Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / 2026 SUV And EV Reality Check

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2026 SUV And EV Reality Check · In Wheel Time Podcast

0:06
Don Armstrong: All right, time now for this hour's car review.
0:08
Don Armstrong: Had a chance to drive the Lexus RX 450H Plus.
0:13
Don Armstrong: I've told the story a bajillion times.
0:15
Don Armstrong: I really had no experience with Lexus until, well, this has uh probably the 1980s, early 2000s.
0:23
Don Armstrong: You own one.
0:24
Don Armstrong: I did.
0:24
Don Armstrong: It was an RX at 350, and it was the original RX, and absolutely loved that thing.
0:31
Don Armstrong: Anyway, this is not that.
0:33
Don Armstrong: This is the brand new 2026 Lexus RX 450H Plus.
0:39
Don Armstrong: So here are the trim levels.
0:42
Don Armstrong: 350, 350H hybrid, 350 F Sport, 350H F Sport, 350 Luxury, 358, 350H Luxury, 450H Premium, 500H F Sport, and the 450H Plus, which is what I had.
1:03
Don Armstrong: So I had the top of the line.
1:05
Don Armstrong: Nanny nanny boo-boo.
1:07
Don Armstrong: Um this is a PHEV.
1:11
Don Armstrong: Uh that's a hybrid.
1:13
Don Armstrong: Uh five seats, exterior changes from last model year.
1:17
Don Armstrong: Well, it was completely redesigned in 2023, so it's really this design is only three years old.
1:23
Don Armstrong: Um, exterior features include the oversized Lexus grille with squinty, high-mounted headlights, arrow windshield, really laid back, upswept and side sculpting on it.
1:36
Don Armstrong: Really looks good with some very nice wheels.
1:38
Don Armstrong: It doesn't make any difference.
1:40
Don Armstrong: Which trim level that you choose, there's going to be a wheel for that car specifically.
1:46
Don Armstrong: Bustle butt rear.
1:48
Don Armstrong: All right.
1:49
Don Armstrong: With a built-in sunshade over the glass back there.
1:52
Don Armstrong: This is a very unique-looking vehicle, and that's part of the reason that I like it.
1:56
Don Armstrong: It doesn't look like all the other SUVs out there.
1:58
Don Armstrong: Overall design gets high marks.
2:00
Don Armstrong: Look at use improvement.
2:02
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
2:03
Don Armstrong: Keep it coming.
2:04
Don Armstrong: Interior highlights, high zoot design that leans toward the minimalist look.
2:11
Don Armstrong: In other words, you're not going to find a lot of buttons and switches in this.
2:16
Don Armstrong: Standalone instrument cluster and a great big infotainment screen.
2:21
Don Armstrong: Non-cluttered center console, read minimalist, awesome upholstery and comfortable seating.
2:29
Don Armstrong: Cargo, well, that area back there behind the second row of seats bigger than you think.
2:35
Don Armstrong: But I like, again, high marks for design and materials with that Mark Levinson sound system, it is top-notch.
2:42
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
2:44
Don Armstrong: Like to see some instrument controls like a volume knob.
2:49
Don Armstrong: That would have been nice.
2:51
Don Armstrong: Because what you wind up having to do is look at the screen, which takes your eyes off the road, which most people have their eyes off the road and into their phones.
3:00
Don Armstrong: I think that a few more buttons would have been nice for some of the functions, but that's just me.
3:06
Don Armstrong: Engine, 2.5 liter four-cylinder plug-in hybrid of 304 combined horsepower, CVT transmission, tow rating, believe it or not, 3,500 pounds, which is a lot.
3:21
Don Armstrong: A miles per gallon city.
3:23
Don Armstrong: Well, uh, it's 85 miles per gallon electric, 35 for the gas only.
3:30
Don Armstrong: Did I plug it in?
3:32
Don Armstrong: I did not.
3:34
Don Armstrong: So in my gasoline heyday that I that I had this car for the week, I got 31.3 miles per gallon over 405.4 miles.
3:45
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, it has enough power that leaves you satisfied.
3:50
Don Armstrong: That sounds almost kind of like our old cigarette commercial, doesn't it?
3:53
Don Armstrong: Ah, satisfaction.
3:55
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
3:57
Don Armstrong: Get the full hybrid version unless you only travel 35 miles uh per charge a day.
4:05
Don Armstrong: That would be my suggestion.
4:06
Don Armstrong: Good looking car.
4:07
Don Armstrong: Yeah, it is.
4:08
Don Armstrong: And they also have the gasoline, strictly gasoline version of it as well.
