We admit the Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 isn’t quite as sleek and sexy-looking as its sibling, the GLA, but when you’re at the controls of the compact sports utility, it immediately ceases to matter. The influx of 300+ horsepower is the biggest reason. Suddenly, you’re not operating a mundane grocery-getter, but instead, you find yourself piloting an agile, goes-where-you-point-it sports sedan that just happens to be almost five and a half feet tall.

The Motor Press Guild’s annual Drive Day gave Host Jack Nerad the chance to reacquaint himself with the joys of the AMG GLB 35 4Matic+, which is the hot rod of the GLB lineup. At $59,050, it not only features an AMG-tuned version of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers 302 horsepower, but also a well-tuned sport suspension that includes a multi-link rear. With giant brakes, 19-inch alloy wheels, and low-profile tires, the mashup proves irresistible. Nerad will tell you more in this episode.

In this week’s other road test, Co-host Chris Teague puts an all-new yet startlingly familiar vehicle to the test. The Mazda CX-70 is brand-spanking-new for the 2025 model year, and we’ll bet you haven’t seen one. But then it bears a remarkable resemblance to another vehicle that is significantly better known. Teague will describe the CX-70’s lineage in much more detail and tell us how he enjoyed driving the plug-in hybrid version of Mazda’s newest nameplate.

This week our special guest is Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. If you are thinking about buying a car this year, Sam can give you a great idea of what you can expect and how you can save some money. So we’re sure you’ll enjoy our discussion.

In this week’s news, both General Motors and Ford reasserted their faith in electric vehicles this past week. At the same time, both automakers have cut their current EV production plans as sales have slowed. We have to wonder whether they are crossing their fingers when they say that they have a firm belief in an electric-vehicle future.

While EVs aren’t selling as well as many had hoped, they are certainly using a lot of electricity. A new study shows how much and where. Of course, the expanded use of electricity has a lot of implications, and we’ll explore them in this episode.

In other news, Tesla hasn’t been able to persuade California to call off its investigation into the way it has marketed its self-driving technology. And Toyota is doubling down on hydrogen despite the fact its Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has not garnered many sales. Both of those stories are worth exploring, too.

America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com