I could feel it within seconds. The high eyeline. The hefty steering. How the body keeled around corners; the redesigned 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 drives like a proper SUV. “Sport Utility Vehicle” is a somewhat ambiguous term these days, but my time in the 2021 GLA 250 showed that it fits that category more convincingly than its predecessor. In its transformation from that tall-ish hatchback, it lost some fun-to-drive attitude, but what it gained is a refined, authoritative demeanor that feels bigger than its subcompact sizing suggests. How Big Is the New Mercedes GLA 250? The dimensional changes indicate its mission. Most significant is height, a full 3.6 inches taller than before. Width increases by 1.2 inches, with 1.8 inches of track added front and rear. The wheelbase is ...
Ram engineers apparently just unlocked useful fragments of a Ram SRT-10’s DNA from a chunk of amber to clone their first truly redonk performance pickup in 15 years. Either that or the broadcast sprinkler that’s been hosing down FCA’s product lineup with 6.2-liter supercharged Hemis finally pointed at Ram. Either way, look out; the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX (say T-Rex) is about to bust out of its safety cage. Taking a page from drag racing’s “Snake” and “Mongoose,” TRX calls to mind the natural predator of its primary off-road competitor. Because as Jurassic Park taught us (incorrectly), Tyrannosaurus Rexes lunched on Velociraptors back in the day. Frankly, we fret that this new TRX, powered by a 702-hp, 650-lb-ft supercharged V-8, might not fee...
Nissan will discontinue the Titan lineup in Canada. Naturally, this news had us worried the truck would meet the same fate here in the United States. Fortunately, it looks like the recently updated Titan will continue to be sold in our neck of the woods. Nissan confirmed to MotorTrend that the Titan will indeed exit the Canadian market after the 2021 model year. However, Nissan also assured us that the truck isn’t leaving the U.S. anytime soon. See all 35 photos “Titan was refreshed for the 2020 model year and offers the most standard power, safety features, and technology in its class, and it remains an important part of Nissan’s U.S. product lineup,” Nissan wrote in a statement. “Titan will continue to be sold in the U.S. beyond model-year 2021.” It wo...
We’re eagerly awaiting the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which promises a bolder design as it moves into its next generation. Before the big debut, Mercedes is giving us our first official, unredacted look at perhaps the most important part of the vehicle: its interior. (Earlier photo releases covered a few aspects of the cabin, namely its bevy of new MBUX infotainment screens.) Suffice it to say, the cabin is befitting of a benchmark large luxury saloon. See all 22 photos The streamlined design is set off by two large screens. The first is a wide instrument display in front of the driver that resembles the unit on the old S-Class. However, in the center of the dashboard, you’ll find a new horizontally arranged (portrait-style) display that takes a page from Tesla’s layout ...
American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) recently opened up the order banks for the company’s turnkey JL350 and JL370 conversions based on the hot-selling JL-generation Jeep Wrangler. AEV has a well-deserved reputation for making some of the most capable turnkey vehicles on the planet and is known for delivering enhanced off-road performance while not compromising the OE’s refined on-road manners. AEV designs, develops, and manufactures its own line of parts and whole-vehicle solutions using an OE approach to engineering, durability, and design. See all 51 photos In addition to the Jeep Wrangler JL models, AEV currently offers the Ram HD-based Prospector XL and the Chevy Colorado-based Bison. Past AEV vehicles include the Wrangler TJ-based Brute and Wrangler JK-based Brute Double Cab...
Maybe we’re in a mood, but Mazda’s announcement of a slick-looking new Carbon Edition treatment for its CX-5 and CX-9 crossovers, plus the Mazda 6 sedan, seems predicated on a contradiction. How? Mazda claims each Carbon Edition “will feature a bold color scheme that helps represent individuality,” while at the same time specifying that every single one will wear Polymetal Gray paint and have a red-colored leather interior. So much for individuality, right? Okay, now that we’ve had our coffee, we’ll point out that CX-5, CX-9, and Mazda 6 Carbon Edition buyers will enjoy some individuality relative to shoppers who take home a regular CX-5, CX-9, or 6. After all, the gray-over-red color combination is exclusive to the special-edition models, which also get...
