Motor News

Ford is adding yet another off-road variant to the F-150 lineup with the 2023 F-150 Rattler.The Rattler adds some of the equipment found in the FX4 package, including an electronic locking rear differential and hill descent control.Ford hasn’t revealed pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall. Ford F-150 buyers are already spoiled for choice, with eight versions on offer that range from the bare-bones XL to the desert-conquering Raptor. Each model is also available with several different packages and equipment groups. But now the Blue Oval is adding a new configuration as the F-150 Rattler joins the lineup as yet another off-road package.

Ford

Ford

The Rattler will be based on the four-wheel-drive F-150 XL model, which starts at $39,200 for 2022. It includes some equipment found in the FX4 package such as an electronic locking rear differential, hill descent control, and shock absorbers tuned for off-roading. There are also skid plates protecting the fuel tank, transfer case, and front differential, and the Rattler is fitted with all-terrain tires. The Rattler will only be available as a SuperCab or SuperCrew, and like the $1005 FX4 option, it requires selecting one of the optional engines—either the twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6, 5.0-liter V-8, or twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6—and a more expensive equipment package.

Visually, the Rattler is distinguished by a dual exhaust tips that Ford promises produce “a bold sound” and painted 18-inch aluminum wheels. There is also a Rattler badge on the fenders and a Rattler graphic with a snakeskin look on the side of the bed. The interior features bronze accents and stitching. Ford hasn’t announced pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall for the 2023 model year.
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• This 3700-mile 1982 Chrysler LeBaron may not be the car of your dreams—or, if your dreams come from Malaise Era Detroit, it might be exactly that.• Powered by a 92-hp 2.6-liter inline-four engine and armed with a cassette player, this Chrysler brings you top-down motoring as it once was.• The LeBaron is up for auction at no reserve on Bring a Trailer, with bidding set to end on Saturday, April 2. One of the many glories of Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), and one of the reasons I peruse its listings daily, is its Herodotean featuring of time-capsule vehicles. The most compelling of these cars, for me, are ones that conjure the domestic automotive ignominy perpetrated on the public during my Malaise Era Detroit childhood. Often, these splendidly vile artifacts are located in the Midwest, where endless winters, rain-soaked bridge seasons, and ruinous salt-strewn infrastructure have catalyzed a cryogenic laboratory for the preservation of oddball Big Three physical culture.

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This 3700-mile 1982 Chrysler LeBaron convertible is a perfect exemplar. Of course it’s slathered in an era-defining Mahogany Metallic and highlighted with a contrasting safety orange pinstripe. But it is the ribbed caramel and mocha leather and pleather interior that truly captivates, not least because it attempts to hide (see what we did there?) the plebeian yet innovative front-wheel-drive K-car platform with deluxury from America’s Hermès, the Mark Cross company, founded, like its French co-rival, to accessorize the horse-and-buggy trade.

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But it isn’t simply nostalgia that fuels my interest in this car, or any of these archival archetypes. It’s archaeology. The ’82 LeBaron was responsible for reintroducing the factory convertible to the American marketplace, a form abandoned punitively as a domestic manufacturers panicked and resisted (as usual) in the face of increasing safety regulation. And it features a 92-hp/131-pound-foot 2.6-liter transversely mounted, Mitsubishi-sourced I-4 Hemi engine. It was a giant of displacement among four-pots and used counterrotating dual balance shafts to smooth operation—a technology that was subsequently licensed to Porsche for its big 2.5- and 3.0-liter ’80s fours.

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The white top powers down. The A/C blows cold. The cassette player will boom any ancient mixtapes you can unearth. Is this car historical, or simply hysterical? Either way, it’s captivating, and—with bidding only at $2500, albeit with nearly a week to go—a cheap way into top-down motoring, historic preservation, and Radwood darling status.

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Toyota has announced that the new GR Corolla will be revealed this Thursday, March 31.Teaser images show a fender vent, a GR badge, and a “GR-Four” badge that suggests it will have all-wheel drive.A live stream of the reveal event will be available on Vimeo.The wait is nearly over for Toyota’s entry into the hot-hatchback ring, as the company announced that the new GR Corolla will make its official debut this Thursday, March 31. Teaser photos show off the new performance model’s GR badge, for Gazoo Racing, its fender vent, and a “GR-Four” badge that suggests it will share its all-wheel-drive system with the rally-inspired GR Yaris.

Toyota

The Corolla is also expected to use that revered GR Yaris’s turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three that produces 257 horsepower. If that number stays the same for the U.S.-spec car, it will put the Corolla in the hunt with the 275-hp Hyundai Veloster N, 228-hp Volkswagen Golf GTI, and 271-hp Subaru WRX. We’re thinking that a six-speed manual transmission will be standard equipment, with a dual-clutch automatic possible as an option.We expect the GR model to be based on the Corolla’s hatchback bodystyle, but with extra vents, scoops, and larger wheels and tires that will ensure it looks leaner and meaner than the standard model.Toyota will live-stream the car’s debut on Vimeo this Thursday, March 31, starting at 9:30 pm Eastern time. Check back here for all the details on the GR Corolla, which should go on sale in the U.S. later this year.
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Following almost two years of supply-chain problems, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing more problems for automakers in Europe in addition to the terrible human toll the invasion is taking.Ukraine, it turns out, supplies a lot of wiring harnesses, and now the launch of the Europe-market VW ID.5 EV (pictured above) is delayed because of a shortage.Renault, which controls Russia’s largest automaker, suspended operations in the country this week, leading once again to questions about whether the Russian government will simply take control of factories and other assets Western automakers are walking away from.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt life well outside the active fighting areas. In the automotive world, European automakers have been forced to reduce production or even delay new models because, as we’ve all learned so well in the past two years, functioning supply chains are not exactly a given.

