Pasadena, Calif. — The electric Qiantu K50 lives.

In the parking lot of Santa Anita Park horse track. On an autocross course. On a Tuesday afternoon. Like a thoroughbred from a starting gate, I exploded out from under a pop-up tent into a tunnel of pylons. ZOT! I was in top of the first turn in an instant.

Boy, wish I had this kind of torque when I autocrossed go-karts in West Virginia parking lots as an 11-year-old.

The last time I saw the Qiantu (pronounced Shan-too) was in the lobby of the 2019 New York Auto Show. Heady times. The electric supercar was one of a wave of Chinese autos that were due to the U.S. market in 2020, including the BYD shown at that year’s Detroit auto show and the Byton M-Byte displayed at the Los Angeles show. None of them made it.

But the Qiantu was striking, turning heads in the Big Apple with its sleek lines, unique black lamb chops, and low nose. Mullen Automotive, the car’s U.S. distributor, still believes and has rebadged it the Mullen GT — a halo car for its electric stable of EVs that includes the Bollinger B1 pickup and B2 pickup, Mullen One (rebadged Class One cargo van made by China’s Wuling Motors), Mullen Three (rebadged Class 3 vehicle made by China’s largest automaker, SAIC Motor), and the home-brewed Mullen 5 and 5RS SUVs. Think of Mullen as the Island of Misfit Electric Toys.

Gathering the explosive GT up like a wild stallion, I pulled the reins back (the steering wheel still bears the Qiantu dragonfly logo) and brushed the brakes into a looong carousel turn on the makeshift parking lot course. At around 180 degrees in radius, carousels are half-skid pads that are wonderful tests of a car’s balance. The Mullen pushed off the entry to the turn, but a brief lift transferred weight to the front and brought the rear end around. Back on throttle, I felt the all-wheel-drive system’s tenacious grip as I exited the corner and immediately entered a long right hander.

Oh, man, this sports car is heavy.

The quick change in direction challenged the supercar’s balance and exposed the biggest issue facing electric performance cars: battery mass. EVs like the Mullen GT are rocket ships in a straight line — a Tesla P90 briefly made me dizzy the first time I tested it 2.3-second 0-60 mph hole shot — but the same battery mass that spins electric motors to crazy torque numbers is the enemy at high g-loads.

It’s why Formula E has struggled to match the dynamism of gas-powered series like IndyCar and why race series owners like Roger Penske have written off electrics as feasible race series (not to mention the other battery bug-a-boo of range-sucking speed).

Even with an aluminum chassis and carbon-fiber skin, the AWD Mullen GT tips the scales at 4,300 pounds — or a bit more than my Tesla Model 3 Performance sedan. Oof. It’s also why few established supercar manufacturers have gone all-electric, choosing hybrid formats instead where smaller battery packs complement the gas engine with low-end torque like a supercharger. Think the Corvette E-Ray.

While rumors exist of a Chevy Corvette EV, the $150,000 Mullen EV’s peers are largely exotic, multimillion-dollar machines like the $2.1 million, 258-mph Rimac Revera or $2.5 million, 1.7-second 0-60 (ow, my brain hurts) Pininfarina Battista.

The GT initially promised numbers to rival those cyborgs — sub-2 second 0-60 mph time, 200-mph top speed — but Mullen has backed off those ambitious numbers. Now its claimed 4.2-seconds 0-60 and 125-mph top speed are nowhere near the top of the class, but neither is its sticker price.

The world of technology is moving fast and the Qiantu — er Mullen — now trails the sleek, four-door, 2023 Kia EV6 GT which runs to 60 mph nearly a second faster and costs less than half as much. It’ll run rings around the Kia, though.

After a quick right-left chicane, I was back on the throttle downhill and under a bridge (Santa Anita has a BIG parking lot) into a hairpin turn where the brakes gripped like a Rottweiler on a postman’s keg. Impressive. Especially as the Mullen doesn’t appear to make much use of its regenerative braking.

