Stef Schrader

Austin

She of the Puffalumps. Eater of Nuclear Tacos. Porsche Cayenne and Zündapp Janus stan. Weird aircooled VW owner. News Editor for https://t.co/mUlnN9R7Up.

Articles

2026 Polestar 4 Starts at $57,800 in All Its Rear-Windowless Wonder

4 days ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

Do you like fastback electric SUVs? Do you hate rear windows? Or do you simply want something a little more unusual than the window-heavy status quo? Good news: The Polestar 4 compact electric SUV is finally on sale in the U.S., albeit with a slightly higher price than initially announced. It starts at $57,800 (all prices include a $1,400 destination fee).
How Does the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan Compare With Other Compact SUVs?

5 days ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

At least the voice controls work reasonably well, although they’re never a true replacement for an intuitive user interface. The Tiguan also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, which works well enough aside from having a brief delay between inputs and responses. It does not change how the climate controls function, however.
Dealerships Are Paying Extra for Trade-Ins Right Now, But Interest Rates Are Rising

5 days ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

As we all brace for the full impact of tariffs to hit car prices, one thing is certain: Vehicles already in the U.S. don’t have to pay any import fees. That’s why shoppers rushed to purchase new cars when they saw tariffs looming, but what happens when that supply of pre-tariff new vehicles runs out? That’s a problem dealerships are hoping to solve in part with additional used inventory. If you have a good trade-in, dealerships are willing to pay more for it to pad out their offerings.
How Much Did Subaru Prices Increase After Tariffs Went Into Effect?

1 week ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

While Subaru manufactures roughly half of its vehicles for the North American market in the United States, it’s still not immune to tariffs either raising the prices of components or being applied to its cars that are imported from other countries. Those extra production costs have to go somewhere, and they’re frequently passed on to the consumer — a phenomenon that we’re already noticing since sweeping automotive tariffs went into effect.
Volkswagen Won’t Raise Its Prices Through End of June

1 week ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

The People’s Car may just be the people’s champ. Despite facing increased costs from tariffs on its imported vehicles, Volkswagen announced that it plans to keep its current prices steady through the end of June. Instead of passing additional costs on to the customer, the brand will simply absorb those extra costs on their end.
Apple CarPlay Ultra Gives Your Car’s Screens That iPhone Look and Feel

2 weeks ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

It’s all beautifully integrated into one system, as drivers can use the car’s physical buttons or onscreen controls as well as Apple’s Siri voice assistant to manage both smartphone apps and native vehicle functions. Using Waze on your phone while listening to a car’s terrestrial radio no longer means having to flip back and forth between two systems. CarPlay Ultra’s widgets can split up the screen’s real estate to show multiple functions alongside each other as well on any screen in the car.
Porsche Charging Service Adds Locations, In-App Payments for ChargePoint Stations

3 weeks ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

Charging an electric vehicle just got a little bit easier for Porsche EV owners. Over 97,000 ChargePoint and ChargePoint partner EV charging stations have now been integrated into the Porsche Charging Service, enabling users to navigate to those stations and pay for their charging from within the My Porsche app without the need to install a separate network-specific app or fumble with other payment methods.
New 2025 Audi A5 and S5 Get Modest Bump in Price

3 weeks ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

Audi released a few midyear updates — call ‘em 2025.5 models, if you must — to its A5 lineup earlier in 2025, and both the A5 and S5 sedans received a slight bump in price ahead of them going on sale in early May. With both cars being produced in Germany, you may wonder if these price increases are due to new tariffs on vehicle imports.
How Much Did Ford and Lincoln Raise Prices After Tariffs Went Into Effect?

3 weeks ago | cars.com | Stef Schrader

Ford announced it would raise prices on its Mexican-assembled models produced from May 2 (all dates 2025 unless otherwise noted) onwards in response to new tariffs instated on automobiles, automotive parts and key vehicle components imported into the U.S. Around the same time, Ford’s luxury brand Lincoln also quietly increased the price on its Chinese-made Nautilus SUV. We break down exactly how much those prices have increased below.
How to Get Your Car Ready For Your Next Road Trip

1 month ago | menshealth.com | Stef Schrader |Alex Leanse

You’ve been stuck in the same dull places for weeks, or maybe months. Your attention keeps drifting away to places you’d rather be, all of which are not here. Maybe the weather is too pleasant to ignore. Maybe you’d like to go somewhere snowy because it never snows at home. There are so many people to see, good roads to drive, places you love and even more places you haven’t explored. Either way, you need to load up your car and hit the highway. It’s road trip time.