Welcome to Gearbox Car Reviews!
My name is Jason and I have a driving problem. I like to drive, but I don't have the budget for Jay Leno's garage. So I figured being one of those car review guys would be the perfect solution. I'll find whatever I can get my hands on and share some info about the cars and share some background info and the drive with you.
If you're in central CT and you have a car that I can take for a spin, please feel free to reach out! There are a lot of interesting cars coming down the pike, so I'm hoping to be a part of the last hurrah, before gas-powered cars fade away.
If you like the reviews and background info on different cars, make sure to subscribe and share. If you don't like the reviews, subscribe anyway so that I can get access to more cars and find something you're into!
Thanks & enjoy!
Jason
Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Dodge Charger R/T Plus!
Dodge finally killed the HEMI V8, but they've replaced it with a hurricane straight-six. That's a 3.0L twin-turbo six-cylinder that makes 420-hp and 468 lb-ft of torque. Power goes through all four wheels, but there is a front-axle disconnect for shenanigans. And a ZF 8-speed auto is the only transmission option--pour one out for the manual die-hards (myself included).
If the standard output engine doesn't quite do it for you, there is a high-output option available as well, good for 550 horses.
The Charger is available in two-door or four-door form (no more Challenger name plate). Either way it's a liftback with gobs of space inside.
My tester is adorned in Bludicrous paint, big ol' racing stripes, and Fratzogs galore.
Full thoughts to come!
6 days ago | [YT] | 26
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid!
If you want the practicality of a minivan, without the stigma, this is about as close as you're going to get. The Kia Carnival MPV is the anti-minivan minivan.
There is a gas version, but my tester is the standard hybrid, equipped with a 1.6L turbo four and an electric motor, combining for 242-hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Power goes through the front wheels exclusively, even in the hybrid. No all-wheel-drive available. But you do get a 6-speed auto, so no CVT in sight.
Can this front-drive, hybrid MPV beat out the Sienna?
Full thoughts to come!
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 22
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Limited!
2026 brings more efficiency and more power to the Crosstrek, with the addition of a hybrid model. The hybrid is rated for 194-hp and 36 mpg highway and city. The kicker is that you're not giving up symmetrical all-wheel-drive with the hybrid, like you would in a lot of the AWD hybrid platforms available.
In addition to the hybrid model, the 2.5L engine is now standard as well. There is no more 152-hp 2.0L base engine. You're baseline is now 180 horses.
Full thoughts to come!
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 22
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Limited!
2026 brings more efficiency and more power to the Crosstrek, with the addition of a hybrid model. The hybrid is rated for 194-hp and 36 mpg highway and city. The kicker is that you're not giving up symmetrical all-wheel-drive with the hybrid, like you would in a lot of the AWD hybrid platforms available.
In addition to the hybrid model, the 2.5L engine is now standard as well. There is no more 152-hp 2.0L base engine. You're baseline is now 180 horses.
Full thoughts to come!
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 15
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Gearbox Car Reviews
The Toyota RAV4 is one of the best selling cars on the planet, and 2026 marks the first year of the new generation.
The RAV4 is now built on the 5th generation Toyota Hybrid System, making it more efficient and more powerful than the outgoing car. It makes a combined 226-hp in front-wheel-drive form and 236-hp if you opt for all-wheel-drive, with the extra, rear motor.
Fuel economy on my Limited AWD tester is 41 mpg combined now vs 40 last year. And an eCVT is still standard.
There is also a plug-in hybrid with 52 miles of range and even more horsepower, available exclusively in all-wheel-drive form.
New styling, new features, and more.
Full thoughts to come!
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 41
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Gearbox Car Reviews
Back in a 2026 Polestar 4!
This one is, unfortunately, missing the Swedish Gold accents of the Performance Package, like my original tester had. But it's still packing dual motors that will shove this spaceship to 60 from zero in just 3.7 seconds. Power output is 544 horses with a peak torque of 506 lb-ft.
The vehicle is built on a 400V architecture and equipped with a CCS port on the driver's rear door, and Polestar claims a max charge rate for the 100 kWh battery of 200 kW, which will get you from 10-80% in 30 minutes.
The 4 is packed with features, but more notable might be what it's missing--a rear window.
Full thoughts to come!
1 month ago | [YT] | 29
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Gearbox Car Reviews
Are you spending the extra $7k for the Premium Plus or going driver-focused with the base GR Corolla? Or are you taking your money somewhere else?
https://youtu.be/6OpJRkZtsMw
1 month ago | [YT] | 8
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Toyota GR Corolla!
If you want an all-wheel-drive hot hatch with three pedals, you're done to one option, in the Toyota GR Corolla.
For 2026, Toyota continues with incremental improvements, adding standard hood vents, a secondary intake, new tires, an extra speaker, and a whole lot more glue.
This angry little 3-cylinder hatchback is down to two trim levels, a base and a Premium Plus. Either way you get a 1.6L turbo-three that makes 300-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, a fancy GR-FOUR variable all-wheel-drive system, front and rear Torsen LSDs, and the choice between an 8-speed auto and a row-your-own 6-speed manual.
My tester being a Premium Plus means it's got a carbon roof, a head-up display, heated seats, red stitching, and a JBL sound system. Luckily, the good seats are standard, the Brin Naub suede and leather seats, with the only difference here being the grey stitching in the base and red in the Premium Plus.
So how much of a difference do the upgrades make? And is this lone survivor AWD manual hatch worth the $40k-50k price tag?
Full thoughts to come!
1 month ago | [YT] | 43
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Volvo XC60 B5 Ultra!
Volvo's midsize SUV continues on with subtle aesthetic treatments for 2026, and the same clean interior and smooth, quiet ride. It's a nice escape from the busyness and noise.
My tester is coated in the new Forest Lake paint, and decked out with features like heated and ventilated massage seats, air suspension, and more.
While there is a plug-in hybrid available, my tester is a B5, meaning it utilizes a turbocharged 4-cylinder mild-hybrid system. All-wheel-drive is standard, as is an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Full thoughts to come!
1 month ago | [YT] | 30
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Gearbox Car Reviews
2026 Volkswagen Tiguan SE!
Now in the second year of its third generation, the Tiguan has finally found its stride. It’s leaner (by about 170 lbs) and definitely meaner. For 2026, the big story is the power: the standard 2.0L turbo makes 201 hp, but the new SEL R-Line Turbo pushes that to 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque for those of you trying to get from gymnastics to soccer practice across town in record time.
Your transmission is an 8-speed automatic either way. And front-wheel-drive is standard on most trims, with a 4Motion all-wheel-drive as an option on most, and standard in the top spec.
Inside, VW has leaned into the digital era with a column-mounted shifter and a 12.9-inch touchscreen (standard on the SE). There's a physical rotary dial in the console for drive modes, lighting, and volume control and—thankfully—physical buttons have returned to the steering wheel. No more accidental heated-wheel activations while trying to turn down the radio. The climate sliders are also finally backlit, though you’ll still be cleaning fingerprints off that piano black trim until the end of time.
I’m currently in the SE 4Motion, which might just be the Goldilocks trim with just the right features for $35k.
Full thoughts to come!
1 month ago | [YT] | 29
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