MotorWeek

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

Join us for a plug-in hybrid that delivers more smiles per gallon, the Mercedes-AMG E53... Then, it's a quick and slick oil rundown on "Your Drive!"

Next, a managerial course on the state of EV charging... Then, it's the latest on a Volkswagen greatest, the Tiguan... So, come drive with us, next!

Closed Captioning provided by Maryland Public Television.

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JOHN: The world of hybrids and plug-in hybrids has expanded greatly in recent years; there are some built to push the boundaries of fuel economy, some designed to ease the entry into the world of EVs, and some that are just about pure performance.

Hmmm... I wonder where this Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid Sedan falls on that spectrum?

So, why don't we hop in and find out?

If you haven't been following the Mercedes brand lately, they've been focusing just as much on performance recently as they have been with their usual concentration on luxury and technology, and they've been doing it mostly with electric aid.

The latest example is this 2025 Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ Sedan.

This power-party mouthful starts with Benz's 3.0 liter inline-6 turbocharged engine that's been blessed by the AMG gods, who have also stuffed a 120 kilowatt electric motor into the 9-speed AMG Speedshift automatic transmission that can be controlled with big silver shift paddles behind the steering wheel.

All to deliver 577 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels with AMG-tuned 4MATIC.

An available Dyanmic Plus package temporarily cranks things up to 604 horsepower when using Race Start; it also adds dynamic engine mounts, an AMG limited-slip rear differential, an AMG performance steering wheel, and an AMG Composite braking system with bright red brake calipers.

Now, high-performance sedans and MotorWeek have gone hand-in-hand from the very beginning, from wide-bodied supercharged V8 Hellcat Dodge Chargers, to mind-bending all-electric Porsche Taycans.

But one that always comes to mind is 1995's Chevrolet Impala SS.

It featured a beefed up V8 with more power than the Corvette, a raucous exhaust system, and even a 6-speed manual transmission.

It was truly the baddest big sedan in the land at the time.

We can only imagine what AMG would have done with that beast back in the day, as they've certainly transformed the E-class into something special.

You notice it as soon as you hit the road, with AMG Ride Control serving up a pleasant ride that is still willing and able to hustle through corners.

Drive mode access happens with a switch right on the steering wheel, and you can even dial up full EV for 43 miles of driving at up to 87 miles per hour.

We topped off both the real and virtual tanks, hit the road for a 227 mile road trip and averaged 47.7 miles per gallon, driving 42 percent of those miles under battery power, according the vehicle's trip computer.

That slots in appropriately, with the Government Fuel Economy Ratings at 23 combined and 53 combined for MPGe.

And it's a much better than average Energy Impact Score of four Barrels of Oil Used Annually, with 1.9 Tons of CO2 Emissions.

The 28.6 kilowatt hour battery lives under the trunk, providing significant ballast for rear traction.

Interestingly enough, only about 21 kilowatt hour of that battery is used for normal driving, the remainder is kept in reserve for max acceleration when called upon.

And it was indeed a real adrenaline rush at our Mason Dixon test track, with the E53 literally getting our blood pumping, as after a run down the strip our test driver got an alert from his smartwatch that he was currently experiencing a "high stress event."

It got that right-- ripping this luxury car to 60 in just 3.8 seconds will indeed grab your attention.

It didn't seem stressful at all for the E53, as there was plenty of grip off the line, and the engine pulled strongly the whole way down the track.

We finished out the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 116 miles per hour.

Even with high expectations, we were blown away in our handling course; loads of grip, quick steering, and neutral handling had us ripping through the cones with precision and very little body roll.

Rear axle steering is standard, and we could really feel it kicking in, though not in an abrupt way as with some systems, just a sense that the rear end of the car was rotating with grip, not by sliding.

Full AMG-spec brakes mean stops were aggressive, averaging just 91 feet from 60.

Throughout it all, these AMG Performance seats held us tight, but we'd probably stick with the standard seats unless you plan on spending the bulk of your time at track days, as they seem more consistent with the highly luxurious nature of the rest of the interior.

Outside, AMG treatments include widened front fenders, more air intakes up front, and forged 21 inch wheels.

Pricing for this AMG enhanced E-Class starts at $89,150, about 25-grand over a base Sedan.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ is an amazing luxury car that's equal parts tech showpiece and absolute barn burner.

So, whether it's pampering or performance you're looking for, you'll find plenty of it right here.

JOHN: Over the past decade, more than 7.0 million plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S., and the number of public charging ports grew from around 30,000 to nearly a quarter million.

