The Toyota Highlander has been a family-hauling staple for more than two decades, but in 2025, buyers are steering elsewhere. Sales have cratered by nearly 50 percent this year, and Toyota’s response for 2026 is… perplexing. Instead of bolstering value, the company has trimmed the lineup, ditched cheaper trims, and jacked up the price tag.
The most painful cut is the base LE, which disappeared along with its reasonable $40,320 sticker. The hybrid side lost its XLE Nightshade and Limited 25th Anniversary Edition trims. And while we’re here, every Highlander now comes with all-wheel drive standard. Nice for traction, not so nice for your bank account.
The end result? A new starting price of $45,270—a jump of $4,950 over last year. That’s a brutal increase when you realize the bigger, roomier Grand Highlander starts at just $41,360. In fact, a Grand Highlander XLE AWD is only $460 more than a Highlander XLE AWD. Toyota seems almost eager to funnel buyers up the size chart.
Beyond the pricing shuffle, nothing mechanical has changed. The Highlander sticks with two familiar powertrains. Gas models get the 2.4-liter turbo-four (265 hp, 310 lb-ft) paired with an eight-speed automatic and standard AWD, good for a respectable 21/28/24 mpg. Hybrid versions continue with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, an e-CVT, and a rear-mounted electric motor, combining for 243 hp and an efficient 35 mpg across the board.
Here’s how the 2026 lineup breaks down:
Trim
MSRP
Highlander XLE AWD
$45,270
Highlander Limited AWD
$49,725
Highlander Platinum AWD
$52,925
Highlander XSE AWD
$47,340
Highlander Hybrid XLE AWD
$47,020
Highlander Hybrid Limited AWD
$51,475
Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD
$54,675
The Highlander remains a solid, capable three-row crossover, but Toyota’s latest move makes it hard to see where it fits. With the Grand Highlander offering more space for less money, the smaller sibling risks becoming the odd one out.
Mercedes-AMG doesn’t exactly do subtle, and its latest customer offering proves the point with the delicacy of a sledgehammer. Meet the GT2 Edition W16, the wildest track car to wear the Affalterbach badge, limited to just 30 units worldwide and dripping with Formula 1 inspiration.
At first glance, the Edition W16 announces itself with a kaleidoscopic livery, wrapped around AMG’s familiar long-nose GT silhouette. The hand-painted star pattern cascading across the rear is a nod to the brand’s F1 racers, while 18-inch magnesium wheels with center locks and green accents give the car the same visual punch as Lewis Hamilton’s weekend office.
But this car isn’t about art; it’s about aerodynamics. A new front splitter, bespoke mirrors, and a carbon-fiber rear lip spoiler are only the beginning. AMG engineers grafted active aero slats above the front wheels and paired them with a trick system that closes panels and folds the rear wing on command. The result? A top speed north of 320 km/h, provided your nerve holds.
Inside, the race-car ethos takes over. Forget leather-wrapped luxury; instead, you get matte carbon trim, a new race-style steering wheel, emerald green accents, and FIA-spec safety gear—from the full carbon-fiber safety cell and fire-suppression system to a five-point harness and emergency hatch. A “1 of 30” plaque marks the exclusivity, while a signature from Mercedes’ rising F1 star Kimi Antonelli on the door sills adds bragging rights.
The real show, though, is under the skin. Since homologation rules don’t apply, AMG let its engineers off the leash. The result is an upgraded 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, massaged to produce 830 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque—that’s a 122-hp bump over the standard GT2. And when that’s not enough, a Push2Pass button delivers a temporary jolt of an extra 100 hp and 200 Nm, good for overtaking or just terrifying your passengers.
Power flows through a six-speed sequential gearbox with race-spec ratios, delivered via a carbon-fiber driveshaft to the rear wheels. Adjustable suspension and stabilizers make sure all that muscle translates into lap times rather than tire smoke.
Owning one of these unicorns isn’t just a transaction—it’s an event. Buyers will receive their car on a European racetrack, complete with a technical deep dive from AMG engineers, hot laps, and a meet-and-greet with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 drivers and crew. The package even includes a tailored racing suit and helmet, because showing up in jeans simply won’t cut it.
Of course, exclusivity comes at a cost: €679,000 before options, taxes, or your personal stash of courage. That price does, however, include a bespoke car cover for when you need to tuck your W16 away like the crown jewel it is.
