Autos
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2022 Ford Maverick vs. New and Old Ford Ranger: Spec and Size Check!
But what about the old Ranger? The last holdout among truly small body-on-frame pickups—Tacoma went midsize for 2005, the S-10 bowed out in favor of the larger Colorado for 2004, and the second-generation Frontier also grew for 2004—the compact Ranger held on until 2011. Unlike, say, Nissan, Ford declined to tap its global, midsize Ranger as a replacement, instead gently pushing buyers into low-priced versions of its full-size (and more profitable) F-150 range. Now, ten years later and in a regulatory and consumer environment that is putting pressure on fleet emissions and economy, the compact truck is back. While it’s much, much different than the Ranger, it’s close enough in size to draw some interesting comparisons. How Big Are The Maverick, Ranger, and Old Ranger? At a hair...
The Ford Ranger SVT V-8 Prototype Tested: Smoke Machine With a Bed
Ford Ranger Full Overview On the occasion of the reveal of the 2022 Ford Maverick—the first truly compact pickup truck from the company since the old Ranger was discontinued in 2011—we took a look in our archives and noticed that the 1996 Ford Ranger SVT V-8 prototype is actually out-muscled by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost version of the new Maverick. And the V-8, rear-drive Ranger SVT had a lot of trouble getting its tires to hook up, while we assume the all-wheel-drive EcoBoost-powered Maverick will have significantly less trouble. Either way, it’s worth a look back at a fascinating compact muscle truck that never was, and to consider what the similarly-sized Maverick could bring to the table in terms of performance. Read our original first test from August 199...
So, I Bought a 1994 Dodge Caravan With a Manual Transmission
As the hand struck who-knows o’clock, the online car shopping vortex sucked me in once again. For months I’d been on the hunt, motivated by whimsy as much as need. Instinctually I punched in my search parameters. Image? Has. Color? Green. Transmission? Manual. Price? A Camaro’s convertible top costs more. By that point I was used to miscategorized ads, but this one said “five-speed manual” right up top. The photos confirmed it—a shifter wrapped in a rubber accordion boot stood proud on the floor. Calls were made, dollars were extracted, papers were signed. Next thing I knew, I was cruising home in my 1994 Dodge Caravan minivan. See all 44 photos This is no hoity-toity Grand Caravan, mind you—rather, it is shockingly basic. Five seats and a single sliding door ...
Spec Check: 2022 Ford Maverick vs. 2021 Honda Ridgeline
Considering the compact 2022 Ford Maverick and midsize 2021 Honda Ridgeline pickup trucks are in two different classes, this breakdown of the specifications is not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. What these Ford and Honda trucks share in common, however, are construction methods. Rather than traditional body-on-frame construction, the Maverick and Ridgeline both rest on car-like unibody bones. We already compared the Maverick to Hyundai’s Santa Cruz, and now it’s the Ridgeline’s turn to step into the ring. Ford Maverick vs. Honda Ridgeline: Overall Utility Let’s start with some basic figures. The Ford Maverick is 199.7 inches long and has a 121.1-inch wheelbase; its estimated curb weight is between 3,550 to 3,750 pounds. The Maverick’s versat...
2021 Volkswagen Arteon Big Sur Concept: With Some Vinyl and New Rims, You Can Recreate It
See all 8 photos This green vinyl-wrapped Arteon concept received inspiration from Big Sur, the breathtaking stretch of California coastline along Highway 1. It took just under a month to complete the transformation, and the Arteon is the latest model to join Volkswagen’s 2021 Enthusiast Fleet. The design team began with a 2021 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line in Urano Gray and installed the custom bright green vinyl wrap by taking apart the sedan, including the hatch, doors, and hood. An all-green Golf R that Rotiform presented at the 2019 SEMA Show inspired the choice of color, and from a distance, the perfectly installed vinyl wrap looks like a paint job. Boasting a sleek body and elegant design in its original form, the Arteon’s additional modifications that transform it into the ...
Production-Limited 2022 Chevy Corvette Special Edition Celebrates IMSA Racing Success
Let’s just say the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R race cars did pretty well in the 2020 IMSA series, taking home the Manufacturer’s, Drivers’, and Team titles. To commemorate this, Chevy whipped up a special edition package for the 2022 Corvette Stingray: the 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition, which debuted at Belle Isle in Detroit. It’s not quite the so-called “Stingray R” we thought the pace car at Road Atlanta hinted at, but it has a similar vibe and may be the final version of that idea. And certainly there are broad similarities. See all 11 photos What the 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition’s name gives up in length, it makes up for in relative rarity. Just 1,000 of these specially-equipped C8s will be built, an...
