Category: Reviews

I started out skeptical of Hyundai’s hybrids. Perhaps it’s a weird fixation or quirk of mine, but hybrid cars that aren’t mechanically simple weird me the hell out. To me, we hit peak hybrid back in 2003 with the second-generation Prius. This triangle-shaped car with a mechanically robust eCVT and 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine was ideal. Sure, it was slow and ugly, but incredibly reliable. There’s a reason why it’s not hard to find them with upwards of 300,000 miles with minimal maintenance; it’s just a damn good car. I would know. I had one.

So, when Hyundai started putting its own hybrids on the roads, I was skeptical. These cars had turbocharged, direct-injected engines that sent power through a real planetary-gearset transmission, just like a regular ‘ol internal combustion car. To me, this felt like a complicated solution compared to what we’d get with a Toyota or Honda. Certainly, these cars would not be as good on the roads as a Toyota, no?

Well, I’m eating crow. I spent a week with the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and found it to be really good, especially at electrified driving. So good at electrified driving, in fact, that I wondered why the hell Hyundai didn’t just cut the middleman and go electric. This car wants to be an EV so damn badly.

We don’t delve too much into pure ICE cars here, but the Santa Fe is a midsized crossover that sits below the full-sized Palisade, but above the compact Tucson. Hyundai keeps its combustion-powered cars somewhat sectioned off from its EVs, but there is some overlap. If you’re in search of a full electric EV about this size, a Hyundai salesman would likely point you to the slightly larger Ioniq 9.

Whatever the case, there’s a pretty sizable demand for electrified SUVs in some fashion, even if they aren’t full EVs. Hyundai added its hybrid system (once found only on the Hyundai Ioniq and Sonata Hybrid) to one of its volume-selling combustion-crossovers. For 2024, the whole model line was completely redesigned, with faux-Land Rover styling and a whole new vehicle platform. The engines and transmissions, though, were carryovers from the old car, including the hybrid system. Power for all Santa Fe Hybrids comes via a 1.6-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder and an electric motor. Shifting is handled through a six-speed conventional automatic. Total system output is 231 horsepower.

There’s a lot to like about this mid-sized, three-row SUV. For starters, the Santa Fe is really, really good at engine-off EV driving, despite its measly 59 horsepower electric motor and 1.49 kWh traction battery.

Some have called Hyundai’s hybrid system simple. It places its 59-horsepower motor between the gas engine and transmission. This means that the electric motor effectively has to turn through a transmission, a setup that some have criticized as inefficient compared to an eCVT in a Toyota Prius.

But, this setup has a clutch on the engine/electric motor side, allowing the Santa Fe to drive completely engine-off at speeds much, much faster than, say, a Toyota Prius. With a light enough foot, the Santa Fe will accelerate to about 45 mph before the engine starts. By comparison, most modern Toyotas (not including the Hybrid Max system in some newer big Toyota crossovers like the Grand Highlander) top out around 20 mph in EV mode.

This nearly pure electric driving experience is intensified by two things: the Santa Fe’s clever Green Zone EV drive and its adjustable EV-like regenerative braking. When the Green Zone EV drive feature is turned on, the car uses GPS location to prioritize quiet and lower-emission EV driving in certain areas of town, like near parks, schools or hospitals. And it really does work; while driving around my town of Columbus, Ohio, it would turn off its engine and drive on EV power whenever I got close the school near my house. Add in the relatively high-speed EV driving, and I was amazed at how much engine-off EV driving I could do in the Santa Fe for a car that has no plug. An unofficial test shows that it would do about a mile under ideal conditions before starting its gas engine.

Then, like Hyundai’s EVs, the Santa Fe has three levels of adjustable regenerative braking. Of course, there’s no one-pedal drive, but the level of adjustability makes the crossover feel remarkably electrified, even when its engine is running. Set it to max, let off the throttle, and watch the battery replenish just like it would on an Ioniq 5 or Kona Electric. If you’re like me and interested in recapturing electricity and using that electric power whenever possible, you’ll fall in love with this feature.

Overall, the Santa Fe is simply a pleasant, well-finished and well-packaged crossover. The one that Hyundai loaned to me was a fully loaded Caligraphy model with every box checked, of course. It stickered at $51,675, which in this day and age sounds like a bargain. Fit and finish are impeccable, and every button and switch felt hefty and high-quality. The infotainment and HVAC buttons worked flawlessly the entire time I had the car, a seemingly not-so-easy accomplishment in a world where everything is a computerized screen.

