Author: John Snyder

7 thoughts about the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958

John Beltz Snyder

John Beltz Snyder

View the 29 images of this gallery on the original article

The new, 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is smaller, cheaper and simpler than the generation that came before. It’s not quite as capable as the one before it, which might not be the best news for hardcore off-roaders (though it still comes with standard, full-time four-wheel drive, rear and center locking differentials, crawl control, various terrain modes, and it offers a manually disconnecting stabilizer bar in the higher “Land Cruiser” trim). On the other hand, it's good news for folks who missed the nameplate, want another choice in rugged Toyota SUVs, and need something that’s a decent daily driver that can get you a bit off the beaten path.

We spent several days with the Toyota Land Cruiser 1958, the base trim starting at $57,400 (including $1,450 in destination fees). It uses the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, which we’ve sampled in other Toyotas, and have liked so far. It’s also pretty basic, especially when it comes to the interior, as you’ll see in the paragraphs and photos below. Besides equipment quantity, materials quality is significantly lower than what you'll find in the "Land Cruiser" trim. Hard plastics and cloth upholstery are present instead of soft-touch surface and leather. Of course, it’s also $11,000 cheaper than the "Land Cruiser" (who thought that naming scheme was a good idea, by the way?). With that, here are several thoughts about the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958.

1. Boxy is back, it seems

Car design goes through cycles, it seems, of boxy, curvy, boxy, curvy, etc. Right now, it’s pretty clear that we’re entering another angular generation. As a kid who grew up loving 1980s Volvos, I’m pumped about it. It’s always looked good on off-roaders, too. This Land Cruiser is a pretty good execution of it. The multitude of straight lines and sharp angles make me want to bust out my large son’s Lego collection and start building cars of my own. Furthermore, the rigid geometry makes elements like the circular headlights and air vents really stand out. Whether you actually like that will depend on your personal taste. It’s almost a little too severe of a contrast, making me just the slightest bit uncomfortable, but I think it ends up being more fun than the pixel headlights of the eponymous Land Cruiser trim.

2. The grille is cool

Just look at it. It looks like some sort of cage. Where everything else today seems to have some sort of diamond mesh or big, chunky bars, the grille on this Land Cruiser looks quite wiry. The amount of negative space is off-putting, like rocks and bugs and road debris could dive right in there and do some damage, and make it a huge pain in the neck to clean. Yet, I still like it, at least visually. I wish I could replace all the hardware cloth on my chicken pen with this stuff, “TOYOTA” logo and all.

3. The hybrid powertrain is slick

All hail the i-Force Max! This 2.4-liter turbo mates to an eight-speed automatic with an integrated electric motor, providing a total of 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. No, it’s not as efficient as your average hybrid, rated at 22 miles per gallon city, 25 highway and 23 combined, but boy is it great to use. Despite being down on horsepower from the previous Land Cruiser generation, the extra torque makes it feel quite responsive around town. While it may not post superb 0-60 times (nor does it need to), this powertrain is super-smooth and linear. I found it quite satisfying to use in daily driving. Whether I was cruising leisurely, trying to get somewhere in a hurry or creeping down a rutted dirt road, it always felt composed and unharried.

4. The interior … wow

The 1958 feels like 1985. It’s almost impressive how oppressive all the cloth and plastic are. How much gray can you handle? This is budget rental-car spec. Is it weird that I kind of like it?

5. But cloth seats aren’t terrible in the heat

The weather was quite warm when I had the Land Cruiser, and though there aren’t ventilated seats, the cloth chairs didn’t burn me like leather would when my skin touched the upholstery. The texture of the cloth is nice and airy, too, keeping my back from getting sweaty in the heat. The seats arere pretty soft, providing more cushion than support, which isn’t all too terrible in an upright seating position like this. I’d be curious to see how they will stand up over time, though.

6. The suspension is pretty good on-road

I found it a huge relief that the suspension in this Land Cruiser isn’t a total roller coaster. In the last Land Cruiser, whatever you put on the front passenger seat was certain to end up on the floor, whether it was a backpack, a water bottle or, in at least one instance, a bag of takeout — way more so than other cars under much harder braking. Hit the accelerator, the nose would go up. Do anything more than just brush the brake pedal, and it felt like the nose was going to burrow into the ground. It made for pretty miserable commuting.

The new Land Cruiser feels a lot less newborn-colt-like on its feet. There’s a little bit of give from the front suspension when you get on the brakes, but it didn’t dump my entire dinner on the floor between the restaurant and my house. It’s a lot more comfortable for it, too. All that porpoising gets tiring, and I’m glad to see it gone.

7. The suspension is still good when the pavement ends and the road gets rutty

Transitioning from good to poor pavement, then to no pavement at all, the Land Cruiser seems totally at ease. Going down gravel roads, dirt roads and roads that are barely roads at all (more moonscapes, really), this SUV shows its eagerness to keep going further, taking whatever you could put in its path. I’d love to take this thing to some trails up in North Michigan. I feel like it could tackle them without the kids shouting in discomfort about all the jostling. If I were going to go that route, though, I’d probably want to pony up for the equipment on the “Land Cruiser” trim. But the 1958 is plenty good for most of the light work you might encounter getting to a campsite or cabin in the woods … if you’re cool with that interior.

