2022 MatoCar Performance Vehicle of the Year: The Finalists, Day 2

ProsEngine apparently runs on TanneriteBalanced chassisStupid quick ConsToo many drive mode settings for someAWD adds some heftThat faceThere are two places where you'll probably never catch a glimpse of the new BMW M3's garish front end: from its driver's seat and,  anyone sharing the road with one, from another car. Why? Because it'll take some fairly exotic machinery to keep up with, let alone pass, the BMW M3 Competition.Even when the M3 is coming at you, it'll streak by so fast, those big ol' vertical nostrils will seemingly blur into wider shapes that recall BMW's kidney grilles of yore. Whatever your thoughts about it, BMW did ensure the M3's sniffing schnoz shovels a ton of air into the engine bay, where its fierce 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six lies.BMW says the engine produces 503 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. But man, it seems like there's no way this I-6 punches below 600 hp. Equipped with BMW's available xDrive all-wheel drive, the M3 Competition we tested shoots to 60 mph in 3 seconds flat. The quarter mile is dispatched in 11.1 seconds at 124.7 mph. That's Porsche and performance electric vehicle territory.The 630-hp Lamborghini Huracán STO bests it by just two tenths to 60 (2.8 seconds); the advantage of the 720-hp Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is even slimmer—just 0.1 second. How can we reconcile that the M3, despite loading each of its horsepower with 7.8 pounds, somehow keeps up with those supercars, which carry 5.1-5.4 pounds per hp? We can't. BMW historically has underrated its beefier engines, but this is egregious.As features editor Christian Seabaugh summed things up, "It's just hilariously unhinged." There exists a drive mode where power is only sent to the rear axle, with predictable results. But you needn't activate the RWD setting for lurid oversteer. Forget chucking the M3 into a corner; you can just as easily induce drifts by pressing harder on the gas with the steering wheel turned. BMW's xDrive seamlessly sends so much engine torque to the rear wheels that you'd swear the car is rear drive.Speaking of, compared to the rear-drive M3 Comp he'd driven previously, senior features editor Jonny Lieberman bemoaned the heft, which he swore he could feel the M3's AWD gear added to the front axle. Indeed, some judges found it was often necessary to briefly lift off the gas or dab the brakes to get the M3's mass to transfer to the front for optimal turn-in, especially on the Streets of Willow Springs—a behavior Lieberman insisted was the result of the hundred or so extra pounds the AWD M3 Competition carries up front. But without a rear-drive M3 Comp on hand for comparison, most didn't find it disqualifying.More noticeable are the personality shifts from the previous M3 to this one. Gone is the sensation that the M3 tries to pummel the earth into submission with its overly firm suspension and heavy controls. In its place is a pleasant new delicacy to its dynamics. The suspension seems to have more travel and compliance, the body is allowed to roll and pitch slightly rather than remaining stiffly dead-level at all times, and even in the sportiest modes its steering is almost light.This smidge of movement lends the M3 a more natural feel, and you can easily detect where you are in its grip envelope by dint of the body lean. Our shoulders like the transition to the less weighty steering, which, along with the suspension's newly up-on-its-toes feel, gives the M3 Competition a furtiveness to its responses that's nearly Alfa Romeo-like.This harmonic lightness let several editors settle into a satisfying, fast-paced flow. On the Angeles Crest portion of our evaluation, where the M3 changed several judges' minds, Lieberman was able to keep pace with features editor Scott Evans driving the   Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. Of the two, only Evans could spot the M3's awful nose—in his mirrors—as it bore down on his 720-hp über-sled. Alexander Stoklosa 2022 BMW M3 Competition (xDrive) Specifications Base Price/As tested $77,895/$108,545 Power (SAE net) 503 hp @ 6,250 rpm Torque (SAE net) 479 lb-ft @ 2,750 rpm Accel, 0-60 mph 3.0 sec Quarter-mile 11.1 sec @ 124.7 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 105 ft Lateral Acceleration 1.03 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 23.3 sec @ 0.89 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb 16/22/18 mpg Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine, Transmission 3.0L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 24-valve I-6, 8-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R DIST) 3,899 lb (54/46%) Wheelbase 112.5 in Length x Width x Height 189.1 x 74.3 x 56.4 in On Sale Now Show All

