MotorWeek

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

We'll start with a slick wagon primed for performance, the Mercedes-AMG E53... Then, we'll tour the halls of one eclectic European car collection... We'll run down the list of new driver "need-to-knows" on "Your Drive."

Followed by a small EV plotting a new course for Subaru, the Uncharted... So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: If you're looking for exclusivity in the new car world, don't go for that million-dollar exotic; every influencer has one of those already.

What you really want is a high-performance...wagon?

Well, there's not too many of those around, although that may soon change as AMG is once again back in the performance wagon game.

So, let's find out if this E53 was worth waiting for.

We acknowledge the humble station wagon's time has mostly passed here in the U.S.

car market, but there's nothing humble about this 2026 Mercedes-AMG E53 HYBRID, which means it should find a niche here just fine.

It's one sweet looking wagon for sure; smooth, with a long sloping roof that leads to a slanted rear that speaks hatchback more than boxy wagon.

AMG additions include an illuminated grille, a performance exhaust system and wheels, though these 21 inch forged alloys are an upgrade over the included 20s.

An available AMG Night Package turns the front splitter, side mirrors, window surrounds, roof rails, and rear bumper trim gloss black.

The best AMG addition lies under the hood, of course.

In this case, it's a 3.0 liter I6 turbo-based plug-in hybrid system with a combined output of 577 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.

It seemed eager to show us what it was capable of the moment we rolled into our Mason Dixon test track, as you really had to put some pressure on the brake pedal to keep it from taking off down the track.

Off the pedal and it pounced off the line to 60 in just 3.4 seconds.

AMG Race Start cranks horsepower up to 604 temporarily and manages traction to handle all that torque off the line, while the overwhelming sense of power never really let up the whole way down the track.

With very aggressive shifts in the AMG-tuned 9-speed automatic transmission, constant reminders that you need to stay on top of things with subtle steering corrections.

The enhanced AMG Real Performance Sounds are quite aggressive too, though nothing close to the previous E63 wagon's NASCAR-like V8.

Our best quarter-mile time was 11.7 seconds at 118 miles per hour.

The E53 wagon comes with AMG Ride Control Suspension, and dialed to Sport mode there was plenty of grip and feel for clinging to the cones with very little body roll.

There's a Sport+ mode as well, but seems more tailored for higher speeds as its hyper response felt a little much for our slow speed handling course.

It was very stiff throughout, and the balance was nicely dialed in with the ability to trigger some additional rotation with the throttle at any point in time.

There wasn't much steering feedback, which seems to be the norm these days, but it was definitely light and quick, aided by a standard 2.5 degrees of rear-axle steering and torque-vectoring AMG-tuned 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive.

It was very quick at bringing us down to zero, too.

The upgraded brakes that come with the AMG Dynamics Plus Package have some serious bite and a no-nonsense firm pedal with minimal travel.

Our stops from 60 averaged just 89 feet.

The blending of friction and regen braking out on the street is much less to our liking, with transitions as you are coming to a stop sometimes a little abrupt.

The E53 is rated for 41 miles of EV driving, but we often saw well over 50 available in the gauge display and found that number to be more realistic.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 22 combined, 56 combined for the MPGe.

Around town you likely won't need much high-test gas at all.

While, the E53 wagon takes up a similar amount of space on the road as a midsize SUV, cargo capacity is significantly less at 13.1 cubic-feet.

However, the low and wide floor makes it much easier to load, and you can easily reach every corner of the space.

The seat-folded max is 59.2 cubic-feet.

Up front, there's the same feature-packed, luxurious and screen-intensive interior environment as the E-Class sedan which impressed us enough to give it our Driver's Choice Award for Best Luxury Sedan in 2025.

Pricing for the E53 Hybrid Wagon starts at $96,650; if you're less concerned about performance and just want a sweet-looking Euro wagon, there's a base E 450 4MATIC All-Terrain available for $81,450.

While, experiencing a stylish wagon with this much luxury and performance, with some efficiency thrown in, is a destination in and of itself, we feel the best part of the 2026 Mercedes-AMG E 53 HYBRID Wagon would be hitting the road in search of the next destination, however far it may be.

JOHN: There are over 150 dedicated car museums here in the U.S.

and each one boasts something unique.

And that's certainly true of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lane has the largest collection of European cars and motorcycles here in the states.

Many are classics, but some are just unusual.

