Autos
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Some Ford Mustang Mach-Es Are Bricking Despite Full Charge
When you keep your EV plugged in, you expect it to be ready to go when it is charged, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case for some owners whose Ford Mustang Mach-Es were built on or before February 3, 2021. As reported by The Verge, the Mach-E’s software does not allow the SUV’s onboard 12-volt battery to be charged while the bigger, primary drive battery pack is being charged. Wait, huh? Yep—even some EVs have onboard 12-volt batteries for starting and powering accessories when the car is off, just like conventional internal-combustion vehicles do. This means there is a remote possibility that, if that 12-volt battery dies, an electric vehicle cannot be started—again, just like a gas-fed automobile—because that smaller battery handles the circuitry for powering the vehi...
Bucking the Blue Oval: Standalone Ford Bronco Stores Are Likely Coming
With the pandemic, various delays, and waiting lists, it’s a little hard to imagine what a “normal” dealership experience might be like for customers of the Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport. Automotive News reports that these SUVs’ buyers might be in for a different sort of consumer experience once the pandemic passes. Ford dealers are already working to set the Bronco siblings apart, literally, from other Ford models with standalone retail stores. And Ford itself is keen on the idea, generating renderings at dealers’ request. The aesthetic can best be described as “outdoor clothing retailer”. This is certainly no accident, and the spaces appear to include raw-looking materials such as wood and concrete. According to a statement pro...
2022 Lexus ES Sedan Getting a Refresh, Will Debut in Shanghai
Lexus is teasing the upcoming 2022 Lexus ES, one of the company’s dwindling luxury sedan offerings with the recent death of the GS. And it’s right on the heels of the introduction of the 2021 Lexus ES250 AWD, which introduced all-wheel-drive to the heretofore front-drive model range—part of a glut of AWD sedans trying to stay relevant in an SUV-frenzied market. The good news is that the 2022 ES will largely resemble its highly attractive 2021 variant—the teaser shows that the rear end is essentially unchanged, while the front will get lightly restyled headlights—but that’s also the bad news. This isn’t going to be a heavy refresh. If you like the 2021 ES, that’s perfectly fine. It’s a bargain compared to its flashier competitors, such as the Genesis G80 ...
Hold the Tip: Meet Domino’s Autonomous Pizza Delivery Robot
Ever feel like the pizza delivery person is judging your life choices? “Two large pies—is anyone else home?” Or, “Really? A $2 tip?” Maybe you just don’t like interacting with other people, hence the pizza delivery order in the first place. Rather than dealing with a restaurant’s worth of potential interactions, you’ll work up the courage for a single meeting with a delivery driver. Has Domino’s Pizza got the solution for you: A pizza delivery robot. Yes, the robots have come for your pizza delivery jobs, but before you rise up with pitchforks raised, put down that lighter and the molotov cocktail and, instead, relax. The R2, the self-driving pizza bot made by Nuro, is only being pressed into service in Houston, Texas. For now, at least. Keep...
Want to Add Built-In Nav to Your Used GM Vehicle? There’s an App for That
For those who duct tape their phones to the dash to use an app for navigation directions (or plop their phones in the cupholder) because their vehicle does not have a built-in navigation system, General Motors is offering a better solution. Starting April 30, GM will roll out a new app called Maps+ for about 900,000 customers with vehicles purchased in the last few years that could use a navigational upgrade. Maps+ incorporates navigation with apps like Marketplace and personal assistant Alexa to offer a more cohesive experience where drivers have a host of connected services at their fingertips. They can plan their day by finding the stores or destinations they want, get the directions, know the speed limit at any point in the journey and other pertinent information like finding gas stati...
This Bentley Continental GT From Hell Will Race to the Heavens at Pikes Peak
Did you know that Bentley has already claimed the Production SUV and Production Car records at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb? If not, consider the knowledge dropped. Now that you’re up to speed, here’s the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, a modified Continental GT3 racer that burns biofuel and looks like a grand tourer straight out of hell. The non-Pikes Peak Continental GT3 isn’t nearly as swole, as it packs less fender, less aero, and more greenhouse gas emissions. No, it’s not a hybrid, but as Bentley pivots slowly toward more environmentally responsible powertrains, it made the decision to power this racer with biofuel. A blend hasn’t been finalized yet, nor are the fuel’s total claimed greenhouse gas reductions finalized, but it’s...