Chevrolet wants you to have your cake and eat it too. The tasty treat is the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, an electric SUV that keeps the edgy look of the Blazer but gives it greater performance, the first electric SS, more interior room, and lets the customer choose the configuration of the powertrain, a unique proposition in an industry where every nameplate is fighting to stand out.By powertrain configuration, we mean the buyer can not only choose trim, color and features—but also whether their Blazer is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive. That is highly unusual in the retail world. Closest example we can think of is commercial customers in Europe who can choose a front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive Ford Transit commercial van.We'll get back to the surprising powertrain flexibility. But first let's get an overview of the electric SUV that Chevy felt deserved to be equipped to appeal to a wide consumer base globally, including those yearning for the first electric SS.Blazer EV is Whole Different Animal from Current BlazerFor starters, the Blazer EV sprang from a clean sheet. It may share the Blazer name and spirit, but does not share architecture, panels or components with the conventional Blazer with an internal combustion engine, says vice president of Chevy Marketing Steve Majoros. The wheelbase was extended by 231 mm (9.1 inches) to fit the largest battery size in, making it the longest entry in the midsize-SUV segment.The Blazer will be the second Chevy on GM's Ultium electric vehicle architecture which underpins the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV, and the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq midsize crossover. The first electric Chevy from Ultium is the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV full-size pickup due in spring 2023, followed by the Blazer next summer, and the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV compact crossover in the fall of next year. We will get our first full look at the Equinox EV in September.When the current Blazer hit streets in 2018, it ushered in a new design ethos, complete with Camaro and Corvette touches, that carries over to the EV. In this age of dynamic lighting, the Blazer EV is no exception with LED lights that travel to and from the illuminated bowtie in the middle of the light bar for a bit of theater when you approach or walk away from the vehicle. It is most dramatic on the SS with its two-tone color scheme with black fascia and top. The lighting also conveys the vehicle's state of charge: lights dance faster and shine more intensely as the battery's charge increases.Interior Roomier Than the Current BlazerThe architecture and battery pack give the Blazer EV a lower center of gravity and floor which yields more interior space and options for storage areas and clever packaging.Inside the cabin feels airy, with lots of headroom even with the optional sunroof. The low floor and extended wheelbase mean more cargo room, we await specs for the exact amount. Screens in the cockpit are angled and oriented to the driver. There is a 17.7-inch OLED free-form center touchscreen with dimming back light for crisp graphics that fill the screen to the edges—no large areas of dark screen. The driver display adds another 11.0 inches and there is a 3x7-inch head-up display that is standard on the SS, optional on the high-volume 2LT and RS trims. A video display enhances the rearview mirror.The Blazer EV SS we saw was telltale red and black, both inside and out. The red leather seats in both rows are heated and cooled and the cabin benefits from contrast stitching and higher-end materials. Rear seat passengers get vents which are controlled from up front, and two USB outlets. Not surprisingly, the Blazer EV has Camaro-style round air vents. The SUV also has an ionizer to purify the air. You can look up the air quality and some models will have a sensor to automatically turn on the filter to scrub when poor air quality requires it, especially useful for markets such as China.Back to That PowertrainThe Blazer will be offered with a front-wheel-drive unit, a choice of two rear-wheel-drive units, standard and performance all-wheel drive, and three battery sizes. Standard AWD has front drive unit and smaller rear unit. RWD offers more power than FWD and a more dynamic drive. FWD has smaller motor and choice of small or medium battery packs.Here is how the trims play out:1LT: This monochromatic base trim with cloth seats has standard FWD with a small motor in front, standard 19-inch wheels and a range of 247 miles from a single charge. Horsepower and torque figures have not been released, nor have details of the motor and the small and medium batteries expected to be on the base model.2LT: Standard FWD, optional AWD using the smaller of the two rear motors. It will have a range of up to 293 miles. No performance specs yet.RS: Choice of standard FWD with a midsize battery pack or RWD with the larger motor and medium battery pack—you choose where you want the motor—with optional dual motors for AWD. This is the trim with the longest range, up to 320 miles per charge. The RS rides on standard 21-inch wheels and has a heated flat-bottom steering wheel.SS: Standard higher-performance AWD with the larger motor on the rear axle and largest battery. This electric beast will have 557 hp, 648 lb-ft of torque which should propel it from 0-60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds, GM says. It has 290 miles of range, a sport tuned chassis, Brembo brakes, standard 22-inch wheels and the performance required to warrant the SS badging. We are assured it is a true SS. It easily becomes the quickest Blazer.Charging the 2024 Chevy Blazer EVDepending on the trim, the Blazer EV has DC public fast-charging capability of up to 190 kW which Chevy execs say will add 78 miles of range in 10 minutes. The EV has hands-free start, which means no button to push. Close the door, tap the brake, and the key fob authorizes the SUV to go. The