Autos
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2021 Kia Sorento Interior Review: Technically Nice
Kia Sorento Full Overview There’s more to the 2021 Kia Sorento’s interior than just enormous screens. Kia’s least expensive three-row vehicle is new for 2021, and like pretty much every other redesigned vehicle, the new Sorento welcomes an increase in digital real estate. Great! But if you’re looking for a three-row SUV (or even a two-row midsize SUV), could the 2021 Sorento work, or should you stick with the full-size but excellent Telluride SUV? Check out our full review and then keep reading for interior highlights on two variants of the Sorento SUV we recently spent time with: the 2021 Sorento SX Prestige and the 2021 Sorento X-Line. 2021 Kia Sorento: Third-Row Space We won’t make you wait. If the Sorento attracts your attention because it offers three row...
Five Cool Alternatives to the Iconic LS V-8 Engine Swap
The Chevy LS V-8 engine has become the de facto engine swap suggestion for anyone seeking to add power to their existing platform, regardless of where the original vehicle might have been built or how many cylinders it left the factory with. It’s easy enough to understand why: the LS V-8 is relatively compact thanks to its OHV design, aluminum construction helps keep the weight down, and so many people have done this swap that a vast wealth of experience is available to draw from when planning your own engine surgery. Still, the LS doesn’t have to be the go-to drop-in whenever you’re looking for more power. There are a number of other very popular swaps out there that have consistently crossed company lines to deliver reliable and fairly affordable horses, each ...
Meet the McLaren Sabre: a Limited-Run of Custom, 824-HP Supercars
Not too long ago, we showed you patent images that purported to show the wild shape of an upcoming limited-run supercar called the McLaren Sabre (nee BC-03), inspired by the company’s Vision Gran Turismo concept. Now, a McLaren dealership in Beverly Hills has pulled the wraps off the final car, painted in an arresting two-tone scheme and showing off all the swoops, wings, and slats we were hoping would come to the final product. See all 10 photos Indeed, this is a McLaren Special Operations commission, initiated by a customer, and the total number built will hit the upper end of the rumored series: 15. The “BC” in the car’s internal model name stands for “bespoke commission,” by the way. However, rumors about the powertrain proved to be slightly off. Rat...
The Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG and Its Huge V-12 Were Peak ’90s Excess
Mercedes-Benz’s V-12 engine isn’t dead yet despite regulatory predation and increasingly power-dense V-8 engines painting a bleak future. As the lights dim on the big 12, it is now built only by AMG’s technicians and is only available stateside in a single non-AMG model, the Mercedes-Maybach S650. Back in the 1990s, though, Benz’s V-12 was the new thing in town, and graced the priciest, most dignified versions of the S-Class sedan and coupe, as well as the SL convertible. See all 10 photos The 6.0-liter V-12—the same size as the current unit but lacking today’s pair of turbochargers and 2o-plus years of technological advancement—announced itself with a long, airplane-style starter whirring noise, a sophisticated exhaust thrum, and a set of bumper-sticker-sized...
Dodge Daytona vs. Dodge Charger Daytona: What’s in a Name?
The 2020 Dodge Charger Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition is a marketing stab by the folks at FCA that capitalizes on the lunacy that was the original 1969 Daytona. As an homage to the original car, only 501 of these 717-horsepower beasties will be produced, a number that is supposed to mirror the 1969 production numbers. I miss having automotive heroes—those cars and trucks that, after flipping through the pages of the old buff books, would capture my imagination. Back then, I knew every option and engine code on every vehicle from nearly every manufacturer. Yet now, with the deluge of information we get via social media, I don’t commit as much to memory anymore. Today’s automotive culture is changing at a rate that’s faster than any modern-day vehicle. And while some OEMs...
Period Correct Teams Up Again With McLaren on Limited Apparel Collection
Following a successful collaboration with McLaren in 2018 which begat tasteful F1-themed hoodies, hats, jackets, duffels, and even some primo socks, automotive-themed lifestyle brand and fashion atelier Period Correct teamed up with McLaren once again, this time for a limited apparel run centered around the McLaren 720S and 765LT. PC whipped up a hoodie, hats, and both long- and short-sleeve t-shirts as part of the partnership, each wearing a mix of McLaren and Period Correct branding. Aside from the subtler designs that feature the traditional white McLaren typeface over a black background, a few of the t-shirts display a black-and-white shot of either the 720S or the 765LT in action both on the track and on the road. No duffels this time around, but the five-panel hats are some of the mo...
