Explore the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali’s Upscale Features 8 Apr 9:13 AM (9 days ago)
For a look at the updated GM three-row Crossover platform, see our 2025 Chevy Traverse High Country review. For those looking to step up from the Traverse luxury-wise, the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali elevates the equally excellent platform found in the Traverse.
The 2025 GMC Acadia Denali takes the GM three-row crossover platform upscale by adding unique design elements and luxury features to the model. The interior is a far nicer place to be than the Traverse with quilted climate-controlled seats, deviated stitching throughout the doors, seats, faux-leather dashboard, and increased use of soft touch materials throughout.
The gauge cluster in the GMC Acadia Denali is a higher-resolution and brighter 11-inch multi-purpose cluster, and a 15-inch portrait-oriented touch screen handles the infotainment and control.
The GMC Acadia Denali also adds heated 2nd-row seats, tri-zone climate control, a heads-up display, and memory seats versus the Traverse. GM’s fantastic Super Cruse is also an option.
The price as-tested of the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali is $64,410 including destination, which is roughly $10,000 more than the highest trim Chevrolet Traverse High Country.
I really enjoyed the looks and feel of the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali and would recommend it to anyone looking for a three-row luxury crossover.
What Makes the 2025 Chevy Traverse Stand Out Among 3-Row SUVs? 8 Apr 8:53 AM (9 days ago)
Chevrolet has gone all-in with the new 2025 Chevy Traverse to mature into a solid player in the crowded 3-row SUV space. New for 2024, and unchanged for 2025, the new Traverse is bigger, looks better, and is packed with tech that brings the Traverse to the top of its class. While it’s a fantastic generational change, a few things keep it from being at the very top. Still, because the Traverse is priced highly competitively, buyers might find those quirks to be non-issues.
The new Chevrolet Traverse pictured in High Country trim is a suitably fashionable and versatile alternative to the more grown-up and expensive Chevrolet Tahoe. Previously, the Traverse was somewhat anonymous and blended in well with the background. It has always been a good SUV, but the new Traverse takes solid strides in giving it its own identity and purpose.
The new Traverse exterior is actually 1.4 inches shorter than the outgoing model at 204.5 inches in length, putting it six inches shorter than the current Tahoe. It’s also slightly narrower (-0.7 inches), and overall height is lower (-0.8 inches) compared to the previous generation Traverse’s exterior. While smaller on the exterior, there are some meaningful interior dimensions that have grown to provide more room. More on that in a bit.
The new Traverse features the new Chevy family front fascia, bold sculpting of the front and rear fenders, a faux quad exhaust, and LED lights front and rear. This iteration of the Traverse looks far more premium than before and is extremely visually attractive. The Lakeshore Blue paint is a gorgeous shade on the Traverse.
The Traverse High Country is the highest-end Traverse trim and equips the interior with leather seating surfaces, heated and ventilated front seats, a Bose 10-speaker stereo system, power-folding second and third row seats, 22-inch two-tone wheels, and an upgraded suspension. The High Country also has the option of GM’s fantastic Super Cruise hands-free driving system.
The interior of the new third-generation Chevy Traverse is a pleasant place to reside. Being the highest trim model of the Traverse I would have expected the High Country to have a slightly more upscale dashboard from a materials standpoint, but it doesn’t feel low-rent. The cabin feels spacious, and the seats are comfortable.
The instrument cluster is an 11.0-inch digital multifunction screen, while the infotainment and vehicle controls are handled through a 17.7-inch touchscreen above the center stack. The Bose stereo sounds decent, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.
The second row of the Traverse High Country tester we had featured captain’s chairs, which are comfortable and easy to get in and out of. They also provide easy access to the third row, with a relaxed seating position that most average-sized adults can sit in without trouble.
While the exterior of the Traverse has shrunk slightly over the previous generation, Chevy packaging wizards increased front shoulder room by 0.4 inches, front hip room by 0.6 inches, and second-row legroom by 3.1 inches. Second-row hip room has increased by 1.7 inches, though the third-row legroom has been compromised by a reduction of 1.3 inches.
