Tom Swiatek

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Tom Swiatek

Car reviews and test drives from a perspective of a guy who lived in Europe for a while.

You'll find new vehicle reviews, as well as POV test drives during the day and night on my channel.

17/06/2026

2026 Subaru Uncharted is actually a pretty decent EV. Just needs a better range.

15/06/2026

Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 - Review

I’ve never been a huge Mercedes guy, but there is one model in their lineup that I’ve always had a sweet spot for. You guessed it - it’s the SL.

This flagship convertible has been an icon for decades, offering powerful engines, high levels of comfort combined with good driving dynamics, and an undeniable presence.

When Mercedes developed the current generation SL, they took a different approach than before, focusing more on the performance and less on the luxury aspect.

Apparently not everyone liked it. Word on the street is that loyal customers, especially those from a higher tax bracket, wanted a comfy, sumptuous roadster. Preferably, with a Maybach badge.

Therefore, Mercedes (or rather, Maybach) delivered.

To create the SL 680, they took the SL 63 AMG and “Maybached” it to the max. Softer, more compliant suspension, extra sound deadening, and a retuned powertrain.

We can’t forget about all extra chrome, extended color palette, and… questionable monograms on almost every single element.

Whether you like it or not, this thing screams money and catches people’s attention. I mean, that’s why you’re spending over $225k, right?

While the appearance and the “wow” factor are important, so is driving. And you do feel special behind the wheel, especially in the dedicated “Maybach” drive mode.

The car becomes very floaty, the throttle has a pleasant resistance to it, and the multi-clutch transmission seamlessly juggles through gears.
I will say though - the ride can get busy on broken pavement, so if you expect a comfort of an S-Class, I’m sorry to break it to you - this is still a GT.

While you won’t be able to attack corners the way you can in an SL 63, it exceeded my expectations. For occasional spirited driving, the Maybach is pretty engaging and more than fine.

Overall, it’s a niche roadster targeted mostly towards the brand’s loyal customers. In my eyes, it would make more sense to have a bigger, more comfort-oriented convertible - like an A217 S-Class.

Then, the Maybach variant would be justified. For now, I’m sticking to the SL 63 AMG.

12/06/2026

Chevrolet Blazer EV SS is the quickest electric car in Chevy’s lineup.

It has 615 hp and does 0-60 in a little over 3 seconds.

10/06/2026

The Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss is a true boss - 725 hp and 9,000 lbs of weight.

08/06/2026

2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS - review

I spent a few days with a Chevy Blazer EV SS - the quickest and most capable EV in Chevrolet’s lineup.

I can’t say I’m impressed, but it’s cool to see a somewhat engaging to drive, fully electric mid-size crossover.

Let’s talk numbers first. 615 hp, 650 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 in a little over 3 seconds. Using launch control pushes you in the seat, and should at least put a smile on your face.

The handling is decent. With traction and stability control in “competitive mode”, you can get this thing to rotate and slide a bit.

You obviously feel the 5,700 lbs of weight, but high levels of grip, great torque distribution, and well tuned chassis mask it to an extent.

While the suspension feels a bit stiffer compared to non-performance variants, it’s still compliant and not overwhelming. Great powertrain calibration, cabin isolation, and practicality.

With a 102 kWh battery on board, you can easily get 300 miles of range on full charge. That’s a reasonable number, even if you plan on taking longer road trips.

Using Level 2 box gives you 20-30 of range per hour, with DC fast charging you’re looking at 80 miles of range in 10 minutes.

Overall, it’s a cool EV with a little bit of kick to it. To be honest though, I’d skip the SS variant and get an LT model with couple of options checked. For less than $50k, it’ll be a better “value” proposition.

05/06/2026

Subaru Uncharted GT has 2 electric motors, making a a total of 338 hp.

0-60 mph takes around 5 seconds.

03/06/2026

Hot take: the 550e is a better daily than the M5.

01/06/2026

2026 Subaru Uncharted - review

Subaru has been aggressively expending their EV portfolio over the past couple of years. They started with the Solterra, which was a re-badged Toyota BZ4x, and keep on benefiting from the partnership with Toyota. As of today, Subaru’s EV lineup consists of 4 products, including our hero - the Uncharted.

You can look at it as an electric equivalent of the Crosstrek - a subcompact crossover. As an EV, its more powerful though. We start with a 221 hp FWD model, which can do up to 308 miles on full battery.

Then, there is 338 hp AWD variant which offers 287 miles of range in Sport trim, or 273 miles in the tested GT. Pricing varies from $35k to $45k, so it’s significantly more compared to the Crosstrek.

After a few days behind the wheel, my impressions are quite positive. While there is nothing that differentiates the Uncharted from other electric subcompacts, it rides exceptionally well. I kid you not - from a comfort perspective it feels like an entry level luxury product.

The suspension has great compression and rebound, well managing 4,500 lbs of weight. Handling-wise it’s nothing crazy, but somewhat compact dimensions make it nimble and pretty fun to drive.

With 2 electric motors (one on each axle) and 338 hp, this thing is quick. 0-60 takes less than 5 seconds, and typically for an EV we get hit with lots of torque. The powertrain is nicely calibrated, although some wish we had a full-blown one pedal drive. Instead we have to manually adjust the amount of regen braking using paddle shifters.

The only thing that requires improvement is energy management. Realistically, we can do 240-250 miles on full charge - using climate control cuts down the range by 20 miles. While getting from 10% to 80% takes about 30 minutes, in this day and age I’d like to be able to do at least 300 miles with the climate on.

Once Subaru/Toyota fix that, this is going to be an interesting proposition for people who need a simple method of transportation. Great design, high levels of comfort, and decent usability. I haven’t been frustrated once driving this thing, which is not so obvious in 2026.

29/05/2026

The BMW 550e is a plug-in hybrid with 483 hp.

It uses a 3.0L turbo inline-6 and an electric motor. 0-60 takes around 4 seconds.

27/05/2026

Honestly, the Buick Enclave is pretty good. If it wasn’t for the engine…

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