Mullen’s interior design is four years old, but the cockpit is still a modern place to be with its twin digital screens — the dash display a big, 15.6-inch, Model S-like vertical design. There’s also an integrated, roof-top solar panel that powers the 12-volt battery. But for 150 grand, the GT’s graphics are dated and it lacks features like a camera mirror (which would be nice since it has rear blind-spots the size of Rhode Island).

Throttle to the floor, I drifted beautifully with my electric dance partners across a wide, 90-degree lefthander on my way back to the makeshift paddock. The Pirelli P Zero rubber can’t quite stick the Mullen’s 4,300 pounds, but the T-shaped, lithium-ion battery is anchored low in the chassis for good center-of-gravity.

Taking over from Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Huaguan (some 1,000 have been built in China), Mullen planned in 2020 to build the car in a California plant that hasn’t materialized. Mullen has production plants in Indiana and Mississippi. If the GT gets the green light for production in 2025-26 (Mullen is asking for a $1,000 deposit upon ordering) it’s a nice flip on the usual script of an American-made product being produced in China.

As I rolled to a stop back at the tented paddock, I popped open the GT’s twin charging ports — like Mickey Mouse ears — located aft of the B-pillars. The left port for a 240-volt home charger, the right for a Level 3 DC fast charger. Range is estimated at 230 miles on a single charge with a sticker price to match the now-defunct BMW i8 plugin hybrid sports car.

White space sales opportunity — except the electric Porsche 718 sports car is due on the same 2025 timeline.

Next week: 2024 Toyota Tacoma

Mullen GT prototype

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, two-passenger supercar

Price: $150,000

Powerplant: 78-kWh lithium-ion battery with twin electric motors

Power: 430 horsepower

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.2 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 4,300 pounds (est.)

Fuel economy: EPA est. NA; range, 230 miles

Report card

Highs: Unique looks; rare, all-electric sports car

Lows: Uncompetitive performance specs; due at same time as 2025 Porsche 718 EV

Overall: 2 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch his “Car Radio” reports on 910 AM Superstation.

Oakland County — The V-8 roar of the industry’s big cats are being silenced as brands transition to an uncertain, all-electric future. Dodge Challenger/Charger Hellcats, Cadillac CT5 Blackwing, Audi R8, Chevy Camaro SS.

And then there is the most famous cat of them all, Jaguar.

ROOOOOOAAAR! I buried the throttle in the 575-horsepower 2024 F-Type R75 coupe through the Huntington Place tunnel. ROOOOOOAAR! The sound of the big cat’s quad pipes echoed off the Lodge Freeway’s walls as we shot out of the tunnel onto M-10 like an uncaged, well, Jaguar. ROOOOOAAR! The beast’s fury enveloped my open, convertible cockpit as I clicked off shifts at the 7,000 RPM redline. Oh, joy.

And oy vey as the Jaguar V-8 has become an endangered species, threatened by government nannies. Like the big cats on an expensive African safari, Jaguar sportscars have always been a fascination of enthusiasts with financial means. The looooong-nosed E-Type of the 1960s is automotive legend and coveted by collectors. Now its F-Type offspring is ending its run, and customers will want to run, not walk, to their local dealer to snap up this final edition.

While it doesn’t possess the ‘60s classic E-Type’s majestic snout (the victim of more nanny edicts), F-Type is still achingly gorgeous. “I want it,” said my entrepreneur friend Mike — the owner of an XKE sportscar among other Jags — in a typical, Pavlovian response. Some gotta have a Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette C8, a Jaguar. It’s an emotional thing, I get it. I see an Alfa 4C and my heart skips a beat.

Purists will be most attracted to the F-Type coupe with its sweeping roof line nestling like a Jaguar’s spine between giant rear haunches. But riding the Jag topless ain’t bad, either.

On a crisp October day, I rolled out of a Southfield parking lot and held down the console roof tab. The cloth top retreated into the trunk behind me in a mere 12 seconds as long as I kept my speed under 30 mph. Another toggle switch on the console selected DYNAMIC mode and I cleared the cat’s throat with a quick stab of the throttle onto Telegraph Road — ROOOOOAR!

