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

Join us for the winners of our 2024 Drivers' Choice Awards: Our top picks for the best cars, trucks, and utilities of the year... We'll also clamp down on great car care advice... And, see how first responders are adapting to the new world of EVs...

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: Well, hello and welcome to a special edition of MotorWeek .

We're glad to have you with us.

Indeed, it's that time of year again.

Time for us to take a look back at all the cars, trucks, and SUVs that we drove last year and select the ones that we liked driving the best.

That's why we call our honors our MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards, and why these cars won us over for 2024!

♪ ♪ When you're talking family cars, the Honda Accord is likely to come up in the conversation early, and with good reason.

The Accord, our 2024 winner for Best Family Car, has not only been a very popular family choice for generations, but great reliability means Accords are often passed down through generations of family members.

Our Accord winner began its 11th generation by not only becoming better in every respect, with highly efficient powertrains, both hybrid and non, but also looking sharper and delivering ride and handling well-above it's still very reasonable price point.

For years now, the BMW 5 Series has been increasing its luxury profile without sacrificing the superior performance this midsize sport sedan is well known for.

That not only continues for the all-new 8th generation, our choice for Best Luxury Car, but now BMW has seamlessly integrated EV power into the mix.

Whatever your taste, there is a BMW 5 Series ready to please.

Last year, the Acura Integra earned our Best Sport Sedan award, and as a follow up, they boosted performance big time with the Integra Type S; so, it's an easy call as a repeat winner.

Replacing the 200 horsepower 1.5 liter turbo with a 2.0 liter unit that cranks out 320 horsepower is just the start, as the Type S gets a revised suspension, tech upgrades, and more aggressive style; all delivered with Acura's savvy finesse, which makes it as luxurious as it is fun.

Leading a segment for many decades is one thing, but totally eliminating your competition is another.

That's almost reason enough to make the Mustang our choice for Best Sport Coupe.

But also, with the launch of its 7th generation, the Mustang took its biggest step ever towards modernization.

It looks tougher and, of course, delivers more performance bang for the buck than ever.

Ford may have stopped selling sedans here altogether, and even used the Mustang name to launch an electric SUV, but the new piston-powered Mustang coupe is proof they're committed to keeping the real Mustang alive for gearheads for years to come.

Adding electrification to a vehicle can benefit it in many ways, but it's all about performance when it comes to the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, our choice for Best Performance Car.

By adding a small electric motor to the front axle of the mid-engine C8 Corvette, Chevrolet has not only created the quickest production Corvette ever with 2.5 second 0-60s and mid 10 second quarter-miles, but has also delivered the first ever all-wheel-drive Corvette.

It's proof that adding battery power is about much more than just efficiency... ...and a great segue into our next group of winners.

With so many EVs on the market now, it's impossible for us to choose a single favorite this year, so we spread the wealth over a trio that we feel best showcase where we are with full Battery Electric Vehicles right now, and more importantly, where we're headed.

Hyundai has been a true leader in the EV movement and delivers their latest with some old-school flair, the IONIQ 6 sedan.

It features the same basic powertrain as their fantastic IONIQ 5 SUV, but it's wrapped in some very dynamic yet familiar 4-door sedan packaging that makes it even more appealing.

2021's Volkswagen ID.4 SUV was just the start of all things EV for VW, with a host of ID full-electrics coming, yet, they still found time this year to make their ground-breaking ID.4 even better, with more standard tech and better materials in the revised interior, while also lowering the starting price.

But there's only one EV that we'd say was truly a game changer this year, and that's the Kia EV9.

As the first true reasonably priced family size 3-row all-electric SUV, the EV9 not only sets a new benchmark for EVs, but for family SUVs in general.

And that's just the cars and EVs that won our awards this year.

Stay tuned as we'll be right back with a look at our truck and utility winners.

♪ ♪ With the paradigm shift to plug-in electric vehicles ongoing in the car market, training is needed for city planners, electrical utilities, vehicle technicians and first responders, so that every community has the necessary know-how to effectively accommodate the coming EV influx.

One such program from the National Fire Protection Association teaches the right way to approach a problem that's grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons.

