Autos
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Infiniti QX60 Monograph Concept First Look: Designed for the Future
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “monograph” is defined as “a written account of a single thing.” In the case of the Infiniti QX60 Monograph concept, it is a designed account of a single thing and, perhaps unsurprisingly, that thing is an SUV. It previews the changes that are coming to Infiniti’s design language that will likely feature on a number of their upcoming models, starting with the brand’s most popular model, the QX60. Originally called the JX35, the current QX60 has been around since the 2013 model year with only minor tweaks since its release. That means a full redesign is overdue, and the Monograph shows where the revised QX60 is headed. Infiniti says the new design is both “elegant and muscular,” a...
2021 Ford Ranger Looks Sharp with New SXT Special Edition Package
Ford says that 75 percent of Ranger customers opt for an appearance package on their trucks, whether it be the Black, Chrome, Sport, or SXT packages. Now, the Blue Oval is giving buyers another option to change up the Ranger’s look. Building off the original STX appearance package, the STX Special Edition package is available on the base 2021 Ford Ranger and gets unique exterior and interior finishes. It also adds a healthy level of standard equipment. The first thing you’ll likely notice is the unique 18-inch black wheels. Inside, the STX Special Edition gets silver accents on the dash and doors. It also adds some much-needed equipment to the XL model, including an 8-inch touchscreen, Sync 3 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, and privacy glass with...
McLaren 765LT Does a Sub 10-Second Quarter Mile, Per the British Automaker
McLaren built the 765LT to be quicker, lighter, and more engaging than the 720S. Now, that promise rings even truer as McLaren has revised some of its performance stats. It turns out the new supercar will be even quicker than expected. Previously, McLaren claimed the 765LT would hit 124 mph in 7.2 seconds. Now, the automaker has shaved that time down to seven seconds flat. The 765LT has also improved its standing quarter-mile time to 9.9 seconds, according to McLaren. See all 33 photos Some metrics haven’t changed. McLaren still estimates the supercar will accelerate to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 mph. Likewise, the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine still delivers 755 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic tra...
Dodge Durango SRT vs. Ford Explorer ST: Battle of the Three-Row Speed Demons
Hot-rod Euro SUVs are great fun and all, but what if you’re looking for three rows and to spend about half the average base price of, say, the super-utes in this recent comparison test? You can rule out smaller two-row European SUVs such as the Audi SQ5, BMW X3 M, or Mercedes-AMG GLC SUV. And among three-row options, Audi’s SQ7 starts at $85,795, BMW’s X7 M50i commands $100,595, and the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 surely won’t be cheaper than the outgoing model, which stickered for $126,150. So you’ll be needing to buy American. May we suggest one of these two Yankee high-po utes, the Dodge Durango 4 SRT 392 or the Ford Explorer ST? See all 36 photos You should know that a Ford Explorer ST with all the boxes ticked just tops $65,000 (from a base of $55,...
California Plans to Ban New Gas, Diesel Cars by 2035
After a few years of maneuvering by climate-change activists and green-minded legislators, Governor Gavin Newsom of California issued an executive order [click the link to view the order as a PDF] on Wednesday directing the state to require that all new vehicles on sale there in 2035 have zero emissions. The California Air Resources Board, which sets the state’s vehicle emissions standards, will actually promulgate the eventual rule that Newsom calls for. This executive order targets private passenger cars and trucks, as well as formulates a requirement that medium- and heavy-duty vehicles reach the same zero-percent target by the later date of 2045. There’s language that allows some flexibility for the proposals due to technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness. It&...
2021 Mercedes-AMG GT First Look: More Power for the Coupe and Roadster
Coming off a refresh for 2020, the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe and Roadster are about to receive even more updates for 2021. Most notably, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine delivers an additional 54 hp for the new model year. A new Stealth Edition model also joins the line. Now with 523 hp, the two-door sports car shaves 0.2 second from its trot to 60 mph, according to Mercedes. That means the GT now reaches the mile-a-minute mark in as little as 3.7 seconds. (For what it’s worth, we pushed a 503-hp 2016 GT S coupe to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. As such, we expect the 2021 car to better Mercedes-AMG’s estimates.) To complement its substantial increase in power, the GT adds several performance items to its standard features list. These include adaptive dampers (known by Mercedes as ...