4:12
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, I liked all of it.
4:13
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
4:15
Don Armstrong: Nothing on this top-of-the-line trim.
4:17
Don Armstrong: So how much?
4:18
Don Armstrong: Base trim price?
4:20
Don Armstrong: $73,310.
4:22
Don Armstrong: This is top of the line now.
4:23
Don Armstrong: Price is tested$78,569.
4:26
Don Armstrong: If you just want to get in one, it starts at$50,525.
4:31
Don Armstrong: Competitors, Mercedes-Benz GLE 450E,$72.5, BMW X5,$76375.
4:41
Don Armstrong: Or how about this?
4:42
Don Armstrong: The Acura MDX Type S non-hybrid is$77.3.
4:48
Don Armstrong: Wow.
4:49
Don Armstrong: Expensive.
4:50
Don Armstrong: Next week I'm going to review it.
4:54
Don Armstrong: All right.
4:55
Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
4:56
Don Armstrong: I had a chance to drive the 2026 Chevy Equinox EV.
5:02
Don Armstrong: Available trim levels, the LT1, the LT2, and the RS.
5:07
Don Armstrong: I had the RS.
5:09
Don Armstrong: This is considered a small SUV, but boy, I'll tell you what, that's precedent to say small.
5:15
Don Armstrong: Anyway, five seats in this, including the driver.
5:18
Don Armstrong: All new in 2024.
5:20
Don Armstrong: So uh all new design.
5:22
Don Armstrong: It really does look sharp.
5:23
Don Armstrong: Sharp-looking exterior design with slit lighting up front.
5:28
Don Armstrong: Uh RS had a blacked-out faux grille, but it doesn't need a grill because it's electric.
5:35
Don Armstrong: Big 21-inch wheels, sharp rear hatch with sunshade over the back glass.
5:40
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, it gets high marks for styling, I think.
5:43
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
5:45
Don Armstrong: Not a fan of two-tone paint.
5:47
Don Armstrong: That's an option that you can get.
5:51
Don Armstrong: When do we go back to two-tone paint?
5:53
Don Armstrong: Let's go back to two wood panels.
5:55
Don Armstrong: Well, yeah.
5:56
Don Armstrong: Real wood.
5:58
Don Armstrong: Um, ours did not have the two-tone, but I'm glad to report.
6:02
Don Armstrong: Um, I've seen, especially the blue one with the white top.
6:05
Don Armstrong: All I can think of is the old Houston Police Department paint scheme.
6:09
Don Armstrong: Uh, interior highlights, color options, enhance the interior bling on this RS.
6:16
Don Armstrong: Um layered two screens are unique and are good.
6:22
Don Armstrong: Um column shift is great.
6:24
Don Armstrong: I loved it, and it opens up the center console for other stuff.
6:28
Don Armstrong: Infotainment controls work great and are easy to understand.
6:33
Don Armstrong: Cargo trunk room, well, adequate for most, I would say, for a small SUV.
6:38
Don Armstrong: What I liked?
6:39
Don Armstrong: The Evotex seating surfaces.
6:42
Don Armstrong: It seems they seem industrial in black, but you can get some highlights in different colors that really makes it pop.
6:50
Don Armstrong: Evotex, that's one of those kind of like uh name one of those old school plastic things that they came up with.
7:02
Don Armstrong: Plastic seats.
7:02
Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah.
7:03
Don Armstrong: But they came up with names for them.
7:04
Don Armstrong: Oh it was always very interesting, the names that they like cleather.
7:10
Don Armstrong: Yeah, it was Evotex.
7:11
Don Armstrong: One could use improvement, nothing.
7:13
Don Armstrong: Uh drivetrain.
7:14
Don Armstrong: Uh electric motor works great.
7:16
Don Armstrong: Two motor options give 300 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque.
7:23
Don Armstrong: Horsepower, 0 to 67.8 seconds, adequate for most.
7:28
Don Armstrong: Not a rocket ship by any means.
7:30
Don Armstrong: Direct drive transmission, obviously, the electric motors connected to the wheels.
7:34
Don Armstrong: Uh tow rating, 1500 pounds.
7:36
Don Armstrong: Not a lot, but what do you need?
7:38
Don Armstrong: This is uh electric EV SUV.
7:41
Don Armstrong: So 117 miles per gallon city is what it's rated.
7:45
Don Armstrong: And it's called MPG.
7:48
Don Armstrong: Uh highway is a hundred miles combined, 31 kilowatts per 100 miles.
7:55
Don Armstrong: You do the math.
7:56
Don Armstrong: I've tried, I failed.
