Evelyn Reynolds

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is heavier, less powerful, and slower than the car it replaces. It’s also more expensive and missing features that used to come standard. And yet, as explained in this video, we think it’s remarkable that this sub-$30,000, turbocharged, stick-shift sedan still exists at all. With the number of vehicles that offer a manual transmission dwindling, you must appreciate that the Si comes only with a stick shift. And what becomes immediately clear after a few miles is that someone on the development team cared about its weighting and shift action. It’s a great gearbox.

As we reported in our instrumented road test, the Civic Si remains an inexpensive sedan that’s easy to live with and pleasurable to drive. The interior is attractive and decently sized, which producer/editor Alexander Malburg demonstrates in this video from the back seat. Even the fuel economy is strong, at 31 mpg combined. What about the slower performance? As our test data shows, the differences are minor. For example, the 2022 Civic Si’s rolling start, 5–60 mph acceleration test result matched that from the last generation, so you don’t notice a change in real-world driving. On the other hand, you will notice the absence of heated seats come winter. Our only real complaint is one that also was true of the previous-generation Si: During a high-rpm, wide-open-throttle upshift, the engine speed flares and hangs while you’re changing gears. You either have to wait for the engine speed to fall to shift smoothly or accept a clunky gear change when you reengage the clutch. This trait becomes especially apparent in contrast with how nice the shifter feels. Overall, the Civic Si makes for an excellent and affordable family commuter. It’s why we named it a 2022 Editors’ Choice in the sport compact car category. And we remain eager to see what Honda has in store for the next-generation Type R.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

The buzz around enormous body-on-frame luxury SUVs has reached a fever pitch. As lavish and accommodating as ever, these massive driving implements continue to advance in high-tech usefulness, with new and updated entries from Jeep and Lexus bolstering the segment’s ranks. Someone at General Motors even had the idea to give the V treatment to the Cadillac Escalade, supercharged V-8 and all. To that lot we’ll add the 2022 Lincoln Navigator, which has been polished with thoughtful touches and new hands-free driving capability as part of a mid-cycle refresh. The ability to transport people and stuff with glitzy curb appeal makes full-size luxury utes outsize status symbols unto themselves. Jeep doesn’t even badge its Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer as Jeeps, lest they be tainted by the mud-plugging reputation of its lesser models. Not so with the latest Navigator, which has LINCOLN plastered across its stern and the brand’s crosshair emblem set as a nearly foot-tall protrusion within its gently redrawn grille. Flanking that grille are thinner LED headlights, while the rear dons a slimmer full-width LED taillight bar that now emits horizontal animation sequences when you approach and exit the vehicle. Michael Knight’s K.I.T.T. would approve.

It takes a careful eye to spot the new Gator on the road, but glance inside and its 13.2-inch center touchscreen is an easy giveaway. Compared to the 10.1-inch display that it replaces, the updated setup is a better fit in this seven- or eight-passenger Lincoln’s cavernous interior, which remains one of the more fetching environments in automobiledom. As a gateway to the new Sync 4 infotainment system’s bounty of features—including an optional 28-speaker Revel audio system that does its best to shake the windows out of the truck—the touchscreen also is crisply rendered and smartly laid out. Additional animations, such as swaths of faint twinkling stars that follow the needles around the digital speedometer and tachometer, grace a more data-focused 12.0-inch instrument cluster display. The Navigator’s plethora of pixels extends to its rear quarters, with second-row passengers gaining both an optional 5.8-inch infotainment touchscreen and a pair of 10.1-inch, Amazon Fire TV–equipped monitors affixed to the front seatbacks. While a three-across second-row bench remains available, stick with the standard captain’s chairs and you’ll unlock the newly added massage function for those heated and ventilated middle seats. Put a butt in every seat of the 131.6-inch-wheelbase L model, and there’s still plenty of luggage space for all occupants—34 cubic feet behind the third row versus 19 cubes in the regular 122.5-inch-wheelbase version.
From the optional 30-way power-adjustable front seats to the lovely open-pore wood trim laser-etched with a map of the pathways in New York’s Central Park—the latter included in one of two new design packages for Black Label models—the Navigator is a warm and inviting place to be. Classic luxury vibes aside, this Lincoln’s greatest draw probably will be the new ActiveGlide driver assistant, which debuts as standard equipment on the upper Reserve and Black Label trims as the brand’s version of Ford’s BlueCruise. Much like GM’s Super Cruise, ActiveGlide employs lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and driver monitoring to provide hands-free motoring on roughly 130,000 miles of divided highways. Virtual steering-wheel icons and overviews of the vehicle on the road combine in the gauge cluster to indicate when the system is active. An available head-up display (standard on the Black Label), plus a phalanx of standard active-safety gear, provides additional convenience and security.
Though our exposure was brief, ActiveGlide works as advertised, and the steering column-mounted camera and infrared light emitters saw through our attempts to trick their vision by wearing a mask, sunglasses, and hat. If it does detect your attention has strayed from the road, the system beeps with increasing intensity, the steering wheel vibrates, and the vehicle will eventually tap the brakes before the system shuts off. It will not stop the vehicle if you fail to heed its warnings, as some other systems do. Ford is upfront that this initial version of BlueCruise/ActiveGlide has been programmed rather conservatively and that improved capability, among other features, will come via over-the-air updates. This is a good thing, as ActiveGlide currently is not as capable as it probably can be and, from our experience, not as stoic in operation as GM’s Super Cruise. We observed some wandering between lane lines, the system is quick to disengage around tighter bends, and occasionally it refused to recognize that we were paying attention, even after we wiggled the steering wheel. But as a tool for reducing some of the strain from gridlock and boring highway treks, it is a welcome addition. Fortunately, the Navigator is now better to drive when a human is in full control, thanks in part to a retuned suspension that includes a stiffer rear anti-roll bar and a new camera-based system that scans the road ahead and primes the adaptive dampers for upcoming bumps. This is still a large and heavy vehicle imbued with minimal athleticism—despite what its Excite drive mode suggests—but its slow, numb steering is well suited to its preferred casual pace, and body motions feel calmer and more collected than we remember. The newly added electronic brake booster is tuned to provide a reassuringly firm and progressive brake pedal, making smooth stops a cinch. And all versions can now be had with new 22-inch wheel designs (20s remain standard on base models), which returned good ride quality on the smooth pavement around Phoenix. But we’ll hold off on a final verdict until we drive one on our familiar Midwestern goat paths, as the big rollers did clomp uncomfortably over the few sharper impacts we encountered.
Little has changed under the Navigator’s hood since this generation debuted for 2018. The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 still develops 510 pound-feet of torque and is backed by an unhurried 10-speed automatic transmission. Also familiar are an 8700-pound maximum towing capacity and standard rear-wheel drive; all-wheel drive is a $2695 to $3000 option, except on the Black Label, where it’s included. However, minor tuning changes have dropped the engine’s horsepower count from 450 to 440, which apparently the EPA notices more than we did. The Navigator’s combined fuel-economy estimate has increased by 1 mpg to 18 or 19 mpg, depending on the model. But we don’t expect much deviation from the 5.2-second run to 60 mph that we recorded in our test of a 2021 model. That’s satisfyingly quick for a big SUV that costs $78,405 to start and can top $120K in loaded L form. Just as noteworthy is the V-6’s revised exhaust note, which thrums more deeply than before and lends this big Lincoln an appropriately throaty voice that could (almost) be mistaken for a burbling V-8’s. A comparison test ultimately will determine how the new Navigator fares against its also-fresh peers, including its archrival, the Escalade. We could argue that Lincoln fumbled the finishing touch by not commandeering the blown V-8 from the GT500 Mustang as a riposte to the Escalade V. But as a mainstay of the segment that it pioneered back in 1998, the Gator’s latest revisions help keep it in step with the times.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Lincoln NavigatorVehicle Type: front-engine, rear- or 4-wheel-drive, 7- or 8-passenger, 4-door SUV
PRICE
Base Navigator, $78,405; Navigator L, $91,770
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 213 in3, 3489 cm3Power: 440 hp @ 5850 rpmTorque: 510 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 122.5-131.6 inLength: 210.0-221.9 inWidth: 79.9 inHeight: 76.4-76.1 inPassenger Volume: 172 ft3Cargo Volume: 19-34 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 5700-6100 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.2 sec100 mph: 13.8 sec1/4-Mile: 13.8 secTop Speed: 100 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 18-19/16-17/22-23 mpg