ID.5 assembly in Germany, January 2022.
Oliver Killig/VW

When the invasion started, the fact that Ukraine supplies a large amount of wiring harnesses to European automakers suddenly became important. Volkswagen said this week that it will push back the launch of the ID.5 by a month because it cannot get enough harnesses to send demonstration vehicles to dealers in Germany. The ID.5 is an SUV “coupe” version of the ID.4 and was supposed to launch in Europe in April. The launch is now scheduled to happen in the first week of May, a VW spokesperson told Automotive News. That’s if enough wiring harnesses can be acquired. Automakers with partnerships or assets in Russia are being massively affected as well, most notably Renault. AvtoVaz is the largest automaker in Russia, but it’s controlled by French carmaker Renault, which has a 69 percent stake. This week, after plenty of outside pressure, Renault decided to suspend its operations in Russia, saying on Twitter that it is “acting responsibly towards our 45,000 employees in the country” and that the company has “already implemented the necessary measures to comply with international sanctions” before the suspension started.
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Renault’s suspension is the latest, biggest hit to the Russian domestic auto market, which is now facing potentially huge changes if sanctions imposed by Western and Western-aligned countries continue (as they are likely to do, given the fact that Russia does not seem interested in stopping the killing). Reuters reports that Avtovaz said Thursday that it will continue to build vehicles, but the sanctioned supply chain means that will be difficult. “Active work is underway to substitute some critical imported components with alternative solutions,” Avtovaz said in a statement given to Reuters. “The company is also preparing special versions of some Lada models with reduced exposure to imported components. These will be available to our customers in the coming months.”

Lada was forced to stop building cars earlier this month, a big step for a brand that sold 21 percent of all new vehicles in Russia in 2021. With Renault having taken at least the first step towards exiting the company, it brings up a larger question of what happens next. President Vladimir Putin is considering nationalizing the manufacturing plants and other assets global automakers have in Russia, as Automotive News and others have reported. Aside from Renault, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Ford and Mercedes-Benz would be the automakers most affected by any move to nationalize assets, a move sometimes described by Russian government officials as “external administration.” “If foreign owners close the company unreasonably, then in such cases the government proposes to introduce external administration,” Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told CNN earlier this month. “Depending on the decision of the owner, it will determine the future fate of the enterprise.”

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Even if you had enough money to buy almost any car you wanted, sometimes the faithful old car—say, a Nissan Altima—you’ve been driving for a decade is and remains the right answer.That’s the story of Brandon Nimmo, who has made millions but still shows up to games in his 2010 Altima, even when the players’ parking lot is full of much more expensive machines.Nimmo, who plays for the New York Mets, told MLB.com that the old Altima makes sense in a city where you always have to watch for aggressive drivers.There was a time when Hollywood was amazed and amused by A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio cruising around town in a Toyota Prius. Then the movie stars were entertained by Jennifer Lawrence and her Volkswagen Eos. There are plenty of other examples of people with more than enough money decidedly not spending it on expensive vehicles.Over in the world of baseball, we have Brandon Nimmo, an outfielder for the New York Mets who just signed a new one-year, $7 million contract to stay on the team. The only reason we care here today is because Nimmo isn’t likely to spend his fortune on a new car. He’s been playing with minor league teams affiliated with the Mets since 2011 and has been in the majors since 2016, so he’s had money for some time. MLB.com estimates Nimmo has made over $10 million throughout his career (not counting the new contract). And even so, the car he is driving around spring training this year is decidedly affordable: a 2010 Nissan Altima sedan with around 65,000 miles on it, which is worth around $7000 to $8000 on the used-car market these days.
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Nimmo’s reasons for driving an Altima in a sea of pricier cars driven by his teammates are logical and sentimental. Speaking to MLB.com, Nimmo said the car “keeps me humble” and is actually a much smarter car to drive around town than more expensive options. “It still does what I need it to do,” Nimmo told MLB.com. “When I throw luggage in the back, do I want to be doing that on a $100,000 Mercedes?”