Related video:

2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe First Drive Review: Better for it

John Beltz Snyder

John Beltz Snyder

View the 32 images of this gallery on the original article

MINNEAPOLIS — The Genesis GV80 is a decidedly solid vehicle that we’ve called out for its compelling design, richly contented interior, decent power and useful tech. It’s a luxury SUV that offers an interesting option to its more expensive German rivals. So what’s next? Well, following in the footsteps of the Germans, it’s time for Genesis to coupe-ify its flagship SUV. The BMW X5 has its X6 sibling; Audi has its Sportbacks; Porsche and Mercedes have Coupe versions of their midsize SUVs … now Genesis is offering the GV80 Coupe. It too has a sleeker roofline that degrades practicality, but it also turns up the heat with a supercharged engine option.

First, there are the obvious changes, and those start with the roofline from the B-pillar back. The steeper slope extends into an aggressive and dynamically shaped roof spoiler. Unlike the SUV’s more horizontal spoiler, the Coupe’s dips in the middle to create a sporty double-spoiler look. Below that is the aggressively raked liftgate, bisected horizontally by a large, lower lip spoiler. Its two-line taillights wrap across the corners onto the shapely curvature of the lower liftgate. The Coupe gets even more athletic touches below, like a sleeker lower fascia with prominent quad exhaust tips.

Further, less obvious design choices continue to set the Coupe apart as the sportier sibling to the more practical SUV. Up front, it gets its own version of the Genesis crest grille, with two layers of mesh providing both a three-dimensional effect and further protection to the internals behind it. The front bumper gets a larger air curtain, flanked by bigger air intakes at the fascia’s lower corners. From the side, the Coupe’s flush roof rails provide a more slippery silhouette (which helps to dramatize the new roofline), while exclusive wheels provide further attitude that the SUV doesn’t get. We especially liked the look of the 22-inch dark gray matte wheels on our tester, whose unique design suggests an almost crystalline lattice to complement each of the five spokes.

Moving inside, the GV80 Coupe’s cabin is rich and detail-oriented. Our tester’s Nappa leather interior had a Coupe-exclusive red and black color scheme, which we liked second only to the available Ultramarine Blue with orange stitching. Slinking in behind the sporty flat-bottom steering wheel, the intricate carbon-fiber trim stands out for its unique diamond-shape weave that gives it an interesting, almost holographic sense of depth. The stitching, quilting and textures of the switchgear invite you to touch them and lean in for a closer look. Go ahead, lean in — closer inspection won’t leave you disappointed.

And such a luscious interior surprisingly downplays what would otherwise be the focal point of the entire cockpit, which represents an overhaul for the entire 2025 GV80 line. A wide, 27-inch digital OLED display now stretches across the dash, serving as both infotainment and instrument panel. It’s crisp and colorful, putting information where you need it while providing a seamless look. The infotainment is controllable via touchscreen, or with a rotary dial on the center console (which is still too similar in size and general location as the rotary gear selector). The climate controls get their own, separate touch display, located further down on the center stack below a row of menu buttons and genuine knobs for audio volume and tuning. This Genesis interior gets it right, leveraging the digital where it makes sense, and without forcing you to hunt through menus for the items you use the most.

Looking at the GV80 Coupe, it seems safe to assume that the sloping roofline must have a significant impact on rear-seat comfort. On paper, however, the Coupe offers 37.6 inches of headroom, a sacrifice of just 0.8 inches compared to the SUV. Open the rear door, look at the ceiling and you’ll notice Genesis made great efforts to carve out whatever noggin space it could above the seatback, as the headliner rises into a cavity behind the sunroof. Sit in the back seat, and you’ll probably find it quite comfortable. This 6-foot-tall author would have no complaints riding along as a rear passenger for long drives. Even better, heated and ventilated second-row seats are standard in the GV80 Coupe, as are rear climate controls on the back of the center console.

The SUV’s third-row option is expectedly unavailable in the Coupe, but that’s not much of a loss. It’s cramped for everyone and only available on a single trim level in the regular version.

The GV80 Coupe offers 30.3 cubic feet of volume with the rear seats up, which is a fair amount less than the 36.5 cubes available behind the second row of the SUV, and puts it between the BMW X6 (27.4) and Mercedes GLE Coupe (31.6). When you look at the actual space, there’s a fairly large footprint, but the angle of the glass impedes on the backmost part of the cargo area. It seems great for filling with items like grocery bags, and we suspect that luggage would stack well up against the rear seats, but we suspect bigger bags or boxes will struggle to fit the further back you go. The Cayenne Coupe is similar in this regard.

The GV80 Coupe is available with two powertrains. The base engine is a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 making 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque — the same available at the top of the GV80 SUV line. The other version, unavailable in the SUV but borrowed from the G90 sedan, is the same twin-turbo V6 fitted with the Genesis “e-Supercharger.” Powered by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, it fills in the performance gap caused by the turbochargers relying on exhaust gas to create boost. The result is immediate response, the elimination of turbo “lag” and even more power — a total of 409 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque. Interestingly enough, it also gives the GV80 Coupe a slight boost in fuel economy, providing 18 miles per gallon city, 22 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined, compared to the base engine’s 16/22/19 mpg.

We were only able to sample the e-Supercharger powertrain, and, boy howdy, it’s a treat. The right pedal introduces power smoothly and immediately thanks to the e-Supercharger. It pulls hard in a linear fashion, with a seamless transition from supercharged to turbocharged assistance, keeping acceleration predictable all the way to the next smooth shift from the eight-speed automatic. It’s a good blend of speed and comfort; you could drive pretty swiftly without causing a nervous passenger to keep checking the speedometer.

