Honda CR-V

The CR-V sits at the top of our list when it comes to compact SUVs. In every form, it's a reliable, efficient people carrier with the added bonus of dialed-in handling and a comfortable cabin. While both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive are available up and down the lineup, the hybrid engine options are only in the upper trim levels. The nonhybrid CR-V is available in LX, EX, and EX-L trims and hybrid offerings start with the Sport and also include the Trailsport, Sport-L, and Sport Touring.

Performance

If you want the quicker one, the choice is clear. In nonhybrid form, the CR-V makes 190 horsepower from a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder. The hybrid uses a larger 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors, making 204 horsepower. The extra power is noticeable. The nonhybrid takes 8.1 seconds to get to 60 mph. In today's traffic, that could feel slow, especially compared to the hybrid's 7.1-second acceleration to 60 mph.

Technology

Honda offers excellent set of driver assists even in its base models, and there are options for additional monitoring and alerts. All CR-Vs get a 9.0-inch touchscreen with phone connectivity and wireless charging. The higher trims get nicer gauge clusters and increasingly better stereo systems, so if you're an audiophile, you'll want a hybrid trim both for the additional speakers and the quieter engine.

Fuel Economy

It should be an obvious win for the hybrid here. The EPA says the hybrid will return 43 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 40 mpg combined for front-wheel-drive models and 40 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined for all-wheel-drive models. The more off-road-focused TrailSport gets 38 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined. In our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, the all-wheel-drive Sport Touring Hybrid registered 35 mpg, slightly above its 34-mpg EPA estimate.

The nonhybrid is no slouch, though. The front-wheel-drive gas-only CR-V has an EPA rating of 28 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. All-wheel drive drops that to 27 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. When we tested an all-wheel-drive EX-L on the same highway loop, it delivered a real-world result of 31 mpg, so the mileage benefit here is really mostly for city drivers.

Price

With a starting price of $37,580, the hybrid CR-V is a $4,510 dollar jump from the base LX's $33,070.

Did You Know?

The hybrid CR-V has a slightly smaller cargo area due to additional electrical components. The hybrid offers 72 cubic feet with all seats down and 35 cubic feet with them up, 4 cubic feet less than the nonhybrid.

Our Recommendation

Go for the hybrid. It's quicker, the trim levels have more standard features, and it's quieter and smoother than the nonhybrid model. Along with the better fuel mileage, it's just a better driving experience.

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Hyundai Palisade

Hyundai’s three-row Palisade SUV started offering a hybrid option with its 2026 redesign. Shoppers have the option of choosing that powertrain in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations in nearly all of the Palisade’s trim levels, save for the base SE and off-road XRT Pro trims.

Performance

The Palisade comes standard with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 engine making 287 horsepower. Optioning in the hybrid bumps the power output to 329 horsepower thanks to a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors. Our reviews of the V-6 describe its 0-60 time of 8.0 seconds as "merely adequate," while we praise the hybrid's 6.6-second run as "significantly quicker."

Technology

Since the hybrid is available from the SEL trim up through Calligraphy, there's no affect on the available features whether you choose the hybrid or the nonhybrid. We find the middle SEL Premium trim to be a great choice for either powertrain, with a good mix of features including ventilated front seats and heated rear seats and a 360-degree camera.

Fuel Economy

With front-wheel drive, the V-6 Palisade gets an EPA rating of 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. With all-wheel drive, those numbers go down by 1 mpg across the board. On our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, the all-wheel-drive V-6 Palisade Calligraphy scored 25 mpg.

The hybrid Palisade should knock the V-6 out of the water, with an EPA rating of 33 mpg city and 35 mpg highway for the front-wheel-drive Blue trim level. We tested an AWD Palisade Hybrid and were slightly disappointed by the 28 mpg in our highway fuel-economy test, which is 2 mpg lower than the EPA rating for the AWD trim. Long-haulers may not see the benefit of the hybrid, but city commuters will see a bigger advantage in stop and go traffic.

