Cadillac SOLLEI Concept
As in any good drag show, remove the bling and sumptuous bodywork from these autos and surprises come to light
CASEY WILLIAMS | Auto Reviewer
AutoCasey@aol.com
Like a good drag queen in all of her fabulous accoutrement, strip off layers of silk and spandex, and she’ll reveal surprises. Like their human counterparts, these cars are hiding more than candy, and they may surprise you with what’s beneath their skin and badges.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Despite Mitsubishi styling cues, it’s essentially a Nissan Rogue. Only styling flourishes distinguish the interior, but check heated seats, heated steering wheel and premium audio. Unfortunately, it doesn’t share the Rogue’s turbo-three engine, utilizing a 181-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder instead. Fuel economy rates 24/31-MPG city/hwy.
Base price: $28,395
Mercedes-Maybach SL 680
Wearing a hood star, the first two-seater Maybach is a fluffed Mercedes SL roadster. But, check the Crystal White Nappa leather seats, two-tone paint and rose gold-accented headlights. Slap the 577-horsepower, 4.0-liter biturbo V8 and specially tuned suspension. Maybach logos deceive the eyes, but watch for the 2026 SL 680 next year.
Base price: $200,000
Subaru Solterra
Subaru’s first EV is a Toyota bZ4X in all but badges. It’s handsome, adventurous and serene to drive, but it also shares a very short 227-mile range. Charge 10-80 percent in 35 minutes. EyeSight crash-avoidance tech, standard all-wheel-drive and Dual-Function X-Mode to tackle all conditions are Subaru hallmarks. Hands off below 25 mph.
Base price: $44,995
Toyota Land Cruiser
This posh hiker hides a secret behind its squinty eyes and TOYOTA grille. Interiors delight with JBL audio, heads-up display and console cool box. Hybrid powertrains deliver 326 horsepower and 23 MPG combined. Four-wheel-drive, CRAWL control and locking differentials keep it moving. Look deeper into the soul of a Tacoma pickup.
Base price: $55,950
Dodge Hornet
It snarls like a baby Hellcat, but it is mostly an Alfa Romeo Tonale in drag. Hornet R/T performance hybrid plugs in for a 32-mile range but stomps a heel with 288 horsepower for 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. GT models rumble a 2.0-liter turbo-four good for 268 horsepower. European handling, suave interiors and tight style sting Hornet with character.
Base price: $31,400
Mazda CX-50 Hybrid
Dressed to impress, she’s packing a Toyota powertrain beneath her butch shoulders. Hybrids share the RAV4’s electrified powertrain for 219 horsepower, standard all-wheel-drive and 38 MPG. The light chassis, quick steering and sumptuous interior are pure Mazda. Get it with Bose audio, red interior and panoramic sunroof.
Base price: $35,390
Acura ZDX
The charade starts with an old Acura name then extends to sharing GM’s EV architecture from the Cadillac Lyriq. It’s built at the old Saturn plant in Tennessee, too. Good thing she’s a looker, boasting 313-mile range, 500 horsepower and charging 81 miles in 10 minutes. It’s the first Acura with Bang & Olufsen audio and 22-inch wheels.
Base price: $57,000
Ford Maverick Lobo
Inspired by hot rod culture, this dropped pickup romps with torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive, 250 horsepower turbocharged engine, and drive mode to optimize weekend autocrossing. It’s sinister with 19-inch black aero wheels, painted rear bumper and blue/lime seat stitching. All that — and a basic architecture shared with Escape crossovers.
Base price: $40,495
Honda Prologue
It looks like a next-gen Pilot crossover, but that’s an illusion. Honda tweaked the independent suspension and approved safety tech, but it’s essentially a Chevy Blazer EV with a 296-mile range and up to 288 horsepower. Fast charge 65 miles in 10 minutes. Wireless CarPlay/Auto, phone charging, heated front seats and 19-inch wheels come standard.
Base price: $47,400
Cadillac SOLLEI Concept (Top Image)
It renders a queen breathless with Manila Cream yellow paint, yellow leather and hand-cut wood veneers. And she’s electric with a 300-mile range, 600 horsepower and 0-60 mph in 3.8s. Active rear steering, air suspension and hands-off cruising delight, as does the 55-inch pillar-to-pillar screen. Cadillac must share its candy and build this dreamboat.
Base price: By Inquiry Only
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ON THE COVER
This issue of Dallas Voice, the Nov. 1 issue, is our annual DRIVE Issue, featuring a wide variety of reviews and informative articles from our car guru, Casey Williams.
Since we also have an interview with drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen in this issue, we reached out to Lyft for permission to use on our cover a photo of Bob from the promotional campaign for the Lucky Lyft Trivia Show, which Bob hosted. And our arts and entertainment reporter, Rich Lopez made sure to ask Bob a couple of “car questions,” too. You can read that interview on page 8 of this issue.
Lyfting to the polls
With the presidential election mere days away now, everyone agrees that turnout is key. Giving voters a way to get to the polls is key to turnout, and rideshare services — like Lyft — can play an important role in getting those voters to the ballot box.
Here is some information from Lyft.com about “Where, how and when Americans get to the polls”:
Where voters travel the farthest
“A recent study estimated that even a one-mile increase in distance to polling locations can reduce turnout by up to 20 percent. On Election Day 2022, the typical (median) voter using Lyft traveled four miles to poll-like locations. But voters in Texas, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and New Jersey traveled significantly farther — five miles or more — to cast a ballot.
“A special mention to the riders of Clayton County, Georgia, and Tarrant County, Texas, who traveled more than seven miles to vote in 2022.”
According to the Lyft study, Texans have the longest median distance to travel to get to a polling location at 5.8 miles. Georgia is second at 5.6 miles, followed by Michigan at 5.3 miles and North Carolina and New Jersey both at 5 miles.
Rhode Island was the only state that came in under three miles, with a median distance of 2.8 miles for voters to travel. Voters in New Hampshire are looking at a distance of 3 miles, with 3.1 miles for voters in Washington, D.C., and Arkansas, and 3.2 miles in Nevada.
The Lyft study shows that voters in seven states, including Texas, have to travel a median distance of more than 5 miles to vote. Voters in 10 states travel between four and five miles, and voters in 17 states have to travel between three and four miles to cast their ballots.
In eight states, less than 25 percent of voters voted in person in 2022, and there were seven states in which there was an insufficient sample to determine a median distance.
The Lyft study indicated that only three states averaged waits of more than an hour to vote in 2022: Illinois, New York and Washington, D.C. Minnesota was the only state with an average wait time of less than 30 minutes.
Texas was one of eight states where the average wait time to vote in person was between 50 minutes and an hour. The student also showed that most Texans vote between the hours of noon and 5 p.m.
The study also showed that between 5 and 9.9 percent of Texans use Lyft to get to the polls. Georgia was the only state in which more than 15 percent of voters took a Lyft to the poll.