Autos

Although it’s not an entirely new car, the 2021 Lexus IS promises several upgrades over its predecessor. Keeping the same platform and engines as before, the small luxury sedan gets a fresher exterior design, an updated suspension, and a new infotainment system. With all the updates, the starting price has increased slightly from 2020, and the F Sport package is no longer available on IS 300 and IS 300 AWD models. However, other variants are cheaper than before, including the potent IS 350 F Sport. The 2021 Lexus IS 300 RWD starts at $40,025, an increase of $440 from last year. At this price, it’s closely aligned with the 2021 Audi A4, which starts at $40,145. It also straddles the 2021 Genesis G70, which starts at $37,025, and the 2021 BMW 3 Series, priced from $42,245. The ba...

The Datsun/Nissan Zs are some of the finest Japanese sports cars still around. The maker revealed its 2021 Z Proto Concept recently that looks like a rebodied 370Z. The new Z is likely to be called the 400Z, and it strikes a mean side profile. The Proto Z’s rear light kit is inspired by the 1990s-era 300ZX twin-turbo coupe. The 300ZX is so awesome it was even named Motor Trend‘s 1990 Import Car of the Year. Tune in to Wheeler Dealers with hosts Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead to discover why it’s now a collectible classic. In this episode, Brewer travels to Oregon to score a deal on a sweet one that he likes to call ZedX. Why? Well, blimey, because that’s the way he says it. The Nissan 300ZX was sold in the U.S. from 1984 to 1996, and the all-new version—codenamed Z32—w...

Everyone is probably familiar with Mario Kart, Nintendo’s enduring multiplayer title that combines Mario characters, goofy cartoon racing karts, and plenty of weaponized widgets for attacking other players on elaborate fantasy race tracks. Since its debut in 1992 under the Super Mario Kart title and subsequent appearances since, Mario Kart has been played exclusively in the digital realm, on home consoles, Game Boys, portable systems, and in arcades. That changes with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for Nintendo Switch, which literally drops the racing game into reality—in your living room. How? With clever software capable of delivering a “mixed reality” experience between players, their Nintendo Switches, and physical Mario Karts that can be raced around actual track...

If the BMW X2 doesn’t pop enough in any of its available bold colors (such as Galvanic Gold or Sunset Orange), then consider the new 2021 BMW X2 Edition M Mesh. It’ll offer a whole bunch of unique and sporty exterior and interior upgrades and accents for a reasonable upcharge. But there’s one important caveat: The bold orange decals you see prominently featured in the photos above won’t be coming to the United States. Whether that’s a plus or a minus in American buyers’ minds is up for debate, but it does take one of the package’s most unique features off the table. There’s still plenty on offer, however, so let’s break it down. For one, the M Sport X exterior package is present, and it includes a sporty front fascia and dark exterior t...

The Lexus UX isn’t the most athletic-looking small crossover, unless you load it up with modifications like our friends at Super Street did. If you want a sportier-looking version straight from the factory, though, take a peek at the new 2021 Lexus UX250h Black Line Special Edition. Black accents give a fresh look to the headlamps, grille surround, side mirrors, and roof rails. To top it off, the special UX gets 18-inch black wheels. Three paint jobs are available: Eminent White Pearl, Caviar, and a new hue called Grecian Water. Color-keyed overfenders extend the body color all the way down to the wheel well, making the crossover appear even lower to the ground. See all 18 photos Inside the cabin, look for NuLuxe faux leather seats in Black or Birch. Lexus sprinkled blue accents...

The Infiniti Q50 is neither new nor our favorite compact luxury sedan. It offers plenty of interior space and offers a powerful Red Sport model, but some of our gripes included the fact that it doesn’t handle as well as some of its rivals and lacked safety tech. For 2021, the Q50 continues to exist, and Infiniti is at least remedying the four-door’s safety feature shortcomings by adding a suit of new driver aids as standard equipment across the range. Every 2021 Infiniti Q50 will come with blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, a 360-degree parking camera system, intelligent cruise control that locks onto and follows the car ahead, rear collision warning, and automatic high beams. None of those features will make the Q50 a better handling car, but having all that s...

“It’s all over,” I said to myself. I was in the passenger seat of Lucid Air car number 17. Why 17? Because it’s the last two digits of the car’s VIN. It’s an early enough build the steering wheel is from a Cadillac CTS because Lucid hadn’t started making steering wheels when car 17’s chassis was built. John Culliton, the senior mechanical engineer of chassis and vehicle dynamics who was giving me some hot laps around Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, had finally stopped simply telling me about how the Air is on the track and stomped the throttle. We were just before the apex of turn 5, and John’s foot unleashed all 1,080 horsepower in the Air. “This is the end,” I thought. Not of my life—John’s pretty handy behind the w...

Every new truck debut ignites a war of numbers, with fans feverishly comparing horsepower, torque, hauling capability, and—who knows?—maybe cupholder counts. Ford released new information about the 2021 F-150 this week, and it promises to blow competitors out of the water when it comes to trucky metrics such as towing, horsepower, and more. That’s an ambitious claim, considering that since the last F-150 first went on sale, rivals haven’t been sitting still, instead pushing their trucks’ envelopes further and setting a higher bar. So, how will the 2021 Ford F-150 stack up against the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado? We’ve crunched the numbers so that you can gear up for truck debate class: See all 46 photos F-150 vs. Silverado vs. Ram 1500: Engines Ford was already...