Cargo space is rated at 58 cubic feet of storage behind the 3rd row, and 98 cubic feet of storage with the second row folded down. There is additional storage below the rear storage area, and a compact spare tire. The second and third rows can be folded down from the cargo area, but the second row has to be manually raised.
The Achilles heel of the new Chevrolet Traverse is the new turbocharged 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, which is rated at 328 horsepower and 326 lb.-ft. of torque. While this engine shares some of the lineage of the fantastic 2.7-liter turbo engine found in the Colorado and Canyon pickup, it doesn’t execute well compared to the outgoing V6. It’s loud, slower than the outgoing model, and cheapens the driving experience for better fuel economy and lower carbon emissions. In this case, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze as AWD models are rated at 21 mpg combined, which is only one mpg better than the prior generation’s V6.
It’s fine at the end of the day, but this is the biggest letdown in an otherwise excellent vehicle. I don’t know if this will put off buyers, but it’s a worse experience than other vehicles in the Traverse’s class.
The Traverse High Country tester used for this review came nearly fully loaded and priced at $54,995. The more utilitarian but equally solid Traverse LT starts at $40,600. This offers a wide range of prices for buyers who want to find the perfect Traverse trim. The Traverse has a lot of bang for the buck and now has an attractive identity that stands out. If you can forgive the engine, the rest of the Traverse is a great place to put hundreds of miles on it.
2025 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison – The Better Off-Roader 8 Apr 5:16 AM (9 days ago)
Sorry, Toyota. After driving the TRD Pro Tacoma and this Chevy Colorado ZR2 back to back there is absolutely no question that the Chevy is the better truck all around. Somewhere, the TRD Pro lost its mojo. It's still a good truck, but the Colorado ZR2 is a *great* truck. pic.twitter.com/RY2EQmfmDQ
Photo Gallery – 2025 LSRPCA Kemah Concours 3 Mar 2:57 AM (last month)
The Lone Star Region Porsche Club of America held its annual Concours this past weekend at the Kemah Boardwalk. The weather could not have been better for the 70+ cars competing. Full gallery after the jump!
2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale Italiano EAWD Review 27 Feb 10:20 AM (last month)
The small but fun Alfa Romeo Tonale is one of the most misunderstood vehicles I’ve seen discussed online among enthusiast groups. There’s a lot to love about the Tonale, from design to driving experience, but there is definitely some concern about where it is positioned, both segment-wise and price-wise.
The question isn’t if the Tonale lives up to Alfa’s reputation for a fun driving experience and good looks—it does. The question is whether the fun driving experience and good looks justify the hefty price tag. That’s where it gets complicated.
Launched globally in 2022, the Alfa Romeo Tonale has had to do a lot of heavy lifting as one of Stellantis’ few compact crossovers available to purchase. Initially, sales exceeded expectations through 2023, but 2024 showed a significant slowdown in Tonale sales.
To breathe more energy into the model for 2025, Alfa Romeo has consolidated the Tonale model lineup from three different trims to one core trim, which is available with Veloce, Active Assist, and Premium packages.
Additionally, Alfa Romeo has replaced the anemic 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the full ICE Tonale with a much more performative 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, rated at 268 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque. This new engine should address many of the buyers’ performance concerns with the old engine. The Tonale eAWD plug-in hybrid model remains unchanged powertrain-wise.
My test car is the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the new, limited-edition Tributo Italiano special edition. It only comes in the plug-in hybrid eAWD powertrain variant, which has a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and electric motor that produces 285 horsepower in Tributo spec.
The Alfa Romeo eAWD will do 33 miles on electric power alone when fully charged and is rated at 29mpg highway and city in hybrid mode. I averaged 31 mpg in mixed city and highway driving.
