2026 SUV And EV Reality Check

2026 Lexus RX 450H Plus

Don Armstrong 0:06

All right, time now for this hour's car review. Had a chance to drive the Lexus RX 450H Plus. I've told the story a bajillion times. I really had no experience with Lexus until, well, this has uh probably the 1980s, early 2000s. You own one. I did. It was an RX at 350, and it was the original RX, and absolutely loved that thing. Anyway, this is not that. This is the brand new 2026 Lexus RX 450H Plus. So here are the trim levels. 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. So I had the top of the line. Nanny nanny boo-boo. Um this is a PHEV. Uh that's a hybrid. Uh five seats, exterior changes from last model year. Well, it was completely redesigned in 2023, so it's really this design is only three years old. Um, exterior features include the oversized Lexus grille with squinty, high-mounted headlights, arrow windshield, really laid back, upswept and side sculpting on it. Really looks good with some very nice wheels. It doesn't make any difference. Which trim level that you choose, there's going to be a wheel for that car specifically. Bustle butt rear. All right. With a built-in sunshade over the glass back there. This is a very unique-looking vehicle, and that's part of the reason that I like it. It doesn't look like all the other SUVs out there. Overall design gets high marks. Look at use improvement. Nothing. Keep it coming. Interior highlights, high zoot design that leans toward the minimalist look. In other words, you're not going to find a lot of buttons and switches in this. Standalone instrument cluster and a great big infotainment screen. Non-cluttered center console, read minimalist, awesome upholstery and comfortable seating. Cargo, well, that area back there behind the second row of seats bigger than you think. But I like, again, high marks for design and materials with that Mark Levinson sound system, it is top-notch. What could use improvement? Like to see some instrument controls like a volume knob. That would have been nice. 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. I think that a few more buttons would have been nice for some of the functions, but that's just me. 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. A miles per gallon city. Well, uh, it's 85 miles per gallon electric, 35 for the gas only. Did I plug it in? I did not. 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. What I liked about it, it has enough power that leaves you satisfied. That sounds almost kind of like our old cigarette commercial, doesn't it? Ah, satisfaction. What could use improvement? Get the full hybrid version unless you only travel 35 miles uh per charge a day. That would be my suggestion. Good looking car. Yeah, it is. And they also have the gasoline, strictly gasoline version of it as well. What I liked about it, I liked all of it. What could use improvement? Nothing on this top-of-the-line trim. So how much? Base trim price? $73,310. This is top of the line now. Price is tested $78,569. If you just want to get in one, it starts at $50,525. Competitors, Mercedes-Benz GLE 450E, $72.5, BMW X5, $76375. Or how about this? The Acura MDX Type S non-hybrid is $77.3. Wow. Expensive. Next week I'm going to review it. All right.

2026 Chevy Equinox EV RS

Don Armstrong 4:55

Time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2026 Chevy Equinox EV. Available trim levels, the LT1, the LT2, and the RS. I had the RS. This is considered a small SUV, but boy, I'll tell you what, that's precedent to say small. Anyway, five seats in this, including the driver. All new in 2024. So uh all new design. It really does look sharp. Sharp-looking exterior design with slit lighting up front. Uh RS had a blacked-out faux grille, but it doesn't need a grill because it's electric. Big 21-inch wheels, sharp rear hatch with sunshade over the back glass. What I liked about it, it gets high marks for styling, I think. What could use improvement? Not a fan of two-tone paint. That's an option that you can get. When do we go back to two-tone paint? Let's go back to two wood panels. Well, yeah. Real wood. Um, ours did not have the two-tone, but I'm glad to report. Um, I've seen, especially the blue one with the white top. All I can think of is the old Houston Police Department paint scheme. Uh, interior highlights, color options, enhance the interior bling on this RS. Um layered two screens are unique and are good. Um column shift is great. I loved it, and it opens up the center console for other stuff. Infotainment controls work great and are easy to understand. Cargo trunk room, well, adequate for most, I would say, for a small SUV. What I liked? The Evotex seating surfaces. It seems they seem industrial in black, but you can get some highlights in different colors that really makes it pop. Evotex, that's one of those kind of like uh name one of those old school plastic things that they came up with. Plastic seats. Oh, yeah. But they came up with names for them. Oh it was always very interesting, the names that they like cleather. Yeah, it was Evotex. One could use improvement, nothing. Uh drivetrain. Uh electric motor works great. Two motor options give 300 horsepower and 355 pound feet of torque. Horsepower, 0 to 67.8 seconds, adequate for most. Not a rocket ship by any means. Direct drive transmission, obviously, the electric motors connected to the wheels. Uh tow rating, 1500 pounds. Not a lot, but what do you need? This is uh electric EV SUV. So 117 miles per gallon city is what it's rated. And it's called MPG. Uh highway is a hundred miles combined, 31 kilowatts per 100 miles. You do the math. I've tried, I failed. I got 2.9 kilowatt hours over 387.6 miles. Do you get that? Um, EPA rated at 319 mile range. What I liked, front or all-wheel drive is available. It's nice to have the option. Long range version would be a nice improvement, I think. A bigger battery. Um what I liked about it, riding handling, nice and smooth. What could use improvement? Steering wheel mounting controls were a little confusing. 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. Yeah. And your buick has probably got the same thing. I'll tell you a story when you're done with your review. Okay. Um, so there's that. A base trim price, 44.2. Price is tested, 52,945. You can get in this thing for as little as $35,100. Good luck in trying to find one of those. Competitors, the Mustang Mach E for $37,795. Hyundai Ionic 5 starts at $35,000. And the Tesla Model Y starts at $39,990 miles. Wow, I'm sorry, not miles. Dollars. Dollars, thank you. I'm looking at time now for this hour's car review.

