Test Miles

/ / / By Robert R Guio Toyota has spent decades turning the Corolla into the sensible answer to almost every everyday transportation question. The 2026 Toyota GRMN Corolla is what happens when the company stops asking about commuting, rear-seat passengers, or sensible tires and starts asking how much performance can be extracted from a compact hatchback. The answer is a $64,360, two-seat, all-wheel-drive special limited to 730 vehicles globally.

/ / America’s most stolen cars in 2025 are not supercars. They are familiar sedans, family crossovers, and pickup trucks parked in driveways and workplace garages. Vehicle theft declined sharply nationwide in 2025. The National Insurance Crime Bureau recorded 659,880 stolen vehicles, the lowest annual total in several decades. That was down 23.2% from 2024 and about 35% below the 2023 peak. Even with that improvement, a vehicle was still stolen once every 48 seconds.

/ / / / Modern automotive tires look deceptively ordinary: a black ring filled with air. In reality, it carries weight, absorbs impacts, transmits power, and creates the grip that allows a car to turn and stop. That sophistication took nearly two centuries. The automotive tire was not one invention, but a chain of breakthroughs involving chemistry, compressed air, reinforcing cords, steel belts, tread design and electronic sensors.

/ / / / By Robert R Guio BMW is giving its next-generation electric SUV a visible debut. The new BMW iX3 and BMW 5 Series Sedan appear in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which reaches U.S. theaters July 31. BMW says both vehicles are woven into the plot rather than parked as scenery. The memorable machine may never reach a showroom. BMW created a one-off iX3 Flow with an animated exterior inspired by Spider-Man’s movement, colors and energy.

/ / / / The 2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA is becoming a more serious small luxury SUV. The third-generation model arrives at U.S. dealerships in the second half of 2027 with a choice of all-electric or 48-volt hybrid power, a longer wheelbase, more passenger room, and a cabin built around Mercedes-Benz’s latest software. That breadth may be the most important part of the redesign. Mercedes is not forcing every GLA buyer into the same powertrain decision.

/ / / Audi has seven new Audi models arriving or being revealed during its latest product push, but American shoppers should not treat them as seven equal reasons to delay a purchase. Some are intended for Europe or China, while others remain unconfirmed for the United States. The practical answer is simple: families should watch the new Q7 and Q9 closely. Performance buyers may want to wait for the RS5.

/ / / / / By Robert R Guio Honda may be preparing to revisit one of its most unusual ideas: turning the Accord into a taller, more practical crossover. A new report says the company is considering an “Accord SUV” aimed directly at Subaru Outback buyers. The proposed model would reportedly use a lifted hatchback body rather than becoming another upright family SUV. Production could begin around mid-2029 at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio, plant, alongside a new generation of the Accord sedan.

/ / / / The Lexus plant shutdown after the Japan quake shows why Toyota put worker and community safety ahead of vehicle production. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of Kyushu on July 28, killing at least 13 people by Wednesday morning. Buildings collapsed, roads buckled and thousands of homes lost power or water. Rescue crews searched damaged structures while aftershocks continued across southwestern Japan.

Cheating in Formula 1? The race between teams and the FIA

Car Maintenance: What Happens When You Skip It