Motor News

The 2022 Hyundai Kona N starts at $35,425, which is $1900 more than a manual-equipped Veloster N. It uses a 286-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and there’s no manual option. An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard. The 2022 Kona N will start arriving at dealerships next week.Hyundai’s N lineup is expanding, with the hot moniker being added to the Elantra sedan and Kona crossover, and they’re quite the performance bargain. Hyundai has yet to announce pricing for the Elantra (we expect it to be in the low-$30,000 range), but the Kona N will start at $35,425 when it goes on sale next week. That’s more expensive than the 10Best-winning Volkswagen Golf GTI.
That starting price makes the Kona N $1900 more expensive than the manual-equipped Veloster N but just $400 more than the DCT model; the Kona N is only available with that eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. All three existing N models use a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 286 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque thanks to an N Grin Shift overboost function on DCT-equipped cars. We have yet to strap our test gear to the Kona N, but Hyundai claims it’ll reach 60 mph in 5.5 seconds.

Kona N models come standard with a launch control function, a 10.3-inch touchscreen (available in other 2022 Konas), a variable exhaust system, and 19-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero summer tires. And it’s available in a new Kona N–exclusive Sonic Blue exterior color. You can get a taste of the N life with the $28,425 Kona N Line, but after testing one, we’d suggest spending the extra $7000 to get into the full N model.
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Remember when Rich Benoit, a.k.a. Rich Rebuilds, decided to stuff the electric motor from a Zero motorcycle into an ATV to create his own electric off-road toy? Well, Polaris is taking that idea to the factory level with the new 2022 Ranger XP Kinetic, an off-road utility vehicle packing Zero power. The motor, which makes 110 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque, looks to be the ZF75-10 used in the SR/S bike. In the Zero, the ZF75-10 produces a 124-mph top speed. In the Ranger: that’ll be less. But probably still a thrilling way to haul some bales of hay over yonder hill, or break trail out to your camp, or engage in any of the other adventurous and photogenic outdoors activities we imagine such a machine might inspire. The XP Kinetic isn’t an RZR, but neither is it a dour work cart like the Ranger EV with its 30 horsepower and lead-acid batteries. Ten inches of suspension travel and 14 inches of ground clearance speak to some fun.

Now that is a clean barn.
Polaris

The XP Kinetic will be available in Premium trim for $24,999 or Ultimate trim for $29,999. The main difference is battery capacity, which doubles in the Ultimate, from 14.9 kWh to 29.8 kWh. Polaris doesn’t specify whether those numbers are gross or usable capacity but says range will be around 45 miles or 80 miles, depending on the model. The Ultimate also doubles the charge rate of the Premium’s onboard charger, from 3 kW to 6 kW, although either can be outfitted with an accessory charger that adds another 3 kW. So equipped, a Premium could charge from zero to 100 percent in less than three hours. The standard chargers equate to a roughly five-hour charge time.

For buyers nervous about the longevity of an electric powertrain in an off-road vehicle, the Kinetic’s electric powertrain components carry a three-year warranty, with a five-year warranty on the battery. A full underbody skid plate is standard, implying Polaris learned some lessons from Tesla and its early experiences with deficiencies in underbody armor.

Does it confuse a horse when the trailer is moving but there’s no engine noise?
Polaris

In keeping with its mission as a farm implement with a fun side, the XP Kinetic can tow 2500 pounds and haul 1250 pounds of payload in its bed. It’s also available with most of the same accessories that fit the Ranger XP 1000, like a winch or a heated cab. The XP 1000, it should be noted, was the former powerhouse of the Ranger lineup. It makes 82 horsepower. Of course, you can also “charge” it with a five-gallon can of regular unleaded, so there’s that.

Polaris

Evidently, any new EV, land or sea, requires a reservation, and the XP Kinetic is no different: Reservations open today, December 1, 2021. Production commences next summer, at which point we’ll get to see how Rich Rebuilds’ Zero-meets-powersports concept translates to a real production UTV.

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Aston Martin has announced that there will be a new V12 Vantage.It will use a version of the company’s twin-turbo 5.2-liter V-12 engine.More information is coming soon and the car is set to go on sale sometime in 2022.When it comes to the many press releases sent to us by automakers large and small our job is normally to spare you from corporate verbiage and dig out salient points from what often feels like word soup. But with the official announcement of the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage, that would be hard. Because here is the release in its entirety: “You’ve heard about it. You will certainly hear it coming. V12 Vantage. It’s not just a Limited Edition, it’s a Final Edition. Returning in 2022.”
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A teaser video accompanying this release promises a truly savage engine noise. So there are plenty of blanks to fill in.