2025 Ford Expedition Tremor 4x4

Don Armstrong 9:23

I had the opportunity to drive the 2025 Ford Expedition made in Louisville, Kentucky, all American. 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. You can only imagine what the Max King Ranch costs. I reviewed the Trimmer 4x4. This is a standard or full-size body-on-frame SUV. Underneath it, it's a F-150 pickup truck for the most part. That's what it's based on. Uh, exterior changes. Well, it was fully redesigned for 2025. 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. Exterior features. Trimmer grill, which is distinct amongst all of the expeditions, um, gives a nod to the Chevrolet, actually. The front grille kind of looks like a Chevy with the bar through the middle of it, uh, with that center horizontal bar. Also, it does have copper gold accents. Now, some people said, I don't like that. I do. I think it makes it different, stands out a little bit. Uh gives you an idea that movie. Straight horizontal side body moldings on it. Um extra light, extra lighting now on the rear hatch makes it more unique. Um, what I really liked about it um was that the trimmer package gives it a more off-road or rugged look. Not sure about the back hatch with the two-toned look for most of the expeditions. You may have seen one or two of those. Kind of a piano black thing going on back there around the color that's on the car. Interior highlights, trimmer stitching on the seat packs, uh, comfortable seating throughout, easy access to the second and third rows. Yes, this is a three-row vehicle. Sweeping driver display, love that. Plenty of cubbies throughout the cabin and uh really electrical connections throughout as well. Cargo adequate with the third row seats up, it's just okay. Clearly, the seats are going to take up some room back there in what would be the cargo area. What I liked, the design and the quality with optional uh two-foot center screen.

unknown 12:01

Wow.

Don Armstrong 12:01

A two-foot center screen. I did say that. We could use improvement. 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.

Jeff Dziekan 12:18

Exactly. And it's not Ford's fault. They all do it. 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. Yep.

Don Armstrong 12:30

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. It's huge. It's an aircraft carrier. Uh mileage, 15 miles per gallon city. I guess it's better than the V8, the old V8 that isn't available anymore, because I think it got 12 or 13. 22 on the highway for combined to 18. I got 16.6 over 486.1 miles. What I liked about it, the power, not only in the horsepower, but the torque. What could use improvement? Obviously, fueled economy. I think this would be ripe for a hybrid. Or a diesel. Or a diesel. But you know, it's funny because you know, they've tried diesels in these things before. Chevy did it, they've all done it. They get this big, and it would make sense. But people, you gotta have a mindset for diesel.

Jeff Dziekan 13:33

Right, and you're going to the uh the eco-side of the ownership rather than the torque and the well, yeah.

Don Armstrong 13:41

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. But there again, you know, Ford does make diesel F-150s and 250s and things. They do. 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. Because remember, when you change engines in anything, then you get the EPA involved. Yeah, and it just becomes a whole nother issue. I like about it uh the extra large, long limousine ride.

SPEAKER_04 14:14

Oh, it's sweet, baby.

Don Armstrong 14:16

What could use improvement? 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. It's the SS trimmer. USS Trimmer. It's exactly right. What could use improvement? The steering radius. All right, so here's the pricing for this. The base trim price for the trimmer is $83,945. Prices tested, $86,695. Probably most in the floor mats because you got to have about 15 of them. Uh base model price, $57.4. So you can get in one without floor mats. Without the floor mats. Yeah, that has rubber flooring in it. $57,400. Okay, competitors. Well, you know what they are. Chevy Suburban, $61.5 is where it starts. The Yukon XL, which is the Chevy's other brother, uh, that's $69.9. And we threw in the Toyota Sequoia, although it's not quite as big. Um, it starts at $62,425. Not as much sheet metal. Yeah. So you get a break on that. Yeah. Probably not as heavy either. Or less towing.

unknown 15:27

Okay.

Don Armstrong 15:27

Less time. And that is my review of the 2025 Ford Expedition. Time now for this hour's car review.

