Some of our most insightful car testing happens right at home.
We drive a lot of cars every year here at Gear Patrol. Sometimes that involves exotic, Instagram-worthy trips. But we’re also testing new vehicles frequently on our home turf. And these can often be more rewarding tests; after all, we’re putting them through the paces of our actual lives, seeing how they handle the daily grind of parenting, urban/suburban/rural living, and other challenges you likely find familiar.
Here are some of the cars we’ve been testing in 2022.
2022 Volvo V90 Cross Country
I’ll boil down the V90 Cross Country to one word. It’s excellent. It’s still very much a wagon, even with the cladding and extra bit of ride height to fool you. The interior is spacious and, like most Volvos, elegant. It’s reasonably quick. It handles nimbly. And with a softer, off-road-tuned suspension, it’s just comfortable.
I’ve had colleagues call the V90 CC the best car on sale. I would not go that far. But I found it fantastic for the actual driving I had to do. School run? Seamless. Jaunt down to Detroit for a car event? Utterly smooth. It’s not as sporty as Mercedes or Audi offerings can get in the wagon space, but it’s markedly cheaper.
The V90 CC is, technically, a mild hybrid. But I lament that Volvo does not offer its refreshed Recharge powertrain on the Cross Country wagons. A V90 CC running on batteries for extended periods rather than earning in the low 20s mpg in city driving would be just about perfect.
I say just about because I found the infotainment screen moderately annoying. Vertical alignment is great for phones. But horizontal is easier to see and use in the car. Nine inches isn’t big enough to do all the things demanded of those screens now. And a car this nice should not have a tiny, compressed rear camera view. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price (As Tested): $55,200 ($68,440)
2022 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 SUV
The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S may be the best overall athlete in the SUV world. The AMG GLE 53 SUV — we must specify that it’s the SUV, not the coupe — is a step down from that. It’s a midway point between the apex predator and the more staid GLE 450. Its 3.0-liter inline-six is tuned up from the GLE 450 to 429 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque. And it brings the vibe of the big AMG at a more affordable price point — albeit one that can creep past $90,000 if you’re not careful with options.
AMG is about style as much as performance now, especially if you’re buying a lukewarm SUV. And the AMG GLE 53 SUV delivers with the AMG power domes on the hood, the striking red Nappa leather interior (which would not be my first choice) and matching red brake calipers that add some drama to an otherwise bland big crossover.
The 429 hp output is about all the power you need — the AMG GLE 63 S is not usable on real roads. The AMG GLE 53 SUV does less with it than the E-Class would, riding higher and packing an additional 600 lbs. However, the E-Class won’t match the AMG GLE 53 SUV’s potential 74.9 cubic feet of cargo space.
Were I buying a GLE, I would stick with the GLE 450. BMW puts more into their closest equivalent of the AMG GLE 53 SUV, the X5 M50i. It starts for about $10,000 more. But you get more than 500 horsepower and a V8. The AMG GLE 53 SUV does not feel like that much of an upgrade. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price (As Tested): $73,550 ($90,550)
2021 Mercedes AMG GT
I drove the Mercedes-AMG GT. There are several GTs in the Mercedes lineup. I testedt he entry-level version of the GT Coupe, packing a twin-turbo V8 with 523 horsepower and 494 lb-ft of torque. It remained in the fleet as a 2021 model as Mercedes struggled to build V8s in 2022 due to supply chain issues.
I spent a fair amount of time in the AMG GT, a lot of it stuck in traffic and routing around a sea of orange construction barrels. When I could uncork the AMG GT, it was rapid (0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds) and had phenomenal grip. The V8 sounds robust. It’s not exceptionally light. But it has a stately presence that reminded me a bit of the 1988 560SL my parents had and unwisely sold. And it looks the part of the aggressive sports car, particularly with my tester’s $9,150 Stealth Edition appearance package.
The AMG GT is nearing the end of its model run, which went into production in 2014. And while the materials — Nappa leather and black piano lacquer — were sumptuous, interiors have taken a step forward since then. The AMG GT felt cramped and not very ergonomic and the touchpad infotainment system felt a bit dated.
