Car Reviews

The partially decommissioned Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is just a short drive west of Munich. It served as the home of the training school for the German Air Force during World War II and is a fitting place for BMW, which started out as an aeronautical engineering firm, to set up a driving academy. We’re here to sample the next generation of the BMW 7-series. Against the backdrop of retired airplane hangars and air strips, the company’s most advanced and luxurious sedan appears conjured from science fiction. The new 7-series will hit the market before the end of the year as a 2023 model, and the lineup will include a new all-electric variant called i7. We drove heavily camouflaged prototypes of both gas and EV models on some of Bavaria’s most idyllic rural roads, as well as several miles of unrestricted autobahn.

In addition to the new electric variant, the 7-series will continue to offer the turbocharged 3.0-inline-six and twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engines, both utilizing a 48-volt hybrid system. There will also be a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. Of the internal-combustion models, we only drove the V-8, and it proved to be both smooth and powerful, with just enough muted engine burble seeping through to the cabin to remind you that you’re not in an EV. BMW hasn’t released horsepower figures, but, judging by the seat of our pants, it’s at least as much as what’s in the current 523-hp 750i model. The electric powertrain in the i7 offers similar quickness. BMW has yet to share specific power ratings or battery capacity, but we’re told to expect something near to the iX xDrive50 SUV’s 516 horsepower and 105.2-kWh battery pack. Range figures are unknown, too, although the iX offers up to 324 miles of driving per charge, according to the EPA.Neither car’s tuning is quite finished, so we’ll reserve judgment until we can sample a production version of each, but we’re hoping the hiccups we noticed—occasional harsh upshifts from the V-8 car’s eight-speed automatic transmission and a brake pedal that exhibited a too-soft initial travel on the i7—will be worked out before the cars’ launch.
All models will come standard with air springs, and the new car rides on a wider front and rear track than its predecessor. Those hoping for the return of sports-sedan handling, however, will find themselves disappointed that the new 7-series again concentrates on luxury, ride comfort, and cabin isolation. But thanks to a new rear-wheel-steering system and adaptive dampers, this next-generation car feels more agile than the outgoing model. The Sport driving mode tightens things up further and dials in more body control than what you get with the default setup, which curiously is called Personal mode despite the lack of personalization options. Hustling the big sedan on twisty sections of two-lane country roads that connect the area’s tile-roofed villages proved that the 7-series can hold its own, but peaceful cruising is where the 7-series shines the brightest. The i7, in particular, is whisper quiet at highway speeds with little wind or road noise penetrating the cabin.
When equipped with the optional Highway Assistant, the new 7-series is even better set up to tackle long-distance slogs. This hands-free tech allows the driver to let the 7-series pilot itself during highway stints. The system works similarly to GM’s Super Cruise in that it uses a driver-facing camera to ensure whoever is behind the wheel is paying attention to the road while it handles all the steering, braking, and accelerating automatically. It is not limited to pre-mapped roads, however.Highway Assistant works well and allows for easy transitions between automated and traditional driving. For example, if the driver taps the brakes to take control temporarily, the system doesn’t need to be reactivated. Instead, touching a steering-wheel-mounted button reverts the system to the previous setting and returns it to the task of driving. Highway Assistant works at speeds up to 85 mph, and it initially will be exclusive to North America. BMW has also revamped the car’s automated parking feature, called Parking Assistant Professional. The My BMW smartphone app controls the feature, and it now allows the driver to remotely park the car from outside the vehicle. The system can also reverse the car out of tight spaces, and if you can’t be bothered to park it yourself, it can even be programmed to navigate its way up your driveway and into your garage. This is no robot valet, however, as the driver is required to remain near the vehicle and control it via the app during these maneuvers.
Through the interior’s heavy camouflage, we saw peeks of what looked like textured glass trim, and heavily piled carpet floor mats with quilted stitching seem to indicate BMW has taken a cue from Rolls-Royce and is stepping up the 7-series’s plushness. For those who prefer to be chauffeured, the rear seat is as spacious as you’d expect and will offer an optional entertainment system that BMW is calling Theatre Screen. It deploys from the ceiling and measures a massive 31.0 inches across. The 8K high-definition screen utilizes Amazon’s Fire TV interface so you can stream movies, as well as access internet browsing via a 5G data connection, all controlled by touchscreens integrated into the rear door panels. The 2023 7-series and i7 will both be revealed later this month, when we’ll get to see more of what the interior has in store. BMW expects the new 7-series to enter production this summer with deliveries starting in November. Regardless of its styling and interior design, the next-generation 7-series is shaping up to be impressive based on its technology features alone, which would have easily blown the minds of Fürstenfeldbruck’s historical occupants.

