Motor News

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 will be offered with two output levels for its turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six.Both engine variants will achieve the same EPA-estimated 28 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined, with small differences in city fuel economy.EPA figures for the plug-in hybrid have not yet been revealed.Last week, Mazda unveiled the 2024 CX-90, a smooth new three-row SUV with equal doses of creature comforts and style. At the time, the automaker left a number of questions about the powertrain unanswered, but now, it’s time to shine a little more light under the hood.The 2024 Mazda CX-90 will debut with not one, but two variants of its turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six engine. Models with a Turbo designation will put out 280 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque using the recommended regular gasoline. If you want to swap that swill for the good stuff, output will likely rise, but Mazda declined to say by how much. MazdaCX-90s carrying the 3.3 Turbo S moniker will see figures rise to 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. Premium fuel is recommended here; regular fuel can be substituted in exchange for some power and torque, but again, Mazda didn’t delve into specifics. It’s also unclear at this time if the difference between these two engines lies solely in software, or if there are some additional hardware tweaks. No matter how much power the inline-six makes, it bolts to an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive.Get Your CX-90 FixEfficiency is nearly even between the two engines. The CX-90 Turbo and its lower output receives an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 24 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined. Moving up to the burlier Turbo S variants will incur a 1-mpg penalty in the city, but the figures are the same otherwise.And then there’s the PHEV. Net output remains at 323 horsepower and 369 pound-feet when using the recommended premium gasoline, and Mazda has not yet stated what it makes on 87 octane. More frustratingly, EPA efficiency figures remain a mystery. Considering models start arriving at dealerships in the spring, those estimates should be public in the near future. More

Right now, electric cargo vans are a fringe market, but Mercedes-Benz says that starting in 2025, all new Benz vans will be electric. Along with the electric Rivian Amazon vans and the Ford E-Transit, the 2024 e-Sprinter is on the leading edge of stealth delivery vehicles. Imagine the GMC Vandura A-Team van, but completely opposite.While some of Benz’s EQ models err on the side of freaky futurism, the e-Sprinter mission statement is “like a Sprinter, but electric.” So it looks conventional and offers the same trademark commodious and versatile interior that has caused many a tradesman to trade in their Econoline and join the high-roof Euro-van movement. Which is distinct from the Volkswagen Eurovan movement, in that it tends to involve upfitting from Knapheide rather than Houseplant.The Benz star hides the charge port.Car and DriverWhile other markets will have much smaller batteries available, including a 56.0-kWh pack and an 81.0-kWh setup, we’ll only get the largest battery—the 113.0-kWh pack that enabled Benz to complete a 295-mile highway trip during a test run in Germany. Granted, that was at a maximum speed of about 60 mph, but nonetheless a big improvement over whatever range the prior eSprinter could manage with its 47.0-kWh battery. (Why, yes, there already was an eSprinter, but you’ll forgive them for not making a big deal out of it and its 116 hp.)Practically enough room to live in there, down by the river.Car and DriverOur eSprinters will be available with either 134 or 201 horsepower and “up to” 295 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is limited to 75 mph, but if you’ve ever driven a Sprinter high-roof model on a windy highway you’ll probably be fine with that. Fortunately, the eSprinter includes Benz’s Crosswinds Assist system, which applies the brakes on the upwind side of the van as necessary above 50 mph to help steer a straight course. A van with a rear-mounted motor? Bunch of hippies over there at Mercedes, it seems.Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverOur eSprinter will launch in the U.S. and Canada in the second half of 2023 as a long-wheelbase cargo van with the high roof. The North American vans will be built in Charleston, South Carolina, but there are two other factories in Germany. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but the destination charge has, and it’s a hefty $2295—cue the outrage from eco-minded plumbers in Charleston, SC.Benz foresees eSprinters belonging to businesses that mostly ply their trade around town during the day and then park and charge at night; hence not a lot of attention was paid to fast-charging capability. The standard onboard AC charger offers a decent 9.6-kW charge rate, but the standard 50-kW DC fast-charging capability isn’t very competitive unless the competition is a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The DC charging capability can be upped to a still-not-great 115 kW for owners who might venture across a state line on occasion.The Sprinter went from six cylinders to four cylinders to no cylinders.Car and DriverWith a max payload of 2624 pounds and as much as 488 cubic feet of cargo volume, the eSprinter should be ready for the same sort of grunt work that an internal-combustion model could handle, minus the easy fillups and ability to cover mega miles nonstop. Not a vehicle for fledgling bands on tour, the eSprinter. But for a successful mobile dog-washing service it could be just the thing. A lot of dogs hate baths, but they’ll never hear it coming. More

