MotorWeek

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

We're conjuring up a big-rig pickup spirit with the Ram 1500 Warlock... Then, Dan Maffett takes the pressure off DIY painting... We'll see how renewable gas is made from all our trash... And we'll circle back with two Honda Civics with different missions...

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: While, it's doubtful the Stellantis group has actual evil intentions, they sure do like to flirt with the dark arts.

Demons, Hellcats, Black Ghosts-- they've all been seen lurking in the shadows of their dealerships recently.

Well, their latest mobile maliciousness is the Ram 1500 Warlock.

So, let's see what the Ram truck wizards are brewing up with this one.

When it comes to the world of pickup trucks, the boring times of LTs and Deluxes are long gone.

These days, we've got fancy names like Big Horn, King Ranch and High Country trying to lure your hard-earned money.

Well, now you can add the 2025 Ram 1500 Warlock to that list.

Though...technically, it's not really new, but more of a throwback to the 1970s.

And since, many of you probably weren't around back then, enjoy these pics.

Unfortunately, the oak bed slats and gold wheels didn't make it to this century; we'd immediately right that wrong, if we could.

What you do get in the new Warlock is essentially, a stripped-down Rebel with unique logos, 1.0 inch of suspension lift, black wheels this time with all-terrain tires, unique LED headlights, black exhaust tips, a locking rear diff, and exclusive grille with big RAM lettering.

Expectedly, it comes with 4-wheel-drive standard, and exclusively as a Crew Cab with a 5.0 foot 7.0 inch bed.

Inside, it's basic cloth interior; and while the name may be naughty, the Warlock definitely treats you nice with thoughtful storage for your phone and other small items, durable materials, and a bench seat with room for three.

Plenty of room for rear seat passengers to stretch out too, and an inexpensive Bed Utility Group adds lighting, spray-on protection, adjustable tie-downs on the side rails, bed step and even an A/C outlet.

This tri-fold tonneau cover is a stand-alone option.

Screen intrusion is kept to a minimum with just the 8.4 inch touchscreen version of Uconnect for infotainment and a 7.0 inch TFT display nestled between real analog gauges.

All of it looks and works just fine.

So, being something of a value proposition, the Warlock comes with the Standard Output Hurricane-6.

This twin-turbo inline 3.0 liter rates 420 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque.

An 8-speed automatic is the only transmission, but you can choose from two rear axle ratios.

At our Mason Dixon test track, power was plentiful off the line, more than our cold track could handle as we were battling wheelspin the whole time.

Things were better in 4-wheel-drive, more effectively putting down the power and getting us 60 in 6.4 seconds.

Both engine and exhaust are not super loud, but what we could hear sounded really good.

Shifting was quick yet, not overly aggressive; and we finished out the quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds at 97 miles per hour.

Like, most full-size pickup trucks, body roll and tire rollover were the biggest issues in our handling course.

But when kept to a moderate pace, it didn't feel unbalanced or ungainly as we were able to get through the cones cleanly and with an acceptable amount of speed.

Numbers were consistent in our panic braking runs, averaging a longish 132 feet from 60 miles per hour; there was a considerable amount of nosedive, but stops were smooth and straight.

(truck whooshing by) We also got inspired to do a few dirty deeds of our own with the Warlock, finding some Mid-Atlantic mud to work our way through, which was not a real challenge at all for this Ram 1500.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 17 city, 24 highway, and 19 combined.

We saw just 16.4 miles per gallon of Regular.

That's a worse than average Energy Impact Score, consuming 15.7 Barrels of Oil Yearly, with 7.6 Tons of CO2 Emissions.

With seemingly every full-size pickup we drive these days pushing six-figures, it's nice to see this one coming in at just $56,355, only about 10-grand more than a basic Ram Tradesman Crew Cab work truck.

And, the 2025 Ram 1500 Warlock is a lot more than just basic transportation.

It's a smartly equipped, rugged truck that's ready to get work done and take you on plenty of adventures, too, as it joins Ram's ever-expanding lineup of off-road-minded models.

So...no, we didn't find any real evil intentions here, but the Warlock sure did cast a spell on us.

The ultimate goal of recycling is to find a beneficial use for all of the stuff we use and discard every day.

