Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

Starting with a luxury pioneer that's plugging into the times, the Lexus RX450h+... Next, we'll see how future auto techs go higher ed... We'll escape to LA for one star-studded car collection... Then, head to the track with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06...

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: While, Lexus didn't create the luxury SUV, their RX certainly led in making posh, car-based crossovers so popular; a move that so many other luxury brands have now followed.

They also brought electric assistance to the segment well before anyone else.

But, it has taken them until now to get fully plugged in to what a hybrid has to offer.

♪ ♪ The Lexus RX was truly a game changer when it arrived for the 1999 model year, taking the relatively new car-based crossover concept into luxury territory, yet, keeping it attainable enough for suburbanites to be able to afford it just as easily as they could park it in their garages.

Now, 25 years later, and the mid-size RX continues with the same ethos, while delivering even better efficiency by adding Toyota's Prime plug-in hybrid technology, into what remains their best-seller, creating the 2024 Lexus RX 450h+.

Being a hybrid is not new, of course.

The RX was the brand's first hybrid back in 2006.

Currently, that traditional hybrid system mates front and rear-mounted electric motors with a 2.5 liter naturally-aspirated I4 with standard all-wheel-drive for a combined output of 246 horsepower.

The RX450h+ takes the next step by using the same 18.1 kilowatt hour battery pack found in Lexus' first PHEV, the compact NX450h+ that debuted in 2022, boosting total output to 304 horsepower, with up to 37 miles of EV driving.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 83.0 for the Combined MPGe and 35.0 miles per gallon for strictly gasoline operation.

Total range tops 500 miles.

Packing extra power boosts acceleration too.

At our Mason Dixon test track, the 450h+ stayed smooth and steady off the line, but there was a noticeable amount of additional electric thrust, getting us to 60 in 6.0 seconds flat, just three-tenths slower than the much more powerful 500h F Sport Performance RX hybrid we tested last year.

Same economy-minded CVT as in most Toyota hybrids, but with simulated shifts built in to at least give the feel of a traditional automatic, and even paddle shifters.

Engine noise was relatively subdued throughout the 14.5 second quarter-mile which we finished at 97 miles per hour.

Even with the very soft ride quality leading to some noticeable body roll, the 450h+ performed very well in our handling course; quite neutral with no noticeable understeer or oversteer, while the steering itself was both quick and light.

Stops felt very aggressive in our panic braking runs and averaged a good 119 feet from 60; while staying mostly isolated from all that harshness inside the cabin.

And the interior environment does truly live up to the high expectations that Lexus has set for themselves.

The plug-in is available only in Luxury trim.

That means, a big 14 inch touchscreen display mounted high in front of the dash, panoramic glass roof, leather seating, ambient lighting, and a head-up display, are all standard.

Seats are very comfortable up front, and in back too.

Just two rows of seating in all RXs now, as Lexus has passed on 3-row duties to the new TX.

There are unique displays in the digital gauge cluster for monitoring battery level, and seeing where power is coming from based on which drive mode is enabled.

Helpful, since transitions between the battery and gas engine are not easily detected.

And while, it may be all luxury inside, it looks quite sporty outside, wearing the same aggressive set of sheet-metal that arrived last year with the launch of the 5th gen RX.

Lexus' "face full of grille" is in effect and 21 inch wheels are standard.

No flashy graphics or logos, just a subtle plus symbol added to the powertrain signifier on the rear hatch, and of course, a charge port integrated into the passenger side rear fender covered by a traditional fuel door.

The battery can be replenished as quickly as 2.5 hours with a home style, Level 2, 240 volt charger.

While, we feel everything about the RX450h+ is great, base pricing has it playing a premium role in the RX fleet, starting at $70,580.

That's about 10-grand more than the smaller NX450h+.

It seems odd it has taken this long to get a plug-in hybrid version of the RX, and making it such a premium choice is probably not the best strategy to get a lot of them out there.

But at least now the RX faithful can finally have their favorite, Ute and plug it in too.

As well-documented fans of the PHEV approach, we're fully onboard with the 2024 Lexus RX450h+'s new plug-in status.

We just wish more people could enjoy the RX... luxury of it.

♪ ♪ Some of Hollywood's most memorable on-screen, on-the-go co-stars are stealing the spotlight at the world-renowned Petersen Automotive Museum.

Iconic modified vehicles from blockbuster movies like "Cobra," "Back to the Future" and "Die Another Day" take you for a trip down memory lane.

And like our Stephanie Hart, seeing them, you just can't help but smile.

