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2021 Chrysler Pacifica Interior Review
Forget Get Shorty’s dust-buster Olds Silhouette, this 2021 Chrysler Pacifica interior makes it “the Cadillac of Minivans.” That’s our assessment after recently crawling all over a pair of upper-trim Pacificas. In fact, its diamond-stitched upholstery might qualify the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle for consideration as the Bentley of minivans. Here’s our assessment of the midcycle-refreshed sixth generation of Earth’s most popular minivan. (At 15 million and counting, maybe it’s actually the Toyota Corolla of minivans.) <!– –> Color Us Impressed Sure, you can get an all-black interior if you’re into the Dieter/Schprockets aesthetic, but in these dour times, a splash of color really heightens one’s mood, so most Pacificas get some contrast color. Our favorite hue is Rodèo...
2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid vs. 2021 Toyota Sienna: Hybrids Move the Masses
Before the current millennium started, minivans were America’s must-have family vehicles. For nearly two decades their versatility, interior space, and comfort features attracted families. But the arrival of boxy three-row crossover SUVs—with their unibody platforms, appealing designs, and all-wheel-drive capability—replaced minivans little by little. In the last 15 years or so, about a dozen minivan nameplates hit the guillotine, and during that time more than 10 three-row SUVs hit the marketplace. But minivans are not completely dead—Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Kia continue to invest in the segment, launching new models that are keeping families comfortable, entertained, and safe. The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and 2021 Toyota Sienna are currently the only two gasoline-electric...
2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid First Test: Powerful USP
The burly-fendered, desert-marauding Ford F-150 Raptor is taking a breather this year, but might its killer performance be eclipsed by a mild-mannered, Walter-Mitty-esque new 2021 Ford F-150 hybrid? To find out, we borrowed a 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat Sport 4×4 PowerBoost, strapped our gear to it, and were frankly amazed that—even without fender flares, heat extractors, clearance lights, or any other extroverted design details—it’s ready to race Raptors for pinks. But by the end of our three days with this F-150, it was the power in the pickup box, not under the hood, that most impressed us. <!– –> How Powerful Is the 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid? Sandwiching a 44-hp, 221-lb-ft electric motor in between the 394-hp, 492-lb-ft 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoost engine and the 10...
2021 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class First Look: Bach in the High Life Again
Until recently, modern-day Maybachs have mostly flown under the radar. The “original” 2003 Maybach 57 and 62 largely looked like old Mercedes-Benz S-Classes. Both were unceremoniously discontinued in 2012 after having their lunch eaten by the day’s Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur (née Continental Flying Spur). But that started to change with the reconstitution of the ultra-luxury badge as the Mercedes-Maybach sub-brand. The first 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 didn’t move any design needles, but the resemblance to Mercedes models was more forgivable, and vehicles such as the special 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet and new 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 made the brand relevant to the SUV-crazed ultra-wealthy. With the reveal of the 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, standout styling,...
2021 Range Rover Evoque First Look: Chic SUV Gets Techier
Land Rover pulled the sheet off the all-new second-generation Range Rover Evoque just last year, but it’s already updating its style-forward compact SUV. Among other things, the 2021 Range Rover Evoque receives Jaguar Land Rover’s new Pivi Pro touchscreen infotainment that’s said to be faster and more responsive than the unit it replaces—a feat, it must be said, that would not be difficult to achieve. For 2021, the Range Rover Evoque is offered in five trim levels, with the base Evoque S P250 starting at $44,350 and the range-topping Evoque R-Dynamic HSE P250 priced from $54,450. As before, a turbocharged 2.0-liter Ingenium four-cylinder good for 246 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque comes standard. But now that’s the only powertrain on offer, as Land Rover has stripped the P300 mil...
New Cars Are Better Than Ever, Which Is Making Our Car of the Year Testing Harder
For the first time in my decade-long tenure at MotorTrend, I began the Car of the Year finalist debate—the one where we pick the winner—having no idea what car would win. In my heart of hearts, I wanted the electric Porsche Taycan to emerge victorious, mostly because the air quality from the seemingly eternal fires burning around California mean that my 3-year-old was forced to remain indoors for a five-day stretch. Anything to mitigate that. That’s just how I felt walking in. Our Of The Year awards use specific criteria, however, to ensure that a person’s feelings don’t dominate the process. We vote for the cars based on the results of our evaluation process. Trouble was, this year five of the six finalists in our Car of the Year competition were exceptional. Normally, it comes down to th...