Don’t worry, we’ve got answers to some of them. When we drove the V12 Speedster earlier in the year we were told that the windshield-free lightweight’s underbody structure effectively combined the front end of the DBS Superleggera with the rear of the Vantage Roadster. We can safely presume the V12 Vantage is based on the same underpinnings, and uses what will likely be a similarly brawny version of the company’s twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 engine. Let’s hope it’s in the same 690-horsepower state of tune. Aston boss Tobias Moers has previously confirmed that the V-12 doesn’t have a long-term future for the brand, which is set to switch entirely to AMG-sourced powertrains. The official release’s line about a “final edition” suggests that the Vantage could mark the end of the road for the venerable motor, which although heavily revised and turbocharged when the DB11 was launched in 2016 is still closely related to the V-12 developed when Ford owned the brand and launched it in 1999. Using this same sonorous powerplant, the last V12 Vantage was always one of the highlights of the range, combining a 510-hp naturally aspirated V-12 engine with a manual gearbox, a combination that was only slightly less exotic in 2010 than it appears now. Sadly there seems to be no chance of Aston repeating the combination, with insiders having told C/D that the current V-8–powered Vantage will be the last car the company offers with the option of a clutch pedal. We’re pretty sure the last V12 Vantage’s $181,000 price tag will seem like an outrageous bargain when compared to the figure being asked for the new car.Not that we’re complaining about the chance to experience one of Aston’s greatest hits for a final time. We look forward to being able to tell you more.
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The 2022 Fiat 500X goes nautical with the Yacht Club Capri special-edition model.A large cloth top offers open-air motoring, and the interior is upgraded with ivory-colored leather and wood accents.Blu Venezia paint, unique 18-inch wheels, and special edition badging give the 500X a striking look.The 500X was already pretty exclusive for a small SUV—Fiat has only sold 980 of them this year through September—but for 2022 it receives a special Yacht Club Capri model that’s sure to be even rarer. The nautical-themed model is based on the Sport trim but includes several upscale touches that push its price over the $34,000 mark.

All of the Yacht Club Capri models come draped in Blu Venezia paint and wearing 18-inch wheels with color-matched detailing. Bright satin accents on the SUV’s bumpers and exterior mirrors look nice against the dark-blue paint. The 500X’s panoramic glass sunroof has been swapped out in favor of a power-operated cloth top that provides a larger opening. The cloth top, which Fiat is cleverly calling the Al-Fresco top, is also available on cheaper Pop, Sport, and Trekking models for 2022, but the blue-colored fabric is exclusive to the Yacht Club Capri.If those changes to the 500X’s exterior weren’t enough to indicate its specialness, the SUV’s B-pillars are adorned with a special Yacht Club Capri badge. The 500X’s interior also sees upgrades including ivory-colored leather upholstery with blue piping, a lovely dark wood dash panel, and a gearshift knob with wood and satin trim.
Fiat is no stranger to nautical special editions. In Europe, the 500 minicar was offered with a similar treatment, with design inspiration and branding from yacht builder Riva. A high-performance 500 Abarth was fitted with a Riva-inspired design in 2017, and only 350 were made.While the 500X Yacht Club Capri isn’t nearly as exciting as the 500 Abarth version that precedes it, its new cloth top and unique styling are still kind of cool, and it looks far more stylish than several subcompact SUV rivals. Just how many will find homes in North America remains to be seen, but at the very least, it’s a fresh, handsome choice.
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Kia filed trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for “Sorento X-Pro” and “Telluride X-Pro.”The brand also filed a Trademark for “Telluride X-Line.”Kia previously introduced the X-Pro trim on the 2023 Sportage.The 2023 Kia Sportage’s off-road-oriented X-Pro trim is likely expanding to the brand’s larger Sorento and Telluride SUVs, as evidenced by recent trademarks Kia filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for “Sorento X-Pro” and “Telluride X-Pro.”If the Sportage X-Pro is anything to go by, then the potential Sorento and Telluride X-Pros will add an extra dose of off-road-readiness to the brand’s three-row models. Expect the Sorento and Telluride X-Pro models to wear all-terrain tires and offer additional drive modes relative to their lesser kin—both SUVs may even sport a slight suspension lift, too.

