Battery electric cars give automakers an opportunity to reset their entire lineups, perspectives and standards. This powertrain reset is giving every automaker an opportunity to head to a different school and make new friends and customers. While Kia has come a long way from its bargain-basement Sephia days, there is still some stigma around the Korean automaker. Well, Kia’s lineup of EVs is looking to lay a foundation for a stigma-free Kia experience. This Kia EV6 is available in single and dual motor layouts, which subsequently translates to rear or all-wheel drive. The single-motor Kia EV6 only sends 167 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels, whereas the all-wheel-drive variant sends 320 hp combined to the pavement and 446 lb-ft of torque.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek Executive Editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of a 2022 Kia EV6 and puts it through its paces. Murphy shows you around the new Kia EV and highlights its features, before hopping inside the car to highlight its interior. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to the conversation, host Wesley Wren chats with Murphy about the growing EV space, the EV6’s competition and where this Kia sits in the sales charts. Closing the show, the two break down what makes this Kia special.

Volkswagen’s carved out its brand identity and its portfolio’s familiarity over decades of carefully navigating the often-shaky automotive seas. This experience helps folks understand what they’re stepping into when they climb behind the wheel of their next VW, and it helps give the company’s fans more of what they crave. That said, the shift to electrification can come with a handful of hurdles and it’s easy for a company to pivot its styling to reflect the new experience. Well, the VW ID.4 helps ease Volkswagen fans into the EV experience while still giving them a lot of that VW spirit in the cabin. The VW ID.4 is a key product in VW’s growing battery-electric portfolio and could be a spiritual successor to the perpetually popular VW Golf.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the VW ID.4 Pro S and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the VW ID.4 Pro S and highlights its features and quirks. After that, Wren takes you along for a live-recorded drive review of this battery-electric VW. Adding to the conversation, west coast editor Mark Vaughn joins the show to talk about Volkswagen, the ID.4’s competitive set, and how the ID.4 feels. Closing the show, the pair talk about what makes the ID.4 special.

The Mazda Mazdaspeed3 is one of the coolest hatchbacks to roll out of a Mazda factory. It had all the attitude you’d want from a sporty hot hatch and more than enough power. Unfortunately, the Mazdaspeed banner is gone. Though, the good news is that Mazda’s hatchbacks are still kicking. The latest generation Mazda 3 hatchback made its way to the streets in 2019 and has gone the last few years with few major changes. Though in 2021 the folks at Mazda dropped in the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine found in other Mazda products and turned its sensible hatchback into a sleeper hot hatch. The 2.5-liter turbocharged I4 has the same power as we’ve seen in its other products: 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers shrink when using non-premium fuel to a still peppy 227 and 310 lb-ft. Managing all that power is a six-speed automatic, which sends power to all four wheels.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the Mazda 3 to put it through its paces. Wren walks around the 2022 Mazda 3 Turbo and highlights its styling and exterior features before climbing inside the car to show off its interior. Later, he takes you along for a real-time drive review. Adding to the show, Wren chats with west coast editor Mark Vaughn about Mazda’s hatchback history, the Mazda 3 and the current hatchback climate. The two talk about the Mazda 3’s dynamics before discussing what makes the 2022 Mazda 3 special.

The Subaru BRZ and its Toyota sibling made waves in the early 2010s. Subaru’s sports coupe bucked the growing crossover trend by simply being what it is: a rear-driven and front-engine sports coupe with an affordable price tag. After nearly a decade on Subaru dealership lots, the folks in charge decided it was time to roll out its replacement. The ’22 Subaru BRZ didn’t deviate from its original formula and just fixed what needed fixing. The big draw is the BRZ’s new engine. While Subaru stuck with the beloved boxer, the 2.0-liter mill is gone. In its place is a larger 2.4-liter four-cylinder. The larger engine and revised tuning help fix some of the previous BRZ’s biggest problems and drastically increases the BRZ’s drivability. The 2.4-liter boxer sends 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 2022 Subaru BRZ and puts it through its paces. Wren walks you around the new BRZ before climbing in and highlighting the new BRZ’s interior. Later, Wren takes you on a live recorded drive review of Subaru’s new sports coupe. Adding more insight, Autoweek’s west coast editor Mark Vaughn talks with Wren about the BRZ’s price, competition and more. Closing the show, the two talk about what makes the 2022 Subaru BRZ special

Electric cars are coming. Or more accurately, they’re here. Audi’s e-tron crossover helped push the company’s EV efforts, but the stylish e-tron GT turns the Audi EV portfolio into something you’d be excited to see at your local Cars and Coffee. The Audi e-tron GT comes standard with a pair of electric motors that drive the front and rear axle. These permanent magnet motors supply 496 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque to the wheels, which help this EV sedan sprint to 60 from a dead stop in 3.9 seconds. Those figures increase in RS trim to 590 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque, which shrinks the 60 mph time to 3.1 seconds. Powering the e-tron GT’s motors is a 93 kWh battery pack that can feed these motors for 238 EPA-estimated miles.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2022 Audi e-tron GT and puts it through its paces. Wren walks you around the e-tron GT and highlights the car’s features and styling before climbing into the interior to explain how it feels. Wren also takes you along for a live recorded drive review. Adding to this, Wren talks with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the e-tron GT. The two talk about the car’s performance, its features and its direction. The pair also discuss how normal the e-tron GT feels. Closing the show, the two talk about what makes the e-tron GT special.