7:58
Don Armstrong: I got 2.9 kilowatt hours over 387.6 miles.
8:04
Don Armstrong: Do you get that?
8:05
Don Armstrong: Um, EPA rated at 319 mile range.
8:09
Don Armstrong: What I liked, front or all-wheel drive is available.
8:13
Don Armstrong: It's nice to have the option.
8:14
Don Armstrong: Long range version would be a nice improvement, I think.
8:18
Don Armstrong: A bigger battery.
8:19
Don Armstrong: Um what I liked about it, riding handling, nice and smooth.
8:24
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
8:25
Don Armstrong: Steering wheel mounting controls were a little confusing.
8:29
Don Armstrong: They team seem to have uh uh all of the manufacturers have a penchant for putting things on the steering wheel that you're not quite sure what they are until you hit the button.
8:39
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
8:39
Don Armstrong: And your buick has probably got the same thing.
8:42
Don Armstrong: I'll tell you a story when you're done with your review.
8:43
Don Armstrong: Okay.
8:45
Don Armstrong: Um, so there's that.
8:47
Don Armstrong: A base trim price, 44.2.
8:49
Don Armstrong: Price is tested, 52,945.
8:52
Don Armstrong: You can get in this thing for as little as$35,100.
8:56
Don Armstrong: Good luck in trying to find one of those.
8:58
Don Armstrong: Competitors, the Mustang Mach E for$37,795.
9:02
Don Armstrong: Hyundai Ionic 5 starts at$35,000.
9:05
Don Armstrong: And the Tesla Model Y starts at$39,990 miles.
9:11
Don Armstrong: Wow, I'm sorry, not miles.
9:14
Don Armstrong: Dollars.
9:14
Don Armstrong: Dollars, thank you.
9:15
Don Armstrong: I'm looking at time now for this hour's car review.
9:23
Don Armstrong: I had the opportunity to drive the 2025 Ford Expedition made in Louisville, Kentucky, all American.
9:32
Don Armstrong: Available trim levels are the Active, the Max Active, the Platinum, the Max Platinum, the Trimmer, which we had, the King Ranch, and the Max King Ranch.
9:46
Don Armstrong: You can only imagine what the Max King Ranch costs.
9:50
Don Armstrong: I reviewed the Trimmer 4x4.
9:53
Don Armstrong: This is a standard or full-size body-on-frame SUV.
9:58
Don Armstrong: Underneath it, it's a F-150 pickup truck for the most part.
10:02
Don Armstrong: That's what it's based on.
10:03
Don Armstrong: Uh, exterior changes.
10:05
Don Armstrong: Well, it was fully redesigned for 2025.
10:08
Don Armstrong: Although I think most of us would be hard pressed to be able to tell the difference between a 24 model and a 25 model.
10:16
Don Armstrong: Exterior features.
10:17
Don Armstrong: Trimmer grill, which is distinct amongst all of the expeditions, um, gives a nod to the Chevrolet, actually.
10:27
Don Armstrong: The front grille kind of looks like a Chevy with the bar through the middle of it, uh, with that center horizontal bar.
10:33
Don Armstrong: Also, it does have copper gold accents.
10:37
Don Armstrong: Now, some people said, I don't like that.
10:40
Don Armstrong: I do.
10:40
Don Armstrong: I think it makes it different, stands out a little bit.
10:44
Don Armstrong: Uh gives you an idea that movie.
10:47
Don Armstrong: Straight horizontal side body moldings on it.
10:51
Don Armstrong: Um extra light, extra lighting now on the rear hatch makes it more unique.
10:58
Don Armstrong: Um, what I really liked about it um was that the trimmer package gives it a more off-road or rugged look.
11:07
Don Armstrong: Not sure about the back hatch with the two-toned look for most of the expeditions.
11:13
Don Armstrong: You may have seen one or two of those.
11:14
Don Armstrong: Kind of a piano black thing going on back there around the color that's on the car.
11:20
Don Armstrong: Interior highlights, trimmer stitching on the seat packs, uh, comfortable seating throughout, easy access to the second and third rows.
11:30
Don Armstrong: Yes, this is a three-row vehicle.
11:31
Don Armstrong: Sweeping driver display, love that.
11:34
Don Armstrong: Plenty of cubbies throughout the cabin and uh really electrical connections throughout as well.
11:42
Don Armstrong: Cargo adequate with the third row seats up, it's just okay.
11:47
Don Armstrong: Clearly, the seats are going to take up some room back there in what would be the cargo area.
11:52
Don Armstrong: What I liked, the design and the quality with optional uh two-foot center screen.