Add to that, countless private chargers at-homes topping off EVs overnight in garages and driveways across the country.

With all that rapid growth comes questions about how all of that EV charging will affect our electrical supply infrastructure and how it will be managed.

Well, to find the answers, we checked in with the electricity experts.

BGE is among the Mid-Atlantic's largest electric utility companies, delivering power to more than 1.3 million Maryland customers, including nearly 80,000 electric vehicle owners.

To mitigate possible surges in demand and stress on the system caused by numerous EVs charging at once, BGE offers a time-of-use rate with discounts for charging during off-peak hours, and has recently taken that a step further with an innovative solution to balance demand within that off-peak window, using telematics technology.

STEPHANIE LEACH: Managed charging is the ability for a utility or a third-party company to control a EV driver's, uh, charging.

So, basically, a driver would allow the utility to change when that battery is charging to help support grid needs.

They put in their daily departure time, which they can change any day of the week, and anytime between when they plug in their vehicle the night before and their indicated departure time, we will decide when that vehicle will charge.

We will look at who has the earlier departure time or who has a lower battery, making sure that we're fulfilling all customer's charging needs while also maintaining the reliability of the local transformer, or the...the greater, uh, substation in the area so we don't overload any of those assets.

JOHN: More than 5,400 eligible BGE customers have signed up for the managed charging program so far, each receiving a $10 per month utility bill credit for participating.

KRISTY GRONCKI: I was enrolled in the EV time-of-use rate, and when the smart charge management program came about, it was a no-brainer for me to sign up.

I had to manage when I was charging my car previously to ensure it was charging off-peak at the cheapest times, but now the smart charge management program does it for me.

JOHN: Another way of balancing grid demand is to take advantage of the energy storage capacity in electric vehicle batteries.

At 5pm every summer weekday, this light on Brian Foreman's EV charger changes from blue to green.

It signals that, over the next four hours, power for his house is coming not from the grid, but rather from the electric pickup parked in his garage.

Brian is part of a pilot vehicle-to-grid program launched by BGE this year for owners of Ford F-150 Lightnings, one of a small but growing list of EVs that are capable of bi-directional charging.

V-to-G temporarily "borrows" energy stored in EV batteries to augment power in the grid during periods of high demand.

BRIAN FOREMAN: So, there's- there's a charge station, which is more than just your typical charger, it's a bi-directional charger, so not only does the energy go into the truck, it can take that energy back out of the truck.

That charger then communicates with an inverter that sits in the basement of our house next to our, uh, electrical panels, and that inverter really controls the whole system.

So, it's the one that's telling the truck and the charge station, uh, now it's time, instead of feeding energy into the truck, to feed energy back into the house; and then based on the timing of that, if it makes sense to send that energy into the house or also send it out into the grid.

But you can see with the energy that's in vehicles like this, about how much energy could go into the grid at different times, in case of emergencies, perhaps.

This truck itself, when we use it for backup power for the house, it can last up to thirteen days in my usage.

It would be nice in the future to be able to just plug my truck in and say "I can help out.

I can send some energy in to make that grid more resilient."

JOHN: It's pedal down and away we go with this week's QuickSpin!

JESSICA RAY: When Porsche invites you over to Spain to test drive their new flagship 911, it's hard to say no.

So, we gave the easy answer and crossed the Atlantic for a First Drive of this 2026 911 Turbo S. You can have it as either a coupe or a drop-top cabriolet; either way, the rear-mounted 3.6 liter flat-6 engine is complemented by the 992.2 generation's new T-Hybrid system.

That, along with a pair of e-Turbos, kicks total system output up to 701 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

It's the most powerful 911 yet, which meant the switchback roads dotting the Spanish countryside served only as an appetizer to our track-borne seat time.

DAVE SCRIVENER: Getting our hot laps in the Porsche 911 Turbo S here at the Ascari circuit in Southern Spain- 26 very fast, very challenging corners.

This is not even Porsche's track attack weapon; it's supposed to be the luxury, high performance, all-season grand touring car, and it does that great, but you wouldn't know from driving on a race track that it's not a track-focused 911.

I've done this job long enough where I've driven every iteration of 911 Turbo S. I...I've run out of adjectives to describe these cars.

I have to use modifiers like, "Even more amazing than before!"

JESSICA: With great power comes a greater need for downforce; the Turbo S sees an active rear wing in back, and up front, variable cool-air flaps and a deployable front spoiler.

