2024 Drivers' Choice Awards

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

It's our 2024 Drivers' Choice Awards... Get ready for our top picks for the best cars, trucks, and utilities of the year, ending with our overall "Best of the Year!"

We'll also clamp down on some valuable car care advice... And check out a Porsche performance spectacle on ice!

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: Well, hello and welcome to a special edition of MotorWeek .

We're glad to have you with us.

Indeed, it's that time of year again.

Time for us to take a look back at all the cars, trucks, and SUVs that we drove last year and select the ones that we liked driving the best.

That's why we call our honors our MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards, and why these cars won us over for 2024!

♪ ♪ When you're talking family cars, the Honda Accord is likely to come up in the conversation early, and with good reason.

The Accord, our 2024 winner for Best Family Car, has not only been a very popular family choice for generations, but great reliability means Accords are often passed down through generations of family members.

Our Accord winner began its 11th generation by not only becoming better in every respect, with highly efficient powertrains, both hybrid and non, but also looking sharper and delivering ride and handling well-above it's still very reasonable price point.

For years now, the BMW 5 Series has been increasing its luxury profile without sacrificing the superior performance this midsize sport sedan is well known for.

That not only continues for the all-new 8th generation, our choice for Best Luxury Car, but now BMW has seamlessly integrated EV power into the mix.

Whatever your taste, there is a BMW 5 Series ready to please.

Last year, the Acura Integra earned our Best Sport Sedan award, and as a follow up, they boosted performance big time with the Integra Type S; so, it's an easy call as a repeat winner.

Replacing the 200 horsepower 1.5 liter turbo with a 2.0 liter unit that cranks out 320 horsepower is just the start, as the Type S gets a revised suspension, tech upgrades, and more aggressive style; all delivered with Acura's savvy finesse, which makes it as luxurious as it is fun.

The Ford Mustang was the first and is now the last pony car.

Leading a segment for many decades is one thing, but totally eliminating your competition is another, that's almost reason enough to make the Mustang our choice for Best Sport Coupe.

But also, with the launch of its 7th generation, the Mustang took its biggest step ever towards modernization.

It looks tougher and, of course, delivers more performance bang for the buck than ever.

Ford may have stopped selling sedans here altogether, and even used the Mustang name to launch an electric SUV, but the new piston-powered Mustang coupe is proof they're committed to keeping the real Mustang alive for gearheads for years to come.

Adding electrification to a vehicle can benefit it in many ways, but it's all about performance when it comes to the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, our choice for Best Performance Car.

By adding a small electric motor to the front axle of the mid-engine C8 Corvette, Chevrolet has not only created the quickest production Corvette ever with 2.5 second 0-60s and mid 10 second quarter-miles, but has also delivered the first ever all-wheel-drive Corvette.

It's proof that adding battery power is about much more than just efficiency... ...and a great segue into our next group of winners.

With so many EVs on the market now, it's impossible for us to choose a single favorite this year, so we spread the wealth over a trio that we feel best showcase where we are with full Battery Electric Vehicles right now, and more importantly, where we're headed.

Hyundai has been a true leader in the EV movement and delivers their latest with some old-school flair, the IONIQ 6 sedan.

It features the same basic powertrain as their fantastic IONIQ 5 SUV, but it's wrapped in some very dynamic yet familiar 4-door sedan packaging that makes it even more appealing.

2021's Volkswagen ID.4 SUV was just the start of all things EV for VW, with a host of ID full-electrics coming, yet they still found time this year to make their ground-breaking ID.4 even better, with more standard tech and better materials in the revised interior, while also lowering the starting price.

But there's only one EV that we'd say was truly a game changer this year, and that's the Kia EV9.

As the first true reasonably priced family size 3-row all-electric SUV, the EV9 not only sets a new benchmark for EVs, but for family SUVs in general.

And that's just the cars and EVs that won our awards this year.

Stay tuned as we'll be right back with a look at our truck and utility winners.

♪ ♪ JOHN: Have you ever taken a detour to an empty, snow and ice-covered parking lot and tried your hand at drifting?

