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

Our season 46 is off to the races in the Porsche 911 Turbo S... Then, we'll slow down for a centennial of America's "Mother Road," Route 66... Dan Maffett kicks off "Your Drive" with clearcoat renewal tips... And we'll return to touring in the Toyota RAV4 GR Sport... So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: Welcome to the 46th season of MotorWeek.

We're glad to have you with us.

There is no shortage of special Porsches to choose from these days, but when it comes to the 911, none is more special than the Turbo S. And for 2026, this 992.2 gets some technical trickery to raise the performance bar once again.

Yes, it's a hybrid; yes, it's more than 700 horsepower; and yes, we're very much looking forward to driving the heck out of it!

♪ ♪ Well, that's exactly what we did with this 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia.

And if we were looking for a totally unique experience, well, we didn't find it.

Which is to say it feels very much like every Porsche 911 we've driven around a racetrack recently, only faster.

The faster part is courtesy of incorporating their T-Hybrid system, first seen in the Carrera GTS, into the Turbo S's very tight engine bay, where now a pair of electronically-assisted turbochargers are attached to the 3.6 liter flat-6 producing a milestone 701 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

The 8-speed PDK transmission has an integrated electric motor of its own, with power flowing to all four wheels via Porsche's Traction Management all-wheel-drive, all while exhaust tunes are channeled through a set of Titanium Sport pipes.

The purpose of the hybrid's electric turbos is to eliminate any sense of turbo lag, while the PDK's electric motor adds 80 horses of immediate power.

It all worked seamlessly out on the racetrack; you don't really feel any of those machinations, just the process playing out in unrelenting speed, tremendous grip and an a oh-so responsive chassis.

It does feel heavy, and compared to a GT3 it doesn't turn in as quickly, but it rotates through corners every bit as well, and no matter what situation you find yourself in, the answer always seems to be just feed in more throttle and the car figures it out.

P-A-S-M Sport Suspension lowers the car by 10 millimeters and did an amazing job of keeping the Turbo S feeling flat and stable through corners.

That lowered look is just part of the expected Turbo attributes which also include widened body panels with additional air intakes, center-lock wheels, and a big active rear wing.

Always looking for an edge, and perhaps a way to charge a little more, you can add carbon fiber wiper arms for an additional $1,340.

Now, if any Turbo S runs at the dragstrip are in your future, make sure you're prepared for the full experience, because once you lift your left foot off the brake pedal after engaging P-D-K launch control, there's no escaping the fury of its acceleration.

On a very hot and humid summer day, with tires struggling for grip, and that great-sounding six pounding away behind us, it was quite an experience leaving the line on the way to 60 in just 2.4 seconds, 2/10ths quicker than we got in the last gen Turbo S. Things stayed plenty intense the whole way down the track, requiring plenty of driver input to keep things straight, while gear changes were firing away hard and fast, ultimately finishing the quarter-mile in 10.2 seconds at 139 miles per hour.

In our braking runs, it felt like there was some sort of mag lev situation going on, with magnets sucking the Turbo S to a halt in just 85 feet from 60 miles per hour.

No nosedive, no fade, no drama.

Inside the cockpit, Turbo S buyers get Turbonite trim and stitchwork, carbon fiber accents, lots of logos inspired by those from the original 911 Turbo, Sport Seats Plus and black Race-Tex materials, with many leather options available.

Turbo S comes without rear seats, though they can be added back in if you like, and at no cost.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 15 city, 22 highway, and 18 combined; we averaged 20.3 miles per gallon of Premium.

Considering a base 911 Carrera goes for around $140,000 these days, $272,650 doesn't seem that out of line for this Turbo S, as it is twice the car in many ways.

Surprise, surprise... Porsche has made the 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S faster and better than ever.

The hybrid technology may be new to the Turbo, but the Porsche philosophy remains the same; use whatever technology is available to incrementally improve the product, while at the same time meeting whatever government regulations are in place, and making sure their buyers can easily and thoroughly enjoy driving the heck out of the results.

♪ ♪ JOHN: When you think about the great American road trip, you probably imagine the family station wagon rolling through Midwestern plains and isolated deserts, dotted with quirky attractions, vintage gas stations and the neon glow of small-town charm.

