Autos
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2022 Ford Fusion Crossover-Style Wagon Spied with Full-Dash Interior Screen
In a move to spice up this absurd Bizarro World timeline, new spy shots of a mysterious long-roof prototype hints that Ford is readying a lifted five-door midsize wagon/SUV to clash with the Subaru Outback. Remember, this is the same Ford that canceled all traditional sedans and hatches in favor of a lineup populated only by trucks, crossovers, and full-size SUVs (and the Mustang). While there is no explicit Ford badging to be found on the exterior of the mule, the front fascia is very similar to the one found on the current Ford Edge, and that blacked-out oval badge in the center is a dead giveaway. Plus, we’d heard rumors of a CUV-style wagon on the horizon since soon after the demise of the original Fusion. We’re unsure of the original source of these images, but we do ...
“If 2020 Was a Car, What Would It Be?” We Asked, and Here Are Your Answers
Just ahead of the end of the dirty-diaper dumpster fire that was 2020, we asked our Twitter friends: “If 2020 was a car, what would it be?” The responses ranged from blindingly obvious to the subtlest shade of, well, shade. Some of you kept it topical to current events in the automotive industry, while others dug deep into the smelly annals of automotive history. To those who mined Google image search, Giphy, or Photoshopped their own memes, we salute you. Everyone else, enjoy scrolling through these selections from the replies—which include a surprising number of three-wheelers… From the “obvious yet 100 percent correct” department were suggestions of the Pontiac Aztek, the Ford Pinto, the AMC Gremlin, Ford’s Edsel, and the Yugo. But if you use stock ma...
2021 Lexus IS 350 F Sport First Test: Sporty Enough?
Lexus IS Full Overview Small changes sometimes bring big improvements. Just ask Lexus. The 2021 Lexus IS didn’t start from a blank piece of paper; instead, it continues on the same platform it’s been on since 2013 but receives small styling and mechanical upgrades to make the sedan better. The IS is the Japanese luxury brand’s most important sedan, and in an era where sedans are on a slow decline (and the GS is retiring), this revised sport sedan carries even more weight in the Lexus lineup. Standing out in a crowded segment (especially between sport sedans) is key for the 2021 Lexus IS. And for the last few years, the IS hasn’t really distinguished itself. Newcomers such as the Genesis G70 and Alfa Romeo Giulia gained attention thanks to their handling, o...
What Is a Belly Tank Racer? Drop Tank Cars and Lakesters Explained
Little lozenges with wheels and a view port zip along a dry lake bed. They show up in drawings and logos. They pop up at local car shows and land speed events. People call them belly tanks, tankers, or drop tanks, and they are associated with vintage dry lakes racing. But where did they come from, and why do they look the way they do? Belly tank racers are a mix of WWII aircraft leftovers and hot-rodding ingenuity. They’re part of the early days of hot-rodding but are still in use today. Let’s start with where they came from. Answer: the sky. See all 13 photos What is a Drop Tank Car? The drop tank was designed to extend flying time by acting as a portable fuel cell that could be dropped once empty. That way, the pilot could more nimbly engage the enemy. They’re also know...
Bored? Learn About Some Cars You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Whether you like it or not, you’ve got some free time to spend at home right about now. We’re here to help you make the most of it, so while you sit on the couch munching on that bowl of chips, why not read up on some of the weirder, more esoteric four-wheeled wonders you probably haven’t heard about before? The word “obscure” holds different weight depending on the person, and in this regard, we picked a few cars we believe our average car-minded reader from the States has likely never seen or read about before. (As distinct from “forgotten” rides that were sold here, such as these ’80s models, or these rad ’90s cars, or these convertibles.) In this weird, wacky world of obscure cars, there seemingly are a zillion one-off prototypes, f...
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Z51 Pros and Cons Review: Great Bones
Chevrolet Corvette Full Overview The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette feels like other exotic cars, which is a new sensation for anyone familiar with the Chevy sports car. Hopping from Ferrari to Lamborghini to Chevy, the Corvette affirms that we made the right choice last year when we named the C8 our 2020 Car of the Year. Let’s be clear: The mid-engine Corvette Z51 is a car designed around the driver. Yes, it’s easy to look at the strip of Chiclet-sized HVAC control buttons separating the driver from the passenger and make fun. But once you’re actually behind the C8’s funky steering wheel, you’ll realize that the controls you need as the driver are the easiest to get to, and you’ll thank the car gods that they’re physical buttons, not buried in a to...
