Category: Reviews

Standing behind the new Dodge Charger is a strange experience.  There’s no getting away from the rumbling sound—it’s just too loud to miss—but the noise doesn’t come from exhaust pipes. It doesn’t need any, since it has no engine.

Instead, the lower portion of the Dodge Charger Daytona’s rear bumper is essentially an array of sound equipment. Put your hand on it and you can feel the vibrations. Hell, you can even feel it through the leg of your pants if you stand close enough. It’s a bit like being next to a speaker at a concert. But what comes out of it isn’t music; instead, it’s the simulated roars, thrums and pops of a Hemi V8. 

Absolutely none of this is necessary on an electric vehicle. But this system, the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, perfectly epitomizes this new Charger: a car that attempts to go electric without losing any of what legions of Mopar fans loved. 

In many ways, Dodge pulled this off. The Charger Daytona is as viscerally fast and fun as its gas-powered predecessors. But in trying so hard to follow that fuel-chugging muscle-car template, Dodge didn’t exactly deliver a great EV. 

(Full Disclosure: Dodge sent us a Charger Daytona EV for a week for testing.)

Dodge Charger Daytona: What Is It?

The new Charger is one answer to a difficult challenge facing many so-called “legacy” automakers: How do they take products that’ve been successful for decades and translate them for the electrified era? 

And the gas-powered Charger and Challenger have been successful. They redefined the entire Dodge brand.

Today, when you think of Dodge, you probably think of old-school American V8 muscle and not the boring, business-dad Stratus and Intrepid sedans that were in every other driveway of my neighborhood growing up. With more than 3 million Chargers and Challengers sold, 20 years of starring roles in scores of movies and TV shows and dedicated fans all over the world, Dodge’s modern muscle car nameplates have become too big to walk away from. 

But the world is changing. The future is electric and hybrid, even if it’s not happening as quickly as expected. That puts a lineup of cars defined by their gas engines in a tricky position. The Hemi V8 engine is what made the Charger and Challenger what they are—the noise, the speed, the tuning potential, all of it. Where is that supposed to go in a world powered by batteries?

Dodge’s answer is to stick to that proven formula as closely as possible, even if the Hemi has been swapped for a 100.5 kilowatt-hour battery pack and some electric motors. The lineup has been reborn as the newly christened Charger Daytona. For now, it’s only offered as a two-door coupe, but a sedan version is forthcoming. (They’re all Chargers now; the Challenger name has been retired, again.)

At launch, they could be had in base R/T form with 496 horsepower or as a 670-hp Scat Pack model, like my tester. The less-powerful version hasn’t been much of a hit, so Dodge will drop the R/T for 2026. For now, both come with dual-motor all-wheel drive standard. 

Electric range goes as high as 308 miles for the R/T, and up to 241 miles for the Scat Pack. Add the Track Package and summer tires and that drops to 216 miles. A powerful inline-six variant is coming soon for those unwilling to go fully electric, but I can’t say I find that terribly appealing on any level. If I wanted a BMW engine, I’d buy a BMW, not a fat Dodge. 

The numbers for the Charger are as solid as ever. Capable of doing zero to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds, the Charger Daytona Scat Pack immediately trounces nearly all of the old gas-powered Mopar models. Not bad at all for a first electric outing, and we know more powerful versions are coming, hopefully to dethrone the Demon. 

Yet the performance of EVs is beyond dispute in 2025. Dodge had to do more than just make a fast car to convince the so-called “Brotherhood of Muscle” to get onboard with electric power. And that’s where things get tricky.

Dodge Charger Daytona: Driving Experience

First and foremost, I have to say it was refreshing to drive an electric coupe. I’m not sure I’d ever driven one before this. The American EV landscape is so dominated by crossovers that it was a delight to be in something with just two doors that’s so long and low to the ground.

But the Charger Daytona is no lightweight sports car. The Scat Pack’s 5,916-pound curb weight makes it properly beefy—for context, that’s about 1,500 pounds more than a Challenger SRT Hellcat, and heavier than EV crossovers like the Tesla Model Y or Chevy Blazer EV. But I can’t say it handled dissimilarly to the many gas-powered Chargers and Challengers I tested over the years. It’s squishy in the corners, it looms large in traffic and it’s no fun to wheel into tight parking spaces. 

Like the old Hemi V8 cars, none of that matters when you hit the throttle. Forget everything else about this car, every bit of criticism and controversy about it, and know this: the thing is fast. Stupid fast. Not scary fast, like the first time I drove a Challenger Hellcat in the rain; thank the AWD for that. But fast enough to get you into real trouble. Fast enough to have you doing stupid stuff in no time. Even by modern EV standards, the acceleration here is crushing and violent. Also: who cares if it can’t do a burnout? It’s all-wheel-drive. My old Subaru WRX couldn’t do that, either, and it was plenty of fun. Deal with it.

The Power Shot button on the steering wheel gives you 15 seconds of the full 670 horsepower, complete with these dramatic countdown graphics flashing across the driver’s display screen. It’s all very theatrical and over-the-top; maybe you can get your traffic cop to warm up to it too, in exchange for not writing you that speeding ticket.