A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences. JOIN NOW

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Many of us feel deep regard for our favorite cars, but few can match the commitment Jim Ratcliffe has shown to one of his. The CEO of the INEOS chemical company and one of the U.K.’s richest men, Ratcliffe mourned the passing of the previous-generation Land Rover Defenderso much that he ordered the creation of a new car very obviously inspired by it. And, being British, he named it after the pub where the idea was hatched: The Grenadier.Getting the automotive Grenadier to near-launch status has involved a legal battle with Jaguar Land Rover over the right to build something with such an obvious visual relationship to the classic Defender, plus the sort of heavy-duty check writing that will fatigue even a billionaire’s wrist. Magna Steyr engineered the Grenadier in Austria. It will use a BMW inline-six engine and is set to be built in what was, until recently, a Daimler factory—the Hambach plant in France that was originally created to build the Smart Fortwo.

Having spent what was reportedly a nine-figure sum refitting Hambach to produce the Mercedes-Benz EQA and EQB, Daimler chose to switch production of the compact EVs to Hungary. Thus, INEOS was able to acquire what was effectively a brand-new facility equipped with line robots still in their delivery packaging. INEOS will continue to produce the tiny Fortwo EV for several years as part of the deal. (The sight of Fortwo EVs and pilot-build Grenadiers passing through the final inspection area together is an incongruous one.)The Grenadier is deliberately old-fashioned. While the new Defender has moved to an independent suspension and is targeted at affluent lifestyle-focused buyers, the Grenadier is aimed at those who expect fewer concessions from their SUVs—i.e., more utility than sport. As such it features body-on-frame construction, live axles at both ends, and a two-speed transfer case as standard, together with a locking center differential. Electronically locking front and rear diffs will be optional, but the Grenadier doesn’t get adjustable drive modes like Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, nor height-adjustable air springs or adaptive dampers. This is intended to be a tough, simple vehicle capable of life in the true wilderness; the closest current U.S.-market alternative is the Jeep Wrangler.
Touring the gleaming Hambach plant confirms that the Grenadier will be a very different car from the one that inspired it. The old Defender was built in a dark, dingy part of Land Rover’s Solihull factory to tolerances which could be politely described as highly variable. The Grenadier line feels more like an operating room, with body shells scanned to confirm accuracy at better than 1 millimeter. Despite the external similarities, the new car is substantially different beneath the surface. A peek inside the front fenders reveals an intricate structure that provides the deformation necessary to allow their distinctive flat tops to satisfy pedestrian impact standards. The Grenadier’s engine compartment also looks very well filled by the BMW-sourced engine. INEOS will be offering both gasoline and diesel turbo sixes displacing 3.0 liters, although only the gas version is planned for States. It makes 281 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque and is paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic. A manual transmission option would have been more in keeping with the spirit of the Grenadier but was deemed too expensive to develop.
Our drive was limited to a well-worn pre-production prototype on a course made up entirely of gelatinous mud—the spoil heap of a former French coal mine. The entire experience was conducted in low range, with the highest speed attained a modest 16 mph. The prototype also lacked the electronically locking front and rear differentials or the traction control that the finished car will have.The Grenadier’s cabin feels more spacious than the cramped accommodations of the old Defender, and although most of the prototype’s switchgear wasn’t working, the dashboard has a pleasingly utilitarian design—the button layout on the central and roof consoles bears a strong resemblance to the CRM114 Discriminator panel from the classic movie Dr. Strangelove. A single central display screen relays all driving information; what looks like a secondary digital instrument pack in front of the steering wheel just houses warning lights. The powertrain’s origin is made obvious by the familiar bulbous design of the BMW gear selector, although the transfer case is managed by a separate mechanical lever next to it.
The off-road courses created for media events are usually carefully designed to show off a car’s talents without running the risk of getting stuck. Not here. The Grenadier bogged down several times during our drive, although never so badly that it couldn’t extract itself and then conquer the obstacle given more speed or improved technique. The prototype felt like a hard-used test mule, its transmission clunking and bigger accelerator inputs sometimes causing the engine to hesitate. But the basics are certainly promising, with the gas pedal weighted to give gentle initial responses well suited to off-road driving and the engine having plenty of midrange brawn to keep moving through the sapping mud.
While the lack of electronic adjustments is intended to be part of the Grenadier’s core appeal—there is less to go wrong in tough environments—it will require some adjustment for those who’ve grown accustomed to the various modes prevalent in modern high-end SUVs. And there is no option to raise the ride height of the suspension (ground clearance is 10.4 inches). The Grenadier doesn’t even have hill-descent control, which has become nearly standard among today’s off-roaders.For many potential customers that back-to-basics approach will be a key part of the Grenadier’s appeal, and it does give an unarguable connection to the vehicle that inspired it. We suspect that the finished version is going to feel much more like the classic Defender than the new Land Rover Defender does. The other unanswered question is where it will be positioned in the market when it hopes to go on sale in the U.S. next year. We suspect the old-fashioned driving experience won’t be matched by an equally old-fashioned price, with reports hinting at the range starting around $75,000.