The Santa Fe also has a lot of interior space. Its short length means that you’ll have to choose between cargo space or a third row seat, but when in place the Santa Fe’s third row seat is very usable. This crossover can take six adults in relative comfort, a task that some physically larger crossovers can’t do as well. Anecdotally, I understand why I see so many of these things on Ohio roads. When considering the roughly $34,000 base price for its combustion-only variant, the Santa Fe is one of the best values for money on the market. 

When the Santa Fe (and its Hybrid sibling) was updated for 2024, we lost the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version, which is a damn shame. The car is so good at driving in engine-off mode, it’s clear that it would benefit from more available energy. The adjustable regenerative braking is such a nice feature, only limited by the Santa Fe’s small 1.49 kWh battery and somewhat weak 59-horsepower electric motor. 

The thing is, only the North American market Santa Fe lost the PHEV option. In most markets where the Santa Fe is sold, it comes with a 13.8 kWh battery with about 35 miles of range. It also gets a more powerful electric motor. Both of these would make the car’s energy recapture and engine-off electric driving significantly easier. 

Perhaps the Korean-made PHEV model is hard to justify against the American-made combustion-powered variant, or the American-made new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Still, I’d argue that the Ioniq 9’s weird styling, super-sized dimensions and not-cheap price aren’t exactly a 1-to-1 comparison for the Santa Fe Hybrid. How hard would it be to give us a full EV version of the Santa Fe? I mean, they’ve already halfway there with the driving experience, just go all the way. 

Also, despite the car’s penchant for engine-off driving, I only averaged about 28 mpg mixed. This is below the 35 mpg mixed that it’s rated for.

This car is really good at simulating an electric driving experience, but it’s not electric. On one hand, I think it is a great way to get consumers acclimated to a full electric driving experience without any compromises of charging infrastructure or elevated purchase price.

On the other hand, we’re still using gas. With me driving, too, it used more gas than initially advertised. 

Still, the package is very pleasant and easy to use. It’s spacious, well finished and reasonably priced for what you get. C’mon, Hyundai, just cut the middleman, dump the gas engine stuff and make the Santa Fe electric, already.

Hell, I’d even accept an EREV.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com

I get to spend time with dozens of new cars every year for work. But I almost never get inspired to run out and immediately spend my own money on one—especially before I’ve even had a test-drive. 

Yet as soon as the pre-order books opened for the Volvo EX30 in early 2024, I didn’t hesitate to throw down $500 of my own money for a refundable deposit. I had covered its debut in New York a few months earlier, and I knew I was in.

The EX30 seemed to have it all: style, power, respectable electric range and a very attainable $35,000 starting price tag, all from a reputable, big-name automaker. The kind of promise we’ve all gotten from the electric-vehicle revolution, but has rarely been kept. 

It would be another 18 months after that deposit before I actually got to drive one. A lot of things changed in that time. And now that the Volvo EX30 is finally here, it arrives with far less of a value proposition than it once had.

(Full Disclosure: Volvo sent us an EX30 to review for a week.)

2025 Volvo EX30 Overview

Let’s start with the price tag of the Moss Yellow EX30 you see here: $48,395, including destination fees. Math has never been my strong suit, but that’s a far cry from the under-$35,000 starting price that made such a splash for Volvo back in 2023. 

In part, this is because that alluring price was for the base Single Motor Extended Range rear-wheel-drive model. For now, the only EX30 you can buy in the United States is the Twin Motor Performance all-wheel-drive version, which starts at $46,195. 

Blame tariffs. Key to the EX30’s Tesla Model 3-fighting price was the fact that Volvo planned to build it in China. On paper, this makes sense. Volvo is owned by China’s Geely Group and there’s a ton of platform- and technology-sharing between the Swedish brands and its various cousins, like Polestar and Zeekr and Lynk & Co.

But here in America, car companies and policymakers alike haven’t loved the idea of super-low-cost Chinese-made cars flooding our market. That’s why made-in-China cars have been limited to a smattering of Lincolns, Buicks and other Volvos (and perhaps most notably, the Polestar 2) for years. Then, around 2018, America’s escalating tensions with China led to steeper 27.5% tariffs on cars from that country.

When it unveiled the EX30, Volvo said this would be fine; it’d absorb that cost somehow, and then also build it in Europe at some point. But then President Joe Biden had other plans. Concerned with the rise of China’s EV sector, the Biden administration increased those tariffs in mid-2024 to 100%, effectively blocking them from the U.S. market. And then President Donald Trump announced he’d turn up the tariff heat even more.

That meant months of delays before Volvo could figure out what to do with the EX30. Now it’s finally here, and still made in China for now, but only viable as the pricier Twin Motor Performance version. Even building the car in Europe won’t solve the problem now. 

