Quick Spin

Slotted below the C-Class, the Mercedes-Benz CLA expanded the Mercedes-Benz coupe and sedan lineup when it came onto the scene in 2013. Shrinking the styling of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the CLA-Class is a swoopy alternative to the statelier C-Class with a lower starting price. Building on its first generation, Mercedes-Benz rolled out the second-generation CLA-Class in 2019 and carried along the wild AMG 45 into the next generation. Splitting the difference between the fire-breathing AMG CLA 45 and the more subdued CLA 250 is the CLA 35. Powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, this CLA promises an AMG-enhanced powertrain that delivers 302 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. That power travels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and into the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the CLA 35 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Joining these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the CLA 35, its position in the CLA lineup, and the Mercedes-Benz lineup, where it stacks up against the competition and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2024 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 special.

Slicing off the back of a crossover SUV is one of the most controversial trends of the last decade, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. BMW showed off the sliced X1 when it debuted the X2 in 2017. This stylized compact crossover also ushered in its second generation last year, with the 2024 model. This second-gen X2 sticks with its formula and is essentially a more stylish BMW X1. Powering the ’24 X2 is either a base, turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 that sends 241 hp through a seven-speed automatic, or a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 that sends 312 hp through a seven-speed automatic. Both powertrains feed a standard all-wheel-drive system.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Patrick Carone hops behind the wheel of the 2024 BMW X2 M35i and puts it through its paces. Carone takes you on a guided tour of the BMW X2 and highlights some of his favorite features before taking you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Carone chats with host Wesley Wren about the BMW X2, its position in the market, and more. The pair also discuss if the compact crossover is the new hatchback. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes this 2024 BMW X2 special. 

In truck enthusiast circles, Honda’s Ridgeline has been a great conversation starter since its inception in 2006. The unit-construction pickup took a brief sabbatical after its initial run but returned for its current, second, generation in 2017. The second-gen Ridgeline stuck to its guns with unibody construction and took advantage of its platform with some interesting packaging solutions like some under-bed storage. The latest addition to the Ridgeline family is the off-road-centric Ridgeline Trailsport, which leans into the adventure lifestyle with off-road-tuned suspension and all-terrain tires. Powering this Ridgeline Trailsport, and the rest of the Ridgeline lineup, is a 3.5-liter V6 that sends 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque through a nine-speed automatic and into a standard all-wheel-drive system. 

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of this pickup and highlights some of his favorite features before taking you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the history of the Honda Ridgeline, its controversial truck status, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the ’24 Ridgeline special.

The Lexus LS has been a staple of the brand’s lineup over the last three decades, and it doesn’t seem to be resting on its laurels. While the most recent generation kicked off for the 2018 model year, the mid-cycle refresh has helped it look modern. While there have been updates, the core of what made this Lexus interesting, like the odd drive mode selector, interesting interior details, and hugely comfortable interior remain. Lexus offers the LS with its turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 or this 3.5-liter V6-based hybrid system. In hybrid trim, the LS 500h sends a combined system output of 354 hp to its wheels while netting 26 combined mpg. 

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of this flagship Lexus sedan and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the 2024 Lexus LS 500h and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this LS 500h. Adding to the show, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Lexus LS 500h, the state of luxury sedans, and how this stacks up to the competition. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Lexus LS 500h special.

The Ferrari 296 GTB and GTS have been in the company’s lineup since 2021 and hold the door open for would-be new Ferrari sports coupe owners. Following legendary machines like the Ferrari 458, 488, and F8, the 296 GTB has expectedly large shoes to fill – as would be the case with any new Ferrari. We spent time with the V6-powered 296 GTB, which featured the track-focused Assetto Fiorano package, a couple of years ago. Then new, the 296 was predictably good. Well, if you want an open-air experience from your Ferrari, you can also opt for the 296 GTS, which gives you all of the hardware from the coupe-bodied Berlinetta, with the ability to move the top away and let the sunshine in. 