2026 Mazda 3 Turbo Sedan

Don Armstrong 15:41

2026 Mazda 3. This is the four-door compact sedan. Um, they do make a hatchback, but forget that. This is the sedan. 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. I had the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus top of the line. Compact four-door sedan, seats five, exterior changes minimal. It was completely redesigned in 2019. So this current design is getting a little long in the tooth. 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. But I liked the overall sporty design. I could use improvement. Well, something new is seven-year-old design. It sells, it's good, but uh it's time to bump it up, I think. Uh interior highlights. Design and quality get high marks. Uh small infotainment screen sits atop the dash, minimal minimalist control switches. They look good, but some are hard to find, the ones that you need. Uh front seats are comfortable, uh, but rear ones, not so much. 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. Uh what I liked, quality materials. This is high-end, really, for this kind of car and for this price. What could use improvement? The infotainment operation is still too complicated. It's the same one they've been stuck with for years, and I'm not a big fan. 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine, 227 horsepower, 310-pound feet of pork uh torque.

unknown 17:41

Torque.

Don Armstrong 17:42

310 pound feet of torque. Transmission, six-speed automatic, 23 miles per gallon city, 32 highway for a combined at 27. I got 25.2 miles per gallon over 525 miles. Oops, 25 miles over. I'm sorry. What I liked, the plenty of power for this top-of-the-line engine. Um could use improvement. How about a hybrid offering for better miles per gallon? I don't know if it's possible or not, but that's a slick looking sport of sedan. What I liked about it, the sporty nature of the sedan. What could use improvement for the ride and handling? Nothing. Base trim price. No, base trim price, $36,740. Price is tested, $39,145, which is a lot of money for this car. But base model price, $24,550. Oh, very good. Hello? I'm in for that. Yeah. Competitors. The Honda Civic starts at $24.695. This is just so weird to me when I started looking all this stuff up. I'm going, wait a minute. They're all within $1,000 of each other. Toyota Corolla starts at $22,925, and the Hyundai Alantra starts at $22,625. Isn't that bizarre? 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.

Jeff Dziekan 19:07

And you got some youngster going away to college, it might be a good first car on the base side of it. Yeah, $22.25.

Don Armstrong 19:13

If you can find, you know, the the base cars are hard to find. They want to sell them with all the goodies on it because they make more money that way.

Jeff Dziekan 19:21

And I get it.

Don Armstrong 19:21

But they're not going to order one with just base.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Oh they would, yeah.

Don Armstrong 19:27

Anyway. So that's the car review of the Mazda 3 sedan. I liked it. Man, it it it's a sporty car. Clearly, Mazda's brand is about sportiness. It's not going to ride like, you know, the Buick Regal of the past. Oh no. You can you can toss it around the corner.

Jeff Dziekan 19:46

And that the shape, when you saw the silhouette of the side view of that vehicle, all the everything looks a euro. It looks like a euro piece. Nice and rounded. Well, my opinion, they stand out. Do something different on your design. And it possibly should. Okay. They're nice cars.

SPEAKER_04 20:10

All right.

Don Armstrong 20:11

Thank you. Time now for this hour's car review.

2026 Subaru Uncharted EV

Don Armstrong 20:14

I had an opportunity to drive something that is all new. All new. And it's the 2026 Subaru Uncharted. And you're thinking, that looks pretty darn good. And it does. So it comes in these trim levels, premium, sport, and GT. I had the middle trim level, the sport, and it was orange like that. It is considered a sub-compact SUV, about the size of the crosstrek. Seats including the driver, five. All new for this year, as I mentioned. Best looking vehicle for its size, period, according to Don Armstrong. I really like it. Front fascia, clean design, doesn't look EV-ish, which is a big thing for me. Why do they have to have EV cars look different than the rest of them? Granted, you don't have to have a big opening in the front for cooling the radiator. It's not moving. Pardon? It's moving. Okay. But this one, it does have kind of a grill-like thing. It's an air intake, but good. They put it in the front like it's supposed to be. The fastback rear hatch gives it a sports car look. The rear door handle is disguised in the C pillar. What I liked, just the right proportions of curves that will give it an extra appeal, in my opinion. What could use improvement? Nothing. Don't touch it. I think they've got a home run here. Granted, it is a small SUV. Interior highlights. Dual horizontal foam chargers. Are superb. Yes, dual. So you can see part of it right up there. You can put two phones up there, one for you and one for your passage. Isn't that nice? Huge screen on the center dash is easy to read and use. Comfortable seating. But rear leg room is a bit tight. As you can imagine, this is a subcompact. 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. As far as cargo, it's tight in the back, especially with its fastback design. So you give up a little bit of room back there in the back. But I'll tell you what, I I just I like the whole thing. 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? Just saying. To me, this gets an urban vehicle award. It is awesome. Engine is a 3.47 kilowatt hour high capacity lithium battery that has drumroll, please, 338 horsepower. Dude, that's a lot. It's a direct drive, dual motor, motor, uh, front or all-wheel drive. Uh all-wheel drive, obviously, is an option. Uh well, it got 3.8 miles per kilowatt hour over 481 miles. Now I charged it both at home and at work. Uh, and obviously you have to charge it because it's strictly an EV. Nothing but uh electricity there. What I liked about it, plenty of power, plenty of power. What could use improvement? The range, 287 miles. Now I've got another EV that I'm driving. It'll be the third one in a row that I'm driving now. And it also, different size vehicle, but it also has 287 miles of range on it. I think that that's just kind of like, oh, well, we'll just throw it 287 miles.