2022 Kia Carnival vs. Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna: Minivan Luxury Liners
Kia Carnival Full Overview From the 1980s through the late ’90s, families and minivans went together like ketchup and French fries. That was certainly the case among my friends’ families, all of whom drove around Mexico City in white Ford Windstars. Our own green Windstar was easier to spot in our school’s pickup/drop-off line, but its sliding door, spacious interior, and carlike ride were no less perfect for our usual carpool of six. Prior to that van, we had a red Windstar and a white Chrysler Voyager, but those ended up being stolen. See, we told you minivans were popular. But the rise of two-box crossovers and SUVs led to the stigmatization of minivans as an unfashionable mom-mobiles despite off-the-charts versatility and convenience. And just like that, these careful...
Mazda’s Dealership Experience Is as Nice as Our 2020 CX-30
Mazda CX-30 Full Overview Our long-term 2020 Mazda CX-30 has been with us for 11 months now, and it has finally called for its first service. That’s less of a commentary on Mazda’s service intervals and more of a reflection of how close to home we’ve stayed in the lost year of 2020. Nevertheless, with our Mazda asking for its first trip to the dealer, we obliged and took care of a couple of recalls while we were at it. Are Mazda Dealerships Nice? Over the past few years, I’ve had long-termers from both mainstream automakers and luxury brands. With Mazda on a march upmarket into the luxury space, I was curious to see what the dealership experience was like—would it be more like a Jeep or Chevy? Or more like an Audi or Mercedes? I was pleasantly surprised to see the M...
Kaido House Has Mastered the Art of Custom Diecast Models
Diecast car collecting has been around for over five decades, but in recent years has seen a pretty significant upswing—and with it a wave of customizers that pride themselves in dissecting and personalizing these 1/64-scale specimens. Meet Jun Imai, an artist, diecast customizing wizard, dedicated car enthusiast with an admitted obsession with Japanese cars of yesteryear, and probably one of the reasons that cool Hot Wheels you snatched off the shelf at your local Target while whispering “yesss!” to yourself even exist. His Kaido House brand has become a source for hardcore diecast collectors to drool over and, when the stars align, actually get their hands on a one-off, entirely scratch-built custom. But for those who can’t, Kaido House has expanded with a line of ...
Next-Gen Audi RS3 Keeps Its 400-HP-Plus Five-Cylinder Engine
There’s good news and then there’s even better news. The first bit is that Audi, like many automotive manufacturers, has committed to a sustainable future. The expansion electrification of their lineup, with the all-electric E-Tron GT and Q4 E-Tron leading the way. The other piece of good news, the one we’re more excited about? Audi feels internal combustion engines aren’t going anywhere in the near future. To that end, Audi appeared to confirm a great engine for a fun car: A new-generation RS3 is coming and it will carry the brand’s iconic five-cylinder engine under its hood. The news didn’t come in so much an out-and-out statement that these two things were coming as a hint from a photo in a recent release. In it, the new A3 family is picture...
2022 Jaguar I-Pace First Look: Setting Jag’s EV Pace
It might not look like much has changed from the outside, and that’s because, well, little has. In fact, the only real revision to the I-Pace’s exterior comes courtesy of a grille surround that’s gone from chrome to a color Jaguar calls “Atlas Grey.” There are also some new wheel designs. too. Otherwise, the I-Pace maintains its sleek proportions and low-slung looks. The interior, too, largely carries over, with the only major change coming in the form of Jaguar’s new (and much improved) Pivi Pro infotainment system. We recently had the chance to fiddle with the new infotainment setup in both the updated XF and the refreshed F-Pace, and we can confirm the system is notably better than the one that came before it. Keeping in line with Jaguar’s recen...
2022 Toyota GR 86 Gets a Taste of Boost Courtesy of Aftermarket Tuner
Welp, that didn’t take long. With the announcement of Toyota’s and Subaru’s second-generation GR 86 and BRZ, it was all but guaranteed the little sports cars would get a number of aftermarket go-fast goods and aesthetic upgrades. And HKS Japan isn’t wasting any time leaving its mark on the model. Last weekend, during the annual “Fuji 86 Style with BRZ” event at Japan’s Fuji Speedway, the high-performance aftermarket tuning company debuted its GR 86 concept. HKS (named after its founders, Hasegawa, Kitagawa, and Sigma), was established in Japan in 1973. With a focus on performance parts that included forward-thinking aftermarket turbocharged applications (one of the very first), bolt-on solutions, and later aero options, the brand has long served as...