Genesis pipes in engine sound through the audio system, which is controversial but common these days. Here’s the thing: It sounds surprisingly good, and we repeatedly praised the solid soundtrack throughout the drive, forgetting that it was not all natural. It sure sounds natural — it’s actual powertrain sounds, with no extra notes developed by some audio engineer or musician. You can turn it off for a quieter cabin experience, but this was one of the rare instances where the feedback provided by the added volume was actually appreciated. It feels weird to say that.

Twist the drive mode selector, and you can add even more to the driving experience. Sport mode unleashes a bit more of the power, but the Sport+ mode is the secret sauce exclusive to the E-Supercharger variant. The idle speed rises from 750 to 1,000 rpm, steering heft increases and the suspension tightens up. The Sport+ transmission logic is particularly impressive, giving a nice, hearty blip on downshifts, and keeping the tach high in the rev range. It even holds onto gears rather than shifting automatically if you hit the rev limiter in manual mode. It makes hustling down a winding road an addictive venture, complete with a dollop of controlled wheelspin when urging the GV80 Coupe out of a corner.

That sense of control it affords in spirited driving carries over to less-than-ideal road conditions. Specifically, we encountered heavy rain on and off throughout the drive, and never caught the car out of sorts. The all-wheel-drive system is capable of applying 50-100% of the power to the rear (and, thusly, 0-50% to the front), but maximizes front torque in slippery conditions. It makes for a pleasantly adaptable experience based on conditions and mood.

The ride is geared toward comfort, without sacrificing too much agility or creating a numb or floaty sensation. As GV80 SUV’s available electronically controlled suspension is standard on the Coupe, it uses a forward camera to proactively adapt the damper to the road surface ahead. It provides a smooth experience for the occupants, complementing the interior’s luxuriousness.

GV80 Coupe pricing reflects its positioning alongside the very top of the GV80 SUV lineup, as well as its vast standard features list. It starts at $81,300 (including $1,350 in destination) for the base 3.5T AWD. It’s similarly equipped to the SUV’s line-topping GV80 3.5T AWD with the Prestige package, but $650 more. There are no options or packages. The same goes for the 3.5T e-Supercharger AWD, which rings in at $87,100 with destination. All those features we’ve talked about throughout are included as standard, along with further adornments like an excellent driver assist suite, head-up display, Bang & Olufsen audio system, digital key, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and rearview camera mirror.

While we tend to shy away from crossover coupes, preferring their more practical, full-bodied counterparts, Genesis has a compelling formula with its GV80 Coupe. It’s a rare instance where the coupe body style might actually look better than the SUV it’s based on (though that’s not going to be everybody’s opinion, of course). The availability and exclusivity of the even hotter E-Supercharger powertrain only makes it more compelling. So if you’re looking for a sportier-looking version of the already compelling GV80, complete with a hotter powertrain, and don’t mind sacrificing a small amount of practicality (but not much, really) you’ve now got the GV80 Coupe to satisfy your tastes. And don’t forget to switch it to Sport+ mode. It’s pretty sweet.

2025 BMW X5 and X6 Review: True luxury performance

BMW

John Beltz Snyder

View the 41 images of this gallery on the original article

Pros

Cons

Strong performance Available X5 plug-in hybrid Loaded with (mostly) useful tech X5’s useful split tailgate/liftgate

Steep tech learning curve Back seat not as big as you’d expect X6’s practicality compromises $$$

The 2025 BMW X5 and X6 are a pair of mechanically similar two-row luxury SUVs with different body styles. The X5 is a more traditional midsize crossover SUV, while the X6 features a “crossover coupe” silhouette with a sloping roofline that gives it a unique look at the sacrifice of space. Both are fairly opulent, and quite sporty, but only the X5 offers a plug-in hybrid powertrain option. They now benefit from mild-hybrid technology for smoother performance, and both offer high-performance M Competition versions with a twin-turbo V8 making 617 horsepower.

The X5 and X6 are also packed full of tech, much of it flashy, most of it useful. A lot of it, like the infotainment system, comes with a fairly steep learning curve. Some of it, like the gesture control, is just goofy. But there’s a high level of comfort whether you’re a driver or passenger, and available luxury items that can make the X5 and X6 quite cozy — and costly. Just be aware that despite being awfully big and heavy vehicles on the outside, passenger space isn’t as generous as you might expect.

Nevertheless, between its technology, luxury, comfort and performance, the BMW X5 — or the slightly less practical X6 — is a heavy hitter in the midsize luxury SUV set, and should not be overlooked.

Interior & Technology    |   Passenger & Cargo Space    |   Performance & Fuel Economy

What it's like to drive    |   Pricing & Trim Levels    |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features

What's new for 2025?

The 2025 X5 and X6 mostly carry over from the 2024 model year, which received a mid-cycle refresh with updated styling, revised technology, a mild-hybrid system, plus more power and range for the plug-in hybrid. For 2025, BMW added a lane-change assist feature to its hands-free Highway Assist system. Model year 2025 also sees a limited X5 Silver Anniversary Edition with exclusive off-road equipment. Pricing has also risen a bit.

What are the X5 and X6 interior and in-car technology like?