As for me, I canceled my Volvo EX30 order and leased a Kia EV6 instead. But now that the EX30 is here, I needed to see if it could still be a winner, even with a bigger price tag than we expected. 

2025 Volvo EX30: Specs And Driving Impressions

The EX30 is powered by a reasonably-sized 69 kilowatt-hour battery. On the plus side, the dual-motor setup delivers an impressive 422 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque; less impressive is the total range, EPA-estimated at 253 miles. (By the way, the car can toggle between a “certified” display of range and an “estimated” one, and I highly preferred the former.)

Fast-charging, too, edges on the slower side for modern EVs at 153 kilowatts, not unlike the Chevrolet Equinox EV or the Toyota bZ4X. Volvo claims it can fast-charge from 10% to 80% in 27 minutes, which is also solidly midpack. 

On a brief fast-charging test using a 150 kW plug, my EX30 went from a 21% charge to 50% in about nine minutes, but I saw max speeds of just 140 kW briefly and was quoted 26 minutes to reach 80%. I think Volvo’s being a bit optimistic with its charging claims. 

The EX30 deserves credit for one thing: it’s damn quick. Zero to 60 mph happens in a mere 3.4 seconds, which is not the kind of velocity that comes to mind when someone pictures a Volvo. The little crossover can genuinely surprise someone at a stoplight. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the car doesn’t really back up all of that speed. The ride quality is strangely firm, leading to me to repeatedly check if my tires were overinflated (they were fine.) The steering is a bit floppy and loose, even in its performance driving mode. It never feels especially confident in the corners, either. All of this speaks to the fact that the EX30 is meant to be an affordable European city car, albeit one with a lot of power by virtue of being an EV. Don’t expect a very inspiring driving experience here. 

On the plus side, it is small—refreshingly so. At 166.7 inches long, it’s a whole foot smaller than a Honda Civic Hatchback and nearly 10 inches less than a Mini Countryman. It’s taller than the former but not the latter, and feels more like a tall, upright hatchback than a true SUV. These dimensions made it a delight to maneuver around New York City’s tight and traffic-choked streets, reminding me of my old Mini Cooper S more than once. 

2025 Volvo EX30: Exterior, Interior And Controls

The EX30 sports a handsome design that cheerfully embraces its EV nature by dumping any openings in the grille area. And kudos to Volvo for offering it in a couple of fun colors, especially this yellow or the subtle Cloud Blue.

It oozes charm in other areas too, like the IKEA-esque etchings on the trunk opening that illustrate how much stuff you can fit inside its total 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space. The center console also slides out when you need one or both of its cupholders, and packs a little removable storage container for the rear seats. 

All that charm has its limits. Also key to the EX30 price tag was how it pared down the physical controls and other interior bits; call it Tesla-style minimalism with a Scandinavian twist. There’s no central display in front of the driver, only a sensor bar for tracking your eyes and face when the automated driving assistance is engaged. The window controls are on the center console and you only get two of them, leading you to flip between “front” and “rear” as needed. 

Nearly all controls route through the tablet-style center screen, which also has no buttons. If you want those, you get a handful of toggles on the steering wheel, and that’s what you’ll use to select many functions and menu options.

Tesla drivers have been doing this sort of thing for years. It’s not for everybody. And the Volvo loses points here because its software isn’t that fast or intuitive. It’s Volvo’s familiar Google Built-In system, which is great because it directly integrates the class-leading Google Maps into the car as well as your Android Apps accounts and voice-powered Google Search. That’s all excellent.

But when I needed to do find something specific, some key function or menu option that might just be a button on another car, I found myself scrambling through it more than I’d like. Including while the EX30 was moving, which often draws the car’s ire as it hits you with constant and aggressive safety warnings.

The worst is when it thinks you aren’t paying attention, because you have to turn those alerts off every single time you get in the car. All of that got old very, very quickly. Add in the fact that the interior just feels cheap—not because of the admirable use of recycled materials throughout, but because of the low-grade plastics—and you end up with something that seemed much better in concept than in everyday execution.

2025 Volvo EX30: Verdict

I wanted to like the EX30. I really did. I almost bought one, after all, and I can still see the appeal. And Volvo must be doing something right. The EX30 is doing really well in other places; last summer, it was Europe’s second-best-selling EV, right behind the Tesla Model Y. But European buyers have more EX30 pricing options than we do. 