12:01
unknown: Wow.
12:01
Don Armstrong: A two-foot center screen.
12:03
Don Armstrong: I did say that.
12:04
Don Armstrong: We could use improvement.
12:06
Don Armstrong: The steering wheel accessory controls are overcomplicated, and you've got to look to at a screen to see what you're doing, which kind of defeats the purpose because you're supposed to be watching the road.
12:18
Jeff Dziekan: Exactly.
12:19
Jeff Dziekan: And it's not Ford's fault.
12:20
Jeff Dziekan: They all do it.
12:21
Jeff Dziekan: Mine does it too, because you're you make a mistake and you go oopsie on the steering wheel, and you're not where you want to be on the in the in the system.
12:29
Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
12:30
Don Armstrong: 3.5 liter high output eco-boost V6, 440 horsepower, 510-pound feet of torque, 10-speed automatic transmission with a toll rating of 9,000 pounds max, depending on how you got it set up.
12:45
Don Armstrong: It's huge.
12:46
Don Armstrong: It's an aircraft carrier.
12:48
Don Armstrong: Uh mileage, 15 miles per gallon city.
12:52
Don Armstrong: I guess it's better than the V8, the old V8 that isn't available anymore, because I think it got 12 or 13.
12:58
Don Armstrong: 22 on the highway for combined to 18.
13:01
Don Armstrong: I got 16.6 over 486.1 miles.
13:06
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the power, not only in the horsepower, but the torque.
13:11
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
13:12
Don Armstrong: Obviously, fueled economy.
13:14
Don Armstrong: I think this would be ripe for a hybrid.
13:18
Don Armstrong: Or a diesel.
13:20
Don Armstrong: Or a diesel.
13:21
Don Armstrong: But you know, it's funny because you know, they've tried diesels in these things before.
13:25
Don Armstrong: Chevy did it, they've all done it.
13:27
Don Armstrong: They get this big, and it would make sense.
13:30
Don Armstrong: But people, you gotta have a mindset for diesel.
13:33
Jeff Dziekan: Right, and you're going to the uh the eco-side of the ownership rather than the torque and the well, yeah.
13:41
Don Armstrong: Yeah, if if you're if you tow a lot, if you if you got your landscaping trailer behind you that's got 10 tractors on it, then maybe a diesel would work.
13:49
Don Armstrong: But there again, you know, Ford does make diesel F-150s and 250s and things.
13:52
Don Armstrong: They do.
13:52
Don Armstrong: Yeah, so I don't know what it would take to put a diesel in this, but that's another open open can of worms.
13:58
Don Armstrong: Because remember, when you change engines in anything, then you get the EPA involved.
14:04
Don Armstrong: Yeah, and it just becomes a whole nother issue.
14:07
Don Armstrong: I like about it uh the extra large, long limousine ride.
14:14
SPEAKER_04: Oh, it's sweet, baby.
14:16
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
14:18
Don Armstrong: Steering radius is a little bit uh on the long side, but remember it's about a hundred feet long, so it's gonna take you a little bit to get in that pocket.
14:26
Don Armstrong: It's the SS trimmer.
14:27
Don Armstrong: USS Trimmer.
14:29
Don Armstrong: It's exactly right.
14:30
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
14:31
Don Armstrong: The steering radius.
14:32
Don Armstrong: All right, so here's the pricing for this.
14:34
Don Armstrong: The base trim price for the trimmer is$83,945.
14:41
Don Armstrong: Prices tested,$86,695.
14:46
Don Armstrong: Probably most in the floor mats because you got to have about 15 of them.
14:50
Don Armstrong: Uh base model price,$57.4.
14:53
Don Armstrong: So you can get in one without floor mats.
14:56
Don Armstrong: Without the floor mats.
14:57
Don Armstrong: Yeah, that has rubber flooring in it.
14:59
Don Armstrong: $57,400.
15:01
Don Armstrong: Okay, competitors.
15:02
Don Armstrong: Well, you know what they are.
15:03
Don Armstrong: Chevy Suburban,$61.5 is where it starts.
15:07
Don Armstrong: The Yukon XL, which is the Chevy's other brother, uh, that's$69.9.
15:12
Don Armstrong: And we threw in the Toyota Sequoia, although it's not quite as big.
15:16
Don Armstrong: Um, it starts at$62,425.
15:21
Don Armstrong: Not as much sheet metal.
15:22
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
15:22
Don Armstrong: So you get a break on that.
15:24
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
15:24
Don Armstrong: Probably not as heavy either.
15:25
Don Armstrong: Or less towing.
