Autos
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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...
2022 Toyota Land Cruiser First Look: Forbidden 4×4 Fruit
One of the best-known vehicles in the world is getting a long-awaited replacement with the debut of the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser. Unfortunately for Americans, we won’t be getting it. The new model, known internally and to Land Cruiser enthusiasts as the 300 Series, is a melding of the tried-and-true 200 Series that’s been around since 2007 and the GA-F derivative of Toyota’s newer TNGA platform. Although it’s still a body-on-frame truck-based vehicle, the Land Cruiser’s frame has been redesigned in an effort to reduce weight and increase rigidity. Toyota claims the 2022 Land Cruiser is 441 pounds lighter than the old model, which we weighed at 5,774 pounds in five-seat configuration and 5,874 pounds in standard seven-seat configuration. Toyota claims to have a...
2022 Ford Maverick vs. Hyundai Santa Cruz Specs Comparison: Your Needs Determine the Winner
Ford Maverick Full Overview Compact pickup trucks are back, thanks to a pair of new models from pickup truck first-timer Hyundai and pickup sales king Ford. The 2022 Ford Maverick and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz will launch at the same time and will compete head to head in the marketplace, but their real-world battle is still a few months away. For now, though, we can get a pretty good idea of how they’ll stack up by comparing their vital statistics and specifications. How Big Are These New Compact Pickups? Properly small pickups, known to fans as mini trucks, were big in the last century, but they long fell out of favor as buyers turned to full-size pickups in droves, and more recently to midsize pickups. As those trucks have gotten bigger, interest in smaller trucks—ones the same size ...
Science Goes Out for a Spin on Motor MythBusters!
Ever wonder if that crazy car jump in the latest blockbuster action movie is really possible? Or if a regular human being could propel the Flintstones mobile with nothing but their Chevro-legs? The Motor MythBusters team—Tory Belleci, Faye Hadley, and Bisi Ezerioha—has the same curiosity about all things car and are setting out to debunk (or maybe confirm) all of the urban legends, viral videos, and pop-culture stunts we love—using real science. Sound familiar? It should! Motor MythBusters—coming only to the MotorTrend App, August 4, 2021—picks up where the Discovery Channel classic left off, but tackles each myth with a gearhead-minded focus and a more in-depth look at the process—not only the carnage at the end. They’re still going to blow stuff up, though. MythBusters covered many...