Try that in a Hellcat or CT5-V and you’ll have a moment as the rear end tries to swap places with front, but F-Type R models come standard with all-wheel-drive and the grip from the wide Pirelli P-Zero tires was tenacious despite Telegraph’s chilly concrete surface. A standard, rear-wheel-drive, so-called P450 model is also offered with the same supercharged V-8 mill — just detuned to 448 ponies.

Despite the open air, the cabin wasn’t chilly thanks to the big, fat climate knobs that I’ve cranked up to HIGH to keep warm air circulating. I could crank up the radio, too, but I preferred the V-8’s roar. The cabin’s appointments are typically lush in an understated British way. No huge screens or gaudy light shows, just lovely leather and lines.

The sportscar has nicely integrated the latest tech like wireless Android Auto and digital screens — though it could make use of a head-up display like other vehicles in its class.

Put the top up and the convertible also has a useful trunk for weekend travel. The cargo space swallowed a carry-on bag and small duffel bag — and I fit in my fat laptop briefcase in the sub-floor storage bay. It’s not as roomy as a 911’s rear seat/frunk combo (or Corvette’s rear cargo area), but it’s a fair shade better than the cargo-starved Alfa 4C.

When you have $110K in spare change in your packet, there are a lot of choices, and Jag faces formidable sportscar competition.

The Porsche 911 S is simply the best-handling sportscar on the planet. Imbued with a telepathic sense for apexes, it sets the standard for precision and flat-six-cylinder performance. The Audi R8 (in its last year of production) and Mercedes GT AMG are also rocket ships with the latest cabin tech. Over at the Chevy shop, Corvette has not one, but two, V-8-powered, $110K hellions in the track-focused Z06 and all-season, all-wheel-drive E-Ray.

It’s remarkable how brands can evoke emotion from sheet metal, and the F-Type separates itself from the crowd the old-fashioned way: looks and power.

Porsche’s familiar shape is timeless, but the Jag is gorgeous. At my doctor’s office, my athletic club — even service stations — the F-Type stopped people in their tracks. “I’ll trade you rides,” smiled an Audi driver at the next pump.

Interestingly, F-Type’s appeal is more muscular than its famous forebear, the E-Type of the 1960s and ’70s. E’s famously elegant nose is no longer repeatable as government nannies now regulate front-end length. The F-Type is more compact, defined by powerful hips and a menacing fascia. Jaguar, indeed.

It’s leaner than its Mercedes peer, and a different aesthetic from Corvette with its angular, deep body stampings. Jaguar is feline, Corvette techno.

Both feature ballistic V-8s, but the 5.0-liter eight in the F-Type has a fat torque band thanks to its supercharger and the 516-pound feet of torque coming on strong at 2,500 RPM. The screaming, normally-aspirated, 5.5-liter ‘Vette Z06, by contrast, doesn’t hit peak torque until 6,300 RPM, where the bird really starts to sing. The AWD E-Ray, meanwhile, uses its electric motor as “torque fill” to complement its pushrod V-8 engine.

All encourage different driving habits. All will give you goosebumps. Long live the V-8.

Which begs the question of how Jaguar lives on after the F-Type. The big cat’s identity — its voice — is historically synonymous with throaty engines. Notably, the last gas-powered Jags are only equipped with V-8 engines and not the turbo-4 and supercharged V-6 options of previous years.

An all-electric Jaguar sports car would seem a different animal, and the poor sales of the electric i-Pace SUV are concerning. A new chapter awaits, but the last gas-fueled beast gives us plenty to sink our teeth into.

Next week: 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

2024 Jaguar F-Type

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel drive, two-passenger sportscar

Price: $79,175 including $1,275 destination ($119,875 R75 as tested)

Powerplant: 5.0-liter supercharged V-8

Power: 448 horsepower, 428 pound-feet of torque RWD (P450 model); 575 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque AWD (R P575 model as tested)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.5 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 186 mph

Weight: NA

Fuel economy: EPA 17 mpg city/24 highway/19 combined (P450); 16 mpg city/24 highway/18 combined (R575)

Report card

Highs: Jaguar swagger; V-8 music

Lows: Not as quick as competitive set

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Ann Arbor — Chevrolet is introducing its first, electric Silverado as a work truck. Fleet owners might, um, want to put a speed limiter on it.