Ultimately, the EX30 probably would’ve been an outstanding buy at $35,000. At almost $50,000, that’s no longer the case. Almost all of its quirks could be forgiven for its original price tag. When it climbs this much, it runs up against the Volvo EX40 (née Volvo XC40 Recharge), which I like much better despite it being an older EV. And it comes up against larger, more powerful and longer-range options, like the Model Y or the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

In the end, the EX30 went from potential game-changer to rolling example of how volatile the American car market is right now. I hope Volvo can find some way to get its price tag down over time for U.S. buyers. But nobody should blame them if they move on in the meantime. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

• Our charging test of the 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo saw the EV go from 15% to 70% in a mere 12 minutes.
• The Taycan can reach a maximum charging speed of 320 kW when using an 800V DC fast charger.
• It remains one of the quickest-charging EVs for sale in North America and shows where the field is going.

As much as I like the Porsche Taycan, I’ll readily admit that it’s certainly not for everyone—even by Porsche’s already-high standards for exclusivity. 

The tester you see here came in Shade Green Metallic, a highly unusual pastel-like teal that stands out in every parking lot’s endless sea of gray and black cars. It’s also a Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, the Taycan’s wagon variant that comes with a little extra ground clearance and a “Gravel Mode,” yet still won’t convince anyone that it’s an SUV.

Throw in the $40,000 (!!!) worth of options as equipped here and the price tag comes in at a jaw-dropping $165,655. It’s a special electric vehicle, aimed at a special (and deep-pocketed) enthusiast. 

But it’s impossible to deny that you’re getting a lot of EV if you’re fortunate enough to spring for a Taycan. And I’d argue that its performance when parked is even more groundbreaking than its performance on the highway. It remains one of the quickest-charging EVs you can buy in America today.

(Full Disclosure: Porsche loaned me a Taycan 4S Cross Turismo for a week of testing.)

As part of its 2025 model-year updates, the Taycan’s charging speed has been increased to 320 kilowatts. If you need a refresher or are new to this, the higher the kW, the faster the charge, generally speaking. However, your time spent on the plug also depends on various factors, such as the size of your battery.

My tester had the Taycan’s largest battery option, the 105 kilowatt-hour Performance Plus pack. But even that is still reasonably-sized compared to some of the more gargantuan units on other high-range EVs.

This means that the 2025 Taycan has a blistering charging time when hooked up to a powerful enough charger: Porsche claims it can go from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. 

I experienced this for myself last year at a Porsche event in California, where I charged a then-new Taycan from 8% to 80% in as little as 16 minutes. That was a massively impressive charging result and another testament to the power of an 800-volt architecture—a more advanced electrical system underpinning some EVs that allows for far greater power intake than others can offer. 

So now, almost 18 months later and with a Taycan tester in my garage for a week, I had to see if it could hold up. Spoiler alert: You had better believe it did.

2025 Porsche Taycan: The Charging Test

My test was very simple, and meant to replicate the kind of real-world driving and charging that anybody might do on a road trip or just a very extended drive about town. I drove the Taycan until the battery was low, set my local 350-kW charging station as the destination in the navigation system, drove it there, and plugged in.

I told you it was very simple.

With this battery, the Taycan 4S is officially rated at 272 miles of range, but on my home charger and in temperate weather, I saw it estimate 300 miles. And as that same charging test in California proved, the Taycan can easily exceed that if you’re careful when driving—a remarkable number for a car that also packs up to 590 horsepower and can do zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. 

I started my charging test at on a Sunday afternoon at 1:57 p.m. and 15%, leaving roughly 39 miles left with the car in Sport Mode (your estimate skews higher in Normal Mode or rear-drive-only Range Mode). It was a warm 87 degrees F (31 degrees C) outside and the battery had been preconditioned for the charge. 

I considered running the Taycan down on the highway to get down to 10%, but again, this was meant to be more or less a real-world test of how quickly I could get back on the road. With the charge limit set to 80%, the Taycan gave me an estimated completion time of 2:18 p.m., which later dropped to 2:16 p.m.

To my delight, my sometimes-inconsistent 350-kW charging station started working with the Taycan right away. Even more delightful was seeing the Taycan hit 300 kW right off the bat. Within a minute, the car charged from 15% to 20% and was humming at 308 kW by two minutes in.

From there, the charging speeds kept climbing, first to 311 kW and then 315 kW. For a few brief moments, I saw it peak around 317 kW. Mostly, the Taycan stayed between 308 kW and 315 kW, reaching 50% in seven minutes. At 54%, that meant an estimated 143 miles, so I had already added more than 100 miles of range in seven minutes. 