Then again, speed alone isn’t a selling point for EVs. It just isn’t. A Chevy Blazer EV SS will do the 0-60 dash in about the same time. So will the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The Tesla Model 3 Performance has this thing beat by almost a half-second. Speed is cheap in the electric world. Fun as the Charger Daytona is, fast ain’t that special. 

EV fans may scoff at the idea of simulating engine sounds, and the hardcore V8 crowd may feel the exact same way. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust experience and noises throughout the cabin. It adds a level of intensity and fun to the driving experience here, escalating in tone and volume as you cycle through driving modes like Track, Drag and Drift. A Stealth mode setting in the infotainment screen switches it off entirely, if you want. But I loved getting that soundtrack with none of the emissions guilt. 

But the experience falls down in other ways. The suspension can’t handle all that weight, especially when the straights give way to a more winding road. And it feels genuinely under-braked for the power it has. Hey, Dodge: call the guys at Brembo and order a size up next time.

Then there’s the EV stuff. The Charger Daytona offers no simulated gear shifts to go with the engine sounds like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N does—it’s a less complete-feeling experience overall compared to that vehicle. And without gears to shift, that Fratzonic sound can stay fairly constant, which feels weird. 

Also, don’t expect any true, smooth one-pedal driving here; you can dial up regenerative braking levels using paddles on the steering wheel, but the strongest setting isn’t enough to bring the car to a stop on its own. It feels tuned to drive more like a gas car than an EV, like Dodge knew its fans didn’t want that experience and didn’t bother.

There were a few times I had to stop and wonder: Does this car exist because the people at Dodge wanted to do it, or because they felt they had to do it? 

Dodge Charger Daytona: Exterior And Interior

At least the design team wasn’t playing around here. Real talk, the Charger Daytona looks great, from pretty much every angle. It’s a handsome evolution from the old Challenger, almost 1970s in vibe to that car’s 1960s’ feel.

The centerpiece is that hood-mounted “R-wing” aero treatment that combines heritage, style and extra EV range. The coupe body’s midsection does look a bit elongated since it was clearly made to be a sedan as well. Just don’t expect much in the way of a frunk here; that front end was still designed to carry some kind of engine. 

The interior is much more of a mixed bag. On the Scat Pack, it’s a hodgepodge of Alcantara, soft-touch materials and objectively cheap-feeling hard plastics. I remember the upper trims of the old Challenger feeling a bit more premium than this does, especially for the price. On the plus side, the back seat is pretty voluminous for a coupe, owing again to its sedan intentions. 

In fact, it’s so roomy that we easily fit four tires and wheels for video chief Mike Roselli’s Chevrolet SS sedan in the back by folding the seats down—better, even, than the Audi SQ6 E-tron crossover he carried them in earlier. Who says you need an SUV? 

Dodge Charger Daytona: EV Range, Charging And Tech

My Scat Pack Track Package tester (technically a 2024 model year car) was EPA-rated at 241 miles of range. When I picked it up in New York City on a late March evening, it read 222 miles at a 98% charge; not terrible, considering the temperatures were in the low 40s and dropped more as I drove upstate. 

Range in the mid-200s isn’t exactly mind-blowing, but this is a high-performance vehicle. It’s not like the gas cars this thing replaces had amazing fuel economy. Still, the Charger Daytona mostly delivered what it promised. Efficiency was in the low 2-miles-per-kWh range, far lower than an average electric SUV but not surprising given the weather and the fact that I was driving the hell out of it every chance I got. Some owners have reported seeing well over three miles per kWh in warmer temperatures. 

Charging was much more of a mixed bag. The max DC fast-charging rate here is an unusual 183 kW when hooked up to a 350 kW fast-charger. Supposedly, that’s good for going from 20% to 80% in 27 minutes. 

When Mike tried it, his first session at an Electrify America 350 kW station failed after going from 20% to 36%. His speeds were all over the place; it’s unclear if the charger or the Charger was at fault. A second attempt fared better, hitting 183 kW speeds right away. But things slowed down considerably after that, dropping to 40 kW by just 55%. That experience dragged on longer than expected. 

I’ve seen several charging tests from other outlets and YouTube channels with mixed results, to put it politely. The Charger Daytona has a 400-volt electrical system, a big battery to fill up and it’s one of the first EVs on a new platform—I think this stuff could use some work. Dodge says a faster “Banshee” version with an 800-volt architecture is coming to claim the muscle car crown, but we’ll have to see if that plan is still on track. 

I also can’t say I was dazzled by the tech experience. The menus and graphics look fantastically hi-res, but the car’s software was often laggy and buggy. And good luck if you try to make sense of its power consumption graphs, for example.

Much like the first-generation Toyota bZ4X, the EV parts of this car can feel like an afterthought, or something created by people who are just new to this ballgame. We’ll see if over-the-air updates can smooth any of this out. 

Dodge Charger Daytona: Pricing And Verdict

One point of contention with the Dodge fans so far is how much these cars jumped in price when they went electric. A basic Charger Dayton R/T started at a little under $60,000. My fully-loaded Scat Pack Track Package tester came in at a whopping $85,965, including destination fees.

Did I enjoy driving the Charger Daytona? You bet your ass I did. Do I have a hard time recommending you spend $86,000 of your own money on this vehicle? Unfortunately, that’s also a yes. 