Can’t swing the $223,450 for a Porsche 911 Dakar? Here’s an off-road-ready Porsche with seating for the whole family.Only 285 Transsyberia Cayennes were built worldwide, and this is one of only three North American versions with a manual transmission.With five days before the Bring a Trailer auction ends on Friday, February 10, bidding is at $36,500 for this highly collectible, highly capable Porsche.Car and DriverPorsche says it has no intention of entering its new 911 Dakar in competition, but a decade ago, it did just that with a special edition of the Cayenne S. Up for sale this week at Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is a rare Cayenne, one of a few built to celebrate Porsche’s wins at the 2007 Transsyberia rally. If you were holding out on that new Dakar because of its lack of rear seats, here’s some rally-prepped Porsche for the whole family.Bring a TrailerThe Transsyberia rally runs more than 4000 miles from Moscow right across Mongolia. Porsche swept the podium in 2007 with a trio of Cayennes, then decided to showcase the capability of its all-conquering SUV with a civilian-spec version. This is one of those 285 special editions built.Bring a TrailerJust as the 911 Dakar is basically a 911 GTS underneath, so too is the Cayenne Transsyberia based on the Cayenne GTS. Power comes from a 4.8-liter V-8 making 405 horsepower at 6500 rpm, and the interior features a luxurious blend of leather and Alcantara.Car and DriverCar and DriverBut, as the orange accents throughout hint, this is no mall-crawler Porsche SUV. The Transsyberia also gets adjustable-height air suspension, 18-inch wheels designed to wear chunky off-road tires, and skidplating underneath. Transsyberias also came with the Cayenne’s rarely optioned off-road package, which includes specific programming for the Porsche stability and traction control.New and OldAs if all of that wasn’t enough potential fun in the dirt, have a peek between the front seats: that’s an honest-to-goodness manual transmission. Only three manual-equipped Transsyberias are known to have been delivered to North American, all of them originally sold into Canada. Which makes sense, considering that many parts of Canada are a bit like Siberia, and those Canucks love their stickhandling.Bring a TrailerThis Transsyberia is currently located in Vancouver, British Columbia, but can easily be imported into the United States. With 133,000 kms on the odometer—roughly 83,000 miles—this is not a Porsche that needs to stay parked to retain its value. Yet it is something of a collector item. The previous owner removed the admittedly garish orange Transsyberia decals, but those are available from Porsche and should be reapplied for resale. A thorough blasting of the undercarriage and applying protection coating should be on the to-do list.Bring a TrailerWith these tasks done, one lucky bidder will have a mighty V-8–powered Porsche that’s just as capable as any dune-surfing 911 variant, but with enough room for a family of five (or a bunch of friends to help push you out of the sand if you get stuck). Being so rare, it’s bound to appreciate in value as well. With five days to go, bidding sits at $36,500. That’s a bargain by off-road Porsche standards; don’t miss your chance. More

The 2024 Cadillac Lyriq adds new trim options, which now include Tech, Luxury, and Sport.Range estimates are slightly lower than last year, moving from 312 miles on a full charge to 308 miles in the rear-wheel-drive version, and 307 miles in the all-wheel-drive version.Cadillac expanded the available colors for the 2024 Lyriq to eight, giving buyers more room to personalize. Cadillac’s luxury electric SUV is entering its second year with a significantly broader lineup. The 2024 Lyriq’s trim levels are revised, with the base model now called Tech, the mid-range trim called Luxury, and a new Sport trim sitting atop the range. More on the LyriqDistinctions between trim levels look to be mostly creature comforts and cosmetics. The base trim gets the same standard safety features as the upper trims, but stepping up to the Luxury trim grants access to features like choreographed exterior lighting, illuminated exterior door handles, rain-sensing wipers, and more. The Sport trim is visually differentiated with blacked-out chrome trim on the front and rear fascias as well as the windows and body moldings. Both the Luxury and Sport trims can also be optioned with 22-inch alloy wheels instead of the standard 20-inch alloys. Exterior paint color options expanded to eight, giving us our first look of the Lyriq in anything other than silver. The base trim is only available with a black two-tone interior color scheme, but both upper trims have four available interior options. CadillacInterestingly, Cadillac downgraded the estimated range for the Lyriq, from 312 miles on the rear-wheel drive model to 308 miles in the RWD version and 307 miles for the AWD version. Our standard EV highway range test on a rear-drive 2023 model brought back a 75-mph range result of 270 miles. Power figures haven’t changed, with 340 horsepower from the single-motor, rear-drive version and 500 hp from the dual-motor AWD version. We still haven’t driven a dual-motor Lyriq, but we launched a rear-wheel drive version to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. That’s pretty quick by SUV standards, but it lags behind a bit in the current era of EV dragsters. Cadillac said more information on the 2024 Lyriq is coming soon, so stay tuned for detailed pricing and specs.