Zoox Autonomous Robotaxi First Look: Gad-ZOOX, Amazon’s Going Mobile!
You can order everything else on Amazon, so why not short-trip urban rides in the, um, Zoox? Envisioned as a strictly geofenced, mostly low-speed robotaxi, this tiny autonomous cube built by recent Amazon acquisition Zoox seats four, features four-wheel steering that permits it to maneuver into very tiny spaces, and is equally happy driving in either direction. It also has nothing to do with Zoosk, the online dating site. What’s Zoox? This Bay-Area autonomous vehicle startup was founded in 2014, built its first prototype in 2015, first demonstrated SAE Level-3 autonomy in 2017, began durability testing of production prototypes in 2019, then established a production line in Fremont, California and was acquired by Amazon in May 2020. And that name? It’s short for zooxanthel...
Remember Isuzu? Its History Is *Much* Wilder Than You Think
When was the last time you thought about Isuzu? If you live in the U.S.A., it’s probably been quite a while since that Japanese automaker has crossed your mind given the last Isuzu passenger vehicle sold in America got its tags in 2009. Don’t worry, though—Isuzu is doing fine without us, as one of the largest suppliers of commercial diesel engines, trucks, and buses globally. Isuzu also still sells passenger trucks and SUVs in other markets. Even when it was still selling cars here, Isuzu wasn’t exactly the most exciting or evocative automaker—at least, not toward the end of its U.S. presence. While other Japanese manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan made huge inroads in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Isuzu didn’t really start to pick up until the 1980s...
The 1993 Isdera Commendatore 112i Is the Mid-Engine V-12 Supercar Time Forgot
Want a mid-engined Mercedes? Tough luck, Richie Rich. Despite decades of building some of the most desirable sports and supercars to ever tear a tire and sublimate a straightaway, the amount of mid-engined cars with Mercedes’ tri-pointed star on the front grille can be counted on one hand. Recently, Mercedes-Benz stirred hearts—and offshore bank accounts—with its allegedly forthcoming Mercedes-AMG One hypercar that’s still stuck in development hell. But if it’s a low-slung Benz supercar you want, you’re stuck with hunting down one of the ultra-low-production CLK GTR homologation specials from 1998-1999, or “settling” for the AMG-sourced V-12 in either the Pagani Zonda or Huayra. Or you could simply be the high-bidder on the one-of-one 1993 Isdera Co...
2020 Honda Civic Si Long-Term Review: The Goldilocks of Sports Sedans
Honda Civic Full Overview Buying a performance car often costs more than money; it costs comfort and convenience. If you’re buying a 2020 Honda Civic Si, though, it doesn’t have to. The Civic Si is essentially a mono-spec vehicle. As such, it rings in at just $26,155, making it one of the cheapest sports cars on the market in the best way possible. For that price, you get 31 more horses than a standard Civic, two-mode electronically controlled dampers, and a limited-slip differential. We spec’d ours with the $200 High-Performance Tire (HPT) option, but aside from that, all you could add to this car are some dress-up parts, a wireless phone charger, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The last two would’ve been nice, but we easily lived without them. 2020 Honda Civi...
This 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Was Rescued from a Rusty Fate
There were no shortage of history-making events in 1971. The Apollo 14 astronauts landed on the moon, the war in Vietnam continued to rage on, Intel released the world’s first microprocessor, and Dirty Harry made his big screen debut. But none of it mattered all that much to Frank Kassel at the time. His attention was focused squarely on one thing: scoring his very first set of wheels, which turned out to be a 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T. “In the summer of ’71 I had just graduated high school,” Frank remembers, “and was working full time as a mechanic in a Cities Service gas station. My goal was to save enough money to buy my first car.” After working at the service station for a few months, Frank met a friend of his boss who happened to be a dealer of used, ...
Will Solid State Batteries Bring Gas-Competitive Range, Quicker Charging to EVs?
Michael Faraday discovered solid electrolytes in the 1830s, and the solid-state battery has promised to be the Next Big Electrical Thing almost ever since. The idea frequently makes news that I resist reporting because, to borrow a baseball metaphor, these battery “batters” too often start their home run trot before realizing it’s just a fly ball to the warning track. But noted scientist Paul Albertus says that 10-year-old Stanford University battery startup QuantumScape appears to have hit a “homerun in terms of their solid-state battery performance data.” Here’s the deal with solid-state: These batteries have long promised to solve the thorniest issues preventing widespread battery-electric vehicle adoption while providing better performance on many me...
