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

We're dropping into the saddle of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison... Logan McCombs steps into new threads on "Your Drive!"

Stephanie Hart goes safety first with crash testing... And we'll bring it all home in the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 9... So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: Whether, you're an animal lover or not, you have to feel a little sorry for the bison.

After all, they've been mistakenly called buffalos for hundreds of years.

Well, here at MotorWeek , we know a bison when we see one and we're ready to do some roaming in this beefy brute from Chevrolet.

♪ ♪ We tested Chevrolet's midsize Colorado pickup back in '23 when this 3rd gen kicked off; and while it was the toughest Colorado yet, people always want more, so Chevrolet is once again teaming up with American Expedition Vehicles to offer a Bison package for the 2026 Chevrolet Colorado.

In similar fashion to the Silverado and Silverado HD Bisons we've tested in recent years, it's all about turning the already-capable Chevy pickups into off-road beasts.

That includes adding heavy duty bumpers, fender flares, 17 inch beadlock wheels with 35 inch Good Year Wrangler mud terrain tires, multiple Boron steel skid plates, rocker protectors, front and rear locking differentials, and a massive 12.2 inches of ground clearance thanks to Multimatic Jounce Control Dampers.

There's also, a spray-on bedliner and a bed-mounted spare tire carrier that does a great job of keeping you from seeing anything with your rearview mirror.

If there was ever a GM vehicle that needed their rear camera mirror, this would be the one.

Four-wheel-drive is standard as with all ZR2s, and all Colorados are 4-door Crew Cabs.

One big change that happened to the Colorado since we last tested it, the standard output version of the 2.7 liter turbo-4 is no longer available.

All Colorados now come with the TurboMax version with 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, and you'll need every bit of it to get the Bison's massive tires rolling.

And after rolling them up to the starting line at our Mason Dixon test track, the TurboMax delivered a good amount of gusto, enough to get us to 60 in 7.6 seconds.

Power delivery is not overly aggressive, but it stayed smooth and steady the whole way down the track.

Gear changes in the 8-speed automatic transmission were equally smooth, and it was a mostly steady streak to the end of the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at 86 miles per hour; though, sitting this high off the ground, the Bison will get blown around a good bit by crosswinds.

Not surprisingly when bringing things to a halt in our braking runs, there was a lot of nosedive, but the tires were definitely providing serious grip.

Just 103 feet on average was needed from 60 to 0.

Things were not so settled in our handling course however, with extreme body roll and tire flex, but safety systems are in place to keep you and this beast under control.

(truck whooshing by) Of course, the Bison is much more in its element when the pavement ends.

While, it's certainly suitable for rock crawling, and even navigating trails where full-size rigs would be too wide, where it really excels is in high-speed off-road runs with those upgraded dampers soaking up big bumps and ruts like a sponge.

No major departures inside this ZR2, just some AEV logos applied and sturdy floormats added.

That means, up front it remains a comfortable, roomy, and tech heavy driving experience, while the rear seat situation is not nearly as roomy or comfortable.

Sixteen is the number to remember when it comes to Government Fuel Economy, as that covers city, highway, and combined ratings.

Our mileage loop as well, 16.2 miles per gallon on Regular.

That's a much worse than average Energy Impact Score, with 18.6 Barrels of Annual Oil Consumption and 9.3 Tons of CO2 Emissions.

To reach the summit of Colorado's macho mountain, start by selecting a ZR2 for $52,595, then add the Bison Edition package at $11,700, for a total of $64,295.

To keep that figure in perspective, you could easily spend much more than that on a pickup truck that's nowhere near as adept or tough looking as this one.

So, if you're looking to venture into some new territory in the most capable midsize pickup on the market, head to the Chevy dealer where the 2026 Colorado Bison roam.

♪ ♪ (car door closes) JOHN: Fatal highway crashes are still a persistent problem in the U.S., and that's despite decades of progress in building safer cars, and the ever-widening use of safe driving technologies like emergency braking and anti-skid control.

Well, our Stephanie Hart recently traveled to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to find out what's behind this continuing threat to daily life, and what can be done to cure it.

(sound of crashing car) STEPHANIE HART: Honestly, it was extremely jarring to watch the crash of the Volvo EX90 here.

Now, IIHS is trying to determine how well the vehicle held up, if there were any injuries to the dummies, and they'll use that data to save lives.

Crashes like that one are happening at alarming rates on America's roadways, over 39,000 crash deaths last year alone.

And, despite some small decreases in recent years, the number of highway fatalities is still 20 percent higher than it was 10 years ago and well above pre-COVID levels.