The BMW X5 and X6 mostly share a luxurious and sporty interior that’s both comfortable and high-tech. Materials are of high quality, whether it’s the base “Sensafin” synthetic leather or the more expensive Merino actual leather, in unique colors and patterns. And as is typical for this lofty segment of luxury SUVs, you can outfit the X5 in a truly opulent manner with things like a leather-wrapped dash, heated just-about everything (front and rear seats, steering wheel, armrests and cupholders), a 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and multiple choices of wood trim, metal weaves, and glass finishings on center console controls. With the latter, you can make the electronic shifter look like a sort of crystal talisman from a fantasy novel.

The centerpiece of the interior is a curved display housing a 14.9-inch infotainment screen and 12.3-inch driver display. Make sure to set aside lots of time during a test drive (and delivery, if you buy one) to learn about the innumerable features and customization settings controlled by BMW's iDrive 8 infotainment system. This isn't a car you just hop in and drive away. Everything from the way the gauges look to your preferred combination of powertrain and chassis settings can be programmed the way you like it. Opting for an X5 (or X6) M Competition only adds to the customizability of the driving experience. Plus, it can be controlled through a multitude of different means: the center console knob and surrounding capacitive menu "buttons," the touchscreen, natural voice commands, or the rather useless gesture control (wave your hands about like a wizard to accomplish tasks, just in case that crystal talisman wasn’t enough). We found we liked to accomplish different tasks using different means of interface, which speaks to the value in such control redundancy.

How big are the X5 and X6?

The X5 is a midsize SUV that seats five people in two rows. That configuration, along with its general exterior dimensions, makes it consistent with a Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q8. The Lexus RX 350 is also within spitting distance of this group, but costs much less. Inside, we found the rear seat doesn't exactly provide the sprawl out space you might expect from a high-dollar SUV. The seat back also doesn't recline. Headroom in the rear of the X5 is abundant, however, and shoulder room is typical for the segment, meaning fitting three across shouldn't be an issue. You sacrifice a little bit of that headroom in the X6 thanks to it “coupe” body style’s raked roofline.

Now, while rear passenger space is just OK, X5 cargo space is among the best in the two-row segment. It also features a distinctive cargo opening: a power-operated liftgate and tailgate combination. This allows you to access things inside without fear of those things rolling out when you open the tailgate. It also creates a nice, clean place to sit, and one our editors reports it makes for a perfect baby changing table when on the go. That extra length does make it hard to reach items deep in the cargo area, or to attach car seats to the anchor on the back of the seat.

The X6 unique shape results in a sacrifice of cargo space for style. It offers 27.5 cubic feet behind the second row, as compared to the X5 and its 33.9 cubic feet of luggage-swallowing cargo area. It still fares pretty well when it’s time to pack the car up, though, as we found with our luggage test. It also doesn’t boast that slick, two-part liftgate/tailgate.

What are the X5 and X6 fuel economy and performance specs?

The base powertrain is the turbocharged, mild-hybrid-assisted 3.0-liter inline-six and eight-speed automatic transmission in the rear-wheel-drive X5 sDrive40i, and the all-wheel drive X5 xDrive40i and X6 xDrive40i. It produces 375 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, pushing the rear-drive X5 from 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, while the all-wheel-drive X5 and X6 do it in 5.2 seconds. Both X5 drivetrain configurations have a fuel economy rating of 23 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined. The X6 xDrive40i gets 23/26/24 mpg.

The X5 gets a plug-in hybrid powertrain — called xDrive50e — that the X6 doesn’t offer. It also uses the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, combined with a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission. The system is good for a total of 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, with a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds. While the EPA hasn’t yet published official fuel economy figures, BMW says it gets 58 miles-per-gallon equivalent when the battery is charged. Electric-only driving range is 40 miles.

Moving up to the X5 and X6 M60i xDrive, they feature a mild-hybrid twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Output increases to 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, while the 0-60 sprint decreases to 4.2 seconds. Fuel economy drops to 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined.

The top of the line, and the only full M variant for 2025, comes in the X5 and X5 M Competition. Its twin-turbocharged V8 also features mild-hybrid tech, and puts 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Both the X5 and X6 go from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, which is madness for a large luxury SUV. They unsurprisingly also have the worst fuel economy of the lineup at 13 mpg city, 18 mpg highway and 15 mpg combined.

What are the X5 and X6 like to drive?

The X5 and X6 are soft, quiet and buttery smooth around town or on the highway, feeling impeccably engineered to make you only mildly aware of your surroundings. When you start to hustle them along, however, there's a poise and sophistication to the way they take corners that you wouldn't expect from something so comfy the rest of the time. Selecting Sport or Individual tightens the steering, suspension, transmission and throttle response accordingly. The height-adjustable suspension even lowers itself in Sport.

The plug-in hybrid — available in the X5 but not the X6 — benefits not just in terms of power than the 40i, but in getting electric-only range. It’s quick, its 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque providing sub-5-second 0-60 rips. But you can also drive it around efficiently, and on electric power only for up to 40 miles. With the electric motor integrated into the transmission, it feels seamless and natural switching between electric and gas power. It’s still fairly well balanced in the corners, despite its hefty curb weight.

With 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, they’re mighty quick, to the point that they can get a little squirrelly on you with everything put into sport modes. There’s a whole lotta oomph with very little effort. The breathy V8 roars to life without hesitation. It’s almost too eager, with a casual tip-in eliciting a bit more snap than one might like when trying to drive smoothly in traffic. It’s not a problem when you’ve got wide-open road ahead of you, though. After that initial punch off the line, the V8 continues to pull hard, taking you to exciting speeds with an appropriate amount of fanfare. The transmission is a blast to interact with when you put it in manual mode and use the paddle shifters, as well.