♪ ♪ Around 219,000 cars catch fire every year in the U.S., or an average of 600 per day.

Electric and hybrid vehicles make up a tiny portion of that total, yet...have captured the lion's share of headlines lately, along with images showing them taking hours to extinguish and even reigniting after they were deemed safe.

The truth is, in some cases, the use of proper firefighting tactics could have resulted in far less damage and a lower risk of these fires getting out of control.

It's the NFPA's mission to educate firefighters and first responders on how to deal with all types of fires, and their newest training program, developed through a U.S. Department of Energy funded project, is aimed specifically at fires involving lithium batteries.

ANDREW KLOCK: Hybrid and electric vehicles pose many new challenges for, uh, emergency responders and the firefighters.

And what we're trying to do is train them from internal-combustion engine vehicles, your regular gasoline...cars that everyone drives, to how to deal with incidents and fires with electric vehicles and hybrids.

They have lithium-ion batteries in them, and these lithium-ion batteries, uh, really can cause some issues that firefighters are not prepared to deal with right now.

Um, Over the last hundred years, they've had plenty of time to work with internal-combustion engine vehicles.

They know how to put out a gasoline car fire extremely quickly.

But, with lithium-ion batteries, that generate their own heat and their own oxygen, it's much more difficult.

So, you want to use water to cool the batteries down, so they don't propagate from cell to cell to cell.

If you can stop that process, which is called thermal runaway, you're effectively putting out the fire.

JOHN: The problem is not limited to electric vehicles: Battery storage for solar panels, ride-on power toys, and other lithium battery products are equally at risk.

In the real-life scenario on which the training is based, a common household tool was responsible for setting the blaze.

ANDREW: We put an electric vehicle in the garage, an energy storage system in the garage, connected it to the solar panels, and, uh, overcharged an electric drill to start the blaze.

So, we wanted to see if-- how the firefighters could best put out those fires...uh, in that garage and uh, we let it burn for 45 minutes and then let the um, firefighters attack the blaze.

And, uh...

Very interesting results, and we based our simulation on the results of that test.

JOHN: The training program is computer-based and has a gaming type interface, so participants can walk through scenarios and see the effect of their decisions in real time.

The NFPA's online training is free and available to all firefighters, police, and EMS personnel around the country.

ANDREW: NFPA has had electric vehicle and hybrid safety training for 14 years, and to date we have about 350,000 firefighters that have participated in that training.

Um...

There's 1.2 million firefighters in this country alone, and that doesn't account for the law enforcement or the EMS or other first and second responders-- tow truck operators-- that we really want to reach with this information.

So, there's quite a challenge ahead, but we are making progress with these types of training programs.

JOHN: Well, it's time now to get back to handing out our 2024 Drivers' Choice Awards.

This time we look at all the trucks and utility vehicles that are hauling home the hardware this year.

♪ ♪ Small SUVs remain the hottest segment in the auto industry, with no signs of slowing down.

So, competition is fierce.

Yet, our Best Small Utility, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, truly stands above the rest.

It's more than just the 38 miles of EV range that the all-wheel-drive plug-in powertrain delivers every time you charge it.

There's also great comfort in its not so small cabin, and with one of the few 3rd row options in the segment, tremendous flexibility to help growing families get through whatever life throws at them.

As an EV when you want it, and comfortable getaway machine when you need it, it's a sure bet for us to pick the Outlander PHEV as our best small Ute.

That ability to handle just about anything is also a theme for our Best Midsize Utility, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is a back-to-back winner.

After existing for decades as a rough around the edges, take it or leave it SUV, the 5th generation Grand Cherokee arrived with all kinds of surprises including an extended L version with three rows of seating, and even an available 4xe plug-in powertrain which is very popular.

For a brand that survived on tradition for decades, the Grand Cherokee makes a truly modern statement by any measure.

No brand covers the SUV landscape better than Toyota, with nine versatile and different designs, including the longtime great-selling 3-row utility, the Highlander.

Where did they go from there?

Well, Toyota made a Highlander that's bigger and better, and appropriately named it the Grand Highlander, our Best Large Utility choice.

