Motor News

The Nissan Rogue is receiving a refresh for the 2024 model year, including a new look for the front and rear.There’s also new technology, including built-in Google apps for the infotainment system in the higher trim levels.Nissan says the 2024 Rogue will go on sale early next year but hasn’t yet announced pricing.As Nissan’s bestselling model, the Rogue plays an important role, so it’s no surprise the compact SUV is already receiving another update. The current generation has only been around since the 2021 model year, and it already received a new engine for 2022, and now the 2024 Rogue benefits from a refresh that includes a new look and new technology features within.The front and rear ends are both restyled, with the grille getting a new design and the taillights also receiving a tweak. The SV’s 18-inch wheel design is new, while the top Platinum trim level (pictured here) receives a new 19-inch wheel along with gloss-black fender trim and a slightly ritzier-looking body kit. Nissan will also offer three new colors: Everest White Pearl, Deep Ocean Blue Pearl, and Baja Storm.Inside, Nissan says there are different materials and finishes for the dashboard, door panels, seats, and center console. The Platinum is also now available with a brown leather upholstery choice. The S and SV trim levels still have an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but the larger 12.3-inch screen in the SL and Platinum adds built-in Google apps such as Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Assistant. The SL also adds a wireless charging pad and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. The smaller screen is compatible with Apple CarPlay on a wired connection, while the larger screen in SL and Platinum offers wireless smartphone mirroring.There are no changes to the 2024 Rogue’s powertrain, as it still comes standard with a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-three with a variable compression ratio that produces 201 horsepower. Front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission are standard, while all-wheel drive is optional. We tested a 2022 Rogue and found that this engine delivers on the acceleration front, improving the 60 mph time compared with the old 2.5-liter inline-four, but fell short in terms of real-world fuel economy.Nissan hasn’t announced pricing yet, but we think it will rise somewhat from the 2023 Rogue’s $29,275 base price. The updated model will start arriving at U.S. dealerships in early 2024.More on the RogueThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

With a potent twin-turbo V-6, the Z32-generation Nissan 300ZX was a performance icon.Steve Millen’s outfit, Stillen, made it even more potent and dubbed the resulting creation the SMZ.Between 50 and 60 SMZs were built.In the mid-1990s, no Nissan was hotter than one driven by New Zealand-born racer Steve Millen. A former rookie of the year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Millen piloted a monstrous, widebody 300ZX IMSA GTS to the series championship in 1994, the car’s 800-hp twin-turbo engine belching fire on every downshift. If you were after a more powerful 300ZX for the street, Millen again was the man to see.Bring a TrailerThe 300ZX twin-turbo was already a pretty stout performer in its day, its 300-hp engine providing enough steam to take the fight to the likes of the mighty Toyota Supra. Steve Millen Sportparts (Stillen) comprehensively reworked the car. Stillen’s version broadened that performance envelope, not just with more boost, but also with improved braking, a stiffer suspension, and an aero kit. Further, the SMZ wasn’t merely a hastily tuned special, but a performance upgrade developed with Nissan’s blessing. The cars were 300ZX twin-turbos shipped from Nissan directly to Stillen’s shop in Costa Mesta, California. After the modifications and bodywork were completed, the cars were then sent to specially selected Nissan dealerships where they were sold with a full new-car warranty.Bring a TrailerFewer than 60 of these cars were built, and of those, only a handful in the 1996 model year, which was the final one for the 300ZX in the United States. This 1996 300ZX SMZ is up for auction on Bring A Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.Bring a TrailerThis example is designated 96-102, although SMZs were numbered in a somewhat haphazard fashion (reportedly a car numbered 95-098 was built for a Microsoft employee who was working on Windows 98 at the time). It has 41K miles on the odometer and has had some major maintenance items done. The spark plugs and coil packs were replaced last year, and the clutch was replaced in 2014. The car was sold new by a New Mexico Nissan dealership, and had a sticker price of $66,371—that’s more than $130,000 today.Bring a TrailerWith a new boost controller and improved flow for the air intake and exhaust, these cars had a claimed peak output of 365 horsepower. Car and Driver tested an SMZ in June of 1995 and recorded a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds, a 70-0 mph stop in 187 feet, and 0.92 g on the skidpad. A 2023 Nissan Z Performance is less than a second quicker in a sprint to 60 mph, and only out grips the SMZ by 0.01 g. By 1996 standards, Stillen’s creation was a performance monster.Related StoriesThe auction includes all manner of extra goodies, including spare wheels, an SMZ-branded car cover and apparel, and a copy of the Car and Driver issue with the SMZ road test. This Z is still quick by modern standards, and rare enough to raise eyebrows when you pull up at your local cars and coffee.The auction ends on October 19. Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