Well, you might not know it, but you're actually thinking of America's "Mother Road," U.S.

Route 66; and 2026 marks the centennial of Route 66, so we sent the Carloss family "Over the Edge" for a road trip.

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: To celebrate 100 years of Route 66, me and my family...say hi, family... FAMILY: Hi!

GREG: ...we're going to spend a week traveling the "Mother Road."

You guys ready to get your kicks?

FAMILY: Yeah!

GREG: Let's do it!

Historic Route 66, as it's now designated on maps, still spans well over 2,000 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles, touching eight states along the way.

Our week on Route 66 is technically only six days, and with our seven-year-old daughter Margot and five-year-old son Cam along for the ride, traveling the entire route isn't in the cards.

So, our goal is to take this road trip-ready 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico, while experiencing as much of Route 66 as possible.

Day one takes us roughly 200 miles, from Chicago, Illinois, to Springfield, Illinois.

But we quickly realize we may need to make more time for unplanned stops, as Old Joliet Prison catches our eye.

Closed since 2002, the prison has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies.

The next stop is another imposing, albeit much more light-hearted attraction: Wilmington's Gemini Giant.

One of many so-called "Muffler Men" on Route 66, these fiberglass giants sprouted up in the 1960s as a way for businesses to attract customers.

Blink and you might miss Dwight's Texaco Station.

TOM LINZEY: This used to be an operating filling station until 1999, and the owner built a new BP station and he donated this to the village of Dwight.

And now, they operate it as a Route 66 attraction.

GREG: After our meandering morning, we finally make it to the city of Pontiac and our first museum.

HANNAH LEE: This VW Volkswagen van is actually-- it was owned by Bob Waldmire.

Some people say he was the Route 66 artist.

GREG: An Illinois native, Bob Waldmire used this bus to travel the route countless times until his passing in 2009.

But his iconic Route 66-themed art still lives on.

We spend the rest of our first day getting familiar with old school route signage and this new school Route 66 app.

Not only does the app give turn-by-turn directions, but it highlights points of interest, one of which is the Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

It's free, open 365 days a year and a great way to enjoy the first day's last light.

Day two's plan is to travel 350 miles from Springfield, Illinois, to Springfield, Missouri, and we'll come to learn that's too many miles for one day.

We start off strong, though, with a visit to Abraham Lincoln's home, followed by some breakfast corn dogs-- or "cozy dogs" as they call them at the Cozy Dog Drive-In.

We eventually find the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which at one point carried Route 66 travelers across the Mississippi River into Missouri, where we get up close and personal with the must-see Gateway Arch in St.

Louis.

Then... So, we are on the highway.

We hit the Gateway Arch, and then by about the time we finished there, uh, I don't want to name names, but the two in the back kind of started imploding, so, uh, it was a big ask anyway.

So, it is what it is.

Fortunately, Springfield, Missouri's cool Route 66 centennial attraction, is right around the corner from our motel where we leave the bad vibes in the dust.

Day three's route plan is to reach the Capital of Route 66, Tulsa, Oklahoma and again we start off on a high note with Springfield's musical road.

♪ ♪ MARGOT: How beautiful!

♪ ♪ GREG: With less ground to cover than yesterday, we hit all our target stops.

First Gary's Gay Parita, a beautifully kept vintage gas station just outside of Springfield.

Then Cars on the Route in Galena, Kansas, where Cam meets the real tow-truck that inspired the character, Tow Mater in Disney & Pixar's movie "Cars."

And of course, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, in all its quirky glory.

And we are out of the blue whale's mouth.

We roll into Tulsa with energy to spare, so we head to the ballpark to cheer on the Drillers in America's favorite pastime.

The first half of our Route 66 adventure has been a home run, but with three days and more than 700 miles to go we have to keep our eye on the ball.

JOHN: Route 66 is so expansive, Greg couldn't fit his family's adventure into just one feature.

So, tune in for the conclusion of their Route 66 road trip next week, and go to our YouTube channel for extended versions.

But now, let's head over to the garage where Dan Maffett is getting into the final details of restoring your car's clear coat finish, on "Your Drive."

