Autos
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The Original Mini Is an Icon and These Classic Images Prove It
Americans have plenty of automotive icons, including the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, the 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, the 1955-1957 Chevrolet Bel Air—it’s a long list. We have quite a few superstars in our stables, but we often forget this grouping of immortal Detroit iron doesn’t hold nearly as high a status abroad, especially in places such as the United Kingdom. Indeed, the Brits have their own pantheon of vehicular greats, and we felt it was high time to feature the smallest yet brightest star from among the bunch—the Mini Cooper. We’ve scrounged around the archives to put together a folio of vintage photos of classic Minis doing whatever classic Minis are wont to do. As usual, we picked out a few of our favorites to highlight below, but don’t miss the ful...
Meet the Force Gurkha, an Indian Off-Roader With a G-Wagen Vibe
Is the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class just a bit to glitzy for your liking? Maybe the once hardcore mil-spec go-anywhere do-anything utility vehicle has been sanitized by the addition of all that leather and comfort. Or maybe the new G is just a bit too pricey. Either way, if you’re one of the people who longs for something a bit more rugged and rustic than anything Mercedes offers here, and you happen to live in Southeast Asia, you might want to take a look at the Force Gurkha. It isn’t some crazy million-dollar G-Wagen restomod. Instead, it’s an unrelated but rugged vehicle that draws inspiration from the famous Mercedes off-roader. There are a couple of engine options, including a turbocharged 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder diesel engine that makes 140 horsepower and 237 lb...
Is the Toyota RAV4 Safe? A Look at our Long-Termer’s Safety Credentials
Now that we’ve explored the Toyota RAV4’s impressive real-world fuel economy and ruminated on our favorite features, it’s time to delve deeper into the most important buying consideration. Because this vehicle is a popular family SUV, that consideration is safety. The first thing that catches your attention behind the wheel is visibility. Fortunately, the RAV4 excels in this area. A low windshield, boxy proportions, and skillfully placed pillars make it easy to see out the front and side of the vehicle. A rear camera provides a relatively clear view out the rear of our XLE tester. Unfortunately, you must upgrade to a package on the TRD Off-Road or Limited if you want a fancy 360-degree camera. For 2020, the RAV4 joins the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and other key competitors...
Tesla Lovers Get App for Finding Lovers Who Also Love Teslas
Find Tinder lacking in electricity? Does Bumble and its rules for courtship engagement need more autopilot? Wish eHarmony was better at plugging into your emotional needs? Are you hoping to open up your relationship with your Tesla to include a third party? Worry not, lost would-be polyamorous electric vehicle lover, because we think there might finally be a digital matchmaker for you: Tesla Dating. This new dating app under development—website here—promises to connect like-minded Tesla fans for the purposes of courtship. That is, if someone so far up Tesla’s, um, charging port can peel away from bragging to their friends about how their car “drives itself” to find a partner equally engrossed in their electric car. See all 19 photos Amusingly, the app’s creator, Aji...
$90,000-Plus 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition Sells Out in Three Hours
It comes as no surprise, but for those interested in ordering the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition, don’t bother. It’s too late, already. Hot on the heels of Ram’s announcement of what it considers to be the fastest, quickest, and most powerful pickup truck on the market, all 702 orders allotted for the special Launch Edition were filled in about three hours. The number of available Launch Editions, a paltry 702, celebrates the truck’s 702-hp 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 mated to an eight-speed TorqueFlite 8HP95 automatic transmission—the only engine offering for the TRX. The TRX is 8 inches wider than a normal Ram 1500 and is set up with custom suspension components that can handle high-speed desert runs comfortably. The Ram 1500 TRX has a base price of $69,995 ...
Old Car City U.S.A. Is Part Graveyard, Part Playground for Fans of Abandoned Classic Cars
This story originally ran in 2014 on Hot Rod. For more barn find and classic car content, check out Hot Rod Network. You’ve probably seen images from this place before. Big finned Cadillacs sinking slowly in the loam, a 1967 GTO peering out from waist-high weeds, vines curling around the mirrors and in and out of hood scoops, pre-safety glass windshields starred and fogged from decades of quiet resting in the woods. There are more than six miles of trails in and around the Georgia forest land that houses these picturesque scenes of abandonment, and the owner of it all, Dean Lewis, knows exactly how striking it is. See all 258 photos There is a sign on the fence that reads “CARS, ART, NATURE, HISTORY.” That sums up Dean’s approach to his 34-acre vintage car...
