Cars With Robby

I recently spent a week testing Subaru's 2026 BRZ tS, a sportier, more athletic trim of their BRZ. Bigger Brembo brakes bring better stopping power, Hitachi dampers and suspension tuned by the brand's in-house performance division, STI, and a few styling enhancements. It was actually my second time behind the wheel of the BRZ tS, having had one on test in late fall 2024, but what made this second evaluation unique was that I just so happened to be scheduled in it in mid January, with snow on ground and trembling-cold temperatures above.  It's rare, very rare, to have a sports car on test during the winter season. Most automakers pull them from their regional fleets, so I was admittedly surprised to see me booked in the BRZ tS. Subaru being Subaru, played it out cleverly: it fitted the low-slung sports car with heated seats, grippy Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires, threw some rubber floormats and a cargo mat inside, and pretty much said "Go have fun". Indeed I did. O...

Hello! I can't decide if the month of January is crawling by or flying by. Blame the back-and-forth weather chaos we've had here in Wisconsin, switching between single digit temperatures and snowfall to green grass and high 40-degree sunshine. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I can't help but wonder if this is a prediction of how 2026 is going to pan out for our automotive industry? Chaos, less chaos, chaos, less chaos.  But before looking ahead, let's look back at 2025 now that we have Q4 and full-year sales numbers as reported by several automakers.  Consumers rushed at the start of the year to buy vehicles of all sorts of powertrains and segments, including one of my best friends, who scrambled to buy a new Hyundai Tuscon Hybrid days before the Trump Administration choked the global economy with trade tariffs. These tariffs several directly affecting not just new vehicles built overseas and imported into the United States, but the parts and components within those vehicles. I...

Good morning, folks, and happy New Year! I was out and about running errands this past weekend, and while sitting waiting for a painfully long red light to change...a Honda Element appeared in my rearview mirror. The particular example was decked out, too, with far-from-stock all-terrain tires wrapped around bronze wheels. It looked absolutely fantastic, and the driver behind the wheel, from what I could gather, was living a life probably equally as fantastic. You just don't see many Honda Elements bopping around these days, at least here in the rust-inviting Midwest.  And then it got me thinking...a revamped, revived Element would be a smash hit for today's Honda brand. Admittedly, I've possessed this thought before, many times, but I feel as if with each passing year, I'm convinced a product like the original Element would thrive and flourish in our current automotive market, where consumers are hungry for boxy, rugged-esque crossovers and SUVs. The Element was brilli...

It can rain in Wisconsin, and it can snow in Wisconsin. It can also rain and snow at the same time in Wisconsin. Winter (which happens to be my favorite season) is always an excellent time to test a new vehicle, regardless of powertrain. I can determine how capable a vehicle's touted AWD (all wheel drive) or 4x4 footprint is in snow, sample various tires' grip on ice and slippery surfaces, and keep an eye on any measurable differences in fuel economy or range. Speaking of range, I've been testing Nissan's all-new Leaf , which was just redesigned for 2026. The brand's mainstream EV is now in its second generation, taking more of a crossover silhouette akin to Tesla's popular yet growingly stale Model Y. Overall, I think Nissan knocked it out of the park with its new Leaf, and while EV adoption has slowed, it's critical for the automotive industry to still offer EV shoppers solid, affordable products, like the Leaf. This fall, Nissan plans to launch an entry-...