Motor Trend
BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR BIGGEST AWARDS
We made no changes this year to the six criteria we use in determining our Of The Year awards; as a refresher, they are advancement in design, efficiency, engineering excellence, performance of intended function, safety, and value. With that out of the way, we deployed to the Honda Proving Center (HPC) in Cantil, California, to begin our Car of the Year proceedings.
5 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
BIG GTD ENERGY
Die mad, haters.
9 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
GMC Hummer EV 2X
With the Hummer EV designed around excess, can less ever be more? We sought an answer to the question with the new dual-motor variant of the reborn electric Hummer, which attempts to offer all the tri-motor Hummer performance in a slightly more affordable and efficient package. Indeed, it can in some ways, even if this new offering lets us down in many of the same ways as the 3X.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Ford Expedition
“A for effort, C+ for execution,” features editor Christian Seabaugh said about the new Expedition, represented at SUVOTY by the off-road-capable Tremor model. His sentiment largely sums up how we feel about Ford’s jumbo-size SUV. We appreciate the attempt to modernize the Expedition, but some of those efforts go too far, impacting usability.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Three-row family SUVs are supposed to be boring. Glorified minivans, uninspiring people movers.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Honda Passport
When Honda unveiled the 2026 Passport, it immediately stood out with its squared-off silhouette, bold yellow daytime running lights, and rugged off-road hardware.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
GMC Terrain
PROS Impressive screens Capable off-road Attractive price CONS Wimpy engine Unsettling handling. No spare tire
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback
PROS Quick and efficient Practical hatchback body style Appealing price CONS Design is attractive but expected NVH still an issue Less efficient than Civic sedan, Toyota Priusand efficient • Practical hatchback body style • Appealing price
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Audi A6/S6 E-Tron
As is seemingly the case with every traditional mainstream automaker these days, Audi has struggled to find the right balance between the gas and electric vehicles in its lineup. Charging into this conundrum are the A6 E-Tron and S6 E-Tron.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Audi S3/RS 3
Audi's compact luxury sport sedans were updated for the 2025 model year, giving them more power, new signature lighting, and other styling upgrades. They continue to ride on the same MQB platform that dates back to 2015. Are the upgrades enough to keep them in the fight?
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Remembering One of Our Own
Our friend, colleague, and teammate Ryan Ono passed away just before we began our annual Of The Year programs, which make up most of this issue. His parents, Elizabeth and Richard, told us that despite the intense heat and long hours of the OTYs, Ryan enjoyed them tremendously, and “He couldn't believe there were jobs like this in the world.” We can’t believe Ryan is gone and miss his presence every day.
1 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Intake YOUR SAY...
They Drive by Night
4 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Buick Enclave
Good balance of second-and third-row room Handsome exterior styling Google Assistant works well
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Audi Q5/SQ5
The Audi Q5 and SQ5 have entered their third generation with a new platform, updated design, and major tech upgrades.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
BMW iX
BMW's iX boasts a midcycle update that sees the xDrive45 replace the xDrive40 as the entry point to the marque's single line of electric SUVs.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Nissan Murano
PROS Upscale look helps it stand out Cool haptic buttons embedded in trim ProPilot Assist available CONS Rough ride with aging chassis Powertrain should be smoother No hybrid option
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Nissan Leaf
PROS Attractive exterior styling Improved powertrain Compelling value CONS Cramped second row. No one-pedal driving Lacks SUV capability
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Acura ADX
The ADX arrives as Acura's new entry-level SUV, positioned above the Honda HR-V but priced squarely in the premium space. With a $36,350 starting point for the base model, it promises luxury buyers a gateway into Acura ownership. But after our exhaustive testing, the ADX revealed a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Cadillac Optiq
The Optiq is the entry point for customers looking to join the Cadillac fold, and not only in terms of the brand's EVs.
2 min |
Winter 2026
Motor Trend
Volvo EX90
PROS Stunning exterior design Midcentury modern interior Room for the family CONS Seat controls buried in menus Lidar doesn't work Expensive
2 min |
Winter 2026
Tread
EXPLORING NEBRASKA
Taking the Trails Less Traveled
2 min |
January/February 2026
The New Yorker
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
According to the New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Zohran Mamdani will not actually be the city's hundred-and-eleventh mayor, as many people have assumed. A historian named Paul Hortenstine recently came across references to a previously unrecorded mayoral term served in 1674, by one Matthias Nicolls. Consequently, on New Year's Day, after Mamdani places his right hand on the Quran and is sworn in at City Hall, he will become our hundred-and-twelfth mayor—or possibly even our hundred-and-thirty-third, based on the department's best estimates. “The numbering of New York City ‘Mayors’ has been somewhat arbitrary and inconsistent,” a department official disclosed in a blog post this month. “There may even be other missing Mayors.”
10+ min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
PREMEDITATED
Tipped for the Oscars, “Hamnet” was released on November 26th. When the movie showed at film festivals, the director, Chloé Zhao, invited the audience to join her in an act of collective meditation before the screening. Among her instructions: “Close your eyes,” “Feel your own weight,” “Take deep breaths with sound,” “Sigh out loud,” and “Gently say to yourself, “This is my heart. These are our hearts.”
3 min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
Lawrence Wright on A. J. Liebling's "The Great State"
During the 1959 session of the Louisiana state legislature, Governor Earl Long, the less famous younger brother of Senator Huey Long, “went off his rocker,” as the tickled writer A. J. Liebling recounted in this magazine, adding, “The papers reported that he had cursed and hollered at the legislators, saying things that so embarrassed his wife, Miz Blanche, and his relatives that they had packed him off to Texas in a National Guard plane to get his brains repaired in an asylum.”
3 min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
FREUDIAN SLIPS
The psychology of fashion.
10+ min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
The Welfare State
The world beyond the ridgetop was a wall of gray cloud.
10+ min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
ON Y VA
\"Tartuffe\" closes out a year of Molière.
7 min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
THE VICTOR AND THE SPOILS
\"Marty Supreme.\"
6 min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
FOR RICHER OR POORER
Saying yes to the prenup.
10+ min |
December 29, 2025 - January 05, 2026
The New Yorker
ALPHABET SOUP
We know how to help kids with dyslexia, but often fail to. Why?
10+ min |