A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences. JOIN NOW

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

UPDATE 2/25/22: This review has been updated with test results. Despite Volkswagen’s push toward electric vehicles, the company is providing assurances that it’s still dedicated to the sporty compact car. Want evidence? The new-generation Golf GTI and Golf R have clearly been developed with driving enthusiasts in mind. VW’s American arm pushed for six-speed manuals in both of those cars and convinced its corporate overlords in Germany that such a move would be rational and wise. Consider that a love letter to the American driver, because our counterparts in Europe won’t find that option available when they place their orders.The performance variant of the humble Jetta sedan—the Jetta GLI—also will not show up in a European showroom; it’s sold only in North America and Brazil. The GLI’s 228-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four makes a whopping 70 horsepower more than the standard Jetta’s engine and comes with performance enhancements such as adaptive dampers and a limited-slip differential.[image id=’e2357688-5d28-42b1-b3e8-d5c962a9251d’ mediaId=’7f31fa46-bce0-4515-9018-773a600baa7c’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image][pullquote align=’center’]HIGHS: Playful driving demeanor, still available with a six-speed manual, Audi-like cabin environs.[/pullquote][editoriallinks id=’50e90e4b-39c5-4758-9ebf-4b9b8e92bb10′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Updated for 2022, the Jetta GLI wears a newly styled grille and front bumper with red detailing. The rear bumper has been revised as well and sports a honeycomb-patterned lower valance and larger-diameter exhaust outlets. The GLI’s cabin receives new red contrast stitching to accent the black leather upholstery and new touch-sensitive steering wheel controls.The GLI remains a lovely driving partner. During our test drive through the hill country near Asheville, North Carolina, the GLI’s eager steering and crisp-shifting six-speed manual made running through the area’s narrow mountain passes a joyful exercise. Although it isn’t as tied-down as the new Golf GTI, the GLI does its best impression of that performance icon. On the highway during normal cruising and commuting, the GLI settles into Jetta mode, meaning it’s refined, comfortable, and easygoing.[image id=’56772605-7d30-4ae1-88f9-74aa33bf7223′ mediaId=’4198a760-e097-4229-aafd-d2031ef0e0ce’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image] Despite the fact that VW has made no changes to the car’s powertrain, our test results indicate that the 2022 model is slightly slower than the last GLI we tested back in 2019. Nonetheless, it still turned in a solid performance at our test track, reaching 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and eclipsing the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 100 mph. The GLI is quicker than the new-for-2022 Honda Civic Si, which needed 6.8 seconds to hit 60 and delivered a 15.1-second quarter-mile time. But the VW’s cornering grip fell short of the Honda’s, with a 0.86-g result for the GLI on our skidpad versus 0.96 g for the Civic. Some of the performance deficit is due to VW no longer offering summer tires (previously a no-cost option) on the 2022 GLI. That shouldn’t stop you from fitting a set. [pullquote align=’center’]LOWS: Cheaper base model has been removed from the lineup, exhaust drones noisily when cruising in Sport mode, fussy steering wheel audio controls.[/pullquote][image id=’01144799-a99d-42dc-ac32-b5e4cebae9c7′ mediaId=’437c20c9-d892-41fa-ac14-17aa9ec29363′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The GLI sports an updated exhaust system that sounds a bit louder for 2022, particularly when driving in Sport mode, which lets more of the car’s newly baritone voice to enter the cabin. This soundtrack may delight boy-racer types, but we found ourselves needing to activate the Normal driving mode to quiet the cabin when cruising. Ultimately, we’re not convinced this does much to enhance the GLI’s appeal.Same goes for the new touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls. Their glossy black finish gives an added pop of premium appearance, but on several occasions when driving the snaking roads west of Asheville, we managed to inadvertently change the radio station midcorner by accidentally bumping the tuning button. Moreover, the volume control slider is fussy and imprecise.[image id=’95824569-e24d-4e96-9a98-36110ddc91bc’ mediaId=’58cf53d3-8e93-415d-8ed7-e15545e9c720′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The nicely tailored interior gives off strong Audi vibes, which is good because for 2022 Volkswagen has eliminated the entry-level GLI trim, leaving only the loaded $31,990 Autobahn model. Opt for the dual-clutch automatic, and the price climbs to $32,790. The GLI’s nearest rival, the Honda Civic Si, is all new for 2022 and starts at just $28,315.But VW may find that the GLI’s biggest competition is inside its own showroom: The 2022 Golf GTI starts at $30,540—granted that’s for a base model with less equipment. But the Golf’s hatchback body style, its performance legacy, and its more modern styling may draw buyers away from its Jetta sibling. The 2022 model’s updates help keep it fresh, though, and the GLI’s fun-loving attitude is something every driver can appreciate.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle][image id=’bf222a99-967e-406f-a4d3-886f2d33b440′ mediaId=’7b3ccdb0-7fbe-49cf-9788-a06b93f199df’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences. JOIN NOW’ expand=” crop=’original’][/image]

