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The once full compact truck space was filled with any number of budget-friendly small trucks that would handle the arduous task of hauling landscaping pieces from your local home store, or moving a Go-Kart has disappeared. Those small trucks either grew into the mid-size trucks we know today or fell into the footnotes of history, like the rotary-powered Mazda REPU. The folks at Hyundai jumped back into the underserviced space with the crossover-based Hyundai Santa Cruz. Riding on the same N3 platform as the similarly named Sante Fe, this Santa Cruz pickup essentially gives you the comfort and convenience of a modern crossover, with a separated, external four-foot cargo space – or bed, for the truck enthusiasts.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Santa Cruz and highlights some of its updates and some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy about the Santa Cruz, the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz so special.
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Nissan’s small pickup might be one of the brand’s most interesting machines that doesn’t carry the GT-R badge. Once dubbed Hardbody, the small Nissan pickup has duked it out with giants in the small-to-midsize truck world for almost half a century. The latest iteration joined the Frontier’s history books in 2022 as the D41-generation pickup. This truck replaced the long-running-if-not-old D22-generation rig, which ran from 2007 to 2021. This new truck significantly updated the Frontier, but it kept the 3.8-liter V6 mill that joined the truck in 2020. This 3.8-liter V6 is good for 310 hp and 281 lb-ft of torque. That power travels through a nine-speed automatic before hitting the rear axle, or the four-wheel-drive system. For ’25, Nissan updated the interior with a larger infotainment screen, increased towing capacity, and slightly revised styling.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Nissan Frontier and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the Frontier and highlights some of his favorite features and changes. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Joining these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Nissan Frontier, the competition, and the world of midsize trucks. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Nissan Frontier special.
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Formerly the Infiniti JX, the QX60 sits below the company’s flagship body-on-frame SUV but gives shoppers the ever-important three-row option. Entering its second generation in 2022, the QX60 launched with the venerable 3.5-liter V6, or VQ35 in Nissan’s engine lingo. However, for 2025 Infiniti is moving its three-row people mover away from one of its staple powertrains and is moving it toward the brand’s future. Under the hood of every 2025 Infiniti QX60 is the company’s 2.0-liter, variable-compression turbocharged four-cylinder. The variable compression engine made its debut in the 2019 QX50 but has finally made its way into the company’s larger QX60. This engine sends 268 hp and 286 lb-ft of torque through a nine-speed transmission.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Infiniti QX60 and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the QX60 and highlights some of his favorite features before taking you on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the QX60, Infiniti as a whole, and the three-row crossover space. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Infiniti QX60 special.
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Mazda’s numerically named hatchback might be a vestige of its former naming conventions, but it still echoes Mazda’s modern direction. This fourth-generation Mazda 3 made its way to roadways for the 2019 model year, which, historically, puts it close to the end of the line. Despite not having a Mazdaspeed version for hopped-up hatchback enthusiasts to add to their respective stables, this fourth-gen Mazda 3 does pack plenty of power under the hood. The base-model Mazda 3’s naturally aspirated 2.5-liter mill sends 191 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque through either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. That’s not bad, of course, but Mazda also offers the Mazda 3 with the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine that shoves 250 hp, on 93 octane fuel, and 310 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the turbocharged Mazda 3 hatchback and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Mazda 3 before taking you on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Patrick Carone about the Mazda 3’s position in the marketplace, the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Mazda Mazda 3 special.
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The Maserati MC20 Cielo joins the quickly growing line of Maserati’s supercar variants. As the name suggests, the MC20 Cielo drops the top on the MC20 and gives you the open sky. Even though the MC20 is the spiritual successor to the V8-powered MC12, the ’25 MC20 Cielo, and the rest of the MC20 lineup, opts for a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that throws 621 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission before throwing that power to the rear wheels.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Maserati MC20 Cielo and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 MC20 Cielo and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the ’25 Maserati MC20 Cielo, where it stacks up among the competition and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’25 Maserati MC20 Cielo special.
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The VW Bus, in its many forms, has become one of the most recognizable vehicles in the company’s history. Sure, it might be second to the VW Beetle, but even that might be a close race. While the bus has been out of production for decades for use in the U.S. market, the folks at VW showed off a battery-electric concept in 2016 dubbed BUDD-e. Of course, wiser heads prevailed, and the concept van was updated and given a new name in 2017: ID. Buzz. Of course, it would be a while before the ID. Buzz hit U.S. shores, but a successor to the VW Bus is finally showing up on U.S. streets. The ’25 VW ID. Buzz rides on the brand’s MEB platform and packs a 91-kWh battery pack under its floor. That battery feeds a 282 hp rear motor or a 335 hp dual-motor powertrain.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2025 VW ID Buzz and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a guided tour of the ID. Buzz to highlight some of his favorite features. Later, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the ’25 ID. Buzz, minivans as a whole, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 VW ID. Buzz special.