Our Stephanie Hart was intrigued, but on this visit, she got to do more than just look.

STEPHANIE HART: I've had the opportunity to visit a lot of museums across the country and the Lane Museum here is one of the best.

Really cool, unique, weird, bizarre cars like this one attract a lot of visitors, as you can imagine, and then there's this.

(starts up the engine) As you can see, this car collection blew me away, literally!

The Lane Motor Museum is home to more than 500 vehicles.

Its core collection is mostly European cars, which includes propeller powered cars, one-offs and even micro cars.

JEFF LANG: Overall mission is to collect, and preserve and interpret the cars.

STEPHANIE: When I found out 400 of them are drivable, I took this especially precious car out for a spin.

But let me circle back to this one in just a few moments.

Right now, it's back to that wild propeller car.

This is a 1932 Helicron.

It was popular in France because airplanes were coming into their own and everyone thought this was the next big thing in transportation.

JEFF: In a car, the theory was no transmission and no differential and no clutch, so it's simpler, lighter.

It wasn't so bad and, I mean, they're not good at stopping and going.

They're not good going up and down hills, right?

Obviously, totally impractical at this point.

STEPHANIE: And this one looks like a torpedo.

JEFF: It sure does.

This is a 1933 Dymaxion, uh, built by Buckminster Fuller, who was a futurist.

So, this, you know, this was what he thought the future of transportation might be.

STEPHANIE: Feels very weird in here.

(laughter) JEFF: Its very, kind of like a cage-type thing... STEPHANIE: Yeah, it is.

JEFF: ...and a fishbowl, I mean... STEPHANIE: Yeah.

JEFF: ...somewhat like a fishbowl.

STEPHANIE: Good visibility, though, for a car.

JEFF: Absolutely, yeah.

I think the wild looks are the best part about it.

It's a terrible driving car.

Um...it's roomy, I guess that's the other good thing about it.

It steers in the rear and it drives in the front, so it's a handful on the road.

STEPHANIE: And this precious little car is the 1948 Harvey Towne Shopper.

It just got out of restoration.

It's a one of one and I'm only the third person to drive it.

Thank you, Lane Motor Museum.

This is going to be incredible.

Let's give it a go.

(starting up the engine) Alright, sounding good.

(engine revving) The steering is very direct, you really have to commit to it.

It's almost comical, and it's really torquey for a little car.

Oh, my gosh, this is so much fun to drive.

This practical, economy car was built for women, so they could run every day errands.

It cost under $1,000, so it was pretty affordable back then.

The motor's in the back and the trunk, or frunk, as you may call it, is right here.

Here's how it works.

And you can easily fit some bags in here, and that's really what it was designed for.

It was marketed as the car with a thousand uses.

But there was one big problem: The entrepreneurs behind it never delivered the cars and instead ripped people off.

JEFF: They built two cars and they took them to shows and showed them around.

They actually, the...the story is they also painted them different colors, so people would think there was more than two cars.

STEPHANIE: It was the ultimate Ponzi scheme.

This 1938 Citroen Berline Gazogene was popular in Europe during WWII.

Gas was difficult to find in those days and this car ran on a solid fossil fuel, but drivers had to be more hands-on.

JEFF: Stephanie, let's open up the coal bin.

STEPHANIE: Let's do it.

JEFF: So, this is where the coal is stored.

So, you take the coal out of the trunk, you bring it around to the front and you put it in the coal bin, very much like a charcoal grill.

You open this up, you put it in there and you start it on fire, and the methane gas that it produces goes into the engine and runs the car.

STEPHANIE: Very cool.

Clever concept, but turns out they weren't practical.

The cars were dangerous and slow because the coal would burn out in about 20 minutes, so after the war they were converted to run on gas.

At any one time, 150 unique cars are on display, thanks to ongoing restoration and research to preserve and grow this collection, creating an outstanding and fun experience, not just for car enthusiasts, but for the whole family!

JOHN: Teaching a new driver how to properly tend the wheel is just part of the learning process.

There's plenty more fledgling motorists need to know, and Giuseppe Iatorola has that need-to-know on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

(car starts up) GIUSEPPE IATOROLA: For their first car, every new driver wants to wheel around in something cool.

In my case that would be a classic, like this '48 caddy.

But in reality, kids often get the family hand-me-down, or if they're buying it themselves they wind up with a hooptie like this.

So, here's five things every new driver should know how to do before hitting the road.