We already know that paper, plastics, and metals can be repurposed into new consumer products.

(sound of bottle dropping in the recycle bin) Well, America's largest landfill operator recently showed us how organic waste matter is being used to create sustainable, clean energy for homes and vehicles.

WM, formerly known as Waste Management, operates more than 250 landfills across North America, and they handle the recycling and waste collection needs for over 21 million commercial, residential, and industrial customers each year.

One common element in every landfill is the natural production of landfill gas, primarily made up of methane and CO2, as all of that yard debris, dirty diapers, and food waste decomposes over time.

Modern landfills are constructed to bring that gas to the surface through a series of wells and pipes.

The excess gas would typically be burned off with flares to help control odors, prevent air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order to meet environmental regulations.

But a more beneficial use for landfill gas is to reclaim it as a locally-sourced clean fuel.

WM has been capturing landfill gas for over four decades, but in recent years, has invested over a billion dollars in technology to remove the CO2 and other impurities from landfill gas, and create what is called renewable natural gas.

RNG is chemically identical to fossil-derived conventional natural gas, and can use the same pipelines.

TARA HEMMER: So, we have 11 renewable natural gas facilities in operation today.

And we're going to bring online another 13, so we'll have a total of 24 across North America.

And when all of those are fully operational, we'll have 20 million MMBtu's of energy production that's clean, reliable, and renewable.

JOHN: WM's newest and largest RNG facility, at their Fairless Landfill near Philadelphia, will produce 3-million MMBtu's of energy annually, enough to power 63,000 local homes every day.

The amount of gas produced by each landfill will dwindle over time, but any lost volume will be replaced as with gas from new sites as they come online.

TARA: The peak day of landfill gas production is the last day the landfill is open for waste receipts.

And then after that, we start to see landfill gas decline about 3-5 percent every year.

So, it's going to be producing landfill gas for many years to come.

JOHN: WM pushes most of the RNG it produces directly into pipelines to help power local communities with clean renewable energy.

But they also use a portion to fuel the nearly 13,000 natural gas trucks that make up their own U.S. collection fleet, and they're on pace to be able to run 100 percent of them on RNG by 2026.

Which means, the truck emptying your garbage bins today can be powered by that same trash in the future, closing the loop on a truly circular clean energy solution.

TARA: A great way to think about it is, it is free energy.

It's something that otherwise was going to be wasted, that we can now put to good use.

JOHN: If you own a European car, you have this man to thank, "Max Hoffman: Million Dollar Middleman."

That's the name of this Must Read by Myles Kornblatt.

It was Max Hoffman who brought brands such as Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche to the U.S. through his New York dealership, which quickly grew to include multiple showrooms around the city and eventually led to nationwide distribution to a rapidly growing number of import dealerships all across the country.

But Hoffman was far more than just a salesman, helping many of those brands along the way to develop cars that he knew would be hits here in the American market.

JOHN: High volume, low pressure may be the beginnings of a good paint job, but ending with a finish that you're proud of takes more than just the right tools for the job.

So, here's Dan Maffett with the skills to match on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

DAN MAFFETT: It's undeniable: The best paint jobs in the world are done with HVLP paint guns.

Now these are high volume, low pressure air guns.

Now, people think you can't do this at home, but you definitely can.

The aftermarket world has a plethora of tools and guns just for the prosumer and consumer market.

Now, if you're going to take this on at your own home, there's some things you have to know about.

It's not as simple as opening up a can and spraying it.

A professional paint line is going to have to have the base coat, an activator, and a mixing ratio that you're going to need to know.

A paint system like this is a four-to-one, so four parts paint, one part activator; and they have to be mixed perfectly, in the right humidity, or they won't work, they won't dry, they'll peel, or they'll just orange peel up on you.

Now, a paint gun like this, you can find at most automotive retailers, and you have a line in for air, a hopper up top for your material, and a nozzle for the spray.

You can adjust the nozzle, the air speed, and how much material you're kicking out, and get a certain pattern to match your vehicle and the paint you're spraying.

One of the most important things when it comes to HVLP guns is maintenance.

After you use them, you want to clean them thoroughly and use something like this, a gun cleaner, to pull out any chemicals that are left inside the gun.

