Autos
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How to Fix Up a Project Car on any Budget, From $50 and Up
It’s done. You’ve pulled the trigger on that project car and dragged it home. Project cars come in all shapes and sizes, so let’s assume you’ve found yourself one that runs, but just barely. Only your true die-hard hot-rod buddies get it. Everybody else thinks you’re crazy. You see what the non-believers can’t, not a rusty junkyard escapee but a soon-to-be cruiser that just needs a little tweaking to become a loyal daily driver. Building it is a moral imperative. There are a hundred things that it needs and a thousand cool parts you want, but you can’t afford them all—heck, you can’t afford any of ’em. You just laid down most of your cash for the right to put your name on the title. But you can still plan. And that’s what we desig...
2022 Ford Maverick: Here It Is, Looking Compact and Surprisingly Trucky
One key surprise? That the Ford Maverick looks … good. Not that we figured Ford would churn out something ugly, mind you, but given the truck’s carlike unibody construction and the low bar set by the only other similarly constructed truck sold in America, the heretofore lame-looking but now truckier Honda Ridgeline, we supposed the Ford might resemble a miniature Chevy El Camino or something. A Ford Focus with a pickup bed. Plot twist—it looks like an actual truck! See all 3 photos From only this front angle, the Maverick hides its car-based roots well. The bed is integral with the cab—a key giveaway that this little rig doesn’t have a separate body and frame—but otherwise the squared-off body is upright, and sits rather high off the ground. We like the sort of chubby-bab...
2021 Toyota Mirai: 8 Takeaways From the New Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Sedan
While some of the MotorTrend staffers were busy putting the hydrogen fuel cell-powered 2021 Toyota Mirai through its paces at the test track, we used a second Mirai XLE as our daily driver, commuting around town and taking a short (socially-distanced) road trip. In this lower-key time spent behind the Mirai’s wheel, we learned a lot about the all-new fuel-cell vehicle, some of it good, some of it not so great. These are our key findings: The 2021 Toyota Mirai could have been the Lexus Mirai The first thing that struck us is just how nice a car the Mirai is. Obviously, the exterior styling is a huge improvement over the 2016-2020 Mirai (and let’s face it, visually speaking there was nowhere to go but up), but we can’t help but notice the clear Lexus vibe, and not...
Cheaper Tesla Model Y Standard Range and a New Three-Row Seat Option Unveiled
Every now and then it’s good to check in on Tesla’s website because you never know what kind of news you’re going to stumble across. For example, the Tesla Model Y’s ordering page now boasts two notable updates: Pricing and details for a new more affordable rear-wheel-drive standard-range model and the electric SUV’s three-row seating option. Coincidentally or not, both changes come less than a month after official reviews of the Ford Mustang Mach-E—the Model Y’s latest EV challenger—started hitting the newswire. It appears that Tesla is trying to undercut the Mach-E’s price tag as a way of swaying buyers away from the shiny new pony. The “Standard Range” Model Y takes up service as the model’s base trim level and s...
The 2022 Mercedes EQS EV’s Dashboard Is Basically a Giant Screen
Mercedes-Benz finally showed off the massive multi-screen dashboard of the upcoming 2022 EQS flagship electric vehicle. Dubbed the Hyperscreen, the design appears to integrate three large screens under a single dashboard-mounted panel. The artificial intelligence that powers it, however, really looks like something to get excited about. The Hyperscreen encompasses both the instrument panel and center-stack displays and adds a third touch-screen for the front passenger. Mercedes-Benz’s illuminated, turbine-style fan vents are integrated into the panel, which is uniformly coated to give the appearance of an uninterrupted video wall. The passenger-mounted screen is fully functional. Well, as fully functional as local regulations allow. Near as we can tell, that means no movies...
Before the First Jeep Grand Cherokee, There Was the Concept 1
Before the first Jeep Grand Cherokee drove up the stairs and through a giant glass window at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show, a dramatic entrance for a vehicle that generated huge interest at the time, Jeep had previously shown off the Concept 1. The Concept 1’s lines were a direct preview of the “ZJ” Grand Cherokee to come, but that wasn’t the intent at the time. This was supposed to be the next Cherokee. Jeep wanted its next Cherokee to be roomier, with greater passenger comfort and cargo space. They also wanted to update the Cherokee’s appearance, with a smoother and more elegant look. The XJ Cherokee is a cult classic now, but by the late ’80s it was simply a boxy SUV starting to age. The Concept 1, using the same unibody architecture underneath, brought ...