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

Toyota has cultivated a devout fanbase for its trucks over the years, one that tends to value the sturdiness and reliability of the Japanese maker’s products over the showy one-upmanship that traditionally defines domestic rigs. Their numbers may be comparatively small, yet enough of these loyalists voted with their wallets over the last 14 years to keep the outgoing Tundra relevant between long-awaited redesigns. For this group, the arrival of the new 2022 Tundra—with its available 437-hp hybrid powertrain, rear air springs, and massive touchscreen—is cause for celebration. Many of them probably won’t mind that it merely catches Toyota up with the rest of the full-size truck segment.[editoriallinks id=’daf91220-3e7a-4267-8828-71b21d534176′ align=’left’][/editoriallinks]Despite its advancements, the new Tundra is a tougher sell when you move down its model lineup. Our mid-grade Limited test truck—four-wheel drive, crew cab, 5.5-foot cargo bed—was 251 pounds lighter than the top-spec TRD Pro hybrid that we previously tested. But at 5856 pounds, it’s still several hundred pounds heavier than similarly outfitted rivals from Ford, General Motors, and Ram. Propelled by a standard twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 good for 389 horsepower, our test truck reached 60 mph in a modest 6.1 seconds, putting it 0.4 second behind the TRD Pro. Though the Limited catches up by the quarter-mile mark, posting the same 14.5-second time, that pace puts the Tundra toward the back of the current full-size pack. We’ve clocked a V-8-powered Ram 1500 crew cab at 6.0 seconds to 60 mph, while speedier variants from Ford and GM can reach into the low-five-second range. [image id=’12605c49-9d50-4425-a29a-e72a3c2f6d88′ mediaId=’56969942-791d-4ca0-8a59-dc819fe0af9c’ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image][pullquote align=’center’]HIGHS : Manageably sized for a full-sizer, smart ergonomics and big available touchscreen, unobtrusive 10-speed automatic.[/pullquote]Although not the quickest, this volume Tundra model feels quick enough, producing a pleasantly throaty—if synthesized—growl while surfing a 479-lb-ft wave of torque that peaks at just 2400 rpm. A 5900-rpm redline indicates that Toyota’s boosted V-6 is not designed for high revs, yet that’s fine by the standard 10-speed automatic transmission, which slurs its ratios with impressive smoothness. Unfortunately, we averaged just 14 mpg during our test, and the unimpressive 19 mpg on our 75-mph highway route is 3 mpg below its EPA estimate. We also recorded a relatively noisy 76 decibels inside the cabin at full throttle, but at least the Limited’s 66 decibels at 70 mph make it about as quiet while cruising as its peers. [image id=’12075464-6f94-4625-b103-b1a7f51a49cc’ mediaId=’3a90b60f-aba3-43da-8479-258f78bc5f69′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]In terms of roadholding, our test truck’s 0.73 g of grip and 185-foot stop from 70 mph are adequate but hardly standout efforts. Its brake pedal is firm and progressive, and its steering has a precise, well-calibrated action. The standard all-coil-spring suspension—load-leveling rear air springs are a $650 option—returns a decent if heavy-footed ride on broken pavement when rolling on 20-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires. That rubber comes as part of the $3085 TRD Off-Road package, which also brings an upgraded suspension with Bilstein dampers and several other extras, including an electronically locking rear differential. Drivers who want an automatic way to deal with slippery conditions are out of luck, though, as the Tundra’s part-time four-wheel-drive transfer case does not feature the full-time all-wheel-drive setting that other brands offer. As equipped, our truck was rated to tow up to 11,120 pounds and carry up to 1740 pounds in its aluminum-reinforced composite bed. Again, solid figures but not class leading. [pullquote align=’center’]LOWS: Back-marker performance and stats, less cavernous rear seat, pricier than domestic rivals.[/pullquote][image id=’3ccc57ce-2c23-4814-b801-d4887810c7a8′ mediaId=’a992b10a-868c-4275-b8c3-a081d5c4f695′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]Unlike the Ram 1500, which exhibits an almost carlike level of refinement, the Tundra never lets you forget it’s a pickup. Committed truck folk likely won’t be bothered by the chunkiness of its controls, the faint quivers that the solid rear axle sometimes sends up through the frame, or how its body can wallow around corners, feeling slightly underdamped. But Toyota has managed the neat trick of making the Tundra seem smaller than it is, despite it having similar proportions to other half-ton trucks. Your five-foot-11 author could reach over the sides of the cargo box without straining, and the cab’s 23.9-inch stepover height made it easy to slide behind the wheel, no climbing required. The view out front is appropriately scenic without towering over surrounding traffic. Maybe we’ve just spent too much time in our towering Ram 1500 TRX long-termer, but this Toyota feels rather wieldy for something 233.6 inches long. [image id=’3cad6f54-b170-430d-b743-338ba5ccc58e’ mediaId=’22d30efc-30db-422c-98cf-8549f70b2912′ align=’center’ size=’medium’ share=’false’ caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]However, there’s nothing illusory about its smaller interior dimensions, particularly in back. Compared to the domestic offerings, the crew-cab Toyota’s rear-seat space is a couple inches narrower, and its 41.6 inches of rear legroom is as much as several inches shorter—it’s also about an inch less than you got in the previous-gen model. Overall, the Tundra’s cabin is highlighted by excellent ergonomics and a straightforward design, including our truck’s simple analog gauges flanking an intuitive 4.2-inch display; a vibrant 12.3-inch digital cluster is standard on higher trims. It’s all very sensible and attractive enough. The easy-to-use 14.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is a welcome upgrade over the standard 8.0-inch unit, although the display’s icons and fonts look comically large, and the annoying lack of a dedicated tuning knob is a trap Toyota’s designers failed to avoid. At $60,188, our workaday Tundra’s as-tested price still leaves a lot of available equipment on the table. Still, it’s a huge improvement over its predecessor. While it’s easy to knock the new Tundra for not raising the bar in this cutthroat competitive segment, Toyota truck fans should find it the competent evolution they’ve long waited for. [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=’1a36f8b6-b790-4985-bebc-fa4c4758aec3′ 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