In the end, we’re kind of left with an odd animal here. And Dodge seems to know it. The marketing around this car openly and aggressively scoffs at the idea of EVs in general. Dodge’s own website for the new Charger Daytona seems to go out of its way to not mention it’s electric. Sales haven’t been great. The R/T is already DOA.

And given changes in the upper ranks at parent company Stellantis, gleefully, the Hemi V8 is coming back; Dodge hasn’t confirmed it for this car but I’d put money on it. 

I certainly get why. Most everyone in the auto industry agrees that the future is electric, but the details of when and how we get there are murkier than ever. Everyone who builds cars is still figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Maybe old-school American muscle does have a place in that future; maybe it needs to take a different form. 

I hope Dodge doesn’t give up here, because it’s probably doomed as a brand if it does. Maybe there’s a newer, better way to create a future for American EV performance than being so married to the old Charger and Challenger model of things. Maybe Dodge needs to think outside the box a bit more. We’ve seen flashes of that before. It can be done.

Even if Dodge has seen tremendous success in modern times by drawing on its past, that past doesn’t need to define its future. And the Charger Daytona can feel a little too beholden to that past sometimes to work. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Toyota has been busy on the electric vehicle front.

Its three big announcements last week for the United States market included the updated and renamed bZ4x, the all-new C-HR and the rugged new version called the bZ Woodland. And after checking them out in person at Toyota’s North American headquarters in Texas this week, it’s clear to me that Toyota’s EV lineup has finally found its footing.

That starts with the new bZ. It may not be a disruptor, but it’s no longer mediocre. This is Toyota showing it can play ball in the hot electric crossover space.

(Full Disclosure: Toyota invited me to Plano, Texas to see its new EV offerings. The automaker covered travel and lodging.)

First, Toyota dumped the alphanumeric soup of a name and now simply calls this car the bZ, short for “beyond zero”—as in, carbon emissions.

Name aside, the 2026 bZ is better in every area that matters—range, power, features, even the overall vibes. It gets a bigger battery, upgraded tech and design tweaks that make it feel less like a rental and more like something you’d actually want to personally own and drive every day. (The First Drive review will drop at a later date, as I only got an up-close look with a stationary car.)

At least to this pair of eyes, the bZ4x’s design was well-intentioned with a bold and futuristic appeal, but it didn’t quite land. The design felt busy, with a mishmash of elements making it look overstyled. With subtle changes, Toyota has toned that down.

In person, the bZ retains that futuristic appeal but with a cleaner, less in-your-face fascia.

The full-width LED DRL housing is now separate from the actual headlamps right below. Gone is the black cladding on the fender, which gave it a fake rugged look and in comes the more natural-looking body colored fenders. The “hammerhead” front—basically the grille area—is now flatter and cleaner, which makes the design appear more confident and purposeful. It still looks futuristic, just less like it’s trying too hard. The rest of the car’s design is identical.

Inside, the utilitarian vibes and clutter is now gone. The bZ gets a more upmarket and minimalist look. The larger 14-inch screen (up from 12.3 inches) dominates the cabin and houses most vehicle functions as Toyota has reduced the number of physical buttons inside. The top of the steering still obstructed the gauge cluster view in my preferred driving position—I wish Toyota paid more attention to that. This was a development vehicle so the screens weren’t switched on, so tech impressions will come at a later date, too.

But the interior feels more premium with soft-touch materials on the dashboard and door pads. The dashboard is now divided into a darker upper and a lighter lower section with the air vents hidden between them. The center console is simplified now with two big wireless charging pads and the drive selector pushed back near the armrest. The steering wheel remains identical but everything in here is a tactile upgrade, more functional and easier to access.

The bZ now gets two battery options: 57.7 kilowatt-hour pack good for 236 miles of Toyota-estimated range and the larger 74.7 kWh pack with up to 314 miles of range on the top front-wheel-drive trim. Maximum range on the AWD is 288 miles.

It also gets a Tesla-style NACS charging port from the factory and will support plug and charge on select charging networks, so it’s now a genuine road-tripper. It’s also more powerful with 338 horsepower and a 0-60 miles per hour time of around 4.9 seconds.

Of course, the new bZ still has some drawbacks. There’s still no frunk and it rides on a 400-volt architecture in an era when a growing number of EVs are moving to the 800-volt system, which facilitates faster charging speeds. And it still rides on the e-TNGA platform, which is a tweaked version of Toyota’s broader TNGA gas and hybrid car platform. So it’s not a Tesla Model Y-like software-defined car.

But again, many traditional automakers have had a hard time getting there. They’re slowly moving in that direction. And so is the consumer, who’s been waiting for legit offerings from Toyota for a long time.

Don’t believe me? Keep in mind the bZ4X has sold surprisingly well despite its early flaws. And the 2026 update looks like it could finally deliver what Toyota fans have been waiting for: a real EV that fits right into their lives.

No, it won’t shake up the industry overnight. But for the millions already driving Toyota hybrids and PHEVs, this is the natural next step—and a surprisingly compelling one at that.

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

There are literally millions of Americans who wake up every day, leave their bedrooms and venture about their days behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4. They’re everywhere: in shopping malls, at office parks, in the end-of-school day pickup line. Clearly, Toyota’s done something right; people are buying these things like crazy.

