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

We're off in the latest gen of a legendary Subaru, the Impreza... Then, it's the cold truth about engine air on "Your Drive."

We'll relive our rebellious years with a Honda Cruiser... And close out with a new EV sedan benchmark, the BMW i7...

So, come drive with us, next!

Closed Captioning provided by Maryland Public Television.

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

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Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

JOHN: The compact Subaru Impreza has been the basis for so many spectacular Subaru offerings over the years.

From the WRX STIs to the XV Crosstreks.

Indeed, it's easy to forget just how fun and practical the standard Impreza can be.

Well, an all-new 6th generation Impreza has just arrived, so let's have some fun getting back to basics.

♪ ♪ We may be talking back to basics here, but it's clear that Subaru is on a mission to inject more excitement into the humble Impreza.

So much so, not only is Impreza all-new for 2024, but they've added this sporty RS trim.

RS comes with a 2.5 liter boxer-4 engine rated at 182 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque; same engine that we recently sampled in the new Crosstrek.

Standard Impreza power comes from a smaller 152 horsepower 2.0 liter boxer-4.

Both work with CVT only, all but base trim getting steering wheel paddles to select from eight simulated gear ratios.

In a move not totally unexpected, no more manual transmission, and the Impreza is no longer available as a 4-door sedan; 5-door hatchback only now, with just about every dimension, including ground clearance, length, and wheelbase, exactly the same as last year, just slightly taller than before.

Due to interior repackaging, cargo space is actually down a tiny bit, from 20.8 to 20.4 cubic-feet, but the seats folded max is up slightly to 56.0 cubic-feet; and as in the Crosstrek, they've integrated a handy step into the rear seat area to aid in loading things onto the roof, and provided a place for you to stash your giant water bottle.

RS trim adds dark gray 18 inch alloy wheels, black accents, and upgraded LED headlights outside...and for the inside, gunmetal and carbon-fiber style trim, two-tone sport seats, alloy pedals, color stitching, and an all-weather package, plus, the option to add a 10-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system.

Layout, space, and even the look of the interior is not that much different from last year; biggest departure being the center stack where you'll find Subaru's 11.6 inch Starlink multimedia touchscreen with wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There are actual volume and tuning knobs too, along with hard buttons for adjusting interior temperature; with remaining functions carried out on the touchscreen.

Base Impreza's get two smaller 7.0 inch screens, the top one for phone and audio, with the lower screen handling climate and vehicle settings.

Gauges remain refreshingly simple with analog dials and real needles, with a small 4.2 inch LCD screen for additional information in between.

But, there are bigger changes, and while you may not see them, you do feel them.

The Impreza's structure has been greatly stiffened.

This is now one solid Impreza on the road, and it really boosted track handling too, as we found out in our Mason Dixon session.

Our Impreza RS behaved like it was glued to the tarmac in almost go-kart like fashion.

The RS suspension tuning is very firm, with great feedback, and very little body roll.

We were whipping in and out of turns at high speeds in no time, with only minor amounts of understeer at its limits.

For acceleration, a healthy jolt of power off the line got our hopes up, but then the Impreza quickly settles down into CVT lethargy, and a leisurely 8.1 second pace to 60, and on to the end of the quarter-mile, finishing in 16.2 seconds at 88 miles per hour.

The brakes also were not particularly sporty, taking us a longer than expected 127 feet to stop from 60, with little pedal feel.

While, Subaru certainly isn't treading down the near luxury path of, say, Mazda, they have made the Impreza a tad quieter inside, as well as smoothed out the operation of the CVT.

The Impreza also continues to deliver lots of value and standard equipment, with all-wheel-drive, steering responsive LED headlights, and even dual zone climate all standard.

And of course, safety is not optional, as all Impreza's get EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, though Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist and Automatic Emergency Steering are exclusive to RS.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with the 2.5 liter are 26-City, 33-Highway, and 29-Combined; we averaged a good 30.8 miles per gallon of Regular.

That's a slightly better than average Energy Impact Score, using 10.3 barrels of oil and emitting 5.1 tons of CO2 yearly.

