Each year I drive and review a wide array of vehicles, covering some here on Hooniverse and others across other platforms, and inevitably some slip through the cracks. But even after discussing these outliers on The Hooniverse Podcast or The Off the Road Again Podcast, I still feel obligated to write about all of these vehicles. It’s the time of year to do just that with rapid-fire reviews of the following 2024 and 2025 model year vehicles: Kia Sorento, Chevrolet Trax, Kia Niro, Cadillac Lyric, Infiniti QX80, Cadillac CT5, Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance, Mercedes-AMG GLC43, GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, BMW 530i, Subaru WRX tS, Chevrolet Traverse, and Kia Carnival. Let’s get to it.

2024 Kia Sorento XPro SX-Prestige 2.5T AWD

Base Price: $47,390

As-Tested Price: $49,285

Yay: A good all-around package; does a convincing job of making onlookers think it can go off-road; easy to live with

Nay: Drivetrain refinement doesn’t match the sticker price; stock tires are prone to premature wearing; Sorento’s inherent body and drivetrain limitations hamper trail-friendliness beyond any semblance of a basic dirt trail

Takeaway: The Kia Sorento has evolved into a very good crossover, and though it is merely masquerading as a truly off-road capable SUV in XPro trim, there’s a lot to like here.

2025 Chevrolet Trax Activ

Base Price: $24,300

As-Tested Price: $27,085

Yay: Massive content-for-dollar value proposition; attractive styling inside and out; 3-cylinder engine makes fun noises

Nay: Lacks all-wheel-drive in a class built on it; not nearly as sporty or speedy as its looks would have you think; some questionable resonance and reverberation throughout the cabin from bigger suspension impacts

Takeaway: We’re big fans of the Chevy Trax and what it offers for the money and we don’t doubt that adding AWD would help make it even more attractive, though we acknowledge it would perhaps come at the expense of cannibalizing the sales of other Chevys, like the Trailblazer and Equinox.

2024 Kia Niro PHEV SX Touring

Base Price: $40,140

As-Tested Price: $41,095

Yay: >500 mile range from combustion-electric combo; nimble and extremely easy to use in everyday life; surprisingly spacious

Nay: Unexpectedly pricey; design isn’t for everyone; nowhere near as enjoyable to drive in gas mode as in EV mode

Takeaway: A fine vehicle in its own right and equally strong plug-in hybrid, the Niro PHEV is a very usable half-step for many in the quest to eventually go fully electric with their small CUV.

2024 Cadillac Lyriq Sport

Base Price: $69,695

As-Tested Price: $78,895

Yay: Futuristic-but-familiar styling; available in some unique colors; feels substantially distinguished from platform-mates from a design standpoint

Nay: BEV3/Ultium platform still feels like it needs work; range limited to 314 miles; some material, tech, and build quality shortcomings in a fairly pricey package; the name still feels contrived; no frunk?

Takeaway: The Lyriq is almost there on its quest to being worthy of standing alongside Cadillac’s excellent gas-powered offerings but, like other vehicles on GM’s BEV3 and Ultium platforms, it has a long way to go to reach perfection.

2025 Infiniti QX80 Autograph 4WD

Base Price: $109,900

As-Tested Price: $112,590

Yay: Has stronger presence and curb appeal than the outgoing model; delightfully styled and comfortable interior; new engine (3.5-liter twin-turbo V6) suits the vehicle’s persona well and hustles it plenty quick

Nay: Range Rover money for an ultra-fancy Nissan Armada; some tech interfaces don’t always cooperate; better fuel economy than before but it’s still dismal

Takeaway: The land of luxury SUVs is still a gloves-off grudge match, and Infiniti-née-Nissan has done a mostly impressive job of updating the QX80 to be more competitive while not making it a copycat of others in the segment.

2025 Cadillac CT5 Premium Luxury AWD w/SC

Base Price: $47,595

As-Tested Price: $55,915

Yay: An American sedan in a sea of crossovers and SUVs; pleasant to drive even in non-V or Blackwing guise; infotainment is a good balance of smart and useful without being in-your-face about it

Nay: Ride can be slightly choppy; rear seat isn’t as cavernous as the car’s 194” length gives the impression of having; engine doesn’t feel up to the full-size Cadillac sedan experience

Takeaway: While it’s no Blackwing– and buyers shouldn’t expect it to be– the luxury-forward version of the CT5 remains a decent if not somewhat unimaginative take on the storied big Cadillac sedan.

2024 Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance

Base Price: $182,250

As-Tested Price: $221,360

Yay: Black hole-like stage presence; great seats; immense power (791 hp and 1,055 lb-ft of torque); 20 mile electric range

Nay: Interior will feel old quickly; screen-reliance galore; heavy as the moon; near Bentley Flying Spur pricing

Takeaway: Perhaps better at scaring passengers and drawing eyes than being a fun-to-drive sports sedan, the electrified S-Class AMG offering is a monster in every regard, from total power output to the corresponding pricing. And sure, it’s hilariously fast and superb at cruising, though we wish the material quality reflected the latter, and that it felt less like a Vegas light show inside.

2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43

Base Price: $64,950

As-Tested Price: $77,575

Yay: Rip-roarer of an engine; hot hatch dressed as a crossover; provokes you to drive like you’re a teenager and makes you feel young in the process; great visibility and usability as an everyday car

Nay: Price and power output misaligned; a little too stiff for what it is; some of the lighting and exhaust crackles/pops/bangs can be gaudy

Takeaway: Hilarious to hoon and pleasant to live with, the GLC 43 is a surprisingly fun, sporty, and all-around well-executed small crossover betrayed by a sky-high price tag for the size and class.

