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

Join us as we get down to business in Honda's all-new HR-V... "Your Drive" has tips on planning your perfect dream car project... We'll attend a college-level green car competition... And close out with a test of Mercedes' swanky new C-Class...

So come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: The Honda HR-V may have arrived a little late to the subcompact crossover party, but, with Honda's wealth of knowledge on how to load lots of space and features into small packages, when it finally did arrive for 2016, it instantly became a top pick among small utes.

Well now, a 2nd generation HR-V arrives with even bigger expectations.

* What Honda has done with the 2nd-generation 2023 Honda HR-V is essentially replaced the awkward-looking Fit-based first-gen effort with a more traditional SUV shape that has much more in common with the larger but still compact CR-V.

But, as is usually the case when things go more mainstream, the HR-V has lost a few things along the way that made it unique; primarily, its eminently practical rear magic seat, which has been replaced by a more familiar split folding design.

We're less saddened by the rear door handles moving from the pillars down to a more familiar position on the doors; and I think we can all agree it's a much better-looking design, though the rounded face keeps the overall vibe playful.

Now actually based on the Civic, this HR-V is 9.4 inches longer than before, with 1.7 inches of additional wheelbase; along with being 2.6 inches wider, LED headlights are mounted about as high as can be.

That more SUV shape means an extended roofline and more practical cargo space.

But, there's still enough rear brake to give it a hatchback feel.

At 24.4 cubic-feet, cargo room is up over last year, and among the best in class; though max falls from 57.6 to 55.1 cubic-feet.

Now...while, it may look more like an SUV, you actually sit lower than before inside.

Still, there's a much nicer interior to look at, with a more functional layout and materials with honeycomb accents and French stitching that help it truly feel a step above the price point it's playing in.

Tech was not exactly cutting edge in the first HR-V; much different scene here.

There's even a nice clear digital gauge panel that includes an actual speedometer with needle, not the customary Honda digital readout.

And on top of the dash is either a 7.0 inch touchscreen as standard; or this EX-L's 9.0 inch display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Plenty of easy access USBs and helpful pass thru storage in the console too.

Top EX-L also adds wireless phone charging, power moon roof, leather trimmed seats, dual zone climate controls, ambient lighting, and parking sensors front and rear.

Front seats are wide and comfy, and while the rear seats no longer perform magic tricks, your mother-in-law will appreciate that they are now much more comfortable than before.

(engine starts up) Under-hood is the Civic's naturally aspirated 2.0 liter I4 with 17 more horsepower than the previous HR-V's 1.8 liter; though 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque are not going to drum up too much excitement.

Transmission is also the Civic's CVT, but with the ability to add all-wheel-drive.

So, our expectations were tempered as we rolled our all-wheel-drive tester into Mason Dixon Dragway.

With good reason as it turns out, as much like a teenager on a Saturday morning, the HR-V displayed very little urgency to get up and get going, taking us a full 10.8 seconds to get to 60.

Once, the RPMs reach their peak and hover there for a while it starts to feel a little better; but a quarter-mile time of 18.1 seconds at 80 miles per hour puts this fully in the safe and steady category.

And since, it's now sporting the Civic's multi-link independent rear suspension, it could certainly handle a lot more power.

It makes for noticeable improvement over the previous HR-V's torsion-beam setup, with better composure and less body roll; though understeer is still very obvious.

Panic braking stops from 60 happened in just 113 feet.

There was a lot of noise accompanying the ABS, but virtually no fade and the brake pedal stayed nice, and firm throughout.

But, the biggest improvements of all were felt away from the track where that new suspension delivered a much more civilized ride; and an expansive greenhouse gave great visibility all around.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel-drive are 25-City, 30-Highway, and 27-Combined; so, our 27.3 miles per gallon average with Regular fuel was right on.

Strictly average though for the Energy Impact Score; 11.0 barrels of oil annually consumed, with 5.4 tons of CO2 emitted.

Pricing starts at just $24,895, with all-wheel-drive a $1,500 option, which puts you just over $30,000 for a top EX-L with AWD; not bad at all these days.

There may be more Civic and less Fit in this 2023 Honda HR-V, but that actually makes it a better fit for most small families and young "couples on the go" who want a small utility vehicle to live their young active lifestyle lives to the fullest.