I'm not talking about parallel parking.

Number one is basic maintenance.

Knowing how to do fluid checks, like oil, transmission, brakes, power steering, and don't forget washer fluid, will make sure the car is basically operational.

Checking the air pressure, and don't forget to air the spare!

Wiper blades, bulbs, and the tire wear are easy to do and give you peace of mind.

Number two: How to change a tire.

The best and safest way is to call roadside assistance, but you should know how to do it in a worst-case scenario.

The spare tire, jack and tools are usually located in the trunk or cargo area of your car.

Read your owner's manual for instructions on where to find them and how to use them safely.

Practice once at home, so you know before you need to.

You'd be surprised how many drivers can't loosen their lug nuts.

It's not just because they forget the lefty-loosey rule, it's because the lug nuts are too tight.

A piece of pipe can help extend your tire iron and give you more leverage.

Three: everyone with a license should know how to put fuel in their car.

And don't put diesel in your tank, if you drive a gas-powered car.

That's it in a nutshell.

Fourth: God forbid you get in an accident, but they do happen, first make sure that everyone is okay and get medical help if necessary.

Take pictures of the scene, other cars and their tag numbers; take notes about what happened.

Never say it was your fault to the other driver.

Let the police figure that out.

And kids, don't let other drivers talk you into "let's just keep this between us."

Always exchange insurance information with the other drivers and wait for the police to assist, even if it doesn't look serious.

Number Five: know the dangers of distracted driving.

At just 30 miles per hour, a car travels about 45 feet in a second, so glancing at your phone, tuning the radio or talking to your passengers can cause you to miss something important on the road ahead, like an oncoming car, an animal or someone walking.

Just a second of distraction can be a life or death mistake.

Be smart, be aware, and stay safe out on the road!

And if you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, here at MotorWeek !

GREG CARLOSS: It's important to warm up before an intense workout.

Getting into the groove before trying for a new personal best is the key to long term, injury-free health.

You may recall the first update on our Long-Term Kia Sportage fell just short of the EPA's fuel efficiency rating.

But that was just us warming up our newest fleet member.

For the record, the EPA says our Hybrid all-wheel-drive SX-Prestige is capable of 35 miles per gallon.

Looking at this second stint alone, we reached 35.8 miles per gallon thanks to some only slightly-more carefully footed driving.

Averaging that with our previous 32.9 miles per gallon, our total test mileage is up to an average of 33.6 miles per gallon, still a tad short but trending in the right direction.

With more due diligence paid towards the digital fuel gauge, we expect to see our total average climb even more.

And what a car to do it in.

This compact utility has been a pleasure to drive for runs long and short.

So far, no complaints have been logged; and like a runner wearing out their favorite pair of shoes, an oil change and tire rotation, as expected, have been the only required maintenance.

While, endurance training is a must, sometimes speed work is in order.

Fuel economy is the obvious benefit of the hybrid powertrain in this Sportage, but there are also real-world performance benefits, like acceleration.

Now, I'm not talking high-performance, but the 2026 refresh did give this Sportage Hybrid a more powerful electric motor, which gives a noticeable boost under acceleration.

There's also a sport mode should you want to maximize the performance.

We'll keep you up to date on what kind of numbers our Kia Sportage Hybrid keeps posting.

But we'll spend some time with our Acura ADX, which is hanging around a bit longer now, on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update.

JOHN: We've got some early insight into the next new thing, so join us for our "First Look."

JESSICA RAY: As stateside demand for hybrid propulsion only grows, Nissan needed an answer fast.

The soon-to-be solution is this 2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid, which combines their most important U.S.

nameplate with an important global powertrain.

Now, this e-POWER hybrid system is not new for Nissan, it's just new for Nissan in the U.S.

They've actually been using it globally for a decade and it's currently in its 3rd generation.

Now, powering this system is a 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and it's paired with two electric motors, so all-wheel-drive is standard and the total system output is a pretty decent 225 horsepower.

Now, notice I didn't mention a transmission?

Well that's because the it doesn't have one.

This hybrid actually functions far more like an EV than a traditional hybrid.

That's because the wheels are driven strictly by the electric motors, the turbo-3 instead powering a generator which keeps the battery charged.

Nissan testing sees up to 38 miles per gallon combined.

This 4th gen Rogue arrives this fall as the Hybrid first.

The current non-hybrid Rogue will be phased out for a next-gen version for model year '28, adopting the same contemporary looks.