Well, our "Over the Edge" guy Greg Carloss has; and he's done it in cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Well, this week he one ups himself by heading to Northern Europe and sliding around in two very special Porsches!

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: Up until now, I've been able to avoid the arctic circle during winter.

Well, as you can see, that streak has ended because Porsche invited me to Northern Finland to drive some of their race cars on ice, which means it's absolutely freezing...

So, let's get to it!

♪ ♪ On a frozen swamp 180 miles above the Arctic Circle is a Porsche Experience facility like no other.

A 422,000 square meter ice playground where customers of all skill levels can drift around 32 different handling tracks in their choice of over 100 Porsche models.

My day starts as it would for any Porsche Ice Experience participant: With some hot coffee and a briefing.

Then, I meet the cars.

This 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is one of Porsche's turn-key customer race cars.

But what I really came for, the 718 Cayman GT4 e-Performance is a bit more exclusive.

BJÖRN FÖRSTER: The GT4 e-Performance is Porsche's really first fully electric GT race car.

The aim while developing this car was to reach the same lap times as a GT3 Cup Car for the duration of a one-make series sprint race...

So, the maximum power output of the GT4 e-Performance is 1088 horsepower and for the duration of a one-make series sprint race, 30 minutes, we're going down to 612 horsepower.

GREG: Porsche built just two prototypes for a yearlong world tour.

Fortunately for me, this one made an unexpected pit stop here in Finland.

BJORN: It's really an exclusive chance for you to have a ride on this car because only a handful of journalists have ever driven this car beside our Works drivers.

And you're the very first to have it on ice!

GREG: No pressure.

Smartly, Porsche started me off in the GT4 Clubsport on which the e-performance is based.

And while the goal here is to break traction, you still need some grip.

So, we always talk about how winter tires are the best in winter time.

Well, sometimes you need a little bit more, so these cars are fitted with metal studs.

We start with a few runs through the slalom, which, for this MotorWeek test driver, is just another day at the office...sort of.

After a few "Scandinavian Flick" drills, it was more car control workouts on the circle track and finally the figure eight... (engine revving) A little bit of a Scandinavian Flick.

There we go.

There it is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Yeah, there it is.

Just as I was finally seeing the figurative and literal light in the Clubsport, it was time to switch to the e-performance, requiring a heavy recalibration.

Not so much because it's a more potent electric powertrain, but because it's all-wheel drive, which means drifting it is an entirely new animal.

RICHARD LIETZ: The timing of turning, off-throttle, going on power, turning, off-throttle, going on power is good.

What we do need is a bit more speed.

GREG: More speed you say?

(engine revving) By now, you know this is the part where I typically talk about what it's like to drive the car in real time.

But attempting to slide this extremely powerful all-electric race car took so much of my focus, I could barely get a word out.

The electric motors let out a deafening scream under full power and counter steering with a yoke style racing wheel is not easy.

So, instead of talking.

I just take in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

♪ ♪ When it's all over, my body hurts and my ears are ringing.

But in that moment...the arctic air felt pretty darn good.

JOHN: Well, it's time now to get back to handing out our 2024 Drivers' Choice Awards.

This time we look at all the trucks and utility vehicles that are hauling home the hardware this year.

♪ ♪ Small SUVs remain the hottest segment in the auto industry, with no signs of slowing down.

So, competition is fierce.

Yet, our Best Small Utility, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, truly stands above the rest.

It's more than just the 38 miles of EV range that the all-wheel-drive plug-in powertrain delivers every time you charge it.

There's also great comfort in its not so small cabin, and with one of the few 3rd-row options in the segment, tremendous flexibility to help growing families get through whatever life throws at them.

As an EV when you want it, and comfortable getaway machine when you need it, it's a sure bet for us to pick the Outlander PHEV as our best small Ute.

That ability to handle just about anything is also a theme for our Best Midsize Utility, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is a back-to-back winner.

After existing for decades as a rough around the edges, take it or leave it SUV, the 5th generation Grand Cherokee arrived with all kinds of surprises including an extended L version with three rows of seating, and even an available 4xe plug-in powertrain which is very popular.