* With automotive technology evolving so rapidly, training the next generation of vehicle engineers can no longer be limited to traditional classrooms and books.

Real-world, hands-on experience is crucial, and that's why collegiate automotive engineering competitions, like the Ecocar Mobility Challenge, are more important than ever.

Well, the 2022 edition is now complete, so let's tally up the results.

* Ecocar Mobility Challenge is a 4-year competition in which 11, North American college teams were challenged to reduce the environmental impact of a Chevrolet Blazer SUV, while retaining or enhancing its utility, safety, and performance.

After a year of modeling and simulation, teams were given their vehicles for year two, and have worked ever since on implementing their designs.

But the students also had to think "real-world" in terms of packaging their components for fit and finish, drivability, and consumer acceptance.

Headline sponsor General Motors provided the vehicles, and encouraged the teams to mimic its global vehicle design process, by which GM develops its own prototype vehicles.

They also hosted all 11 schools for this year's finals at their proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona.

We caught up with the competition at phoenix raceway where media, sponsors and local school students were allowed to check out the finished projects in motion, and learn about the some of the design challenges directly from the teams.

COLIN KELLETT: To try to set ourselves apart from the competition, we did try to implement something that you can find in hybrid vehicles today, with our very own one-pedal-like driving regenerative mode.

Um, this does happen to be on the aggressive side, and calibration processes was a little difficult.

Again, we were only allowed one mode of operation.

JOHN: The U.S. Department of Energy pitched in their own expertise and organizational muscle, with engineers from Argonne National Lab managing the competition.

Judging is conducted after each year of the competition, measuring progress in terms of emissions, economy and component integration, as well as pure performance.

And no matter what their results, the prize for the students in terms of knowledge and experience has been invaluable.

MARK SMITH: The Department of Energy has been sponsoring these student competitions for more than 30 years now.

Important from several standpoints.

Number one is we want to make sure the teams are working on those, whether alternative fuels or advanced technologies, and certainly this competition is focused on connected and automated vehicles, but what are those new and cutting-edge technologies that are coming to transportation.

So, it's great to have the teams focusing on these because these are the future engineers they're going to be working for our car companies, working for our national labs, even working for DOE, so now they get the hands-on training with an OEM vehicle and really gets them that expertise they need to step into those future roles.

JOHN: After a grueling week of testing, Georgia Tech claimed top team honors for 2022.

Originally a 6-cylinder, the Georgia Tech ecocar team converted its Blazer to a 4-cylinder hybrid vehicle with adaptive cruise control.

Its vehicle-to-infrastructure communication technology allows it to "talk" to stoplights and adjust its speed for optimization.

Congratulations also go to Ohio State for 2nd place and the University of Alabama in 3rd position.

Many innovative ideas have emerged from the competition and no two cars turned out exactly alike.

But amazingly, all 11 teams produced a drivable, nearly-production-ready vehicle -- imagined, engineered, and built solely by college students.

BETHANY WELTY: If you go look at other cars, they're all different.

People have different engines, different battery pack sizes, different motors, different wheels.

I think, we're the only people to have 18 inch wheels, and also the way that we did our cargo space is different than everybody else.

I think, we actually maintained the most cargo space, which is really great.

COLIN KNIGHT: So, our vehicle is equipped with six radars, all around the car; so three up front, one on either side and then one in the rear.

There's a Mobileye camera in the windshield.

So, the six radars and the camera give us a 360 degree field of view around the car and that gives us the ability to make those decisions on what the car should do on the open road.

We passed everything.

everything worked as intended, so that was really encouraging.

JOHN: Best of all, lessons learned in this classroom will benefit all of us, as the next generation of automotive innovators takes charge!

It's so easy to get excited over a new project involving your rolling pride and joy, but it's a whole other thing to actually make it turn out as expected.

Before idea meets car, you need a plan, so here's Daniel Maffett with advice on how to turn your thoughts into "Your Drive."

* DANIEL MAFFETT: The most important part of any project, or as I like to call it, a build, is the visualization process.

Whenever someone comes to our shop with an idea, the first step of the process is visualization.

