Built on Toyota’s New Global Architecture it shares with the Prius, we chose to stick with standard 4-cylinder power, prioritizing fuel economy over the V6’s grunt. 

The I4 rates 28-City, 39-Highway, and 32-Combined; yet so far we’re averaging just 28.6. But we do expect that to climb, as we’ve only burned through a few tanks of Regular at this point, at just 920-miles. 

So we’ll see over the next year, if its 206-horsepower is enough to satisfy our power-hungry staff. 

206 is actually three more than the base Camry, thanks to our XSE’s dual exhaust system. The XSE is the sportiest Camry yet; with very aggressive bodywork, smoke tinted lenses, and gloss trim. And, it’s quickly becoming a very popular item at Toyota dealerships. Hmmmmm… maybe Camry buyers aren’t just appliance shopping after all. 

Toyota has been trying to change the Camry’s narrative for a while now; infusing more and more luxury and excitement into their family staple with each new generation.

Two months with our long term 2018 Camry and we have to say they’ve made significant progress.

GREG CARLOSS: “Our XSE uses the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and we think most Camry prospects will be pleased with the power. The new 8-speed automatic transmission can be slow to downshift for passing. But, the smooth upshifts, and light steering make it a breeze to drive around town.”

GREG CARLOSS: We’re already closing in on 5,000 mostly highway miles, and our mileage has jumped way up to 35.3 miles-per-gallon. Every one of them has been pleasurable and increasingly entertaining. 

The Toyota Camry is not immune to the well-documented decline in sedan sales in the U.S. Yet, it remains the #1 selling car in America, as it has for about 16-years now. 

And we’re finding out why, having accrued almost 7,500-miles in just 3-months’ with our 2018 XSE. With its 206-horsepower 2.5-liter I4 and 8-speed automatic transmission; we’re enjoying those miles more than we have in any Camry before.

In fact, the fun only stops when we stop for fuel, at which time we’ve been dealing with a sticky fuel door that doesn’t like to open right away. But after a bit of metal massaging, it seems to be working much better. 

Fortunately for us, those stops are few and far between; with a 35.4 miles-per-gallon average so far.

As for another one of our family transporters, the 2018 Toyota Camry may not have the space of a minivan; but long distance comfort for four, and five in a pinch, is in ample supply.

We test so many crossovers these days, it’s easy to forget how useful sedans can be. This Camry has really reminded us why Toyota has sold so many of these over the years. It has space, it has comfort, it has great fuel economy. Now, some on our staff have admitted to missing the more commanding ride height of a crossover, but that’s just a matter of preference.

Yes, despite what you may have heard, there are still plenty of families that make do with a 4-door sedan; at least for one of the cars in their driveway.

We’re just over 9,000-miles, from these last four months of driving this 2.5-liter 4-cylinder XSE; and the 34.7 miles-per-gallon fuel mileage continues to impress, as does the overall driving experience. 

Saying goodbye to one of our long-terms is never easy, but that’s what we must do this week with our 2018 Toyota Camry mid-size family sedan.

“It’s been a relatively short run in this Camry XSE, but a good one for us. We love the styling and the  sporty-er suspension really backs up the look. Quicker transmission shifts would be a nice upgrade, but as far as a daily driver, the Camry is as solid as it gets, and it’s pretty entertaining too.”

Just routine maintenance was all that was required during the Camry’s 7-month stay with us. And, over 12,500-miles, the 206-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder delivered a very good 33.4 miles-per-gallon. 

Best part of all, the improved ride-and-handling came without losing any of the comfort and practicality we’ve come to expect in Camry. We’ll miss it for sure…

Volkswagen has thrown little updates at the 7th generation Jetta every couple years just to keep it fresh. And every time they’ve done that, we’ve had a GLI Long Term tester. Well, now this 2025 GLI Autobahn just rolled onto our lot, so let’s dive into the details.

The Jetta updates start outside with some alterations to front and rear styling. The lower grille is taller and here on the GLI there’s large mesh and the red accent now spans the entire width while the rear receives VW’s light bar treatment. The Kings Red with Deep Black roof costs an extra $455 while the GLI black package with painted 18-inch wheels, side mirror caps and a lip spoiler adds $650.

Inside, the dash has been revised pulling the 8-inch touchscreen out to give a table-style appearance and the passenger side sees a new design where the air vent seemingly spans the whole dash. The GLI gets a leather wrapped heated steering wheel as well as heated and ventilated front seats as standard.

This six-speed manual is a no cost option and it still connects to a GLI-specific 2-liter turbo 4-cylinder with 228 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft of torque. All-told, this 2025 Volkswagen Jett GLI Autobahn stickers for $35,045 after destination.

We’ve only rowed through the gears a couple of times, but we’ll have our first official update soon. In the meantime, reach out to us with all your questions and comments right here at MotorWeek.

This update on our Volkswagen Jetta GLI is a shorty; but, not for a lack of drive time, having added 1,300 miles onto the odometer in just a couple weeks.

That’s mostly highway, with a fair chunk spent “one-two-one” shifting in heavy Washington D.C. traffic, leading us to an observed 29.7 mpg, near the EPA’s 30 mpg combined rating. Our regular unleaded fuel economy may have also suffered thanks to our leaded right feet, as we’ve had proper fun gettin’ on it when we could.

Getting on the power generates some satisfying results from this GLI’s torquey turbo-four. We love the sporty weight of this clutch pedal, and the shifter feels nice and solid for spirited driving. Now, if we’re really hammering and we’re trying to rattle off lightning fast shifts, the throws feel a tad bit long, but as long as we’re precise, it’s very rewarding.

Our 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid long-term arrived just in time for some significant snowfall here in the Mid-Atlantic, and while we didn’t exactly drive through the deep stuff, we spent plenty of time on snow covered roads and it performed quite admirably considering we’re just working with front-wheel-drive here.

This is the first time Kia has put a hybrid powertrain in their minivan, and it promises up to 33-Combined MPG. But that cold weather has us off to a very slow start, as our average over the first 4,500 miles of driving is just 26.7 mpg. Still, that’s above average for a vehicle this size and way better than the 22.6 we got in the V6-powered Carnival a few years back.

The Carnival Hybrid uses an upgraded version of the Sorento SUV’s setup which pairs a 1.6-liter turbo-four engine with a larger 54-kW electric motor to produce a combined output of 242 horsepower, 15 more than the Sorento.

“The V6 powered Carnival certainly has plenty of get up and go, but the electric boost from this hybrid system adds just a little bit more. And despite the power still going only to the front wheels, it feels like it gets to the ground more efficiently. That’s to say we’re spending less time spinning our wheels here than we did in our previous long-term Carnival.”

Trying to leave winter to the salt trucks, our 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid has been on the move to warmer climates. We’ve put 7,000 miles on Kia’s latest sliding side-door Multi-Purpose Vehicle in just two months.

This Hybrid may work with 45 fewer horsepower than the standard V6, but torque output is a stout 271 lb-ft, getting to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. And it can spin up the front tires just as easily as the V6. But clearly, we’ve been keeping burnouts to a minimum as fuel economy is on the rise, now 29.0 mpg.

After logging a lot of early highway miles, this Carnival is now entering its around-town, daily-driver era. So far, the switch from battery-power to gas-power and then back to battery-power has been relatively seamless. There’s a quick burst of electric torque, which is just enough to get things rolling from a stop, before that gas engine fires up, which has played no small part in boosting our fuel economy.