Autos

Lexus’ comfortable midsize ES sedan returns for the new model year with major updates, the most significant being a new four-cylinder, all-wheel-drive variant. The promise of added traction should keep the 2021 Lexus ES competitive with key rivals like the Volvo S90, Genesis G80, and Cadillac CT5, all of which have or offer all-wheel drive. In the 2021 Lexus ES250 AWD, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder sends 203 horsepower to all four wheels. To help navigate slippery roads, the system can direct up to 50 percent of engine torque to the rear axle; when not needed, the AWD system disengages the rear drive setup to save fuel. The new powertrain will have no effect on the ES’s generous legroom or trunk room, Lexus says. Lexus is estimating 28 mpg in combined city and highway driving for t...

If it’s got a motor, somebody’s raced it. Or run it through the dirt. (Or both, right?) But a riding lawnmower? Sure, you remember Honda’s 133-mph lawnmower, right? If your mower project is not backed by a British Touring Car Championship racing team and the U.K. arm of a major corporation, though, you might want to set your sights lower. How about getting from point A to point B on a mower, sans roads? Our friends at The Drive spotted an Instagram account of an outfit in Canada building lawnmowers to do just that. No, they’re not four-wheel drive dirt-manglers with a trio of lockers and a roof-top tent, but these off-road lawnmowers are cheap and fun. And that’s the sort of spirit and creativity we enjoy. Maybe not so much the tipping over, though, which OK O...

The Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray is great as-is, capable of hanging with the best sports cars in the segment. But the “base” mid-engine ‘Vette is only the beginning. To really shake up the supercar establishment, Chevy needs to bring out the big guns. We’re of course talking about the C8 Corvette Z06. We’ve reported plenty on the upcoming Z06 variant and the possibly related C8.R race car, breaking the news of the C8.R’s dual-overhead-cam, flat-plane-crank V-8 more than a month before its reveal. Now, a recent video captures the C8 Corvette Z06’s engine note—and it sounds absolutely insane. In the video, a camouflaged C8 can be seen making a left turn onto a street near GM’s Milford Proving Ground in Michigan. Seeing a Corvette C8 in full c...

You’re a family oriented sort of person. You have a suburban home in small town America with a white picket fence, 2.5 children, and a Tesla Model Y EV to move the family without sucking up precious earthly resources. What more could you need? Sounds like you’ve got it made—so what about your kiddos? Enter Radio Flyer—you know, the brand behind your childhood red wagon—and its “My First Model Y,” a scaled-down Tesla for your kids to ride around on. The recipe is simple. Take Tesla’s newest SUV and shrink it down to a size suitable for children. The Radio Flyer’s design is true to the real thing, and the scale model Model Y features tires with actual rubber tread for better grip—that will hopefully last the life of the toy assuming your toddler isn’...

Ram’s official answer is “Not at introduction,” which, you will note, is not a definitive no—but neither is it a yes. We can only speculate, and speculate we shall: While Ram clearly intends the 1500 TRX as a halo vehicle, we think a less powerful version would make sense. Recouping the Ram 1500 TRX’s Development Costs First, there’s the simple business expedient of spreading out the investment of developing such a high-performance vehicle. There’s a lot more to the Ram TRX than its supercharged Hellcat engine: The frame has been modified, suspension components redesigned, new interior fittings, and new software, plus new bodywork to accommodate the changes in track and wheelbase and to give the TRX its distinctive look. That’s a lot of investment ...

The Ford GT is among a few cars that draw as close as you can get to truly fulfilling the “race car for the road” cliché. After all, the original was designed for the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. But before it ever set its tires down in France, the GT had to prove it was up to the job, and its first ever endurance race win came at Daytona in 1966. In order to mark the 55 year anniversary of that stepping-stone victory, Ford is offering the iconic Mk II GT’s racing livery on the GT supercar of today with yet another Heritage Edition. That original Mk II GT featured a unique mostly white paint scheme with red and black accents, and the same colors have been applied to the new car. The blacked-out hood of the original has been kept, but instead of using black paint, F...

Ram has just pulled a (massive) sheet off the burly 2021 1500 TRX pickup. We’re absolutely salivating to put it through its paces, but that’ll come later—and you’ll want to read about it. But we can draw some serious conclusions about how the new Ram might fare against its only real rival—the Ford F-150 Raptor—out in the desert and on a muddy trail just by looking at the two trucks’ specifications. And we’re not just talking about what’s under the hood, or in between the wheels, either. Let’s take a deep look at how these off-road trucks fare in a number of categories. See all 101 photos 2021 Ram 1500 TRX water fording Which Is Bigger—Ram 1500 TRX or Ford F-150 Raptor? We’re going to compare apples to apples when considering external dimensio...