Latest news with #WesleyWren
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Does More Than Truck On
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The once full compact truck space that was filled with budget-friendly small trucks that would handle the arduous task of hauling mulch from your local home store or moving a Go-Kart has disappeared. Those small trucks either grew into the midsize trucks we know today or fell into the footnotes of history, like the rotary-powered Mazda REPU. The folks at Hyundai jumped back into the underserviced space with the crossover-based Hyundai Santa Cruz. Riding on the same N3 platform as the similarly named Sante Fe, this Santa Cruz pickup essentially gives you the comfort and convenience of a modern crossover, with a separated, external four-foot cargo space—or bed, for the truck enthusiasts. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the '25 Santa Cruz and highlights some of its updates and his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along for a live drive review and chats with Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy about the Santa Cruz, the competitive set, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz so special. Tune in below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are played.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Mazda3 Is a Mature Hot Hatch—or at Least a Mild Hatch
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Mazda's numerically named hatchback might be a vestige of its former naming conventions, but it still echoes the automaker's modern direction. This fourth-generation Mazda3 made its way to roadways for the 2019 model year, which, historically, puts it close to the end of the line. Despite not having a Mazdaspeed version for hopped-up hatchback enthusiasts to add to their respective stables, this current Mazda3 packs plenty of power under the hood. The base-model Mazda3's naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder sends 191 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque through either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. That's not bad, but Mazda's turbocharged 2.5-liter engine shoves 250 hp (on 93 octane fuel) and 310 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the turbocharged Mazda3 hatch, puts it through the paces, and takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 model before taking you on a live drive review. Wren also chats with Patrick Carone about the Mazda3's position in the marketplace, the competition, and more. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2025 Mazda3 special. Tune in below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are played.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Lexus UX 300h Crossover Gets Better with Extra Power
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The Lexus UX might not have the flash of halo products like the LC or LFA, but it fills an important role for the brand: an entry point. While it launched in 2018 with a series of variants, the '25 UX boils down to just one model, the 2025 Lexus UX 300h. This change comes from the pivot to a new powertrain featuring the company's fifth-generation hybrid system, which pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline-burning engine with an eCVT. This package is good for a combined 196 hp—15 hp over the outgoing UX 250h. Even with the extra oomph, the UX 300h also bests the outgoing model in city fuel economy, which rises to 45 mpg. The two models share the same combined fuel-economy numbers. On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren puts the 2025 Lexus UX 300h through its paces, takes you on a guided tour of the compact crossover, highlights some of its features, and takes you on a live drive review of the UX 300h. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek's Patrick Carone about the world of small crossovers, the updates to the Lexus UX, and more. Closing the show, the pair break down what's special about the UX 300h. Tune in below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are played.