Base pricing starts at $24,085 with midlevel Sport starting at $26,085, and top RS at only $28,975.

The Impreza platform has indeed spawned some rather fun and exciting cars over the years, but the basic Impreza itself has always offered tremendous bang-for-the buck, not to mention being one of the least expensive gateways to all-wheel-drive.

And it looks like the all-new 2024 Subaru Impreza offers the best of both worlds, staying true to its value-minded roots, while offering up a splash of RS excitement that should not be overlooked.

♪ ♪ Part of the appeal of owning a motorcycle is the feeling you can take off on some epic adventure at the drop of a hat.

Well, our Two Wheelin' guy Brian Robinson never needs an excuse to hit the open road, and this week he's found a rebellious new companion from Honda.

♪ ♪ BRIAN ROBINSON: When Honda revamped the Rebel two years ago adding a new 1100cc version, it became a bike that was screaming for a road trip, and now Honda has outfitted it to do just that.

While, domestic companies such as Harley-Davidson and Indian make up the bulk of the cruiser market here in America, the segment is so large that having even a small piece of that pie can mean big sales numbers.

And that was the reasoning behind Honda making a grown-up version of their Rebel cruiser.

For 2023, the lineup expands even further with this Rebel 1100T.

Being a minimalist at heart, I would agree that you don't necessarily need a windscreen and hard bags to go touring, but we can all agree it looks killer and having waterproof places to easily store your gear is a luxury we can all appreciate.

The painted hard cases are lockable, flip forward to open, and hold 35 liters worth of goods, with nice wide openings that make for easy grabbing and going.

The fairing is fork-mounted; more wide than tall, but still fully surrounding the LED head light with its quad projector beams.

Just a small non-adjustable tinted mini-screen up top, but a taller one is available.

There's also a central opening to allow for some airflow.

Same solo seat as before, so if your plans include a plus-one, you'll have to add a passenger perch and pegs from the accessory department.

Likewise, the engine is the same retuned 1,084cc parallel twin from Honda's Africa Twin adventure bike.

It doesn't seem affected by the added weight; as there's still plenty of punch off the line, and smooth power throughout the rev band.

Identical single right-side mounted muffler that allows for a little bit of rumble, and chain drive delivering the power to the 16 inch rear wheel wearing 180 rubber.

The 3.6 gallon tank is identical too, giving a range of about 150 miles between fill-ups.

The T for touring is strictly available with Honda's 6-speed DCT automatic transmission.

And while that may give purists pause, it does make long days in the saddle just that much easier; standard cruise control helps as well.

ABS brakes are standard too, with a single disc up front and in back.

Pertinent info is displayed on a fully digital but classically styled gauge array, delivering plenty of information including current riding mode whether Standard, Rain, Sport, or Individual.

If I could offer one suggestion, moving the USB charge port from under the seat into one of the saddlebags would have been a nice addition, but baby steps, I guess.

Pricing for the 1100T is $11,299 or $1,200 over a DCT Rebel.

Could you throw some soft bags on the back of any Rebel and get an aftermarket fairing for less?

Possibly.

Would it look this great?

Very doubtful.

That's no knock on your handiwork, just a reminder that with the 2023 Rebel 1100T Honda has found another way to make things more practical in their typical value-added no compromise way.

That should have more people ridin' on a Rebel.

JOHN: One popular modification for enthusiasts is an engine cold air intake.

But what is it, and what are the real benefits?

Logan McCombs filters through the facts in MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ LOGAN McCOMBS: So, you just bought yourself your first car, and you're looking to modify it, but you no idea what direction you want to go.

So, you can either go in a more performance style, which could be for drifting, or track, or autocross, drag racing, anything that you're looking to do on track, you could go that direction.

Or you could go with a more traditional sense which would be just look good and sound good when you're on the road.

One thing that you're always going to hear when you first start to modify your car and you're looking into parts, is you're going to hear a lot of different names thrown at you: Turbochargers, manifolds, intercoolers.

There's a lot of different things that you're going to hear.

