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2021 Lexus LS500 First Test: Weird in a Good Way
Lexus LS Full Overview “Who is this car for?” That’s what my buddy Mike asked as he looked around the 2021 Lexus LS500. Mike was in from out of town, tasked with housesitting a hilltop pad in ritzy Bel Air—a locale where luxury automobiles like the LS blend in. He likes cars, so I brought the big Lexus over for him to check out. It impressed Mike, but left him confused. Later, I drove home along sweeping Sunset Boulevard. As soothed as I was by the seat massager, that question still bounced around my head. Who is this car for? We had similar uncertainty when the fifth-generation LS arrived for the 2018 model year. It fit the mold of a luxury full-size sedan, but its stiff ride, harsh powertrain, and snug back seats were atypical of that category. Simultaneously, its sport...
2020 McLaren 620R First Test: A Fantastic Experience Like Few Others
Just look at it: The limited-edition 2020 McLaren 620R has a race car livery, a giant, manually adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing that sits 12.5 inches off of its tail, real diffusers out back, a carbon-fiber roof with an air-intake snorkel, carbon-fiber side scoops, dive planes on the front fenders, and a carbon-fiber hood with twin flow-through “nostrils” to reduce lift on the front of the car. You can even order it with race-number decals. You’re forgiven if you think this is a race car, and you aren’t entirely wrong, either. What Is the 2020 McLaren 620R? Put simply, McLaren has homologated for street use its race-winning GT4-class 570S GT4 factory race car. Without the typical engine-output regulations of a race series, the 620R’s twin-turbo 3.8-liter fla...
Rivian Busy With Three Electric Vehicle Launches, Big Future Plans
Rivian is validating early builds of three key electric vehicles launching in the second half of this year, even as CEO RJ Scaringe works on an expanded portfolio. The electric vehicle startup showed how serious it was about mass production when it bought an assembly plant in Normal, Illinois, from Mitsubishi in 2017, and under Scaringe, Rivian didn’t just retool the 2.6-million-square-foot plant, but expanded it by a further 800,000 square feet. Even that might not be enough to handle his future plans. First Up: Rivian R1T Electric Pickup in June Pilot versions of the 2021 R1T five-passenger full-size electric pickup are being built for validation and testing in the real world in preparation for a June launch of vehicles earmarked for customers. It is a slight delay from pre-CO...
The Buick Signia Was What the Rendezvous Should’ve Been
As such, the concept car cribbed its underpinnings from the Buick Park Avenue full-size sedan. The use of the flagship Buick model’s unibody architecture afforded the Signia a low step-in height while also offering a raised, SUV-like seating position. See all 10 photos Although the Signia was no beauty pageant contender, its design certainly included a number of attractive styling elements. Look past the concept’s dowdy mug and details such as the concept’s prominent rear fender line (gracefully mirrored by the rear window, too), steeply raked C-pillar, and single-piece rear hatch glass—that covers the entirety of the cargo hold— come together to give the illusion of a rear-drive powertrain. In reality, the concept’s transverse-mounted supercharged 3.8-l...
2022 Lexus NX Leaked Totally Naked Before Its Official Reveal
You’re looking at the 2022 Lexus NX, the next-generation compact luxury crossover that has not been officially revealed yet. Instead, the new NX crashed onto the internet by way of a video Lexus seems to have accidentally posted and which was subsequently copied, screengrabbed, and the like as it bounded around the internet. See all 17 photos Stylish, Not Over-Styled The RAV4 connection should ensure the new NX grows somewhat, a welcome development given the current Lexus’s somewhat tight interior. As before, the Lexus NX wears expressive styling, combining the most eye-catching styling elements from Lexus’s products on one of its smallest products. (The automaker also sells the even smaller UX pseudo SUV.) Lexus designers drew some inspiration from the UX, evidenced by t...
More Top Gear America Coming May 7th, 2021!
Fear not loyal viewers! This Friday is not the last episode of Top Gear America for this season; you’ve got five more coming at you starting May 7th, 2021, exclusively on the MotorTrend App! Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry and Jethro Bovingdon are just getting warmed up. Overlanding in sports cars, ultra-luxury SUVs in the snow, land speed racing in home-built hot rods and saving rally racing (coming Friday, February 26, 2021)—most new shows would call that a good first season. Not Top Gear America. Feel like the guys are missing are a homebase? So do they! And they might be doing something about it. Struggling to pick a new, full-size pickup truck? Top Gear America is here to help you choose the best truck for you by thoroughly testing the most popular pickups on the market....