Yet, if someone were to ask me what I thought about the RAV4 outside of its durability and reliability merits, I’d probably draw a blank. There must be some method to Toyota’s madness, right? I mean, there are so many on the roads, for a reason. Given how many of them are hybrids, I’d wager that this could be the biggest gateway drug to full electrification among the masses. So when Toyota reached out to me asking if I’d like to get some seat time with the RAV4 Hybrid, I figured I should finally learn why exactly this model is so dang popular. 

After an unexpected week with one of the most ubiquitous crossovers on the planet, I understand why so many people drive them, even if it’s not really my cup of tea. 

In 1994, Toyota literally created the whole small car-based crossover class when it took some running gear from a Corolla sedan and married to a buxom, strapping off-road-ready body with optional all-wheel drive. The resultant “Recreational Active Vehicle, 4-wheel drive” was a hit. Since its introduction, Toyota has sold more than 10 million units worldwide. Safe to say, the thing is a hit.

Yet, when it came time for the model line to go hybrid, Toyota was a little slow. The Prius may have been introduced in 1996 (2000 for markets outside of Japan,) but Toyota’s hybrid crossover efforts were limited to cars like the larger Highlander and more expensive Lexus RX300h, both introduced in 2006. A hybrid RAV4 wouldn’t show up on lots until partway through the last generation’s model, starting in 2016. That’s a full decade after Toyota’s first hybrid crossover. 

For the latest generation, Toyota butched up the RAV4’s shape with some stern off-road attitude. This is a welcome change for drivers who aren’t infatuated with car-inspired designs from other manufacturers.

The RAV4 Hybrid uses the same Toyota Hybrid System (THS) found in a plethora of other models. If you’ve driven a Sienna, Crown, Camry or Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, this car’s 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle gas engine and its trio of electric motors (including the fully electric rear axle) will sound familiar. A 1.6-kWh nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) battery feeds the electric part of the RAV4 Hybrid. Fuel economy is rated for 41 city, 38 highway, and 39 combined mpg.

Unlike its Mazda cousin, the RAV4’s observed fuel economy came close to its target goal. At 70 mph freeway stints, the onboard fuel economy calculator sat at a healthy 37 mpg. I drove the car around town in somewhat chilly weather with little regard for economical cruising, and averaged a very solid 35 mpg in mixed driving. I’m sure a more diligent driver would easily beat my economy ratings, but it’s nice to get behind the wheel of a hybrid that at least attempts to save fuel.

The RAV4’s dashboard layout is straightforward. Perhaps I’ve been brainwashed by big-screen syndrome and have learned to enjoy spartan screen-only interfaces, but I can understand why the RAV4’s button-heavy approach is appealing. Nearly every function has a button, and it’s all clearly labeled. Like most Toyota products, all of the plastics fit together nicely and look good, but don’t expect an abundance of soft-touch plastics. You’ll have to step up to the Lexus NX for that one.

The Toyota Hybrid System’s dynamic qualities can vary wildly. For many, the car’s power delivery can feel syrupy, inconsistent and unnatural, as the car’s onboard computers do their best to make sure the car is moving down the road in its most efficient way. However, there are different tunings of the system, like in the CX-50 hybrid or the new Prius that feel more natural, if not sporty. Better pedal calibration and a more consistent and predictable balance of gas engine and electric power assist should help the car avoid some of the weird throttle feel or eCVT drone common on a Toyota hybrid.

This is not one of those cars, though. 

The RAV4 Hybrid is the poster child for syrupy and disconnected power delivery. I’d bet that most normal drivers won’t notice or care all that much, but if you dip into that engine for more power, it really feels out of its element. Hard acceleration is accompanied by rubber banding as the engine screams and then the car makes pace with the road, exacerbated by the RAV4’s coarse engine note and comparatively loud cabin. 

Its on-road dynamics are also just okay. The suspension tuning is inherently soft, enough to make it unfazed by one-off freeway expansion joints. More moderate bumps reward the passengers with a somewhat busy and slightly floaty ride more in common with a truck-based SUV than in a car-based crossover. The steering ratio is somewhat fast, but the car is fairly clumsy and doesn’t carry its weight particularly well if you push things outside normal RAV4 duties like, say,  keeping up with traffic. I’m not saying it needs to be a track-ready race car, but competitors like the CR-V hybrid or CX-50 hybrid are more graceful and better resolved by comparison.

Also, the RAV4’s interior space is solidly mid-pack. I hesitate to call it tight, but at 37.8 inches of rear legroom, this crossover trails its competitors. The Honda CR-V hybrid has a whopping 41 inches of rear legroom. That’s way better for passengers or small families with car seats, who I would imagine buy RAV4s in droves.

In all, the RAV4 Hybrid is a pleasant car, even if it’s not groundbreaking in any real way. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to buy this type of vehicle—it is far too dynamically out of step with what I’d expect from a small crossover to be my daily driver.

But, this ain’t about me. A lot of the negatives can easily be spun into positive aspects for the people who buy these things. The lack of soft-touch plastics could be considered easier to clean and maintain, especially for families with small children, or people using these for rideshare duties. I don’t like the ride and handling of this car, but I recognize that what I may have described as “clumsy” could easily be considered by some as having a “true SUV feel,” without the downsides of poor fuel economy. Toyota is certainly doing something right, since as recently as 2022 nearly of all RAV4s are hybrids.