Why are the numbers so high, if major strides have been made to improve the safety on the roads?

DAVID AYLOR: A lot of strides have been made in the safety of vehicles.

We've been crash testing cars for over 30 years.

We've added crash avoidance tests, but a lot of those safety benefits, um, have been counteracted by different things like larger, heavier vehicles.

STEPHANIE: And risky driving behavior like...speeding, drinking and driving, distracted driving, and not wearing a seatbelt all contributed to the stubbornly high number of deaths.

IIHS tells us it's addressing the road safety crisis head-on, setting a new ambitious goal of reducing fatalities 30 percent by 2030.

Latest figures show pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists together make up 36 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths.

JESSICA JERMAKIAN: There are also some other challenges, like, our vehicle fleet is changing and...and bigger, taller vehicles are less friendly to pedestrians when a crash occurs.

On the other side, we have been improving vehicles with crash avoidance technologies.

We introduced pedestrian automatic emergency braking, um, which helps the vehicle prevent those pedestrian crashes.

STEPHANIE: But this is a long game.

The average vehicle out on our roads today is about 12 years old, which means new safety technology in new vehicles could take decades to reach most drivers.

That's why solutions that are short term are vital.

DAVID: There are things that we can do, um, in the near term.

For instance, some roadway design or red light safety cameras, speed safety cameras.

STEPHANIE: Although, vehicle safety improvements are long term goals, crash avoidance technologies, such as automatic emergency braking, are starting to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, which is encouraging.

IIHS is looking to expand their crash avoidance testing to include bicycle targets and small commercial vehicles, like that delivery truck you see in your driveway.

JESSICA J.: We're accelerating commercial vehicle safety.

We want to build on the success we've had with passenger vehicles and our vehicle ratings programs; and also, on the work we've done with truck underride, with increased strength of underride guards.

STEPHANIE: The still-high level of crash deaths proves that technology and vehicle design changes alone aren't enough.

That's why IIHS is tackling the road safety crisis from all sides.

DAVID: We recently updated our front crash prevention program, uh, to include different targets.

So, we drive at a tractor trailer now, we drive at a motorcycle, and we also drive at a regular vehicle at higher speeds.

So, this will really expand the safety for everyone, looking at tractor trailers, also more vulnerable users like, motorcycle riders.

So, that will help the problem.

STEPHANIE: And I understand the goal is to push automakers to improve these systems further.

DAVID: Yeah, absolutely.

So, we rate, uh, front crash prevention similar to our crash worthiness-- good, exceptional, marginal, and poor-- and the goal is for all the manufacturers to earn good ratings, and they really strive for those top ratings.

STEPHANIE: Because at the end of the day, a higher safety rating influences how people buy their vehicles, ultimately leading to fewer lives lost on our roads every day.

JOHN: From the humblest commuters to the flashiest performance cars, we'll take anything for a QuickSpin.

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: Nissan has started a new chapter in their compact sedan novel we'd call "Sentra and Sensibility."

Out for 2026, the new Sentra retains all of the same practicality and affordability while packaging more features than ever.

While its stature is effectively the same, this 9th-gen Sentra's redesigned cover art is rather contemporary: A "V-Motion" grille and sharp LEDs define the front, while the rear lightbar and simplicity gives Audi-esque vibes.

The interior sees an equally-impressive overhaul; a 12.3 inch infotainment screen is standard, and a matching gauge display is available.

The center stack's haptic controls aren't our favorite, but Nissan's Zero Gravity seats are sweet and a whole suite of standard safety and convenience features elevates it even further.

A returning 2.0 liter inline-4 putting out 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque is less inspired, as is the Xtronic CVT; but not to judge a book by its cover, spending time with the Sentra on an Arizona First Drive was needed to get the whole story.

The CVT paired with this 2.0 liter, it's not going to be the quickest vehicle; but...but there is plenty of power when you are up to speed, um, if you need to pass on the highway.

The CVT is very smooth.

And, um, Nissan even said that they made some updates to the CVT.

They retuned it, so it's a more natural feeling.

Smoother shifts.

Starting just under $24,000 and working up to almost 30-grand, the 2026 Nissan Sentra aims to rekindle the American romance with small, affordable cars.

GREG CARLOSS: The diminished American love affair with wagons could be argued as more of a byproduct of dwindling options, this 2026 Subaru Outback the latest causality.

It's no longer based on the Legacy, though having only grown an inch in height with other dimensions remaining the same, it's debatable whether it's finally in true SUV territory.