While, capitalizing on the Highlander name, the Grand Highlander is not a stretched Highlander, but a new, reimagined vehicle.

Combine that with three powertrains that include two different hybrids and it immediately becomes a high-water mark for its class.

Our Best Luxury Utility award goes to the Porsche Cayenne.

Yes, Porsche is a performance-first brand, but if you've been inside a Cayenne, you know their attention to detail, and tradition of constant incremental improvements, has paid big dividends for the Cayenne and for Porsche buyers.

You can go mild to wild with everything from the standard 348 horsepower 6-cylinder to an over-the-top 729 horsepower Turbo E-Hybrid, and even an outrageous track-capable Turbo GT assembled with Porsche GT race parts.

It's an SUV the way only Porsche could do it, and it's fantastic!

Whether, it's the economy, gyrating fuel prices, or just the fact that people have realized that maybe they don't need to drive a ginormous truck around every day; midsize trucks have made a real resurgence of late.

Leading that charge, in our Best Small Truck winners, are GM's capable duo, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

Both are all-new, and not only brought unique features to the segment, but big-truck style and capability too; plus, more options than ever for conquering off-road adventures.

And we'll keep the GM tough truck love coming with our Best Fullsize Truck award going to the Chevrolet Silverado.

The Silverado 1500 improved this year with more diesel power and significant improvements in off-road chops.

The Silverado HD lineup also gets increased off-road performance options, as well as major improvements for the interior and towing technology.

And on top of all that, they finally joined the EV truck game with a Silverado EV work truck with more range than any EV pickup yet.

Quite a year for Silverado, and quite a year for Chevy trucks.

Well, we've covered all the bases, but there's still one more award to go, it's our Best of the Year.

Stay tuned to see who hit the automotive grand slam this year.

(engines growling) Bolting up a new exhaust system for your ride can be tons of fun, but that fun can turn into a big headache, if it's not clamped properly.

Our Logan McCombs is here with tips to make it go easier and keep your pipes secure on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ (engine revs) LOGAN MCCOMBS: Previously, we've talked about setting up your vehicle and building it in a way that you want it to perform and sound.

One of the great places to look is going to be your exhaust, like we have here on the Maxton.

The exhaust is a vital point of your vehicle.

It carries the exhaust fumes from the front of your vehicle to the back.

And most exhaust systems, they're sealed with a 2-bolt or a 3-bolt flange system with a gasket in the middle of them.

And you'll see that here on this header that we have... you have a 3-bolt system that would mate up to another 3-bolt system that would have you gasket in between.

But, they do have a tendency to fail because your gaskets can break down over time, causing exhaust leaks; or one of your bolts may back out; or you could have something that is too tight on one side, which creates an uneven seal that allows gasses to flow out.

A solution to that would be something called a V-band clamp.

A V-band clamp will allow you to create a metal to metal seal in between your exhaust, removing the gasket from it and the extra bolts.

What'll happen is you'll be able to mate one side of your exhaust to the other in between the clamp, seal it with the bolt, and you don't have to worry about it.

The great thing about it is- is you don't have to think about "is it sealed?

Is it too tight?

Is something loose?"

Because all you have to look at is that one bolt.

And just as easy as it is to put on, it's just as easy to take off.

Just like we have on the Maxton here, if you were working on it on the ground, it's one 10mm bolt that you would loosen, hold both sides of your exhaust, take your clamp off, and you've now separated it.

But, clamps like this are not just used for exhaust.

They can also be used in a wide variety of different things.

Like, for instance, your intake piping.

Instead of using rubber clamps, you can use V-band clamps or something called an HD-Clamp, that will allow you to seal up your intake system without having to worry about it-- using a worm clamp, digging into your rubber or anything like that.

These clamps do come in a variety of different sizes, so make sure that you measure accordingly for all your clamping solutions.

And if you have a question or comment, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: We're shifting into drive and turning right into another QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: While, we've already put this new 4th generation Toyota Tacoma to the test, this is our first chance to get behind the wheel of a 2024 Tacoma with the new i-Force Max powertrain.