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Plug-in hybrids promise to bridge the gap between internal-combustion vehicles and EVs, offering a useful amount of all-electric range along with the ability to gas up and drive straight to Topeka, just like you did in your ’68 Olds 442. That would seem an ideal combination, but seldom do the gasoline and electric sides of a PHEV play equal roles. For the most part, these are gas cars that can periodically impersonate an EV, rather than the other way around. And whether that talent is useful depends on two things: battery capacity and the size of the electric motor (or motors). As for the first part of that equation, the 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV is EPA rated at 32 miles of electric range, which might be enough to take care of your daily driving. But its electric motor makes only 90 horsepower, and therein lies the problem. The whole point of a plug-in hybrid is to use it as an EV as much as possible, but in EV mode the Sorento’s power-to-weight ratio makes a Yugo look like a Ferrari SF90 Stradale.[editoriallinks id=’6246d670-94c1-402c-b3fe-643a5c054212′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]The Sorento’s electric motor is sandwiched between a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic transmission, with the team combining for 261 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, a significant boost over the 227 horsepower of the non-plug-in Sorento Hybrid that we tested last year. However, the plug-in’s extra 221 pounds of battery contribute to a curb weight 395 pounds heftier than that of the hybrid—although part of that difference is attributable to the PHEV’s standard all-wheel drive and the fact that it’s only available in the higher SX trim level. (The Sorento Hybrid was front-drive only for 2021, although AWD is now available for 2022.) All that extra weight more than offsets the PHEV’s additional 34 horsepower, with the plug-in Sorento running the zero-to-60-mph metric in 7.6 seconds versus the hybrid’s 7.2 seconds. The PHEV also loses the quarter-mile sprint, clocking 15.8 seconds at 89 mph, 0.2 second and 3 mph slower than the Hybrid. It’s likely that an AWD Hybrid would post very similar numbers to the PHEV, but the point remains that you’re not buying the plug-in for performance. A Toyota RAV4 Prime this is not.[image id=’d184f8d8-217c-4672-bcaa-020f340a704f’ mediaId=’aed287c6-28c5-4b9c-ac4e-9afe073679c8′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image][pullquote align=’center’]HIGHS: 32 miles of EV range, tax credit can offset the higher MSRP, three rows of seats.[/pullquote]So then why would you pay an extra $6800 over an AWD Sorento EX Hybrid? Well, first of all because you can get most of that money back, in the form of a federal tax credit—the PHEV’s 13.8-kWh (11.8 kWh usable) battery qualifies it for a $6587 tax credit. But the other reason is because you plan to plug it in as often as you can and take advantage of the EV mode’s 79 MPGe EPA efficiency estimate. Because once the gas engine is running, the PHEV is no more efficient than the regular hybrid, and in fact a little bit worse—34 mpg EPA combined, to the hybrid’s 35 mpg. Over 600 miles of mixed driving, we averaged an underwhelming 26 MPGe.[image id=’02752263-5e50-43bb-a7ca-3505916cc2e6′ mediaId=’60a8fb74-3c82-40e9-a1e1-c6d0ac3aff03′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]To awaken the Sorento’s electric drivetrain, you typically want to force it into EV mode using the EV button on the console. Because, unlike most other PHEVs, the Sorento has a strange disdain for its own electric mode and left to its own devices, will run the gas engine even in light-throttle situations where you’d expect it to rely wholly on its electric power. With its battery charged, the Sorento often ignored its own electric capability and kept the 1.6-liter four humming. Maybe this was because most of our testing took place during cold weather—and it seemed like the only way for it to generate significant cabin heat is to run the engine—but sometimes it wasn’t that cold, and the Sorento would still hoard battery charge for no apparent reason. Other PHEVs, like the Chrysler Pacifica and Ford Escape, will try to use up their available electric range before firing up the gas engine. Which makes sense. That’s why you bought a plug-in, presumably.[pullquote align=’center’]LOWS: Worse EPA combined gas mileage than the Sorento Hybrid, underpowered in EV mode, carries lots of extra weight.[/pullquote][image id=’5f08e41a-a831-4c02-95fb-f9f6cfbf15fd’ mediaId=’1b9cbd39-cb74-4d40-ace4-0c01bafb0cca’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image]The challenge, once you’ve informed the Sorento that you’d prefer electric propulsion, is that now you’ve got 90 horsepower motivating 4490 pounds of Kia. It doesn’t take much throttle to get the gas engine to assist in heaving the oars, and acceleration in EV mode is so gradual you could probably leave your morning coffee on the roof for a few miles if it needs to cool off. In practical terms, the Sorento’s EV mode is something you engage once you’ve attained your cruising speed and you plan to stay there for a while. It does help that the electric motor is upstream from the transmission and thus benefits from multiple gear ratios, but it also feels weird to have upshifts interrupt your silent electric driving, shattering the illusion that this is anything but a mutant internal-combustion vehicle. The Sorento itself is a slick product, but with so many iterations—2.5-liter naturally aspirated, 2.5-liter turbocharged, 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid, front-drive and all-wheel-drive, 16 different trims—it’s easy to find variations that make more sense than this one, and for less money. At $49,960 as tested in SX Prestige trim, our Sorento PHEV was even more expensive than a top-of-the-line Telluride, a two-time 10Best winner. It’s nearly $8000 more than the base EV6. If those two fellow Kias represent the best of the past and the promise of the future, then the Sorento PHEV is an avatar for the muddled present—ready to plug in, but still tethered to the pumps. [vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle][image id=’bf222a99-967e-406f-a4d3-886f2d33b440′ mediaId=’92d1efde-585d-4307-a9aa-7ea6cad836da’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=’A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences. JOIN NOW’ expand=” crop=’original’][/image]