If anything, it bodes well for Toyota’s future full electrification efforts. In principle, the bZ4X is effectively a fully electric version of the RAV4. Despite the bZ4X’s poor range and lackluster specs, it has been a moderate success for Toyota for similar reasons that people like the RAV4. It’s an inoffensive entry into a market where specifications aren’t always the top concern among buyers. The bZ4X and RAV4 are two sides of the same coin; they’re workhorses sold to people who have a strong perception of Toyota’s reliability and dependability, and want the peace of mind that comes with that. 

The car just has to be not horrible. I get why people buy them. 

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

The electric version of Mercedes’ off-roader is an improvement in almost every way, with more power, more off-road capability and a way better driving experience than its gas-chugging twin. But as its clunky name suggests, the G580 With EQ Technology is still a compromise. It builds upon everything that was already great about the G, and it adds even more off-road capability, but its brick-like shape and high curb weight make it a bad road-trip companion.

It’s still the best G-Wagen you can buy right now, even if it’s not as fast as the V8-powered AMG version. It’s a perfect encapsulation of why the EV experience is so great—especially when you get a motor for each wheel—even if it also has familiar EV weaknesses.

Electric Evolution: The G580’s Bold New Direction

The Mercedes G-Class’ boxy, upright body is one of the most recognizable sights on the road. It can’t be mistaken for anything else. That’s why Mercedes was careful to retain the signature look when it created the first electric version, the G580 With EQ Technology. Whether that mouthful is better than the initial plan of calling it the EQG is up for debate, but it’s pretty clear that Mercedes was wary of changing any part of this global icon, even its name.

That’s why there are only subtle touches to differentiate the electron-sipping G from the gas-guzzler. Even though it comes with a closed-off grille and a box to hold the charging cable instead of a spare wheel holder, you can tick the option boxes to get a regular-looking grille and an actual fifth wheel on the back. Mercedes has also worked very hard to keep the familiar driving experience the same, even without a big combustion engine up front.

The fake acceleration sound you hear in the cabin of the EV is aptly called “G-Roar” and it does a pretty good impression of what the V8-powered model sounds like. I tried driving the G with it turned off, but it genuinely felt like it was missing something, so I quickly re-enabled the roar and kept it on for the rest of my time with the G.

The exterior pedestrian alert sound is also a combustion engine-like rumble, although it’s not the same as inside the car, and a bit more futuristic-sounding.

Every time I got behind the wheel, what stood out was the feeling that you could conquer any obstacle, whether it was a tall curb, bollard or a parked car. Even on a smooth road, you can feel how capable the G580 is, and it bolsters the sense that it’s overkill just driving it to the shops or anywhere where serious off-road capability isn’t needed.

All the G-classes I see around the posh part of Bucharest are always shiny and spotless, often parked outside a fancy restaurant or guarding an impossibly expensive mansion. It’s the same everywhere I’ve traveled to, and if you ever see a G used off-road, it’s usually one from the 1990s that was bought as a workhorse and continues to be used like one.

Off-Road Overkill (That You’ll Never Use)

Not taking a G-Class off-road is a shame, because it was already one of the most capable 4x4s ever made. Now, the electric G580 takes things up a notch.

With a motor for each wheel, each with its own mechanical low-range gear, the G580 gains new abilities that its gas-powered counterparts can’t match. It’s also very fast on the road, thanks to a combined 579 hp and 858 lb-ft (1,164 Nm). That hefty dollop of torque makes it feel quicker than its claimed 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) time of 4.6 suggests (independent tests also suggest it’s a bit quicker than that), and it quickly powers up to its top speed of 112 mph (180 kph)

Because electric motors provide peak torque from a standstill, there’s no real need for a low-range gearbox in most situations. But Mercedes included low-range gears anyway, because they multiply the electric motor’s existing torque advantage, giving you more grunt to crawl up steep and slippery slopes. The G doesn’t have the traditional mechanical locking differentials you’d get on a gas one, but don’t worry. The four-motor setup can provide similar functionality, keeping you moving as long as one wheel has purchase.

Once you’ve put it in low range, you gain access to two features you can’t get in any other G variant. The first is G-Turn, which is Mercedes speak for a tank turn, and which allows you to spin the vehicle around its axis on the spot. There’s an entire procedure that you need to go through to get it to work, but it does exactly what you expect, and it’s pretty cool to be inside while it’s doing this. It was the first time I experienced this in a vehicle, and it felt pretty special.

The more useful of the two is G-Steering, which allows you to take very tight turns on a loose surface. It’s sure to come in handy, say, when you encounter a hairpin on a forest track where space is limited and you can’t cut the corner.

Using G-Steering successfully requires you to be quite brave with the steering and the right pedal, but after you do it a few times, it becomes predictable (and fun). With so much off-road tech, it’s a shame that very few of these will ever drive on anything more difficult than a dirt track.