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Nissan’s Armada sailed into the Japanese automaker’s fleet in 2003. This body-on-frame SUV has become a staple in the Nissan lineup and gave the United States a taste of Nissan’s off-road chops. While the Nissan Armada spent two generations with a V8 under its hood, the third-generation Armada showed its face last year with two fewer cylinders and a pair of turbocharges. The third-gen Nissan Armada sticks with body-on-frame construction, but has pivoted to a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 under the hood. The new engine might not have as many cylinders, but it does crank the output up to 425 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. That’s a 25 hp and 103 lb-ft of torque bump over the outgoing V8, for what it's worth. That V6 sends its power through a nine-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels or a four-wheel-drive system.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the ’25 Nissan Armada and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Nissan Armada and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you on a live drive review of this third-generation Armada. Joining these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Nissan Armada, the state of large SUVs in the marketplace, and more. The two briefly discuss the Honda and Nissan Merger talks breaking down. Closing the show, the pair broke down what makes the ’25 Nissan Armada special.
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The Lexus UX might not have the flash of halo products like the LC or LFA, but it fills an ever-important role for the brand: an entry point. While it launched in 2018 with a series of variants, the ’25 UX boils down to just one model – the 2025 Lexus UX 300h. This change comes from the pivot to a new powertrain. This updated powertrain features the company’s fifth-generation hybrid system, which pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline-burning engine with an eCVT. This combination is good for a combined 196 hp 15 hp over the outgoing UX250h. Even with the extra oomph, the UX300h also bests the outgoing model in city fuel economy, which rises to 45 mpg city. The two models share the same mixed driving fuel numbers.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Lexus UX300h and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Lexus UX 300h and highlights some of the UX’s features. Later in the show, Wren takes you on a live drive review of the ’25 Lexus UX 300h. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the world of small crossovers, the updates to the Lexus UX, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what’s special about the UX 300h.
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With the team at Mercedes-AMG putting the V12-powered S65 out to pasture a handful of years ago, the highest-performance S-Class has become the 4.0-liter-powered S63. This latest iteration in the long line of hopped-up S-Class machines blends the aforementioned 4.0-liter with an electric motor at the rear axle. Powering this 188 hp electric motor is a 13.1kWh battery pack that can be recharged. According to Mercedes-AMG, this plug-in hybrid system was derived from the hybrid system that powers the brand’s Formula 1 machine. Of course, that electric motor at the rear works with the 604 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque from the internal combustion engine and gives the latest S63 a staggering 791 hp and 1,055 lb-ft of torque – not bad for a luxury cruiser. According to Mercedes-AMG, this combination is good enough to rocket this 5,831-pound car to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Mercedes-AMG S63 and puts it through its paces. Vaughn gives you a guided tour of the S63 and highlights some of his favorite features and some of its accouterment. Later in the show, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review of this S-Class. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the S63, the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes this 2025 Mercedes-AMG S63 special.
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The Nissan Kicks might have started its life in South America, where it debuted at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, but it made its way to the U.S. only a year later. This Kicks filled the void left by the polarizing Juke’s U.S. departure from the small crossover space, which is only becoming more popular and competitive. The Kicks gave Nissan a new, competitively priced small crossover to help sway entry-level shoppers to its dealer. Well, the Kicks was popular enough to warrant a second generation, which gave the Kicks bolder styling and more power. Now stuffed under the hood of the Nissan Kicks is a 2.0-liter that sends 141 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque through a CVT to the front wheels, or through the optional all-wheel-drive system.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Nissan Kicks and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the ’25 Kicks where he highlights some of his favorite features and the new features that join the second-generation machine. Later, Murphy takes you on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2025 Kicks, how it's standing up against the competitive set on the sales chart, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’25 Nissan Kicks special.
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The crossover coupe is one of the most polarizing trends among car enthusiasts, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing attention from luxury SUV shoppers. While it sacrifices an essential part of the SUV’s acronym, the more style-forward versions of these crossovers and SUVs do give shoppers something different. Joining the updated GV80, the GV80 Coupe slashes away some cargo area and ditches a row of seats from its three-row stablemate. Unlike the standard GV80, the GV80 Coupe is only available with the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 with or without the electronic, 48-volt supercharger. Without the e-Supercharger, this GV80 is good for 375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque, but e-Supercharged models push that up to 409 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Genesis GV80 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the GV80 and highlights some of its features, its design, and its interior. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone. The pair discuss the GV80’s competitive set, Genesis’s position in the marketplace, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe Special.