The GT2 Edition W16 isn’t for everyone. It’s not street legal, it’s not practical, and it’s definitely not subtle. But for the lucky 30 who sign the dotted line, it’s as close as you’ll get to owning a piece of Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 fury—without needing Toto Wolff on speed dial.
Back in the 1960s, BMW was a niche German automaker barely finding its footing. The Neue Klasse sedans—first the 1500 in ’62, then the beloved 2002 in ’69—changed everything. They didn’t just sell cars, they created a brand identity: sporty, premium, relentlessly driver-focused. Without them, the BMW we know today wouldn’t exist.
So when Munich dusts off that historic name for a new generation, you know it’s more than nostalgia marketing. At this year’s Munich Motor Show, BMW pulled the wraps off the production-ready iX3, the first of a full family of Neue Klasse EVs. If history rhymes, this car could be the most important BMW in decades.
A Platform with Purpose
Until now, BMW’s electric lineup has leaned on multi-power platforms, sharing bones with gas-burning siblings. The i4 is a 4 Series with batteries; the i7 is a 7 Series with plugs. But the iX3 rides on something different: the first dedicated Neue Klasse EV architecture, built from the ground up for electrons.
It’s an 800-volt platform, opening the door for blistering charging speeds and lighter packaging. On a capable DC fast charger, the iX3 can gulp down up to 400 kW, adding about 230 miles in 10 minutes. Not quite China’s megawatt arms race, but firmly at the sharp end of what American buyers can actually use today.
Power and Price
BMW is starting with the iX3 50 xDrive, a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup good for 463 horsepower and 473 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough for a claimed 0–60 in 4.7 seconds and a capped 130-mph top end. The big number, though, is range: BMW targets 400 miles on the EPA cycle.
Pricing is aimed right at the heart of the market: around $60,000 to start. That’s about $10K above a base gas X3, but only $5K shy of an X3 M50—while delivering more power and far lower running costs.
Design: Future Meets Heritage
BMW says the iX3 channels both the Neue Klasse concepts and its 1960s namesakes. Up front, the tall, narrow kidney grilles recall the originals, now illuminated if you spring for the M Sport Professional package. The quad lighting signature is back, sharper than ever. From the side, proportions remain close to the gas X3, though the EV leans into a sleeker roofline and muscular rear haunches.
At the rear, wide standalone taillights buck the current full-width light bar trend. The look is familiar yet distinct, the kind of evolutionary step BMW has long relied on.
Inside, it’s a bigger leap. Gone is the driver’s cluster, replaced with a slim band of display projected at the base of the windshield. The hexagonal central screen runs BMW’s new Operating System X, but the iDrive knob—a fixture since 2001—is history. Fans of tactile control may shed a tear.
Superbrains and Software
More than design or drivetrain, the Neue Klasse’s real revolution is invisible. The iX3 is BMW’s first software-defined vehicle, trading dozens of separate control modules for four central “superbrains.”
The “Heart of Joy” manages all dynamic systems—powertrain, steering, suspension, braking—promising a more precise, integrated feel.
Another brain oversees driver assistance, enabling smoother cooperation between human and machine. Instead of jerky handoffs, the system blends seamlessly when the driver intervenes.
This isn’t just tech for tech’s sake. Fewer, more powerful computers mean faster updates, better efficiency, and a foundation for features that don’t even exist yet.
Hardware That Matters
BMW has gone in-house on motors and inverters, ditching permanent magnets. The result? 40 percent more efficiency, 10 percent less weight, and 20 percent lower production cost. New battery cells are 20 percent more energy-dense, helping stretch range without adding mass.
Suspension follows BMW tradition: MacPherson struts up front, multi-link rear. Distribution is near-perfect at 48.6/51.4. Wheels start at 20 inches, with 21s and 22s optional.
Production kicks off in Debrecen, Hungary, with U.S. assembly slated for early 2026 and deliveries beginning next summer.
Why It Matters
BMW’s been more successful than most German rivals at transitioning to EVs, but until now it’s played a cautious game: same platforms, different powertrains. That approach worked, but it couldn’t last.
The original Neue Klasse turned BMW into BMW. The new one has to prove the brand still knows how to lead, not follow. With its mix of range, power, fast charging, and software-first design, the iX3 makes a compelling opening argument.
The next few years will tell if lightning can strike twice in Bavaria.