For a brand that survived on tradition for decades, the Grand Cherokee makes a truly modern statement by any measure.

No brand covers the SUV landscape better than Toyota, with nine versatile and different designs, including the longtime great-selling 3-row utility, the Highlander.

Where did they go from there?

Well, Toyota made a Highlander that's bigger and better, and appropriately named it the Grand Highlander, our Best Large Utility choice.

While capitalizing on the Highlander name, the Grand Highlander is not a stretched Highlander, but a new, reimagined vehicle.

Combine that with three powertrains that include two different hybrids and it immediately becomes a high-water mark for its class.

Our Best Luxury Utility award goes to the Porsche Cayenne.

Yes, Porsche is a performance-first brand, but if you've been inside a Cayenne, you know their attention to detail, and tradition of constant incremental improvements, has paid big dividends for the Cayenne and for Porsche buyers.

You can go mild to wild with everything from the standard 348 horsepower 6-cylinder to an over-the-top 729 horsepower Turbo E-Hybrid, and even an outrageous track-capable Turbo GT assembled with Porsche GT race parts.

It's an SUV the way only Porsche could do it, and it's fantastic!

Whether, it's the economy, gyrating fuel prices, or just the fact that people have realized that maybe they don't need to drive a ginormous truck around every day; midsize trucks have made a real resurgence of late.

Leading that charge, in our Best Small Truck winners, are GM's capable duo, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

Both are all-new, and not only brought unique features to the segment, but big-truck style and capability too; plus, more options than ever for conquering off-road adventures.

And we'll keep the GM tough truck love coming with our Best Fullsize Truck award going to the Chevrolet Silverado.

The Silverado 1500 improved this year with more diesel power and significant improvements in off-road chops.

The Silverado HD lineup also gets increased off-road performance options, as well as major improvements for the interior and towing technology.

And on top of all that, they finally joined the EV truck game with a Silverado EV work truck with more range than any EV pickup yet.

Quite a year for Silverado, and quite a year for Chevy trucks.

Well, we've covered all the bases, but there's still one more award to go, it's our Best of the Year.

Stay tuned to see who hit the automotive grand slam this year.

(engines growling) JOHN: Bolting up a new exhaust system for your ride can be tons of fun, but that fun can turn into a big headache, if it's not clamped properly.

Our Logan McCombs is here with tips to make it go easier and keep your pipes secure on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ (engine revs) LOGAN MCCOMBS: Previously, we've talked about setting up your vehicle and building it in a way that you want it to perform and sound.

One of the great places to look is going to be your exhaust, like we have here on the Maxton.

The exhaust is a vital point of your vehicle.

It carries the exhaust fumes from the front of your vehicle to the back.

And most exhaust systems, they are sealed with a 2-bolt or a 3-bolt flange system with a gasket in the middle of them.

And you'll see that here on this header that we have... you have a 3-bolt system that would mate up to another 3-bolt system that would have you gasket in between.

But, they do have a tendency to fail because your gaskets can break down over time, causing exhaust leaks; or one of your bolts may back out; or you could have something that is too tight on one side, which creates an uneven seal that allows gasses to flow out.

A solution to that would be something called a V-band clamp.

A V-band clamp will allow you to create a metal to metal seal in between your exhaust, removing the gasket from it and the extra bolts.

What'll happen is you'll be able to mate one side of your exhaust to the other in between the clamp, seal it with the bolt, and you don't have to worry about it.

The great thing about it is- is you don't have to think about "is it sealed?

Is it too tight?

Is something loose?"

Because all you have to look at is that one bolt.

And just as easy as it is to put on, it's just as easy to take off.

Just like we have on the Maxton here, if you were working on it on the ground, it's one 10mm bolt that you would loosen, hold both sides of your exhaust, take your clamp off, and you've now separated.

But, clamps like this are not just used for exhaust.

They can also be used in a wide variety of different things.

Like, for instance, your intake piping.

Instead of using rubber clamps, you can use V-band clamps or something called an HD-Clamp, that will allow you to seal up your intake system without having to worry about it-- using a worm clamp, digging into your rubber or anything like that.