♪ ♪ STEPHANIE HART: LA's Wilshire Boulevard is the appropriate address for the Petersen Museum and its latest movie car showcase: "Modified for the Movies!"

This is the most popular car in the exhibit.

This 1981 DeLorean was driven in all of the "Back to the Future" movies.

Its gull-wing doors look kinda alien-like and that's why it was cast as the time machine.

The time machine is one of a dozen vehicles that are staring at the Petersen.

All of the vehicles here were customized to make them more compelling on the big screen.

Of course, everyone, including me, is mesmerized by the famous flux capacitor that allows the DeLorean to travel through time.

AUTUMN NYIRI: Since, the advent of the motion picture, vehicles have been featured prominently on-screen, not just to transport the actors from place to place, but also to serve as important plot devices or set the scene of the story where the action takes place.

STEPHANIE: You also have a 1976 Ford Gran Turino here that was driven in "Starsky and Hutch."

AUTUMN: Yes, we do.

So, when they started they wanted a car that would be distinctive and new, and stand out, so they selected the 1976 Ford Gran Turino from Ford Motor Company's TV and Studio Car Loan program.

They gave it its distinctive red paint color and the white stripe that everyone knows so well.

Additionally, modifications were, uh, performed to help with stunts.

The car ended up being probably as much or more popular than the two title characters, and so people really remember that vehicle from their childhood.

STEPHANIE: And this one caught my eye, it's from the 2005 movie, "Herbie Fully Loaded."

The lovable 1966 Volkswagen Beetle that debuted in the 1968 movie "The Love Bug" returns, this time transformed into a NASCAR contender.

Thirty different vehicles were used in production with different looks to suit the scene.

I'm behind the wheel of the 2002 Jaguar XKR that was driven by the villains in "Die Another Day."

This vehicle may appear stock, but it's actually heavily modified.

And one of the coolest modifications is this massive gun mounted behind the driver's seat.

And that's not all.

Check out its front grill.

Missiles fire out of here, and there are rocket launchers on the door.

However, the biggest modification to this Jaguar XKR is concealed.

It was actually rebuilt on a shortened Ford Explorer 4-wheel drive chassis, so that it could handle better on the ice during this action-packed car chase scene.

This 1950 Mercury Monterey was also able to perform better in its movie role, thanks to customizations.

This luxury car starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the 1986 movie "Cobra."

AUTUMN: The roofline has been lowered and it has a double hood scoop to give it a tougher and more rugged look.

It performs really fantastic stunts in the film.

It does 180 degree turns.

It drives backwards.

It leaps off the second story of a parking garage.

So, it really plays a pivotal role in the film.

STEPHANIE: Really exciting.

AUTUMN: It's very exciting.

STEPHANIE: This exhibition proves the cars are the stars by helping people understand how customizing a car impacts a movie's plot, ultimately making it more enjoyable to watch.

Clearly, modified movie cars won't be upstaged by the actors anytime soon.

"Hollywood Customs: Modified for the Movies" exhibit is on display at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, California, until January 2025.

JOHN: You may have heard that America is facing a serious shortage of trained auto techs.

Fixing that starts with proper schooling, including vocational programs found at local community colleges.

So, we sent Dan Maffett to check out the coursework on MotorWeek's "Your Drive!"

♪ ♪ DAN MAFFETT: With the amount of cars on the road today, technicians are in demand as ever; and with the advancement of automotive technology, trained techs are as important as ever.

We're here at the Community College of Baltimore County with Harold.

Thanks for having us.

Tell us a little bit about what you do here.

HAROLD BABB: Thanks for coming in, we're great to have you here.

Um, we have one of the largest automotive training programs, um, certainly in Maryland.

We actually run four separate programs: We have a General Motors ASEP program, a Ford, ah...ASSET program and a Nissan NTTA program, and we also have a Global program that has some ties with Stellantis and, and Dodge, and Jeep.

DAN: That's great.

You just cover the whole market of that program.

HAROLD: Cover everything we can.

Um, we have two different programs to run through.

One is the degree-seeking program, where they graduate with all the training, plus, ah, an AAS degree; and then we have a certificate program for the students that are, you know, not worried about the academics and just going right after the automotive programs.

DAN: Oh, that's great.

So, you can give them career pathways no matter which way they want to go.

HAROLD: Exactly.

DAN: And what kind of tools do you use here as teaching elements?

I see you have this platform here in front of us that looks like a brake setup.

HAROLD: Yeah, we're very fortunate.