We can think of several moments in Porsche’s history that sent loyalists into uproar: when Porsche unveiled the Volkswagen-powered 914, the introduction of its first SUV two decades ago, the arrival of the four-door Panamera seven years later, and more recently when the Boxster and Cayman’s flat-six was replaced with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Today, Porsche sells more Macans than either of those models, and most of them have a 2.0-liter engine. But the new Macan T model aims to inject more driving pleasure into the most popular Porsche, and we’re here to tell you that it works. After all, the letter T, which stands for Touring, denotes a recipe also used on the 911 and 718 sports cars.

In 2020, 60 percent of the Macans were equipped with the base turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, which now makes 261 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. That’s down 114 ponies on the Macan S and its 2.9-liter V-6. The four-cylinder lacks the aural bliss we’ve come to expect from Porsche, as the slight exhaust burbles are overtaken by the whoosh of the turbos spooling. Porsche says the Macan T will reach 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, but we tested a non-T 2.0-liter Macan, and it needed just 5.0 seconds, thanks to the launch-control function included in the $1220 Sport Chrono package. That package comes standard on the T, so we can expect a similar result. For those keeping track, that’s 1.5 seconds slower than the top-shelf 434-hp GTS model.
Power and acceleration are important, but they aren’t everything, and you’ll be reminded of that while driving the T. Turn the faux-suede-wrapped steering wheel to send the Macan T into a corner, and you’re reminded how precise Porsche steering is. Sport Plus mode, engaged by a dial on the steering wheel, puts the optional air springs in their lowest setting; on the twisty Southern California canyon roads we drove, they combined with the stiffer anti-roll bars and optional brake-based torque vectoring to make the Macan T feel more like a sports sedan than a compact SUV. This isn’t a surprising sensation, which is why the Macan is a previous 10Best award winner. Base Macan buyers can option up all these corner-carving goodies, too, including Michelin summer tires and the adaptive dampers, but most of them come standard on the T. Porsche rearranged the Macan’s lineup for 2022. The top Turbo model was dropped in favor of the GTS, which now uses the Turbo’s old twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 engine; the S now uses the GTS model’s 375-hp version of the V-6; and the base model’s 2.0-liter now makes 13 more horsepower than before. The T fits in nicely between the base model and the S and by bundling all the chassis goodies it makes the 2.0-liter engine more exciting. The 2.0-liter models are lighter too. The base Macan is just over 100 pounds lighter than the last GTS we tested.
Porsche sets the Macan T apart visually by giving it Agate Grey Metallic accents on the front splitter, mirrors, side blades, roof spoiler, and badging. It also gets a set of 20-inch wheels from the Macan S. The car we drove was finished in Jet Black Metallic, which glistens in the sun and takes on a deep-purple tinge up close. Its interior looks like its wearing an Armani pinstripe suit—the seats have Porsche’s Soft-Tex inserts with silver striped stitching. Our car also had the optional faux-suede on the headliner and the steering wheel. Other silver accents match the exterior’s unique trim elements. We expect the T to start at around $63,000— similar to a base model equipped with all the handling bits—when it arrives in a few months. That’s several grand short of a Macan S, which will set you back $66,750. The Macan T provides more proof that a 2.0-liter four borrowed from Audi and Volkswagen is hardly a Porsche apostasy. Once again, Porsche has built an SUV that proves the naysayers wrong.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Porsche Macan TVehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE (C/D EST)
Base: $63,000
ENGINE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 121 in3,1984 cm3Power: 261 hp @ 6500 rpmTorque: 295 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.5 inLength: 186.1 inWidth: 76.1 inHeight: 63.2 inPassenger Volume: 96 ft3Cargo Volume: 17 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4200 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.0 sec1/4-Mile: 13.7 secTop Speed: 144 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/25 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

We can forgive Mazda’s unoriginality as it chases the same outdoorsy, rugged image that’s done so well for Jeep, Subaru, and many others. But we’re inclined to look past the marketing images showing the new 2023 CX-50 crossover festooned with camping accessories and instead celebrate this new model for its pleasant on-road driving demeanor, appealing design, and class-above refinement—all for about the same price as other mainstream compact crossovers.If that sounds like a familiar refrain, it’s because we’ve heaped similar praise upon Mazda’s other compact SUV, the CX-5, which has won multiple 10Best awards and is the bestselling Mazda by a long shot. The company asserts that there’s enough room in this popular segment for two similarly sized vehicles, and Mazda won’t be the first to double down on this type of crossover: Jeep sells the Cherokee and the Compass, and Ford has both the Escape and the Bronco Sport.

