You are my hero. I’d also change the irregularly shaped back window between the C and D pillars and make all A-D pillars as thin as possible.

It looks like outward visibility is much better in the Cruiser. The 4Runner has an awfully high hood. The Cruiser’s hood could be lower too though.

The BYD Shark crew cab 4x4 pickup has entered the chat. Made in China now; production moving to Mexico.

For the Volvo EX30 (and any other Volvo), there is some fine print that largely renders the tariffs null due to the volume of exports from Volvo’s U.S. plant in South Carolina. 

So how much does that now make the Lincoln Nautilus and the Buick Envision?

1. When is the plug-in hybrid “Prime” version coming?

Fun game:

It will be very interesting to see the real-world performance on the upcoming Ram Ramcharger PHEV pickup. Announcements claim it will have 140+ miles with the battery and then 690 miles range overall.

So much want.

Yeah, I think the range requirement starts at 50 miles for 2026 (model year) and ramps up (to 70 miles) from there over time.

Sure a battery may reduce payload, but it’s not all or nothing. 

Frequently traveler at SFO here.

Kaiser M725 for the win (missing the 230 OHC Tornado). How do we get one?

The upcoming regs/incentives call for 50 mile electric range that kick in for the 2026 model year. You can get a lot of work done on most days with 50 miles of range. And then for the long distance days, fuel up with gas. Easy.

Yes, a plug-in hybrid Tacoma “Prime” would be sweet. Would love that instant torque from a big electric motor and not burning a drop of gas most days.

That’s great. We drive a 2022 Highlander Hybrid and while the mpg is great (and the AWD is surprisingly capable off-road), it’s miserable to drive around town. It stumbles, lunges, and hiccups worse than many carbureted cars from the Malaise Era I drove in the 80s.

You’re right. The Pacifica - especially the PHEV version - is awesome.

Exactly. We have been waiting for a large off-road capable three-row PHEV for years, basically the Grand Cherokee L or similar. Still waiting

We got a Toyota Highlander Hybrid in the meantime. It gets great mileage (30-34 mpg) and with an aggressive set of tires, does fairly well off-road given its roots. That being…

EV pricing. To no surprise, only a small amount of the market can afford a $80K+ car, no matter how awesome it is.