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Audi’s e-tron lineup might have started with a lone crossover half a decade ago but has been spun into almost a sub-brand for the automaker. Joining the evolving line of Audi BEVs in 2021, the Audi Q4 e-tron joined the lineup to serve as the brand’s electric entry point. Riding on the same MEB architecture that underpins its more cost-conscious Volkswagen counterpart, the Q4 e-tron packs a single electric drive module in the front, or an electric drive module at both axles. Unlike the Volkswagen ID.4, the Q4 e-tron only packs an 82 kWh battery pack. For ’25, the team at Audi updated the powertrains for the Q4 e-tron, with more power heading to the renamed Q4 e-tron 45 and the Q4 e-tron 55. The all-wheel-drive, top-flight Q4 e-trong 55 now sends 335 hp to the pavement through its pair of electric drive motors. According to the EPA, this Audi is good for 258 miles per charge.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’25 Audi Q4 e-tron 55 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the Q4 e-tron to highlight some of his favorite features and relay what it’s like in the real world. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the ’25 Audi Q4 e-tron, battery-electric vehicles in Michigan, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Q4 e-tron special.
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The Lexus RX might not be the flashiest piece of kit in the brand’s portfolio, but it has been an important piece of the brand’s showroom for over two decades. Entering its fifth generation only a couple of years ago, the Lexus RX has never really deviated from its roots of being a comfortable people mover. While this fifth-generation RX features aggressive-if-not-polarizing styling, it is also stuffed with a predictably comfortable cabin that is also home to the latest Lexus infotainment and media system. Powering the 500h is a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 that works with the Lexus and Toyota hybrid system to send 366 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque to the all-wheel-drive system.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Lexus RX 500h and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the 2024 Lexus RX 500h and highlights its styling and some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Carone takes the RX 500h out for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the Lexus RX, the luxury crossover space, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Lexus RX 500h special.
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The Toyota GR86 has had a surprisingly convoluted history despite its relatively short tenure in the Toyota portfolio. Once the flagship sport coupe that flew under the youth-oriented Scion brand as the FR-S, the coupe earned the 86 badge to ride out the remainder of its original generation under new management. For the launch of the second-generation car, Toyota stuffed the two plus two under its GR banner and renamed it the GR86 – adding a third name for the North American shopper to know. This second-gen coupe still shares a platform with Subaru’s BRZ and still has flat-four power. However, the second-generation car now packs 2.4 liters of naturally aspirated flat-four power under the hood and throws 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels by way of a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Toyota GR86 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the evolving, second-generation GR86 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of Toyota's entry-level sport coupe. Adding to the show, Wren chats with Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy about the GR86, the competitive set, and more. The pair also look at how the GR86 compares to the Subaru BRZ on the sales charts. Closing the show, Murphy and Wren break down what makes the 2024 Toyota GR86 special.
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General Motors downsized the people-moving Acadia for its second generation, but for three-row-conscious consumers, the company reversed course for its third installment. The third-generation GMC Acadia sports three rows of seats, which are stuffed inside a 204-inch-long shell. While the Acadia is stuffed full of the latest GM suite of digital screen tech, the biggest departure in the Acadia’s lineup might be the 3.6-liter V6. Stuffed under the hood of the Acadia since its launch, the 3.6-liter V6 was left at the factory, with GMC stuffing a turbocharged 2.5-liter I4 in its place. This turbocharged I4 shoves 328 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels, or through the all-wheel-drive system.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of a 2024 GMC Acadia and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a tour of the ’24 Acadia and highlights some of its new features and styling. Later in the show, Murphy also takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the new Acadia, where it sits on the sales charts, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 GMC Acadia special.
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The Lexus TX solves an important problem for Lexus – it gives the brand an upscale, large people mover. This three-row crossover joined the Lexus brand at the end of 2023 as a 2024 model-year vehicle and is the cousin of the Toyota Grand Highlander. The Lexus TX also packs a variety of powertrains, with a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4, a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 that works with a hybrid system, and the top-flight 3.5-liter V6 that works with the plug-in hybrid system. This particular tester slots under the TX 500h+ trim which moves by way of the turbocharged 2.4-cylinder hybrid powertrain.