A new collaboration between artist Daniel Arsham and Hot Wheels presents “fictional archaeology” in a pocket-size form.-Arsham’s eroded and crystallized car-based artworks have been featured by Porsche and at The Petersen automotive museum.-the sets will be released in four waves, called Laps, and start with a classic Hot Wheels from 1973 and an iconic whale-tail Porsche 930.Anyone who has ever stumbled across a battered and chipped old Hot Wheels car while cleaning out an attic or basement has felt that wave of childhood nostalgia. But what if the discovery was made by some archaeologist, uncounted millennia down the road? That’s the question posed by artist Daniel Arsham’s work, which reimagines pop culture icons like the DeLorean DMC-12 in a decayed, crystallized, fossilized state, as relics that might be dug up in the future. Now, in a collaboration with Mattel, Arsham has turned his creativity toward a pocket-size format.Hot WheelsFor Sale as a Limited SeriesLaunched as a limited series aimed at the Hot Wheels collector market, eight 1:64 scale model cars will be released in four waves. The first, dubbed Lap One, launches on October 27 through the Mattel Creations site, and features eroded versions of the 1973 Hot Wheels Rodger Dodger and a Porsche 930.The Rodger Dodger is a classic Hot Wheels creation, in the vein of models like the Twin-Mill and Bone Shaker. Originally designed by Hot Wheels O.G. Larry Woods, it’s a 1973 Dodge Charger with a supercharged V8 erupting from its hood – pure early 1970s tuned musclecar culture for plastic orange track racing. As a pop-culture future relic, it’s a perfect choice for Arsham’s treatment.Hot WheelsBut perhaps more personal is the choice of a Porsche 930. Now 43, Arsham spent his childhood sketching sneakers, cameras, and whale-tail Porsches, and has previously applied his “fictional archaeological” style to a 992-series 911 for Porsche in 2019. His own personal 1986 930 project, completed in 2020, features elements plucked from Porsche’s racing heritage, including a reimagined Apple racing livery and RSR and Kremer K3 details.Hot WheelsMore recently, Arsham had a trio of cars on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibit included two eroded and crystallized cars, an air-cooled 911 and a 1961 Ferrari GT intended as a nod to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The third is a Porsche 356, weathered and fitted with Japanese details, in a nod to the concept of wabi-sabi, the embrace of imperfection.Toys for All AgesScaling this ethos down to 1:64 Hot Wheels size clearly presented significant challenges, as the collaboration has taken two years to bear fruit. Mattel dug deep into its toy catalog and pulled out an Barbie construction material called Silkstone. Silkstone resembles porcelain but can be made using more modern methods, and it lends itself perfectly to Arsham’s partially eroded details.Lap One also launches with an Arsham version of the Super Rally carrying case, the original of which dates all the way back to Hot Wheels’ debut in 1968. It has eight slots for the upcoming models that will roll out over Laps Two through Four. Obviously, this is pure, uncut catnip if you are a Hot Wheels collector.But also, you don’t need to be a collector to appreciate the Arsham and Hot Wheels collaboration. These collectibles time-travel to a world where some archaeologist, using a futuristic tricorder scanner no doubt, digs their trowel into the ground and unearths a small toy that was some long-dead person’s childhood treasure. The kind of thing that belongs in a museum. Or, for now, in a place of pride on your display shelf. Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

Designed in California, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is a fun and capable SUV.The FJ Cruiser successfully picked up the styling thread of the early Land Cruiser.This example, up for auction on Bring a Trailer until October 18, has 96,000 miles on the odometer.With Toyota’s Calty design studio in California celebrating its 50th anniversary, what better time to go poking through the Calty back catalog to find some modern collectibles? The studio’s aim was to marry sunny SoCal car culture with pragmatic Toyota underpinnings, and sometimes it got the recipe exactly right. So it was with the FJ Cruiser, a retro-themed mid-size SUV that was basically a 4Runner with more fun baked in.Car and DriverThis FJ Cruiser, up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is from the last model year available in North America, 2014. With 94,000 miles on the odometer, it’s just broken in by Toyota standards, and the Quicksand beige paint contrasts nicely with the white roof. A shorter wheelbase than the related 4Runner gives the 17-inch wheels an even chunkier look, and the friendly round-headlight face captures the spirit of the original FJ40 perfectly.Bring a TrailerWhen it first debuted for the 2007 model year, the FJ Cruiser gave Toyota’s image a much-needed shot in the arm. The brand’s reputation for reliability and pragmatism was well established, but the FJ Cruiser helped put the fun back in functional. Look! Three windshield wipers! Weird rear-opening half doors! Retro side mirrors!Bring a TrailerAnd underneath, the FJ Cruiser was basically just a shortened 4Runner, which made it great off-road. On the