They’re able to calm down and behave when you need them too, making the X5 and X6 M Competition suitable daily drivers despite their performance leanings.

What other BMW X5 and X6 reviews can I read?

9 thoughts about the 2024 BMW X5 M Competition

It brings the heat, but does the luxury crossover stuff well

2020 BMW X6 First Drive | From outcast to trailblazer

The original crossover 'coupe' started a trend. The new model defends its territory

2020 BMW X5 M and X6 M First Drive | Greed and speed

A full M crossover sounds like sacrilege, but it's impossible to not be amazed after our first go in the X5 M.

2020 BMW X6 M Competition Road Test | Not everything makes sense

It’s the stylish one, assuming crossover coupes are your style

Are all these drive modes actually useful? We find out in a 2020 BMW X5 M Competition

There are a lot of settings to choose from.

BMW X6 Luggage Test | How much cargo space?

It’s usable, but not as much as the X5.

What are the 2025 X5 and X6 price?

The base, rear-wheel-drive X5 sDrive40i starts at $66,875 with the $1,175 destination fee factored in, while that all-wheel drive xDrive40i begins at $69,175. The X6 starts at $75,675

For the xDrive40i. Standard and optional features are so abundant, we could be here all day listing them. As such, you can dig a little deeper with these breakdown of features, pricing and specs of the BMW X5 and BMW X6, as well as the X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition.

All prices below include the $1,175 destination charge:

  • X5 sDrive40i: $66,875
  • X5 xDrive40i: $69,175
  • X5 xDrive50e: $74,275
  • X5 M60i xDrive: $91,175
  • X5 M Competition: $125,975
  • X6 xDrive40i: $75,675
  • X6 M60i xDrive: $95,475
  • X6 M Competition: $130,875

What are the X5’s safety ratings and driver assistance features?

The BMW X5 and X6 include standard forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and emergency automatic braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems, driver inattention monitoring, and BMW Assist eCall emergency communications. The Active Protection System can detect imminent accidents, then prepares by automatically pretensioning seat belts, closing windows and sunroof, and activating post-crash braking. BMW also offers a Driving Assistance Professional Package, which is a hands-free highway driving assist system that still requires the driver to pay attention to the road. A standard Reversing Assistant that maneuvers the car out of parking spaces by retracing the route it took into it, while the optional Parking Assistant Professional allows the car to enter and exit parking spaces with the driver inside or outside the vehicle.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2025 BMW X5 its Top Safety Pick designation, giving it its best “Good” score in crashworthiness categories, pedestrian front crash prevention and LATCH ease of use, but its second-best “Acceptable” rating for headlights. It gave the X6 a “Good” rating for its front overlap crash tests and pedestrian front crash prevention. It also got and “Acceptable” rating for headlights. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet rated the 2025 X5 or X6, but it gave the 2024 X5 a four-star (out of five) safety rating.

Related video:

2025 Cadillac XT4 Review: The inbetweener of luxury compact SUVs

John Beltz Snyder

Cadillac

View the 18 images of this gallery on the original article

Pros: Good infotainment and safety tech; nice in-between size; roomy second row

Cons: Ho-hum interior design; lack of configuration variety; small cargo area

The 2025 Cadillac XT4 is a handsome small luxury crossover that lands somewhere between the subcompact and compact segments, providing ample passenger room while still offering good maneuverability and parking for tighter city settings. It mostly carries over from last year, which saw updated exterior looks and a new 33-inch curved LED screen inside. Overall, it’s a right-sized SUV for some, with handsome exterior looks, good rear legroom, quality tech and a fairly affordable price for the luxury segment.

That said, the interior is a bit uninspiring; despite that new screen and some interesting touches, it feels more like a Chevy inside than the more high-quality and detailed interiors of recent Cadillacs. That’s not surprising considering the XT4 is far along in its lifecycle, but it’s true nevertheless. Also, there are no engine options other than the 2.0-liter turbo-four, even if that engine is plenty potent for this small crossover.

While there is no longer the base Luxury trim for 2025, what’s left is probably where you’d want to start with a luxury vehicle. Even so, many features we’d consider essential to luxury — heated seats and steering wheel, wireless charger, premium audio, etc. — are still part of options packages in the upper trims. That gives you a little more freedom to pick and choose what you want to pay for, but much of that seems like it ought to be standard in a Cadillac.

Interior & Technology    |   Passenger & Cargo Space    |   Performance & Fuel Economy

What it's like to drive    |   Pricing & Trim Levels    |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features

What's new for 2025?

Cadillac has eliminated the base Luxury trim, making the Premium Luxury the entry-level XT4. The Active Safety Package is now standard on the remaining trims.

What are the XT4 interior and in-car technology like?

The XT4’s interior improved with a bit of a refresh for the 2024 model year, when it gained a curved 33-inch screen (like the one in the Cadillac Lyriq) across the top of the dash serving as infotainment screen on the right and a digital instrument panel in front of the driver. It runs the Lyriq's same interface with a configurable gauge cluster and Google Built-In services. We also like the physical toggles below a corresponding digital display strip for the HVAC controls lower on the center stack. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and buyers can upgrade with a 14-speaker AKG Studio sound system.