It's good practice to get, learn how to take them completely apart and rebuild them every time you use them.

We're going to get a gun together and we're going to spray this panel to show you the different fan patterns, you can get out of an HVLP.

So, we've got the gun loaded up with some water and we've got an airline.

We're going to show you a couple spray patterns here.

Now with a gun like this, you have options of how much material you're spraying, your air pressure, and how you're atomizing that pressure, the fan width.

So, with this fully adjusted down, you're going to see a very tight grouping that is going to lead to runs and too much material, too much fast.

(sound of spraying paint) So, that is just entirely too much panel getting too much paint.

So, we adjust this all the way back, find a good pattern, so now...we got a nice, wide pattern that's touching the panel, we're not getting any runs, it's laying it down really nice and easy.

And that's the pattern you want.

So, you would just adjust your settings until you find that nice pattern, (sound of spraying the paint) and you can coat a whole panel with no runs, no excess material loss.

One of the most important techniques going from a rattle can to one of these HVLP's is never turning your air off.

You have a two-stage trigger, air and then paint.

(air noise) So, you want to make sure (air noise) you stay on air even when you're off the panel.

You just release enough that the paint stops coming out.

(air coming out of paint gun) And what that does is it doesn't allow any kind of material to gum up on the tip of the gun.

It keeps it nice and clean, so you can get a nice, good panel.

With these tips and techniques, you can definitely do this at home in your own garage or a shop.

Just keep it ventilated, keep it clean.

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

JOHN: From revived to redesigned, we're always ready for another QuickSpin!

JESSICA RAY: We've commented before on how this generation of Mazda3 packs a lot of fun into a compact package.

And for 2025, it stays aligned with this core tenet.

All Mazda3s are powered by a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder, natural aspirated or turbocharged.

Our front-wheel-drive tester lacked forced induction; and while we would have preferred the turbo's extra punch, this four-banger's 191 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque is just fine for having fun.

ALEXANDER KELLUM: Out of all the options we have left in the compact car segment, the Mazda3 is consistently one of the best choices for those of us that just like to get out there and drive.

That's not really because of the engine, though, admittedly, it's smooth in its delivery.

It's really all the things Mazda does to strengthen that feedback loop between the driver, the car, and the road.

So, for example, the transmission, they didn't go with a CVT.

They went with a true 6-speed automatic.

The steering is taut; the suspension is firm.

These are all things that, again, they play into that feedback loop and make it an enjoyable drive.

JESSICA: And we should note that those looking for total immersion can still grab a 6-speed manual transmission, albeit front-wheel-drive only.

All-wheel-drive is available, and standard on Turbo grades.

The design work remains the same but hasn't shown much age, and this Soul Red paint remains a staff favorite.

The cabin is also familiar in its layout; Mazda's command dial is still used to control the high-mounted screen with built-in Alexa capabilities for hands free assistance, new for '25.

We loved getting our hands on the physical controls, and the seats, while a tad firm, match the ride well.

Second row legroom is good, and 20 cubic-feet of cargo storage is spot on, too.

The 2025 Mazda3 starts around $26,000; working into the 30s and about $38,000 for a top-trim 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus.

It may be an aging dog with a just few new tricks, but it's as loyal to drivers as ever.

And we'll have more QuickSpins soon!

GREG CARLOSS: We're the first to admit the EV lifestyle is not yet for everyone, but if you're a commuter with a hankering for adventurous getaways and are ready to dip your toes into plugging in, this 2024 Subaru Solterra is a great entry point.

It has certainly served us well over seven months and 7,000 miles.

It may lack the explosive torque delivery of some EVs, but that just makes it easier to drive around town, and recent comments in the logbook have noted just how nimble this little utility is.

The Subaru Solterra adds a little extra ground clearance compared to its Toyota counterpart, but from a ride standpoint the effects of that extra height aren't really that drastic because the weight of the battery is so low.

Now, let's not get crazy, we're not going to be autocrossing "for pinks" in this thing, but it handles our back roads just fine.

We'll check in on our Nissan Rogue Rock Creek and Fiat 500e on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: If you're looking at buying a Honda Civic Si instead of a standard Civic, chances are, you're the kind of driver that actually enjoys being behind the wheel and wants a fun-to-drive car that injects some pure enjoyment into your daily grind.