road, however, the combination of a thirsty 260-hp 4.0-liter V-6 and ponderous handling drew some complaints from the critics. In a review of a 2009 model, we summed things up by writing, “Driving the FJ is like piloting a boat.”Related StoriesHowever, the FJ Cruiser was at least a far better-behaved on-road companion than the contemporary Jeep Wrangler with its twin live axles. And besides, a trucklike driving feel is part of the Tonka Toy charm. If you want a RAV4, buy a RAV4. The FJ Cruiser is built to turn everyday chores into expeditions.Bring a TrailerThis example is claimed to have an accident-free history and has lived in New Mexico, Nevada, and now Washington—all natural habitats for Toyota’s off-road species. The charcoal cloth interior looks well preserved and should stand up to plenty of camping-related abuse. The mileage is also in the sweet spot of being low for a Toyota but not so low that you won’t want to get out and drive.With 67 cubic feet of cargo space when the back seat is folded down, and a roof rack and optional tow hitch for any extras, this FJ Cruiser is ready for outdoor activities. Even better, since the discontinuation of these trucks, demand has remained high. Toyota could easily sell a new FJ Cruiser if it wanted to, but until then, the FJ Cruiser remains sought after. It’s a modern collectible, one that’s ready for adventure.This auction ends on October 18.Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

This content is imported from youTube. 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.Welcome back, Window Shop viewers. It’s been a while since we gathered the Window Shop crew and we have missed making this ridiculous “show.” But after several months of trying to align the team’s schedule and many cancelations, we all gathered together on Zoom and recorded a new episode.The challenge this week is to find the best car of the ’80s. Since “best” is open to interpretation, the panel was instructed to define best as, “significant and awesome.” That direction didn’t really clear much else as some leaned heavily on “awesome” and others went for “significance.” The budget? A generous $100,000.This week we’re joined by senior editor Elana Scherr, executive editor K.C. Colwell, contributor Jonathon Ramsey, editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga, and no Window Shop would be complete without R&T senior editor John Pearley Huffman. As usual, the choices and arguments are all over the place and one editor even tries to sneak in a ’90s car into the mix.Let us know who you think won and what you would have picked in the comments. And, look out for a new episode next week.More Window ShoppingEditor-in-ChiefTony Quiroga is an 18-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years. More

The 2024 Chevy Corvette is now more expensive following mid-year price hikes across the lineup. New Corvette orders now cost an extra $2100, including a higher destination fee.The base Stingray now starts at $69,995—$10K more than when the C8 Corvette debuted in 2020.The price of goods is going up—thanks a lot, inflation. That also means the price of (really) good sports cars is going up too, with the 2024 Chevy Corvette getting a mid-year price adjustment that makes every new model ordered more expensive by $2100.Costlier CorvettesAlong with adding $2K to the cars’ MSRP, Chevy has raised the destination charge by $100 from $1595 to $1695, as first reported by GM Authority. Today, Car and Driver reached out to a company spokesperson to find out the reason behind the mid-year increase, but we’ve yet to hear back.It’s normal for automakers to up their suggested asking prices at the start of new model years, and when the 2024 Corvette lineup went on sale, it cost more than the previous year. However, with the latest increase, ’24 models cost thousands more than that. For example, the Z06 now starts at $114,395—$5100 more than it did in 2023. The new hybrid all-wheel-drive E-Ray debuted earlier this year with a $104,495 price; now it starts at $106,595.Tacking on 10 GrandWhen the 2020 C8 Corvette first hit Chevrolet showrooms, the entry-level Stingray had a starting price of $59,995. Each year from there the base price rose by $1000, $2300, and $5900, respectively. Flash forward four model years and the least expensive Vette has seen its base price jump by $10K.One of the C8’s greatest virtues is its incredible value compared with the competition. For those who are always looking at price differences, America’s sports car has had a higher starting price than the excellent Porsche 718 Cayman (currently $69,950) since its arrival. Of course, there’s no replacement for displacement, and the four-cylinder Cayman has a lot fewer horses.C8 Corvettes Tested!This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Ford is building a special “Gamer Van” version of the Transit Trail Van.It will be outfitted with a couch, a desk, and a host of gaming equipment. The automaker teamed up with the video game organization Full Squad Gaming to help with the build. Sure, most van outfitters design their vans for off-roading or camping designations, but Ford had different plans with its newest special-edition Transit Trail van. Rather than build things like a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette–who needs those anyways?