With 515 horsepower (more than a Corvette C8), 600 pound-feet of torque (more than a Camaro SS), and Chevy’s rock-solid Ultium chassis, the Silverado EV is a rocket ship out of stoplights. ZOT! I challenged Challengers, BMWs — even a ‘Vette C6 — all over Ann Arbor on my brief test-drive of the 8,000-pound-plus pickup.

If I were, say, a DTE utility worker, I’d have my eight-hour rounds done by noon.

The Work Truck (available as a Crew Cab only with a 5-foot-11-inch box) comes with a price tag as stratospheric as its power numbers. The 393-mile-range 3 Work Truck starts at $74,800 and — with 450 miles of range — my 4WT nearly hits the 80-grand marker with a $79,800 sticker. Oof.

That’s reflective of the cost of lithium-ion batteries as the all-wheel-drive EV Work Truck tries to match the range of a rear-wheel-drive, 504-mile, gas-range, 310-horsepower Work Truck Crew Cab costing half as much.

But, like the gas Silverado WT, the electric Silverado WT only loses about 50% of range when towing, according to our friends at TFL Trucks, which recently put the pickup through the paces in its mountainous Colorado backyard. That translates to 250 miles of range, which is workable on a trip to, say, Traverse City where chargers are spaced about 120 miles apart.

The Chevy’s chief electric competitor, the Ford F-150 Lightning, suffered 70% degradation when towing, according to TFL. That means less than 100 miles of towing on the Ford’s 320-mile range battery — which won’t get you between Michigan charging stations (much less make sense if you have to stop every 90 minutes for a 120-minute charge, according to Motor Trend testing).

Still, Silverado EV has similar fast-charging challenges. A gas WT takes 5 minutes to refill, the Chevy 90 minutes on, say, an Electrify America DC fast charger. And that’s not including the time to unhook your trailer and belly up to fast charger stalls not designed (like, say, a Marathon gas truck stop) to handle long tow vehicles. EVs have a looooong way to go.

Which is why initial sales of the Silverado EV are for fleet-focused shooooort hauls.

But for those rockin’ dual motors in its belly, my WT was bare bones. Black interior, 18-inch wheels, all-season tires. No fancy Super Cruise like the $106K RST truck that will debut next spring for well-heeled retail customers. No fancy 24-inch wheels. No Flex-Midgate between the C-pillars that drops to extend the bed (just as an SUV can extend cargo by flattening its rear seats). Bare bones.

But it has a sleek design signature that is more Chevy Traverse than macho, gas Silverado. Check out the flying buttress C-pillar and spare fascia. Inside is one of the best infotainment systems in the industry. Twin, iPad-like, digital instrument and dash screens are standard and run by Google Built-in — a system that will feel familiar to anyone who has used a smartphone.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but if you’re heading out on the road, let me recommend Google Built-in’s navi system.

It’s made strides in its ability to navigate an EV to its destination. Where most systems leave it to the driver to do their homework and find their own charge stations (ugh, imagine expecting a gas driver to do that), Google Built-in charts your course — chargers and all. Similar to how Tesla integrates travel with its proprietary charging network.

In a mock trip that I made in Google Built-in from Ann Arbor, the system prioritized fast charging stations for my journey to Washington, D.C. The trip would take 10 hours and 7 minutes, including two stops at fast chargers for a total of 1 hour and 50 minutes. Useful so you can make plans while you wait. Not so useful if you don’t like waiting.

That’s the fundamental challenges to EVs, which are inferior to their gas peers on long-distance runs. At least the Silverado will get you there assuming you, ahem, drive below 70 mph in moderate weather conditions.

Try the trip in the cold — or traveling at higher speeds — and expect serious range degradation. Also expect logistical challenges at fast chargers if you plan on towing. They simply aren’t designed for large rigs. I look forward to the chance to test Silverado EV on a real-world towing trip sometime soon.

What the Silverado EV is designed for is ease of use.