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Ford will likely build a high-output F-150 Lighting concept based on a recent teaser, as first reported by Motor Authority. Part of a larger infographic, the specific teaser showed a pickup truck silhouette with “coming soon” in the middle.The mystery truck was surrounded by 1000-plus-hp EV concepts like the seven-motor Mach-E 1400 and the SuperVan 4.Ford believes in the high-performance potential of electric vehicles. Look no further than the seven-motor Mustang Mach-E 1400 race car or the 1972-hp SuperVan 4. Both of those one-off concepts are rolling billboards for the blue-oval brand’s vision of EV performance, and now it appears they’ll be joined by a hi-po version of the Ford F-150 Lightning.Last week, around the time Ford officially announced its return to Formula 1 racing, the company also released an infographic illustrating how some production models influence its race cars and vice versa. One of the graphics (shown below) featured the Lightning’s silhouette with the words “coming soon” in the middle.How do we know it’s the silhouette of the electric F-150? Well, the title says “EV Performance Demonstrators” and the Lightning is currently Ford’s only EV pickup, so we’d say that makes it pretty obvious. We also think the high-powered concepts surrounding the mystery Lightning suggest it could make more than 1000 horsepower. After all, the Mach-E 1400, the SuperVan 4, and the 1400-hp Mustang Cobra Jet electric dragster also shown on the infographic all have four-digit hp figures.Car and DriverCar and DriverWhile it’s true that the 480-hp Ford F-100 Eluminator concept that’s also featured on the infographic fell well short of the 1000-hp mark, let’s not forget how powerful the regular F-150 Lightning already is. In its most potent configuration, the EV pickup’s dual electric motors generate 580 horses combined. Now imagine the Ford Performance team is charged with building an electric F-150 that’ll shock people even more. That’s why we think a 1000-plus-hp Lightning is more than likely.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Porsche has announced a recall for 24,467 units of its 2017–2022 Panamera over a fire risk caused by a faulty external coolant pump.When humidity enters the climate control system’s external coolant pump, Porsche says, it could cause a short circuit and thermal damage that could result in a fire.Bentley is also separately recalling 650 of its 2020 Continental models due to the same issue.There’s a faulty external coolant pump that could cause a vehicle fire on certain 2017–2022 Porsche Panameras, so the company will recall 24,467 to fix the problem.In its filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Porsche says problems occur when humidity enters the climate control system’s external coolant pump. Not only can this lead to a short circuit, but it can also cause thermal damage. While Porsche says it’s rare, if the thermal damage goes unnoticed, it could result in a vehicle fire. Among the nearly 25,000 cars involved in the Panamera recall that spans multiple model years are both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive base models, plus GTS and Turbo models. Porsche says the affected vehicles will be fixed at dealerships free of charge. Dealers will replace the faulty pump as well as the plug-in connection, if necessary.Car and DriverIn a separate NHTSA filing, Bentley said it will recall 650 2020 Continental GT and GTC models over the same issue. While the company says the problem will require the hardware to be replaced, it also says the full solution is still being investigated and will be reported to NHTSA when concluded.Bentley did also state in its NHTSA filing that a new pump from a new supplier went into production in July 2019. So, vehicles built after that point shouldn’t be affected, as the new pump has a seal that prevents liquid build-up. Owners of both Bentley and Porsche models will be notified of the recall in March. In the meantime, they can check the NHTSA recalls site for information about the recall and to see if their vehicle is affected. More

Lamborghini has revealed two one-offs, the Invencible coupe and Auténtica roadster, that are both powered by the same 769-hp 6.5-liter V-12 as the Aventador Ultimae. The Invencible and Auténtica serve as sendoffs before the automaker adds hybrid power to its naturally aspirated V-12 engine. The carbon-fiber bodywork is unique to these special editions, with extreme aerodynamics and hexagonal design cues littered throughout the car.When the last Aventador Ultimae rolled off the production line last year, it seemed like the end of the Aventador bloodline that began way back in 2011. But even with the new hybrid replacement just around the corner, Lamborghini has cooked up yet another sendoff to its naturally aspirated V-12 platform with the Invencible coupe and Auténtica roadster.LamborghiniLike most Lamborghini special editions over the past decade, the Invencible and Auténtica are based around the Aventador’s carbon-fiber monocoque, with the same 6.5-liter V-12 mounted longitudinally amidships. That beast of an engine sends 769 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque—unchanged from the Aventador