(car starts up) DAN MAFFETT: Paint has come a long way from the lacquer paint of the '30s and '40s, to the tri-coat and clear coats that we have today.

Now, if you've got a vehicle of this generation or this era, chances are you've got a little bit of failing clear coat.

Now, you can take that to a shop, you can have a shop redo it professionally, or, if you're a little handy and have some time on your hands, you might want to try and do it yourself.

There's a couple different ways to do it: You can go full HVLP or rattle can.

Now, HVLP is a more professional result, but there's a higher cost involved, there's a learning curve.

Full suit, if you're going to spray in an enclosed area; you want to have a full suit, so no contaminants get on that paint.

Now, if this is just a little too much for you and want to go the other way, rattle can restoration is perfectly fine.

Now, these are 2K-activated cans, so what that means is there is an actual activator inside that you puncture, shake up, and it gives you a professional 2K paint out of a can.

Now, this is all prepped for us to go with our color and clear.

The hood, it's a big area; we're going to use HVLP to show you how that looks when you spray it out.

Our A-pillar on the side is a small repair that doesn't really need any color, so we're going to clean that up and we're going to spray it with our 2K clear right out of the can- we're going to show you both ways to do it.

Now, as you can tell, the car is mostly blue.

That is our paint protectant film.

Now, it's got a layer on the outside that doesn't allow this chemical to penetrate or go through or stick to this masking.

So, newspapers won't cut it for you; it'll bleed right through and you'll have all kinds of paint spots all over your vehicle.

So, make sure you spend the money and get a good masking solution.

Now, if you need to dig into any paint areas and get down to the primer, you might need to get into some of the filler and things like that, but if it's just the clear coat, you're going to be fine with just doing one of these processes here that we're showing you today.

(spraying paint on the car) Now, you've seen us repair some clear coat in two different ways: Rattle cans and HVLP.

Now, both of them are valid solutions for this problem, but there's a few things you want to remember.

Don't try to get it perfect right out of the gun.

You're going to get dirt, you're going to get a little bit of nibs, you're going to have to clean it up later; that's polishing, buffing, and wet sanding later down the road.

If you're doing it in your garage, that's unavoidable.

One thing you can do to minimize it is set up a good airflow; put fans at the back of your garage, blow all the overspray out.

That mimics a cross-draft booth.

Now, that is going to give you the best possible solution.

Now, we've got one coat on this with the HVLP.

We're going to get into it now and do a second coat, and then she'll be all finished up and we can unmask in about 30-40 minutes.

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

♪ ♪ GREG: The summer driving season may be winding down, but our Subaru Outback is just hitting its stride, delivering 6,000 miles of stress-free transport to our MotorWeek squad in just three months' time.

Now, much has been made about the latest Outback's SUV styling direction pulling it away from its wagon heritage.

But if you've been around as long as we have and remember Volvo's 240 and V70 wagons, the Outback's new look is not all that different from true wagon O.G.s.

And its wide, long, and low cargo floor still offers lots of space that's easier to access than most SUVs.

Our Touring-trimmed tester features the best seats we've ever encountered in a Subaru, which made our recent 10-hour trek up to the Northeast a piece of cake.

Adding to our enjoyment was the easy to use infotainment system, the solid ride that had us gliding over pavement imperfections, adequate power from the 2.4 liter turbo-4, and good fuel economy that sits at 26.7 miles per gallon.

It may not look like the wagon you remember, but spend a few minutes behind the wheel and there will be no doubt this is an Outback through and through.

There's great forward visibility, actual knobs and buttons down here and, of course, the sure-footed symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, which is always there when you need it, even if that's just when you accelerate hard to get across a busy intersection.

We'll see what our Kia Sportage Hybrid has been up to on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update!

JOHN: Time once again to turn to Stephanie Hart with all the latest MotorNews.

♪ ♪ STEPHANIE HART: Genesis unveiled their new flagship SUV, the GV90, and it's as large and luxurious as you can imagine.

The GV90 measures 208 inches in length, about the size of a Chevrolet Tahoe.

The GV90 can come in a "standard" 6- or 7-seat configuration, or this 4-seater called "NEOLUN."