2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro
Kia

Those in search of the X-Pro’s basic looks sans the off-pavement hardware can always opt for the pavement-focused X-Line trim. But wait, the Telluride isn’t available in X-Line guise. True, but this may change shortly, too, as Kia also filed a trademark for “Telluride X-Line.”

Of course, there’s always the possibility that Kia simply filed these trademarks with no intention of making such models—it happens all the time. Nevertheless, given the trim’s appearance on the 2023 Sportage, as well as the recent rush by other automakers to offer off-road-friendly variants to their SUV model lines (we’re talking the likes of Subaru’s Wilderness and Honda’s TrailSport monikers), it seems only fitting that Kia intends to expand the X-Pro line to vehicles such as the Sorento and Telluride. We’ve reached out to Kia for more information about these trademarks, but have yet to hear back and will update this space when we do.
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Car and Driver talked to John Hennessey about this latest wild design from Hennessey Performance, Project Deep Space.It has a central driving position, but still manages a total of four seats in a diamond configuration.The vehicle will be priced above $3 million with deliveries to start in 2026. We haven’t driven the production version of Hennsessey Performance’s F5 hypercar yet, but the Texas company has already announced what it is planning to build next. And even by the brand’s high standards of showmanship the grandly named Project Deep Space is outlandish enough to have us checking calendars to see if April 1 has come five months ahead of time.Project Deep Space is set to be a street-legal, six-wheeled EV “hyper GT” which will feature a carbon-fiber structure, a central driving position, a diamond-shaped four-seat layout, and a power output that is likely to be somewhere around 2400 horsepower. It will cost at least $3 million, no more than 105 will be made, and production is scheduled to begin in 2026.

Hennessey

Hennessey Performance has only released these two sketches to illustrate the basics of the car’s layout and proportions, but Car and Driver has been given both a closer look at more detailed designs and the chance to talk to John Hennessey about what, if delivered, will be his company’s most extreme vehicle so far. “I’ve been looking at electrification since Tesla came out, but the biggest thing that’s bothered me about EVs is always the weight,” he said. “They can be as fast as a dragster in a straight line, but when it comes to turning or stopping you can’t bend the rules of physics . . . Then I thought, what if our next car isn’t a hypercar like the F5 and we accept the fact it is going to weigh something more than 4000 pounds—that maybe it could be something that carries more than two people.”

The project began as a sketch on the back of an envelope. Hennessey described his idea to head of design Nathan Malinick, with the proposal including both six driven wheels, to maximize traction, and a central driving position. This is flanked by two passenger seats, in the style of the McLaren F1 and GMA T.50, but also includes a full reclinable “VVIP” seat in back. “When we realized the six-wheel configuration would give a very long wheelbase, the idea evolved,” Hennessey says. “What if we built the modern equivalent of something like a Bugatti Royale? Something long, sleek, quiet, and with world-class NVH. So the rear seat will be like the executive seat in a private jet.”The few previous road cars to feature six-wheel drive have tended to do so for theatricality rather than practicality; the Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6 is the best recent example. But increasing the number of driven wheels does bring traction benefits for ultra-high-performance powertrains. “We’re not making any announcements on horsepower yet, but it is pretty common to be able to generate 400 hp per electric motor,” he says, “so doing the math suggests a serious amount of power if we do that.” If those numbers are achieved (or bettered), then the 2400-hp Deep Space would outgun the 1880-hp Rimac Nevera and even the 2000-hp Lotus Evija. Hennessey says the car’s structure will be made from carbon fiber, and it will be around 20 feet long. In addition to its human cargo, it will be able to transport both four flight bags and four full-size golf bags, and the cabin will be accessed through split-opening gullwing doors, with the top 2/3 moving upward while the bottom section moves down. The battery will be mounted under the floor, within the space between the front and middle axles. Hennessey says that Delta Cosworth and Shell Pennzoil will be helping to develop the electric drivetrain. There are no detailed performance claims yet, but Hennessey says the plan is to create the fastest ever four-seater from rest to 200 mph. Nor is there any word on range or charging capacity. “We’re not ready to talk about that yet,” Hennessey says, “but we do believe Project Deep Space will have a range greater than what currently exists.”The first version has already been sold, after Hennessey showed the concept sketches to an existing customer. “He’s the guy who owns the gold car [a Venom F5 in Mojave Gold] we revealed at Pebble Beach back in August,” he says. “He was my one-man focus group, and he immediately ordered the first car. How many more guys are out there? I’m not sure, but I do know that in this part of the market people want to have something completely different from what their friends and rivals own.”If you’re a thrill-seeking EV enthusiast billionaire who gets upstaged by your buddies, this is clearly the car for you.
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Mazda has released pricing and other info on the updated 2022 CX-5.It starts at $27,125, a $580 increase, and now comes standard with all-wheel drive.The optional turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four engine now makes 256 hp, an increase of 6 hp.Despite adding all-wheel drive as standard equipment and benefiting from numerous updates for 2022, the Mazda CX-5’s base price doesn’t rise much for the new model year. It now starts at $27,125, a $580 increase, and most 2022 models are actually a bit cheaper than equivalent 2021 CX-5 AWD models; all-wheel drive was previously a $1400 option on most versions of this compact crossover.