–Ford decided to build what it describes as the ultimate “Gamer Van.”FordInside, the Gamer Van has a gaming desk, a custom-built couch, a reactive cloud ceiling (don’t ask us what that means, we’re not quite sure), external gaming stations, and according to Ford, “all of the gaming and streaming equipment you could ever need.” From what we can tell, that means a gaming PC up front by the desk as well as a Playstation 5 and Xbox Series S at the back, along with a multiple sets of headphones and controllers. FordLike outdoor-inspired Transit Trail builds, the Gamer Van is really just a lifted Transit van underneath. That means a widened track, lifted suspension, all-terrain tires, and standard all-wheel drive. All Trail vans come with Ford’s turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which churns out 310 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. A Transit with the turbocharged V-6 that we tested a few years back made it to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, but throw in all the extra weight from the upfit, and that acceleration time is expected to be slower. More on the Transit TrailThis 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.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Mercedes-Benz staged what it’s calling the first public crash test of two electric vehicles, and you can watch it in the video below.The test featured Mercedes’s heaviest EV, the EQS SUV, versus its lightest, the Europe-market EQA.Mercedes emphasized that the point of the test was to show that the battery and electrical components are protected as well as the occupants in the event of a crash.We’re standing in the upstairs gallery in the cavernous Mercedes-Benz crash-test center in Stuttgart, wearing earplugs as suggested. The safety-yellow EQS SUV and the similarly painted Europe-market EQA face each other at the far opposite ends of a long corridor, roughly 140 yards apart, ready to meet their fate. Each of these two EVs is connected to a cable set into a groove in the floor. It will pull them toward each other at 35 mph, the EQS half into the EQA’s lane. Ultra-bright lights (100,000 lumens) flick on, illuminating the impact zone, which has a glass floor below which cameras stand ready to record the carnage. “Don’t follow either car or you’ll miss the crash,” we’re advised. The house lights go down, and as the engineers make their final checks, a gasoline engine fires up. What? These are both EVs. The engine is that of the giant-size forklift that stands ready. Should either car catch fire, it will swoop in, scoop it up, and carry it out of the building, and dump it into a pool of water. (An occasion that’s never happened, we’re told.) This content is imported from youTube. 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.There’s a warning signal, and then the cars are in motion. Under the bright lights, they meet with a tremendous bang that spins both cars sideways and rocks the smaller one backward. It’s the first public crash test between two EVs.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communications & MarketingImmediately, there’s an electrical smell, and firefighters approach the vehicles to measure for heat development. Shattered pieces of both cars litter the floor. Given the all-clear, other workers drop mats to absorb pink battery coolant leaking from both cars. Post-crash, the hazard lights illuminate, the door handles pop out, and the doors unlock. (The automatic emergency call system has been reprogrammed ahead of time to dial a different number so that emergency crews don’t respond.) Engineers check to see that the high-voltage battery system has automatically disconnected, and they begin to collect their data.Mercedes-Benz AG – Communications & MarketingThe EQS SUV is the largest Mercedes-Benz EV, and the EQA the smallest, and their weight difference is some 1700 pounds. The 35-mph impact speed is greater than that of any government-mandated crash test (the next-closest being the Euro NCAP offset frontal crash at 31 mph).The cars are largely destroyed: Besides the obvious deformation, the EQA’s windshield has been shattered by the rear edge of the hood, and its left front wheel has broken off.In both cars, the crash-test dummy in the driver’s seat is a fifth-percentile female (106 pounds, four feet 10 inches). The EQA has a similar dummy riding shotgun; in the EQS, the front passenger dummy is a 50th-percentile male (172 pounds, five feet 10 inches). According to the 150 measuring devices on each dummy, none has suffered major injuries.Related StoriesThe Battery Needs ProtectingProtecting the integrity of the passenger compartment has long been a goal of safety engineers. With EVs comes a second goal. “We need another survival space, for the high-voltage battery,” says Marcel Brodbeck, passive safety engineer at Mercedes-Benz. The batteries are located below the floor between the axles, an area that is least likely to be deformed, and a stout doorsill structure of extruded aluminum protects the pack from side impacts. In the event of a crash, “the high-voltage system will shut down and disconnect from the battery,” explains Julia Hinners, another passive-safety engineer. “We also build in a manual shutdown”—a cable on the driver’s side below the A-pillar that serves as a manual deactivation option for emergency response personnel.By making this EV-versus-EV crash test public, Mercedes-Benz surely is wanting to deliver a message about the crash safety of its electric vehicles. But watching the violence of that impact in real life also drove home a second message: You really don’t want to be in a car crash. Deputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More