You can use an online digital version of a visualization or, as I like to use, pen and paper.

I like to draw out every idea we have on pen and paper, because you can get an idea very quickly of where the light hits it, where the shadow falls, where the highlights might be, and what area of the project might complement with a graphic.

So, what I like to do is get all of my lines out, figure out where everything's gonna be, and then, start just drawing in where I might see a graphic on this project.

Once, you get a solid idea where your graphics going to fall, and you're happy with it on pen and ink, then you go to your car.

And on the car, I like to use simple painter's tape.

This is paint safe, you're not going to damage the project by using it for reference.

But, you start with a fine line, and you figure where you want that line to start, and this body line on this car is really great; curves right around here all the way to the back of the car, so that is the one that I'm going to accentuate here.

So, with that fine line on here all nice and curved, that's going to be my guide for my thicker tape.

Now, this is thicker, it's not going to bend as easy as this, but it's good for reference.

Pull a big line like that, follow it all the way down the hood, and don't worry about creases or wrinkles, cause it's just so you can get your idea out; it's kind of a sketch on the car with tape.

Now, if you want to get complex and a little more advanced, you can use an even thinner piece of tape, and lay out what I like to do in my shop is I use this to lay out flames and complex graphics just like this.

You can get a really quick line like that and you can lay it right back over itself, and it gives you a very fast idea of where your graphics might go.

So, once you have your idea down on pen and ink, and visualize it there, you can move to a physical, on the car, with some design aids like tape.

If you have any questions, hit us up here, at MotorWeek .

JOHN: We've got the key fob, so come ride shotgun for another QuickSpin!

* GREG CARLOSS: Times are changing, but performance sub-brands are as focused as ever.

This 2023 iX M60 is BMW's latest attempt to bring their iconic M into the electric future.

As expected, it packs a punch off the line: up to 619 horsepower in "sport mode," and toggling launch control will temporarily beef it up to 811 pound-feet of torque.

Even in "normal" driving, there's still 532 ponies and 749 pound-feet of torque on tap- more than enough.

It's all put down by the iX's twin-motor all-wheel-drive system, juiced up by 105.2 kilowatt-hours of usable battery.

It recharges from 10-80 percent in 39 minutes at a proper DC fast-charging station.

And at 100 percent, there's respectable range of up to 288 miles.

But as usual there's more to "M" than speed, and fortunately the iX M60 knows how to handle; tight and responsive with agile steering in sport mode; soft and quiet in normal conditions.

We'll chalk that up to the M-tuned dual-axle air suspension with rear-steering.

The iX is built with a sharpened image; fresh, even controversial, yet unmistakably BMW-- especially upfront with the closed-off double kidney grille.

Inside, the cabin is well appointed with tech, including a large BMW Curved Display for instrumentation and infotainment.

An available Executive Package shines bright with crystal-glass controls, open-pore wood trim and soft-close automatic doors.

The 2023 BMW iX M60 is a bold all-electric entry from BMW; one that goes all out to justify its near $110,000 price tag.

And as one of the first electric M's we can't wait to see what's next.

And we'll have more QuickSpins, soon!

* JESSICA RAY: Did you know using Premium fuel in a vehicle that only requires Regular isn't going to give you more power or better fuel economy, and it doesn't necessarily mean your car is going to run "cleaner."

The major difference between Premium and Regular gasoline is the octane rating.

Higher compression engines, like here in this Audi A8, are made to run on Premium fuel, so using a lower octane gasoline can cause issues or other damage like engine knocking.

But the opposite isn't true.

Take the Jeep Grand Cherokee for example.

The standard V6 powertrain only needs 87 according to the owner's manual and it even mentions high octane gasoline doesn't provide any benefits.

So, before you think about spending more for Premium gas, first check what the manufacturer requires.

JOHN: While, we continue to mourn the slow death of the 4-door sedan here in the U.S., over the last decade, the C-Class has remained Mercedes' best seller worldwide.

Well, a 5th generation of Benz's compact luxury sedan is arriving now, so let's get right to the biggers and betters.

* The C-Class is an important vehicle for Mercedes-Benz.

Not only because they are one brand that is still committed to building sedans, but because its new platform will be the basis of many vehicles to come.

