Autos
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2020 Strikes Again: Apparently Your Tires Are Killing Salmon
A scientific report from the University of Washington published in the journal Science (via a report in The Seattle Times) has linked 6PPD, a near-universal chemical added to tires as a preservative, with the death of coho salmon in the Northwest. And it’s not just a couple of salmon here and there. In some runs, between 40 and 90 percent of the salmon die before spawning due to the symptoms that researchers were exploring, independent of other causes of fish mortality. This issue affects a great deal of the area studied: the Puget Sound. And the culprit, the researchers concluded, is an obscure chemical found in tire dust that is washing into watersheds. Tires naturally shed tiny particles on the road as they wear down. In this case, this dust then runs into salmon-bearing streams a...
Airstream Flying Cloud First Test: Fashionable Glamping
Ram 1500 Full Overview Not many products actually deserve the label “iconic,” but Airstream travel trailers have earned it. Most people can’t tell a matte-white Starcraft from a Chinook or Gulf Stream being towed behind a truck. But catch a glimpse of one of those big aluminum Twinkies going by, and you know exactly what it is. Airstreams are so associated with the golden era of RVing that boutique “glamping” resorts have popped up around the country consisting entirely of refurbished Airstreams. With the constraints of life in 2020 bringing a desire for socially distant, self-directed escapes, RVs and travel trailers are as popular as ever. What better time, then, to test an Airstream Flying Cloud. We used it as our dead weight in our towing tests for Truck o...
It’s Official: The 2021 Ford Bronco Is Delayed
We had to wait decades for the return of the Ford Bronco SUV, and now we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. Ford has confirmed to MotorTrend the coronavirus pandemic and its associated chaos has caused a supply-chain issue that will push the 2021 Bronco launch to the end of next summer rather than this coming spring, as originally planned. A spokesman told us, “Ford is committed to building Broncos with the quality our customers expect and deserve.” Ford declined to name the affected suppliers. See all 50 photos Customers can still build the Bronco of their dreams on Ford’s website—we did!—but official orders from reservation holders are now not being accepted until the middle of January, a delay of approximately a month. Those or...
Cheap and Cool ’80s Cars to Buy Now
Let’s take a look at some sweet 1980s cars that could even be purchased with the savings from a part-time job. Mind you, that sort of cash isn’t going to get you into a pristine example of these rad rides but rather for a running, non-basketcase version. Think of it as a driveable project car. While there isn’t anything too obscure in this list, we think it’s a good start in your search for a relatively affordable cool, classic car. Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird The third-generation F-Body provided years of source material for mullet-mocking and hair-metal bashing, but the Camaro and Firebird still remain a great way to get cheap horsepower. With the astonishing number of third-gen cars floating around today and with some patience, you can still find a g...
Is Ram’s Astonishing Pickup Truck Dominance a Flash In the Pan, Or the New Normal?
Life is awash in sports metaphors. A struggling automaker might be behind the eight ball and throw a Hail Mary with a desperate product launch—which can result in a home run or getting put down for the count. (And yes, I know I’m mixing billiards, football, baseball, and boxing metaphors here.) These clichés are thrown about with such abandon that people may not even realize that sport is being referenced anymore. But there is one sports reference that never loses its impact: three-peat. Only true dynasties can declare such a trio of title triumphs: The Shaq and Kobe L.A. Lakers, the Lombardi-era Green Bay Packers, and the Air Jordan Chicago Bulls (who did it twice). Not even the Ruth and Gehrig New York Yankees took three in a row. To win the title three times in a row is a feat of ...
Relive the ’90s Outdoor Lifestyle in This Minty Stick-Shift Ford Explorer
Today’s Ford Explorer is a fairly run-of-the-mill three-row family SUV, which means it offers all-wheel drive, no real off-road capability, and is sold exclusively with an automatic transmission. But it hasn’t always been this way—those who remember the original Explorer, you know, the one in the first Jurassic Park movie, will recall that it was a much more capable, much less polished thing. That was partially due to its roots in the Bronco II platform shared with the Ranger pickup truck, and partially because anything SUV-shaped in 1991 was just expected to be able to, at a minimum, get a little dirty. Maybe bash a few rocks. The Explorer was a truck at heart, and its long-throw manual transmission just added to its rustic charm. Should anyone feel like reliving the...