There are two main issues with the AMG GT. First, it’s expensive. My base model started at $118,600 and ended up at $137,050. Heated and ventilated seats and the premium sound system had to be added. The second issue is that the Porsche 911 exists and is the default choice for this type of sports car until proven otherwise. Perhaps Mercedes will do so next time around. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price (As Tested): $118,600 ($137,050)
2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata
I’ve driven this generation of Miata several times. And spoiler: it’s still really great. It looks phenomenal. It offers the purest of Mazda driving dynamics with a six-speed manual, RWD and a naturally-aspirated two-liter motor. Throw in precise steering and a curb weight under 2,400 lbs, and you have a car that’s fun to drive fast — even though with 181 hp, you probably won’t be going quite fast enough to threaten your driver’s license.
My discovery this time was the Miata’s soft top, which is the best engineered manual soft top I’ve experienced. The roof can be unclasped and pulled back in seconds with two swift movements of one arm. And even with a tight right shoulder, I still had no difficulty.
That said, the MX-5 Miata is tiny. I’m 5’11” and of average “jackets fit me off the rack” proportions. And the Miata is perhaps the only car I’ve driven that felt like I was too tall for it. My line of sight fell right at the top of the windshield. And my not exceptionally generous posterior was too large for the Recaro seats.
Having two kids, I enjoyed one of the core Miata experiences: watching it sit idle in my driveway as I used another car to do every bit of practical driving I had to do that week. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price: $27,650
2022 Mercedes-Benz E450
The Mercedes brand has become more flamboyant of late. It’s a company that brings you aggressive, hulking AMG cars, humongous digital displays and opulent Maybachs. The E-Class heyday came in a different era where Mercedes made a handful of elegant, understated vehicles. And the E450 hews the closest to that vision of Mercedes.
Leveling up to the E450 gets you Mercedes’s brilliant turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and a bump up to 362 hp and 369 lb-ft, enough push to get you from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. The ride quality with a mild hybrid is smooth and quiet — to the point my son asked if we were in an electric car. The cabin is spacious and comfortable, even with two kids in car seats. It gets 30 mpg on the highway. And oh yes, there’s standard 4Matic+ AWD.
The E450 does not tote gear. It would disappoint on a track. It’s a sedan designed to make the “office to country club valet” stand trek with minimal irritation. It does that impeccably. You can find fancier luxury sedans than the E450. And Mercedes will sell you a lot more whoop-ass with the E53 or E63 — spoiler: you’re not going to use it in real traffic. But no one needs more luxury car than this.
If I must find something to quibble about with the E450, my tester did not have the ventilated seats ($450), which, even in my northern climate, are becoming a must-have summer option. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price: $62,750
2022 Mercedes GLS 450 4MATIC
The GLS is Mercedes’s flagship SUV, the crossover equivalent to the S-Class. I drove the GLS 450 4MATIC, the base model with a 362 hp 3.0-liter inline-six. For much of 2022, it was the only model, with Mercedes shelving the V8 GLS 580 and AMG GLS 63 models due to production issues.
You don’t get 600-plus horsepower with the GLS 450. Why you would need that in a three-row SUV that will never see a track is unclear. And my tester made do with the standard Airmatic Air Suspension rather than the predictive E-Active Body Control version. But it starts under $80,000 (though my tester went up to $94,000). On paper, it’s a little better on fuel with a 20 mpg combined EPA rating. And you don’t pay the penalty for it in everyday driving, where the GLS 450 delivers a seamless and luxuriant daycare pickup.
Many Mercedes vehicles can serve as family cars. Though the full-size GLS is the best suited. You can have three spacious rows of seats or a gigantic 48.7 cubic foot trunk if you fold the third row and slide the second row forward. Heated/Ventilated seats come standard. And my tester’s interior was fetching with a little extra spent on espresso brown/black leather ($1,620) and Natural Grain Grey Oak wood trim ($160).
Many GLS buyers will go to the top of the trim line because they can, even if they never scratch the surface of the car’s capability. But the GLS 450 proves you don’t need to do that to get a quality three-row Mercedes. – Tyler Duffy
Base Price (As Tested): $77,200 ($94,230)
Keyword: Meet the Other Cool Cars We've Been Testing in 2022