Behind its coach doors, the NEOLUN sees reclining seats, foot rests, and swiveling front seats when parked, just to name a few amenities.

The GV90 is only confirmed as an electric vehicle.

Preliminary estimates put it at 311 miles of range.

Electric startup Rivian has responded to customer demands by updating their R1-series EVs.

The Rivian R1S utility can now be configured with 2nd row captain's chairs, a highly sought after feature.

The R1T pickup receives new tires, more suited for off-road use, and all R1 models can come finished in a new Esker Silver finish.

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

JOHN: An all-new 6th generation RAV4 arrived earlier this year, and while they've been priming the PHEV pump for a number of years, 2026 sees Toyota take the plug-in concept further than ever before with a little help from Gazoo Racing.

So, say hello to the RAV4 GR Sport and goodbye to everything you thought you knew about the RAV4.

♪ ♪ Most people may think of the RAV4 as the long-time standard bearer for the small crossover segment, and it is indeed just that.

But the 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport arrives with a whole new RAV-itude thanks to some additions from Toyota's Gazoo Racing.

It starts with cosmetics.

But the new matrix-style grille does provide additional cooling.

Next, lightweight 20 inch wheels with summer performance tires and a ride height lowered by just over half an inch.

Aero enhancements include a front splitter and a rear diffuser.

Next, coil springs and dampers get unique tuning, backed by cross member structural reinforcements.

Now, all of that's probably not enough to change most people's perception of the RAV4, but its plug-in powertrain might.

It starts with a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated I4 engine with two electric motors integrated into it and the eCVT combo, one motor simply replacing starter and alternator duties and one capable of powering the vehicle as well as gathering regen energy to feed back into the 22.7 kilowatt hour battery.

A third motor is integrated into the rear axle for driving the rear wheels, so all-wheel-drive is standard, and all told, 324 horsepower is produced, with the GR Sport rated for delivering 49 miles of strictly EV driving.

Whether with battery propulsion or engine power, the GR Sport felt very fast on the street and runs down our Mason Dixon test track backed that up.

We hit 60 in just 5.2 seconds with power delivery arriving early and never really letting up the whole way down the track.

There was some simulated gear-shifting going on, but it didn't seem to hinder the process as we completed the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 102 miles per hour.

Now, the RAV4 has certainly brought a lot to the crossover table over its 30 years, but exciting handling has never been one of them.

This is where Gazoo Racing has worked its magic with suspension upgrades and power steering recalibration.

It was quite fun through our cone course, allowing us to be quite aggressive with turn-ins and only encouraging minor hints of understeer.

The steering is noticeably quicker, but also very light and a tad vague which took our drivers a few runs to get used to.

Body composure was much improved, with only minimal amounts of roll present.

In our braking test, the pads were quick to respond, though there wasn't much feel through the pedal until the last bit of travel.

Stops were straight, solid and fade free; 108 feet was our average from 60.

(SUV whooshing by) Our drivers appreciated the heavily bolstered sport seats which come wrapped in a mix of synthetic suede and SofTex materials.

Other GR Sport highlights include aluminum pedals, red stitching and, of course, GR logos.

All of that is in addition to the highly functional space that the RAV4 has become known for; and that includes good space for rear seat passengers and 33.6 cubic-feet for luggage, expanding to 63.6 with the rear seatbacks folded.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 37 combined for the gasoline engine only, 86 combined for the MPGe.

With a full tank and a topped off battery, we averaged an excellent 86.3 miles per gallon in our drive loop.

Pricing for the GR Sport version of the RAV4 starts at $50,095; that's almost 20 grand over a base LE RAV, but you can get the plug-in powertrain in an SE for just over 40 grand.

So, just when you think Toyota's marketing department may have gone a little too far with the GR badging, the 2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport arrives and actually delivers, plus, it looks great.

While, most Toyota buyers would probably prefer to spend their money on luxury features than getting to 60 a lot quicker, we're guessing there are quite a few who would enjoy ripping through some corners with additional composure, while having a highly more entertaining commute to boot.

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 the supercharged roar of the new Ram 1500 TRX SRT and the understated elegance of the new Audi A6.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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We offer multiple installation options.

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