My test Tonale Tributo Italiano arrived wearing gorgeous Verde Fangio Metallic paint.
The Tributo Italiano includes a body-colored fascia package, 20-inch Grigio wheels, red Brembo calipers, dual chrome exhaust, Gloss Black daylight opening, aluminum door sills, and a black-painted roof. My tester was also equipped with the Active Assist Package and moonroof.
Alfa enthusiasts will instantly recognize the interior of the Tonale, as the steering wheel, gauges, and dashboard design are similar to those of the rest of the Alfa lineup.
The seats are attractive, two-tone microsuede black and red with white and red contrast stitching. The headrests are embossed with the Alfa Romeo logo, the colors of the Italian flag, and the words Tributo Italiano. They are incredibly comfortable and provide plenty of bolstering for all body shapes and sizes.
The rest of the interior also looks sharp, incorporating aluminum and microsuede throughout. However, there are some low spots with hard plastic and cheap silver-painted trim in the console. The paddle shifters are also plastic rather than real aluminum. I would rather these materials than gloss black, though, and thankfully, the Tonale interior has very little gloss black to speak of.
Controls are very easy to use inside the Tonale and I appreciate the physical buttons for the HVAC/Volume/Track functions.
Cargo space with the rear seats up is 23 cubic feet, which is smaller than our favorite subcompact 2024 Chevy Trax RS which has 25.6 cubic feet. The seats do fold down, and there is a passthrough from the rear seats into the cargo area.
Driving the Tonale is as one would expect from an Alfa Romeo. The steering is great for a subcompact, the brakes provide excellent feedback, and the adaptive suspension is tuned to be sporty but not overly stiff. I think it’s the most engaging non-sports compact car you can buy today. Granted, that’s not saying much, but the Alfa name does mean something on the Tonale.
I do really enjoy the Tonale as it was presented to me. It’s a fun, economical, and attractive looking car, especially in this Tributo Italiano trim. The interior is a clean, comfortable, and functional place to be. The Alfa uniqueness has been well implemented throughout the car with the finishes, design and lighting. This gives the Tonale as a vehicle a thumbs up from me.
Where I struggle, though, is the price and position. The Tonale is expensive. Not just expensive for a subcompact, but expensive in general. The Tonale Hybrid starts at $48,030 including a $1,995 destination fee.
The Tributo Italiano trim like my tester starts at $54,725 with destination. The MSRP as-tested of my Tonale Tributo Italiano is an eye watering $59,630. There are lease offers available that take into account the $7,500 federal EV credit at the time of this writing, but that’s still a lot of money.
For comparison, a Stelvio Veloce AWD starts at $55,105, and the Stelvio in my opinion is the better vehicle. Not only does the Tonale compete with other models in the lineup at that pricepoint, but it also competes with its platform mate, the Dodge Hornet. Granted, the Hornet does not have a PHEV option, but the top end Hornet R/T starts at $41,400. You also have to contend with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 once you start to leave the Stellantis family.
I’m not exactly sure in practice who is choosing to buy the Tonale at the MSRP price point when compared to the other products mentioned above. Yes, there are incentives and deals to be had, but that’s outside of the scope of this review. I really do like the Tonale, but at the end of the day, it’s not only competing with excellent competitors from other brands, but its competing with excellent vehicles from within the Alfa umbrella itself.
The decision to buy a Tonale will be decided for most by the available incentives and what they can get a deal on, rather than the quality of the car itself. To me, that’s a shame. I feel like at a lower starting price point you can point to the merits of the Tonale to help make that decision. Still, the Tonale is a great vehicle, and one that should be considered *if* the price is right.
Photo Gallery – LSRPCA February 2025 Tour 17 Feb 11:12 AM (last month)
We kicked off the 2025 driving season here in Houston with a 140-mile backroad spirited drive to grab burgers. Over 60 Porsches, including a 911 Endurance Racing Edition and a 911 S/T, joined us for this drive. Photo gallery after the jump!