Its 8.7 inches of ground clearance, up to 9.5 in the Wilderness, can get you into most reasonable territory; and the Outback's new digs look the part of weekend explorer.

The interior gains 2.0 cubic-feet of cargo space, and this nifty cargo cover doubles as a cargo hammock.

Up front, very comfortable seats and a greatly-improved 12.1 inch infotainment screen might be our favorite amenity.

The Outback's standard all-wheel-drive is spurred by a 180 horsepower 2.5 liter flat-4 and a CVT, while the XT's 2.4 liter turbo-4, which we off-roaded in Arizona, puts down 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, also through a CVT.

So, another big change here in the Outback is the steering.

They've switched to a double-pinion setup, which is what they use in the WRX, and I gotta say, like, it makes a big difference here.

The feels not quite there, like I'm not gonna say it has great road feel, but the responsiveness, the speed of it, the directness of it, it feels really nice to use-- I think a huge upgrade over the previous Outback.

Starting over $36,000, the 2026 Subaru Outback may have lost some wagon vibes, but has been improved in so many ways, it's easy to look past it.

You can look for our upcoming Road Test, and more QuickSpins, soon!

JOHN: If you're in need of some new threads, Logan McCombs has you covered.

It's not optional fashion advice, but essential tech tips on MotorWeek's "Your Drive!"

(car engine starts up) LOGAN MCCOMBS: So, you're working in your garage, you just picked up that new summer project, and you want to get it on the road, but you've got a couple things that aren't going together quite right because some of your bolt holes are stripped out.

One of the best tools you can have in your garage is going to be a tap and die set.

I love this tool because it's so versatile and allows me to do so many different things when there aren't holes there and I need to make a new hole.

So, in the box you'll see that you have one side that is your set of dies, and on the other side you have your taps.

Now, your dies are actually used for creating new threads, either on a bolt or on a piece of metal.

So, what you'll do is you'll be able to find the right size for the bolt that you need or the thread that you're going to need, or your thread pitch.

And you can use a thread checker to figure out exactly what you need.

You'll take it, and then you'll spin it on to your rod or your bolt, and it'll allow you to cut new threads into it.

And it makes it really easy and it cleans it up, so it's almost like having a brand-new bolt without having to go and buy one.

Now, on the other side you have your taps.

Now, the tap is used for creating new threads in a spot that doesn't originally have threads on it.

So here, like on this engine block, what we'll do is we'll take our tap, we'll throw a little grease on it just to make sure that we're not creating any binding issues or anything like that, because the grease will also help to catch metal shavings as you're tapping your hole.

So, you'll come over and you'll just start to twist it in; and as you're twisting it in, you want to make sure that you're straight as possible, so that your threads are straight, too.

As you go in, you'll start to see that you have metal shavings coming out and that's okay.

That just means that the threads are being cut correctly and it's going the way you need it to go.

But, if you do start to feel a little bit of resistance, that's okay, don't worry.

All you have to do is twist out a little bit because there may be something causing it to bind, like those shavings.

Then, you can spin it back in.

And once you've reached your determined depth that you want to go, so that depends on your bolt length, you'll go all the way in, you'll come back out, and as we spin back out, you'll see that we have brand-new threads that are ready to go, so you can seat whatever you need whether it's a bracket, a water pump, or anything like that...just like that.

Having a tap and die set is huge help, and I highly recommend it for anyone that's doing any DIY projects at home.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us, right here at MotorWeek .

♪ ♪ GREG: In previous testing of our 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander, we've noted that its smooth and quiet powertrain could use a little extra heat in the throttle.

But winter drives require diligent throttle modulation; be it powder-coated country backroads or frigid freeways, the Outlander makes it a cinch, letting this small 2.5 liter 4-cylinder and CVT combo really shine.

The ease of deploying all 181 horsepower to Mitsubishi's Super All-Wheel Control system results in a solid driving experience even at sub-freezing temps.

And after another 2,400 miles, bringing our total test miles to about 15-grand, we've observed 27.1 miles per gallon on Regular; a very slight dip, but on par with our careful right-pedal management.

This 2025 Outlander's naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine is meeting our power needs without any electrification.

Granted, there are times where we would like a little more low-end torque, but as it happens, Mitsubishi has announced the 2026 Outlander will come with a 1.5 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and a mild-hybrid system, so that should add a little extra oomf.

Whether, we're enjoying the winter wonderland or feeling salty about the treated roads, our Mitsubishi Outlander will see it alongside us.

