Autos
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Suzuki Jimny You Want Now Available in Two-Seat Cargo Guise You’ll Also Want
See all 3 photos Surely there’s a florist somewhere that only delivers to snowbound mountain cabins bemoaning the inability to purchase this new Jimny model. Alas, the European commercial vehicle market is much different than that of America’s. Still, by removing the small rear seats of the Jimny, the true potential of the sub-scale Jeep-like trucklet is revealed. Ditching the rear seat actually frees up a full cubic foot of space. The load floor is also much flatter, which is great for filling the entirety of the Jimny’s 30-cubic-foot cargo capacity to the brim without things falling over. That increased rear capacity and flatter shape will make loading it with off-roading or overlanding gear even easier, too. There’s not much space in a Jimny anyway, so maximizing...
2021 Ferrari Roma First Drive: Sheer Pace, Unflappable Poise
The 2021 Ferrari Roma is an emphatic celebration of the Italian gran turismo, a genre that in the 1950s and ’60s resulted in some of the most beautiful and desirable cars ever built in Maranello. But the Roma is not a carefully crafted homage to the past, a contrived pastiche of retro-whimsy wrapped around 21st century hardware. No, this Ferrari GT is in every way a thoroughly modern interpretation of a classic automotive concept, cleverly engineered and superbly executed. First things first: The Roma is not a replacement for the Portofino, Ferrari’s other V-8-powered front-engine GT. It is an addition to the lineup, and with a price tag of $222,620 it’s by a fraction the least expensive new Ferrari you can buy. In the rarified world of Ferrari-nomics, it’s a stone-...
Eleanor Hits the Gym: 810-HP Shelby GT500CR Features Lightweight Carbon Fiber Body
Have $298,000 burning a hole in your pocket and a hankering for a classic-looking Shelby GT500 with a modern twist? Meet the GT500CR Carbon Edition, a limited run of just 25 carbon-fiber-bodied specials that just so happen to go on a shocking diet. Shelby claims this special Mustang model tips the scales 600 pounds lighter than the regular GT500CR. There’s also a supercharged “Coyote” 5.0-liter V-8 in the mix, pumping out a claimed 810 hp with a laundry list of mods. Traction is handled by a nine-inch rear end with a limited-slip differential and coilovers to help with handling. Wilwood brakes provide stopping power, and a Tremec-supplied six-speed manual is the only transmission option. But it’s the body that has our full attention. Peek at the gallery below to see...
Shelby vs. The World: How Carroll and Co. Conquered Le Mans
After dominating Corvettes in the 1963 domestic series, Carroll Shelby set his sights on Ferrari and winning the World Manufacturers’ Championship. This was easier said than done. Shelby’s Cobra roadsters excelled on the road courses in North America, but weren’t aerodynamic enough for the long straights and sweeping curves of the European circuits. A coupe version of the Cobra was needed to compete with the sleek World Champion Ferrari 250 GTOs. Of all the projects undertaken at Shelby American, the creation of the Cobra Coupe was one of the most challenging. Starting in October 1963, the company had 90 days to design, engineer, build, and test the coupe prior to Daytona in February 1964. See all 16 photos Peter Brock (right) designed the Cobra Daytona Coupe. Here, he ch...
2021 Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel First Drive: Diesel Makes It Better
No one would blame you for thinking adding a diesel engine to a vehicle’s lineup is a bad idea these days—not after VW’s emissions-cheating scandal. Although doing so really isn’t a great idea for passenger cars given the additional costs and lack of consumer appetite, it remains an excellent idea for trucks and their work-centric missions that often take them off pavement. For their part, Jeep executives like to say the second question they heard after, “Will you make a Jeep truck?” was, “Will it have a diesel?” The 2019 launch of the Jeep Gladiator answered the former in the affirmative, and the EcoDiesel variant does the same for the latter. And it’s a better truck for it. Diesel Torque FTW The formula is exactly what you expect it to be: ...
2022 Lucid Gravity SUV First Photos: Everything We Know About the EV Crossover
Not content simply launching an all-new EV with more than 1,000 horsepower and expected EPA range of more than 500 miles, the mad geniuses at Lucid Motors are cooking up a new SUV, because of course they are, and today’s market dictates they offer one. It’s called the Lucid Gravity. Little official information is available at this point beyond these two key items: First, the Gravity looks wider and will of course be much taller than the Lucid Air sedan, but it will sit on the same stretched-wheelbase skateboard platform so the SUV/CUV’s length should be close to identical. (Perhaps somebody whispered in our ear that the Gravity is less than an inch (15 mm) longer than the Air—who’s to say?) Second, VP of Design Derek Jenkins is an off-roading enthusiast who has...
