Aurelia Butler

The 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound joins the lineup with a starting price of $85,975.Despite its long wheelbase, the Outbound only seats five and replaces the rearmost side glass with panels.The regular 2024 Defender 130 adds an available 493-hp supercharged V-8, which also arrives as the Defender 110 P500.Land Rover—or should we say the recently rebranded JLR—is hard at work making the Defender SUV appeal to as many people as possible. Along with offering four-, six-, and eight-cylinder powertrains, the fancy off-roader is also available with two- and four-door body styles, including long (110) and longer (130) wheelbases. Now the 2024 Land Rover Defender family gets even bigger with the introduction of the 130 Outbound trim level as well as the expanded availability of V-8 power.Meet the Defender 130 OutboundThe thing about the Defender 130 is that it’s so long—about 16.5 feet overall—to make room for a third row of seats and commensurate cargo capacity. Well, the newly added Outbound variant only offers two rows with seating for five instead of the usual three for eight. The missing third row means there’s now nearly 50 inches of open floor space behind the second row. That open area translates to 47 cubic feet and expands to 89 cubes with the back seats stowed. A rubber floor mat that can be folded over the rear bumper for added scratch protection, extra cubbies and latch points, and (wait for it) a new cargo net are all part of the Outbound experience.JLRThe Defender 130 Outbound in these photos looks like something a Bond villain would take overlanding. However, underneath its rear side-mounted accessories is a color-matched panel that replaces the windows. It’s a unique touch that separates the Outbound from other 130 models. Paint colors are limited to Carpathian Grey, Fuji White, Eiger Gray, and Santorini Black. Land Rover also offers the latter two with a protective satin film for the princely sum of $5500.JLRA set of black 20-inch wheels mounted on Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac All-Terrain tires are standard on the Defender 130 Outbound. All-season rubber is available for no extra cost, and larger 22-inch rollers are optional too, but they cost $2400 and only come with all-seasons. Every Outbound is powered by Land Rover’s 395-hp 3.0-liter straight-six, which features an electric supercharger and a 48-volt hybrid system. The starting price for the new Outbound trim is $85,975.More V-8s and New Retro GraphicsFor 2024, more Land Rover Defenders can be equipped with a V-8. That’s because 130 models are now available with the supercharged 5.0-liter, which pumps out 493 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. The engine upgrade does require customers to choose between grey or black paint colors, but it brings exclusive quad exhaust tips too. Of course, it also comes with a hefty price hike, as the V-8 version of the 130 starts at $118,075.As shown on the Defender configurator.JLRFor Defender fans who prefer the shorter 110 model, it also adds the new 493-hp V-8 option, which joins the previously available 518-hp V-8. But we’re more interested in the new County appearance pack that can be had on 2024 Defender 110s. For just $600, customers can add retro graphics as well as contrasting colors on the roof and tailgate that are inspired by the original Defender County models. We’re especially smitten when the County pack is paired with the gloss-white steel wheels.Land Rover Defenders Tested!This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

This Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG features a 302-hp 4.3-liter V-8 under its hood.Silver paint and a black interior emphasize this eight-cylinder C-class’s sleeper status.Bidding closes on Monday, May 1, 2023.For the 2024 model year, the Mercedes-AMG C63 loses its predecessor’s V-8 engine in favor of a complex turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. On the plus side, the new C63 still accelerates like a rocket. Alas, it comes at the expense of a hefty curb weight. Today’s pick from the auction site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is a part of the Hearst Autos group—hearkens back to a simpler time at the three-pointed star. This 1999 C43 AMG marked the first time Mercedes fit a big V-8 into the small C-class sedan.Related StoriesToday, AMG slots neatly into Mercedes’s corporate structure, a neatly polished cog in a vast machine. In late 1997, when the C43 was first shown to the world, AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungshesellschaft mbH was still its own entity (Mercedes would take a controlling interest in the tuning shop in 1999). Having previously built the six-cylinder C36 to compete with the BMW M3, the company now returned to its favorite activity: stuffing big V-8s in small cars.Bring a TrailerIn the case of the C43, AMG plucked the 4.3-liter V-8 from the Mercedes-Benz E430 mid-size sedan and fit it under the compact C-class’s hood. The folks at AMG hand-assembled each engine (one technician per V-8). Thanks to improvements to the big engine’s oil cooling and intakes, the C43 rolled off the line with a stable of 302 horses—27 more than an E430.The C43 may have lacked the handling grace of an M3. But what it fell short of in lateral dynamics, the little AMG-tuned C-class made up for with its V-8 engine’s melodious soundtrack and plentiful torque. Bring a TrailerThis particular C43 being auctioned off is a 1999 model painted in silver and fitted with a black interior, and it is the epitome of “speak softly and carry a big stick.” The C43 is all about subtlety, but those in the know won’t miss its big—for the era—17-inch monoblock wheels and moderately massaged fascias This example is particularly attractive due to its relatively low miles (a few ticks over 41,000 miles), all of which were put on during the car’s tenure with its original owner. The car also benefits from a clean CarFax report and a well-documented service history.Bring a TrailerFewer than 1500 C43s were produced for the United States over the course of three model years, which makes these AMGs relatively rare finds. In spite of this, these V-8 sedans still trade for relatively reasonable sums, with the most expensive C43 on Bring a Trailer (as of this writing) selling for $33,500. We figure it’s only a matter of time until the prices of W202 C43s rise as more collectors come to appreciate this German muscle car.Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