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Automakers often invite us to drive prototype versions of future models, but we are reluctant to accept these offers. A review of an unfinished car is, necessarily, unfinished—especially as we are inevitably told that anything we don’t like is certain to be changed before the formal launch.But there was no chance we’d say no to this one, even though it’s a pre-production vehicle that won’t reach our shores for two years and a European version that’s quite a bit different from the U.S. model. Because beneath the psychedelic wrap disguise is the new Volkswagen bus we’ve been waiting for since the retirement of the Vanagon in 1991.Volkswagen dropped several hints about bringing the bus back in those intervening years, including the Microbus concept at the 2001 Detroit auto show. But it was the ID.Buzz shown at Detroit in 2017 that presaged the production version, an EV microbus that will sit on the same modular EV platform (MEB) that underpins the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron.

Volkswagen

The Europe-spec prototype was only partially representative of the bus that will come to the States. It was a commercial van rather than a people hauler, with a bulkhead behind the front seats fully partitioning the cargo area; all of ours will be passenger versions. It also sat on the shorter 117.6-inch wheelbase that will be offered in Europe, while the plan is to bring only the longer-wheelbase variant to America. The U.S. version will also have a bigger battery pack than the prototype’s 77.0-kWh unit.Don’t worry, excited anticipation is still justified. The drive started at Volkswagen Group’s U.K. headquarters in Milton Keynes, an English town constructed in the 1970s on formerly green fields. It has a grid street layout designed by a Berkeley-based urban planner with roundabouts at each intersection (a very English touch). It’s a great place to learn about understeer or, in this case, the ID.Buzz’s impressive resistance to it.The ID.Buzz’s MEB architecture means that much is familiar, although the Buzz’s shape and interior dimensions prove how adaptable an architecture is when there’s no need to accommodate a bulky upright engine. The battery pack’s depth has an obvious effect on the height of the floor, but otherwise the vehicle feels impressively roomy, translating a high percentage of its 185.5-inch length into interior space. We’re told that U.S.-spec versions will all have three rows of seats.

Volkswagen

The prototype used what will be the entry-level powertrain consisting of a single electric motor driving the rear wheels—the Vanagon would be pleased that its successor stuck with the same driven wheels. Like the ID.4, it makes 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. Volkswagen engineers say an all-wheel-drive version using a second motor to power the front axle will also be offered. Beyond basic dimensions, few details have been released, although we’re told that all versions of the ID.Buzz will have a top speed limited to 90 mph. The the short-wheelbase variant has an impressively agile turning radius of just over 35 feet.Despite the modest-for-an-EV powertrain specs, the ID.Buzz is quicker and keener than its air-cooled ancestors, stepping briskly off the line with gentle throttle inputs. It is no rocket ship; we’d guesstimate a 60-mph time under 9 seconds. Acceleration tails off as speed builds, and an exploratory run to the 90-mph limit confirmed that it takes a long time to arrive. At a 75-mph cruise, though, the ID.Buzz felt entirely happy—something nobody ever said of the Vanagon or its predecessors.

Volkswagen

While few ID.Buzz buyers will be expecting sports-car athleticism, the prototype’s chassis behaved well when pushed. Even in tight, greasy corners, there were few clues to the rear-motor, rear-drive layout, with the stability control intervening invisibly to regain lost traction. Nor was the front end quick to surrender grip, sticking determinedly to a chosen line despite the winter tires VW fitted for our drive. While the powertrain’s near silence wasn’t surprising, the continued quiet as speeds rose was unexpected. Panel vans are rarely quiet companions given their size and lack of sound insulation, but even in its cargo configuration, the ID.Buzz stayed hushed with only slight wind noise disturbing the peace during cruising. Ride quality also impressed considering the commercial-grade underpinnings, although there was a slight floatiness over bigger undulations that would probably be calmed with some payload aboard. The prototype’s 18-inch wheels, the smallest available, likely helped the ride quality. Volkswagen says sizes up to 21 inches will be offered. There isn’t much to say about the Buzz’s interior yet, as the prototype’s dashboard and door panels were largely disguised. We could see that it has the same user interface as the ID.4 with the combination of a dashboard touchscreen and a smaller display behind the steering wheel. Sadly, it also features the same highly sensitive HVAC controls, positioned so they are easy to inadvertently activate when using the central display.

Volkswagen

Yet there are many clever functions working unobtrusively. What initially felt like inconsistent regenerative braking turned out to be the ID.Buzz varying the level to adapt speed for approaching restrictions or intersections. We’re also promised that the finished car will support forthcoming Plug & Charge technology, which will allow cars to communicate directly with chargers to eliminate the need for cards or apps. We don’t have official range figures yet, but the engineering team says they would be happy with a 250-mile rating under the European WLTP testing protocol, a distance the larger battery pack should be able to deliver under the tougher EPA standard. We haven’t been given a peak charging speed either but are assured that rapid DC charging will be supported (the ID.4 supports rates of up to 125 kilowatts). The original Volkswagen bus’s hippie cred makes the new one a deserving recipient of an EV powertrain; there will never be a combustion version. VW did attempt to electrify the original, creating a one-off concept back in 1972 that fitted a Type 2 panel van with 21.6 kWh of lead-acid batteries, which filled most of the cargo area and powered a 42-hp motor. It had a top speed of 46 mph, unacceptably slow even by the lesser standards of that era. That one didn’t deserve to make production, but the ID.Buzz undoubtedly does. We’re keenly looking forward to the finished version.

