The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is already a car worthy of the Shelby name, but for those who want a more conspicuous connection to racing legend and entrepreneur Carroll Shelby, Las Vegas-based Shelby American is offering a Carroll Shelby Signature Edition package that turns your stock Mustang GT500 into a GT500SE with more power and an official Shelby CSM number. Wondering why you’d want Shelby to tune and Shelby-fy a car that’s already a Shelby? The relationship between Ford and Shelby can be a little confusing, so here’s a quick breakdown: Ford licenses the Shelby name for the GT500 and GT350, which were developed 100-percent in-house at Ford. Shelby American is the company that Carroll Shelby founded, and still builds its own cars including continuation-series Cob...
GM and EVgo have identified 40 metropolitan areas across the country in need of better fast-charging infrastructure. EVgo has previously announced it will power its chargers with renewable energy. See all 5 photos “We are moving quickly to bring new EVs to market that customers will love,” GM chief executive officer Mary Barra said in a prepared statement. “We know how important the charging ecosystem is for drivers, one that includes access to convenient and reliable fast charging.” The first of the new stations will open in early 2021, with each station offering charging for at least four electric vehicles at once. The stations will be located in highly visible areas in both cities and suburbs, including access for renters and apartment dwellers who do not have at...
When Acura pulled the sheets off the new TLX sedan earlier this year, it revealed key specs for the regular-grade model—but left out a few details about the zestier Type S trim, namely, how much horsepower and torque its turbocharged V-6 kicks out. Well, Acura has finally come out with those numbers, and they’re much more competitive than anything put forth by the old TLX. The 2021 Acura TLX Type S’s 3.0-liter V-6 will make 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. That horsepower figure edges the Audi S4’s 349, but falls shy of the BMW M340i’s 382 horsepower. Other sport-focused six-cylinder stalwarts in the entry-luxury segment are more powerful, too, including Infiniti’s Q50 Red Sport 400 and Mercedes-AMG’s C43. However, the TLX has taken a big step for...
We can finally start speculating about the sort of accessories the 2021 Ford Bronco will have at its disposal as the Blue Oval’s off-road SUV looks to one-up the legendary Jeep Wrangler. Admittedly, Ford hasn’t released much in the way of details regarding the sort of add-ons it plans to offer on the model, but that hasn’t stopped curious fans from digging in and trying to figure it out for themselves. One particularly motivated member of the Bronco6G forum recently dug up an image that shows a Bronco with a set of rad-looking tube doors. We previously published information on the Bronco’s removable doors, including the possibility of tube doors appearing on the model. This is the first time we’ve seen an image of the tube doors outside of a patent drawing, th...
Hyundai tore the wraps off of the updated 2021 Santa Fe crossover SUV in early June. But, that was the global model. Thanks to the sharp sights of a MotorTrend reader, though, we’re finally able to get our first look at the North American-spec version of the updated Hyundai model. Predictably, our version of the South Korean brand’s crossover SUV looks almost identical to the 2021 Santa Fe the company already unveiled abroad. This includes the model’s new mug, which sports a wide grille bookended by new headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights that appear to connect with a separate set of lamps located near the base of the crossover’s hood. See all 30 photos Those with keen eyes, however, will notice a handful of small alterations to this preprodu...
The old-school body-on-frame SUV remains mostly unchanged, too. The only significant difference for 2021 is that the Heritage Edition now gets the option of a third row of seats and two new exterior colors: Classic Silver Metallic and Magnetic Gray Metallic join Midnight Black Metallic and Blizzard Pearl. All Heritage Edition cars come with a model-specific set of sweet-looking BBS-sourced 18-inch wheels. See all 37 photos The power plant for this mammoth SUV is the same 5.7-liter V-8 as before and it once again churns out 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque. Likewise, the Land Cruiser’s hydraulically controlled sway bars (known as Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System in Toyota-speak), hill-descent control, multi-terrain select, and the lockable Torsen center differential are still all ...