And so, will our Porsche Cayenne, which we'll catch up with on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test update.

JOHN: Hyundai's IONIQ journey started back in 2017, but didn't become their all-electric sub-brand until 2020.

The numbers have been counting up since then, both sales and models, going from the 5 compact crossover to the 6 midsize sedan, and now to their largest offering yet, this IONIQ 9 three-row utility.

It's easily the most important IONIQ yet, so let find out if it's also their best!

♪ ♪ Much like Hyundai's corporate cousin Kia was able to do with their EV9 all-electric SUV, Hyundai's IONIQ 9 is looking to change the game when it comes to family-friendly three-row fully-electric utility vehicles.

It is based on the same E-GMP platform, but that's not surprising, as so is every other IONIQ EV.

But, continuing development helps the IONIQ 9 outshine the EV9 in a couple of key areas, more range being one of them.

All IONIQ 9s feature a 110.3 kilowatt hour battery with max range of 335 miles from the single 215 horsepower rear-motor setup; that's 31 miles over the EV9.

Three-hundred-three horsepower dual-motor all-wheel-drive is rated for 320 miles, and our tester's performance dual-motor setup is rated for 311 miles, outputting 422 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, which is also more horsepower than the EV9.

We drove 282 miles using 92 percent of the battery, putting us on pace for 307 miles in our driving loop.

Suspension tuning also gives it a slightly plusher posture, with a very smooth ride quality, typical of most Hyundai versus Kia comparisons.

Indeed, next level comfort and spaciousness are big Hyundai priorities of late, and they've leveled-up with the IONIQ 9's first-class lounge-like atmosphere.

There's a flat floor plan, and being slightly bigger than the EV9 gives it a little more room inside, most notable in the rear seat where comfort is high, and in the third row where even adults have space to spare.

That additional third row room means cargo space behind it is a bit less than the EV9 at 12.9 cubic-feet, but the 46.7 with the third row folded, and the max of 86.9 are both more than the EV9.

There's additional storage space up front under the hood as well.

Features and capabilities are maxed out here in Calligraphy trim, of course, and materials are very nice, but all 9s come with a great-looking widescreen display with a pair of 12.3 inch screens, one for driver info and a touchscreen for multimedia with standard navigation.

What a departure from the first Hyundai to arrive in the U.S., the 1986 Excel.

We noted its very economy interior, but found it overall very solid and well-built.

Before Hyundai used the IONIQ name for their all-electric sub-brand, it was first used for 2017 on their first purpose-built eco-minded car, available as a hybrid, PHEV, and even a full-electric with 124 miles of range.

While, EVs are mainstream now, Hyundai still likes to make theirs stand out.

But not everyone was a fan of the "minivan from the future" vibe that features exaggerated fender trim over 21 inch alloy wheels and active air flaps.

Though, there are also a few styling cues from the recently redesigned Santa Fe for familiarity.

At our Mason Dixon Test Track, the 9 launched with authority, hitting 60 in just 4.6 seconds, way faster than any family SUV needs to be.

It maintained that excessive force until about half way down the track, when it finally tapered off.

Still strong, just not as heavy-handed, and plenty enough for a 13.3 second quarter-mile, finished at 103 miles per hour.

It was a bit of a harsh experience when it came to hitting the brakes too; lots of nose dive, and some vibration in the brake pedal, but 117 feet from 60 for a 6,000 pound vehicle is quite good.

All that weight helped it feel extremely well planted through our handling course.

There was no understeer to deal with as it felt very well balanced, and quickly followed through on steering inputs, going wherever we pointed it.

Three-hundred-fifty kilowatt fast-charging takes the battery to 80 percent in 24 minutes, and using 40 kilowatt hour of electricity per 100 miles, the IONIQ 9 earns a Good Efficiency Rating.

Pricing starts at $60,555, which is about four grand more than an EV9, and tops out with Calligraphy Design at $78,090.

There's no question the 2026 IONIQ 9 is Hyundai's best EV yet, but is it a gamechanger?

Well, the next-level comfort, true luxury amenities, and impressive ride make it a fantastic EV.

In fact, it is one of the most impressive SUVs we've ever driven.

So...yes, we'd consider that changing the game.

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'll get wild with the Subaru Forester Wilderness, then return to civility in the classy Lincoln Navigator.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper, a nationwide network of stores and shops providing major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast, and in your local community.

Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

We're Tire Rack.

We test tires, then share our results.

We stock over a million tires.

We offer multiple installation options.

We do this because we believe tires matter.

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