It’s Official: The Volkswagen Golf MkVIII Wagon Looks Fantastic
The Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack models perished in the United States after the 2019 model year. Now, we’re left only to stare from afar at the recently revealed MkVIII models: the European-market Golf Variant (wagon) and Alltrack. Both show off the new Golf’s design in a particularly impressive way. We’re crossover crazy, sure, but even SUV diehards might begrudgingly admit that this is an attractive-looking wagon. See all 22 photos Mechanically these are just MkVIII Golfs, though, so expect the same powertrain options available in any other European Golf model. The Alltrack version features, as you might imagine, VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. A so-called “eTSI” mild-hybrid system available with the model’s available seven-speed ...
2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class’s Big Update Will Only Cost You a Little More
The all-new seventh-generation Mercedes S-Class has been hogging the spotlight lately, but the three-pointed star brand launched another important car this year: The revised 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The E-Class lineup, which includes sedan, coupe, convertible, and wagon body styles, is significantly refreshed for 2021—but, surprisingly, that upgrade does not come with that big a price bump. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan starts at $55,300, or just $255 more than the outgoing 2020 model. That gets you a rear-wheel-drive E350, which just as before is powered by a 255-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. Step up to the E450, which starts at $63,050, and you get the new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with EQ Boost mild hybrid tech in place of the old turbocharged 3.0-liter V...
2021 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition: This Track Edition Has a Name
The Lexus RC F is a fine sports car with a solid ride and handling chops, but traditionally, its extra weight has made it slower than rivals. For 2020, Lexus introduced the lighter, quicker RC F Track Edition, but production was limited to just 50 units for the United States. Now, Lexus is recreating some of this performance magic with another limited-production RC F: the Fuji Speedway Edition. Along with the outgoing Track Edition’s weight reductions, the new model adds a handful of unique design details to the Lexus performance coupe. The 2021 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition is limited to just 60 units and packs on the carbon fiber to improve performance. It also benefits from a titanium exhaust and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes. Lexus claims the special edition takes 4.0 seconds t...
CONFIRMED: Next Nissan Z Will Feature a Manual Transmission
UPDATE: Nissan has dropped a new teaser video (below) that confirms that the Nissan Z Proto, and thus likely the production version that will follow, will feature a manual transmission—as hinted in an earlier teaser. A brief bit of engine sound also seems to confirm that a V-6 engine is underhood, as expected. The original article continues below. Nissan will introduce a Z prototype, called the Z Proto, on September 15 for audiences here in the U.S. Ahead of the big digital debut, a new teaser seems to confirm the sports car will offer a manual transmission. We also get a closer look at some of the car’s important exterior design details. See all 8 photos You’ll have to keep your eyes peeled to see all the clues in this video. It isn’t until the end that we see a quick fl...
Peter Rawlinson’s Lucid Dream
A man envisions a future of electric cars, starting with a high-powered, six-figure, midsize super sedan, followed by a platform-sharing SUV, then migrating to smaller, more affordable vehicles in mass quantities. Sales will mostly be handled online (thanks to a virtual reality app), with a scattering of factory-run boutique stores in tiny enclaves. Service will be done via a remote van. If it reads a little like Tesla’s playbook, it’s because Peter Rawlinson, the chief executive officer and chief technology office of Lucid Motors, was once Elon Musk’s engineering czar before venturing out on his own. He just wants to build a better mousetrap. It’s also basic business strategy: You have to pay off your initial investors, and selling high-zoot luxury cars delivers la...
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept’s Grille Puts on a Light Show
How’s this for a welcome? You’re looking at the Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept’s “welcome lighting,” shared via Instagram by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles exec and designer Ralph Gilles. Automakers have been introducing more and more elaborate approach displays recently and Jeep clearly has no intention of getting left behind. This Jeep puts on a show. For example, the refreshed 2021 Audi Q5 utilizes something it calls “signature lighting,” which causes the multi-segment OLED taillights to fire off with a custom flourish when you lock or unlock the doors, as well as when you engage the crossover’s Dynamic driving mode. The Grand Wagoneer’s front-end lights up in an intricate sequence. First, the “WAGONEER” script illuminates, ...