15:27
unknown: Okay.
15:27
Don Armstrong: Less time.
15:29
Don Armstrong: And that is my review of the 2025 Ford Expedition.
15:39
Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
15:41
Don Armstrong: 2026 Mazda 3.
15:43
Don Armstrong: This is the four-door compact sedan.
15:47
Don Armstrong: Um, they do make a hatchback, but forget that.
15:50
Don Armstrong: This is the sedan.
15:52
Don Armstrong: Available trim levels, the S, the Select, and the S preferred, along with the Carbon Edition all-wheel drive, the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus.
16:04
Don Armstrong: I had the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus top of the line.
16:08
Don Armstrong: Compact four-door sedan, seats five, exterior changes minimal.
16:12
Don Armstrong: It was completely redesigned in 2019.
16:15
Don Armstrong: So this current design is getting a little long in the tooth.
16:18
Don Armstrong: Exterior features include the shark grille with the laid-back arrow windshield, quick back design with a small trunk lid and a small opening back there, slick wraparound headlights, 18-inch black wheels on this particular trim level, given a premium appearance.
16:35
Don Armstrong: But I liked the overall sporty design.
16:38
Don Armstrong: I could use improvement.
16:40
Don Armstrong: Well, something new is seven-year-old design.
16:43
Don Armstrong: It sells, it's good, but uh it's time to bump it up, I think.
16:48
Don Armstrong: Uh interior highlights.
16:50
Don Armstrong: Design and quality get high marks.
16:53
Don Armstrong: Uh small infotainment screen sits atop the dash, minimal minimalist control switches.
16:59
Don Armstrong: They look good, but some are hard to find, the ones that you need.
17:04
Don Armstrong: Uh front seats are comfortable, uh, but rear ones, not so much.
17:10
Don Armstrong: Small trunk room, and especially that opening back there, it's very small, so you're not going to get your you know, your big suitcase back in there.
17:19
Don Armstrong: Uh what I liked, quality materials.
17:21
Don Armstrong: This is high-end, really, for this kind of car and for this price.
17:25
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
17:26
Don Armstrong: The infotainment operation is still too complicated.
17:29
Don Armstrong: It's the same one they've been stuck with for years, and I'm not a big fan.
17:33
Don Armstrong: 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine, 227 horsepower, 310-pound feet of pork uh torque.
17:41
unknown: Torque.
17:42
Don Armstrong: 310 pound feet of torque.
17:46
Don Armstrong: Transmission, six-speed automatic, 23 miles per gallon city, 32 highway for a combined at 27.
17:53
Don Armstrong: I got 25.2 miles per gallon over 525 miles.
17:58
Don Armstrong: Oops, 25 miles over.
18:00
Don Armstrong: I'm sorry.
18:02
Don Armstrong: What I liked, the plenty of power for this top-of-the-line engine.
18:06
Don Armstrong: Um could use improvement.
18:09
Don Armstrong: How about a hybrid offering for better miles per gallon?
18:12
Don Armstrong: I don't know if it's possible or not, but that's a slick looking sport of sedan.
18:16
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the sporty nature of the sedan.
18:19
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement for the ride and handling?
18:21
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
18:22
Don Armstrong: Base trim price.
18:23
Don Armstrong: No, base trim price,$36,740.
18:27
Don Armstrong: Price is tested,$39,145, which is a lot of money for this car.
18:32
Don Armstrong: But base model price,$24,550.
18:35
Don Armstrong: Oh, very good.
18:36
Don Armstrong: Hello?
18:36
Don Armstrong: I'm in for that.
18:37
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
18:38
Don Armstrong: Competitors.
18:39
Don Armstrong: The Honda Civic starts at$24.695.
18:43
Don Armstrong: This is just so weird to me when I started looking all this stuff up.
18:46
Don Armstrong: I'm going, wait a minute.
18:47
Don Armstrong: They're all within$1,000 of each other.
18:49
Don Armstrong: Toyota Corolla starts at$22,925, and the Hyundai Alantra starts at$22,625.
18:57
Don Armstrong: Isn't that bizarre?
18:58
Don Armstrong: The price really comparison is between the Mazda 3 that I drove, but the base model price$24,550 and the Honda Civic for$24,695.
19:07
Jeff Dziekan: And you got some youngster going away to college, it might be a good first car on the base side of it.
19:11
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah,$22.25.
19:13
Don Armstrong: If you can find, you know, the the base cars are hard to find.
19:17
Don Armstrong: They want to sell them with all the goodies on it because they make more money that way.
19:21
Jeff Dziekan: And I get it.