2021 Volkswagen ID4 Interior Review: High-Tech, not High-End
Volkswagen just officially pulled the silk off of the 2021 ID4, the latest member of an all-electric lineup of cars and SUVs. VW says the new SUV is its first long-range EV that will be sold in the States—the e-Golf was merely a baby step toward electrification. Also unlike the e-Golf, the ID4 will be the first chance U.S. customers will have to experience an entirely new exterior and interior design language from the German automaker. (Europe got a head start with the ID3 hatchback, which won’t be coming here.) If you want all the specs on the ID4, including range and charging info, you can check out our 2021 Volkswagen ID4 First Look here. But earlier this week, MotorTrend got an in-person preview of the ID4 in the metal, and it both impresses and lea...
Sitting Pretty: What’s the Perfect Driving Position?
You’d think that how we sit in cars wouldn’t be a thing to debate about. You get in, move the seat and steering wheel around, and off you go. But what’s the right way to find your perfect driving position? “Before track driving, I adjust everything to what feels a bit too close. The padding compresses and offers good leverage for control, so being a little close works best for me because by the time I get out there, it’s not too close anymore. I lean back a bit, often meaning there’s a gap at my lower back that I fill with a rolled-up towel, and I have some bend at the elbows, because turning the wheel requires extending your arms. I’m relatively close to quickly countersteer if necessary, which is also a bit close for my legs—so I splay them a lit...
2021 Kia Sorento First Look: Taking Inspiration From the Telluride
It’s no secret that we love the Kia Telluride, our 2020 SUV of the Year, and we’re glad that the smaller Sorento will take a page from its playbook and adopt some of its bold design cues. Now, we’re learning specs for the overhauled 2021 Kia Sorento that’s coming to the United States, including details on a new hybrid variant. Like the Telluride, the new Sorento has a boxy, prominent front end, and the expansive new grille makes its mug appear even wider. The headlamps, now integrated into the grille, offer “tiger eye” LED daytime running lights, which signify the “intense impression of the lines around a tiger’s eyes.” By pushing the A-pillar back slightly, Kia gave the Sorento a more windswept design. We ...
2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S First Drive: First-World Remedy
Porsche has given its Panamera lineup a midcycle refresh, tweaking the exterior styling, changing up powertrains, and unlocking the electronic goody bag to add more standard features. We’ve already covered the upgrades in detail, but to quickly recap the major ones: The entry-level Panamera gets the newer Audi-developed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 of the Panamera 4 instead of the old single turbo 3.0-liter engine; Porsche’s own 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 gets 20 more horses in GTS trim and makes 620 horsepower in the new Turbo S model; and the 4S E-Hybrid’s powertrain now makes 552 horsepower and will take the Panamera 33 miles on all-electric power alone thanks to a bigger battery. The 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S replaces the Turbo in the company’s luxury four-do...
2021 BMW M3 First Look: Big Grille, Big Power
Good news, stick-shift enthusiasts: The 2021 BMW M3 comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox. That’s right, the German brand’s iconic sports sedan refuses to give in to peer pressure and nix the row-it-yourself transmission from its features list. In other words, BMW listened to its enthusiast fanbase. Alas, the company opted to ignore the cries of dismay caused by the tall and narrow kidney grilles found on the 2021 4 Series. Rather than limit the large nostrils to the 3 Series sedan’s lower-slung sibling, BMW went right ahead and applied them to the new M3. Is this a sign of what’s to come for the run-of-the-mill 3 Series? We hope not. If the previous M3 is anything to go by, though, it’s likely the latest M3 will serve as the sole 3 Se...
2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line First Look: Nürburgring Sonata
The big-name German performance brands all sell performance in various packages and steps, from BMW’s M Sport or Mercedes-Benz’s AMG packages to full-blown M and Mercedes-AMG models. Hyundai aspires to follow in these footsteps with N models like North America’s Veloster N and Europe’s i30 N at the top of the retail pyramid (factory racing N cars occupy the ultimate peak of the pyramid) and a widening line of N Line models occupying the rung beneath them. First to get the N Line treatment was the Elantra GT N Line, and next up are the Elantra and Sonata sedans. Not too much info has been shared on the full Sonata N Line package, but at a powertrain backgrounder in December 2019, we learned that the heart of this new beast is a turbocharged 2.5-liter “Smartstre...