Other than that, the interior isn’t exactly impressive, and perhaps a bit forgettable. There are the occasional design touches, like the patch of interesting stitching design on the dash, but there’s a lot of grainy plastic surface area throughout the cabin without much else to liven things up. At least the XT4 uses soft-touch materials in most of the places it’ll likely come into contact with your skin.

How big is the XT4?

The XT4 is an in-betweener kind of vehicle. It's about 6 inches longer and a few hundred pounds heavier than the smallest luxury crossovers, which include the Volvo XC40 and BMW X1. But it's a bit smaller than "compact" SUVs like the Audi Q5, Mercedes GLC and Acura RDX. The Lexus NX is probably the XT4's closest rival in terms of the exterior dimensions.

The interior is a different story, though, as the XT4's lengthy wheelbase helps grant it rear legroom that actually exceeds many of those SUVs that are larger on the outside. Now, differences in the way interior measurements are done by manufacturers can make such claims tenuous – the XT4 is no limo – but rear occupants should have more space than you'd expect. Unfortunately, the rear seatback is awfully upright and doesn't recline, so overall comfort could still be better.

Despite passenger space being indicative of the segment above, the XT4's cargo capacity is closer to the segment below. That's still OK, as its 22.5 cubic feet of space allowed us to stuff five suitcases into the cargo area. Its maximum cargo capacity of 48.9 cubic feet is very underwhelming, but is likely the result of a rather low roof and not having much "air space" in the cargo area above the back seat line. It's therefore not a great choice for carrying bulky items.

Video ID: 6d644b65-676f-352a-8c53-d4df6fb3a3f9

Playlist ID:

Autoplay: false

Mute: false

Continuous: false

Ad Key:

Ad Value:

What are the XT4’s fuel economy and performance specs?

Every 2025 XT4 comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four that produces 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Published 0-60-mph times have been in the low 7-second range, whereas competitors both larger and smaller tend to be in the 6's.

A nine-speed automatic and front-wheel drive are standard, but all-wheel drive is an option on both trim levels. Unusually (for vehicles other than GM’s), the driver must choose to manually turn on the all-wheel-drive system in order for it to be active. Once it is engaged, however, it not only shunts power front and back, but side to side at the rear for improved handling and poor-weather traction.

The EPA hasn’t published 2025 fuel economy estimates as of this writing, but with no powertrain changes, we expect it to remain at 24 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined with front-wheel drive. They suffer just a but, at 23/28/25 mpg, with AWD.

What's the XT4 like to drive?

The XT4's turbo four-cylinder is perhaps a bit buzzy at start-up, but once underway impresses with its refinement and low-end torque. This is a high-tech engine, as we documented in  our XT4 first drive, capable of achieving strong fuel economy and highway passing power. Acceleration should be more than sufficient for most, but know that rival SUVs are a bit quicker.

The throttle pedal that controls the engine could be better, however. It's too mushy and numb in the Tour drive mode, and then just a bit too caffeinated in Sport without an increase in pedal feel. This contrasts with the brake pedal, which has an ultra-firm initial bite that makes it hard to modulate. The steering is another misstep. Effort is inconsistent and unnatural in Tour mode, while Sport increases effort but remains numb. Neither offers anything akin to Cadillac's sharp-steering rear-wheel-drive sedans. At the same time, it doesn't provide a linear, nice-and-easy experience of old-time Cadillacs, either.

The ride, however, is a perfect compromise. Continuously-variable damping is available on Sport models, and we found that it capably sops up nasty bumps. Happily, the standard conventional dampers are well calibrated as well. Both suspensions result in a ride that's comfortable while still maintaining body control and not negating what is otherwise sound handling. Really, the XT4 could be excellent to drive, but it's betrayed by its various control inputs.

What other Cadillac XT4 reviews can I read?

2020 Cadillac XT4 Sport Drivers' Notes Review

Our editors take turns in the XT4 Sport. As is usual for Cadillac, opinions were mixed.

2019 Cadillac XT4 First Drive Review | Fashionably late

Our first drive of the XT4, including in-depth information about its engineering and design.

2019 Cadillac XT4 vs 2020 Lincoln Corsair: How they compare on paper

We compare the dimensions, engine specs and photos of the  Cadillac XT4  with its fellow American small SUV: the new  Lincoln Corsair. 

What is the 2025 XT4 price?

As of this writing, the 2025 model isn’t available to configure on Cadillac’s website, but an early order guide puts the MSRP at $41,990 for the Premium Luxury trim and $42,790 for the Sport. All-wheel drive will likely remain a $2,500 option.

With the discontinuation of the base Luxury trim for 2025, the new entry-level XT4 comes fairly well equipped. Standard equipment includes 18-inch wheels, LED lighting, leather seats with perforated inserts, 33-inch LED display with Google Built-In, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, power liftgate and the Active Safety Package with adaptive cruise control (more below in the safety section). The Sport trim has different aesthetic touches, but most of the same standard equipment. Optional equipment includes heated and ventilated front seats, power lumbar massage, heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats, wireless phone charger, digital rear-view camera mirror

What are the XT4’s safety ratings and driver assistance features?

The 2025 XT4 comes with the standard Active Safety Package, which includes adaptive cruise control, speed limit assist, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, surround-view parking camera, rear pedestrian alert, side bicyclist alert and forward and reverse automatic emergency braking.