fob also talks to the sensors at the rear of the vehicle to open the tailgate hands-free.The vehicles offer one-pedal driving, activated via a button on the touchscreen. The driver can choose how aggressive the regenerative braking is and can pull on a shift paddle on the steering wheel to make small adjustments to braking strength. Wide Open Watts or WOW is the Chevy family friendly version of the Watts to Freedom or WTF launch mode on the GMC Hummer, a maximum power model to get more current to the inverter for more power to the wheels for takeoff.Super Cruise is standard on the SS; optional on lower trims. Advanced Park Assist does the work for you, and other advanced driver assist systems include reverse automatic braking, forward collision alert, automaker emergency braking, and lane-keep assist with lane departure warning. Ultify allows over-the-air software updates to improve and personalize the vehicle over its lifetime. The Blazer comes with standard and all-season tires, with optional summer tires for performance.2024 Chevrolet Blazer Pricing and On-Sale DateThe Blazer EV will hit the market in summer 2023, launching initially with the most popular trims: the 2LT that starts at $47,595 and introduces leather seats, and the sportier RS with a $51,995 starting price. They will be followed by the high-performance SS with standard AWD ($65,995), and before year's end Chevrolet will add the base 1LT that starts at $44,995. Don't count on federal tax credits to reduce the cost; GM has used up its allotment. But Chevy does throw in free installation of a home charging unit.The Blazer EV will be built in the same Ramos Arizpe plant as the current Blazer, even though they are completely different vehicles and EVs undergo a different build process. GM is spending $1 billion to prepare the Mexican plant. Majoros said it is hard to gauge what the take rate will be of the EV; he just knows Chevy has to be ready when the market moves. "We see this initially as additive volume, so Chevy share should grow."And criminals beware, Chevy will do a Police Pursuit Vehicle model of the Blazer EV that will essentially be a modified SS with the largest battery and a choice of rear-drive or performance AWD, and Brembo brakes.2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Specifications BASE PRICE $44,995-65,995  LAYOUT Front engine, FWD/RWD/AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV MOTOR  557-hp/648-lb-ft AC DC] permanent-magnet electric TRANSMISSION  1-speed auto,  CURB WEIGHT WHEELBASE 121.8 in L x W x H 0-60 MPH 3.9-8.5 sec (mfr est)  EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON EPA RANGE, COMB ON SALE Summer 2023 Show All

honda hr-v Full OverviewProsHigh-quality interiorSpacious cabin for a small SUVStandard active safety tech ConsSlow, even for an entry-level SUVSmall 7.0-inch touchscreen on two of three trimsLess efficient than beforeTime for some crazy talk: The redesigned 2023 Honda HR-V might soon be the company's only SUV with an MSRP comfortably less than $30,000. That's not big news for car enthusiasts, but buyers not aware of the new 2023 Honda CR-V's upmarket move are in for a surprise. Suddenly, price-conscious CR-V intenders will be kicking tires on the more affordable HR-V, which takes on a more important role in Honda's SUV lineup. Those buyers will find in the 2023 Honda HR-V a refined ride with influences from the excellent Civic as well as from the outgoing HR-V—the latter not quite in the way we'd like.0-60-MPH Acceleration Versus Its RivalsAt MotorTrend, we track-test cars—even small SUVs like the 2023 Honda HR-V—so we can establish how each vehicle's performance compares to the competition. And in this Honda's case, it's not a great story.Every new HR-V is powered by a 158-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter I-4 good for 138 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers match the latest Civic, which uses the same engine. As you'd expect, the engine sweats less with the front-wheel-drive Civic sedan, which is hundreds of pounds lighter than our 2023 HR-V EX-L test SUV with more features and all-wheel drive.OK, so let's compare the new HR-V's 9.8-second 0-60-mph time to vehicles its own size. A 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross XLE AWD is nearly a half-second quicker (9.3 seconds), while a Subaru Crosstrek with a 2.5-liter engine is a startling 2.0 seconds quicker. As if that isn't enough, the AWD Subaru is also more efficient. Even against the last-gen HR-V, the new model comes up short; a 2019 HR-V Sport AWD we tested reached 60 mph in 9.6 seconds.Behind the wheel, the HR-V feels slow, but you can still execute highway passes as long as you plan them out a bit. That type of compromise used to be a given in this segment, but that's no longer the case. The Kia Seltos, Subaru Crosstrek, and a couple other competitors won't feel quite as slow as the HR-V. It's not the end of the world, and it won't be the top priority for most buyers, but it's worth noting. This engine doesn't show much power until it revs past 4,000 rpm.Braking and HandlingThe 2023 Honda HR-V doesn't gain competitive ground in 60-0-mph panic-braking, either. Or, rather, it covers more ground than its competitors. A distance of 125 feet is fine for a small SUV like this one, but so is 120 feet (the Corolla Cross), 114-124 feet (two Crosstreks we've tested), or 114 feet (a 2019 HR-V). Clearly, this Honda isn't