While the CX-50 and CX-5 share powertrains and are similarly sized, there are some notable differences in the packaging. The CX-50 has a body that’s longer, lower, and wider than the CX-5’s, and its proportions look station wagon–esque—more Subaru Outback than Forester. This carries through to the interior, as you sit much lower in the CX-50’s driver’s seat and experience a more carlike view over the long hood. We think the CX-50 looks great, and far more modern than the CX-5, which received a facelift for 2022 but still has a design dating back to 2017.Mazda says it has beefed up the CX-50’s engine cooling to increase towing capacity: Equipped with the optional turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four, the CX-50 is rated to tow 3500 pounds, while the CX-5 Turbo is limited to 2000 pounds. Towing and Off-Road drive modes join the Normal and Sport selections from other Mazda models and bring different calibrations for the steering, transmission, all-wheel-drive system, and throttle response. An upcoming off-road-themed CX-50 Meridian Edition model will offer all-terrain tires along with a hood graphic, a basket rack, and a few other accessories.
While our drive route included a short off-road portion, most of our time spent in the CX-50 was on pavement. We drove the fully loaded 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus, which starts at $42,775. Given that its turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four—which makes 256 horsepower on 93-octane fuel and 227 horsepower on 87-octane—and six-speed automatic transmission are shared with upper trims of the CX-5, much of the driving experience is familiar. (We’d assume the same will apply to the CX-50’s base powertrain, a naturally aspirated 187-hp 2.5-liter inline-four also shared with the CX-5.) The turbo engine provides a strong swell of torque early on, and the transmission shifts crisply and—especially in Sport mode—does a great job of predicting what gear you want to be in. We enjoyed hustling the CX-50 through corners, as its body motions are predictable and its steering accurate. The CX-50’s suspension tuning feels a bit softer than the CX-5’s, which results in more body roll, but the extra width and lower seating position help offset the additional side-to-side movement, and the benefit to ride quality is noticeable.Quiet, comfortable, and confident, the CX-50 drives more like a Volvo XC60 than a Toyota RAV4. And while we only sampled the top trim’s interior, which has upscale brown or black leather with contrasting stitching, we found the cabin to be considerably nicer to look at and to touch than anything in the mainstream segment. The infotainment system is similar to what you’ll find in other Mazdas, with a control knob on the center console, but with newly enabled touchscreen functionality for when you’re using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
While headroom is slightly diminished compared with the CX-5, the CX-50 is plenty spacious for four adults, if not quite as cavernous as the Honda CR-V. The cargo floor is over three inches lower than the CX-5’s, and there’s slightly more cargo room behind its rear seats.Although the CX-50 carries a bit of a price premium—it starts at $28,025, or $900 higher than the 2022 CX-5’s starting price—we can see several reasons for choosing this newer model given its more stylish exterior, plusher interior, and similarly pleasant driving experience. Soon, the CX-50 will add another calling card in the form of a hybrid with a Toyota-sourced powertrain that should offer considerably better fuel economy. Plus, Mazda suggested that because the CX-50 comes out of its new plant in Huntsville, Alabama (a joint venture with Toyota), it may be easier for U.S. buyers to get their hands on a CX-50 than a Japan-made CX-5—an important factor in today’s supply-chain-constrained times.

Specifications

Specifications
2023 Mazda CX-50Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 4-door, 5-passenger wagon
PRICE
Base: 2.5 S, $28,025; 2.5 Turbo, $37,625; 2.5T Premium Plus, $42,775
ENGINES
DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter inline-4, 187 hp, 186 lb-ft; turbocharged DOHC 16-valve 2.5-liter inline-4, 256 hp, 320 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION
6-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 110.8 inLength: 185.8 inWidth: 75.6 inHeight: 63.5-63.9 inPassenger Volume: 98-100 ft3Cargo Volume: 31 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3710-3910 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 6.2-8.0 sec1/4-Mile: 14.8-16.4 secTop Speed: 125 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 25-27/23-24/29-30 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

A full-face helmet does little to take the edge off the 9000-rpm shriek of a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six when it’s mounted amidships just behind your seat, as it is in the 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS. We start to wish we’d also worn earplugs (but not really, because its glorious sounds may well be worth hearing aids in retirement) as we feed in the power exiting a slow corner, then bang through the gears on our way to storming headlong into a banked sweeper at Streets of Willow Springs raceway.It’s a prime example of what a Porsche engineer told us in matter-of-fact terms: “Whenever the GT4 RS engineering team came to a development crossroads, we made a point of always choosing the path of greatest performance.” Boy, does it show.