But, one of the most common modifications that you're going to hear as a great building block for just starting out modifying your car, is a cold air intake.

One thing with a cold air intake: Is many people just feel that it is just a piece of tube and a filter on the end of it.

But it's much more than that.

It's going to do so much more for you and your car in the long run, and just in general for your knowledge of working on your own car.

With a cold air intake, you have a pipe that leads from your throttle body on your motor to the end of a filter that pulls in air and sends it into your motor.

Over here, in the Mustang's engine bay, you can see that we have a stock intake assembly.

With our stock intake assembly, it sits further back in the engine bay and it sits pretty close to the motor as you can see.

One thing that we don't like about this is, your engine bay is like an oven.

It's very hot in there.

So, with your intake sitting inside the engine bay, it allows your motor to pull in hot air.

That's not what we want.

With a cold air intake, we are able to flip it around, put it further towards the front of the car, which allows us to pull in the coldest air possible because colder air is much more dense and allows you to make more power whenever you're open throttle, half throttle, and anywhere in between as you're driving you're car.

The thing with an air intake inside your engine bay is, it's going to bog your motor down and you're not going to see those performance gains that you're looking for out of the car.

And that's the two main differences between these two systems.

If you have a question or comment, drop us a line right here at MotorWeek .

JOHN: Let's take the scenic route for the latest round of QuickSpins!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: While, the F-150 may steal a big share of Ford's pickup spotlight, their expansive Super Duty lineup is a huge part of F-Series lore.

And for 2023, the Super Duty is reclaiming some of the limelight with a next-gen redesign, taking the stage at Ford's Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan.

Standard is a 6.8 liter gasoline V8 with 405 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, joined by an available 7.3 liter V8.

The proven Power Stroke 6.7 liter turbo diesel V8 returns with 475 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque; but, we opted for the new high-output variant.

Five-hundred horsepower and 1,200 pound-feet of torque makes it a prime candidate for heavy towing, more than 20,000 pounds for most configurations and up to 40,000 pounds with the F-450.

All that grunt meant hauling a 30,000 pound trailer up a 7.0 percent grade was no biggie.

BEN DAVIS: I came into this day with very little towing chops... nothing outside of an old jet ski trailer.

But here I am...charging 7.0 percent... JESSICA RAY: So, even if trucks could break a sweat, our Super Duty still wouldn't.

But Ford took a "work smart and hard" approach, giving the Super Duty plenty of brains to go with its brawn.

Pro-Trailer Backup Assist lets operators move their trailers with the turn of a dial.

Pro-Trailer Hitch Assist allows the truck to more precisely align the tow hitch.

A built-in scale will measure your payload and help with trailer distribution.

And a TV-studio worth of cameras bolsters situational awareness, including a new rear-view angle that works with the tailgate down.

The 2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty starts around $44,000, but can climb up to six-figures.

With so many options in between, chances are there's a Super Duty perfectly tailored to your needs.

And We'll have more QuickSpins, soon!

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: We've already spent eight months with our Long-Term 2022 Kia EV6.

Cruising out of the cold and into the warm summer months, we've added about 4,000 long distance commuter miles since our last update, with 11,000 total on the odometer.

The EV6 still charms us with its competent driving experience and its comfortable, practical approach to people hauling.

And our passengers tend to agree, thanks to the extra space and reclining rear seats.

But the driver's seat is arguably the best to be in.

The summer driving season is here and we are working this EV6, and even if it could, I don't think it would be breaking a sweat because no matter what we throw at it, this car just handles it with ease.

We still think a stickier set of tires would generate a little more excitement, but with the warmer temps, we're happy with the performance from the stock low-rolling, resistance rubber.

We've had no issues tapping into the 77.4 kilowatt hour battery while reaching for the EPA, estimated 274 miles of range.

Unfortunately, our issue of interrupted charging cycles has persisted.

Kia can issue software fixes via over-the-air updates; but this particular issue means a stop at our local dealer.

A bit of a bummer, but not enough to keep us from enjoying the ride this summer.

We'll continue adding up the miles on our EV6.

And we'll check in on our Acura Integra on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Update.

