Weekly Rewind: She’s a Real Mom, Giving Car Tours, Even Cars We Say We Hate (But Don’t)
Plus, Toyota's Future, the Woman with the Coolest Job and Test Driving the Subaru Forester Hybrid
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Collaboration is the new competition, especially when it comes to lifting female voices in the world of automotive. To be heard, we have to do this together. So when Jana Askeland, also known as Real Mom Car Tours, reached out to ask about collaborating with us on A Girls Guide to Cars, of course we were beyond excited. Very soon we were creating stories, videos and social media together.
We love that she gets it: Jana leads with passion, brings her kids along for the ride and makes the most out of every moment.
And it’s been fabulous. We love seeing Jana in our world and on her channels, sharing how moms, and women, connect across the things that move us, including our cars.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Practical: Celebrating the Minivan
Oh, the embattled minivan. We love them. We hate them. We swear we’ll never drive one and then we can’t live without it. But … why?
Well, we needed to know more. So Kristen Brown took a look at the reasons why we just can’t stop loving on our minivans, and why they continue to be so popular.
Turns out that space for rear facing car seats, comfort for all passengers and better features like AWD and hybrid power can be override almost all the objections.
Read: Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Practical—5 Important Reasons Minivan Sales are Soaring
If Ever A Woman Lived the Ultimate Life, It’s Alison Rahm
Long ago on a day far, far away, I met Alison Rahm. She was then the chief engineer of the fastest production car to ever hit dealer showrooms, the Dodge Charger Hellcat. She lead a team of engineers, challenging them to build a car that could go further, faster and with the style and muscle that Dodge fans love. All while she was raising her two sons with her husband in Windsor, Ontario, just outside Detroit.
Fast forward a *few* years and I learned she’d moved on to a new role: engineering the electric powertrain for Jeep, first up: the Jeep Wagoneer S. It was such a thrill to see her rise in the organization, to see her accomplishments lead to such a great new chapter (plus, we really love this car).
And then she got the call of a lifetime: Want to move to Paris and develop our global powertrains? So of course she said yes. I got to spend a few minutes with her before she embarked on what must be the most exciting journey of a lifetime. I may have to drop in on her in Paris just to see how it’s going.
Join the conversation with Alison Rahm!
A First Look at the Toyota bZ EV is a Peek into the Company’s Future
Last week was a whirlwind of new cars, reveals, test drives, technology updates and catching up with everything Toyota. The company invited a huge gaggle of journalists to converge at their Plano, Texas, HQ for seemingly endless deep-dives into what they have going on now and in the future.
Among the excitement was a first look at the company’s revamped electric car, the Toyota bZ (which was formerly called the bZ4x, and we’re glad someone had the good sense to shorten the name). The bZ is still cute and compact but it has more power, a longer range and more premium features. There were a lot of things we really loved, from the self-parking feature to dual wireless phone chargers to a place to put your purse. And, later this year there’ll be a Woodland edition that is even more powerful and has even more cargo space.
In the bZ, as well as everything else we saw, one theme was clear: Toyota is baking “electric” into all they do, from hybrids to plug-in hybrids to pure electric cars. All done in the pragmatic, long-lived, reliability-driven Toyota way.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is All-In on Style, Options and Performance, All Boosted by Electric Power
Recent Test Drive: Check Out the Subaru Forester Hybrid
Not long ago Sara Lacey took the Subaru Forester Hybrid out for a spin, hitting the highways, backroads and forest trails of Northern California. See what she thought of this perennial favorite AWD SUV and it’s updated features and comforts. See Sara’s video here!
Have a lovely and relaxing weekend, and enjoy the ride!
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