Quick Spin Autoweek

The sedan has come a long way over the last seven decades. Once dictated by an adult’s ability to wear a hat, the styling has changed dramatically to reflect the styles of the time. Well, ironically, Toyota has gone back to the modern sedan’s origins in the late 1940s to bring the large sedan to modernity. With a market dominated by high-riding utility vehicles, it only makes sense to try that sensibility out on a sedan. This height bump is reflected in the Crown’s 60.6-inch height, which bests the outgoing Avalon by nearly four inches. This height bump comes with only a half inch more of ground clearance, which means the Crown’s shell is substantially taller. This added height helps give drivers a more utility-like approach, and also helps with climbing in and out of the interior. Joining this new shape is a similarly new Hybrid Max powertrain, which blends a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 with a six-speed automatic and an array of electric motors to make 340 hp and 400.4 lb-ft of torque.

On this episode of Quick Spin host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Toyota Crown and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the Toyota Crown and talks about its styling and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Wren takes you along on a live drive review of the ’24 Crown. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s Patrick Carone about the Crown’s space in Toyota’s lineup, what makes it interesting, and how it stacks up against the Avalon it replaces. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the Toyota Crown special.

Hyundai expanded its crossover lineup with the first generation of its popular Kona all the way back in 2017. After seven years, and one N Variant, Hyundai’s Kona entered its second generation for the ’24 model year. This second-gen Kona carries over the powertrains from the first-generation, but holistically revamped interior and exterior styling, and added a hefty amount of consumer tech. Joining the updates for the latest Kona is Hyundai’s massive media and driver display, and a column shifter. Powering the gas-burning Kona is either a 2.0-liter I4 in base SE and SEL models or the turbocharged 1.6-liter I4 in N-Line and Limited variants. The 2.0-liter sends 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque through a CVT, whereas the turbocharged 1.6-liter mill sends 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Hyundai Kona N-Line and puts it through its paces. Wren takes you on a guided tour of the latest Kona 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’s Patrick Carone about the Hyundai Kona, where the Kona sits in the market, and about the first-generation Kona’s spectacular N model. Closing the show, the pair break down what makes the ’24 Hyundai Kona special.

Mazda is responsible for some of the most beloved sports cars, race cars, and powertrains to ever hit the pavement. While enthusiast cars have helped put Mazda on the map, and in the hearts of sports car fans around the world, crossovers sell. It only makes sense for Mazda to take its popular CX-5 and give it a slightly larger alternative. That’s exactly what the CX-50 brings to the table. The bones of the CX-5 stick around, but the larger shell comes with a longer wheelbase and slightly heavier curb weight. Powering this CX-50 is the same powerplant you’ll find under the CX-5’s hood. All CX-50s pack 2.5-liter I4s under the hood. Base powerplants breathe naturally and send 187 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque. Mazda also offers a turbocharged version of this 2.5-liter I4, which cranks the power to 227 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque with 87 octane fuel, or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque with 93 octane gasoline.

On this episode of Quick Spin, host Wesley Wren hops behind the wheel of the ’24 Mazda CX-50 and puts it through its paces. Wren walks you around the CX-50 and highlights some of his favorite features. Later in the show, Wren takes you along for a live drive review of this CX-50. Adding to these segments, Wren chats with Autoweek’s executive editor Tom Murphy about the CX-50, where it sits in the pantheon of crossovers, and how it stacks up to the competition. Closing the show, the pair breaks down what makes the 2024 Mazda CX-50 special.

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.