Nimmo’s Altima is still kicking around for sentimental reasons, too. He told MLB.com that he got the car after graduating from high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming, because some of the money his family had saved up for college became available when he got a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. He later discovered an Altima was just the thing on the streets of his new home. “When I got to New York City, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to be a defensive driver all the time,’ ” Nimmo told MLB.com. “People are always trying to cut in front of you. I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t need a nice car, because you’ve got to play chicken with these people anyway. If the Altima gets a little beat up, I don’t care.”Nimmo told the baseball publication that he also owns a 2011 GMC Sierra that he uses when he is back in Wyoming, but for now he seems to be keen on keeping the Altima on the east coast. Sure, Bluetooth and a backup camera would be nice, he told MLB.com, but that’ll come in time. For now, the Altima isn’t going anywhere. “It kind of reminds me of where I came from,” Nimmo said. “When I have a bad game, I can hop in and be like, ‘I’m glad I didn’t buy that $100,000 Mercedes.’ . . . I’ll probably run her till she’s ragged, and then we’ll see what happens.”
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We often don’t know why we fall in love with objects we adore, like the C3 Chevy Corvette or Hot Pockets. But age, maturity, and worldly experience usually supply hyper-specific reasons for falling out of love. The 1970s Stingray, for instance, was barely a sports car, and Hot Pockets are barely food. This week’s Window Shop challenge was to find cars we once thought were great and then disavowed years later, the same way a brief, bad fling turns into decades of disavowals among the friend group: “I don’t remember that.”This one was another stumper for at least two of our five experts. Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman, who has loved and hated with the force of an anvil since he was a zygote, was disenchanted by a Chrysler. From Car and Driver, senior editor Elana Scherr was disillusioned by a Dodge after it dragged her into oncoming lanes. Contributor Jonathon Ramsey’s relationship with an Alfa Romeo began with “Che bella!” and ended with “Cazzo!” Senior testing editor K.C. Colwell rode into the sunset in a Ford, then returned on foot, disgusted (or did he?). And C/D mandarin Tony Quiroga spent most of his time explaining why he liked his Lotus in the first place. The crew reached a unanimous decision after five stories with the same character arc as When Harry Met Sally, but in reverse. And now that everyone knows about these flings, we’re going to go dust off some of our excuses while you watch the show.

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Earlier this week, Riley Leon of Elgin, Texas, became world-famous. Or, at least, his truck did. He was reportedly the driver of the red Chevrolet Silverado that was being thrown sideways and tossed around by a tornado on Monday, only to drive away once the winds righted it as if nothing had happened.Houston-area local news station KHOU 11 caught up with Leon on Thursday. In that interview, the 16-year-old shared that he had been driving home from an interview at Texas staple Whataburger when the truck he had recently purchased from his father got caught up in the storm. He was upset to see the truck damaged, but he says he “wasn’t scared that much” by the actual tossing of the tornado that had his truck briefly rotating in place on its door.Now, Chevrolet has helped with his concerns about a damaged truck, too. The brand announced Friday morning that it is working with Fort Worth’s Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet to deliver a 2022 Silverado 1500 LT, also in red. He will not have to wait much longer to get back on the road, either; Leon and his family will be presented with the truck at the dealership in Fort Worth on Saturday, March 26. In addition to the truck, Chevrolet is also donating $50,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to help aid further recovery in the parts of Texas devastated by this week’s storms.

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This classic Sixties Beetle might help anyone take a stroll down memory lane to their younger years, or even feel a twinge of nostalgia about classic ads that said things like, “If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push.” This Beetle features a 1.2-liter flat-four engine and a four-speed manual transmission. The current bid is $12,000, but with a whole weekend before the auction ends on Monday, March 28, we are curious to see how much this Bahama Blue classic goes for. Who doesn’t feel a little nostalgic looking at a Volkswagen Beetle? This 1964 Bug, currently for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is giving me all kinds of rosy memories. I can’t help thinking of my mom and her sisters tooling around in one during their teenage years. One of my aunts missed those days so much, she bought a classic Beetle as an adult just to relive a little of her youth on weekends. That personal connection, that nostalgia, is one of the main reasons I love classic cars, and I know I’m not alone.

This Beetle is located about an hour north of San Francisco. The current seller purchased it in 2020 and commissioned a repaint of the original Bahama Blue factory paint. Additional work included reupholstering both front and rear seats and installing new doorsills and door panels and adding rubber floor mats. If you’re a stickler about originality, the original panels are also included.

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The engine is a 1.2-liter flat-four with a four-speed manual transmission. Carburetor, valves, and timing have all been adjusted by the current owner, who also replaced the generator, voltage regulator, fuel lines, and the driver’s-side window regulator. Exterior upgrades included installing window moldings, exterior trim, chrome bumpers, and tubular bars. The Beetle is finished off with white-painted 15-inch steel wheels with VW-branded caps.

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The steering wheel features a Wolfsburg crest (the city has been VW’s headquarters for nearly a century) and a chrome horn bar. The five-digit odometer shows 89,000 miles, but total mileage is stated as unknown.

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Even though the Beetle continued to be made until 2019 in Mexico, these classics from the ’60s and ’70s are harder to come by in such good condition. Anyone who has had a classic VW knows that it isn’t just about the car; it’s the whole culture that surrounds it. Just looking through old VW ads and commercials while writing this was a blast. In the ’60s, the car was unique, and today, it endures as one of the most noteworthy and bestselling cars of the era. This Bug is going to make a great addition to somebody’s collection; I sure wish I had space for it in mine. The auction ends on Monday, March 28.

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