We have more details in our online First Look; and stay tuned for when we drive the 2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid in an upcoming QuickSpin!

JOHN: It's been a long time since anything on this earth has been "uncharted," unless, of course, you're talking about the deep sea netherworlds.

Well, this Subaru Uncharted isn't designed to go there, but it is intended to take Subaru further down the path of an all-electric future.

So, let's hop in and map out what we discover in Subaru's latest all-electric SUV.

New Subaru EVs have been arriving on our test lot at a rapid rate of late.

The most recent, this 2026 Uncharted, is a compact crossover looking to give Subaru a competitive ticket into the entry-level BEV scene.

Like every other Subaru EV to this point, there's a Toyota counterpart, the C-HR in this case, and their spec sheets are almost identical.

But there are some styling subtleties, and the Uncharted also gets unique steering and suspension tuning to make it feel more like a Subaru.

And this is one Subaru EV that earns some points for style, looking like a quirky jacked-up hatchback with 8.2 inches of ground clearance.

Like, most Subaru EVs, it does retain some traditional grillwork up front, but it breaks from the Subi norm with just minimal amounts of body cladding.

And it backs up those sporty looks with a very peppy nature on the street.

A 300 mile range is still relatively rare in this beginner BEV segment, and Uncharted does deliver as many as 308 from its 74.7 kilowatt hour battery, but only in the 221 horsepower front-wheel-drive version known as Premium.

Yes, that's right, this is a Subaru utility without standard all-wheel-drive.

Not to worry, there are two all-wheel-drive versions as well, Sport and GT, both rated at 338 total horsepower with the added rear motor, which drops range to a still fine 287 miles.

However, our Uncharted Sport had a much more pessimistic outlook, often showing less than 230 available at 100 percent charge.

We dialed in a 234 mile road trip and hoped for the best but easily completed it with 27 percent of battery remaining, putting us on pace for an over achieving 320 miles.

We're guessing not many front- or all-wheel-drive Uncharted's will be spotted out on the trail, but you could venture there if you wanted to.

The high ground clearance is certainly a plus, not to mention Subaru's well-documented all-weather capabilities.

Max 150 kilowatt DC Fast Charging through the standard NACS port can get the Uncharted to 80 percent in as quickly as 28 minutes, and using 29 kilowatt hour of electricity per 100 miles, it is quite efficient.

It feels quite spacious up front, and the 14 inch Subaru multimedia system, which is essentially a reskinned version of Toyota's setup works very well, as do the dual phone charging pads at the front of the center console.

Rear seat room is a little tight for adults, but still better than most ICE crossovers of this size.

Behind the standard power liftgate, you'll find 25.4 cubic-feet of cargo space.

The materials don't appear quite as durable as we're accustomed to seeing from Subaru, but there's a 120 volt outlet and some underfloor storage.

Max cargo with the rear seatbacks folded is 59.5 cubic-feet.

One thing that can't be denied is that the Uncharted is very quick, squirting to 60 in just 4.3 seconds.

Our drivers weren't quite ready for that level of acceleration from this tiny Subaru but certainly weren't complaining.

Power delivery stayed strong going down the track until the car hit 100 miles per hour where it seemed to hit an invisible wall, almost coasting to the end of the quarter-mile from there, finishing in 13.0 seconds flat at 101 miles per hour.

In our handling course, there was some spirited nimbleness, but that was mostly due to its small size, not necessarily a performance- mined chassis setup.

There was not a lot of feel through the oddly shaped steering wheel and the suspension is very soft, which leads to a lot of roll.

But we were able to carry a good amount of speed through the cones without finding too much understeer.

Response was quick and strong in our braking runs, with good initial bite, and abrupt stops from 60 that averaged a good 112 feet.

Subaru's Eyesight driver-assist technology is standard.

(car whooshing by) Subaru's most affordable entry, yet, into the EV world starts at $36,445; top GT goes for $45,245, with Sport in between at $41,245.

If you're wondering how this 2026 Uncharted fits into the Subaru lineup, you could think of it as a battery-powered Crosstrek, as the size and vibe are both delightfully similar.

So, like Crosstrek, the Uncharted is an entry-level vehicle that delivers way above and beyond what you, and we, expect!

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 an off-road rundown of the Land Rover Defender 110 Octa, followed by a different kind of rundown of America's favorite subcompact Utes.

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.

This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

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