JOHN: When it comes to German luxury brands, Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs constant desire to one-up each other has led to some amazing vehicles and significant advances in vehicle design, especially when it comes to their flagship sedans.

So, it makes sense that when both brands have given the full electric treatment to their trendsetters.

But how they are doing that is the real story.

♪ ♪ Regardless of what income bracket you find yourself in, cars like this all-new 2023 BMW 7 Series are a big deal.

It's a given that the new styling themes and technology introduced on luxury brand flagship sedans eventually filter down to the brand's more affordable vehicles and are usually echoed by other brands as well.

But when it comes to flagship sedans as EVs, the two segment leaders, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, are taking very different paths.

Where Mercedes brought battery power to their top sedan with a distinct model as part of an all-new sub-brand separate from the traditional S-Class, BMW has introduced its latest generation of 7 Series with both internal combustion engine options as well as a full battery electric and lets the buyer decide.

The benefit of this approach is being able to more easily adjust production on the fly to meet customer demand.

Being the forward-thinking types, we chose the fully electric i7 xDrive60 as our introduction to the new 7, and much like it looks like every other 7 Series, it feels like them too, and not really like an EV outlier at all.

It's splendid to drive on the open road.

An automatic magic carpet ride that has you floating far above life's imperfections.

You can feel the significant weight of the vehicle, almost 6,000 pounds.

Still, it comes off more as super solid than cumbersome.

After a quick turn in, weight transfer seemed to induce a tendency to oversteer.

Something that reminded us of BMW sport sedans before modern electronics muted all the fun.

Still, our test car's winter tires, likely skewed the outcome.

In acceleration, it doesn't feel ludicrously quick off the line, launching more like an ICE vehicle, with a noticeable ramp up to peak torque, but it's much quicker than it feels, hitting 60 in just 4.3 seconds.

That's more than enough for any real-world driving situations.

Throughout the 12.7 second quarter-mile it felt serene and well-settled at high speeds, finishing at 113 miles per hour.

This is enabled by the xDrive60's standard dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with front and rear-mounted motors that together put out 536 horsepower.

Ironically, exactly the same as the 760i's V8, and the EVs torque rating is actually slightly lower than the V8s at 549 pound-feet.

A 740i 6-cylinder is also available.

Just one battery size, 105.7 kilowatt hour; though range varies between 296 and 318 miles depending on wheel choice.

And like most large luxury vehicles, it's not the most efficient, though when equipped with the 21 inch wheels of our test car, this EV has a good efficiency rating of 39 kilowatt hours per 100 miles.

The new 7 has grown in size of course, more than 5.0 inches longer, though wheelbase only grows 2/10ths of an inch.

Inside, materials are as exquisite as you'd expect, with real wood and aluminum; and whether you go real leather or non-leather, selections are equally luxurious.

The large slightly curved display that sits in front of the very linear dash is made up of twin, clear displays; 12.3 inch for instrumentation, and 14.9 inch for infotainment.

Adding the Rear Executive Lounge Seating option will be a big hit for anyone spending time back here, with reclining seats, a huge Theatre Screen, and their own control panel.

17.7 cubic-feet of trunk space in the i7, other 7s better, at 19.1.

The i7 does sit at the top of the new 7 Series lineup starting at $120,295, with the 760i xDrive just below it at $117,395, and the rear-drive 740i the value option at $96,695.

Likely, the 2023 BMW i7 won't dissuade Tesla fans from buying a Model S. But for BMW brand loyalists, and anyone else with an open mind, it's a fast green dream come true.

And ultimately, we're not saying BMW's multi powertrain platform flagship approach is better, but if you can have your EV and it still drives like a true BMW, we're all in.

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 muster a new nameplate in the Lexus family, the all-electric RZ.

Then, we'll buzz by the camera in the all-new Dodge Hornet.

Until next time, 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... ANNOUNCER: 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!

MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper To Bumper, featuring major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast.

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 Tire Rack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

♪ ♪ This program was produced by Maryland Public Television, which is solely responsible for its content.

(car engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.