THESE DAYS, factory hot-rod pickups are as commonplace as rock stars wearing guyliner, but all of them owe their heritage to the specially equipped Dodge D-100 Custom Sports Special you see here, which debuted in 1964—eight years before Ziggy Stardust painted his face. Yes, in the same year designer Mary Quant changed the fashion world forever with the miniskirt, Dodge attempted to upend the pickup-truck status quo by introducing a “personal-use” maximum-performance model of the D-100—a Hemi-powered hot rod truck lavishly trimmed with bucket seats and a console. Perhaps some spark of inspiration came from San Diego DJ Dick Boynton’s success racing his 1963 Dragmaster truck, a Dodge D-100 powered by a 413-cubic inch 420-horse Max Wedge engine that won its B/FX (factory exp...
After a year’s hiatus, the Lexus LX 570 welcomes the special Inspiration Series trim back to the model line for 2021. Limited to 500 units, the three-row Inspiration Series sports a bevy of blacked-out exterior bits. This includes its 21-inch wheels, grille, exterior accent pieces, and badges. Furthermore, the trim adds black finishes to the fog lights, headlights, and taillights, the latter two of which also include smoked lenses. While black exterior paint comes standard, a coat of white paint is optionally available. Inside, the LX 570 Inspiration Series features black leather seats with tasteful red accents. Special floor and cargo mats, as well as black headliner, round out the model. Although tasteful, the blacked-out 2021 LX 570 Inspiration Series seems, well, uninspired. See ...
Changing your engine’s oil is one of the most important things you can do to keep the heart of your vehicle healthy, not to mention prevent extremely costly repairs down the road. We’re going to tell you how to do it, and also why it’s so important. Use this as a general guide and refer to your owner’s manual or shop manual for more information about any specific procedures that might apply to your vehicle. Why is oil so important? Your engine is under extreme stress and its internals move and rotate very quickly. A typical engine contains many metal parts that move extremely close together thousands of times per minute. As the oil travels around the engine, it creates a film in critical areas that actually separates metal parts from touching each other. Without thi...
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq debuted earlier this month, promising Tesla-like range and technology. Now, Cadillac is providing clues as to how much the electric crossover will cost when it debuts in late 2022 or early 2023. As Automotive News reports, the Lyriq will start under $60,000. That’s according to Steve Carlisle, president of General Motors North America, who made the announcement at the JP Morgan Auto Conference on Wednesday. “This car will need to be priced similar to how the industry prices midsize lux SUVs today, maybe a slight premium at the outset,” said Carlisle. “It’s a price that won’t be high five digits. It won’t start with a seven and it won’t start with a six.” Full pricing information will be released closer to the mod...
Ed Roth was a man of many talents: painter, pinstriper, airbrush artist, fabricator. He was also a great self-promoter. Roth understood that an artist working in obscurity would likely starve. Success meant getting the word out about your skills. In the early 1950s, Roth bought a 1948 Ford, painted it red, lettered it with the name of his business and phone number, and adorned the roof over the back window with papier-mache head and hands. Sort of a bizarre take on the old “Kilroy was Here” cartoon. But, as he told Tony Thacker in the book Hot Rods by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, that head “drew too many complaints.” So in 1957, he bought a light green 1956 Ford F-100 pickup. Roth repainted the truck white and adorned it with red flames and added a tonneau cover...
It’s 2020, and we’re all in desperate need of some uplifting news. If it involves a lovable dog with a rags-to-dealer story, we are there. And that’s why we’re so happy to be telling you about Tuscon Prime instead of some grim auto manufacturing news. This dog used to be a stray, but with a little luck he became a fixture at a Hyundai dealer—and now he’s getting international exposure. The dealership is located in Brazil, and we came across this story on Hyundai’s Brazilian Instagram account. The story goes that Tucson Prime was a stray, but liked hanging around the dealership. Taking pity on the adorable pup, the dealership “adopted” him. It was a smart move for both, since Tucson Prime became the center of attention—and had a stable living ...