That starts with the engine itself. This is not some massaged version of the enlarged and de-turbo-ed 911 engine that powers the Cayman GT4. Instead, the GT4 RS is fitted with the same 911 GT3 Cup–derived engine that powers the vaunted 911 GT3, but spun around and mounted beneath the rear liftgate glass, a placement that virtually puts it inside the passenger compartment. In the GT4 RS, this high-revving, naturally aspirated, dry-sump flat-six makes 493 horsepower at 8400 rpm and 331 pound-feet of torque at 6750 revs. It’s worth noting that the same mill puts out 502 ponies and 346 pound-feet in the GT3, which makes one wonder if the difference is truly the result of an exhaust packaging limitation related to the midship engine placement or a case of preserving the on-paper superiority of the 911 GT3. Likewise, the RS’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission gearing is more aggressive than the Cayman GT4’s, instead using the tightly spaced cogs of the GT3’s gearbox, in which seventh gear tops out at just 0.84:1 instead of a lazier 0.71:1. Beyond that, the Cayman GT4 RS is more aggressive than the GT4 in the final-drive department, with short 4.17:1 rear-end gearing instead the regular GT4’s taller 3.89:1 final-drive. The end result is a GT4 RS claimed top speed that’s rev-limited to 196 mph in seventh gear. Porsche also claims a 3.2-second 60-mph time and an 11.3-second quarter-mile, but Porsche usually sandbags such numbers. What we do know with certainty is that open-road cruising at 70 mph results in a tense 3050-rpm thrum.
If that wasn’t enough, the engineering team ditched the Cayman’s admittedly useless rear quarter-windows and substituted high-mounted engine air intakes. The ducting runs a few scant inches behind your skull, so when you boot the throttle, you can absolutely feel the throbbing cry as atmosphere gets inhaled toward the six individual throttle butterflies of the ravenously gulping flat-six. This performance-maximizing intake placement not only enhances the aural experience in the GT4 RS’s cabin, it also allows the entirety of the formerly subdivided bodyside scoops to be dedicated to cooling this insane beast.The driving position is slightly hunched forward owing to fixed-angle one-piece buckets—18-way adjustable seats are available at no-cost—but this absolutely suits on-track and aggressive driving because it puts you up on the wheel in a way that generates more leverage. You’ll need it, too, because the 245/35ZR-20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Track Connect front tires can generate immense grip with nary a whiff of understeer, and the steering geometry creates armloads of self-aligning torque that clearly communicates how hard the tires are working in any given corner. It’s not manual steering because you can indeed twirl the wheel in a parking lot, but the amount of feel and feedback you get is exactly what you need when pushing hard up against the limit. Is the effort a bit much when lollygagging down the highway? A bit, yeah. But it’s utter magic when working through a series of corners.
Compared to the GT4, the front and rear track width of the GT4 RS is broader by 0.2 and 0.3 inch, respectively. There are two adaptive-damping modes, but the default setting is ideal for both track and mountain-road use, especially if the asphalt is anything less than billiard-table smooth. The Normal setting is an absolute must for routine driving around town, because not only does the car tend to copy every undulation the paving machine laid down, modest cracks and step-down joints can feel like miniature cliffs. The reason for this is not entirely down to track-oriented spring and damper tuning, though, because the RS suspension links are fitted with ball joints at their ends instead of tuned rubber bushings. The RS can nevertheless pass for a livable daily driver, however, because the optional $3040 front-axle lift system makes it entirely possible to surmount speed bumps, traverse intersection drainage dips (with care and forethought), and tackle reasonably angled driveway cuts.
Still, you may be getting the impression that the GT4 RS lives its best life as a track car, and it indeed has features that are most often found on track-oriented machines. Center-lock wheels are compulsory, for one, and the front and rear anti-roll bars are adjustable through three settings each. The aerodynamics are not kidding, either. The GT-style rear wing is adjustable through three angles of attack (none of which results in good rearview-mirror visibility), and its swan-neck mounting assures that the critical downforce-generating underside is completely free and clear of bracketry. The car’s smooth underbelly directs air through a center diffuser as well. Up front, fender-top vents and radiused fender openings relieve underbody pressure to reduce lift, and there are adjustable fences low in the wheel wells to tweak the amount of downforce generated by the GT4 RS-spec front splitter.Hood-mounted NACA ducts funnel air down to the GT3-esque front brakes, which feature six-piston fixed calipers that squeeze 16.1-inch rotors whether you stick with the standard iron discs or upgrade to the cross-drilled carbon-ceramic setup. The rear end features four-pot calipers and either 15.0-inch iron discs or 15.4-inch carbon-ceramic ones. We spent all our track and canyon time with the carbon ceramics, and they generated immense and unfailing stopping power, with a clairvoyant delicacy that made their response easy to predict. They also reduce unsprung weight a fair bit. If you can afford this car in the first place, there’s no reason not to spend $8000 on them.
Aside from the carbon-ceramic brakes, the forged magnesium wheels ($15,640) are worth considering because they also take a bite out of unsprung mass to the tune of nearly six pounds per corner, claims Porsche. Their upcharge is actually even higher, because the Weissach package ($13,250) is a prerequisite for the magnesium wheels, but that brings with it a clear-coated carbon-fiber hood and other trim pieces, special seat embroidery, and titanium exhaust tips.The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS arrives this summer and should start at $144,050, which seems like a bargain since it undercuts the GT3 by nearly $20,000. Sure, you can nudge that close to $200,000 if you get frisky with the options sheet, but that’s par for the course in Porscheland. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, and want a track-focused car you won’t lock away in a glass garage, we highly recommend picking one up.