Price

If we compare the recommended SEL Premium trims for both variants, the V-6 starts at $47,250 while the hybrid adds on a mere $2,320. If you live somewhere with expensive gas like Los Angeles, that's about two fillups these days.

Did You Know?

If you're planning to haul more than people in your Palisade, the V-6 is rated to tow 5000 pounds, while the hybrid is only rate for 4000 pounds.

Our Recommendation

Go for the hybrid. It's more refined and considerably quicker, which makes for less stressful merging and passing.

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Subaru Crosstrek

The Crosstrek is the hiking sandal of small SUVs. It's versatile, practical, and capable of going from city streets right to the trails. With seating for five and standard all-wheel drive on every trim, the Crosstrek is ready for unexpected guests or unexpected weather. The hybrid is only available in two Crosstrek trims, the midrange Sport or the fully loaded Limited. Shoppers who want a base model or the campsite-ready Wilderness trim with its extra ground clearance and tow rating are going to be non-hybrid only.

Performance

It's called a Crosstrek, not a Fasttrek. The standard 180-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder drags the Crosstrek to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds. The hybrid adds two electric motors to the same 2.5-liter flat-four which brings the total output to 194 horsepower. It's quicker, but not by much, taking 7.7 seconds to get to 60 mph. The difference is noticeable in acceleration away from stoplights, where the hybrid feels more responsive, but neither Crosstrek is likely to win any drag races.

Technology

Both trims that offer the hybrid come with the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 11.6-inch touchscreen

Fuel Economy

The Crosstrek is rated for up to 26 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, depending on the configuration. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the nonhybrid Crosstrek returned 36 mpg. The hybrid (wait for it) is rated for 36 mpg city, highway, and combined and we saw 35 mpg on our highway test. All of which leads us to say that if you're buying the Crosstrek with long road trips to mountain trails in mind, the nonhybrid might do just as well for you.

Price

Our recommendation for the nonhybrid Crosstrek is the Premium, which starts at $29,865, but to compare equal trims we should move up to the Limited which will set you back $34,470 for the gas-only engine and $37,470 for the hybrid.

Did You Know?

The regular Crosstrek has a space-saver spare tire under the cargo floor, but the hybrid uses that space for the battery, so no donut for you.

Our Recommendation

Go for the nonhybrid. Both the standard and hybrid Crosstreks offer 8.7 inches of ground clearance, making them equally capable on fire roads and desert runs. The hybrid is only a little quicker, and its fuel economy gains really only come into play in city driving. If the goal is roadtrips and off-road trips, save the extra money for one of those fancy camping mattresses.

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Ford Maverick

Here's one where there's no wrong answer. We love the Maverick with its mini-truck charm and daily-driver functionality. The hybrid is the base-engine for the Maverick, coming standard in three of its five trim levels-- XL, XLT, and Lariat. A turbocharged 2.0-liter gas-only engine is an option in the XLT, and this more powerful choice is the only engine available in the high-performance Lobo and off-road-oriented Tremor trims. All-wheel drive is an optional upgrade on the lower trims, but comes standard on Lariat and above.

Performance

The Maverick's hybrid powertrain pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a single electric motor for a combined 191 horsepower. It's quicker than it sounds, with an AWD version we tested getting to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds.

Ditch the hybrid and you get a turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder that spits out 250 horsepower and zings the little truck forward to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.

Both hybrid and nonhybrid Mavericks can carry 1500 pounds of payload capacity and offer 2000 pounds of towing capacity. With the optional Tow package, that rating is upped to 4000 pounds.

Technology

The base model is pretty spartan, but still includes a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, keyless entry, and adjustable lumbar support. To get comforts such as dual-zone climate control and power seats, you'll need to level up to the XLT or above. Basic driver assists like emergency braking are available on all trims, but adaptive cruise control is only offered on the Lariat and Tremor.

