The First Vibe Check Of 2026

It’s an eventful start.

Happy New Year! I’m about three weeks late ringing in another trip around the sun but well, I’ve been busy—as I’m sure you have, too. Yes, you! The delightful reader kind enough to open this email notification.

I’m still here and healthy, I wish the same for you and everyone else short of my most evil and worst enemies. The rest of the world can revel in hatred while I focus on the growth of this blog, so I’ll delegate that energy to public officials and famous names campaigning to make the world a better place.

What hasn’t changed with Sped? Vibe Checks! Because emotional and internet well-being is crucial. If we’re to be distracted by the swathes of digital technology implemented in every aspect of our lives, then we may as well be selective in how we choose to use it. That includes humane blogs that doesn’t carry an ounce of artificial intelligence about it.

Without further ado, let’s embrace the mostly good news to kick off 2026.

1st Shift: Tariffs Be Damned, The Mazda CX-5 Is Still Affordable

Sadly, tariffs are still a hot button topic a year into the new presidency despite being absolutely ripped by resident citizens of this once-great country and our global diplomats.

Fortunately, Mazda’s homegrown CX-5 should remain a popular favorite as its base price has barely increased. After much deliberating as to whether it’s replaced by the domestic-built CX-50, it seems this is here to worm its way into our urban hearts, leaving the CX-50 to cater to the outdoorsy folk.

So it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that they’re priced in a similar ballpark. The 2026 CX-5 starts at just $90 more than the American cousin; $31,485 versus $31,395 for the latter. Although still comparable under the hood, the two are more distinctive in terms of interior layout and overall vibes. Naturally, the redesigned CX-5 brings new tech features that make the CX-50 look somewhat aged. Small things but that’s not why you buy a Mazda.

You buy a Mazda for the Zoom-zoom verve that remains long after the commercial slogan has been retired, the alternative option against the Japanese giants that are Honda and Toyota. Even better, it achieved more than 400,000 annual sales for the second year straight—for the second time ever. Having the momentum of rising popularity as well as the redesigned bestseller coming soon, all signs point positive.

2nd Shift: Kia Is Also Making Great Affordable Cars

In more recent developments, reviews of the Kia K4 Hatchback have hit the internet. Mazda is demolishing company sales records, so is Kia. The Korean maker reached new heights with more than 850,000 vehicles moved for the 2025 calendar year.

Keeping that going is the launch of the five-door variant of the Kia K4, and let me tell you it looks snazzy. That sentiment is almost universally by auto critics that put every incoming new model through its paces. On that front, the K4 Hatchback passes with flying colors.

Combining style with substance, the K4 Hatchback is significantly more roomy than the sedan counterpart, despite lobbing off 11 inches in overall length. Cargo volume improves tremendously whether you fold the rear seats down or not.

Even better, the price difference is negligible, consistently costing a few hundred bucks more across all trims versus the K4 sedan. With interior room rivaling some small SUVs, the Hatchback will be a great buy when it arrives in dealerships in the coming months.

Can’t wait? You can build one now.

3rd Shift: New Forza Horizon Game Promises To Be Gorgeous

To the surprise of many people, especially gamers, Forza Horizon 5 boomed in popularity from the moment it arrived in the PlayStation store last April. Considering it’s ported from the Xbox console and has a legacy going back to the early 2000s, the racing franchise achieved 5 million copies in sales in just 8 months.

An incredible statistic when you realize that it launched for Xbox and PC platforms during the tail end of the pandemic. Although it’s defying age, Playground Games has blessed us with the next installment.

After landing in Colorado, southern Europe, Australia, the UK, and Mexico, Forza Horizon 6 brings the open-world experience to Japan for the first time. Appropriately, Toyota’s upcoming GR GT will grace the cover, accompanied by a handful of modern Japanese icons.

There’s even a teaser:

Let me tell you from experience that the graphics of Forza Horizon is stunning, so I expect the sixth iteration to be no less impressive. In addition, the car selection is massive, broaching several hundred available models—possibly a thousand at this point. The controller mechanics feel naturally linear to the hand and there’s enough races to keep you entertained for days. When competition is done, there are enough side quests by way of challenges to keep playing.

Forza Horizon 6 should be a stonker. The only fly in the ointment is that it releases on May 19 for Xbox and PC, with PlayStation 5 users anticipating an unspecified later date. A small price to pay for what is as close as virtual racing perfection as can be.

Weekend Getaway: It’s Still Cold So Let’s Play Forza Horizon 5

As much of the nation braces for a cold front that could fuck up my best friend’s trip to California, the safest option is to stay indoors. If you feel the hankering for a drive, why not Forza Horizon 5?

Now that it’s accessible on all major consoles (too graphics intense for Nintendo’s Switch), you can build your dream garage and customize cars exactly to your liking.

So go do it. Because life’s short enough not to have fun.

-TA