Jeff Dziekan 24:12

It's like a cafe standard type.

Don Armstrong 24:13

Yeah. But 287 miles, uh, but it depends on how you drive. Do you floor it a lot? Do you drive it at high speed a lot? It ain't gonna do 287 miles. 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. Yep. One day. One day. Not two days, but one day. One day. Ride and handling, eight inches of ground clearance gives it a true off-road look. Ride and handling, smooth ride for such a short wheelbase EV. What could use improvement? Nothing. Okay, here comes the pricing. You ready? Base trim price. Now I had the sport model, which is middle of the road, $39,795. Price is tested, $41,720 because of some extra options on it. Base model price you can get in this vehicle. $34,995 is where it starts. Wow. Excluding tax title and license. Competitors, the Hyundai Ionic 5, the Tesla Model Y, and the Mustang Machi. Next week I'm going to review the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid electric. And here's what I here's what I want to tell you about that. This is the first vehicle that I've actually made it an effort to plug it in. Because it's got a gasoline motor. Yeah. And so you plug it in, and it's going to give you, I don't know, 40, 50 miles on the back. 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. This one out here is a true EV, so you it has to be plugged in.

Jeff Dziekan 25:57

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. So the hybrid plug-in is basically the donut spare for the car.

Don Armstrong 26:13

But oh my gosh, what a difference it makes in the gasoline total calculations gives you higher mileage. And you know, I don't know why. I have not done it in the past because it's a pain. But I've got the pain worked out. I charge it at work and then I charge it here at the house. I run an extension cord. And by golly, it works. So there's that. Time now for this hour's

Plug-In Habits And Mazda 3 Revisit

Don Armstrong 26:46

car review. 2026 Mazda 3. This is the four-door compact sedan. Um, they do make a hatchback, but we'll forget that. This is the sedan. 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. I had the 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus top of the line, compact four-door sedan, seats five. Exterior changes minimal. It was completely redesigned in 2019. So this current design is getting a little long in the tooth. 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. But I liked the overall sporty design. What could use improvement? Well, something new is a seven-year-old design. It sells, it's good, but uh it's time to bump it up, I think. Uh interior highlights. Design and quality get high marks. Uh small infotainment screen sits atop the dash, minimal minimalist control switches. They look good, but some are hard to find, the ones that you need. Uh front seats are comfortable, uh, but rear ones, not so much. 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, big suitcase back in there. Uh, what I liked, quality materials. This is high-end, really, for this kind of car and for this price. What could use improvement? The infotainment operation is still too complicated. It's the same one they've been stuck with for years. I'm not a big fan. 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine, 227 horsepower, 310 pound feet of pork uh pork. Torque. 310 pound feet of torque. Transmission, six-speed automatic, 23 miles per gallon city, 32 highway for a combined at 27. I got 25.2 miles per gallon over 525 miles. Oops, 25 miles over. I'm sorry. What I liked, the plenty of power for this top-of-the-line engine. Um, what could use improvement? How about a hybrid offering for a better miles per gallon? I don't know if it's possible or not, but that's a slick looking sport of sedan. What I liked about it, the sporty nature of the sedan. What could use improvement for the ride and handling? Nothing. Base trim price. No, base trim price, $36,740. Price is tested $39,145, which is a lot of money for this car. But base model price, $24,550. Oh, very good. Hello? I'm in for that. Yeah. Competitors, the Honda Civic starts at $24,695. This is just so weird to me when I started looking all this stuff up. I'm going, wait a minute. They're all within $1,000 of each other. Toyota Corolla starts at $22,925, and the Hyundai Alantra starts at $22,625. Isn't that bizarre? 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.

Jeff Dziekan 30:13

And you got some youngster going away to college, it might be a good first car on the base side of it. Yeah.

Don Armstrong 30:22

They want to sell them with all the goodies on it because they make more money that way. And I get it. They're not going to order you one with just base.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

No, they probably would, but oh, they would, yeah. Yeah.

Don Armstrong 30:33

Anyway. So that's the car review of the Mazda 3 sedan. I liked it.