Picking the Brain of Mike Koval Jr. Head of Ram Brand, After Another MotorTrend Truck of the Year Win
Congratulations on the three-peat win as MotorTrend Truck of the Year for the Ram 1500 TRX. What is your secret for success? First of all, thank you very much. Once again as a brand we find ourselves humbled and honored for the recognition and the secret is great people inventing great product. And I think that since Ram became a standalone brand back in 2009, we’ve had the competitive advantage really of focusing clarity in our mission and that is as the only dedicated truck and commercial van brand we are fully and entirely committed to understanding and delivering on the unique needs of our customers as a truck brand. How do you follow this up? What is next? Well that’s a great question and one certainly we’re not going to rest on our laurels. I think an award of this ...
2021 Audi R8 Panther Edition Is Rare, Dark, and Only for Us.
The entry-level Audi R8 loses its all-wheel-drive system for 2021. The mid-engined model now sends its power exclusively to the rear wheels—a boon for drifting enthusiasts. (Don’t worry, Audi still offers a 2021 R8 with all-wheel drive, however, consumers wanting that feature now have to spring for the pricier R8 Performance.) Now, Audi’s catering to rear-drive R8 fans who want to stand out from the typical R8 pack with the stealthy Panther Edition. The R8 Panther Edition is essentially a murdered-out version of Audi’s 10-cylinder sports car. The model’s exclusive Panther Black crystal is littered with metallic flakes, which gives the hue a unique sheen relative to that of Audi’s typical Mythos Black paint. Additionally, the door mirrors, side blades...
Here Is the New 2022 Jaguar I-Pace EV Before You’re Supposed To See It
MotorTrend found a slew of patent images that show renderings of a slightly massaged version of the I-Pace. Even though the changes look minor, they should help bring the I-Pace in line with the newly revised XF sedan and recently refreshed F-Pace SUV in terms of exterior and interior design. The I-Pace’s apparent changes include new daytime running lights, which look to be slightly thicker in the patent images than the ones on the current car, as well as revisions to the bottom of the front bumper, which likely has been changed to improve airflow around the car and reduce range-killing aerodynamic drag. Hey, so long as charging stations are not as prevalent as gas stations, EVs will continue to benefit from maximized driving range per charge. The rear of the I-Pace also gets a fresh...
2019 Genesis G70 Long Term Update: The Dealer Experience
Genesis G70 Full Overview When folks buy a car, most hope that’s the last they’ll see of the dealership. But in the luxury-car arena, many brands have created Taj Majal showrooms that, before the global health crisis, served as well-heeled hangouts—complete with espresso bars, putting greens, and other glitzy touches. If you needed an oil change, it was a far more plush place to chill than at Jiffy Lube with a stack of old magazines and the hoi polloi. But Genesis is going a slightly different route—partly as a futuristic endeavor, and partly out of necessity. You see, Genesis is an offshoot of Hyundai Motor, and Hyundai dealers wanted to get Genesis franchises, as well, just like Toyota dealers did with Lexus. Problem is, Hyundai dealers rank below the industry average among m...
Electric Mini Cooper SE Gets the JCW Touch, Because Environment
Currently, JCW models represent the sporty zenith for the not-so-little-anymore Mini lineup. There are JCW variants of the Hardtop, Convertible, Clubman wagon, and Countryman crossover SUV. All are turbocharged, with the models’ juiced four-cylinder engines shoving out between 228 and 301 horsepower. The Hardtop is available in even harder-core GP guise, with crazy aerodynamic add-ons and the same 301-hp engine spec as the larger Clubman and Countryman JCW models. These pricey JCW Minis are the most spiritually aligned with Mini’s sporty brand ethos, a critical distinction given how dull mainstream Minis have become. See all 28 photos If you’re wondering what a JCW Mini EV might look like, well, take a gander at the camouflaged Hardtop pictured above. This appears to be t...
The Million-Mile 2007 Toyota Tundra Pickup: The Teardown
Four and a half years ago, the odometer in owner Victor Sheppard’s 2007 Toyota Tundra pickup passed one million miles, with the truck still on its original engine, transmission, and paint—an impressive feat for a vehicle just nine years old. Toyota thought so, too, swapping the heavily used rig for a brand-new model and sending the Million-Mile Tundra on a months-long tour of various company facilities. Once that was complete, the Million-Mile Tundra’s body, interior, and mechanicals were torn down to examine how well its constituent parts held up during its high-mileage duty cycle. The plan was to identify any defects and work with engineering to increase future quality. Here’s what Toyota found: It was the night shift on March 28, 2007, at Toyota’s Huntsville, Ala...