The Lotus Emira has only just launched, but work is already advancing on the all-electric model that ultimately will replace it. Currently known only by the internal design code Type 135, the two-seat sports car will be clearly aimed at the bit of the market the British manufacturer is most associated with. Basically, it’s an EV successor to the Elan and Elise.Whereas Lotus plans to engineer its SUVs and sedan in Germany and produce them in China, the brand is developing the Type 135 in the U.K. and intends to produce the model at its longtime home in Hethel, initially alongside the Emira. The sports car will be the first model to use Lotus’s new LEVA platform—that’s Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture—that combines a bonded-aluminum structure with a so-called “chest battery” mounted behind the passenger compartment rather than under the floor. A cast-aluminum subframe behind it serves as the mounting point for the control-arm rear suspension and the motor. Looking Forward at LotusLotus insiders say the Type 135 will use a single axial-flux motor producing up to 470 horsepower and driving the rear wheels. Power will come courtesy of a 66.4-kWh battery pack. The LEVA platform will also support a brawnier twin-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration, but that’s being reserved for a larger and more expensive model. Simplified, with Added LightnessThe Type 135 version will be the lightest and simplest—two classic Lotus qualities. Although the mass of the battery pack means it will weigh more than its gasoline-powered predecessors, the Type 135 is still anticipated to come in at less than 3300 pounds. It will launch as a coupe in 2025, later followed by a roadster. Renault subsidiary Alpine is also planning to use the LEVA platform as the basis for its next-generation electric sports car, one that the company hopes to sell in the States. Philippe Krief, Ferrari’s recently departed R&D boss, will develop that version, so we can experience the same core package in two different guises.As for the name, that could be hiding in plain sight, given the British brand’s need to start every model with the letter E. Add that to LEVA and you get Eleva, which means “to raise” in several Romance languages.Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoEuropean EditorMike Duff has been writing about the auto industry for two decades and calls the UK home, although he normally lives life on the road. He loves old cars and adventure in unlikely places, with career highlights including driving to Chernobyl in a Lada. More

Honda announced plans to sell a new EV model in North America starting in 2025.Unlike the 2024 Prologue, which uses GM’s EV platform, this car will use Honda’s own EV architecture.It’s described as a “mid- to large-size” vehicle, but we don’t have any details on its name or specs.Honda is currently relying on General Motors to get its new electric SUV to market, but the Japanese automaker is working on its own EV platforms as well. While the 2024 Prologue uses GM’s Ultium battery platform, Honda has just announced that a second electric model using Honda’s proprietary platform will follow in 2025 for North America. It’s described as a “mid-to large-size” EV and will use Honda’s new electric platform, called e:Architecture.We strongly suspect that this EV will be some sort of SUV, possibly even a three-row crossover to slot in above the two-row, five-seat Prologue. While Honda hasn’t released any images or illustrations indicating this model’s styling, pictured at top is one of the company’s Chinese EV concepts that’s part of Honda’s e:N lineup specific to that market. Although Honda’s China-market EVs, including this e:N SUV concept, use a separate platform called e:N Architecture W, there may be some shared components. Honda could also decide to share this EV design language globally, even if the new e:Architecture-based model will be for the North American market.More on Honda EVsWe think it’s likely that the Prologue, plus its Acura sibling the ZDX, will be sold alongside this new Honda-developed model for some time. Honda and GM’s partnership won’t simply be a temporary stop-gap measure, because the two automakers have already announced further collaboration for a “new series” of electric compact SUVs that will be sold in the U.S. starting in 2027. Honda has also promised two electric sports cars but didn’t provide a timeline for their arrival.Either way, it’s clear that Honda’s EV plans are ramping up as the company embarks on its quest to sell only electric and fuel-cell vehicles by 2040. The company’s interim goals for North America are for electric models to make up 40 percent of Honda’s sales by 2030, 80 percent by 2035, and 100 percent by 2040.Senior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More