19:21
Don Armstrong: But they're not going to order one with just base.
19:26
SPEAKER_02: Oh they would, yeah.
19:27
Don Armstrong: Anyway.
19:28
Don Armstrong: So that's the car review of the Mazda 3 sedan.
19:31
Don Armstrong: I liked it.
19:33
Don Armstrong: Man, it it it's a sporty car.
19:35
Don Armstrong: Clearly, Mazda's brand is about sportiness.
19:39
Don Armstrong: It's not going to ride like, you know, the Buick Regal of the past.
19:43
Don Armstrong: Oh no.
19:43
Don Armstrong: You can you can toss it around the corner.
19:46
Jeff Dziekan: And that the shape, when you saw the silhouette of the side view of that vehicle, all the everything looks a euro.
19:53
Jeff Dziekan: It looks like a euro piece.
19:54
Jeff Dziekan: Nice and rounded.
19:55
Jeff Dziekan: Well, my opinion, they stand out.
19:59
Jeff Dziekan: Do something different on your design.
20:00
Jeff Dziekan: And it possibly should.
20:03
Jeff Dziekan: Okay.
20:04
Jeff Dziekan: They're nice cars.
20:10
SPEAKER_04: All right.
20:11
Don Armstrong: Thank you.
20:12
Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
20:14
Don Armstrong: I had an opportunity to drive something that is all new.
20:18
Don Armstrong: All new.
20:20
Don Armstrong: And it's the 2026 Subaru Uncharted.
20:24
Don Armstrong: And you're thinking, that looks pretty darn good.
20:28
Don Armstrong: And it does.
20:29
Don Armstrong: So it comes in these trim levels, premium, sport, and GT.
20:34
Don Armstrong: I had the middle trim level, the sport, and it was orange like that.
20:38
Don Armstrong: It is considered a sub-compact SUV, about the size of the crosstrek.
20:46
Don Armstrong: Seats including the driver, five.
20:48
Don Armstrong: All new for this year, as I mentioned.
20:50
Don Armstrong: Best looking vehicle for its size, period, according to Don Armstrong.
20:57
Don Armstrong: I really like it.
20:59
Don Armstrong: Front fascia, clean design, doesn't look EV-ish, which is a big thing for me.
21:04
Don Armstrong: Why do they have to have EV cars look different than the rest of them?
21:09
Don Armstrong: Granted, you don't have to have a big opening in the front for cooling the radiator.
21:14
Don Armstrong: It's not moving.
21:17
Don Armstrong: Pardon?
21:18
Don Armstrong: It's moving.
21:19
Don Armstrong: Okay.
21:20
Don Armstrong: But this one, it does have kind of a grill-like thing.
21:23
Don Armstrong: It's an air intake, but good.
21:25
Don Armstrong: They put it in the front like it's supposed to be.
21:30
Don Armstrong: The fastback rear hatch gives it a sports car look.
21:35
Don Armstrong: The rear door handle is disguised in the C pillar.
21:39
Don Armstrong: What I liked, just the right proportions of curves that will give it an extra appeal, in my opinion.
21:47
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
21:48
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
21:49
Don Armstrong: Don't touch it.
21:50
Don Armstrong: I think they've got a home run here.
21:52
Don Armstrong: Granted, it is a small SUV.
21:55
Don Armstrong: Interior highlights.
21:56
Don Armstrong: Dual horizontal foam chargers.
22:00
Don Armstrong: Are superb.
22:01
Don Armstrong: Yes, dual.
22:02
Don Armstrong: So you can see part of it right up there.
22:04
Don Armstrong: You can put two phones up there, one for you and one for your passage.
22:08
Don Armstrong: Isn't that nice?
22:10
Don Armstrong: Huge screen on the center dash is easy to read and use.
22:14
Don Armstrong: Comfortable seating.
22:16
Don Armstrong: But rear leg room is a bit tight.
22:19
Don Armstrong: As you can imagine, this is a subcompact.
22:21
Don Armstrong: Steering wheel controls are kind of hard to read, but I've got old tired eyes, so don't blame it on Subaru, blame it on me.
22:30
Don Armstrong: As far as cargo, it's tight in the back, especially with its fastback design.
22:35
Don Armstrong: So you give up a little bit of room back there in the back.
22:38
Don Armstrong: But I'll tell you what, I I just I like the whole thing.
22:43
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it back there, the dial gear shift on the center console is handy, but why not use a stalk style shifter on the column that would save the center console space for something else?
23:01
Don Armstrong: Just saying.
23:03
Don Armstrong: To me, this gets an urban vehicle award.