Underneath the bodywork, which sees minimal changes for '26, is an electro-hydraulic adaptive suspension, tethered to the T-Hybrid's 400 volt system for swifter reactions.

An interior encased in leather, carbon fiber and bespoke "Turbonite" accents puts the affluence on par with its athleticism.

And you'd hope so for a car that starts just over $270,000, and nearly $290,000 for the cabriolet.

But if you've got the cash, the 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S is one hot commodity.

We'll have more on it, and more QuickSpins, soon!

JOHN: I'm not sure how many times we can say it: Your car's motor oil is the key to its longevity, and you need to keep up on it.

But this time, we won't just say it; we'll let the pros do the talking on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

(car starts up) DAN MAFFETT: Hi, guys.

We're here to talk about oil today, and we have Mike Warholic from Valvoline R+D.

Thanks for coming out today.

MICHAEL WARHOLIC: Glad to be here.

DAN: Yeah, excellent.

Now, let's talk about oil.

So, what are the importance of oil changes to a consumer and their car, and what does oil do?

MICHAEL: Yeah, so oil is obviously the lifeblood of an engine, right?

Without it, the engine couldn't operate.

It wouldn't last more than a week, right?

So, it does several different things.

Um, it lubricates, number one, right?

So, it makes sure the oil, the metal surfaces are moving against each other very smoothly.

It cools.

Surprisingly, it removes heat, so a lot of the combustion event, when the gas burns, generates a lot of heat.

Oil takes the brunt of that.

Um, it also seals.

So, it actually seals around the O-rings to make sure you get the highest combustion pressure, to make sure you get the horsepower that you want.

Uh, and it cleans the engine.

SO, it removes dirt and soot and, uh, and sludge, to make sure those engine surfaces remain clean and can move freely.

And finally, it improves the efficiency of an engine, right, by...by lubricating, but by also minimizing the friction.

DAN: Okay.

Now, with so many different types of oil out there, and so many advancements in engines today, why is it so important to pick the right type of oil?

MICHAEL: Yeah, engines have changed dramatically, right?

So, you have direct injection, you have turbochargers, you have stop...stop/start.

So, the oils actually asked to do a lot more than it used to.

DAN: Yeah.

MICHAEL: And so, it has to be formulated differently, uh, and that's what we had to do.

So, we've had to increase the performance in several different parameters.

Specifically, fuel economy is obviously very important to OEMS, to meet CAFE limits; but, just the overall protection, the wear protection, deposit protection.

These engines are running hotter, the turbocharger's hot.

You really have to protect the engine and get the right oil.

DAN: Okay.

Now, with different variations of oil, like high-mileage or restore and protect by Valvoline, why do people need to trust what's on the bottle?

Like, how do they know it's going to do exactly what it says?

MICHAEL: Oh, absolutely.

So, that's my entire life, right?

So, we're a date-driven, uh, company, right?

So, as a scientist you have to rely on the data.

So, we do a ton of testing across the board for all of our oils and these different categories too.

So, for restore and protect it's about deposits, showing the deposits are removed.

For high mileage, it's actually, uh, helping to, uh, condition the seals to make sure they last longer.

For advanced, it's about wear protection.

Uh, And there are tests in the industry that you can use to quantify the amount of those parameters.

At Valvoline, we even go above and beyond that.

We do even more testing, on-road testing, uh, dynamometer testing, to make sure our oils do what they say they do.

DAN: That's great.

So, the proof is in the testing so you can swear to everything written.

MICHAEL: Absolutely.

DAN: That's great.

Well, I appreciate you coming out today.

Guys, we've got a lot of information oil on you today.

If you have any questions or comments, hit us up right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: Now, if you've ever changed the oil in your car yourself, you probably have noticed that there's a wide variety of different types of oil you can buy, but any good mechanic can tell you that not all oils are created equal.

So, how can you tell what kind to get?

Pat Goss is about to tell us.

Pat?

PAT GOSS: Suppose you have a new car or maybe even a good used car, and you don't want the engine to start looking like this inside after a couple of years.

What can you do to prevent it?

Well, the one single thing that is most important as far as the life expectancy of your automobile's engine is changing the oil.

GREG CARLOSS: No party lasts forever, and that applies to Carnivals too, as it's time to shut down our 12-month rager with this 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid.

Over 22,065 miles, we were never able to match the government's combined rating of 33 mpg, but our overall 31.6 miles per gallon average from the new 1.6 liter I4-based Hybrid was 36 percent better than what we got with the V6 Carnival.

We've driven this Carnival in just about any scenario an average minivan buyer would.