If Rod Hall ever had the opportunity to race a new, 2021 Ford Bronco, we think it just might resemble this rendering. And odds are he would have left the competition in the dust. Rod Hall dedicated his life to racing four-wheel-drive vehicles, accomplishing one of the most impressive racing resumes ever seen in the professional off-road racing world by winning over 160 major events and a variety of SCORE, HDRA, and BiTD championship titles. One of his coolest accomplishments was racing in every single one of the first fifty SCORE Baja 1000, one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world. From its inception in 1967 (then called the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally) to his last start racing a Hummer in 2017 when he was nearly 80, Hall collected 25 class wins and thousands of memories. One o...
Like a cockroach in a nuclear wasteland, the Toyota 4Runner simply refuses to die. No surprise, then, that the 4Runner enters the 2021 model year as fundamentally the same SUV it was more than a decade ago. Despite this, Toyota continues to improve upon its aging mid-size model, and all 2021 4Runners benefit from the addition of LED low-beam headlights and fog lights. Step up to the more luxurious Limited, dark-hued Nightshade, or off-road-ready TRD Pro trims and the Japanese automaker tosses in LED high-beam headlights, too. Exterior lighting is far from the only change to the body-on-frame 4Runner, and the boxy Toyota looks to capitalize on its off-tarmac capabilities by way of a new (and previously unveiled) Trail special edition model that adds TRD wheels, a Yakima rooftop ca...
Despite occupying the top slot in General Motors’ brand hierarchy, Cadillac won’t get the first electric vehicle from GM’s dedicated new electric vehicle architecture. That honor goes to GMC, which is getting the 2022 Hummer EV SUT, an electric pickup that goes into production in the fall of 2021, and which will be followed later by an SUV. (GM just released more details on the pair, in fact.) Instead, Cadillac will run a close second behind GMC—its Lyriq electric crossover will go on sale for the 2023 model year. Prior to that, the full unveil of a production-previewing concept will happen on August 6, and we know plenty about both the concept and the eventual streetgoing model. Indeed, the Lyriq concept is an unusually direct precursor to the production model, and GM sa...
The Outback has inspired imitators, but none has ever come close to this wagon/quasi-SUV’s success. After a couple months with the 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx 2.4 XT we’re driving for a year, we have a better idea of how it compares to the midsize two-row SUVs it competes against. So how good is this SUV-ified wagon’s interior practicality compared with an SUV? Keep reading to find out. How the Outback Is a Match for SUVs Part of why MotorTrend has consistently liked Subaru Outbacks for years is their combination of SUV practicality offered at a lower price than some competitors. That’s still mostly true for the 2020 Outback, including our one-year Onyx 2.4 XT tester. Let’s start with the Outback’s cargo area. Every Outback starting with the $31,305 Premium...
Tubular Rear Airbags See all 18 photos The new S-Class will offer rear passenger airbags that deploy from the back of the front seats. The airbag’s unique tubular structure allows it to wrap around the occupant’s head, while the material between the tubes inflates just the right amount to catch and cushion said noggin. Mercedes says its design allows for quick deployment of a relatively high-volume airbag with less risk of injury to the passenger. Pre-Safe Side Collision Mitigation See all 18 photos If the new S-Class’s sensors determine a side impact is imminent, the E-Active Body Control adaptive suspension system automatically raises the entire body up to three inches to redirect energy from the crash into the more robust lower structure of the car. This all happens ...
Lamborghini is seeking the attention of the world’s wealthy gentlemen and gentlewomen racers with its new Essenza SCV12 track car. Limited to 40 units, the Essenza SCV12 allows customers to enter what Lamborghini deems an “exclusive club. “ Of course, any owner of a rare car is arguably part of an exclusive club, but the Essenza SCV12 packs perks not often associated with automobile ownership. After all, this is a tried-and-true track car, and Lamborghini won’t have Essenza SCV12 owners use it in any other way. That’s because purchasing an Essenza SCV12 also nets entry to regular drive events at various FIA Grade 1 circuits. Alas, Lamborghini didn’t share the individual tracks it plans to host events at, the first of which occurs in 2021. See all 11 phot...