a numbers car, but at the test track we found brake-pedal feel to be fine for a daily driver. The brakes also remained trustworthy and consistent across our figure-eight testing, being both effective and predictable.On the figure-eight course—a MotorTrend evaluation that assesses acceleration, handling, braking, and the transitions in between—the 2023 HR-V finished in 28.5 seconds at 0.56 g (average), placing it behind the most recent Subaru Crosstreks, and the Toyota Corolla Cross and Kia Seltos Turbos we tested. The steering felt a little heavy but was precise. The engine displayed merely adequate power, and made lots of noise.The new HR-V's story improves away from the track. Its continuously variable transmission feels well-tuned around town and on the highway, delivering smoother performance than any conventional or dual-clutch automatic ever could. The suspension is well-damped for a small and inexpensive SUV, too. In other words, put up with the mild acceleration and there's a payoff in the general feeling of solidity you don't get with all of the HR-V's rivals.Ups and DownsHonda backs up that feeling with an interior sprinkled with surprising and delightful touches. There's soft material on the side of the center console (perfect for resting your leg against during a long red light), and you get the honeycomb dash-trim design we've seen on the Civic and CR-V. That real metal trim disguises air vents and separates two physical knobs on top to control the audio system (volume and tuning), as well as three knobs below for the HVAC system. A small open storage area can hold your keys, and the back seat is spacious for such a small SUV.You simply don't get these touches on every HR-V competitor. Where many of them make up ground is digital screen-space. The 2023 HR-V LX and Sport trims come standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen—smaller than what you can get elsewhere; a larger 9.0-inch unit comes on the top EX-L trim. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the line, but we'd welcome a bigger screen or one tilted a bit toward the driver on the lower two trims. By the way, we asked Honda whether it expects any feature omissions due to parts shortages affecting the industry, and the automaker said all HR-Vs should have "the full features and functions listed for each trim level." Great.The entry-level SUV segment is much larger than it was when the first-generation HR-V arrived, which helps put the Honda's pros and cons into perspective. With fuel economy and driving range, for example, it doesn't quite keep up with our chosen competitive set. An EPA-rated 26 city/32 highway mpg with FWD and 25/30 with AWD is not bad on its own, but it's inferior to the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross—31/33 mpg with FWD and 29/32 with AWD—and the AWD-only Subaru Crosstrek. For the 2023 model year, the Subaru comes in at 28/33 mpg with its standard 2.0-liter engine and 27/34 with the 2.5-liter unit.The Subaru also holds a huge advantage compared to the Honda in combined city/highway driving range; you'll travel about 100 miles farther in either automatic-transmission Crosstrek than you will in the Honda.The TakeawayThe Honda HR-V remains a good choice in its second generation. But with its physical growth, the new 2023 model is slower and less efficient than a couple key competitors. The former isn't a huge deal for an entry-level SUV, but if you don't need to make that compromise, why should you? In the HR-V's case, it would be because of the trust some have in the Honda name and because the SUV drives well. The Civic-based platform means the 2023 Honda HR-V feels good on the road before you even consider its spacious interior. Standard Honda Sensing safety tech and good anticipated safety-test results should also provide buyers with confidence.Honda loyalists should also appreciate the new interior design and improved HVAC system, but cross-shoppers will want to consider what they really want from an inexpensive SUV. The Kia Seltos is spacious and much quicker, but it lacks a five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA. Subaru's popular Crosstrek offers standard AWD, better efficiency, and a good driving experience, but doesn't look like a traditional SUV.Especially in LX and Sport trims, the 2023 Honda HR-V represents the brand well enough in this crowded space. For the rare customer seeking a loaded HR-V EX-L, however, we suggest giving a closer look to the competition, and especially the new 2023 CR-V.Looks good! More details?2023 Honda HR-V AWD (EX-L) Specifications BASE PRICE $30,195 PRICE AS TESTED $30,590 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 2.0L port-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 158 hp @ 6,500 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 138 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm TRANSMISSION Cont variable auto CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,271 lb (58/42%) WHEELBASE 104.5 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 179.8 x 72.4 x 63.4 in 0-60 MPH 9.8 sec QUARTER MILE 17.5 sec @ 83.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 125 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.80 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 28.5 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 25/30/27 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 378 miles (est) ON SALE Now Show All