Specifications

Specifications
2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RSVehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door hatchback
PRICE (C/D EST)
Base: $144,050; Weissach, $157,300
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve flat-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injectionDisplacement: 244 in3, 3996 cm3Power: 493 hp @ 8400 rpmTorque: 331 lb-ft @ 6750 rpm
TRANSMISSION
7-speed dual-clutch automatic
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 97.8 inLength: 175.4 inWidth: 71.7 inHeight: 49.9 inPassenger Volume: 49 ft3Cargo Volume, F/R: 4/5 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 3250 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 2.9 sec100 mph: 6.8 sec1/4-Mile: 11.1 secTop Speed: 196 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 16/15/17 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

Spring is in the air, and over in Europe it seems to be the season for driving SUVs on racetracks. Barely a week after we sampled the Aston Martin DBX 707 at the Silverstone Circuit in England, we can offer the equally incongruous experience of piloting the forthcoming Nissan Ariya EV exclusively on the 2.4-mile Circuito del Jarama near Madrid.Nissan took an early lead in mainstream electrification. Nearly 600,000 Leaf hatchbacks have been sold worldwide since 2010, and for most of that time the vehicle was the most successful EV in the world. Yet the speed at which that record was stolen by the Tesla Model 3 shows how demand is shifting from affordable EVs to quicker and more exciting models. The Ariya has considerably more of both qualities than its hatchback kin.
Sitting on the CMF-EV platform that Nissan developed as part of its alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi, the Ariya is powered by either one or two externally excited synchronous eight-pole motors. Front-wheel-drive versions will use a single motor that produces either 214 or 238 horsepower, while the dual-motor version boosts that total to 389 horses and features Nissan’s clever e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive setup. This gives the ability to both vary the front-to-rear torque split and adjust the output and regeneration of each motor to counter dive and squat motions.

Further choice comes from two battery sizes, these having either 63 or 87 kWh of usable capacity. We don’t have EPA numbers for any of the available powertrains yet, but in Europe Nissan says the front-drive 63-kWh Ariya has a WLTP range of 250 miles. We’re told that the larger pack is targeting 300 miles on the tougher EPA standard. All setups will support DC fast-charging at speeds of up to 130 kW, thankfully using the universal CCS plug instead of the increasingly rare CHAdeMO interface that the Leaf uses.
Regardless of powertrain, the Ariya’s design is certainly distinctive. A 182.9-inch overall length puts it pretty much in the heart of the compact SUV segment, just 0.2 inch shorter than the Toyota RAV4. But it looks bigger in person, thanks to both the height of its front end and the body’s cab-forward packaging, which puts the base of the windshield pretty much directly over the front-axle line. Narrow LED headlights and the expansive grille panel give plenty of front-end presence, while the falling roofline has been incorporated without grievous injury to cabin space. It’s certainly more interesting to look at than the Leaf. The Ariya feels similarly different inside, too, with a spacious and well-finished cabin that manages to feel elegantly minimalist rather than lacking in equipment. Twin 12.3-inch display screens for instrumentation and infotainment run together, with most physical switchgear being for the audio and cruise functions and integrated into the face of the steering wheel. Heating and ventilation controls come via touch-sensitive buttons integrated into the simulated wood of the dashboard, but these have a haptic resistance that makes them more satisfying to operate than a pure touchscreen interface. Similar controls for the dynamic mode selector and e-Pedal function are below the gear selector on the center console, together with a switch that opens and closes a motorized storage compartment under the dash. Rear-seat accommodations feel less roomy than up front, but they’re still adult-friendly.
Despite the racetrack location, the car we drove was a basic front-wheel-drive model with the smaller battery pack. Nissan attempted to replicate various real-world locations with a variety of cone-marked gates and slalom. Fortunately, there was enough distance between these fabricated obstructions to allow the car to stretch its legs. Straight-line performance feels solid rather than scintillating, with Nissan’s official 7.2-second 60-mph estimate being rather leisurely for a modern EV; the AWD version is claimed to hit that mark in a far more interesting 4.9 seconds. Even in its most basic guise the Ariya had enough urge to keep its traction-control algorithm busy around Jarama’s tighter corners. The suspension feels predictably soft under heavy loadings, with plenty of tire squealing as speeds increase. But this pliancy likely will translate to a decent ride on the street. Nissan engineers say there are no plans to offer the Ariya with adaptive dampers, and Sport mode doesn’t make any obvious difference to the way the car feels beyond increasing the accelerator’s top-end sensitivity.
Yet other details did impress. The Ariya deftly blends its friction and regenerative braking abilities, and although the e-Pedal function doesn’t provide true one-pedal operation—brake pressure is still needed to come to a full stop—its level of retardation is adequate without feeling overly aggressive. The steering also is linear and nicely weighted. In short, this was a very limited first impression in a rather unconventional environment, yet it left us thinking that the Ariya should cope well with the sterner challenges of the real world. Pricing for standard-range models has not been announced, but those with the larger battery will start at $47,125 and rise to $60,125, with deliveries set to begin this fall.