2022 Hyundai Kona N Forgoes Stick Shift for Trick Dual-Clutch Gearbox
We’ll let you decide for yourselves if Biermann has anything to do with Hyundai’s recently announced decision to include a wet-style DCT in the upcoming Kona N. We’re not ashamed of the fact we thoroughly enjoy the standard Kona, which benefits from a raft of updates for 2021, including the addition of an N Line model. That trim will soon be joined by the high-performance Kona N, which is due to feature model-specific styling, inside and out. A more aggressive face, twin exhausts, a reworked rear bumper, a new decklid spoiler, and bigger wheels have already been teased. The wet-style DCT in the Kona N uses two electric oil pumps to reduce friction between cogs. The setup also helps cool the transmission. The result is that more power can be transferred from the engin...
Fifty Years of R107: Mercedes’ Third-Gen SL Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary
Few vehicles evoke a lineage of refined luxury like the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. The SL can trace its roots back to the groundbreaking 300SL that Mercedes sent racing—with success—in the 1950s. Fast and beautiful, the original SL was a technical triumph, with direct fuel injection and a space frame that necessitated those iconic “gullwing” top-hinged doors. A less overtly sporting SL (despite the SL name flowing from “Sportlich-Leicht,” which translates to “Sport Lightweight”), followed, though it continued to deliver unmatched class and, later, a distinctive “pagoda” hardtop. And then came the R107-generation SL-Class in 1971, which would cement the SL’s silver-spoon status through an incredible 18-year production run. See all 21 p...
Bentley Mulliner Bacalar First Drive: The Ultimate Bentley Indulgence
Bentley Continental GT Full Overview The limited-edition 2021 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar was intended to be one of the stars of the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. But COVID-19 had other ideas, and with Geneva’s sudden cancellation, Bentley was forced to forgo the pomp and circumstance of launching the Bacalar at an event that has in the past hosted the debuts of style icons such as the Jaguar E-Type and Lamborghini Countach. Instead, Bentley’s first two-seat car in 90 years was revealed via a direct data dump into media inboxes around the globe. In the end, it didn’t matter. All 12 Bacalars were quickly snapped up without a single customer having seen an actual car, and not one canceled their order even as the pandemic threw the global economy into chaos. Anxious Bentley boss Adri...
Tesla Kicking Inattentive Drivers Off “Full Self Driving” Beta Testing
On March 6, Elon Musk tweeted about adding a “Download Beta” on-screen button to Tesla cars’ touchscreens “in 10 days.” While the button is stuck in limbo on the flow of EMT (Elon’s Master Time), the Tesla CEO also disclosed that the next big software release for the automaker’s vehicles will be in April, so we can at least expect the expanded availability of FSD beta software beyond today’s select group of owner-testers and some employees. The forthcoming “Download beta” option for all is huge news. Customers who paid thousands of dollars for the FSD sensor hardware necessary to support fully automated driving (and the promise of later fully autonomous travel activated by software update), they can now try out a skeletal outline ...
2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat First Test: This SUV Goes Like a Scalded Viper
Dodge Durango Full Overview Is it wrong that every time we fired up the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, we got a vivid mental image of our entire family screaming while we attacked a decreasing radius off-ramp, a gleeful cackle on our lips as the Dodge’s rear end hung out wide? It takes serious restraint—restraint that we’re not sure we have—not to antagonize passengers with this 710-hp, SUV-shaped mass driver. Or perhaps it would thrill them—your passengers might be more amenable to physics experiments than some of ours. Either way, do everybody a favor and ask first. Whoever’s in the Durango Hellcat and whatever their interest level in testing the limits, there’s no denying it’s a formidable machine. Maybe absurd is more accurate. It’s not like th...
2021 Honda Odyssey EX-L: Our Yearlong Odyssey With One Has Begun
Honda Odyssey Full Overview Dear Honda Manufacturing of Alabama employees, Just a quick note to let you know that your 2021 Honda Odyssey EX-L (VIN ending in 7577) has arrived safe and sound, thanks to your colleagues at America Honda Motor Company and the folks at Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, California. Thanks for painting it in such a lovely shade of Obsidian Blue Pearl; the dark blue really helps the new chrome strip above the redesigned headlights pop and looks stunning against the gray “-L for leather” interior. You might be curious why we picked the Odyssey in the EX-L trim level, versus the fancier Touring or Elite models you build. Well, when testing vehicles, especially over longer time periods, we try to ensure they best represent what a large percentage of the ...