The IIHS hasn’t updated its scores for 2025 yet, but the 2024 XT4 earned its best overall “Good” rating for the front moderate overlap and side crash tests. NHTSA hasn’t rated the 2025 XT4, and didn’t rate the 2024 model, but it gave the 2023 XT4 its best score of five stars for overall safety, with four stars for frontal crash test, five stars for side crash test and four stars for its rollover test.

2024 GMC Acadia First Drive Review: Big on character

John Beltz Snyder

John Beltz Snyder

View the 40 images of this gallery on the original article

BLUFFTON, S.C. — The 2024 GMC Acadia is a revamped take on the brand’s popular three-row SUV. It’s quite a bit bigger than the outgoing model, with 8.4 more inches of wheelbase and 10.6 extra inches of overall length. That’s a huge boon to cargo space (up 80%), while also adding 27% to second-row legroom. Its new looks align more closely now with the GMC Sierra pickup, granting it a brawnier personality.

While it’s in many ways quite similar to the updated 2024 Chevrolet Traverse, (including in size, now) GMC did an admirable amount of design work to differentiate the Acadia from its close relative. The tall, truck-like grille gives the Acadia more presence than before, and the C-shaped LED headlights add character. Along the side, the chunky C-pillar is hidden from sight, while the D-pillar is expanded. This provides a better view for third-row passengers, and has the added benefit of obscuring the cargo area from onlookers. Around back, we see more LED lighting, as well as quad exhaust tips GMC said were inspired by the C8 Chevy Corvette, complete with their squarish shape. The overall look is more truckish, but it still has a sporty slant.

Under the skin, much is shared with its Chevy platform-mate. It sports the same new 2.5-liter turbo four producing 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque and shifts via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine employs the same “ePhaser” to adjust the camshaft on the fly to advance and delay the spark according to power and efficiency needs. And just like the Traverse, the front-wheel-drive Acadia gets 20 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined, or 19/24/21 mpg with all-wheel drive.

In addition to the base Elevation trim ($43,995 including destination, with AWD costing another $2,000), the Acadia boasts the more luxurious Denali trim ($55,695 for FWD and $57,695 for AWD), as well as the off-road-ready AT4 trim ($51,395 with AWD standard). We’ll have to wait to evaluate the feature content in the Elevation, but the Denali and AT4 were on hand for us to evaluate in South Carolina.

Our first stint in the Acadia was in the Denali. Getting inside, it’s immediately noticeable that the Acadia’s interior is a big step up over that of the Traverse. Up front, the centerpiece is the tech interface standard on all Acadia trims: a portrait-oriented 15-inch infotainment screen running Google Built-In, as well as an 11-inch driver display. The Denali also comes with a head-up display as standard. One feature that helped immensely (in both Acadias we drove) on unfamiliar roads was the ability to switch the instrument panel display to donate most of its real estate to mirror the Google Maps navigation, putting our directions directly in front of us while freeing up the infotainment screen for any other functions needed along the way. And, yes, this GM product still has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The rest of the Denali’s interior design is inviting, with leather seats boasting truly attractive stitching. There are still some grainy, hard plastics to be found, but they don’t dominate the cabin. We really like the look of the open-pore ayous wood trim, complete with the Denali name etched at the far end of the dash. The fairing that covers the driver’s side of the dash is interestingly shaped, with good character for an element that would otherwise be easily overlooked both by designers and consumers. Its big center console is open underneath for convenient storage, thanks to GMC relocating the drive selector from the console to the steering column. We also appreciate the big, sturdy HVAC toggles integrated at the bottom of the infotainment screen.

Standard across the lineup is a seven-passenger layout with second-row captain’s chairs; there is no bench seat option. The second row is quite roomy, with seats that adjust backward and forward to offer more room or to punish whomever is sitting behind you. The third row is fairly large, though. With the driver’s seat in my ideal driver position and a comfortable second-row position behind that, I squeezed my 6-foot self into the third row and found my knees touching the seatback ahead of me. With a couple of minor adjustments from the forward seats — ones that wouldn’t be asking too much of the other occupants — I could fit in the third row fairly comfortably. A kid would be right at home for long trips. Adults would at least appreciate the decent headroom.

You could carry a good amount of luggage for all those passengers. Cargo volume behind the third row checks in at a segment-beating 23.0 cubic feet, with a large under-floor bin as a bonus. If it’s just a family of four taking the trip, flattening the third row opens that up to 57.3 cubic feet. Fold all the seats down for a maximum 97.5 cubes, and you’ve got a decent moving vehicle. There’s also 5,000 pounds worth of towing capacity if you somehow run out of space inside the Acadia.

Our particular Denali tester was equipped with the standard 20-inch wheels, not the optional 22-inchers and the “performance suspension” included in the Denali Reserve Package. That upgraded suspension uses passive, frequency-based dampers that behave differently according to input from the road. It’s probably more important to have when rolling on the bigger tires with their shorter sidewalls, but the 20-inchers with the standard suspension proved just fine for our drive. We didn’t encounter some of the tire-flattening, cratered pavement we see up in Michigan, but the imperfections we did encounter passed under tire without complaint.

GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system is optional across the Acadia lineup, and our Denali had it. It’s still a great system, reducing fatigue and inspiring confidence in its abilities as it deftly moves along with traffic — or around it with automatic lane changes. As GM adds more mileage to its map of compatible roads (about 750,000 miles now!), we were sometimes surprised by some of the smaller highways it would work on. One such stretch of road had its share of intersections with stop lights. Ahead of some of these busier intersections, the Acadia would let us know to take over steering with a red light on the steering wheel, a message on the driver display and a vibration of the seat cushion (a great way to deliver an alert without freaking out any passengers on board). Super Cruise remains one of the more advanced driver assist systems that we actually enjoy using.

The 2.5-liter turbo engine felt like a good fit for the Acadia. While it may not seem as macho as a V6, it offered plenty of power to get and keep the Acadia moving. It doesn’t sound bad, either, and what you do hear isn’t very loud. Turbo lag is at a minimum, and there’s enough power on hand to get the front wheels to spin from a stop (which is accompanied by a suggestion on the driver display to switch to AWD mode). We’ll be interested to see if the engine still feels up to the task when loaded up with passengers and a trailer in tow, but nothing so far suggests it won’t.

John Beltz Snyder

View the 42 images of this gallery on the original article

The next morning, I got in the off-road-leaning Acadia AT4. That comes equipped with all-terrain tires mounted on 18-inch wheels. In all, the AT4 gains about 1.2 inches in ride height over the Elevation, about two-thirds of that coming from the suspension, while the tires account for the rest. The AT4 uses a version of the optional performance suspension from the Denali, though tuned for more rugged duty, and including the same hydraulic rebound stop found in the Chevy Traverse Z71. It also gets red tow hooks, underbody skid plates, a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system and Off-Road and Terrain drive modes. The exterior brightwork isn’t exactly bright, using tinted chrome that comes off as a broody, glossy graphite-ish color. We’d be remiss to ignore the AT4’s marker lights on its wheel arches — it’s a small detail, but a neat one, nonetheless.

Inside, the AT4 doesn’t automatically get the Denali’s standard features, like a head-up display, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, one-touch-folding second-row and power-folding third-row seats, power steering column, memory settings and premium floor mats. Some of that is available, some not, but what you do get is still good and, we’d argue, suited to its purpose. The combination fabric and synthetic seats are comfortable and feel durable, and the rest of the interior design is still attractive, complete with wood trim. But despite fewer luxury trimmings, the AT4 feels even more special to drive.

The AT4 is particularly at home traversing down gravel roads at speeds that left huge plumes of dust behind us, the suspension doing an absolutely superb job of smoothing out the ruts and bumps. Once the gravel turned to fine, dry sand, the AT4 was a hoot. In Off-Road mode, it was perfectly happy to carry momentum and even accelerate fairly quickly through the loose medium. It felt a little playful, but not unruly as the front tires clawed through the sand, keeping the Acadia’s grille pointed where we wanted it. Just for fun, we switched the drive mode back to Normal mid-sand-rip, and the AT4 did indeed struggle to keep up momentum, slowing down significantly despite my inputs, as the traction control system fought against slippage. Popping it back into Off-Road mode via the (poorly placed) toggle to the left of the steering column, the Acadia was once again eager to charge forward as the AT4’s Active Torque Control AWD system allowed the wheels a little more freedom to spin.

GMC was kind enough to dig up one of the sandy roads on our drive route to let us get some wheels in the air. The AT4 was happy to creep through in Terrain mode without us having to fumble between the gas and brake pedals. Furthermore, every liftoff and touchdown of the wheels took place without drama — no noise, and managed with comfort (at least from the driver’s seat). We also turned on the vehicle’s exterior cameras, which would be useful if that portion of the trail had any turns.

Later, when we’d come back to the same spot, newly refreshed by GMC’s on-hand earth-moving equipment, the sandy ruts were deep and loose enough to get the Acadia temporarily stuck, wheels spinning to no avail. There was no need to resort to the tow hooks, though, as backing up a couple of inches, then rolling the front wheel back onto the incline and keeping a steady foot on the accelerator was enough to allow the all-wheel-drive system to sort the torque enough to get us up and out of the pit and, eventually, back onto mostly level ground.

On the pavement, the AT4 proved just about as comfortable as the Denali we had driven the day before. We were able to elicit a bit more wheel spin from the all-terrain tires when gunning it from a stop, and they gave a little bit of a roar when we called upon its lateral grip reserves when pushing through a corner. Excess body roll didn’t pose a problem from the driver’s seat, and the sweet suspension continued to level out whatever came at it on the straight parts of the road, too.

Our AT4 was also equipped with Super Cruise, which worked just as well as it did in the Denali. The only difference was that we noticed a bit more correction from the steering system, with just a slight wobble of the steering wheel on center as it cruised down the highway. That did not translate into any extra motion in the cabin, however, as everything felt calm and stable as we chugged straight ahead with our hands in our lap.

The 2024 Acadia is an attractive three-row SUV, perhaps more so than the slightly more affordable Chevy Traverse — even more affordable than that if you walk further down the Chevy’s deeper trim lineup. The Acadia’s exterior design is unique, and its interior design is a big draw over its cousin when comparing these comparable trims. Is that worth an extra few grand to you? Because beyond that, there’s not a lot, especially in terms of driving, that sets it apart from the Traverse. With that in mind, it’s simple enough to go test them back to back; they’re both in dealerships now, and they represent big upgrades over their outgoing versions.

Related video:

driive.com
All about Smart and Sustainable Mobility

Archives

October 2024
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031