Autos
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Lifestyle – Autos
2022 Porsche 911 GT3 First Drive: Diminishing Returns, Dynamite Results
Porsche 911 Full Overview “Point of diminishing returns” best defines the new 2022 Porsche 911 GT3. It’s a description Porsche GT chief Andreas “Andy” Preuninger mentioned more than a half-dozen times in reference to the new 911 GT3 during his media briefing about the new car. Why? Emissions regulations constrained the GT3’s engine development, and the 911’s existing suspension architecture limited the model’s grip and handling performance. But where most automakers might say, “good enough,” and continue printing money, Preuninger said he and his team worked within their constraints to somehow once again build one of the best Porsche 911s we’ve ever driven. What Makes the New 911 GT3 Tick? On paper, when comparing the new 99...
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 V-8 First Test: From Moab to L.A. in 4.2 Seconds
Jeep Wrangler Full Overview “Good luck driving that Jeep Wrangler for 13 hours,” my editor told me in a sarcastic tone. Considering the time I’ve spent behind the wheel of the Wrangler Rubicon and its Gladiator pickup truck sibling, I knew what he was referring to. The loud, bouncy Jeep Wrangler is not the most comfortable SUV—and driving from Moab, Utah, to Los Angeles is something not everyone is up for. Well, maybe not everyone at MotorTrend. You see, not only do we get to drive all sorts of cars during the year, we also get to choose the vehicles we’d like to take on a road trip. Most of the time, we pick those that are comfortable, ride nice, and are roomy. And while the Wrangler Rubicon doesn’t really fit that criteria, anything that gets me out of the h...
Cargo Room Is the Biggest Flaw in Our 2021 Toyota Venza
Toyota Venza Full Overview We’ve come to know our 2021 Toyota Venza really well after four months and over 7,000 miles. Not only did we take a two-way cross-country trip in it, the Venza has also been a great family hauler for special family visits. There’s no denying the Venza’s cabin is comfortable and premium, but interior space is not one of its fortes. Whether we look at its cargo or passenger space, the Venza isn’t as roomy as others in its segment or a segment below. This doesn’t mean the Venza has poor interior room, but we’d still like to have a tad more space in our two-row midsize SUV. The Cargo Room Problem More than passenger space, it’s cargo room that’s limited. First, the cargo floor is much higher than in any other SUV in the...
2023 Cadillac Lyriq First Look: Wait, This Electric SUV Isn’t the Concept Car?
How did Cadillac manage to pull the project forward by a full nine months? Testing is ahead of schedule. Reservations for the two-row, five-passenger crossover with the rakish rear window will open in September and production begins at the Spring Hill plant in Tennessee in the first quarter of 2022. Oh, and the attainable pricing rings in below the $71,000 Jaguar I–Pace and the $67,000 Audi E-Tron. Not only is the Lyriq arriving ahead of schedule, but when it arrives it will look strikingly similar to the wild concept car Cadillac showed us last summer, complete with a cool new black-accented face with animated lighting, gigantic wheels, and a massive 33.0-inch curved screen inside. The public can see it in a new advertising campaign that debuts Sunday night during the Oscar awa...
Toyota GR Yaris Arrives in Mexico, Sells Out in Less Than 24 Hours
If you’re banging your head against the wall, don’t worry—you’re not alone. That was exactly our reaction when we found out that the Toyota GR Yaris—the rally-inspired, 257-hp hot hatch—would be sold in Mexico. Our neighbors to the south were so excited for this launch that the 300 units slated for them sold out in less than 24 hours. This side of the border, however, we’re sobbing. The arrival of the GR Yaris was a big announcement by Toyota Mexico, as initially there were no plans for the car to arrive to North America at all. We Yanks have been begging for the GR Yaris to reach our shores, but so far, the answer has been no. Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America, told us last year that, “The U.S. and North America have...
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB First Look: The GLB Goes EV
Mercedes-Benz’s EQ line of electric vehicles continues its rapid expansion with the new EQB small SUV, which the company pulled the wraps off of at the Shanghai Auto Show. While the EQB revealed in Shanghai is built in China for the Chinese market, a global variant of the electric SUV will also be produced at Benz’s plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. While Mercedes is mum on details related to the global-spec EQB, the company plans to ship the electric SUV to the United States in 2022 as a 2023 model year vehicle. The U.S.-spec Mercedes EQB ought to share much of its styling with the Chinese-market model, which wears distinct front and rear fascias relative to the GLB-Class SUV upon which it shares much of its underpinnings, body panels, and interior pieces. See all 22 photos Th...
