IMPA’S 2025 SPRING BRAKE – GATHERING OF THE FAITHFUL

IMPA’S 2025 SPRING BRAKE

GATHERING OF THE FAITHFUL

Tannersville, PA – If headed to the Camelback Resort (or to be more precise, this Camelback Resort) don’t book airfare to Phoenix. Instead, from Northern Virginia drive through Maryland to Pennsylvania’s Poconos. And if anxious to get there, stop for lunch at McDonald’s and take a midafternoon break at Starbuck’s – but don’t, forgawdsake, take the Yuengling Brewery tour. 

Annually, New York’s International Motor Press Association hosts its Spring Brake, a chance for its members to drive many new models currently on showrooms. Back in the day – somewhere between the breakup of ABBA and the torturing of our democracy – IMPA’s Spring Brake (and similar initiatives by other associations catering to automotive media) was a big deal, and while IMPA wouldn’t corral all of the OEMs into its gathering, it’d secure the majority of OEMs. Citing tight budgets (or no budgets) and staffs stretched thin, in recent years it’s been fewer vehicles and fewer staff; at one time it was PR people and brand specialists; today it may be no one with the cars and SUVs but fleet vendors. 

With that as context, I’ll add this: It rained. It rained on the trip up (from the DC area), it rained hard during the Wednesday breakfast, and while rain was reduced to a drizzle that morning, it returned to a hard rain after lunch. That, of course, dampened our enthusiasm – and we headed home before 2:00.

In our four-or-so hours behind the wheel (I partnered with Automotive News contributor Jack Ferry), we had the opportunity to spend a short time with a handful of newsworthy vehicles. The highlights:

HONDA CIVIC HYBRID – With all of the compelling reasons to buy a Civic (there are many reasons, all compelling), the addition of a hybrid powertrain to its list of virtues makes the 4-door hatch a proverbial slam dunk. 

With a 2.0 liter gas engine supplemented by two electric motors, the Civic Hybrid puts 200 horsepower to the ground, and gets an estimated 48 miles per gallon from the EPA. Acceleration is seamless, the platform delivers an upscale feel, and you can buy all this goodness for around $31K in Sport trim. 

ACURA INTEGRA A-SPEC – While still near the Honda tent, Jack and I grabbed Acura’s Integra in A-Spec trim, equipped – are you ready? – with a manual trans. Built on the same platform as a Civic, your $10K (or so) of additional outlay gets you a more upscale look, the same utility of a 4-door hatch, and the higher level of driving involvement with a manual trans and (notably) absent a CVT. At $40K there are any number of sport sedans wanting to grab your dollar, but few would provide the number of attributes available in the Integra A-Spec.

GENESIS GV70 – Genesis, still a relative newcomer on the near-luxury scene, gave its GV70 crossover a refresh for 2026. Having missed its press launch (actually, I missed the invitation…), this was my first chance to ses and drive it. The competent platform and dynamic sheetmetal are still there, enhanced by small changes and – thankfully – not ruined by any big changes.

MINI COUNTRYMAN ALL4 – A preview of the all-new Countryman was hosted by MINI dealers some months ago. And in those initial impressions I thought this thing was too ‘maxi’ to be a Mini. But that was then, and I’ll have to admit: for those wanting utility for their family and/or activities, a bigger Mini is a better Mini. And if they keep the expectant fun in a Mini platform, I’ll be raising my hand. From its flat cornering, connected steering and audible soundtrack, this new Countryman hit all the right notes. And while its $40K-plus window ain’t cheap, you can spend far more while getting significantly less. If in the market for a compact crossover, the new Countryman would be on my short list.

MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS – It was John Cooper’s team that made the very pedestrian Austin Mini into the track-ready Mini Cooper; much later, BMW imbued the subcompact with more performance and a performance personality. That combo is on maximum display with today’s John Cooper Works Mini, available in both 2-door coupe and convertible. With the rain we appreciated the tightness of the coupe, and with 228 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque we would have also appreciated dry roads. Having a balanced chassis embellished with lightning reflexes, the JCW Mini strikes me as a performance bargain. 

BMW 2 SERIES GRAN COUPE – While near the BMW tent Jack and I decided to grab a BMW; the one available was BMW’s 2 Series Gran Coupe. From my cynical perspective, entry-level luxury is – at best – an oxymoron, but will admit that BMW’s most recent iteration of the 2 Series delivers an attractive menu. Within our limited time it felt responsive, balanced while providing reasonable accommodation. I’m not sure it would be on my shopping list, but seems an increasingly credible access point to a BMW showroom.

FORD EXPLORER – Having recently driven a high-end ST variant of Ford’s Explorer, a chance to drive a Platinum trim equipped with 2.3 liters of EcoBoost four – priced closer to $50K than the ST’s $60K – seemed like a good bet. The size and utility of the Explorer continue to impress, while the 2.3 liter turbocharged four provides more-than-adequate performance, along with a modicum of efficiency. A hybrid drivetrain would be even better; you gotta’ think a more efficient powertrain is coming.

ALFA ROMEO TONALE – Introduced to the American market as a plug-in hybrid, Alfa’s compact crossover receives a refresh in the form of a conventional 2.0 liter turbocharged four. The all-electric mobility of the plug-in isn’t here, but the price point is reduced and, with less curb weight, the connection to the road is enhanced. Beneath its attractive sheetmetal is a wheel/tire combination that looks woefully undersized, and with plenty of Stelvios available at a deep discount, Alfa’s larger crossover seems like the better play. The new Tonale offers more than it did (at a significantly lower price point), but perhaps not as much as it should.