Just about a month ago the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was featured on our weekly Rick’sTech Talk podcast. At that time we had no in-house photos of the vehicle to present to our viewers. Now we do.
Please enjoy our slide show of this surprisingly agile new entry in the brawny SUV class. Our chosen location for the exterior shoot was the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. This old New England whaling city once provided the world with the cleanest burning lamp oil money could buy. Fortunes change but the evidence of the wealth that once flowed through the city remain particularly in its architecture. The Grand Highlander fits right in.
Luxury can be a peculiar commodity – partly perception, bordering on extravagance, but with a whole lot of expensive necessities. The 2023 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge AWD Ultimate Black Edition just might qualify as a perfect example of this. If anything, our week-long test drive of the PHEV convinced us that this five-passenger sedan’s Scandinavian upbringing remains intact in its restrained elegance, explosive performance and impeccable niceties.
We’re not sure that anyone shops for Volvo looking for the ultimate luxury sport sedan. Nevertheless, the S60 T8 Recharge certainly has the power and speed to fit the requirements with its combined gas/electric 455 horsepower launching 4,450+ pounds from zero to 60 in around 4.3 seconds. It falls off the mark a bit when it comes to sport handling, but it more than makes up for this on the luxury side of its curriculum vitae especially if one remembers to kick in the extra $3,200 for the Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound System to overrule any lapses in serenity. Why have illuminated door handles, a tailored dashboard, air purification and some of the best seats in the business if you’re not going to have superior audio throughout the cabin?
We’ve put together this photo gallery for you to enjoy. It’s a beautiful vehicle. Take a look.
Today we feature the gasoline only version of the Ford Escape ST-Line Elite. The combination of a 2-liter Ecoboost engine and 8-speed automatic transmission play significantly into this model’s 23 city / 31 highway / 26 combined fuel economy rating.
We recently produced a video of the Ford Escape Hybrid ST-Line Elite. Other than exterior color, the outward appearances are essentially identical between the two variants. Fuel economy however is much different. Compare the photos of the gasoline-only version featured in the gallery below with the video of the hybrid model that’s underneath the gallery.
Do you remember in those days of youth ever thinking about a car you could see yourself owning once it was a few years out because that would be the only time you might be able to afford it? The 2024 Subaru Impreza RS is that kind of car – potentially affordable and spunky enough to peak one’s burgeoning interest in performance vehicles.
Not that you didn’t ever dream big about owning a Jaguar XKE or a ‘Vette or something with a little more status to it. They were just simply out of reach.
Sure, times have changed and no one seems to worry about taking on too much credit anymore. But if you are one of those folks who doesn’t ever get in over their head, yet you’re not willing to settle for just anything with four wheels, the $29,107-delivered price-tag on a new Impreza RS makes a mighty enticing proposition.
This four-door sedan is feisty, it’s efficient, it’s got five star safety ratings in all categories… oh, and it looks sharp. Flip through the photos in our 2024 Subaru Impreza RS slideshow below and see for yourself.
RPM News Weekly Photos by Rich Taber
Make A Donation
Support Independent Automotive Journalism At RPM News Weekly.
For the price of a gallon of gas, your generous donation will enable us to continue presenting informative news, insightful podcasts and hands-on video reviews. But feel free to contribute any amount. There are no strings attached and we won’t bombard your email box with solicitations. Just a simple Thank You.
If there’s one thing the Genesis GV60 is not, it’s boring. Sure, the interior may seem a bit stark to some, but we would advise a closer look at its neat and studied mindfulness. Likewise, the exterior – it’s sleek and slender, but not malnourished. The design is so tastefully executed that we couldn’t help but imagine the vehicle slipping through the breeze at top speed with little noise or resistance.
This leaves us with the conclusion that owning an automobile of this caliber, not withstanding its contributions to a sustainable future as an all-electric vehicle, is totally transformative. Let your mind, body and soul feel that experience. If you have regrets put them in the comments.
Meanwhile, enjoy our 2024 Genesis GV60 Performance curated slideshow below, and the overview that follows.
RPM News Weekly Photos by Rich Taber
No one buys a car strictly by the numbers. It has to appeal to something more abstract than simply the amount of horsepower or the size of its cargo area. It might be the way the color makes one feel or the prestige the nameplate implies, or some other indefinable attribute either sensed or perceived. Nevertheless, we all typically have some sort of hit list of features that we want met in a vehicle we intend to purchase. With the Genesis GV60 Performance few features are left at the curb, but there is a whole new vocabulary with which buyers will want to familiarize themselves.
Most of us have some understanding of a vehicle’s horsepower figure and what is meant by a 12-volt battery. But how about items such as 160kW front and rear electric motors, or a 774 kWh battery, such as listed on the GV60 fact sheet? Likewise miles/kWh instead of mpg? What do they mean and how does it relate to what we already know about performance and costs?
Well the power in kiloWatts is easy enough to convert. One kiloWatt is equivalent to 1.341 horsepower. So each of those electric motors produces about 215 horsepower. Calculating the comparative cost of fuel takes a few more steps.
The EPA uses MPGe as a way to see relative efficiency of an electrified vehicle (EV, PHEV) compared with gasoline-powered ones. Here the GV60 Performance scores 90 MPGe (select trims score as high as 112 MPGe). But this does little to plainly see what the cost advantages might be. Why? Because electric rates around the country vary considerably more from region to region than gasoline prices do.