A car-lover’s community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences. JOIN NOW

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

From the March 1986 issue of Car and Driver.Mercedes-Benz is back in the hot-rod business. After a few years of abstention due to the energy crisis, the emissions onslaught, and the belief that the United States suffered from an irreversible ennui that had drained its interest in fast cars, the Benz boys are hot. They are bowling into 1986 with five models capable of well over 130 mph, including this tough little 190.How times change. Mercedes-Benz of North America has spent lots of everything trying to castigate publicly and castrate bureaucratically the gray marketeers that made a killing by importing and, after a fashion, federalizing the parent company’s high-performance European models. Finally, though, the strategy has shifted in the beat-’em-and-join-’em direction. Now that hot cars are inarguably on the comeback, MBNA has decided to bring its light out from under a bushel. The smallest luminance beamed over by Stuttgart is one of its brightest, the 190E 2.3-16. Only 1880 of these mini-marauders are aimed at us. Based on the pleasant but vapid 190E, the 2.3-16 wears the same four doors, but grows a dozen body pieces of fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane, many new suspension pieces, four sport seats, four bigger disc brakes, four squat 55-series tires, five more tightly spaced gears (four in the automatic), and cylinders fed and purged by the free-breathing efficiency of sixteen valves.[image id=’a38b3af6-0794-4ea8-9968-745996dde4f4′ mediaId=’64b31b50-7801-45a3-b9b7-c827dede7dd9′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]This wee hot rod is equally appropriate for outrage in the outback or popping up at the opera. We took a pass on culture and belted into the tufted hills of backwater Ohio. Zooted up in an air dam, fender and rocker extensions, a rear winglet, and fifteen millimeters of lowered ride height, we added insult to outrage by styling and profiling every burg we hit. But the burghers loved it. Despite the subtlety of its cosmetics, this four-door catches appraising eyes in the act. Nobody mistakes it for a gussied-up K-car.Naughty as the baby Benz looks in its Friday-night-fights trunks, the power play is in the engine bay. The 2.3-liter, twin-­cam, sixteen-valve four-cylinder is rated at 167 horsepower, up 46 hp from the single-­cam eight-valve. Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection feeds the fires, and the sophisticated valvetrain improves breathing efficiency by 25 percent, according to Mercedes. The factory also claims that the greater rigidity required in the more complex cylinder head increases its manufacturing time by a factor of ten. As is usually the case, this design positions the spark plugs in the center of pent-roof combustion chambers for optimum combustion and a naturally high resistance to detonation. Mercedes has made the most of this advantage with a high compression ratio of 9.7:1, although premium fuel is recommended.[editoriallinks id=’b56756f5-4a2c-4cbd-9a80-1f415b58b8da’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Except for the 18-mpg thirst for super unleaded rated by the EPA and confirmed in our own hard driving, the engine’s high-rise revs come free. Judged by either the fifth wheel or the seat of your pants, the 2.3-16 is very quick. It springs from zero to 60 in only 7.3 seconds. The quarter-mile burns into history in 15.8 seconds with a trap speed of 88 mph. The aero aids cut front lift by 45 percent, rear by 40 percent. Swept along by the 0.34 drag coefficient, one point better than the regular 190’s, top speed rises to a stable 134 mph.Cruising down a deserted road at a loping 80 mph, the engine sets up an easy howl. This is a great come-on for your foot, but doesn’t help your ear gauge the gap from shift to shift. As in other sixteen-valvers, the rev rush is free of stress, so shifting by ear is difficult. Once you’re used to the feeling of freewheeling around the tach, it’s not bad, but the first few trips to peak performance may fall prey to a harsh, 6500-rpm ignition cutout that strangles the cry at the redline with little warning.At Mercedes, more engine begets better chassis. At 0.80 g on the skidpad, the 2.3-16 is the hardest-cornering stock Benz we have tested, ranking well up among today’s finest sedans. Firmer spring and shock rates, larger anti-roll bars, and automatic rear hydropneumatic load leveling give the 190’s all-independent suspension new resolve. Upsized 7.0-by-15-inch wheels wear 205/55VR-15 Pirelli P6s. (Today’s basic 190E wears 6.0-by-15s and 185/65s, which are bigger than the gear worn by the original 190E for our November 1983 test. That little mincer managed only 0.70 g on the skidpad. It also turned in a woeful 241 feet on the 70-to-0 brake test, which the 2.3-16’s standard ABS system has cut by almost a third—but we’re ahead of the story.)[image id=’32ec07c8-c385-4eb3-a861-5a48fbcf7aea’ mediaId=’dd59676c-4384-4018-9d33-939022e5d43d’ align=’left’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The 16’s suspension reacts softly in tight corners. It wants you to baby it, giving the weight a chance to settle each time you shift from straight-ahead travel. Bigger anti-roll bars would probably hurt the ride over one-wheel bumps, but they’d probably also help plant the tires better.Driven in unfamiliar territory on tumultuous roads, the 2.3-16 shows two ranges of response. Understeer is modest at low speeds. At high speeds, the nose feels more reluctant to turn, and at first it can trick you into dialing in only about 80 percent of the steering you need. You run wide, then fix it with a bigger sweep of the wheel. A few mutters later, you discover that a squeeze of the throttle quickly coerces tighter cornering and reduces steering angle. Second-gear corners can be taken slightly tail-out with a purposeful poke of the quicksilver throttle. In the wet, there’s enough poke to spin the car, but it’s just as easy to squirt the proper amount of juice to the back wheels. As with many German rear-drivers, lift-throttle oversteer is also noticeable. It’s handy at times, annoying at others. All in all, this is not a film-at­-eleven car. It expects you to get in there and do your share.Dispatched to America’s version of the autobahns, the Merc settles down nicely over 75 mph. When the landscape unfolds, the 2.3-16 becomes a low-flying Bunsen burner to be used for turning time into distance by holding speed’s feet to the fire.