I-Force Max is Toyota's name for the hybrid-assisted version of their 2.4 liter turbo-4 engine.

Replacing the no longer available 3.5 liter V6, this performance-oriented hybrid cranks output up to 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque; 48 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of that torque coming from an electric motor that's integrated into the 8-speed automatic transmission.

It's also packing 4-wheel-drive as standard, and a 1.9 kilowatt hour battery pack located under the rear seat just as in the Tundra hybrid.

Toyota claims 23-Combined MPG for a TRD Off-Road, a 28 percent improvement over the V6.

The i-Force Max is available in TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited Tacoma's, while coming standard in the Trailhunter and TRD Pro.

And after some SoCal seat time both on and off-road, it's clear the i-Force Max delivers the goods.

BRIAN ROBINSON: Say what you will about turbos, and you can complain about the hybrid assistance as well.

Bottom line, there's 200 more pound-feet of torque here than in the V6 and you can feel it.

This thing is a monster, and it's smoother and quieter than the V6 ever was.

JESSICA: And if you're going to go this route, you might as well opt for one of the TRDs, as they're more legit off-road than ever before; the TRD Pro coming with Fox shocks as part of the unique TRD suspension, front stabilizer bar disconnect, 33 inch all-terrains, steel bumpers, skid plates, and even some available IsoDynamic performance front seats with their own shock absorbers enabling you to float over the harshest terrain.

The Trailhunter kicks it up a notch with a host of aftermarket add-ons from Old Man Emu, Rigid, and ARB, plus, bronze wheels and trim.

Living at the higher end of the Tacoma lineup means Double Cab only, with either a 5.0 or 6.0 foot bed, but you'll get plenty of creature comforts inside, including a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster, 10-speaker JBL audio with portable speaker, and either an 8.0 or 14 inch touchscreen display.

While, 2024 Toyota Tacoma pricing starts at around $32,000, getting i-Force Max power will cost you at least $46,000.

And we'll have more QuickSpins...soon!

JOHN: So far, we've told you our picks for best cars, trucks, and utilities of the year, but one honor remains: Our 2024 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice "Best of the Year."

And this one goes to a nameplate that's familiar to us all!

♪ ♪ The Ford Mustang is our 2024 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year!

The new 7th generation Mustang boasts serious updates that are just adding insult to injury to the competitors that it has left in the dust.

Yes, no more Camaros or Challengers for now, as the Mustang gallops on as the last remaining pony car.

Three years ago, we gave the electrified Mustang Mach-E this award, for ensuring that the Mustang name will live on.

This time around, it drives off with the award for doing the things that the piston-powered Mustang has done for years, only better.

That includes delivering 486 horsepower's worth of real-deal V8 muscle in the Mustang GT for the enthusiasts, and at the same time making the full Mustang experience attainable to just about everyone with the base EcoBoost 4-cylinder turbo, which now cranks out 315 horsepower.

Ford's Performance Pack can be added to either one and includes chassis bracing, a limited slip rear, wider wheels, and bigger brakes.

The new Mustang is truly a modern showcase inside with lots of screen space, yet, plenty of traditional controls remain, and those screens can even be configured to give off an old-school vibe.

Then, you throw in things like a new Performance Electronic Parking Brake which simplifies whatever e-braking hijinks you plan on getting into.

And, there's a brand-new Mustang for the stable, the Mustang Dark Horse.

This menacing looking 'stang gets a nice round 500 horsepower from the 5.0 liter thanks to upgraded internals from the GT500, quicker steering, a suspension overhaul, and a complete retune of just about every system to provide tremendous grip on the racetrack, without sacrificing the Mustang's daily usability.

Sixty years ago, the Ford Mustang changed the game by making the joy of high-performance driving accessible to more people than ever, and now that we're well into the 21st Century, not much about that reality has changed.

The Ford Mustang, America's original pony car lives on, and is better than ever.

And that's why it's the MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Best of the Year.

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 a plug-in hybrid that's equal parts efficient and elegant, the Lexus RX450h+, then we're back on the track in the mighty Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

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.