Access the rear bed with a corner bumper step — a feature every pickup should have. The bed takes advantage of the 4WT’s massive, estimated 215 kWh battery with five outlets for tool support: four 110-volt and one 240. If you’re a small businessperson and the truck doubles as a recreation vehicle, the plugs will come in handy for tailgate parties.

The hole under the hood where the engine used to be? Chevy has made it into an e-frunk (a nifty feature pioneered by mid-engine sportscars, then popularized for EVs by Tesla) just like Lightning. There’s another pair of 110-volt plugs up there. It allows the practicality of a hatchback SUV with the hauling ability of a pickup.

But hauling that sticker price around is a challenge.

To properly use the e-truck, businesses (or individuals) will need to add expensive 240-volt chargers so the trucks can recharge up to 12 hours overnight for their duties next day. Home charging is cheaper to operate at 15 cents per kWh overnight, but plug in at, say, Electrify America’s Pittsburgh fast charger and you’re looking at an expensive 48 cents per kWh — meaning costlier trip refuels than a 29-mpg, gas-fired Silverado Work Truck if gas is under $4 a gallon.

The e-Silverado is too expensive to qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax break, but the usual business tax incentives apply to help get them into employees’ hands. They will find a brawny truck with good specs like 1,440-pound payload and 10,000-pound towing.

And standard all-wheel-drive so you can really put that 600 pound-feet of torque to the ground at a Woodward stoplight. Just don’t let the boss catch you.

2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup

Price: $74,800, including $1,895 destination ($79,800 4WT as tested)

Powerplant: Twin-motor, 215 kWh battery pack

Power: 515 horsepower, 600 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.4 seconds (Car and Driver, 4WT); towing, 10,000 pounds, 1,440-pound payload

Weight: 8,500 pounds

Fuel economy: 450-mile range (4WT as tested)

Report card

Highs: High-tech with Google Built-in navigation, fun to drive, capable towing

Lows: Charging stable logistics, 50% costlier than comparable gas work truck

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Pontiac — Alfa Romeo is going through some big changes these days with its second SUV, the Tonale plug-in hybrid, and a barnful of pure electric vehicles planned by 2027. EVs, SUVs, yada yada — they’re all the rage. But for you purists out there, you should know the Italian brand is still stamping out a terrific gas-powered sedan.

There are few cars that will put a bigger smile on your face than a 2024 Giulia.

Grip the fat leather steering wheel, rotate the Drive Mode selector to D (Dynamic), and Giulia wants to play like a puppy copped up on a leash in the garage all night. Where to play in Oakland County? Any twisty road will do, as the Alfa turns on a dime.

The Italian brand has been doing this a looooong time and the rear-wheel-drive Giulia is one of the sharpest tools in the luxe shed along with the Cadillac CT4 and BMW 2-series coupe. The 2 has a Gran Coupe sedan version but its, um, Mini-based front-wheel-drive platform isn’t in the same league as the others. Giulia is athletic and utilitarian, though six-footers should beware of the cramped back seat (I could barely sit behind myself). I love my Model 3 for its innovation, but Tesla has a ways to go to catch up with its luxury peers on handling.

The smiles begin long before you touch that D dial. The Alfa is one of the sexiest sedans on the road, its sculpted flanks, wide stance and signature tri-lobo grille instantly recognizable as not-that-Audi-or-BMW-like-all-your-neighbors-have. For 2024, Giulia has updated its lighting signature to match the new Tonale.

McLaren this week threw cold water on the idea that sportscars will be going all-electric anytime soon due to the inherent challenges of EVs trying to pack 300 miles of range and reduce weight for performance.  An all-wheel-drive Giulia weighs a significant 600 pounds less than an AWD Tesla.

Inside, you’ll grin at the ON button located on the steering wheel’s left spoke. Like Porsche’s left-console key location (a throwback to running Le Mans race starts when drivers would jump in and turn the key at the same time), Alfa wants you to know it’s serious about this performance business.

