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Best plug-in hybrid cars, SUVs and minivans for 2024

We’re fans of electric vehicles, but they have their shortcomings. TheyÂ’re not available in as wide of a range of body styles as gas-powered cars, and theyÂ’re still limited by range and charging infrastructure. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) offer a great compromise, though, allowing for all-electric driving, but also having a gas engine for when you need more power or to travel long distances. Choosing a plug-in hybrid vehicle also allows more options; for instance, you canÂ’t get an all-electric minivan in the U.S. Â… yet. But with those extra PHEV offerings, it might be difficult to know where to start shopping. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down a bit, bringing you the best plug-in hybrids for 2024, as voted on by Autoblog staff, in various segments to help you pick a great PHEV based on your budget and needs. Best luxury plug-in hybrid large/midsize SUV: Volvo XC90 Recharge Despite showing its age, the Volvo XC90 remains an excellent three-row crossover in terms of design, comfort and safety, and the XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid only improves the formula with both power and efficiency. Interestingly, with the gas motor powering the front axle and the e-motor powering the rear, the XC90 Recharge operates as a rear-wheel-drive car when only using electric power, and front-wheel-drive when only using gas. The powertrain is good for 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, with a 5-second 0-60 time. It can travel 32 miles on electricity alone. Runner-up: Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid   Best mainstream plug-in hybrid large/midsize SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Do you want an American PHEV with style, refinement and off-road capability? The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe combines all that with a turbocharged 2.0-liter and electric motor good for 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, as well as an electric range of 26 miles. That means you can enjoy your favorite trails in near silence and make fewer trips to the gas pump on the way there. Runner-up: Kia Sorento Plug In-Hybrid   Best luxury plug-in hybrid compact/subcompact SUV: Volvo XC60 Recharge Volvo borrows the formula from the XC90 and places it in a smaller package to get the XC60 Recharge. It has the same 455 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque, but it drops the 0-60 time to 4.5 seconds while offering 35 miles of electric range. You can even pony up for the Polestar Engineered trim to get the Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, 21-inch forged wheels and unique styling.

Toyota Aygo X-Wave pops its top

Chop the top off a car and you'll let the sunshine and warm air in, but you'll also get a car that's heavier, less rigid and costlier. That's why European hatchbacks in particular have been increasingly favoring retractable fabric roof panels that keep the structural integrity in tact while letting the sunshine in. The Fiat 500C, Citroen DS3 Cabrio and Renault Twingo all offer this type of setup – as do the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1, and now their Toyota platform-mate is following them down the same path. Recently announced in the UK is this Toyota Aygo with X-Wave roof option. It's a black canvas panel that opens up the space above both rows of seats at the push of a button. Unlike the roofs on some of the other aforementioned European city cars, it doesn't extend all the way down to the base of the back window, but that just means it doesn't stack up and impede cargo space and rearward visibility. Toyota is bundling the X-Wave roof option with additional equipment like upgraded lighting, infotainment system and alloys for GBP895, taxes included (equivalent to $1,355 at today's exchange rates). That's a lot less than Fiat, for example, gets for upgrading from a 500 to a 500C on either side of the Atlantic. It's also even less than Peugeot and Citroen charge for similar options on their versions of the same vehicle in the UK, and that strikes us as a pretty cost-effective way to go motoring with the top down. LESS METAL, MORE FUN WITH AYGO'S X-WAVE OPEN TOP OPTION How do you make driving a Toyota Aygo even more fun? One sure-fire way is to provide some classic open-top enjoyment with a new retractable x-wave canvas roof. Looking ahead to longer, warmer days, Toyota has launched the x-wave as an option on the five-door Aygo x-pression model. Finished in black, the roof is factory fitted and is full length, ensuring that anyone travelling in the rear seats also gets to enjoy some of the wind-in-the-hair experience. The roof is electrically operated, using a simple switch next to the map light control in the headlining. Specifying the x-wave adds even more appeal to the Aygo x-pression, which also features 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, projector headlights with LED daytime running lights, the x-touch multimedia system with DAB and Bluetooth, reversing camera and air conditioning.

Lexus gets new boss, and he's a designer

A reshuffle in the uppermost ranks of Lexus could see the Japanese luxury brand further energize its recent focus on design. Tokuo Fukuichi, Toyota's global design boss, is the new head of Lexus International.
Fukuichi will retain his role as the overall head of design for Toyota, Lexus and Scion, and will assume his new position at the head of Lexus and on its board on April 1 (no fooling). This is going to be an interesting move for fans of design to watch, as Fukuichi has repeatedly been mentioned as a designer that enjoys pushing the edge of the envelope and experimenting. He is, after all, the man responsible for designing the most awesomely odd minivan of the 1990s, the mid-engined, rear-drive Toyota Previa, and more recently, he signed off on the controversial Lexus LF-NX concept, which is said to presage a new production small crossover.
"Regarding changes in design, no one has 100 percent confidence," Fukuichi told Forbes back in January 2013. "No one can really say with pure certainty that, 'In two years, this will sell well.'" As Akio Toyoda continues to demand more assertive, edgier designs, it's that point of view that should make Fukuichi a valuable addition to Lexus, as it continues to challenge the competition from Germany.