These clamps do come in a variety of different sizes, so make sure that you measure accordingly for all your clamping solutions.

And if you have a question or comment, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: We're shifting into drive and turning right into another QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: There's a lot of news surrounding GM's expanding electric vehicle portfolio.

And that includes Chevrolet where it's going to be a big year for the electric Bowtie, starting with the Blazer EV SUV.

The Blazer name was revived a few years ago- not as an off-road contender, but as a two-row, midsize crossover for the urban sprawl.

The Blazer EV may be related in both name and ethos, but that's about where the similarities end.

The EV is built atop GM's Ultium platform, making it lower, longer and wider than its internal-combustion sibling.

Powertrain is left up to the trim, with front, rear, and all-wheel-drive configurations.

Our SoCal first drive had us in both RS models, steps above the entry LT, but not all the way at the top with the SS.

The all-wheel-drive RS and LT models pack 288 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque, with up to 279 miles of range from the 85 kilowatt hour battery.

Contrary to EV norms, the rear-wheel-drive RS actually has more power, now 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

It's linked up to a 102 kilowatt hour battery, good for 324 miles.

The way that the all-wheel-drive version is set up is that we have one large motor in the front and a smaller motor in the rear.

So, the rear motor, its job is really to just assist when you need a little bit of extra traction.

But for the most part, it feels like you're driving a front-wheel-drive car...

The interior is appropriately "EV" thanks to the high-tech amenities without going overboard.

Standard is an 11 inch digital instrument panel and a 17.7 inch infotainment touchscreen.

GM has ditched Apple Carplay and Android Auto, but the built-in Google system is easy to operate.

And while some tasks are done digitally, HVAC controls remain physical, much to our delight.

The 2024 Blazer EV starts just over $50,000 for an entry-level LT.

Despite a bumpy launch due to a reported software glitch, LT and RS models can be seen at dealers now.

SS trim follows later this year.

The more affordable Equinox EV SUV arrives soon, too, so stay tuned for that and more QuickSpins!

JOHN: So far, we've told you our picks for best cars, trucks, and utilities of the year, but one honor remains: Our 2024 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice "Best of the Year."

And this one goes to a nameplate that's familiar to us all!

♪ ♪ The Ford Mustang is our 2024 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year!

The new 7th generation Mustang boasts serious updates that are just adding insult to injury to the competitors that it has left in the dust.

Yes, no more Camaros or Challengers for now, as the Mustang gallops on as the last remaining pony car.

Three years ago, we gave the electrified Mustang Mach-E this award, for ensuring that the Mustang name will live on.

This time around, it drives off with the award for doing the things that the piston-powered Mustang has done for years, only better.

That includes delivering 486 horesepower's worth of real-deal V8 muscle in the Mustang GT for the enthusiasts, and at the same time making the full Mustang experience attainable to just about everyone with the base EcoBoost 4-cylinder turbo, which now cranks out 315 horsepower.

Ford's Performance Pack can be added to either one and includes chassis bracing, a limited slip rear, wider wheels, and bigger brakes.

The new Mustang is truly a modern showcase inside with lots of screen space, yet, plenty of traditional controls remain, and those screens can even be configured to give off an old-school vibe.

Then, you throw in things like a new Performance Electronic Parking Brake which simplifies whatever e-braking hijinks you plan on getting into.

And, there's a brand-new Mustang for the stable, the Mustang Dark Horse.

This menacing looking 'stang gets a nice round 500 horsepower from the 5.0 liter thanks to upgraded internals from the GT500, quicker steering, a suspension overhaul, and a complete retune of just about every system to provide tremendous grip on the racetrack, without sacrificing the Mustang's daily usability.

Sixty years ago, the Ford Mustang changed the game by making the joy of high-performance driving accessible to more people than ever, and now that we're well into the 21st Century, not much about that reality has changed.

The Ford Mustang, America's original pony car lives on, and is better than ever.

And that's why it's the MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year.

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... ...when we kick of our annual winter testing sessions in the incredible Chevrolet Corvette Z06, then trade racetrack for carport in the Subaru Outback.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

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(engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.