[image id=’e15b0865-0ed4-463e-abba-b0ab45d40223′ mediaId=’c593c761-5c00-4eb4-b084-46914769fa6c’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]You can tell this is the small Mercedes­-Benz just by sitting in it. Six-footers aren’t outraged by its infringements on personal freedoms, but they are not thrilled by its snug rear seat, either. Picky about your driving position? You may have trouble fitting in quickly because of the wide range of choices you can power yourself through. Luckily, the seat-shaped buttons are a snap to use. Touch each part the way you want your seat to go—another button buzzes the headrests up and down—then punch the final combination into the memory. If you’re bundled up in a Nanook-of-the­-North parka instead of cooling off in Buford-of-Bermuda shorts, a second setting is easily saved.Deeply sculptured leather sport seats promise support for active users. Even the back seat provides deep bolsters. Unfortunately, M-B offers no cloth in its class-conscious performers; in the hard-driving mode, some of our svelte staff members found themselves sliding from bolster to bolster and wishing for suede or cloth inserts for better adhesion.An upholstered knee bar under the dash forms part of the 190’s Supplemental Restraint System (see Technical Highlights). You may not notice the bar until you heel and toe, whereupon you brush your shin. The pedals themselves are fine, making downshifting a second-nature breeze. Upshifting is less smooth, because the clutch action is lumpy and there’s a dunk at the end of the engagement very much reminiscent of the little jolt that BMWs have emitted for years. Although M-B says this five-­speed is its own, European 2.3-16s originally bore Getrag units, and this one has the same vague feel. It is also saddled with the old “GT” shift pattern, with first gear to the left of the main H. Though we prefer the more conventional pattern, this transmission is certainly light to the touch, thanks to the shifter’s spring loading. Still, we wonder whether the automatic might be a better intermediary between the power and the pavement.[image id=’9f3490fe-9a42-4ccd-b632-77f32057991c’ mediaId=’f63bf7e5-eca2-464e-9927-92e20d8c57c0′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]The rest of the interior is sophisticated and tightly packed with good ergonomics. If the console’s wood is an anachronism, at least it wears a rich shine. An electronic AM/FM-stereo/cassette system puts out decent sound but bakes tapes to medium well. The head unit ties into an all-knowing anti-theft system: if the system is armed when somebody gives your stereo a covetous tug, the unit realizes something is fishy and scrambles its chip, going to lunch forever. The array of occasionally confusing climate-control symbols takes a little learning, but the end result is set-and-forget comfort. Low on the console, a digital stopwatch ticks off journeys, and the faces of small volt and oil-temp gauges attempt to echo the wonderful legibility of the big, stark white-on-black analog gauges housed in the dashboard. lt’s all tight, and it shows few faults.Comes the rain, though, and another sort of fault opens up with the sky: the P6s have trouble coping with copious moisture. Standing water aquaplanes them right into a thrill ride you wouldn’t give a nickel for.ABS can’t save you from aquaplaning, but what it does for braking is sensational. In effect, it creates perfect front-to-rear brake balance. In the dry, the pedal pulses with the usual ABS thumps when it’s hammered down at 70 mph, and the car stops ruthlessly short in 171 feet.[image id=’18216842-61ac-4e41-857f-3473d96f43da’ mediaId=’a426779f-87e5-47bb-b7f8-26b034e02676′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’18×11′][/image]In the tumbled hills of Ohio, the ABS saved our hides twice. A warning sign had been washed out by days of downpours; we popped over a rain-swept crest, expecting a straight, only to find a sharply plunging hook. With no more than a quick pounce into the ABS and a couple of quick swipes with the wheel, the 190 squeegeed onto the right side of the road like a giant plumber’s helper. Later, we came winging around a blind, fallaway corner on damp, patchy pavement, and found a big buck standing squarely across the center line. He scrambled on the slippery asphalt and vaulted the guardrail. By then, we’d stopped a good 40 feet short of where he’d stood, coming to a complete halt only because curiosity demanded to know the margin of safety.This is some little $35,000 hot rod. Even so, faced with ever more astute challengers, Mercedes has covered its performance bets by building its own competition for the 2.3-16. The slick new mid-sized 300E sedan is a tempting alternative. It costs a thousand dollars less than this wee scrapper, and it could well be the better car for most buyers. With relatively few 2.3-16s being imported by the factory, the natural­ selection process to follow will be fascinating indeed.[image id=’fea8163f-e132-443a-92ff-6467611b3878′ mediaId=’daef9dbb-ef6e-4bff-b8cc-cf924901af49′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image] Technical HighlightsThe car industry, the federal government, and the consumer crybabies have been kicking the air bag around for the better part or a decade now, and the controversy may still be years away from its final resolution. One carmaker, however, does not intend to wait for the outcome. Starting with the 1986 model year, every Mercedes-Benz sold in North America will be fitted with an air bag on the driver’s side.Mercedes already has extensive experience with air-bag technology. Inflatable restraints have been optional on various European Mercedes since 1980, and on certain American models since 1984. In total, more than 90,000 Mercedes cars have been equipped with air bags.[editoriallinks id=’deea9cd6-3d9a-4b42-bff6-04a8aae3c4ff’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]The 190’s air bag is mounted unobtrusively in the steering-wheel hub, and there is nothing particularly new or unusual about its operation. A sensor mounted in the front of the transmission tunnel is triggered by a forward deceleration roughly equivalent to a 12-mph collision into a rigid barrier. When so activated, the sensor signals a detonator that ignites a charge of sodium azide. The rapid chemical reaction that follows produces the large volume of nearly pure nitrogen gas needed to inflate the neoprene-coated nylon bag.The entire process takes a mere 0.03 second, thus restraining the driver before his momentum moves him very far forward. As the driver hits the air bag, he forces its gaseous contents through lots around its sides, dissipating the kinetic energy of his forward motion. Within 0.10 second after inflation, the air bag is fully deflated. For about $1200, the air bag can be recharged and reinstalled for further use—provided, of course, that there is something left of the car.Although air bags offer excellent protection in frontal collisions, they do little or nothing to restrain passengers in rollovers, side impacts, and multiple collisions. In such accidents, conventional seatbelts are far more effective, and Mercedes-Benz has taken a major step to make them even more beneficial: the same sensor that triggers the air bag also activates a small powder charge that removes the slack from both front belt by turning their takeup reels. This tightening lessens both the chance that injuries will be suffered and the severity of those that do occur.Mercedes quite properly regards air bags as only supplementary restraints and advises drivers not to neglect their seatbelts. Still, the company recognizes that many drivers will undoubtedly depend solely on their air bags. To provide extra protection for such drivers, Mercedes designers have installed a cushioned knee bolster under the left half of the 190’s dash. In an accident, the bolster helps to restrain the driver’s lower body and keeps him from submarining under the air bag.According to Mercedes, there have been no malfunctions in any of its air­bag systems thus far—an enviable reliability record. However, if its air bags encourage drivers to neglect their seatbelts, then the overall worth of the system becomes dubious. It will therefore take a few years and a few hundred thousand air-bag-equipped cars in the hands of the public before we can say with any confidence whether Mercedes’ bold answer to the air-bag debate is truly the right one. —Csaba Csere

