Quick Spin

The Acura Integra Type S might be the most talked about performance Acura now that the NSX is off the assembly line, but it’s not the only hopped-up Acura sedan in the company’s lineup. Acura’s TLX entered the Acura stable in ’14, with its second, and current, generation showing up in 2021. Adding to the second generation’s performance chops was a Type S model. The TLX Type S packs a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 under its hood that sends 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission. From there, power hits the wheels by way of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the TLX Type S and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this sporty sedan. Adding to the show, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about this TLX Type S. The pair talk about the state of sedans, how this TLX stacks up against more expensive sports sedans, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes this TLX Type S Special.

Land Rover’s Defender might be carrying a lot of water for the brand, but the company’s luxe on-and-off roader Range Rover lineup is also putting in the work. Kicking off the Range Rover line is the small Range Rover Evoque. While it doesn’t share the power, mass, or space as its bigger stablemate, the Evoque does borrow the traditional Range Rover styling that helps make it instantly recognizable as a Range Rover. While the first-generation Evoque features oddities like a convertible version, its follow-up is playing more toward the heart of the entry-level luxe crossover space. Powering this small crossover is a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4, which sends 246 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque through a nine-speed transmission and into an all-wheel-drive system.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the Evoque and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Evoque, where it sits among the competition, and where it sits in the Land Rover lineup. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes this Evoque special.

BMW’s 5-Series has been a staple of the brand's portfolio for over 50 years and has been the home to many of its greatest hits. However, with time comes change. The latest generation of BMW’s venerable 5-Series also ushered in the era of a battery-electric 5-Series. Dubbed the i5, this takes two BMW naming conventions and stuffs them into one. The battery-electric i5 takes the bones of BMW’s latest 5-Series and stuffs a pair of electric motors and a battery pack under the floor. Available in single motor and a pair of dual-motor versions, all BMW i5 models share a common 81.2 kWh battery pack.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek associate editor Emmet White hops behind the wheel of BMW’s i5 and puts it through the paces. White takes you on a guided tour of the i5 and highlights some of his favorites before taking you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, White chats with host Wesley Wren about this battery-electric 5-Series. The pair discuss the i5’s models, the competitive set, and how this battery-electric 5-Series stacks up against its internal combustion counterpart. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’25 BMW i5 Special.

Taking the space of Lincoln's discontinued MKC, the Lincoln Corsair works as an entry point into Ford’s legacy luxury arm. While the Corsair name was used as a highly-optioned Edsel, and as a sedan in other markets, Lincoln’s bite at the Corsair apple helps build on both the marques and the nameplates legacy. As part of the company’s push to do away with its Mark naming conventions, the Lincoln Corsair helps the company navigate the high seas of the luxury compact crossover market. Giving this reborn compact crossover a full name might help with brand appeal down the line, but it also helps separate the similarly navigation-themed products from each other in Lincoln’s lineup. While a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 powers the entry-level Corsair Premier and Reserve models, sitting atop the Corsair hierarchy is the plug-in hybrid Grand Touring model. This PHEV blends a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle I4 with a CVT and an electric motor to net 266 hp combined.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Lincoln Corsair and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the Corsair and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review of the Lincoln Corsair Ground Touring. Adding to these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Lincoln Corsair, its competition, and its spot in the market. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the Lincoln Corsair special.

The Audi RS5 is closing in on two decades inside Audi’s coupe and sedan lineup. Based on the Audi A5, the RS5 follows the same formula as its competition: take a nice, compact executive sedan, and turn it into a brutal track machine. All the while not throwing away its luxurious appointments. While this hopped-up Audi is traditionally competing with legends like the BMW M3 and the Mercedes-AMG C63, the move to crossovers has changed the A5 and the RS5’s scale. Still, this latest RS5 packs a 2.9-liter V6 under the hood that sends 444 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission and into the famed Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Making things even more interesting, Audi will sell this with a pair of doors, or as a four-door sedan that features a lift-back cargo opening.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Audi RS5 and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of this Audi 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 executive editor Tom Murphy about this RS5, the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2024 Audi RS5 Sportback special.

