear a well-known nameplate, but we haven’t seen it in the U.S. since the early 1970s. Now it’s back, replacing the venerable Avalon as the brand's full-size sedan.

And it’s … well, the 2023 Toyota Crown experience is just a bit different than what the Avalon offered.

As I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge for the third time, thanks to Google Maps failing at its one primary job (more on that later), I realized I’d be quite late for lunch. No matter, I thought, since I’d get more time with the 2024 Mazda CX-90.

It should surprise very few of my readers that I’m not what one would call a trained journalist. Perhaps my tendency to write in the first person should be the first clue. But I’ve tried to stick to typical conventions of journalism wherever possible whilst writing reviews here, all while maintaining the more conversational tone expected by the Best and/or Brightest.

It’s in the nature of auto writing, however, that one can’t help but encounter other opinions about one’s subject before, during, and after testing a particular vehicle. TTAC doesn’t get invited to every new vehicle launch, after all, where select writers might only briefly discuss and hone opinions over martinis before racing to get the copy out right at embargo time. No, we get a new car shuttled to us each week - one that’s been poked, prodded, and farted (Ed. note -- sorry bout that) in by dozens of other reviewers before and after - and sometimes we will see (and read) those reviews.

You may have already seen the first ad for the 2023 Dodge Hornet – it’s a spoof of disaster-movie trailers and it includes a man standing in a city, arms wide open, shouting “let me feel your sting!”

I felt the Hornet’s sting during a day of driving through North Carolina. And I didn’t even need an EpiPen.