The Daily Dilemma: Big, Heavy And A Bit Silly

That’s a lot of capability, weight and complexity that you’re paying for if you’ll only use your G580 as a road vehicle. Just get a normal Mercedes-Benz SUV, electric or otherwise, because it’s going to be a better road car and you’ll be using it to do what it was designed for. Something like the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV does regular car things better than the G.

Sure, the G makes you feel special and you sit even higher than in regular SUVs, but its height and weight come at a cost. Looking over the G580’s spec sheet, I was surprised to see it weighs more than 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds).

That means if you get five adults inside and their luggage, it will be over 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs), making it illegal to drive on European roads with a standard car license. That seems excessive to my puny European mind, although Americans may have less of a problem with the weight in a land of 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EVs and other jumbo-size trucks.

Being so tall, heavy and aerodynamically inefficient penalizes the G580 in an area of key importance for EVs: range. With 95% battery, my tester showed an estimated range of 195 miles (315 km), which is way off the claimed WLTP range of up to 293 miles (473 km). The 239-mile (384-km) rating is closer to reality, and you can probably achieve it in real-world driving with a light right foot.

With a 124-kilowatt-hour battery pack (with 116 kWh usable), that’s actually pretty good. This may not be a long-range EV that you would happily pick for a road trip, but it claws back some EV usability points with its 200 kW peak charging rate. That is good for 10 to 80% in 34 minutes, but it’s still not what we’d call a long-distance champ.

Its average efficiency while I had the vehicle was around 2.1 miles/kWh (29 kWh/100 km), which is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be with all the things working against it. Still, it’s a lot less efficient than your average electric SUV.

A Glorious Misfit (And Why The Baby G Might Be The Real Genius)

Overall, I really liked the G580 With EQ Technology. As a technical achievement, it’s excellent, and it manages to marry old-world ruggedness with new-world tech and electric power better than any other current Mercedes. It’s also exceptional off-road and really quick and relaxed on-road. I can see why it’s so popular around the world.

However, I couldn’t help but feel silly driving a giant, nearly €200,000 ($226,000) EV around town finished in bright matte blue. It was all too conspicuous for my taste, but I understand this is part of the appeal for many buyers who feel comfortable standing out like that.

The electric powertrain is a great match for the G, given the kind of short trips that most of these vehicles go on. I would argue that it’s not only a better off-roader than the gas-burning G, but it’s also a better urban cruiser. Most owners will also have the ability to charge it at home, which they can do through the 11 kW onboard charger that will fully charge the battery from flat in around 12 and a half hours.

Maybe Mercedes is really on to something with its upcoming baby G class, which is expected to retain the style of the big-boy G but in a much more efficient, usable and affordable package that may make more practical sense. The baby G will lose the military-grade suspension and the ruggedness, but nobody was using Gs for that anyway, so it’s okay.

The baby G might just be the vehicle Mercedes needs right now as it tries to straddle its transition from traditional old-world luxury to tech-infused software-defined vehicles that seems to be giving it some trouble. That said, I loved my time in the G580, and it instantly became my favorite Mercedes EV.

There’s a(nother) new Chinese brand heading to the United Kingdom and Europe with the promise of marvellous technology, toys aplenty, and an approach to electric driving that no other brand can hope to offer.

We’ve heard this sort of thing before. But XPeng promises to be different from the rest. It’s a tech-first carmaker with products that aren’t only affordable but also, crucially in this case, take the fight directly to the Tesla Model Y—a car from a brand that’s not exactly winning right now. 

The contender in question is the XPeng G6. And the question is: is this newcomer worth your cash over a Tesla, or any of the other electric options out there?  

XPeng G6: What Is It?

It’s an all-new, all-singing, all-dancing electric SUV hailing from China. XPeng was founded in 2014 and bills itself as a tech company over anything else. That means its cars come with plenty of exciting features that promise magical things like an 800V architecture, an AI assistant that says it’ll predict your needs, and wireless phone charging that doesn’t suck. 

The G6 isn’t XPeng’s first car by any means. It’s made sedans, different-sized SUVs, and even an MPV. But this is the model it seems to be pinning its hopes on for a stress-free voluminous launch. Like the rest of the XPeng lineup, it is EV-only, and aims to fill family driveways up and down the nation. 

You can’t accuse it of being exciting to look at, but it’s not ugly either. In fact, if you compare it to the latest take on the Model Y, it fares favorably. It still falls into the “egg shape good” trap that ensnares many modern EVs. What’s good for aerodynamics and range isn’t necessarily good for the eyes. 

Inside, you’ll find a fairly monotone interior. The outside isn’t feast and neither is the inside. Drivers get a small 10.2-inch instrument screen to keep an eye on the important stuff, and everyone else can clap their eyes on a 15-inch infotainment screen. The keen-eyed among you will spot a double wireless chargepad with built-in fans to keep your phones cool as you glide along. That’s a neat touch. 

If you’re after a big SUV—big for Europe anyway, as everything’s relative—with lots of gadgets and smart looks, XPeng has something to show you. 

XPeng G6: Specs And Features

You want numbers? The G6 has LOTS of numbers.

The car I had on test was a RWD Standard Range, and there’s a RWD Long Range car for people who want to go a bit further. Those two are the UK’s standard lineup, though a mega-quick AWD car is available elsewhere.