We Finally Know When the 2022 Chevy Equinox and Traverse Go On Sale
The 2021 Chevrolet Equinox and the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse were both originally slated to go on sale in the fall of 2020; however, the refreshed models were soon pushed to the 2022 model year. Now we know when both updated SUVs will hit dealerships. See all 42 photos The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox goes on sale this summer, while the 2022 Chevrolet Traverse follows in the fall. The mid-cycle refresh for the Equinox was first shown at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show—the last major auto show before the coronavirus forced the cancellation of all major events for the rest of the year and into 2021. The 2022 Equinox features updated styling that gives it a more mature look. Key to changes include a reworked grille, headlights, and taillights. For 2022, Chevy adds a new RS trim with black-painted badges a...
Here’s How to Watch the 2022 Cadillac V-Series Blackwing Reveal
Need a quick refresher on what, exactly, the Blackwings are? You might remember a V-8 that carried that name, but that’s not what these two will be packing. It’s a bit confusing, but think of Blackwing more as an indicator of ultimate performance rather than a specific powertrain. While the twin-turbo Blackwing V-8 won’t be used here—it’s only seen duty in the CT6 thus far—the CT5-V Blackwing should pack a different supercharged V-8, and you can expect the CT4-V Blackwing to get a twin-turbo V-6. We have yet to see the cars without the camouflage shown here, so they’re still keeping any stylistic detailing a secret. One thing that isn’t a secret, though, is Cadillac’s confirmation that both cars will offer a manual transmission, bucking a long...
You Can Now Make Your Tesla’s Horn Sound Like Anything You Want
Tesla has always been known for having a little extra fun with its cars. Remember when it added a virtual whoopee cushion in 2019? Or when last year CEO Elon Musk announced that the Tesla Model S would get a “nice” price cut to $69,420? But in case those gimmicks weren’t enough, there’s now Boombox mode, which allows you to fully customize your Tesla’s horn to make whatever sound your heart desires. Thanks to a December firmware update, Boombox mode now essentially enables Tesla owners to make their cars even more entertaining (or irritating). There are already dozens of videos online of people using the feature to change their horns’ sound. Some of the pre-installed sounds are a goat bleating, a round of applause, and—in classic Tesla fashion—...
Honda HPD Civic Type R TC Race Car: Attacking the Track
Honda Civic Full Overview The official MotorTrend position on the Honda Civic Type R is pretty clear: It’s awesome. In fact, we think it’s the best front-wheel-drive sports car on the market. As good as it is, no street car is actually a race car. That said, you can absolutely turn a street car into a race car with the proper application of money, parts, time, and labor. Or you can skip all the hard work and hand Honda Performance Development (HPD) a stack of cash to build one for you. HPD calls it the Honda HPD Civic Type R TC, and the HPD people let us lap one. The “TC” (short for “Touring Car”) appellation is important because it refers to the SRO Motorsports race sanctioning body’s TC Class (formerly Pirelli World Challenge), which is roughly e...
2021 GMC Yukon Denali First Test: Business or First?
GMC Yukon Full Overview 2021 GMC Yukon Denali: Mountainous Performance Short answer: effortlessly. Slightly longer answer: Our four-wheel-drive V-8 Denali was a smidge quicker than the last 2021 Cadillac Escalade we tested. (With the same powertrain, that Escalade Sport Platinum weighed just 56 pounds more than our Denali.) Both trucks zip to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, but the GMC squeaks through the quarter first, in 14.5 seconds at 97.3 mph to the ‘Slade’s 14.6 ticks and 95.6 mph. The Lincoln Navigator’s twin-turbo V-6 packs more muscle at 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque to the 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of GM’s big 6.2-liter V-8, but laden with Black Label finery, our last four-wheel-drive ‘Gator weighed 126 and 182 pounds more than our Cadillac and GMC, respectively....
Jeep Grand Cherokee: MotorTrend’s 1993 Truck of the Year
The MotorTrend ’93 Truck of the Year competition proved that intensity isn’t a function of quantity. Although only three trucks answered the call this year, there was no shortage of talent. Each entrant is a standout in its own class. The Ford Ranger, for instance, has been the best-selling compact pickup in America for the last six years. The Isuzu Trooper is the all-time sales champ for import SUVs. And the Jeep Grand Cherokee, of course, is Chrysler’s sequel to the popular Cherokee, the vehicle that almost single-handedly built the four-door SUV segment. Naturally, other new trucks were introduced over the past year. But the new Land Rover Range Rover County LWB and Defender SUVs, and Chevrolet and GMC turbodiesel extended-cab pickups couldn’t meet...