It is here where I will pause and point out how results like this fly in the face of the “EVs take too long to charge when you’re on a road trip” argument. Sure, not every EV charges as quickly as the Taycan. But seven minutes is about the length of an average road-trip bathroom break. A hundred miles of range should easily get you to your destination, or at least another location with more chargers. A 20-minute break buys you three or four hours behind the wheel, too, and your back or bladder will demand a break by that point. 

The Taycan finally dropped to 300 kW around 60%, then 296 kW, about nine minutes into the test. I couldn’t help but be impressed. My Kia EV6 is pretty good at fast-charging too, and the most I’ve seen is around 225 kW. 

Around 64% the Taycan’s speeds dropped to 209 kW, but then it hopped right back to 272 kW soon after, even as I approached a 70% charge. That’s an incredibly high charging speed for a battery so full. 

At this point, the line at my charging station was getting longer. This is one of the only non-Tesla stations in the area and right off New York State Route 17. A lot of folks, including one family in a Kia EV9, seemed to be on a July 4 road trip and were eager to get moving again. In keeping with my “only fast-charge to what you need” rule and to be a good fellow EV driver, I decided to call the test early at 2:09 p.m.

I had already proved my point, anyway. The final result for the test was 15% to 70% in just 12 minutes—an addition of 58.044 kWh of energy and enough to leave the Taycan with 200 miles of range, still in Sport Mode. In Normal Mode or Range Mode, it would’ve read well over 200 miles. Oh, and the car said it was still capable of taking up to 274 kW if I wanted to plug back in. 

That’s outstanding.

Porsche Taycan Charging Result

Photo by: Patrick George

2025 Porsche Taycan Charging Test: What We Learned

I never quite hit the 320 kW the Taycan is capable of, or if I did, it was in a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. The car got very, very close to that level and stayed there consistently until it charged to more than 60%.

These are the quickest charging speeds that I have ever personally seen outside of China; I have only experienced better speeds with my latest Taycan charging test and the Lucid Air Grand Touring, and even then, only very slightly. (The last Air I tested managed up to 322 kW.) The new Lucid Gravity is rated to pull up to 400 kW, but I have not tested that yet, and it would require a very high-voltage charger to do so.

Either way, this test proved a few things.

800-volt electrical architectures are the future. Many EVs still use less sophisticated 400-volt electrical systems, including newer ones that are designed to be more affordable. Having a less complex electrical architecture certainly keeps costs down. But long-term, I expect most EV manufacturers to use higher-voltage systems. You can’t argue with the results here. 

Charging is getting better and better all the time. The first-generation Taycan was no slouch at fast-charging either, rated at speeds of up to 270 kW. That’s still better than most. But in just a mid-cycle update, its max speeds jumped a full 50 kW, and its charge curve got way better. The Volkswagen Group never gets credit for this, but every EV it makes feels like a quantum leap over the last one. And as charging stations proliferate, they’re becoming more powerful and offering more plugs at each station. Imagine where this field will be in five years.

With the right EV and the right charger, the experience can feel the same as a stop for gas. The fact that I added more than 100 miles of range in under 10 minutes alone feels like a game-changing experience. Nobody wants to wait at these stations forever. If more EVs can work that way, and more drivers learn to just fast-charge to the levels they need, then gas-powered cars are in trouble.

The Porsche Taycan remains a fast-charging champion. It’s ridiculously quick, and it’ll get you back on the road just as quickly, provided you can find a 350-kW charger easily. Ultimately, this was my favorite thing about the Taycan. I drive fast EVs all of the time; zero to 60 mph in the mid-three-second range is almost common now. But the Taycan’s combination of range, speed and fast-charging make it truly special. 

And I’ll take it as a preview of what’s next. This is still a charging system on a very high-end performance car. When this technology starts to trickle down to more normal cars, as it usually does, we’re all going to benefit. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Renault is all about bringing retro design cues from iconic old models to the modern day, and it may definitely be on to something. Having lived with the new Renault 5 E-Tech for a couple of days, it’s one of the most compelling EVs that I’ve driven in a long time, blending head-turning design with all the desirable traits that you expect from an electric city car.

This car is all about the design. Driving it and leaving it parked amongst downtown Bucharest’s eclectic tangle of historic buildings, it absolutely looks at home. It makes most new cars look so last decade, even if it itself takes a lot of cues from Renault hatchbacks of decades past. I have so far looked back at it every time I’ve locked it and walked away, which is a clear sign that Renault has got the design right.

Renault has done a tremendous job with the exterior design of this car, seamlessly integrating design elements from the 1972 original Renault 5 (known in the States as the LeCar), as well as the later rally-honed Turbo 2 model and the revised 5 that dropped in 1984. But there’s nothing dystopian here. Everything comes together into a visual package that you just can’t hate, even if you may not be on board with the whole retro-futuristic design trend.

