Autos

See all 5 photos Playmobil just might have the answer with its Volkswagen T1 Camping Bus. Yes, it’s a toy that casts a shadow much smaller than that of an actual VW Bus, but at $49.99, this plastic German van also costs a fraction of the price of the real thing. You need not be a child to enjoy this toy, either, as Playmobil markets it for individuals as young as 5 and as old as 99 years old. Sorry, folks who’ve crossed the century mark—guess this van just isn’t for you.  Those within Playmobil’s assigned age range, however, can enjoy the intricate exterior and interior details of this T1 Camping Bus. This includes its split-windshield, roof-mounted luggage rack, and two-tone—red and white—exterior finish. Inside, Playmobil fits this van with a bench seat that ...

Timing is everything. Cruise, a self-driving vehicle startup, developed the 2022 Cruise Origin autonomous ride-hailing vehicle and showed it to the world in January 2020. Two months later the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly the Origin, a six-passenger pod for ride-hailing, was being viewed by new sets of health-critical eyes. A small vehicle that squeezes in six people, three per bench, facing each other, is not ideal in a world looking to prevent the spread of a deadly virus Fortunately for Cruise, it designed the Origin to be modular so it would not become outdated with the quick pace of advancements in sensors, lidar, and other tech. Upgraded components are easy to swap out without redesigning the vehicle itself. See all 12 photos Pandemic Prompts Cruise Origin De...

The 2021 Grand Cherokee L starts at $38,690. That’s for a two-wheel-drive Laredo model with the standard V-6 engine, a $2,975 up-charge over an equivalent two-row model. That up-charge over equivalent two-row Grand Cherokees largely holds across the L family, with the biggest gap found comparing Overland trims, where the increase leaps to $6,235. The lineup offers a mix of V-6 and V-8 engine choices, rear- or four-wheel drive, and increasing luxury as you progress up through it. Before we hop into those trim levels and ordering options, it should be noted how the Grand Cherokee L lineup is slimmer than the two-row 2021 Grand Cherokee’s, with fewer trim levels and even standard four-wheel drive on top versions—but it also is much better equipped. We expect that, as time goes on,...

If there’s one piece of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI’s history we all recall, it’s the little sports sedan’s Blue Lagoon hue from the mid-2000s. Wait a minute? You don’t remember this short-lived GLI color? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Even so, VW has introduced this Blue Lagoon Jetta GLI concept as a nod to a past it believes the wider enthusiast community fondly recalls. That said, the Blue Lagoon Jetta GLI concept is an attractive take on the sportiest Jetta trim. Credit the color, as well as exterior bits such as a front lip spoiler, side skirts, and a trunk-mounted lip spoiler. A set of 20-inch BBS C-HR wheels pop nicely against the blue hue, while a set of Continental ExtremeContact Sport rubber and a coil-over suspension kit from H&R Sprin...

Good news! As of 2021, the Chinese-market Cadillac XT5 and XT6 will get a 48 volt mild hybrid system, new gold paint, and—if the above photo, which we swear on our mothers’ lives was actually included with the press release, is any indication—the ability to levitate. See all 28 photos As of model year 2021, the Chinese-market XT5 and XT6’s standard 2.0-liter turbo four now comes with a 48-volt “mild hybrid” system, which Cadillac says boosts fuel economy by roughly 5 percent in the XT5 and 6 percent in the XT6 (to 7.0L/100km and 7.2L/100km respectively, if you must know—about 33.6 and 37.2 mpg). According to Cadillac, the 48-volt motor will be used to get the Caddys rolling from a stop, and will then assist the gasoline engine once it gets going. Also new for 2021: ...

Rally racing is the most dynamic motorsport on earth—or at least it used to be. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, rally racing did wear that crown and rally cars were some of the most coveted vehicular icons of their time. The sport birthed world-renowned stars in both driver and vehicle, like Colin McRae and the Subaru WRX STI. But recent years have not been kind to the sport of rally racing and it is in need of a facelift. The Top Gear America hosts think they have that all figured out. The Heroes of Rally Racing Rally drivers are some of the best race car pilots in the world. The constant variations in terrain and traction combined with open-stage course conditions that can change in seconds forces them to develop god-like levels of control and finess. It’s no wonder legends like ...

Can you make your car waltz around a city street or wooded backroad like Ken Block? Probably not. Of course, the inability to hold hundred-foot all-wheel-drive slides and place a front wheel within millimeters of a dock drop-off hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of Gymkhana fans from imitating their rally hero, on- or off-camera. Most do so with a modified WRX or Focus ST/RS of their own, but now’s a rare chance at sliding behind the wheel of Block’s own Subie—all you have to do is win the auction. Up for grabs is Block’s old 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX STI (updated to 2006 exterior specs), a fully race-prepped Group N rally car built for his mid-2000s stint in Rally America. In his hands, the little WRX cruised to a handful of victories, including his first-ever ov...