2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Pros and Cons Review: Just Shy of Perfection
Porsche 911 Full Overview Pros Absolute magic on a back road Wonderful GT car Insanely quick Cons Magic replaced by cold competency on the track Street tires only We thought it was gone. Banished. We believed the good people of Stuttgart, with a bit of help from Weissach, had finally cured the Turbo’s one remaining weakness. Charging valiantly into our 2020 Best Driver’s Car field, though, the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S revealed that its Achilles’ heel remains. It’s easy to see why we’d think so. In two back-to-back comparisons earlier this year, both the coupe and convertible annihilated their challengers. McLarens and AMGs couldn’t hold a candle to the new Turbo S on the road. And frankly, things weren’t much different this time around. Just a few ...
2020 Lamborghini Huracán Evo Pros and Cons Review: More With Less
Pros Amazing engine Absolutely planted Outrageous handling Cons Body structure issues Infotainment UX No room for stuff Let’s be honest, the Huracán itself is just a gussied-up Audi R8, right? Sure, when Sant’Agata makes an all-in move with the likes of a Performante, it can win. But just a regular production car? In bocca al lupo. We probably should mention, however, that the Evo does get the Performante’s 630-hp humdinger of a V-10, which screamed loudly enough to break the sound meter at Sonoma Raceway even though we were at Laguna Seca. I kid. A little. We also had a nice demonstration of what a Performante with the ALA removed performs like. This year, our resident racer Randy Pobst went 2.85 seconds slower per lap in the Evo around Laguna Seca than he did in the Per...
2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo Pros and Cons Review: Thrills and Chills
Pros Missile acceleration Quick cornering Bumpy-road mode Cons Wooden brakes Too-light steering feel Looming snap oversteer In reviewing the 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo with proper clarity, there is a need to go back a few years and admit with mild chagrin that our 2017 Best Driver’s Car–winning Ferrari 488 GTB might have been a ringer. This goes beyond Ferrari sending four factory techs to work day and night to be sure everything ran perfectly. (By contrast, Porsche traditionally sends Frank the PR guy, who watches the Italian antics with mild amusement.) Rather, the 488‘s testing numbers we posted were more akin to what the 661-hp GTB would have produced had it been chipped to 800 hp. And well-placed sources with deep connections say that might indeed have been the case. Bu...
The Toyota Land Cruiser Is Dead, Long Live the Toyota Land Cruiser
When was the last time you saw a Toyota Land Cruiser? You can’t go a block without seeing multiple 4Runners, Highlanders, Tacomas, and RAV4s—or even the occasional Sequoia—but spotting any generation of a Land Cruiser is a rarity. For all its name recognition and iconic history, there just aren’t that many running around the U.S. And after the model-year 2021 iterations are built, there will be no new ones sold in America, at least for a while. See all 16 photos We first heard rumblings of the Land Cruiser’s demise in the States more than a year ago when multiple sources at Toyota hinted to MotorTrend that the Land Cruiser was in trouble. Although at the time Toyota PR officially denied any such possibility existed, the automaker has finally acknowledged that its legendar...
2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Pros and Cons Review: Ultimate Track Tool
Porsche 718 Cayman Full Overview Pros Supreme balance Fantastic teacher Great track tool Cons Jittery suspension Tire noise Underpowered This car has all the makings of a Best Driver’s Car winner: engine mounted in the proper place directly behind the driver and revving to a glorious 8,000 rpm, a delightful manual shifter (unique this year), unflappable carbon-ceramic brakes with excellent pedal feel, and sticky Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. This is a sports car that punches way above its 3,127-pound featherweight status. The 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 lapped Laguna Seca quicker than a Ferrari 458, AMG GT 63 4Matic+, and various flavors of Nissan GT-R. Like any Porsche I have ever driven, I can tell it’s a Porsche in the way all of its controls have matched efforts and responses. N...
2020 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Pros and Cons Review: Defying Logic
Porsche Cayenne Full Overview Pros Supercar performance Well-hidden weight Great fun to drive Cons Sick-pumpkin appearance High price It’s an SUV “How do you explain it?” I asked the Porsche PR man standing along the K-wall at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Legendary wheelman/human lap timer Randy Pobst had just finished his hot laps in the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe during our 2020 Best Driver’s Car, and something had gone, well, not quite right. Quite wrong some might even say. See, Porsche is owned by the Volkswagen Group, as is Audi, and Audi owns Lamborghini. At our 2019 BDC, Lambo’s Urus had set the SUV lap record at Laguna Seca, at 1:40.90. You maybe see where this is going. The Porsche, which stickers for $82,559 less than the Lambo, beat the U...