Thus, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C300 is bigger, better, and more luxurious than ever.

A lengthened wheelbase and long hood give it very stately proportions, with it not looking "compact" at all.

Body panels are highly sculpted; while the pointy-nose face with big Mercedes-Benz star encased in their signature radiator grille is the biggest clash of traditional and modern.

Bigger outside means more space inside both front and rear; mostly in additional elbow room up front, and both more head, and knee room in back.

The aircraft-themed interior is quite impressive to take in, as everything seems to be a nearly verbatim translation from the flagship S-class, and it almost feels like you're getting away with something here.

Cranking the optional Burmester 3D surround sound system helps ease those anxieties.

Content does escalate a little bit as you work up through Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle trims, but they're more about establishing unique themes.

This top Pinnacle comes with navigation and Head Up Display, but leather seating and panoramic roof are still options.

The large central tablet is tilted slightly to the driver, though the 12.3 inch gauge display looks like it was more of a requirement.

Still, everything feels incredibly high tech, too much maybe; as the overuse of touch-sensitive controls, particularly on the steering wheel, can be more of an annoyance than convenience.

Fortunately, the actual driving is far from aggravating.

The C300 is quite nimble for a luxury sedan that has not yet been given any AMG sporty makeover.

The ride is slightly on the firm side of plush, but far from being harsh in any way.

Cranked to 11 at the test track, the C300 had a very "point and shoot" feel to it, with very little steering input required to shuffle through the cones.

It was equal parts fun and confidence inspiring; as it is well planted, encouraging us to push harder and harder.

4MATIC all-wheel-drive is a two-grand option and well worth it, enhancing both cornering grip and providing additional traction for launching.

The front axle drive unit has been upgraded to handle more torque and to distribute it more effectively to the tire that can do the most good with it.

Benz's 48 volt mild-hybrid starter-generator system has trickled its way down to their 2.0 liter I4 turbo, which here in the C300 outputs 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.

It helps the stop/start system work incredibly smoothly, but also adds a little additional torque into the mix, which enabled quick sprints to 60 of just 5.5 seconds; with no turbo lag, no wheel slip, no torque steer, just perfect launches time after time.

The automatic transmission has 9-gears to work its way through, and performed that task quickly and precisely.

Power flowed linearly and mostly undisturbed the whole way down the track.

We finished the quarter in 14.2 seconds at 97.

It may not be the fastest 4-cylinder sedan, but the wealth of low-end torque gives it a super smooth almost V8 vibe.

Being a luxury-minded 4-door, it was no surprise to experience a very soft brake pedal with lots of travel; but that's not to say things aren't working incredibly hard on down the line.

It just means, you're totally isolated from the business of stopping this car from 60 in just 105 feet.

Quite impressive!

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel-drive are 23-City, 33-Highway, and 27-Combined.

Our average came in just below that, at 26.2 miles per gallon of Premium.

Making for a slightly better than average Energy Impact Score of 11.0 barrels of yearly oil use, with 5.5 tons of CO2 emissions.

Pricing starts at a more than reasonable $44,600, and even top Pinnacle stickers for under $50,000 though option packages are pricy, and you can easily tack on another 10-grand from there.

But, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C300 has become more like a baby S-Class than ever before.

It looks almost exactly like their flagship sedan, and more importantly, it feels like it, too.

And that's how Mercedes-Benz continues to make the everyday driving experience truly special.

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, when we go green in Kia's new Sportage Hybrid SUV.

Then, it's all-out and all-electric in the Genesis GV60 luxury ute!

Straightforward advice to save you money at the pump.

Then, it's Tire Tracks in a vintage Ferrari.

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, call... MotorWeek has been brought to you by... For more than 30 years Lucas Oil products has helped people tackle mechanical problems in the automotive, marine, and industrial fields.

From our original four core products: Lucas Oil has developed over 400 custom products to help both professionals and do it yourselfers.

To learn more visit Lucasoil.com.

Lucas oil, keep that engine alive.

TireRack.com is proud to support MotorWeek .

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it Tire Rack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

Rock Auto has auto parts from hundreds of manufacturers, offering a variety of brands, prices and specifications.

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