The base car comes with a 258 hp, 324 lb-ft motor powering the rear wheels, while the long-range car will net you the same torque and 286 hp, also driving the rears. Standard range cars come with a 66kWh LFP battery, while the LR cars come with an 87.5kWh NCM unit. 

There’s not a huge performance difference between the two cars, with the bigger battery car sneaking 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds to the base car’s 6.6. Not slow, but not so fast you’ll rinse the battery in 30 seconds flat.  

The range for the standard car is 270 miles, while the bigger battery will get you 345 miles. When it comes to charging, the entry-level car can take 215 kW chargers, while the top spec can handle 280 kW. Either way, you’ll supposedly charge from 10% to 80% in about 20 minutes. 

XPeng G6: How Does It Drive? 

It’s big, it’s quiet, and it’s covered in cameras and sensors to make sure you don’t bend it. All of that’s a huge bonus around town, where the roads are doggedly staying the same width and will continue to do so. The sound deadening in the cockpit is stellar, and means whatever’s going on around you won’t ruin your day. 

There’s enough grunt to get away from the lights clearly, but you don’t feel like you’re entering hyperspace. XPeng, at least on these RWD cars, recognises that you don’t need supercar pace to have a good time. 

Much like its aesthetic, you can’t accuse the G6 of being an exciting car. It’s not a pin-sharp angerbox designed for carving corners. It knows its place, and that’s tooling around posh ‘burbs doing real-life stuff. The steering doesn’t fizz in your fingers, the brakes are easy enough to modulate, and you can see out of the thing (though the rear visibility is, per the norm, not stellar through the rear windshield; there’s a back up camera to take care of reversing) when you’re in tight spots.  

What’s Good About The XPeng G6?

While the XPeng has more than its fair share of intrusive safety systems, it’s also got a way to quickly and easily turn them off. Each key cycle turns the whole suite back on, but when you’re on the move when the speed limit bong goes off, or the driver alertness ping fires up, there’ll be an option on the screen to quickly switch it off.

A couple of prods later and the system turns it all off. Competitors make it difficult to turn all that stuff off, but the G6 doesn’t. 

It doesn’t pretend to be a sports car and that’s a good thing. So many manufacturers seem to think that giving their cars a billion horsepower and putting a “HYPERMASC” button somewhere that kicks the motor up the ass and plasters you to a seat is a good idea. It really, really isn’t. Most people just want something nice, comfortable, and pleasingly brisk. 

The G6 doesn’t pretend to be a rocketship. And it’s all the better for it. 

While there are no buttons on the center stack, there are some on the steering wheel. Unless you’ve got other systems activated, you can control the air con through it. A neat solution to a frustrating problem. 

The G6 comes with Active Lane Change tech to keep you driving in lane, and it won’t complain if you have your hands on the wheel while it does the hard work for you. Knock the indicator, and it’ll change lanes (mostly) without any trouble. For the ‘mostly’ bit, see the next section. 

What’s Bad About The XPeng G6? 

Now’s the time for the “mostly” bit per above. Yes, the G6 can use Active Lane Change to move laterally for you on the highway. All you need to do is tell the indicator you want to move and away you go. Though on more than one occasion, it gave up mid-manuever.. On a fast-moving highway that’s distinctly ungood. Still, you get to practise your swearing as you take back control.  

On a similar note, it does come with a Lane Centering Control lane keep assist function, which is neat for making sure you don’t stray from your lane if you’re not the sort of driver who pays close attention to such things. But it’s a bit grabby if you know what you’re doing. And that’s annoying. 

Everything, pretty much, is done via a screen. It’s a responsive screen, but digging through menus and swapping screens to get around just isn’t IT in 2025. Bring back buttons. Please. 

And again, it’s not very exciting to look at. An old friend has a theory that all cars are, very slowly, morphing into eggs. The XPeng G6 is another step on the evolutionary chain to Auto Ovumiens. Especially in white. 

XPeng G6: How Is It As An EV?

It’s fine at what it needs to do. Removing any pretense of silly speed has done it plenty of favors as even the standard range car managed pretty stellar efficiency in warmish weather, clocking in at 4.2 miles per kWh over mixed driving—a touch more than its quoted WLTP efficiency should be. That was a pleasant surprise. 

It’s quiet, comfy, efficient, and charges fast enough that if you need to splash ‘n dash out in public, you won’t be waiting too long. 

XPeng G6: The Verdict

XPeng is a new brand in the UK, and comparatively new in the wider world. You can see the firm’s keen to make the most of all the tech it has at its disposal—that much is clear from all the stuff going on via the center stack—but as a first car for the UK market, it’s a strong start. 

It’s aimed squarely at people who want a sensible family ride that won’t do their back in, threaten to tear away if you press the throttle too hard, and won’t eat its battery at a moment’s notice. It’s not going to break the bank either. In fact, the base car is £10 shy of the UK’s luxury car tax threshold, which saves a heap of cash. 

Chinese EVs aren’t just becoming a common sight on UK roads. Increasingly, they’re the norm. Legacy brands are holding the top spots for now, sure, but as more and more come onto the market, buyers are drawn in by generous standard equipment, standout design (in some cases), and price points that appear too good to be true compared to the old guard. 