Fuel Economy

The EPA estimates for the hybrid variant of the Maverick are 42 mpg city and 35 mpg highway with front-wheel drive and 40 mpg city and 34 mpg highway with AWD. Go for the powerful nonhybrid and those ratings drop to 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, although the Lobo impressed with a real-world 32 mpg highway result in our testing.

Price

If we compare two XLT trims, an AWD hybrid carries a tidy $34,985 price tag, while the same setup with the turbo engine would be $33,390.

Did You Know

The hybrid Maverick uses a continuously variable automatic transmission, while the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic. The Lobo gets a 7-speed automatic and paddle shifters.

Our Recommendation

Go for the hybrid. The gas-electric version makes the most sense in almost every situation, with better fuel economy and a smoother, quieter ride. The price difference is small enough to be negotiated if you can drive a hard bargain. If you're dying for a hoony hauler, we'll understand the choice of the Lobo.

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Chevrolet Corvette

Here's a question that would give Zora Arkus Duntov pause. Should you get the electrified Corvette? Oh wait, one of two options for electrified Corvettes? If it's been some time since you've checked in on the C8 lineup, you may find some new names on the roster. The 'Vette lineup starts as it should with the naturally aspirated 535-hp Stingray with 2LT and 3LT trim options, then adds in the Grand Sport with a handling package, but that's just the start. From there we move on to the 721-hp Grand Sport X, which is hybrid and AWD, then back to RWD with the howling Z06. If that's not enough, the twin-turbo ZR1 and its hybrid sibling, the 1250-hp ZR1X. For all our sakes, we're going to focus here on the Stingray and Grand Sport X, but much of the same logic applies higher up the food chain.

Performance

There's a new small-block in town, and it's in both the Stingray and Grand Sport models. The 6.7-liter V-8 bangs out 535 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. In our testing the new mill slams the Stingray from 0-60 in 2.7 seconds.

On the hybrid side, the Grand Sport X also uses the new V-8 but pairs it with a 186-hp electric motor just like in the hypercar ZR1X. With the motor driving the front wheels, the GSX is all-wheel drive and makes 721 horsepower. It's obviously quicker than the standard Stingray, getting to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, but is it better?

Technology

A complaint for Chevy's pricing department. The Corvette comes with lane-departure warning and emergency braking standard, but makes blind-spot monitoring and nose lift optional. It only takes a few seconds in the cabin to realize that blind-spot monitoring at the least is a must-have. To get your sides watched, and some other goodies like a HUD or Bose stereo, you need to go up to a 2LT or 3LT on either standard or hybrid options. All Vettes get a 12.7-inch touchscreen and wireless phone connectivity. New for 2027 is a small right-side touchscreen that can be customized with performance shortcuts.

Fuel Economy

Because the Corvette’s hybrid powertrain is optimized for performance over fuel economy, the Grand Sport X actually gets slightly worse fuel economy than the base Stingray. Both are rated for 18 mpg combined and 15 mpg in the city, but the Stingray is rated for 25 mpg highway while the Grand Sport X drops 1 mpg.

Price

The Stingray starts at $73,795, but since we recommend the blindspot monitoring, say we go for the 2LT at $80,895. That's up against the hybrid GSX 2LT which starts at $117,995.

Did You Know?

A Z51 package is available and includes an electronic limited-slip rear differential, more aggressive brakes, and summer tires. If that's not good enough, the Grand Sport can be outfitted with the Z52 track Performance package for carbon-ceramic brakes, a carbon-fiber splitter, wing, and other aero mods, and an even tauter tuned suspension.

Our Recommendation

Go for the nonhybrid. The base Stingray is a rocket in its lowest form. Unless you're planning on ice-racing, why swap the classic Corvette RWD purity for complexity? You can buy a lot of tank fill-ups with $37,000. And if you absolutely must spend more money, there's always the Z06.