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

[vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=’sedan’ vehicle-make=’audi’ vehicle-model=’audi_a8′ vehicle-model-category=’full-size-luxury-cars’ vehicle-submodel=’audi_a8_audi-a8_2022′ vehicle-year=’2022′][/vehicle]The Audi A8 and its S8 sibling are entering their final stage with a facelift of the fourth-generation model, internally called B5. Basically, Audi went through the motions of a mid-cycle facelift with changes as minor as they can be. The big news, literally, is the massive front grille, proving wrong everyone who (understandably) thought it wasn’t possible to graft a bigger front opening onto a luxury sedan than Audi had managed pre-facelift.Clearly designed to humble the bloated kidneys of BMW’s 7-series and the oversized spindle on the Lexus LS, the elevated snout of the new A8 has no functional advantages, so it’s purely a matter of taste. The same goes for the relatively minor changes in the rear, where the taillights are now visually broken up by a new segmentation of the LED units. The A8 now comes standard with the S line package, and the S8 is differentiated by its specific grille texture, four visible tailpipes, and aluminum-trimmed side mirrors. [image id=’901fd5bb-2707-4184-937e-9c1c234faa5e’ mediaId=’ff610a0e-8d1b-4529-ae82-f702972266f8′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image][editoriallinks id=’abd15f42-2ce0-447f-9ab6-1027ea8ac81b’ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]The real news for this final A8 is the advent of a Horch version, designed to take on the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. It comes with a number of unique luxury features and a slightly stretched wheelbase, but it will be sold in China only. We got a chance to sample the German-market A8 60 TFSI and the S8 in their homeland. In the United States, however, the A8 will be sold exclusively as the A8 L 55 TFSI powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 with 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet rather than the 60 TFSI’s 453-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8. In either market, the S8 gets a higher-output version of that V-8 with 563 horsepower and 590 pound-feet. [image id=’250a5b09-fdbf-4076-bd51-4d5b18b68575′ mediaId=’eac35219-2d2f-40a3-beba-44678a19f417′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]The A8 is a pleasant, quiet, and fast autobahn cruiser, but it can play along when you want to hustle on twisty roads as well. The air suspension stiffens, the steering becomes slightly firmer, and the limits of adhesion prove to be high enough that you can dice with VW GTIs all day. The A8 cockpit is virtually unchanged from the pre-facelift version, which is no bad thing. And, unlike before, you can now select a futuristic bar-graph instrumentation that was previously only available in the S8. [vehicle type=’adtag’ vehicle-body-style=’sedan’ vehicle-make=’audi’ vehicle-model=’audi_s8′ vehicle-model-category=’full-size-luxury-cars’ vehicle-submodel=’audi_s8_audi-s8_2022′ vehicle-year=’2022′][/vehicle]Stepping from the A8 into the S8 is a most pleasant upgrade. The V-8’s pleasant growl leaves no doubt as to the nature of the powerplant lurking behind that behemoth of a grille, and its performance is impressive whether driving at around-town speeds or at autobahn velocities that North American owners are unlikely to experience on a regular basis. The S8’s chassis features a sport-tuned version of the A8’s adaptive suspension, a Sport rear differential, and all-wheel steering. This is a very comfortable car with high performance limits but is still more luxury car than sports car. It’s a far cry from the ultra-precise and stiff RS6 Avant and RS7 models, which can tangle with supercars. [image id=’be68367f-fbe7-4b8a-995b-823be94f3ba8′ mediaId=’2dfef5a0-7610-4c2c-9e8b-1c2bb56d85b7′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’6×4′][/image]One model that falls by the wayside in the U.S. is the V-6 plug-in hybrid. Sales of the portly hybrid were so abysmal that Audi dropped it from the order menu in North America. We won’t miss the plug-in hybrid, but the torquey and efficient diesel, which still accounts for about half of the A8’s sales in Europe, is another story. A W-12 biturbo was also in the works but was killed off at the last minute because, according to Audi, “it doesn’t fit the times.”[editoriallinks id=’b2fcea00-9f36-4902-ad34-e184159a4cf2′ align=’center’][/editoriallinks]We might soon be lamenting the end of the gasoline engine in the A8 as well. The successor of this model, previewed by the 2021 Audi Grandsphere concept, will be a fully electric luxury sedan. The A8 as we know it—designed by Ferdinand Piëch to take on the top BMW and Mercedes-Benz offerings and once the sportiest luxury sedan of them all—will be no more. That’s probably why Audi has kept the changes to the current model to a minimum. The A8 now falls behind the Mercedes-Benz S-class in key areas and stands potentially to be overshadowed by the upcoming new BMW 7-series as well. Brand loyalists get their last chance to purchase a gasoline-powered luxury sedan, but the brand is now executing its U-turn toward fully electric mobility. While its chrome-filled mouth is bigger than ever, the Audi A8 has never spoken more softly.[vehicle type=’specpanel’ vehicle-body-style=” vehicle-make=” vehicle-model=” vehicle-model-category=” vehicle-submodel=” vehicle-year=”][/vehicle]

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More