We can’t ignore the Tesla issue either. While those cars paved the way for EV acceptance, the lineup is long in the tooth, and the man at the top has (if we put this really politely) courted controversy to the point that sales are tanking all over Europe. Where once only a Californian car would do, China’s efforts are looking more and more appealing. That’s where the XPeng G6 really shines; if you want a Model Y but don’t want the Elon baggage, this has emerged as a very interesting alternative.

Its flaws are annoying, and it’s not the most exciting car to look at, but as a car to simply be A Car… well, it’s pretty good. Legacy manufacturers shouldn’t necessarily be shaking in their boots yet, but they should be keeping an eye open for XPeng. 

Alex Goy is a freelance journalist based in London. He likes British sports cars, tea, and the feeling of the mild peril that only owning a British sports car can bring to your day.

Slate Auto and Telo Trucks have each announced small electric pickup trucks that are radically different from your run-of-the-mill Ford F-150. 

But the Slate and the Telo MT1 represent very different visions of what an electric truck can be. Here’s how they stack up across key areas like range, price, design and performance. Just remember, neither of these trucks is on sale yet, so we’re going off of targeted, preliminary information. 

Slate Auto vs. Telo Trucks

Slate was founded in 2022 and came out of stealth in April, when it also unveiled its debut model. It’s staffed up by industry veterans from Tesla, Harley-Davidson, Chrysler and more. The idea behind Slate is to create the affordable, bare-bones electric vehicle that the U.S. has been missing. 

Telo Trucks revealed the design of its truck, the MT1, in late 2023. The California-based startup is a scrappier operation, comprising just 11 engineers. It’s all about creating a super-compact, functional truck for people who live in and near cities. 

Both are venture-backed. Slate has raised at least $111 million from investors including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, TechCrunch reported. Telo’s investors include Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, through his firm Spero Ventures. 

Design & Size

The Slate follows a hyper-traditional, boxy design. Squint and you can barely tell that it’s electric or built after the year 2005. 

The MT1, on the other hand, looks like it’s from the future. It has a squished front end, and you can tell the intention was to leverage the inherent flexibility of an EV platform to create extra space in a compact design. 

The Slate is a spartan two-seater with a five-foot bed. The Telo also has a five-foot bet, but manages to squeeze in five seats. 

The Telo is 152 inches long, about the size of a Mini Cooper. The Slate is 174.6 inches long. That’s still about two feet shorter than a Ford Maverick. 

The Telo boasts a stylish, minimalist interior with interesting textures and a modestly sized touchscreen front and center. The Slate takes the minimalism to a whole different level with a gray interior, manual windows, lots of plastic and no infotainment screen. 

Notable Features

Customization is a big part of how Slate is trying to differentiate itself. Slate buyers get an extremely basic truck as standard, but they can also choose from a vast catalog of cool accessories. 

That includes a bolt-on SUV kit that adds a roof and a second row. Other add-ons include interior finishes, speakers (you don’t get any sound system otherwise) and colorful vinyl wraps (every truck comes in gray from the factory). 

The Telo offers a collapsable midgate, which allows long items like surfboards or full-size sheets of plywood to poke into the cab. It comes with an extra transverse cargo area behind the back seats, much like Rivian’s Gear Tunnel. 

And it can be optioned with extra seats in the bed and an enclosed roof. 

Price

Slate says its truck will start at less than $20,000, after factoring in the federal incentive for plug-in car buyers. That means the actual MSRP should be around $27,000. 

Telo says the MT1 will cost $41,520 and up. Factoring in the $7,500 federal rebate theoretically knocks that down to roughly $34,000. 

Range, Batteries & Charging

Here’s how these trucks stack up in terms of their EV specs. 

Truck Stuff & Performance

Neither of these trucks is designed to replace your Ford Super Duty. They’re more for trips to Home Depot or carrying a couple of bikes to the trails, or potentially specialized fleet applications. But the Telo claims better performance numbers across the board. Again, the Slate is more about basic transportation. Telo plans to charge more for more capability. 

When Can You Buy One?

Both trucks are available to reserve now with a refundable deposit. Telo aims to start production in 2026 through a contract manufacturer, using off-the-shelf components to bring down cost. 

Slate has taken over a Warsaw, Indiana, printing factory, where it will kick off production in Q4 of 2026. 

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

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. 

[embedded content]

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.

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.)

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. 

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.” 

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. 

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

Are plug-in hybrids an on-ramp to fully electric vehicles, or undue cost and complexity? Are they something consumers asked for, or something created by bureaucrats and regulators? At least in some respects the answer includes all of the above. It’s complicated. Plug-in hybrids’ greater complexity is intended to pay off by greening the…

What’s in a name? The Escalade IQ is smarter, it turns out A big battery delivers 460 miles of range Cadillac delivers a big price, too: $129,990 For all its red-carpet appearances and secret-service duties over the past generation, the Cadillac Escalade has not been particularly cutting edge. It’s prospered in a prosperous world where…

Santa Fe Hybrid strikes the best value in base SEL trim with AWD for $40,975 It’s only $500 more than a similarly-equipped gas-only model But second-row captain’s chairs only come with the top Calligraphy model One strong reason the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid won our Best Car To Buy 2025 award was because of its value. Sure, its boxy Land…