However, all of the above would have been for nothing if Renault didn’t make it drive well. Thankfully, if there’s one automaker that knows how to make a good city car, it’s the one with the diamond badge. Having previously owned two Clio city cars, which I really liked and always think fondly of, I’m happy to report that the fun is still there and the new Renault 5 is great to drive. It’s the perfect instrument to carve through a congested city.

It may only have 150 horsepower, but it accelerates quickly, puts its power down well, and it is blessed with especially good steering that gives you confidence. It’s also surprisingly dynamically accomplished, keeping body roll in check but without feeling like it has dampers made of granite, which is the case with some new cars with overly firm suspension setups.

Specs-wise, it’s not amazing, with a 52 kilowatt-hour battery that is good for about 250 miles (400 km) WLTP and a peak DC fast-charging power rating of 100 kW. However, it’s pretty efficient (almost matching the manufacturer’s claim) and you can get surprisingly close to the claimed range (which is often not the case with WLTP estimates), and given its relatively small battery, it charges quickly enough.

It’s not perfect, and there are some quirks and weird design decisions, but you’ll get to read about those in the full review coming soon.

I’m going to spend a couple more days with the R5, and I will be able to answer any questions you may have about it. Leave a comment, or feel free to drop me an e-mail at andrei.nedelea@insideevs.com and I’ll try to come up with an answer for you.

We’re now more than 18 months and nearly 19,000 miles into ownership of our 2024 BMW iX xDrive50, and it’s been a good year and a half. When we bought it, we intentionally got a machine with as few options as possible, the smallest wheels, and the least amount of power. At the time, I remember wishing there was an even lower-spec trim available.

For 2026, BMW has introduced exactly that: a new xDrive45 trim with less power, less torque, and a lower MSRP than the 2024 model carried when new. It has a smaller battery, too, but its improved efficiency promises an EPA-rated maximum range of 312 miles, five more than mine is rated for.

On paper, it certainly seemed like an attractive prospect, and when BMW offered me a chance to sample the new trim, I couldn’t resist heading down to their U.S. headquarters in New Jersey. 

Road-Tripping To Test The New BMW iX

Naturally, I drove my iX down. I confess I felt a little weird about this, taking the old and familiar to meet the new and fresh, but I have a feeling the car didn’t mind. I have always had a habit of humanizing machines a little too much.

It was a roughly 125-mile trip down for me, and yet again, BMW’s range estimate was spot-on. It predicted I’d arrive with 57% remaining. I arrived with 60 percent on the clock. That, in theory, meant a 250-mile round-trip with plenty left in the tank, yet again exceeding the EPA estimate despite my spending the bulk of that time at speed on the highway.

But, while I was out sampling the new hotness, my ride was supping on electrons courtesy of one of BMW’s on-site chargers, meaning range for the return trip would not be a concern.

2026 BMW iX: First Impressions

On to the new machine, then. First impressions of the new 2026 iX were good. The exterior revisions are subtle, to say the least, with refined headlights and new graphics on the kidney grille being the big new changes, while the lower trims now get basically the same front fascia that the older M60 xDrive featured.

Yes, lower trims, as there are three now, starting with the 402 hp, 312-mile xDrive45 at $75,150. Next up is the 536 hp, 340-mile, $88,500 xDrive60, which effectively replaces the old xDrive50. Finally, there’s the 650 hp, 302-mile M70 xDrive, which replaces the old M60 and gets a new, even more aggro-looking front fascia than before. 

BMW didn’t make any substantial revisions to the interior layout, meaning that the controversial front cupholder placement is still the same as before. Design changes inside and out are slight, to say the least, meaning if you didn’t like the look of the iX before, you ain’t going to like it now.

I will, though, guarantee you’ll like the way it drives. The first time I dipped into the throttle in the new xDrive45, I was convinced it was the right choice for most people. It still scoots off the line with way more aggression than is necessary or expected from an SUV of this size.

It feels every bit as quick as my xDrive50 until you get up to about 45 mph or so. Only above there can you start to feel a slight lack of urgency, but stress on the word “slight.” This is a quick machine at any speed, and the $13,000 savings over the xDrive60 means you just have more money to throw at options, like the new sports seats, which are a huge improvement over the iX’s flat, base units.

Stepping up to the xDrive60, it honestly didn’t feel noticeably quicker than my xDrive50, but the extra 30-odd miles of range is a nice upgrade, considering it costs basically the same as the old model. That range boost is at least in part thanks to a revised 110.4 kWh battery pack, up about five over the old xDrive50 and roughly 10 bigger than that in the new xDrive45.