On the Toyota side of the dealership, your three-row options open up. Sure, you can snag a Grand Highlander or Sienna, or you can move to the body-on-frame Sequoia. Based on the latest TNGA-F architecture, the latest Sequoia follows the same pattern as the new Tundra. That means it packs a 3.4-liter turbocharged V6 under the hood that works with the i-Force Max hybrid system to throw 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
On this episode of Talking Cars with the Boss, host Wesley Wren chats with Natalie Neff about these two three-row people movers. The pair talk about their respective experiences with each of these distinctly different people movers, and discuss their merits. Closing the show, the pair decide which one of these two three-row machines they’d want to throw into their driveway.
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Stuffing a big engine into a small car has been a formula for success throughout the history of the automobile. Oldsmobile stuffed its new overhead-valve V8 into its 88. Later, Pontiac stuffed 389 cubic inches worth of V8 into a Tempest. While this trend never really went away, it did change – turbocharged, smaller displacement engines squeeze more oomph out of smaller displacements. That said, Lexus looked at its parts catalog, saw the 5.0-liter V8 was available, and stuffed it into the small IS sedan. Of course, there was more to the mating of this 5.0-liter V8 and this small sedan, but it does follow the same formula as some of the most beloved muscle machines of yore. This ’24 Lexus IS 500 sends 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission. From there, power shuffles to the IS 500’s rear axle, only.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Lexus IS 500 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the ’24 IS 500 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Lexus IS, this V8-powered version, and how it compares to the competitive set. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes this 2024 Lexus Is 500 special.
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After a brief hiatus, Ford brought its once-compact Ranger pickup back to the United States for the 2019 model year. After a handful of years on the market, Ford has given the North American Ranger another lease on life and launched a new generation in 2024. This updated Ranger borrows a lot of the same concepts from the previous-generation model, as well as its global variant, but also brings some serious updates to the table. Namely, the ’24 Ranger ushered in the Ranger Raptor to the North American portfolio. This latest Ranger also expanded the powertrains and now includes the 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 and the 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 mills in various trims. The ’24 Ford Ranger also sees an overhauled interior, with two available digital instrument clusters, and a large standard touchscreen media system.
On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Ford Ranger and puts it through its paces. Murphy Takes you on a guided tour of the 2024 Ford Ranger and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the 2024 Ford Ranger, Ford’s pickup truck lineup, and the Ranger’s competition. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes this Ford Ranger special.
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Toyota’s stalwart mid-size truck entered a new generation with the 2024 model year. Entering its fourth generation, Toyota’s popular Tacoma didn’t carry along its V6 but did add a hybrid to its portfolio. While the 3.5-liter V6 was replaced with a series of turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder options, the manual transmission stuck with Taco’s order sheet. If you don’t want to spring for the six-speed manual transmission, an eight-speed automatic is effectively standard. Of course, the top-flight TRD Pro carries on, but Toyota also expanded its Tacoma offerings with an overlanding-focused Trailhunter model.
Sitting across the lot from your would-be next pickup is Toyota’s RAV4. The RAV4 entered its fifth generation in 2018 and saw a styling update only a few years ago. While it still might be approaching the end of its generational life, the RAV4 still manages to do what it's supposed to do: easily haul people and stuff. The perennial all-star on the sales charts, Toyota’s RAV4 is spread through three powertrains, with a hybrid and plug-in hybrid available, as well as a traditional ICE powertrain. This ICE-only tester uses a 2.5-liter I4 to send 203 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
On this episode of Talking Cars with the Boss, host Wesley Wren chats with Natalie Neff about her time with the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and 2024 Toyota RAV4. The pair talk about the new Tacoma, Natalie’s experience with it, and more. The pair also talk about the RAV4, its continued sales-chart dominance, and some minor gripes with the infotainment system. The two hosts also talk about Toyota’s four-cylinder engine family, the departure of the Tacoma’s V6, and more. Closing the show, the two decide which of these ‘Yotas they’d rather have in their driveway.
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The Toyota Land Cruiser’s story is almost as long as the brand's. Evolving from a Jeep alternative, the Land Cruiser has since grown into a luxurious off-roading superstar. Technically split between two separate series, the Land Cruiser 200 carried the water for Toyota’s Land Cruiser in North America until it reached the end of the road in 2021. While Toyota hasn’t brought the replacement Land Cruiser 300 to the United States, yet, the company did bring over its smaller Land Cruiser 250. Formerly dubbed Land Cruiser Prado, this downsized Land Cruiser sits closer to the 4Runner and Tacoma than the oversized Lexus LX. Powering the reborn Land Cruiser is a turbocharged 2.4-liter I4 that works with a hybrid system and an eight-speed transmission to throw 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels.
On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Toyota Land Cruiser and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the latest Land Cruiser highlights some of his favorite features, and tells you what it’s like to live with in the real world. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Land Cruiser, the Toyota TNGA-F body-on-frame platform, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the Land Cruiser special.
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