2022 Toyota Tundra: What We Know About the Next One
An All-New Toyota Tundra for 2022 The 2022 Toyota Tundra is due to ride on the company’s latest truck chassis. Reportedly coined Toyota New Global Architecture-F (or TNGA-F), the Tundra’s body-on-frame underpinnings ought to benefit from greater use of high-strength steel and other weight-saving materials. Like the Ram 1500, we anticipate the next-gen Tundra will adopt coil springs—in place of the current truck’s leaf springs—to go with its live rear axle. Such a setup will surely improve the truck’s ride quality. Likewise, we expect the lither 2022 Tundra to notably improve upon the outgoing model’s maximum 1,730-pound payload and 10,200-pound towing figures. Of course, it will have to, with more-modern light-duty competitors offering capacities that far outs...
2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer: What We Know About the Big Luxury SUV
Is the Grand Wagoneer or the Grand Cherokee the Grander Jeep? Positioned above the Grand Cherokee in Jeep’s lineup, the mighty Grand Wagoneer will most likely trade its smaller sibling’s unibody architecture for a body-on-frame setup. With its underpinnings almost assuredly cribbed from the Ram 1500 pickup truck, the Grand Wagoneer ought to emerge with towing and hauling abilities that match what’s likely to be near-class-leading off-road prowess. See all 22 photos Unlike the Ram’s rear end, which utilizes a live axle, the Grand Wagoneer is expected to adopt an independent rear suspension setup. This should provide it with a ride quality befitting a vehicle that’s expected to crest the six-figure mark when loaded up with options. Don’t worry, the base Gr...
How Much the 2021 Toyota Tacoma Nightshade and Trail Editions Will Cost
There are more than 35 different variants of the Tacoma to pick from, so it’s likely there’s a Taco to fit your specific need. The 4×2 SR Access Cab is the lowest rung on the Tacoma ladder; for 2021, it will start at $27,325, a negligible $100 increase over the 2020 truck. Prices steadily move up from there as you spec different cab sizes, bed lengths, and engine options until you reach the next rung, the SR5. The least expensive 2021 SR5 is the $29,115 Access Cab model with RWD. The Trail Edition can now be spec’d for SR5s and can be had with either RWD for $35,180 or 4WD for $38,255. See all 20 photos The 2021 TRD Sport is the next step up, and it sees a $315 price hike. That means it costs $34,235 to start, rising to $39,065 in double-cab, long bed,...
BMW X1 vs. Mercedes-Benz GLA 250: Which Is the Better Daily Driver?
You want it all, don’t you? Easy to park, yet spacious inside. Efficient and lively. Docile, but also burly—just like a grown-up SUV. These are all likely reasons why you’re looking at subcompact crossovers. Oh, you want sporty and luxurious, too? If an SUV extant hits all those marks, we’ve yet to drive it. But between the 2021 BMW X1 and the redesigned 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250, there’s good news: You can have most of it. However, one gives you more—a lot more—in how it backs up the badge it wears. To decide which is better to live with every day, we drove city streets, bustling freeways, and curvy roads in between because when you want it all, you have to try a little bit of everything. See all 70 photos Small Outside, Big Inside Looking at the specs, you might ...
These Rare Hot Wheels May Be Small But They’re Worth Thousands
As enumerated in this list of the most sought-after modern Hot Wheels, hard-to-find variants from the first few years of production are some of the most valuable and cherished collectible toys in the high-end collecting sphere. The trouble is, when you try and pin down specifically what the most expensive Redlines—what connoisseurs call models from the first few years of Hot Wheels—are, you run into a mire of prototypes, one-offs, and promotional models. So, skirting around some of the more unique Redlines, here is a handful of valuable, now-expensive vintage Hot Wheels to keep an eye out for when you’re digging through your collection. 1970 Classic Nomad in Gold, $2,500+ See all 6 photos Image Courtesy of Woody Itson Like the majority of Redlines that occupy the upper echelons of th...
The Acura TLX Just Got a Lot More Expensive for 2021
Honda is moving its Acura luxury brand upmarket by highlighting its performance chops. It is a strategy that began with the return of the NSX sports car at the 2015 North American International Auto Show and has shown more recent success with the arrival of new Acura RDX in 2018. The compact crossover’s additional athleticism came at a cost, though, and the latest RDX saw its price jump $3,000 relative to that of its predecessor. Acura is following the same plan with its 2021 TLX that goes on sale at the end of September. And yes, the sports sedan’s price takes a big jump, with the entry-level TLX 2.0T and its turbocharged four-cylinder engine starting at $38,525. That is $1,300 more than the outgoing TLX with its optional V-6. The base 2020 TLX with its 2.4-liter fou...