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Kia Carnival

The minivan still has an image problem. They are seen as less cool than SUVs, despite being the most flexible solution for big families, professional dog-walkers, minibike enthusiasts, and weekend antiquers. We like the Kia Carnival because it mimics SUV looks while still offering the sliding doors and cavernous cargo area that make a minivan so useful. Of the Carnival's five trims, all but the base are available with an optional hybrid powertrain.

Performance

The standard Carnival gets motivation from a 287-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. It takes 7.8 seconds to get to 60 mph, but the hybrid version with its 242-hp combo of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder and single electric motor isn't any quicker, running to 60 mph in the same amount of time. A possible sticking point for both Carnivals is that it's only available in a front-wheel-drive setup.

Technology

Driver-assistance features such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and automatic high-beams are standard, as are a single 12.3-inch touch screen. A second 12.3-inch display is an option. Wireless charging comes standard on the EX trim and above, so all hybrid models except the LXS will have that feature.

Fuel Economy

The good ol' EPA says the V-6 Kia Carnival should deliver 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. Our highway-tested Carnival overachieved with 28 mpg. Its hybrid counterpart is rated at a much more wallet-friendly 33 mpg combined, 34 mpg city, and 31 mpg highway, but in real-world testing it only managed 29 mpg on the highway.

Price

A V-6 Carnival in EX trim gets some useful extra goodies and will set you back $43,235. The same setup with the hybrid gets a price bump to $45,235.

Did You Know

The Carnival offers the option of reclining second-row captain's chairs with pop-up footrests on the SX Prestige trim, but they aren't stowable, which makes that configuration better for limo duties than cargo-carrying ones.

Our Recommendation

Go for the hybrid. While one of our testers described the hybrid Carnival as "anemic," most of our staff agreed that the hybrid is worth the extra purchase price for the fuel economy benefit in the kind of slow, around-town driving that makes up most of a minivan's job description.

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Mercedes-Benz S-Class

By some definitions, all three variants of the boss-mobile Mercedes S-Class are hybrids, but we're not counting the 48-volt hybrid that's in the S500 and S580 models. The S580e, on the other hand, is a true hybrid, and a plug-in one for extra benefit.

Performance

The S-Class offerings start with a 443-hp turbocharged AND supercharged 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder in the S500. The S580, with its 530-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 is significantly quicker. The hybrid S580e sits in the middle, its inline-six engine plus electric motor making an impressive 576 hp.

We enjoy all three S-class models for their smooth ride and big-money acceleration, but last time we tested the PHEV, it got dinged for an inconsistent brake pedal feel.

Technology

The S-class can park itself, cruise control through stop-and-go traffic, auto-dim highbeams and answer voice commands. It's a screen-heavy car with massaging seats, real wood, traffic predictions, super-high-end stereo options, and a back seat executive package that makes it nicer than most hotel rooms we've stayed in. Our only real complaint about the Mercedes’ features is that there are so many, with so many sensitive touch points to control them, that it can be distracting to a new owner.

Fuel Economy

EPA ratings on the S500 are 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. The V-8-powered S580 is thirstier, but not as much as you'd expect, managing 17 mpg city and 27 highway. A previous eight-jug model did better than predicted on our highway test, coming back with 32 mpg. The S580e plug-in hybrid has an estimated combined figure of 24 mpg, but previously hit 36 mpg in that same test, after its battery was depleted.

Price

Ain't nuthin' with this much leather coming cheap. The S500 will put a $114,100 dent in your wallet. The hybrid and the V-8 S580s tie at $136,150

Did You Know

Rear-wheel steering capable of turning the rear wheels up to 4.5 degrees is now standard (it was previously an option). For tighter parking spots, there's an optional rear-steering system that can turn up to 10 degrees of rear-steer angle.

Our Recommendation

Go for the nonhybrid. You're a big dog, and you deserve big dog rumble. Get the V-8 S580. Leave plugging in for the peasants.

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Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story "A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2."  In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story "In Washington, D.C.'s Secret Carpool Cabal, It's a Daily Slug Fest" was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.