23:07
Don Armstrong: It is awesome.
23:09
Don Armstrong: Engine is a 3.47 kilowatt hour high capacity lithium battery that has drumroll, please, 338 horsepower.
23:22
Don Armstrong: Dude, that's a lot.
23:23
Don Armstrong: It's a direct drive, dual motor, motor, uh, front or all-wheel drive.
23:29
Don Armstrong: Uh all-wheel drive, obviously, is an option.
23:31
Don Armstrong: Uh well, it got 3.8 miles per kilowatt hour over 481 miles.
23:40
Don Armstrong: Now I charged it both at home and at work.
23:43
Don Armstrong: Uh, and obviously you have to charge it because it's strictly an EV.
23:48
Don Armstrong: Nothing but uh electricity there.
23:50
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, plenty of power, plenty of power.
23:53
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
23:55
Don Armstrong: The range, 287 miles.
23:57
Don Armstrong: Now I've got another EV that I'm driving.
23:59
Don Armstrong: It'll be the third one in a row that I'm driving now.
24:01
Don Armstrong: And it also, different size vehicle, but it also has 287 miles of range on it.
24:08
Don Armstrong: I think that that's just kind of like, oh, well, we'll just throw it 287 miles.
24:12
Jeff Dziekan: It's like a cafe standard type.
24:13
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
24:14
Don Armstrong: But 287 miles, uh, but it depends on how you drive.
24:18
Don Armstrong: Do you floor it a lot?
24:19
Don Armstrong: Do you drive it at high speed a lot?
24:21
Don Armstrong: It ain't gonna do 287 miles.
24:24
Don Armstrong: But for an urban vehicle, which this is classified as, in my opinion, uh, 287 mile range should be enough for you to get around town and one day of driving.
24:34
Don Armstrong: Yep.
24:35
Don Armstrong: One day.
24:36
Don Armstrong: One day.
24:37
Don Armstrong: Not two days, but one day.
24:39
Don Armstrong: One day.
24:40
Don Armstrong: Ride and handling, eight inches of ground clearance gives it a true off-road look.
24:46
Don Armstrong: Ride and handling, smooth ride for such a short wheelbase EV.
24:51
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
24:53
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
24:54
Don Armstrong: Okay, here comes the pricing.
24:55
Don Armstrong: You ready?
24:56
Don Armstrong: Base trim price.
24:57
Don Armstrong: Now I had the sport model, which is middle of the road,$39,795.
25:02
Don Armstrong: Price is tested,$41,720 because of some extra options on it.
25:07
Don Armstrong: Base model price you can get in this vehicle.
25:10
Don Armstrong: $34,995 is where it starts.
25:13
Don Armstrong: Wow.
25:14
Don Armstrong: Excluding tax title and license.
25:16
Don Armstrong: Competitors, the Hyundai Ionic 5, the Tesla Model Y, and the Mustang Machi.
25:24
Don Armstrong: Next week I'm going to review the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid electric.
25:30
Don Armstrong: And here's what I here's what I want to tell you about that.
25:32
Don Armstrong: This is the first vehicle that I've actually made it an effort to plug it in.
25:38
Don Armstrong: Because it's got a gasoline motor.
25:40
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
25:41
Don Armstrong: And so you plug it in, and it's going to give you, I don't know, 40, 50 miles on the back.
25:47
Don Armstrong: So I've plugged it in, and I think that you're going to be surprised by what I have found by plugging it in.
25:52
Don Armstrong: This one out here is a true EV, so you it has to be plugged in.
25:57
Jeff Dziekan: So the plug-in hybrid, that is the same relation as having a donut spare, because the donut spare tire only goes about 50, 60, maybe 70 miles.
26:08
Jeff Dziekan: So the hybrid plug-in is basically the donut spare for the car.
26:13
Don Armstrong: But oh my gosh, what a difference it makes in the gasoline total calculations gives you higher mileage.
26:25
Don Armstrong: And you know, I don't know why.
26:26
Don Armstrong: I have not done it in the past because it's a pain.
26:29
Don Armstrong: But I've got the pain worked out.
26:31
Don Armstrong: I charge it at work and then I charge it here at the house.
26:34
Don Armstrong: I run an extension cord.
26:36
Don Armstrong: And by golly, it works.
26:38
Don Armstrong: So there's that.
26:44
Don Armstrong: Time now for this hour's car review.
26:46
Don Armstrong: 2026 Mazda 3.
26:49
Don Armstrong: This is the four-door compact sedan.
26:53
Don Armstrong: Um, they do make a hatchback, but we'll forget that.