The new M70 also has the larger of the two battery packs, and like the old M60, it’s remarkably quick. The extra 40 hp here compared to last year feels positively unnecessary, more frosting on an already decadent cake, but again, the extra range is appreciated.

Why The Base Version Is Just Right

For me, I’d stick with the xDrive45. The savings over the outgoing xDrive50 can be put towards adding back on the panoramic glass roof, which is a $2,600 option on the xDrive45. The $1,600 Dynamic Handling package is well worth the cost. This gives the iX both a pillowy-smooth ride over broken asphalt and a surprisingly tight turning radius thanks to the rear-steering. 

The $2,550 Driving Assistance Professional package is also worth the spend. For the 2026 model, BMW has added its glance-to-pass feature, meaning you can now confirm overtakes on the highway just by looking at the left or right mirror, making the system truly hands-free. Sadly, that feature will not be added to earlier iX models, even though I know they totally could if they wanted to.

And that’s probably about all I would add. I’d stick with the smallest wheels available to maximize range, though I might indulge in spending a little extra for one of the new colors that have been added to the iX’s otherwise disappointing palette of hues. I’d be tempted to spend the $500 for the lovely wool upholstery, too.

But that’s all just theory. We’re still delighted with our 2024 model—which is good, because we still have 18 months left on our lease. We’ll stick with it for now, but if an opportunity to step up to the ’26 arrives, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

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

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a masterclass in refinement. It offers sleek lines, a smooth ride and buttery engines, especially the straight-sixes. I was expecting more of the same from the current top variant, the E53, just with way more power.

Yes, it’s quick and clever with its plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it doesn’t punch you in the stomach and make your ears ring like I thought a proper unhinged AMG should.

The last gas-powered E63 I drove certainly did. You look at its flared wheel arches filled by aggressive black wheels and you think, “Oh, my! This thing is going to rearrange my internal organs,” but it stops short of doing that.

It’s not all that different than the four-cylinder E400e hybrid, just faster and with far more aggressive styling.

What Is It?

The E53 is a 585-hp plug-in hybrid sedan that combines a 3-liter turbocharged straight-six engine from the E450 with an electric motor, feeding its power to all four wheels. It’s the top end of the E-Class lineup for now, as there isn’t a more aggressive E63 (yet).

My tester had the Edition 1 pack, which brought several visual changes, including decals on the sides of the car. They look ok, but are a bit much on an E-Class. What I did really like was that Mercedes didn’t advertise that the E53 is a plug-in hybrid or in any way electrified. There is no silly blue detailing (usually associated with electric vehicles, for some reason) nor any badging denoting it’s also powered by electricity. 

It’s a great plug-in hybrid at that, with a remarkably smooth straight-six engine that starts up almost imperceptibly and plenty of power in electric mode. It’ll go over 62 miles (100 km) on electricity alone according to the WLTP test cycle. That’s an excellent number for a PHEV (although not in China), but its real-world electric range, I observed, is closer to 43-44 miles (69-71 km), matching its EPA range claim.

It’s really good around corners, too, with standard rear-wheel steering that disguises its 5,100-lb curb weight.

When the time comes to fire it out of a corner, there’s none of the drama you expect from an AMG. It just sticks and goes, and it’s not even that noisy. The CLE 53 that I drove before it—which has a version of the same engine but with a mild hybrid setup—had a much more brutal and exciting powerband than the E53 and it sounds better too. It’s much closer to delivering the kind of experience I expect from an AMG, even without an angry V-8.

A Touch Of Class With A Dash Of Hard Plastic

Mercedes has been making some questionable decisions for the interiors of all its cars—like its usage of haptic and capacitive controls—but it also gets a lot of things right. Sure, I would have liked the soft-touch plastic to go all the way down the door cards and the center console, but the design was great, and the feeling of vault-like solidity was present throughout.

My well-equipped tester had the optional bucket seats. Don’t skip them, as the standard seats are better suited for appointments, not apexes. The steering wheel, which had suede grips, is absolutely fantastic to hold. It’s the kind of sporty wheel that makes you want to downshift for the heck of it, just to revel in the burble of the exhaust.

And even though I usually complain about touch controls on helms, Mercedes’ are the best I’ve tried of this kind, and they just seem to work really well. Not better than physical buttons, but close.

The third screen in front of the passenger is pretty pointless, though. I know this is a trend originating in China that is now sweeping the car industry, but I just don’t get the need for a third screen when the central one is well within the passenger’s reach and line of sight and it offers all the functionality they would need. The center screen in the E-Class is one of the best I’ve ever used.

