Autos
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Lifestyle – Autos
2021 Genesis GV80 First Test Review: Cool, Not Hot
The SUV market has been red-hot for the better part of a decade, so plenty of confused-cat emojis ensued when Genesis pushed its nascent brand by launching a trio of sedans. Y NO SUV, guys? Well, the wait is over. The Korean luxury marque, the premium offshoot of Hyundai Motor Co., finally has put a crossover on the market. Although the 2021 Genesis GV80 has all the touches one would expect from a luxury brand vehicle and will likely serve many upscale families well with its lavish interior, it may leave those looking for an enthusiast feel behind the wheel or a proper luxury vehicle ride wanting. On paper, the GV80 looks ready for action. Like most midsize luxury SUVs such as the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE-Class, and Lincoln Nautilus, the GV80 provides a choice of two powertrains: a 300-hp, 311...
This Wild Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Build Is Just MAD About Living Up to Bronco Name
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport might not be the full-blown Bronco of your dreams, but it is an affordable way to get into something with surprising off-road chops and that iconic Bronco badge. That doesn’t mean, however, that with a little imagination the baby Bronco Sport can’t be turned into something even more capable and totally badass. Cue the MAD Bronco Sport Badlands—a concept designed to show what the smallest Bronco can really do. <!– –> Originally intended for the 2020 SEMA show in Las Vegas, which was cancelled thanks to the ongoing pandemic, Ford debuted the concept at what it called “Ford Auto Nights” in the tuner show’s stead. The digital auto show has already debuted a number of sweet concepts such as the Bronco Badlands Sasquatch ...
2021 Ford Ranger Tremor SEMA Show Truck Ready to Shake Up Some Adventure
The pandemic has cancelled just about every big event in 2020, including the annual automotive spectacle that is the SEMA Show. In normal times, SEMA would already be behind us by now. But this year the world’s largest automotive aftermarket show is going virtual, and once again Ford is rolling deep with its modified vehicle debuts. Revealed online alongside a Mustang Mach-E drift car, overland-prepped Bronco Sport, two-door Bronco built for the dunes, and others, this custom 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor makes us want to escape the confines of our home offices and enjoy the great outdoors. The truck began life as a 2021 Ford Ranger XLT Tremor SuperCrew and was transformed by Ford’s vehicle personalization team into the wilderness-ready vehicle you see here. The build mostly uses parts available...
What Exactly Defines Cars and SUVs These Days? Marketing Spin and a Regulatory Morass
Quick, look at the picture above. Which of these Volvos is a car, and which is the truck? The Volvo on the left is the V60 Polestar, a fizzing family hauler with 415 hp and 494 lb-ft coursing through its 2.0-liter turbo-four engine and e-motors. It has 5.4 inches of ground clearance and gets 28/33 mpg city/highway fuel economy (70/68 mpg-e on gas and electricity). The Volvo on the right is a (discontinued) XC70 AWD, a refined trundler generating 235 hp and 236 lb-ft through a 3.2-liter inline-six engine. It has 8.3 inches of ground clearance and fuel economy of 18/25 mpg city/highway. On initial inspection, they’re both wagons based on passenger-car platforms. And they sure look like the same type of vehicle, right? Wrong. The V60 Polestar is a station wagon, which means it is classified a...
Micro Changes in Tinytown: 2021 Nissan Micra Loses Diesel, Gains Trims
The Nissan Micra is an interesting, tiny little thing that in an alternate universe (maybe a late-2010s gas crunch?) might have made it to American shores as a gas-saving, subcompact commuter car. After all, it’s loaded with more character than a Versa, and our close Canadian neighbors had been able to buy Micras from their introduction in the early 1980s right up until this year, when it was finally discontinued. And in Mexico, the previous-generation Micra is still available as the Nissan March. But over in Europe, the Micra is still going strong, and it’s been updated for the 2021 model year. The biggest news for the refreshed model—it was all-new in 2017, looking a bit like a tinier Nissan Leaf—is a change in powertrains. A new 1.0-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine is now...
Updated Jeep Compass Debuts in China, Likely Points to U.S. Changes
Jeep’s taken the wraps off of a refreshed Compass in China, and we suspect the updates shown on the off-road-oriented brand’s small crossover will find their way to the U.S.-spec model for the 2022 or 2023 model year. Changes to the exterior of the Compass appear minor, with a new front fascia, reworked grille, and mildly revised headlight bezels replete with LED lighting, adding a hint of additional aggression to the Jeep’s mug. More significant updates appear within the crossover’s cabin. A revised dashboard emphasizes the interior’s width and welcomes a massive infotainment screen and digital gauge cluster, one of which measures in at 10.3 inches and the other at 10.1—we presume both are optionally available and a smaller infotainment screen and analog gauges are standard kit. As in ot...