The towing and torque wars are here, and we’re all in the trenches. Ford unleashed an updated PowerStroke diesel in 2020 and moved the production-grade heavy-duty diesel world into four figures worth of torque. Naturally, Ram punched back with a more potent Cummins that sent 1,075 lb-ft worth of torque to the driveline. Well, for ’23 Ford stuffed a high-output version of its PowerStroke diesel under the hood of its revamped Super Duty trucks and pushed the torque figure to the moon. The star of the latest-generation Super Duty’s show is that high-output, 6.7-liter PowerStroke V8 that sends 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission and to the rear or all four wheels. In a special configuration, this latest Super Duty rig packs enough muscle to tug 40,000 pounds.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy climbs behind the wheel of the 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the F-250 Super Duty and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Murphy takes you along for a live drive review of this 1,200 lb-ft torque machine. Adding to those segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the latest F-250, its engine, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty special.

The McLaren 720S is a fascinating car. The aesthetically integrated aero in the nose, the gobs of performance from the 4.0-liter V8, and its minimalist interior all add up to a treat to drive. Though, as McLaren shows with the 750S, there’s always room for improvement. The 750S takes the 720S and squeezes 30 more hp out of the turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 bringing the total to 740 hp. Adding to the power are revised suspension pieces, redesigned bodywork, and a larger rear wing. According to the folks at McLaren, the 750S can sprint to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and 124 mph in only 7.2 seconds and runs through its seven-speed automatic transmission before hitting its 206 mph top speed.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn slides behind the wheel of the 2024 McLaren 750S and puts it through its paces. Vaughn takes you on a guided tour of the 750S and highlights some of the features that have changed during its evolution from the 720S. Vaughn also takes you along on a live drive review. Adding to these segments, Vaughn chats with host Wesley Wren about the McLaren 750S. The pair talk about the differences between the 720S and the 750S, how it stacks up against the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the 2024 McLaren 750S special.

The Ford Maverick might have been the answer for a lot of compact pickup fans' woes. The small pickup’s low price, small size, and useful bed have shaped up to create long wait times for prospective customers. Despite no shortage in sales, Ford expanded the lineup of its Tremor option package and the Maverick, by putting the two together. The Ford Maverick Tremor might not be as extreme as its full-size F-150 counterpart, but it does see some upgraded tires, a revised suspension, and a graphics package. Available on all-wheel-drive equipped and 2.0-liter EcoBoost-powered Maverick XLT and Lariats, this option package does limit your Maverick choices but makes up for it with a more capable rig off paved roads.  

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Ford Maverick Tremor and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of Ford’s compact pickup and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you on a live drive review of this Maverick Tremor to show you how it feels in the real world. Adding to those segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Ford Maverick, the tremor package, and how the Maverick stacks up against the competition. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the Maverick special.

The era of the crossover is here. Once the sedan was king, then the wagon became the family hauler, and then the minivan. Now, it’s time for crossovers. Naturally, that means automakers will keep finding spaces to throw new models and leverage existing names. When it comes to Toyota, it’s hard to find a name that resonates more than Corolla or Camry, which makes one of them a perfect addition to the crossover lineup. Toyota’s Corolla Cross leverages the existing love for the Corolla’s legacy, but gives shoppers, well, a crossover.

Mazda approached its crossover and SUV naming conventions from a different angle. The company stuck with its alphanumeric system that its customers have grown to learn. Of course, the CX-5 is no spring chicken when it comes to the crossover sales sheet and has been in Mazda’s lineup for over a decade.

On this bonus episode of Quick Spin Talking Cars with the Boss, host Wesley Wren chats with Autoweek’s boss: Natalie Neff. The pair chat about Neff’s time with these two crossovers, and give context to the two models. Neff and Wren chat about the evolving crossover space, the hybrid powertrain in the Corolla Cross, and the consistent styling of Mazda’s crossovers.

With Mazda’s CX-9 going away, the company needed to replace its largest offering with something more competitive in what might be the most competitive space in the car business. Not deviating too far from its established naming convention, Mazda showed off the new, CX-90 last year and ushered in a new 3.3-liter turbocharged I6 mild-hybrid powertrain. Slightly longer than the outgoing CX-9 in both name and vehicle length, the CX-90 does effectively the same job for Mazda as its outgoing crossover: give Mazda shoppers something with plenty of seats and space. Mazda offers its latest family hauler in two hybrid versions and a lone PHEV version, with the hybrid models packing the 3.3-liter I6 under the hood. The plug-in models sport a 2.5-liter I4 that works with an electric motor to make a combined 323 hp.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 to put it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of this 3.3-liter-powered Mazda CX-90 to highlight its third-row room, cargo space, and some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along on a live drive review of this large Mazda crossover. Adding to this, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Mazda CX-90’s competition, its powertrain and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Mazda CX-90 special.