Solo commuting, around town errands with the family, long haul vacations, and this hybrid powertrain has been up for every single one of those scenarios.

Now, a year in, our nitpick is still that the power delivery isn't quite as smooth as it is in the strictly-gas V6, but the upside is we're maintaining exceptional fuel efficiency for a 3-row family vehicle.

I know these two are gonna miss it.

Hey, kids, say goodbye to the Carnival!

KIDS: Bye Carnival!

GREG: Unlike dealing with those two, our time with the Carnival was a year's worth of comfortable stress-free family hauling with no drama and no issues.

That made our time with the Carnival a truly special occasion.

Now, any good party has an afterparty, and for that we say hello to this Porsche Cayenne, our latest long-term.

But before we dive into that, we'll check in on our Mitsubishi Outlander on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: The days of Volkswagen existing purely with fun and efficient small cars are long gone, as they've embraced SUVs like every other carmaker.

In fact, their best-selling vehicle for many years has been the compact Tiguan, which kicks off a 3rd generation for 2025.

So, let's see if a more upscale Tiguan is also a better Tiguan.

There are some goofy car names out there, and Tiguan could certainly be a candidate for inclusion in that club.

But considering the name is a mashup of tiger and iguana, it certainly suits Volkswagen's compact crossover, as it is a mashup itself, merging Golf-like agility with SUV practicality.

This 2025 Tiguan is all new and Volkswagen claims to have elevated the Tiguan experience.

That elevation starts with an interior that certainly has a more premium element to it.

These days that usually comes down to bigger screens, and indeed, the center infotainment hub grows from 8.0 inches to as big as 15 inches here in top SEL R-line.

The standard screen, at 12.9 inches, is not much smaller, and it's joined by a 10 inch digital gauge display.

There's even a small, smartwatch-style screen on top of a multifunction control knob on the console.

Materials have also taken a significant step up, and there's a lot more standard content.

The shifter for the transmission moves to the steering column, freeing up space in the center console for additional storage.

Two changes that may not be as popular are the elimination of the 3rd row option and a decrease in cargo capacity.

But, while it may have lost some flexibility, most buyers will appreciate the additional 2nd row legroom that results, and less complexity to build helps to keep prices under control.

Their attempt to elevate the driving experience includes shedding 170 pounds and making things quieter in the cabin.

The Tiguan's new style is much more aggressive; lighting is slimmer, the nose taller, fenders more exaggerated.

The expanded grille helps give it a wider, more planted appearance, even though almost every exterior measurement is nearly the same as last year.

The exception is ground clearance which is down by about half an inch.

VW has been spreading this updated 2.0 liter I4 throughout their lineup, and that means an increase of 17 horsepower for the Tiguan, now coming in at 201.

An 8-speed automatic handles transmission duties and 4Motion all-wheel-drive is available in all trims except for SEL R-Line where it is included.

AWD versions get slightly more torque, 221 pound-feet compared to 207 with front-wheel-drive.

Even with more horsepower, there's a small increase in fuel economy, with 4Motion getting Government Fuel Economy Ratings of 22 city, 30 highway, and 25 combined.

We averaged a good 29.5 miles per gallon of Regular.

At our Mason Dixon test track, it took 8.6 seconds to get to 60, and despite the overall lack of urgency to get down the track, the engine really sounded like it's working overtime.

Eventually, we finished the quarter-mile in 16.5 seconds at 88 miles per hour.

So, we were very eager to get to the handling portion of our testing, where the Tiguan was much more in its element.

Great steering feel and lots of feedback had us getting more and more aggressive through the cones with each run.

There was minimal body roll, and good overall balance, with no excessive understeer or oversteer.

We said many of the same things about the Volkswagen Scirocco in our very first season of MotorWeek .

Brakes have come a long way since the '80s, and the Tiguan performed quite well in our braking test with stops averaging just 116 feet from 60.

(SUV whooshing by) Pricing starts at $31,670, with 4Motion AWD available for $1,500 in all but SEL R-Line, which comes with all-wheel-drive for $41,930.

The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan has gone through some big changes; but by giving their most popular model a premium makeover, VW has made the Tiguan more appealing than ever.

Good news for the VW faithful, and for anyone looking for a small utility that also packs plenty of driving enjoyment.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time for a grade-A sedan from Audi, the latest A5, then some good ol' diesel-lovin' truckin' in the Chevrolet Suburban.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

We're Tire Rack.

We test tires, then share our results.

We stock over a million tires.

We offer multiple installation options.

We do this because we believe tires matter.

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