2024 GMC Acadia Denali AWD

Base Price: $56,300

As-Tested Price: $65,410

Yay: More attractive to the eye than before; open and airy cabin; a family hauler that exceeds at its intended task; much better around-town engine response than in the outgoing V6

Nay: Groany four-cylinder; some materials aren’t up to par; totally forgettable driving experience

Takeaway: It’s not a lust-worthy vehicle, but as its Yukon sibling’s price and size continue to balloon, the new Acadia Denali is just what the high-end GMC buyer will need from their three-row family vehicle.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox Activ AWD

Base Price: $35,000

As-Tested Price: $39,915

Yay: Attractive on both the outside and inside; plenty of tech to please mid-size crossover shoppers; competitive on paper in a class that is massively so

Nay: Excessive road noise from unnecessarily aggressive tires; easily mistaken for other Chevy models including those less expensive; 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine suffers through every breath of its existence

Takeaway: Jack of all trades and master of none, the reinvigorated Equinox is a crossover that’s perfectly adequate in everyday life; just skip the Activ trim or prepare to pony up for replacement tires relatively soon into ownership.

2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve 4×4

Base Price: $64,560

As-Tested Price: $75,200

Yay: Gives off the appearance of being fairly luxurious; copious second-row niceties; undoubtedly capable when the tarmac ends or weather turns poor

Nay: Pentastar V6 is better-suited to a vehicle half or one-third the Summit Reserve’s price; panel gaps and material missteps galore; desperately trying to be something it isn’t

Takeaway: Look beyond the surface and the Grand Cherokee L, particularly in Summit Reserve spec, has long betrayed its buyer base in the quest to push upmarket. While it’s somewhat successful, the vehicle’s engine, material quality, and overall experience let the vehicle down and hamper the experience significantly to the point that they can’t be overlooked. And to reiterate: $75k for a vehicle with the Pentastar V6 is borderline criminal.

2024 BMW 530i xDrive Sedan

Base Price: $64,560

As-Tested Price: $75,200

Yay: Long live the BMW sedan; feels faster than its 255 horsepower rating; great seats; plain old nice to spend time in and drive

Nay: $75k is a lot for a “base” 5 Series; electrified versions offer a more compelling package; newest iDrive is a step backwards in ease-of-use

Takeaway: BMW’s midsize 5 Series remains the segment stalwart, a perpetual quality choice in a diminishing sea of sedans.

2025 Subaru WRX tS

Base Price: $46,875

As-Tested Price: N/A

Yay: All-wheel-drive paired with a six-speed manual represents an increasingly hard-to-find combo; sharper steering than non-tS trims; better suspension control than its TR predecessor

Nay: Overly confining seats; blue interior accents forced upon all buyers; STI logos everywhere to remind us of what was lost; still doesn’t feel substantially differentiated from the VA-generation WRX, $13k and substantially more expensive than base WRX models without any additional power or tangible performance to show for it

Takeaway: Though we appreciate Subaru’s attempt to breathe new life into its tried-and-true (albeit somewhat tired) rally-car-for-the-street concept, the incremental upgrades brought to the WRX tS can’t overcome the vehicle’s shortcomings and astronomical price tag that ultimately don’t make for a proportionally-better sports sedan.

2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 AWD w/SC

Base Price: $46,400

As-Tested Price: $54,050

Yay: Solid value proposition in the three-row space; Super Cruise is about as good as it gets on the assisted driving front; tons of space even for its class

Nay: Pretends to be an off-roader but very much isn’t; leisurely pace at best; interacting with an engine that feels designed for a rental car gets old quick

Takeaway: Buyers say they want off-roady three-row SUVs and the Traverze Z71 checks both boxes, though it’s best looked at as transportation for those on board and not a real adventure rig, rather a family vehicle cosplaying as one.

2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali Max Range

Base Price: $98,400

As-Tested Price: $102,085

Yay: Plentiful usable range (440 miles); midgate functionality; limo-like second row legroom; four-wheel-steering helps in tight lots; it ain’t slow

Nay: Ride quality suffers from huge heft and massive wheels; utterly massive and drives like it; plastics galore inside; switchgear feels cheap; front tires torque steer under hard acceleration; sticker shock

Takeaway: The pricing strategy on EVs has always been a tough pill to swallow and is one only further exaggerated in the electric pickup segment, and though this $100k GMC is a lot of truck, it feels more three-quarters baked than it should for the money.

2025 Kia Carnival SX Prestige

Base Price: $50,600

As-Tested Price: $52,755

Yay: Immense ease-of-use quotient; flies totally under the radar; well detailed and attractive to the look and touch; just the right amount of screens and tech; makes family duty easy

Nay: Could use AWD to compete with the others in the class; could have a more refined powertrain; tries to look like an SUV and comes away with some imposter syndrome; incessant “Consider taking a break” warning chimes even when on the road for mere minutes

Takeaway: Ignore the haters and the Kia Carnival is one of the best, most usable vehicles on sale today for families– or anyone looking to haul people and/or stuff with any regularity.

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And with that, it’s a wrap on the vehicles I drove but didn’t put pen-to-digital-paper on for 2024. From all of us at Hooniverse, we wish you a great holiday season and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025!