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 and Its V-8 Engine Costs Maserati Money
You just knew the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 was going to be skin-tinglingly expensive. When it’s fairly easy to load up a normal Wrangler with one of its gas four- or six-cylinder engines—not to mention its pricey diesel V-6 option—past the $60,000 mark, there was no way the long-awaited V-8-powered Wrangler wouldn’t have at least a seven in front of its price tag. Prepare Thyself … Lo and behold, Jeep has released pricing for the new Wrangler Rubicon 392 Launch Edition, and it starts at $74,995. That’s $24,030 more than the next-priciest Wrangler’s ask, and barely less than it’ll cost you to buy a Levante luxury SUV—sold through Jeep parent Stellantis’ Maserati division. We needn’t list all the mainstream compact SUVs the limited-editio...
2022 Kia Carnival First Look: It’s a “Multi-Purpose Vehicle,” Not a Minivan
A couple of weeks ago we speculated that the new version of Kia’s Sedona minivan would get a new name, and now it’s official—Kia’s new-for-2022 minivan will wear the Carnival badge used in other markets, including South Korea. Oh, and it’s not a minivan, it’s a multi-purpose vehicle. And to judge from its slick new appearance, primary among those multiple purposes is not to get mistaken for a minivan. Picking up where the Sedona left off, the 2022 Kia Carnival further blurs the line between minivan and SUV. The Carnival’s elongated nose and bumper-to-dash-to-wheel ratio are distinctly SUV-like, as is the heavy chrome C-pillar treatment. The sliding-door tracks have been neatly integrated into the bodywork, and the whole concoction carries a cool Dodge Du...
Porsche Teases the 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo’s Wagon Bod
When it finally hits the U.S., the Taycan Cross Turismo will serve as the Taycan electric sedan’s more butch, wagon-bodied counterpart. Adding a little extra practicality to the Taycan model line is great, but one of the few flaws of Porsche’s EV is its heavily sloped roofline that results in limited rear-seat headroom. The Cross Turismo ought to remedy this problem. Porsche’s photos also reveal the Cross Turismo’s extra ride height relative to the Taycan sedan, as well as the wagon’s roof rails and tough-looking cladding around its wheel arches. All of these bits hint at the fact this Taycan will no doubt be more of a lifestyle vehicle and less of a sports wagon (or über wagen, if you will). Think Audi A6 Allroad or Mercedes E450 All-Terrain. The Cross Turism...
Cherokee Nation to Jeep: It’s Time to Change Those Names
Earlier this week, Car and Driver spoke with the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin, Jr., about the names of the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SUVs. While the Cherokee Nation has long been opposed to cultural appropriation and naming concerns (note the Cherokee Nation spokesperson’s comments at the Cherokee’s 2013 reintroduction), the statement provided to Car and Driver is the first time the Nation has called directly on Jeep to change the name of its SUVs. In the statement, Hoskin said, “I’m sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car. The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our hist...
2020 Lincoln Navigator Black Label vs. BMW X7 xDrive40i: ’Gator or Bimmer?
See the Full Model Overview At first glance, this pairing may seem a bit strange, but let us explain. The BMW X7 is the newest kid on the block, and if it’s going to join the three-row luxury SUV club, it has to face a veteran like the Navigator. Until recently, BMW trailed Mercedes-Benz in the market for years. Similarly, the Navigator is yet to reach the sales records held by the Escalade. The underdog status of both the X7 and the Navigator makes it the perfect match. Lincoln Navigator Black Label Vs. BMW X7 xDrive40i: Price Tags and Size See all 87 photos As tested, the Lincoln Navigator Black Label stickers for $98,850, and closely behind the BMW X7 xDrive40i checks out at $96,895. Although the difference between these two luxury SUVs is a mere $1,955, the X7 price includes $22,...
Ford Extends King Ranch Beyond F-Series and Expedition, Possibly to Explorer
It’s been twenty years since Ford first introduced the cowboy-themed King Ranch trim, named after the King Ranch in Texas and featuring liberal use of the ranch’s W-shaped brand. King Ranch has since become staple of the Ford F-150 and Super Duty pickups, slotted above the XLTs and Lariats but below the high-end Limited and Platinum models. From a marketing perspective, a King Ranch Explorer makes sense. It’s possible Ford would pattern such an Explorer after the pickup trucks, slotting it between the $35,890 Explorer XLT and the $46,895 Explorer Limited. We think it’s more likely that a theoretical King Ranch Explorer would follow the Expedition’s lead and be based on the top-of-the-line Platinum model. If that’s the case, a Kind Ranch Explorer would li...