GM’s Diesel Full-Size SUVs’ Combined MPG Better That of the Much Smaller Infiniti Q60 Coupe’s
We already knew the next generation of full-size SUVs from General Motors—including the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade—are due to offer a diesel engine option. Now, though, we know just how efficient this powertrain makes the big three-row SUVs—or at least two-wheel-drive iterations. The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe diesel leads the lineup with a rating of 24 mpg in combined city and highway driving. It’s much more frugal than the gas Tahoe, which tops out at 18 mpg. The beefier 2021 Chevrolet Suburban diesel gets 23 mpg, a sum that bests the gas model’s rating by 5 mpg. For reference, the EPA rates the 2021 Infiniti Q60 sports coupe at 22 mpg combined—regardless of its six-cylinder engine’s state of tune. Similarly, the diesel-powered GMC Yu...
Get MotorTrend’s Biggest Deal of the Year!
Holiday shopping can be tough, but it just got a little bit easier with MotorTrend’s biggest deal of the year, the Hooptie Holiday Bundle! For just $2 per month—get the holiday bundle today!—you can give that special gearhead in your life the gift of more than 3,600 hours of the best automotive entertainment in the world, including MotorTrend’s all-new holiday special, the Holiday Hooptie Challenge. And to sweeten the deal, there’s even more… MotorTrend and HOT ROD Digital Magazines Also included are 1-year subscriptions to MotorTrend and HOT ROD digital magazines! MotorTrend magazine, started in 1949, features award-winning journalists and photographers who evaluate the coolest new vehicles and detail the latest in automotive trends. Simply put, MotorTrend is the preeminent source for new...
2021 Range Rover Velar First Look: Velar-ian Steal
We spent a year enjoying the Land Rover Range Rover Velar’s potent engine, surprisingly good reliability, and eye-catching looks. We also adored the luxurious interior, with the notable exception of its glitchy infotainment system. Interior tech is one area that Land Rover promises to improve upon with its latest update to the Velar, which includes an improved multimedia system and new mild-hybrid powertrains, among other updates, for the 2021 model year. Velar customers are able to choose three engine options. The first one—a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 247 hp—carries over from last year. Then there are two new 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder “mild-hybrid” options: one with 335 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque and the other delivering 395 hp and 405 lb-ft of twist. Both ...
2021 Chrysler Pacifica AWD First Test Review: An SUV Disguised as a Minivan?
Here is a secret Chrysler won’t tell you: For 2021, it’s added an SUV to its tiny lineup—sort of. The brand’s last SUV was the unloved Aspen, which briefly lumbered around circa 2007. And so, after a long hiatus, a high-riding, three-row, all-wheel-drive-equipped family hauler returns to the Chrysler range. It’s called the Pacifica. OK, obviously the Pacifica is first and foremost a minivan. But for 2021, a new all-wheel-drive (AWD) system becomes available, intended to make the updated Pacifica more competitive against today’s crop of three-row SUVs, which have taken over in America’s hive mind as go-to family haulers, despite minivans’ superior packaging and flexibility. In any case, an AWD-equipped Pacifica could the van an ideal, um, crossover for drivers who seek SUV capab...
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Interior Review
Forget Get Shorty’s dust-buster Olds Silhouette, this 2021 Chrysler Pacifica interior makes it “the Cadillac of Minivans.” That’s our assessment after recently crawling all over a pair of upper-trim Pacificas. In fact, its diamond-stitched upholstery might qualify the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle for consideration as the Bentley of minivans. Here’s our assessment of the midcycle-refreshed sixth generation of Earth’s most popular minivan. (At 15 million and counting, maybe it’s actually the Toyota Corolla of minivans.) <!– –> Color Us Impressed Sure, you can get an all-black interior if you’re into the Dieter/Schprockets aesthetic, but in these dour times, a splash of color really heightens one’s mood, so most Pacificas get some contrast color. Our favorite hue is Rodèo...
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vs. 2021 Toyota Sienna: Hybrids Move the Masses
Before the current millennium started, minivans were America’s must-have family vehicles. For nearly two decades their versatility, interior space, and comfort features attracted families. But the arrival of boxy three-row crossover SUVs—with their unibody platforms, appealing designs, and all-wheel-drive capability—replaced minivans little by little. In the last 15 years or so, about a dozen minivan nameplates hit the guillotine, and during that time more than 10 three-row SUVs hit the marketplace. But minivans are not completely dead—Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Kia continue to invest in the segment, launching new models that are keeping families comfortable, entertained, and safe. The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and 2021 Toyota Sienna are currently the only two gasoline-electric...