26:56
Don Armstrong: This is the sedan.
26:57
Don Armstrong: Available trim levels, the S, the Select, and the S preferred, along with the Carbon Edition all-wheel drive, the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus.
27:10
Don Armstrong: I had the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus top of the line, compact four-door sedan, seats five.
27:16
Don Armstrong: Exterior changes minimal.
27:18
Don Armstrong: It was completely redesigned in 2019.
27:21
Don Armstrong: So this current design is getting a little long in the tooth.
27:24
Don Armstrong: Exterior features include the shark grille with the laid-back arrow windshield, quickback design with a small trunk lid at a small opening back there, slick wraparound headlights, 18-inch black wheels on this particular trim level, given a premium appearance.
27:41
Don Armstrong: But I liked the overall sporty design.
27:44
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
27:46
Don Armstrong: Well, something new is a seven-year-old design.
27:48
Don Armstrong: It sells, it's good, but uh it's time to bump it up, I think.
27:54
Don Armstrong: Uh interior highlights.
27:56
Don Armstrong: Design and quality get high marks.
27:58
Don Armstrong: Uh small infotainment screen sits atop the dash, minimal minimalist control switches.
28:05
Don Armstrong: They look good, but some are hard to find, the ones that you need.
28:09
Don Armstrong: Uh front seats are comfortable, uh, but rear ones, not so much.
28:15
Don Armstrong: Small trunk room, and especially that opening back there.
28:19
Don Armstrong: It's very small, so you're not going to get your you know, your big, big suitcase back in there.
28:25
Don Armstrong: Uh, what I liked, quality materials.
28:27
Don Armstrong: This is high-end, really, for this kind of car and for this price.
28:30
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement?
28:32
Don Armstrong: The infotainment operation is still too complicated.
28:35
Don Armstrong: It's the same one they've been stuck with for years.
28:38
Don Armstrong: I'm not a big fan.
28:39
Don Armstrong: 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine, 227 horsepower, 310 pound feet of pork uh pork.
28:47
Don Armstrong: Torque.
28:48
Don Armstrong: 310 pound feet of torque.
28:51
Don Armstrong: Transmission, six-speed automatic, 23 miles per gallon city, 32 highway for a combined at 27.
28:58
Don Armstrong: I got 25.2 miles per gallon over 525 miles.
29:04
Don Armstrong: Oops, 25 miles over.
29:06
Don Armstrong: I'm sorry.
29:07
Don Armstrong: What I liked, the plenty of power for this top-of-the-line engine.
29:12
Don Armstrong: Um, what could use improvement?
29:14
Don Armstrong: How about a hybrid offering for a better miles per gallon?
29:18
Don Armstrong: I don't know if it's possible or not, but that's a slick looking sport of sedan.
29:22
Don Armstrong: What I liked about it, the sporty nature of the sedan.
29:24
Don Armstrong: What could use improvement for the ride and handling?
29:27
Don Armstrong: Nothing.
29:28
Don Armstrong: Base trim price.
29:29
Don Armstrong: No, base trim price,$36,740.
29:33
Don Armstrong: Price is tested$39,145, which is a lot of money for this car.
29:37
Don Armstrong: But base model price,$24,550.
29:41
Don Armstrong: Oh, very good.
29:42
Don Armstrong: Hello?
29:42
Don Armstrong: I'm in for that.
29:43
Don Armstrong: Yeah.
29:44
Don Armstrong: Competitors, the Honda Civic starts at$24,695.
29:49
Don Armstrong: This is just so weird to me when I started looking all this stuff up.
29:51
Don Armstrong: I'm going, wait a minute.
29:53
Don Armstrong: They're all within$1,000 of each other.
29:55
Don Armstrong: Toyota Corolla starts at$22,925, and the Hyundai Alantra starts at$22,625.
30:02
Don Armstrong: Isn't that bizarre?
30:04
Don Armstrong: The price, really, comparison is between the Mazda 3 that I drove, but the base model price$24,550 and the Honda Civic for$24,695.
30:13
Jeff Dziekan: And you got some youngster going away to college, it might be a good first car on the base side of it.
30:17
Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
30:22
Don Armstrong: They want to sell them with all the goodies on it because they make more money that way.
30:26
Don Armstrong: And I get it.
30:27
Don Armstrong: They're not going to order you one with just base.
30:29
SPEAKER_02: No, they probably would, but oh, they would, yeah.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:33
Don Armstrong: Anyway.
30:34
Don Armstrong: So that's the car review of the Mazda 3 sedan.
30:37
Don Armstrong: I liked it.