The CX-5’s trim levels are rearranged, as the previous Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring monikers are gone. The base model is now the CX-5 2.5 S, and various packages including Select ($29,125), Preferred ($30,385), Premium ($33,535), and Premium Plus ($35,175) add increasing levels of equipment. The naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four with 187 hp is the base engine, while the turbocharged version of that engine starts off with the $36,510 CX-5 2.5 Turbo model. That turbo engine, by the way, gets a slight power bump and now makes 6 more horsepower for a total of 256 hp. That’s when running on premium fuel, as Mazda still quotes the same 227 hp output on regular fuel, and torque is unchanged.The loaded 2022 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Signature starts at $38,630, which is $50 less than last year’s Signature model. The Carbon Edition, which has a unique color scheme, continues on and starts at $31,505 but is no longer available with the turbocharged engine. Mazda says the 2022 CX-5 will go on sale this winter, but it isn’t yet available to build on the company’s online configurator.
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The Roofnest rooftop-tent lineup includes two Condor tent products made of plastic and now adds an aluminum version, priced only a bit higher at $3595.The Condor Overland rooftop tent is sturdier—and slightly heavier—than the plastic models, and it includes a foam mattress with a washable cover.Orders are being taken now for the Condor Overland, with the company promising both free shipping and a discount for orders placed before December 3.Roofnest’s Condor line of rooftop tents welcomes a third member to the fold: the Condor Overland. Priced above the $3295 Condor and $3495 Condor XL, the $3595 Condor Overland trades those model’s plastic panels for stronger aluminum pieces.

The Colorado-based company claims the Overland’s top shell and floor, which consist of 1.0-inch honeycomb aluminum, as well as its extruded aluminum side panels, allow the tent to better handle strikes from hail or rocks relative to the plastic panels of its cheaper siblings. You know, the sort of debris overlanders might encounter on their journeys—hence the reason this Condor model bears the Overland nameplate.
Despite its status as the priciest member of the Condor clan, the Overland is far from the biggest. That title goes to the appropriately named Condor XL, which is capable of sleeping up to three adults. Credit its overall length of 74.0 inches, or 14.0 inches longer than those of the Condor and Condor Overland, both of which can sleep up to two adults. At 165 pounds, the aluminum-bodied Condor Overland outweighs its Condor and Condor XL kin by 30 and five pounds, respectively.While the Condor Overland’s pièce de résistance may be its aluminum construction, the tent’s interior is arguably its most important feature for the people who will use it. After all, this is presumably the space where overlanders go to catch a few winks of sleep as they journey through remote and exotic places. To this end, Roofnest fits the Overland with a 2.5-inch-thick foam mattress with a washable cover so users can tidy up between stops. The company says two adults “and a dog or child” can sleep inside, and there’s a 650-pound weight limit.Additionally, Roofnest fits the Condor Overland with the likes of a battery-powered LED light strip (with a dimmer, no less!), a ground mat, two shoe bags, a skylight, and a 7.5-foot ladder. Those looking to bring some more perks from home into their Condor Overland’s living quarters can always strap such niceties to the tent’s available shell-mounted crossbars, which are capable of holding up to 100 pounds of extra gear with the tent stowed and 40 pounds with the tent in use.
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