Well, good news!

There's an updated Civic Si that promises to deliver more fun and refinement than ever!

The 2025 Honda Civic Si spearheads a revised Civic lineup that also sees the return of a Hybrid to the roster, something that's been missing since 2015.

This 11th gen Civic first arrived for 2021, and gets a slightly more aggressive look for '25 with an updated front fascia and grille.

And while, it remains available as either a 4-door sedan or 5-door hatchback, the Si comes only as a sedan with a hex pattern grille, gloss black trim and aero enhancements, both up front and in the back, with a decklid spoiler.

Other Si upgrades include larger brakes and 18 inch V-spoke wheels for the optional summer performance tires.

Honda claims the chassis has been stiffened and the suspension retuned for 2025; and it certainly makes for a fun driving little car, though it's hard to call this current Civic little anymore, as dimensions and interior space are more midsize these days.

Under the Si's hood is Honda's tiny but mighty 1.5 liter turbo-4 engine, furiously spinning up its 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque.

The Si comes exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission with a miniature shift knob and very light clutch enhancing its definitely playful vibe.

At our test track, once we got some heat in the front tires and figured out the best traction control settings, we were able to rip off consistent 6.9 second runs to 60.

Not crazy quick, but the free-revving engine and manual trans made for a totally engaging experience.

Our best quarter-mile, 15.1 seconds at 94 miles per hour.

But it was in our handling course where the fun really jumped up, slicing through the cones like we were in a video game.

Yet, it also felt well planted the entire time, grip was plentiful, and body roll minimal.

Consistency, too, in braking runs, repeatedly stopping in a mere 92 feet from 60 miles per hour.

No matter which Civic you choose, you'll get plenty of standard content, including auto climate controls and illuminated steering wheel controls, plus, more color choices for '25.

The funky lattice-style dash trim carries over, the Si getting racy red accents and manually-adjusted cloth seats that definitely are sporty.

While, over in the Hybrid, things take a classier turn with Sport Touring getting leather-trimmed seats, the 9.0 inch version of their touchscreen infotainment setup with Google built in, a 10.2 digital instrument cluster, 12-speaker Bose audio, and wireless phone charging.

Following Honda's current marketing strategy, the returning Hybrid will be available in upper trims only, specifically Sport and Sport Touring.

It uses a combination of naturally aspirated 2.0 liter I4 engine and Honda's Two Motor Hybrid system for a 200 horsepower total.

Yes, that's exactly the same as the Si, and the Hybrid setup out-torques big time with 232 pound-feet, 40 more than the Si.

The hatchback's Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 50 City, 45 Highway, and 48 Combined.

We only managed to wrangle 43.5 miles per gallon of Regular in our wintertime driving loop.

The Sedan's numbers are a little better than the hatchback's; and while that additional fuel economy is great, with all of that torque, the new Civic throws it back to the original Accord Hybrid, having a bit of a performance bent to it, including a Sport Drive mode that heightens throttle response and tightens up steering.

It also gets a unique gauge display and active sound inside the cabin.

There are also four levels of regen braking with shifter-style adjustment paddles on the back of the steering wheel.

And unlike the Si, you can get the Hybrid as a 5-door hatchback, which most of our staff really enjoy looking at and everyone can appreciate its 24.5 cubic-feet of cargo space and folding seatback flexibility.

Civic pricing starts at $25,400 for a base LX sedan.

Hybrids start with Sport Hybrid at $30,100.

The hatchback is a bit more at $31,300.

Si comes in at $31,400, just below the range-topping Sport Touring Hybrid at $33,100.

While at times the Civic has been more of a blank canvas that buyers could customize to make it their own, this 11th gen already offers something for just about everyone, whether you're a high-revving gear shifting driving enthusiast, a luxury-minded fuel sipper or something in between.

The 2025 Honda Civic is the total package.

One high quality, not-so-small car that delivers more fun and more refinement than ever.

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 grand tour of the world- class Bentley Continental GT, then an old favorite with new tricks, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

Mobile installation brings the tire shop to home while we go Two Wheelin' on the 50th anniversary Honda Gold Wing!

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

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