So, let’s bring it home by dissecting the cost of our electricity consumption with the GV60 and how that compares with a similar gasoline-powered SUV. (cont. below)
Make A Donation
Support Independent Automotive Journalism At RPM News Weekly.
For the price of a gallon of gas, your generous donation will enable us to continue presenting informative news, insightful podcasts and hands-on video reviews. But feel free to contribute any amount. There are no strings attached and we won’t bombard your email box with solicitations. Just a simple Thank You.
$3.25
If you looked closely at the image that depicts the gauge cluster in the above slideshow, you might have noticed that the GV60 was garnering 2.7miles per kWh. Recently, the cost of electricity here in Eastern Massachusetts went up to around 30 cents per kWh (total figure incl. distribution and fees), so that’s about 9 miles per dollar. Meanwhile the cost of gasoline averages around $3.25 per gallon, meaning that for the same amount of money, the GV60 will travel around 29.25 miles where a similar sized gasoline-powered luxury SUV such as the Lexus RX350 manages 24 miles. It gets even better for the GV60 in places where electricity costs around 15 cents per kWh essentially doubling the number of miles for the same amount of money. Then again, if you have solar panels on the roof of your house you may not be paying anything to charge up.
Enough said.
Still, there’s more to owning the GV60 Performance model than a few extra dollars in your pocket. It’s really about the luxurious experience. In this, Genesis does not disappoint. The vehicle looks, feels and behaves like a proper premium-level vehicle. You might expect this when scanning through the features on the Monroney sticker (see below) or better yet easily discern it by taking the GV60 for a rainy day afternoon drive across town, onto the Interstate highway and down a few rural roads. The turns are smooth and firm, the bumps are muted and neutered, and the acceleration is quick and invigorating even with the wet pavement.
Everything else delivers at similar exemplary levels – a no-fuss climate control with heated seats front and rear and a heated steering wheel, a premium Bang & Olufsen audio system, mobile phone app integration, wireless phone charging, a super-easy-to-use console controller for the 12.3-inch infotainment system display, and a splendid bit of eye-candy in the way the spherical shifter rolls into play.
Though beyond such novelties as the flipping shifter, and even the prolific and wonderful driver convenience, crash avoidance and powertrain technologies listed below, there’s a peculiar cathartic potential here. More than it being a superbly refined means of transportation, the Genesis GV60 has the capacity to shift perceptions. Yes, transformative.
For 2023, RAM brought the off-road-ready Rebel trim from the RAM 1500 to the 2500 HD.
It’s hard to believe that someone at RAM looked around the table and said, “You know what? The RAM Heavy Duty pickup line needs another trim configuration.”
RAM trucks already offer a dizzying array of trims, special editions, and configurations, ranging from the no-frills, work-focused Tradesmen – a classic Dodge RAM trim name revived in 2019 – to the luxurious Limited edition. When we say luxurious, we mean it. While Ford and GMC trucks have stepped up their game with impressive interiors, the top-tier RAM trims reign supreme as the king of the ‘cowboy Cadillacs.’
For 2023, RAM brought the off-road-ready Rebel trim from the RAM 1500 to the 2500 HD. Not that the HD series was lacking an off-road trim, the RAM 2500 HD Power Wagon has been available for almost a decade and a half.
Although there are similarities, the Power Wagon continues to add a few more off-road goodies including Tru-Lok locking differentials, an Articulink articulating suspension, a front disconnecting stabilizer bar, and a standard 12,000-lb winch integrated into the front bumper.
Of course, the Rebel is no slouch when it comes to off-road capability, boasting aggressive off-road tires, skid plates, and a rear limited-slip differential. Plus, the Rebel offers one thing that the Power Wagon doesn’t: a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine, delivering 420 horsepower and an astounding 1,075 pound-feet of torque.
While it might sound cliché, the RAM 2500 Rebel truly stands out as a well-balanced pickup truck capable of seamlessly transitioning from the job site to the campsite in comfort.
2023 RAM 2500 HD Rebel2023 RAM 2500 HD Rebel2023 RAM 2500 HD Rebel2023 RAM 2500 HD Rebel2023 RAM 2500 HD Rebel
The Rebel also offers two Rebel Equipment Groups;
Rebel Level 1:
Leather-trimmed 40/20/40 Bench Seat
Automatic Adjust-in-Reverse Exterior Mirrors
Power Adjustable Convex Aux Mirrors
Power Heat/Fold/Telescoping Memory Mirrors
Power Telescoping Mirrors
Premium Overhead Console
Rain-Sensitive Windshield Wipers
Selectable Tire-Fill Alert
Trailer Tow Pages
Uconnect 5 Nav with 12.0-inch Touch Screen Display
Rebel Level 2:
Front Door Passive Entry and Lock
Off-Road Info Pages
Rear Power-Sliding Window
17 Speaker Harman Kardon Premium Sound
Bi-Function LED Projector Headlamps
Electronic Shift-On-The-Fly Transfer Case
Front and Rear Floor Mats
Aluminum Litho w/Black Trim Instrument Panel Bezels
Leather-Trimmed Bucket Seats
Leather-Wrapped Grab Handle
Luxury Door Trim Panel
Black Rotary Shifter with Silver Stripe
Make A Donation
Support Independent Automotive Journalism At RPM News Weekly.
For the price of a gallon of gas, your generous donation will enable us to continue presenting informative news, insightful podcasts and hands-on video reviews. But feel free to contribute any amount. There are no strings attached and we won’t bombard your email box with solicitations. Just a simple Thank You.