Specifications

Specifications
2023 Nissan AriyaVehicle Type: front- or front- and rear-motor, front- or all-wheel drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: front-wheel-drive with standard battery, $40,000 (est.); front-wheel drive with large battery, $47,125; all-wheel-drive, $60,125
POWERTRAINS
Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 63 or 87 kWhDual Motor: current-excited synchronous AC motors, combined output of 389 hp, 443 lb-ftBattery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 87 kWhCharging: 7.2 kW on-board charger; 130 kW CCS DC-fast chargingTransmission: direct-drive
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 109.3 inLength: 182.9 inWidth: 74.8 inHeight: 65.4-65.7 inPassenger Volume: 105 ft3Cargo Volume: 23 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4200-4700 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 4.9-7.2 sec1/4-Mile: 13.0-15.8 secTop Speed: 115 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/City/Highway: 93-105/99-110/90-99 MPGeRange: 215-300 mi

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

To engage Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot, we needed to find traffic. In L.A., that’s not very hard. Our driver, Jochen Haab, manager of validation and testing, advance driver assist systems at Mercedes-Benz, entered Interstate 10 from Crenshaw Boulevard and headed toward Santa Monica to find the slow highway speeds required to activate the Level 3 autonomous-driving system.Although it only works at speeds up to 40 mph, the system operated smoothly. However, unlike some Level 2 systems, Drive Pilot can’t perform automated lane changes in the U.S. That feature is part of Benz’s Intelligent Drive Level 2 driver-assist system that’s available across the lineup, and we expect it to be added to Drive Pilot in the future. Drive Pilot is currently only available on the new S-class and the EQS electric sedan, and it’ll be expanded to other vehicles in Mercedes’s lineup later.

Mercedes-Benz

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) describes driver-assist systems in levels of automation ranging from Level 1 through Level 5. Adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic lane-change features included in systems such as Intelligent Drive, Tesla’s Autopilot, and General Motors’ Super Cruise all fall under SAE’s Level 2. Most of these systems are meant to reduce stress on drivers during long hauls (no matter how they’re advertised) but always require the driver to remain attentive and take over whenever necessary. Drive Pilot, much like Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise, is limited to pre-mapped divided highways. Right now, the tech is only available in Germany, where it’s certified on just over 8000 miles of roads. But unlike the two Level 2 systems from the American automakers—which may be hands-free but which still require the driver to pay attention—Drive Pilot, remember, is considered a Level 3 system, which means when it’s in operation the driver is not responsible for driving. It’s also similar to BMW’s Driving Assistant Professional feature, which also operates in stop-and-go traffic up to 37 mph on limited-access highways, but the BMW system requires the driver to always pay attention and is thus a Level 2 system.

Mercedes-Benz

On the other hand, Mercedes says that drivers using Drive Pilot can reply to emails, watch YouTube videos (we know of a pretty good channel), or even play Tetris on the car’s touchscreen while stuck in traffic. An infrared camera behind the steering wheel (some Level 2 systems use this, too) makes sure the driver’s eyes are still in the approved scope—and that the driver hasn’t fallen asleep. If Haab looked over at us for too long, the system warned him to look back into the field of view. After a series of warnings, the car starts to perform emergency braking. And if the flow of traffic causes the car to exceed 40 mph, the system requires the driver to take back control. Drive Pilot uses the same sensors used for adaptive cruise and other driver-assist features and adds lidar. A camera in the rear window and a microphone can detect approaching emergency vehicles and shut off the system. Sensors in the wheel wells detect if the road is too wet for the system to operate. And cars equipped with Drive Pilot have backup braking, steering, and electrical systems.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes also showed us its Intelligent Park Pilot automated valet parking system. Unlike other remote-parking features, which use the car’s onboard cameras and sensors, Mercedes’s system, co-developed with Bosch, relies on cameras and sensors installed in ceilings of parking garages. In our demonstration at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel, though, Bosch installed temporary sensors on the ground level, which helped an EQS electric sedan creep slowly to its designated parking spot. Mercedes has the system up and running at the Stuttgart Airport in Germany but is awaiting approval to install the infrastructure in the U.S., much like Drive Pilot.While Drive Pilot has the added benefit of not requiring the driver to watch the road like other hands-free systems, its speed and location limitations make it feel behind some Level 2 systems available in the U.S. today. Mercedes says it’s working on getting approval in California and Nevada by the end of the year, and Drive Pilot should arrive on S-class and EQS models in the U.S. by early 2023. We expect the option will cost around $5000 when it arrives, and Mercedes says that it will likely be available through an over-the-air update.