Um, the college supports really us with a lot of funding, and then we get a lot of support from our manufacturers as well.

Um, this is actually made by Consulab.

Um, we purchased it with Perkins funding, and this is an abs trainer; and it's basically a full anti-lock brake system from a Cobalt.

It's got everything from the anti-lock brake module, EBCM computers; right down to-- they even installed pressure gauges, so we can explain how things work with the-- with the students, so they understand the concepts.

DAN: So, they can diag this, and once they learn this they can diag the same system on a different car... HAROLD: Exactly... DAN: ...in the real world.

HAROLD: Exactly.

You know, we have like the, the lighting board to your right, um, and that goes through-- it's a body control module lighting board, so it's just like what we have with all the modern cars.

Um... on my left we have the, uh, Multiplex training board, um, goes through communications and even air conditioning systems, where we have the full air conditioning-- the evaporator, condenser-- right out of the car, so they can see it and understand the concepts.

DAN: That's a great teaching tool: To have a whole complete system, all laid out, really easy to read and diag.

HAROLD: Makes it easy because when you have a lot of what's outside the car and inside the car, so it's got it all on one board.

And then ultimately, they end up on the cars anyway though.

DAN: That's great.

So, you get a lot of vehicles shipped in that are new for them to have hands-on training on as well.

HAROLD: Yeah, I'd say from all the manufacturers.

They support us with vehicles coming in, they donate to the program, so our students work on it.

Um, some of the programs, like GM, they want us working on cars that are within five model years old because when they leave here, they're going, sometimes, right to the dealership where they're bringing in brand new vehicles...2023s.

DAN: So, that keeps them to the most up-to-date training possible.

HAROLD: Exactly.

And when we're done, we get to donate it down to the high schools to keep the recruits coming in because, as you said, we need more technicians.

DAN: Yeah, there's no lack of need of technicians, that's for sure.

HAROLD: Yeah.

Like I said, we have- we have good problems, we just don't have enough technicians to send to our dealers.

DAN: Yeah.

Well, thank you for having us, we appreciate you; and as always if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, hit us up right here, at MotorWeek .

JOHN: Now, let's head inside to the studio and back to Stephanie Hart for all the latest MotorNews!

♪ ♪ STEPHANIE: Our first story comes from BMW, debuting an update of their iconic 3 Series sport sedan...

The internal-combustion 3 Series gets a little stronger for 2025.

M340i models gain an improved powertrain: a turbo 3.0 liter inline-6 engine paired with a 48 volt mild-hybrid system.

Horsepower and torque have risen slightly to 386 and 398 respectively.

New chassis tuning has reportedly improved handling.

Inside, the dual-screen setup is now powered by BMW Operating System 8.5.

The 2025 M3 Competition with xDrive all-wheel-drive sees a 20 horsepower increase, now 523 overall.

Following up on our previous report of Porsche's 911 hybrid, full details have emerged-- along with the 992 generation's first major refresh, including a new T-Hybrid powertrain.

Found on the GTS model, this system uses a 3.6 liter boxer engine and a pair of electric motors; total output is rated at 532 horsepower and 449 pound-feet of torque.

Changes to the 911's iconic styling are limited.

Inside, you'll find a fully-digital instrument cluster and a start/stop button instead of a key-- but still located to the left of the steering wheel.

And our final big news comes from the Big Apple-- where Jeep unveiled the all-new and all-electric Wagoneer S, their first global battery-electric SUV.

It's powered by a 100 kilowatt hour battery pack and a pair of electric motors, combining for 600 horsepower and 617 pound-feet of torque.

Jeep estimates over 300 miles of range on a full charge.

Built on STLA-Large unibody platform, the Wagoner S is actually closer in size to a Grand Cherokee, measuring out to about 192 inches in length.

Arriving later this year, it's expected to start around $72,000.

And that's it for this week's MotorNews.

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: We're near the peak of the summer driving season, and our 2023 Kia EV6 GT is keeping busy, with the odometer winding past 8,500 miles over eight months of drive time.

The seating position is fairly high since this is technically an SUV, but the way they lock you into place has it feeling more like a track car, and on the outside, it certainly looks like the ultimate performance wagon to us.

And indeed, performance is still the main attraction of this ride.

Temperatures have finally started to rise, which means we can now get the most out of this EV6 GT and its summer performance tires.

The stickier rubber combined with all-wheel-drive allows us to get on the power early and liberally out of our favorite back road corners.

We still can't quite treat it like an on-off switch because 545 foot-pounds of torque is plenty to get the rear end to step out.