Mercedes is definitely on to something with having the central touchscreen placed at such an angle. Since you can use it while resting your elbow on the armrest, touching the screen precisely is much easier than in other cars where it’s placed vertically and higher up on the dash, and your arm is dangling in mid-air as you try to adjust the climate control. Unfortunately, Mercedes is moving away from this design with its future models, which will be a step back in ergonomics. The layout in the new CLA is a sign of things to come.

Overall, the interior of the E53 looked and felt pretty special, especially with the strong yellow accents throughout the cabin, including on the seats, the seat belts and on the dashboard in my First Edition tester. With the scratchier plastics lower down in the cabin, it doesn’t quite feel like a vehicle costing almost €120,000 ($136,000) as tested, but it’s undeniably more special in AMG trim. In the U.S., a base E53 costs around $89,000, and a similarly specced example would cost around $120,000.

Quick On Paper

Scanning over the spec sheet and seeing it has 585 hp and a peak torque rating of 553 pound-feet (750 Nm), I was expecting the E53 to light my pants on fire with its performance. But it doesn’t.

That’s partly because it’s quite a heavy car, and even with that much power, it still needs almost four seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h). You expect fireworks to go off when you floor it, but you just get dynamic mood lighting. My passengers guessed 400 hp—nobody believed its actual power figure.

To unleash the full fury that the AMG badge demands, you absolutely need to specify the AMG Dynamic Plus package, which my tester, even though very well equipped, didn’t have. It ups the power to 600 hp and gives the car launch control, or Race Start, as Mercedes calls it, and I’m pretty sure it makes a difference. It also adds an electronically controlled limited-slip differential in the back, active engine mounts and upgraded brakes, together making this a more serious driver’s car and better through the corners.

Mercedes also needs to offer a louder exhaust for this car. It’s just too quiet and restrained for an AMG, even by 2025’s increasingly stringent and restrained European noise (and pollution) standards. I’d even take a bit more fake noise through the speakers to break the sublime silence that dominates being aboard any W214, even the E53.

Clark Kent, And Almost Superman

Switch off the creamy turbocharged six, and the electric motor, which lives in the nine-speed automatic transmission, does a surprisingly good job of moving the car and getting it up to speed. On its own, it produces 163 hp and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque. That’s just around 10% less than a base rear-wheel-drive Volkswagen ID.4.

There’s plenty of punch for around-town driving, and it quickly gets the car up to highway speeds. It can drive only on electrons at up to 87 mph (140 km/h), which means you can commute on the highway at the speed limit in most European countries.

Driving the E-Class in EV mode suits the car’s relaxed character very well. This is a car that just eats miles like few new cars can, and not having the thrum of combustion power just suits it very well. The fact that you get two different cars in one (a quiet and civilized EV for sedate driving and a powerful gas-burning sports sedan for when you want to get a move on) makes it a great car.

Thanks to 21.2 kWh of usable battery capacity, you can get around 43 miles (70 km) of real-world electric range if you drive the car normally in EV mode. That’s less than Mercedes’ claim that you can get 62 miles (100 km) of gas-free driving in this on the WLTP cycle, but it’s a respectable number that should allow you to run most of your errands emissions-free.

One of the things that makes any current-generation E-Class PHEV unique is the ability to DC fast-charge, which is relatively rare among PHEVs. The E can draw up to 60 kW, finishing the 10 to 80% dash in around 20 minutes. You can also use the 11 kW onboard charger to replenish the battery, which will take a few hours.

Another rare trait among PHEVs is powerful regenerative braking. Mercedes says the E53 can recuperate 120 kW under deceleration, which is more than some lower-powered EVs. This means if you descend a mountain road, you could top up the battery very quickly, and the regen is strong enough that it helps lessen the load on the friction brakes, which need to be used less.

The Best E-Class But Not The Best AMG

The E53 might be the best W214 variant specifically because of its dual character. There’s also the widebody kit that really makes it stand out in the shopping center parking lot, plus all the sporty interior touches that make both it and its occupants feel special.

In an age when automakers seem to be focusing more and more on crossovers and SUVs, Mercedes is staying true to what made it great and keeps making great sedans. It’s also great news that it’s doing the same with its pure electric sedans, which will be a lot more like its three-box combustion models than the jellybean EQ cars it sells today.

Having a traditional-looking Mercedes with classic sedan proportions and electric power is something we hope we’ll see very soon. Until then, the E53 is among the very best electrified Mercedes models that you can buy today—maybe the best—even if it doesn’t quite live up to the level of AMG lunacy that I expect from the brand.

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