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Ferrari 296 GTS and puts it through its paces. Vaughn walks you around the 296 GTS and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Vaughn takes you along for a live drive review of this Ferrari convertible. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the Ferrari, its competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 296 GTS special. g

The Subaru Crosstrek might be one of Subaru’s best ideas since it brought the WRX to the United States. Subaru’s Crosstrek entered its third generation last year and added the popular Wilderness trim to its lineup. Like other Subaru models that wear the Wilderness badge, this Crosstrek adds some extra ground clearance, cladding, and some more capable all-terrain rubber. Joining those upgrades is a wild badging array that isn’t shy about advertising its Wilderness efforts. Nestled under the Crosstrek Wilderness’s hood is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer that sends 182 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque through Subaru’s Lineratronic continuously variable transmission. 

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of this Subaru and highlights some of the changes that come with the Wilderness package. Murphy also takes you along for a live drive review of this Crosstrek. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Crosstrek Wilderness, where this Subie sits in the sales charts of its competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness special.

Volvo might be best known for helping the three-point seat belt find its way into passenger cars, and for wagons. The wagon shape has been a staple of Volvo’s products and helped carve a dedicated niche for the brand. Well, with time, all things must change, and the wagon has moved away from being the defacto people hauler, and become more of a fashion decision. Building on that, Volvo also decided it was wise to let the folks at Polestar Engineered take a V60 and turn it into a road-eating monster. The ’24 Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered packs a plug-in-hybrid powertrain that sends a combined 455 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque to the wheels, while also advertising 41 miles of electric range and 530 miles worth of combined range. 

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the V6 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this hopped-up hauler. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy about the status of wagons in the car market today, performance wagons, and this Volvo. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’24 Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered so special.

The sedan has come a long way over the last seven decades. Once dictated by an adult’s ability to wear a hat, the styling has changed dramatically to reflect the styles of the time. Well, ironically, Toyota has gone back to the modern sedan’s origins in the late 1940s to bring the large sedan to modernity. With a market dominated by high-riding utility vehicles, it only makes sense to try that sensibility out on a sedan. This height bump is reflected in the Crown’s 60.6-inch height, which bests the outgoing Avalon by nearly four inches. This height bump comes with only a half inch more of ground clearance, which means the Crown’s shell is substantially taller. This added height helps give drivers a more utility-like approach, and also helps with climbing in and out of the interior. Joining this new shape is a similarly new Hybrid Max powertrain, which blends a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 with a six-speed automatic and an array of electric motors to make 340 hp and 400.4 lb-ft of torque.

On this episode of Quick Spin host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Toyota Crown and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the Toyota Crown and talks about its styling and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along on a live drive review of the ’24 Crown. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Crown’s space in Toyota’s lineup, what makes it interesting, and how it stacks up against the Avalon it replaces. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Toyota Crown special.

Hyundai expanded its crossover lineup with the first generation of its popular Kona all the way back in 2017. After seven years, and one N Variant, Hyundai’s Kona entered its second generation for the ’24 model year. This second-gen Kona carries over the powertrains from the first-generation, but holistically revamped interior and exterior styling, and added a hefty amount of consumer tech. Joining the updates for the latest Kona is Hyundai’s massive media and driver display, and a column shifter. Powering the gas-burning Kona is either a 2.0-liter I4 in base SE and SEL models or the turbocharged 1.6-liter I4 in N-Line and Limited variants. The 2.0-liter sends 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque through a CVT, whereas the turbocharged 1.6-liter mill sends 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Hyundai Kona N-Line and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the latest Kona and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Hyundai Kona, where the Kona sits in the market, and about the first-generation Kona’s spectacular N model. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’24 Hyundai Kona special.

Mazda is responsible for some of the most beloved sports cars, race cars, and powertrains to ever hit the pavement. While enthusiast cars have helped put Mazda on the map, and in the hearts of sports car fans around the world, crossovers sell. It only makes sense for Mazda to take its popular CX-5 and give it a slightly larger alternative. That’s exactly what the CX-50 brings to the table. The bones of the CX-5 stick around, but the larger shell comes with a longer wheelbase and slightly heavier curb weight. Powering this CX-50 is the same powerplant you’ll find under the CX-5’s hood. All CX-50s pack 2.5-liter I4s under the hood. Base powerplants breathe naturally and send 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. Mazda also offers a turbocharged version of this 2.5-liter I4, which cranks the power to 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque with 87 octane fuel, or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque with 93 octane gasoline.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Mazda CX-50 and puts it through its paces. Wren walks you around the CX-50 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this CX-50. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy about the CX-50, where it sits in the pantheon of crossovers, and how it stacks up to the competition. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Mazda CX-50 special.