#MAMA25SR: The Good Media Event (Part 1)

Twelve years ago, I experienced my first Midwest Automotive Media Association’s annual Spring Rally. It was an overwhelming experience, to be honest. Yet, I learned so much that first year to gain further insight on what to expect from the automotive industry today and in the future.

To explain, the MAMA Spring Rally provides its members an opportunity to experience vehicles in several environments that one may not experience regularly. They also have the opportunity to network with the manufacturers and industry people to get some background and context on currents in the business. 

George and I returned for the third year in-a-row to Elkhart Lake and Road America. It was driven by not only fulfilling our membership. But, to continue our work towards creating better content with vehicles that we may or may not get to drive. Then again, never say never…

Personally, it felt like a return. Another round of surgeries prevented me from going to the Chicago Auto Show back in February. I was still not 100%, but good enough to get to Elkhart Lake and get down to work. 

One thing that we love seeing at the MAMA Spring Rally is news. In fact, we had couple of significant vehicles that made their way to Road America. 

First, we had a chance to take a look at the Scout electric SUV. As you know, Scout is the rebirth of the old International Harvester SUV that was built until 1980. Facilitated by Volkswagen Group, the new electric SUV will be built in South Carolina.

The team at Scout showed us a Traveler SUV concept, a four-door that has taken its look from the last Scout II. In person, it looked great. Simply put, this is a modernization of the previous version. We should see one in production in a year or more. 

The other surprise came from Stellantis, as they rolled out a 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack Track Package 4-door. This body style joins the two-door hatchback in the lineup. The four-door looks better. The Charger itself drove with authority. The way it handed the nearby twisty roads truly won us over. 

The fact that Stellantis is delivering on the four-door Charger shows its commitment to fulfilling its promises. In order to do so, they must be committed to making sure that the Charger is indeed the anchor of the Dodge brand. Hopefully, the EV models will be joined by internal combustion engines – namely the Hurricane twin-turbo six and the HEMI V8. Soon enough, we hope. Yet, they are having serious issues selling what Charger Daytona EVs they have on the lot or in transit. 

It brings up an issue that is at front of the mind recently, We arrived at Elkhart Lake with an air of confusion in the automotive industry. Being with our fellow professional provided a temporary relief from the news – between corporate DEI rollbacks and calculating tariffs onto the Moroney. 

Which is why we have to remind ourselves that the MAMA Spring Rally is about coming together as a professional organization to learn more about what’s out there in the marketplace.

Before we dive further into the deep end at the Osthoff’s pool, we should discuss the vehicles we drove. After all, we came to Elkhart Lake and Road America for the driving experiences. They did range from awesome – as mentioned on the 2026 Charger Daytona Scat Pack – to “meh.” On the first day, we were challenged with wet conditions and constant rainfall. It made for some interesting challenges everywhere we went with these vehicles. 

I wanted to try the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox for some time. They provided us with an Activ model, replete with 17-inch rugged-looking alloy wheels shod with all terrain tires. This is Chevrolet’s answer to the ruggedized SUV trend. However, the Equinox is selling quite well to both retail and fleet customers. 

Does it translate to something like this Equinox? Looks-wise, perhaps. It’s an OK vehicle to drive. Especially with its 175-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Ride quality and wet grip were fine. It is not exactly exciting and playful, to be honest. Even for under $40,000. 

General Motors have been bullish on their Ultium battery-electric vehicle architecture. Which is why I was drawn to the 2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali. It shares the same cab-and-bed singular body as the Chevrolet Silverado EV with all of the luxury expected with the Denali name. It seats five comfortably in a very large cabin with an integrated bed. A MultiPro Midgate is available to extend the bed area to almost 11 feet.

Its two-motor powertrain has up to 760 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. These motors are fed by the Max Range battery. That should deliver up to 460 miles. I did not have the time to calculate actual range. This is a massive pickup truck that feels and ride big. It is quite poised with a solid feeling all around. It is also big in another way – the price. This tester came to just over $102,000.

On the Ultium front, I took out the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS for a run. It arrived with a mean look in black with its big 22-inch wheels and performance tires. The Adrenaline Red on the Evotex faux leather seats are very bright and worth a conversation upon looking at it. The seats were solid. 

All Blazer EV SS models run a dual-motor set-up with 615 horsepower and 650 pound0feet of torque. That translates into massive thrust giving it quick acceleration. The ride could be adjusted, but it was pretty firm. It is quite the package for over $64,000.

Another vehicle I was curious about was the 2025 Nissan Murano. They had a Platinum model that offered everything you could dream of in a premium two-row SUV. The redesign was compelling, if not interesting to look at. Then again, Muranos were made to stand out in a crowd. 

Powered by the 241-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged Variable Combustion engine, the Murano was trying to balance the weight with the powertrain. The nine-speed automatic transmission was the plus part of this equation. Ride and handling were fine. Maybe I was expecting something more premium to match its $51,000-plus price tag. 

Yet, I was very impressed with the 2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X. The newest version of its largest SUV, this was packed full of promise, including off-road prowess. Unfortunately, this was deemed too large for any of the muddy courses at Road America, but it made up for its on-road experience. On the plus side, the front seats were extremely comfortable.

One thing about the Armada is its 425-horsepower 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6. It packed quite the power it needed to bring up to seven human beings along for the ride. The cabin is large up front, although a wide center console and a somewhat confusing set of controls brought some concern while driving this big SUV. 

Back to electric vehicles, I got a chance to drive the amazing 2025 Lucid Air Pure. Amazing is right. Even with an available 20-inch Aero Lite wheel/tire set. It is a sedan, so hitting my head happened. On the plus side, the trunk is absolutely spacious, swallowing up my rollator perfectly with space to spare.

What I appreciate is the high level of luxury and engagement the cockpit yields. Even the screen that is on the lower center stack. The seats are perfectly formed. With 430 horsepower on tap for the single motor Air Pure, it simply gets up and goes. Performance is amazing overall. The ride quality is solid, and the handling is poised through the curves. All for a sum of over $75,000. 

George got into a few vehicles, as well. He took the 2025 Volkswagen Golf R on the track, the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2025 Lucid Air Touring, 2025 Subaru WRX tS in the nearby countryside, and the 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road on a muddy course. 

We both enjoyed some autocrossing on the karting course. The lineup was an interesting mix of small hatchbacks, performance SUVs, a lowered pickup truck, and a couple of electric vehicles. 

On our next podcast, we will dive into our favorite vehicles and experiences from the MAMA Spring Rally. You may want to stay tuned for that through your favorite podcast app or on our YouTube channel. That, along with more written and video content from this event.

DISCLAIMER: All travel was by Victory & Reseda and through vehicles supplied by Toyota Motor North America. All logistics were provided by the Midwest Automotive Media Association, the Chicago Automotive Trade Association and their sponsors

All photos by Randy Stern and George Torline