Ultimae—through the same seven-speed single-clutch automated manual to all four wheels. Like the final Aventadors, the the Invencible and Auténtica also have rear-wheel steering.What really separates these two one-offs from “normal” Lamborghinis is their fully carbon-fiber bodywork. The styling is said to hark back to several of Lamborghini’s limited-edition supercars. The sculpted hood recalls the track-only Essenza SCV12 and engine cover echoes the lightweight Sesto Elemento, while the Veneno and Reventón served as inspiration for the extreme aerodynamics. LamborghiniThe aero doodads are the easiest way to tell the two apart. The Invencible coupe features a rear wing with swan-neck mounts, while the roofless Auténtica features two fins sprouting from the rear, a similar look to the Lamborghini Sián from 2020. Lamborghini’s obsession with hexagons continues, with the shape appearing on the engine cover, in the three-piece taillights, in the rear wing struts, and in the central triple exhaust. LamborghiniLamborghiniThe cabin has a revised center console design that eschews a touchscreen, although the digital gauge cluster on each car receives unique graphics. Carbon fiber is visible on the doors and center console and of course, the climate control vents are hexagons.More Lamborghini NewsThe Invencible coupe is painted in a vivid red, called Rosso Efesto, with red brake calipers and red interior accents to match. The Invencible’s scissor doors are adorned with hexagonal representations of the Italian flag. The Auténtica roadster, meanwhile, has its Grigio Titans bodywork accented by matte black and a yellow hue called Giallo Auge, echoed by the brakes and interior stitching.LamborghiniThe Invencible coupe and Auténtica roadster certainly look dramatic, but they ride on old bones and Lamborghini’s schtick of rehashing the Aventador platform for countless special editions is played out. Lamborghini says that the hybrid successor to the Aventador will be revealed in just a few weeks. We can’t wait to see what Lamborghini’s new direction will bring—just prepare yourself for another decade full of multi-million-dollar limited-production cars destined for a pampered life in climate-controlled garages.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Solid-state batteries and wireless charging represent the next big technological improvements for electric vehicles. Nissan now says it will have a production EV with solid batteries in 2028.Promised are longer range, shorter charge times, and less chance of fire, but questions about cost and life span must be solved.Other automakers, including Ford, BMW, and Toyota, are all working on solid-state technology, with plans to introduce some version of the tech as early as 2025.All this month, Nissan is hosting an exhibit at its Global Headquarters Gallery in Yokohama, Japan, called Nissan Futures. As the name implies, the display focuses on how Nissan works on that elusive “future of sustainable mobility” concept. One of the core ideas to be discussed is “evolved solid-state batteries.” According to one report, we might see a production Nissan electric vehicle with these next-gen packs by 2028.Nissan’s plans include getting a pilot production plant producing the first solid-state batteries by 2025, completing the initial application engineering by 2026, and then the vehicle application in 2028, according to a new report in Autocar. The automaker is working with researchers at the University of Oxford on the project.”We Think We Have Something Quite Special””We think we have something quite special and are in a group leading the technology,” Nissan senior vice-president for research and development in Europe, David Moss, told Autocar. “We want to get the cost down [compared with standard lithium-ion batteries] by 50 percent, to double the energy density and to offer three times the charging speed.” Evolved solid-state batteries are also known as all-solid-state sodium batteries or ASSBs. As Moss explained to Autocar, ASSBs—which have no liquid electrolyte—are Nissan’s target, but the company will continue to develop lithium-ion batteries as it works on ASSBs. Moss told Autocar that Nissan expects to introduce a next-gen lithium battery in the next few years and a cobalt-free li-ion battery in 2028. Moss said these cobalt-free li-ion packs could reduce battery costs by up to 65 percent.Other automakers are working on solid-state batteries. Toyota is partnering with Panasonic on solid-state batteries that will be used in a hybrid in 2025. Last year, a startup called Solid Power started making solid-state test batteries for both Ford and BMW vehicles.A Chance for Nissan to Pull Ahead Nissan was once the leader in lower-cost, mass-market EVs, but the delayed rollout of the Ariya and the rise of an entire fleet of competitor EVs has since squandered the head start provided by the Leaf. Being early to market with a solid-state EV—which, as Moss said, could provide a long range with short recharge speeds—would put Nissan back on top, at least technologically. Moss told Autocar that solid-state packs would also offer Nissan engineers options.”If you can put in energy three times faster, is it any different to filling a [gasoline] vehicle?” he told Autocar. “We don’t know yet [about battery size], but we might have two sizes of battery—one for really heavy users who need massive range, but if you can put energy in like [gasoline], do you need the size?” This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Ariya Details and Specs More