Normally I review a single car every month. This month is something different. I had the opportunity last month, courtesy of my membership in Western Automotive Journalists, to drive 14 different cars back-to-back over two days. With my colleagues, I voted on the best of the group—we call the awards the Best of the Bay—across three price categories, as well as picking the best technology and best overall vehicle. I’ll give you the group’s picks and my thoughts on the winners.
The driving setting was wonderful, but the weather was a little challenging. These drives took place in the eastern side of Petaluma on some fun country roads. We did have to battle a little traffic, as everyone does, and also had sprinklings of rain both days. Neither challenge daunted either the drivers or the vehicles, which were a diverse mix of EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) models, dominated by SUVs, which is a reflection of the current market.
The three price categories roughly define how the current new car market is segmented. We split the cars, based on their “as driven” prices, into:
• Under $50,000—roughly the average new car transaction price
• Under $75,000
• Over $75,000
• Separate awards for Best Overall and Best Technology
The Western Automotive Journalist’s Best of the Bay 2025
Here’s take on them, plus some notes on the other vehicles in the group. One quick topline—EVs dominated the awards, as has been the case for the past three years of the Best of the Bay.
Let’s start at the top. The group picked the all-electric 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S Limited 4xe as both Best Overall and Best Under $75,000. Judges said the Wagoneer S got “a big WOW due to its size, style, EV powertrain and range of nearly 300 miles.”
I found the car a bit of a throwback, a Jeep that certainly could go off-road, but probably never would, like the Wagoneers from decades ago that served as somewhat luxurious station wagons. This version kicks it up a notch with an electric powertrain that is smooth and powerful. My personal pick for these two categories was different, but it’s hard to argue with the logic of this choice.
Other contenders in the Under $75,000 category included the Honda Passport TrailSport, Genesis GV60 and GV70, Kia EV6 GT and Toyota 4Runner, a mixed bag of EVs and conventional gas-powered vehicles.
Two other categories were snagged by a single model. The Best Vehicle Over $75,000 and Best Technology winner was the 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona 4-door. This cool “Bludicrous” blue car also was consciously designed as throwback, this time to the muscle car era of the 1960s and 70s. It was fun to drive, carrying the high-performance Scat Pack Track Package. Even though it was a pricey hot rod ($80,455 as tested, though with a $61,995 base price that included most of the go-fast gear), it had a practical side, too, with four doors and seating for five.
The feature that garnered Best Technology—shared with the Kia EV6 GT, which had a more modest system—was the synthesized sound package that came with the car. The Dodge system is the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, which mimics the noise the car could make if the power was coming from a similarly powerful internal combustion engine. It was silly and fun and totally in the spirit of this car. The sophisticated use of sound is at once pleasing and reassuring that this 670 horsepower car can hold its own out on the streets. I agreed wholeheartedly with both of these choices.
Other models in the Over $75,000 class were the Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV, Lexus LX 700h hybrid and the Lucid Air Touring EV. If the prices had been closer, the Lucid Air would have been my choice in this diverse category as it boasts similar power to the Dodge, but wrapped in a much more luxurious package.
The final category was the Best Under $50,000 vehicle. I agreed with the other judges that the redone 2026 Subaru Solterra EV was the best of this group. The upgrades in the new Solterra, compared with the first generation model I tested back in June 2024, are significant.
We’re now looking at a fully competitive EV, packing all of the Subaru features like standard Symmetrical all-wheel drive and the company’s annoying, but effective driver attention system, EyeSight, in a spacious five-passenger SUV with a 278-mile range. Unlike the first round, this one really feels like a Subaru—and that’s a good thing.
The Solterra’s competitors, as was said in the other categories, were all capable vehicles, but just didn’t measure up to the value and features offered at the Subaru’s $48,275 price. The other vehicles in this group were two ICE SUVs, the Acura ADX and Alfa Romeo Tonale and the hybrid Kia Sportage.
That’s the Best of the Bay. It was a fun and grueling two days of driving. I’ll revisit some of these vehicles in more detail in the future because there is a lot more going on in all 14 of these cars.