Recent night drives have revealed a few new things to us.

The high-beams don't seem as strong as they could be, and even at its lowest setting the head-up display can be more of a distraction than help.

Nothing else to complain about inside, as we've gotten used to the multi-control touch-panel; rear seat passengers have plenty of room, and everything is holding up great with no noticeable wear.

We'll keep the utility vibes going with an update on our Mazda CX-50 on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: What happens when you let enthusiasts and engineers worry less about tradition and allow them to do what they do best?

Well, you get cars like this Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

And what happens when GM lets us borrow one for a few days?

Well, that's what we're about to find out!

♪ ♪ (engine revs) While, the Z06 package first became an option for the Chevrolet Corvette back in 1963, it wasn't until the C5 that it described the ultimate track-focused 'Vette.

And while, since then every Z06 has gotten more extreme, if we were plotting things out on a graph, this is where the line of performance progression goes from a steady incline to almost vertical.

Yes, the latest C8 Z06 is all that.

(engine starts up) It starts with a brand new LT6 5.5 liter Double Over Head Cam V8 that outputs 670 horsepower and delivers 460 pound-feet of torque.

It sounds great too.

The very aggressive nature of its flat-plane crank design has it sounding, and feeling, like it's trying to shake its way out of the engine bay unless you unleash some of its furry.

This dual-cammer featured a dry-sump design from the get-go and is more racing engine than souped-up small block, being developed originally for the C8.R race car.

It made short work of Roebling Road Raceway's long front straight, able to reach 160 by the end of it.

With Hellcats no longer rolling off the assembly line, this is easily our new favorite V8.

But, as you can imagine, Chevy has done much more than just plop a bigger motor into its rear-midship engine bay, which was easier to do since they didn't have to worry about anyone seeing over it.

They've addressed just about every part of the car to ensure it puts that power to best use for coming out of corners like few other cars on the street.

That includes upgrades for the short/long arm double wishbone suspension setup that can be further enhanced with an available Z07 Performance Package that adds more aggressive tuning for Magnetic Ride Control; and Michelin Sport Cup 2R tires, which can be mounted on 20 and 21 inch carbon fiber wheels with carbon ceramic brakes nestled behind.

Like, most Corvettes, the Z06 can be as wild or mild of an experience as you care to make it, but will most likely be the fastest car to show up at most track days.

Yet, the same magnetic dampers that void all body roll on the track, provide an almost plush ride quality for the drive home, though not quite as plush as the standard Corvette.

We're struggling to find something non-fanboy to say; sure the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox doesn't deliver shifts with the brutality of some exotics, but really, they're just as fast, and the shifts are much smoother.

Believe it or not, almost all the body is unique.

So, rather than just tacking on some fender flares, Chevy made the entire car wider to cover the 345 rear tires, yet, keep the same uniform look in place.

The optional Carbon Fiber Aero Package adds a front splitter, rocker extensions, front dive planes, and a huge rear wing.

We're not sure if the multi-level nature of that rear wing was done for functional or aesthetic reasons, but it doesn't block your rearview, and that is much appreciated.

We always talk about torque being more important than horsepower when it comes to acceleration, and the Z06 works with almost 200 fewer pound-feet of torque than horsepower, but you sure wouldn't know it when you mash the throttle.

Easy to use programmable launch control allows you to dial in your preferred rpm for launching; we found 4,500 was just about perfect for Roebling's front straight, allowing for just a tiny bit of slip before rocketing us to 60 on a 40 degree day in just 2.6 seconds.

Power continues to poor on hard as the engine quickly hits its 8,600 RPM redline, and gear changes happen often.

The sound inside the cabin is intense, and when the quarter-mile came to an end in 10.7 seconds at 130 miles per hour, it felt like it was just getting started.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are a low 12-City, 19-Highway, and 14-Combined.

For the Z06, there are three LZ pricing points to land on, starting at $114,395; but you can go with the top-of-the-line Z06, add 50-grand worth of options, and still come out half the price of anything you can compare it to.

Call us home teamers all you want, but America's only exotic does it yet again.

Not only is it the best Corvette ever, but it is also easily one of the greatest American cars of all time, arriving at a particularly poignant time culturally as we mourn the potential loss of internal combustion engines altogether.

So, come for the spectacular engine and stay for the complete performance package, and experience, that is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time... ...for our Road Test of a most-popular luxury SUV now with more to love, the Acura MDX Type S. Then, take to the track in one fast steed, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , Television's Original Automotive Magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program... MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek !

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it TireRack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.