Honda SUV e:Prototype First Look: The Electric HR-V Cometh
Honda is making some moves to bring more electric vehicles around the world. Using its stage at the Shanghai Auto Show, Honda announced its plans to introduce 10 electric vehicles for China in the next five years, and the Honda SUV e:Prototype is a preview of its first electric SUV to be sold in that country. The e:Prototype (which looks like an electric version of the new, not-for-America HR-V), brings an electric look to Honda’s latest design language. The concept boasts both elegant lines and a futuristic look. We expect its production version to look pretty similar to the concept, though things like the super-slim side mirrors and inner-headlight design will most likely not make it to showrooms. It’s unclear whether this SUV, or any of the 10 EVs slated for China, will...
2022 Hyundai Tucson First Drive Review: Style, Space, and Serenity
Hyundai Tucson Full Overview The all-new 2022 Hyundai Tucson makes finding its central theme impossible: With its polarizing exterior styling, relaxing cabin, and unexpected driving character, this compact SUV embodies contrasts that somehow blend into a pleasantly cohesive whole. And the takeaway from that whole? If you work for Honda or Toyota, you might want to pay serious attention to the new Tucson. It’s Less Shocking in Person We’ll begin with the obvious: the 2022 Tucson‘s exterior styling. With aerodynamic concerns turning most SUVs into look-alike blobs, designers at most automakers use sheetmetal surfacing to manipulate reflections into forming the vehicle’s “lines.” Hyundai has done the opposite with its compact SUV, using sharply creased pane...
2022 Acura MDX SH-AWD A-Spec First Test: Gets the Job Done
Acura MDX Full Overview None of us wants to believe we’d fall for a marketing pitch or an advertising line. We’re all sophisticated, modern consumers who’ve seen it all. We’re jaded, and too smart to be sold, anyway. But there’s a reason you remember commercial jingles years or even decades later. There’s a reason you prefer one brand over the other, even if you can’t really explain why. None of this is by accident; it’s the work of teams of professional marketers with untold budgets saturating the world with carefully crafted messaging based on decades of psychological and behavioral research. It’s also the reason you should keep being jaded and skeptical of the messages you’re bombarded with, because they’re designed to se...
2021 BMW M3 Competition First Test: Facing the Facts
BMW M3 Full Overview Any new BMW M3 is a big deal to the enthusiast car community. Forget for a moment what the car actually is and focus instead on understanding what it represents. The M3 is the souped-up, hot-rodded, better-to-drive version of the traditional Ultimate Driving Machine, the BMW 3 Series. The 3 Series is supposed to be a driver’s car right out of the box; the 3 Series after BMW’s M Division performance gurus have fiddled with it? We’re talking hopes and dreams here, people. While it will never be cheap, this level of M performance should be somewhat attainable. M3s tend to look pretty good, too, going all the way back to the swole-fendered, deep-chinned, bewinged OG E30 version of the 1980s. I don’t think I’ll ruffle too many feathers by sayin...
2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Gets Price That Isn’t Out There
The 2022 Subaru Outback Wildnerness promises to go where only the courageous dare to explore. Aimed at outdoor enthusiasts wanting more out of their wagon, the Outback Wilderness, a trim above Onyx XT, and positioned just below the Limited XT and Touring XT, is set to arrive this spring. It is the most rugged and capable Outback to date. See all 33 photos In Wilderness trim, America’s favorite all-wheel-drive crossover will have a starting price of $38,120 and a whole bunch of sweet new gear. For starters, the Wilderness has a ground clearance of 9.5 inches thanks to a 0.8-inch suspension lift. Further improving stability, it also gets tuned shocks and springs, which do not compromise ride quality on regular roads. Additional standard equipment includes 17-inch wheels in w...
2022 BMW M3 and M4 Competition xDrive AWD First Look: x(Drive) Marks the M Spot
See all 58 photos In other words, this means these AWD additions offer a mighty 503-hp from the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter I-6 that resides under each models’ hood. It also means an eight-speed automatic serves as the sole gearbox on offer. Want to row your own gears? Then you’ll have to forgo all-wheel-drive and stick with the 473-hp engine that powers run-of-the-mill (non-Competition) iterations of the 2021 M3 and M4. BMW, however, fits both the M3 Competition and M4 Competition with a set of paddle shifters in order to afford some control of the self-shifting transmission. Opting for all-wheel-drive noticeably improves these two BMWs’ straight-line performance, too. Whereas the rear-drive M3 Competition and M4 Competition need a manufacturer-estimated 3.8 seconds...