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

One of the distinct advantages of the auto industry’s current moment of record profitability is the ability it gives carmakers to invest in truly worthwhile upgrades during mid-cycle refreshes. Witness Volvo’s plug-in hybrids, specifically the latest version of the XC60 Recharge T8 Extended Range. Like its XC90 big brother and the company’s refreshed S60, V60, and S90 hybrids, it sports a new-for-’22 powertrain that extracts more power from its electric motor, revised to loft its lusty (and also freshly tweaked) supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder to new heights, with additional battery cells delivering greater all-electric range.

Thanks to a new, third layer of cells, the T8 battery pack’s capacity jumps from 9.1 kWh to 14.9, increasing its range in all-electric operation—what Volvo calls “Pure” mode—to 36 miles, up from 19, a not insignificant improvement. Volvo research suggests that customers spend fully half their time in all-electric mode. For those with charging capability at home or at work, Volvo proposes, most daily driving can be tackled in the new model on electric power alone. As a further benefit, buyers qualify for the federal government’s full $7500 tax credit, as against the $5419 available for buyers of its predecessors with their skimpier range.
Revisions to the powertrain see its output skyrocket 55 horsepower to a whopping 455 total horsepower, with the upgraded electric motor chipping in 143 of those to go along with the 313 ponies that come courtesy of the tweaked gasoline mill. Up substantially from the outgoing model’s 87 horsepower, electric motive force gets directed to the rear wheels, while the gas engine takes care of the fronts. With this much horsepower and a Brobdingnagian 523 pound-feet of torque, the refreshed mid-size SUV stands with its aforementioned brethren as the most powerful cars Volvo has ever brought to market. Such is the promise and pleasure of electrification. With an EPA-estimated 63 MPGe, the economy potential is infeasibly high. In a random sampling of roads at a launch event in and around Palm Springs, California, helpless to resist the siren call of its massive power, we still managed to eke out a still creditable indicated average of 45 MPGe.
Volvo cites a 4.5-second 60-mph sprint for the Recharge T8 Extended Range (shaving half a second off the old model’s best effort), and performance with both powerplants firing is predictably sparkling. As well it ought to be with that much torque to call on, even allowing for the XC60 hybrid’s borderline portly claimed 4758-pound curb weight. But despite the extra juice, the power glut is not obtrusive as the vehicle’s two diverse and generally harmonious powertrains got down to it, save a one-time, mild clunk from the rear. In Pure electric mode, pickup remained acceptably brisk but not neck-snapping. One-pedal driving—where regenerative braking causes the car to slow when the driver lifts off the accelerator without applying the brakes—is a new and much appreciated feature for the hybrid model, one that was previously seen only on the firm’s EV offerings. Those who’ve not experienced it will quickly get the hang of one-pedal operation and, in our experience, quickly grow to enjoy it, slowing down with a counterintuitive smoothness that quickly becomes second nature. Use of the feature is selected by double-clicking the gearshift into Drive after selecting the Pure driving mode on the central screen. It proved unexpectedly addictive while charging up this sure-footed chassis, then rapidly descending, winding mountain roads.
External updates are subtle for this refreshed and still quite handsome model, with a new grille and rear bumper its most noticeable external changes. Prices start at $55,845, so the XC60 Recharge T8 Extended Range is not cheap, though, in an era of rising car prices, surely reasonable. Nor is it as expensive as it feels, with quality fittings and distinctly good looks that amount to extraordinary style in an era where cheap plastics dominate and, with few exceptions, SUVs tend to toggle between ugly and boring. This XC60 Recharge is neither, and its revised, ultra-modern dash and uniquely stylish interior design help make it legitimate competition for models costing far more. Particularly appealing was our sample’s fabric seating, a wool blend (available only in gray) that promises to be comfortable in extreme weather both hot and cold.All in all, the XC60 Recharge T8 Extended Range provides proof that in car manufacture as in life, having the money to up one’s game is preferable to not.

Specifications

Specifications
Volvo XC60 Recharge T8 Extended RangeVehicle Type: front-engine, mid-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base: Inscription Expression Extended Range, $55,845; R-Design Extended Range, $61,995; Inscription Extended Range; $63,345
POWERTRAINS
turbocharged, supercharged, and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-6, 313 hp, 295 lb-ft + 2 AC motors, 46 and 143 hp, 111 and 228 lb-ft (combined output: 455 hp, 523 lb-ft; 14.9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack)Transmissions, F/R: 8-speed automatic/direct-drive

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 112.8 inLength: 185.4 inWidth: 75.4–76.3 inHeight: 65.3 inPassenger Volume: 100–103 ft3Cargo Volume: 26 ft3Curb Weight (C/D est): 4850 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 4.5 sec100 mph: 13.0 sec1/4-Mile: 13.2 secTop Speed: 112 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 28/28/28 mpgCombined Gasoline + Electricity: 63 MPGeEV Range: 36 mi

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