Bentley isn’t known for being an environmentally or economically conscious purchase: it’s a luxury purchase. Bentley also has a long history of performance behind its names, which means there’s an understanding that your Bentley will not only whisk you away in style, it’ll do so in a hurry. Well, the times are changing, and Bentley is ushering electrified powertrains into its portfolio. Part of this push is a hybrid powertrain-equipped Flying Spur. The company’s flagship sedan now features a 2.9-liter V6 that mates to a hybrid system and sends 536 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. Admittedly, that’s down slightly in power from the V8, but you see an increase in fuel efficiency of 2 mpg combined over that V8. That means the Flying Spur Hybrid sees a 19 mpg combined.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2022 Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid and puts it through its paces. Wren shows you around the Flying Spur and highlights its styling and features before taking you along for a drive review. Wren chats with west coast editor Mark Vaughn about the Flying Spur and expands on these segments. The two chat about the hybrid powertrain, the electrification of Bentley and more. Closing the show, the two break down what makes this Flying Spur special.

The Lamborghini Aventador has finally reached the end of the road. Launching in 2011, the Aventador jumped to the top of Lamborghini’s lineup and has provided the bones for some of the company’s most outlandish machines. Though the days for the V12-powered Lamborghini seem to be numbered and the Aventador is going by the wayside. Sending the Aventador off in style, Lamborghini is unleashing the LP 780-4. While that shows its horsepower in CV, the power figure becomes 769 hp in SAE. That power comes from a 6.5-liter, naturally aspirated V12. That V12’s power travels through a seven-speed automatic and through the all-wheel-drive system.

In this episode of Quick Spin, Mark Vaughn puts the final Aventador through its paces. Vaughn walks you around the LP 780-4 and highlights some of its styling features before taking you inside to describe the interior. Vaughn then takes you out on a live drive review of this Lamborghini. Expanding on his thoughts, Vaughn chats about the 2022 Lamborghini Aventador LP780-4 with host Wesley Wren. The pair talk about the Aventador’s history, Lamborghini’s future and more. Closing the show, the two discuss what makes the 2022 Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae special.

The Bentley Bentayga is one of the stars of the luxury crossover and SUV space. Bentley’s beloved crossover joined the lineup in 2015 and saw its first serious overhaul in 2020. While Bentley’s 12-cylinder-powered Bentayga Speed offers the most brutal performance in the lineup, the folks at Bentley recently introduced the Bentayga S. This S-variant of the Bentayga offers more performance than the base model without the price tag associated with the Speed. Powering this Bentley is a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 that sends 542 hp through an eight-speed transmission to all four wheels by way of an all-wheel-drive system. The Bentayga S also sports special bodywork and badging to remind folks that you’re driving the performance version while it's sitting still.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2022 Bentley Bentayga S and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a walkaround of the latest Bentayga to show off the revised styling, its luxurious interior appointments and more. Wren also takes you along on a live-recorded drive review to let you know how the Bentayga S feels on the road. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s west coast editor Mark Vaughn. The two talk about the Bentayga, luxury crossovers and more. Closing the show, the two break down what makes the Bentley Bentayga S special.

Even though Volkswagen and Audi are moving quickly to battery-electric propulsion, it’s not cutting the fun internal combustion machines out of the lineup immediately. One of Audi’s more interesting powertrains sits under the hood of its entry-level sedan: the A3. Well, not exactly the A3. Audi’s RS 3 takes the bones of its entry-level luxury sedan and stuffs a 401 hp five-cylinder engine under the hood. Audi tasks a seven-speed automatic to manage that power and send it to the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Aggressive bodywork covers the RS 3’s wider track width and helps funnel air to the right places. Despite the push for performance, the RS 3 still offers the luxurious appointments you’d expect from a high-priced Audi.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2022 Audi RS 3 and brings you along for the ride. Vaughn walks around the RS 3 and highlights its design and features before climbing into the cockpit to take you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the Audi RS 3, the five-cylinder engine and the RS 3’s competition. Closing the show, the pair talk about what makes the Audi RS 3 special.

Small cars are out. Cladding and ground clearance is in. Small crossovers are chipping away at the once-beloved hatchback market and are shoving some hot hatchbacks out of the US market. Naturally, automakers will look at the changing tides and try to respond. While performance crossovers are far from new, the Hyundai Kona N takes a look at the small crossover and the future of the hot hatchback. Based on Hyundai’s popular Kona, the 2022 Hyundai Kona N takes the pedestrian crossover and turns it into an over-the-top fun machine. Borrowing the performance parts from the Hyundai Veloster N, the Kona N sports a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 that sends 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission. That power travels exclusively to the front wheels.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2022 Kona N to put it through its paces. Wren takes you around the hopped-up Hyundai and highlights the features and styling before taking you along for a live-recorded drive review. Adding to this, Wren chats with Autoweek’s west coast editor Mark Vaughn about Hyundai’s Kona, hot hatchbacks and more. Closing the show, the two talk about what makes this Hyundai Kona N special.