Drive Mode dial, shift paddles, binocular cockpit. Everything about the interior communicates performance. The ‘24 model has also upgraded interior tech with all-digital instrument display. But dig deeper and the Giorgio platform, introduced in 2016, shows its age.

The 2024 Honda Accord in my driveway at the same time I was testing Giulia has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charge pad, and a head-up display. Giulia lacks these modern amenities, which are expected in most new mainstream cars, much less luxe models.

The lack of head-up display is a particular miss in a performance car. Bimmer puts its head-up displays to good use with a racecar-like, horizonal tachometer so the driver never has to take their eyes off the road when paddle shifting. The Alfa is every bit as engaging, and would benefit from similar tech on road.

Or on track.

For a healthy $25K premium, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is also on offer for 2024. The QV (as Alfa likes to call it) loves to be pushed to its limits on tracks like M1 Concourse in Pontiac. I was happy to oblige. The sedan’s 111-inch wheelbase is playful, and its Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires provide excellent stick.

The 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 sings a lovely aria complete with trombone shift accompaniment — BLAT! BLAT! BLAT! — from the quad pipes as I upshifted through the 8-speed automatic transmission. The automatic’s shifts are much quicker than a manual can manage — but again it would benefit if you could shift the steering wheel paddles by using a head-up tachometer.

Unless you plan regular track days, the more affordable, still-sensual Alfa Veloce is plenty of car. Veloce possesses the same inherent goodies as its steroid-fed brother — Brembo brakes, magnetic shocks, limited-slip differential. And its 280-horse turbocharged engine is one of the most satisfying 4-bangers in the business.

Still, as I grinned my way across Oakland County, that $55K sticker made me pause. There is plenty of good hardware in the compact car segment for less than $50K, beginning with my favorite hot hatch class.

Drop $45K on a VW Golf R and you get similar turbo-4 performance — plus all-wheel-drive, modern tech, better rear seat space, and better hatchback utility. What you don’t get is a century of Italian heritage.

My friend Mehul bought a Giulia because he had coveted an Alfa sedan from the days his father owned a Giulia GTA. It had left a mark. Unforgettable style, fun-to-drive, Rosso.

Rosso means red in Italian, but it also references the blood that makes your heart beat a little faster. It’s a rare yearning that the Italian brand still manages to evoke from sheetmetal. It’s a quality that, I’m afraid to say, eludes the newly introduced Tonale SUV, as competent and stylish though it is.

Which is why I was pleased to see the Giulia back for ‘24. The other emotion Alfa has provoked over the years is less flattering: anger at its lack of reliability. After a blizzard of electronics failures, Car and Driver wrote off its long-term 2018 Quadrifoglio tester with the headline: “After 40,000 miles with the Alfa Giulia, our heart is broken.” Ouch.

Under the leadership of CEO Jean Philippe Imparato and North American boss Larry Dominique, the brand aims to change that. “If you don’t have quality, you don’t have a premium brand,” Dominique likes to say.

From a basement dweller in J.D. Power’s Sales Satisfaction Index in 2018, Alfa leap-frogged the field last year to No. 1. This March, it also took the top spot for J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study (tracking the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership). That’s a good start, and key to Alfa’s renaissance in the U.S. market.

Giulia is already tops in the Initial Grins Study.

2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia

Vehicle type: Front engine, rear- and all-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan

Price: $44,670 including $1,595 destination ($55,140 RWD I-4 Veloce and $81,855 V-6 Quadrifoglio as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder; 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6

Power: 280 horsepower, 306 pound-feet of torque (I-4); 505 horsepower, 443 pound-feet of torque (V-6)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.6 seconds (I-4, Car and Driver); 3.6 seconds (V-6, Car and Driver); top speed, 193 mph (V-6)

Weight: 3,522 pounds (I-4 RWD); 3,820 pounds (V-6)

Fuel economy: EPA 24 mpg city/33 highway/27 combined (I-4 RWD); 23 mpg city/31 highway/26 combined (I-4 AWD); 17 mpg city/25 highway/20 combined (V-6 RWD)

Report card

Highs: Italian style; athletic swagger

Lows: Tight rear seat; lacks latest luxury tech

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.