2022 Honda Civic: Everything We Know
Update: On November 17, Honda debuted a Civic prototype that will be very close to the final production version. Check out the stylish Civic prototype here. One of our favorite compact cars is due for a complete redesign soon. The 2022 Honda Civic will almost certainly continue to be the spacious, fun-to-drive, and practical small car we know and love, with a few improvements to keep it fresh. Here’s what we can expect to see on the 11th-generation Civic. 2022 Honda Civic: Evolutionary Style The new design will be more evolutionary than revolutionary, based on what we’ve seen from the prototype and recent patent photos posted on the Australian government’s intellectual property site. Overall, expect a tamer design compared to the over-styled exterior of the current model. The Civic w...
2022 Subaru BRZ First Look: The Subaru/Toyota Sports Car Lives!
As much as we like to believe automakers are in the business of satiating enthusiasts’ appetites, we know each company ultimately desires one thing above all else: profitability. Crossovers and SUVs offer the opportunity to make lots of money. So do pickup trucks. Affordable, rear-drive sports cars, though? Not so much. In spite of this, Subaru is pressing forward and improving upon its BRZ sports coupe, with the brand giving its only vehicle without all-wheel-drive a complete redesign for the 2022 model year. Like its predecessor (which ended production after the 2020 model year), the 2022 BRZ is the result of a joint effort between Subaru and Toyota. <!– –> The latter brand’s still mum on details about the second-generation 86, but look for it to share most—if n...
2022 Subaru BRZ First Ride: Shotgun in the New Sports Car!
Since its debut in 2012, the Subaru BRZ has focused on delivering great handling. We’ve heaped piles of praise upon it—and rightly so. Small, light, agile, great suspension, great balance, low price, the ability to carry four tires with the rear seats folded flat—those are the ingredients that make up a great sports car. Remember, we put it one place ahead of a McLaren (and way ahead of a Lamborghini) at the 2012 Best Driver’s Car. That out of the way, the Subaru BRZ has long had two flaws. One, the design was a missed opportunity. Front-engine, rear-drive coupes lend themselves naturally to sleek, sexy shapes (Jaguar E-Type, Shelby Cobra, Datsun Zs, almost every Aston Martin ever built). Sadly, the first-generation BRZ had weird headlights, fake vents, and a softness to the rear end that ...
2021 Lamborghini Huracán STO First Look: Hardcore Goes Harder Core
There’s a new Lamborghini Huracán sheriff in town. To celebrate both the brand’s own Super Trofeo one-make race series and the Huracán’s success in GT3 racing (three consecutive GTD class victories at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and two straight GTD titles at the 12 Hours of Sebring), Lamborghini is launching a new high-performance variant called the Huracán STO. STO stands for “Super Trofeo Omologato,” and yeah, it’s a bit close to Ferrari’s vaunted GTO moniker, but that’s okay. The STO is intended to be a road-legal track car that offers the feel and much of the technology of the Super Trofeo racer. Put more simply, if the Performante is Lambo’s Porsche 911 GT3 or McLaren 600LT, the STO is its GT3 RS or 620R. It’s an extreme vehicle. The STO will offer roughly e...
2022 Subaru BRZ Design Deep Dive: Refreshing or Revolting?
The low-slung Subaru BRZ, with its flat-four engine and enthusiast-pleasing rear-drive layout, is an affordably priced and extremely satisfying sports coupe. And it doesn’t seem that Subaru has changed the formula significantly: The redesigned 2022 Subaru BRZ is shaping up to be another car built for those who love to drive—and we can’t stress enough how nice it is to see automakers re-investing in cars like this (and its sister model, the Toyota 86). But with a new generation comes new styling, and it’s time to see if the 2022 BRZ’s new sheetmetal is a good match for its driver-focused mission. Still clearly recognizable as a BRZ, the 2022’s design is bold and more than just a freshened-up version of the previous car’s look. Starting up front, the old BRZ’s slimmer, more elongated headlig...
2022 Honda Civic Type R: What We Know About the Hot Hatch
There’s no denying the current Honda Civic Type R is a tough act to follow. Having won multiple comparison tests and an astonishing 4th–place finish in our 2018 Best Driver’s Car competition, the Type R is a front-drive performance miracle that audaciously takes all comers—no matter the opponents’ specs or price point. So how could the hot hatchback possibly get any better? With the reveal of the 2022 Honda Civic Prototype, we have reason to believe Honda will pull off another performance magic trick with the 11th-gen-Civic-based Type R. Here’s what we know so far about the upcoming 2022 Honda Civic Type R. 2022 Honda Civic Type R: A New Platform <!– –> The 11th-generation Honda Civic rides on a new platform evolved from the outgoing Civic’s bones. This new global C...
