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BMW has released more details about the all-wheel-drive versions of the new M3 and M4.The 2022 M3 and M4 xDrive will carry a $4100 price premium over the rear-wheel-drive 2021 Competition models.The AWD cars will start arriving in the U.S. this August.BMW’s first M3 equipped with all-wheel drive will be landing in the U.S. market a few months from now carrying a significant price premium. Available only for the higher-powered M3 Competition and M4 Competition models, the AWD 2022 M3 and M4 xDrive models cost $4100 extra compared with the equivalent RWD 2021 versions (BMW has not released 2022 pricing for the non-xDrive cars).

The M3 Competition xDrive starts at $77,895 and the M4 Competition xDrive starts at $79,795. The xDrive cars come with the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine as the RWD Competition, with 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard; the only way to get a six-speed manual is to opt for the non-Competition spec, which has 473 horsepower.
The AWD system offers a few different driving modes. The default “4WD” setting incorporates a rear bias and distributes torque to the front wheels as needed; “4WD Sport” increases the amount of torque sent to the rear; and “2WD” is a drift mode that requires stability control to be deactivated.BMW says that the xDrive models will be slightly quicker than the RWD cars, claiming an 0.4-second improvement in their 60-mph acceleration times. The AWD system also adds 100 pounds to the M3 Competition’s claimed curb weight and 99 pounds to the M4 Competition’s claimed curb weight. We look forward to testing the AWD M3 and M4 ourselves to see how they stack up.
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The VW ID.6, unveiled at the Shanghai auto show, is the first ID EV model that Volkswagen designed for a specific market, which is why the EV has a long wheelbase and a panoramic glass roof to feel larger.It also features China-market-specific connection technologies, like the ability to check on local air quality ratings.The ID.6 slots in below the VW Atlas in size. A version might come to North America, Automotive News said earlier this spring, quoting a VW spokesperson.UPDATE 4/18/21, 5:00 pm: VW told Car and Driver that it will not give out specific details about future products, but we did get the hint that an Atlas-size SUV built off the MEB platform—something similar to the ID.6 described here but without the China-specific touches—will go on sale in the U.S. at some point in the future.Volkswagen is thinking expansively about EVs. The new electric lineup already includes the ID.3 hatchback (available in Europe) and the ID.4, which is sold in the U.S. and will be getting a higher-performance GTX variant. We know the ID. Buzz van will go on sale in the U.S. in 2023. And now here comes the ID.6, a three-row electric crossover SUV based on the I.D. Roomzz concept. Unveiled in connection with the Shanghai auto show this weekend, the ID.6 will be sold in two versions in China, the ID.6 Crozz and the ID.6 X.

Volkswagen

There will be a total of four configurations of the ID.6 in China, with the largest having seats for seven people. Two battery capacities will be available, 58.0 kWh and 77.0 kWh. On China’s NEDC testing cycle, the new VWs will have a claimed total driving range of up to 270 or 365 miles. In 4Motion guise with two electric motors, the ID.6 is claimed to be able to go from zero 62 mph in 6.6 seconds, and the EV will have a top speed of 99 mph.

Like other ID models, the ID.6 rides on VW’s MEB platform, an EV-only solution the company is using to transform itself into an electric mobility company. What’s different is that the ID.6 is the first ID vehicle that was developed specifically for a particular market, and VW said the ID.6 put the “needs and wishes of Chinese customers” top of mind when it comes to size, functionality, and user experience. The ID.6 will be the largest member of the ID family with a total length of 192 inches, 11.8 inches more than the ID.4. A panoramic glass roof and optional sunroof just add to the sense of roominess. When compared with the U.S.-market Atlas, it’s on a similar-size wheelbase, but the Atlas is about six inches longer and wider and four inches taller than the ID.6.

Volkswagen

Counting the ID.6, VW will have launched eight ID. models in China by the end of 2023. Olaf Gutowksi, vice president of sales, marketing, and after sales for Volkswagen China Passenger Cars, said the brand needs this kind of variety to keep pace with the “fierce” competition from domestic brands like Nio and Xpeng in the EV space. VW’s Chinese EVs also need to have more whiz-bang technology features to attract attention, Gutowski said. The ID.6 will have the bare minimum number of physical buttons and switches on the dash, and drivers will interact with the car using a 12.0-inch touchscreen and VW’s “Hello ID” voice-control system. “One difference in our ID. models in China is that they will have a high level of computing power and a robust software platform in order to provide customers with the necessary digital and connectivity services,” Gutowski said in a statement. “For instance, Chinese ID.6 customers can check for updates on air quality or traffic violation tickets.”So the ID.6 will initially go on sale in China, but Automotive News said, quoting an unnamed VW spokesperson, that it is “conceivable” a version of this EV will come to the U.S. We expect the U.S. to get a three-row EV SUV in the Atlas size range from Volkswagen before long, which is likely to be built here as well.
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Mercedes-Benz has revealed another electric-vehicle entry, the EQB, based on the GLB crossover, and it’s coming to the U.S. next year.The EQB will be launched first in China, where it debuts in a luxuriously equipped all-wheel-drive version with AMG Line styling.Europe gets it next in three versions: front- and all-wheel-drive models and a range-optimizing mid-level EQB.Just three days after Mercedes-Benz revealed the mother of all EVs in the form of the stunningly sophisticated EQS luxury sedan, here’s yet another addition to the Mercedes-EQ family of cars: the EQB, an electric seven-seater crossover SUV that is to the GLB-class what the EQA is to the GLA. And yes, it will come to the U.S. market, expected here by the 2022 calendar year.

Mercedes-Benz

While the sheetmetal and glass are identical, the styling department under Gorden Wagener has cleaned up the exterior for a more contemporary and sophisticated look. The front is graced by the trademark EQ headlight/fascia assembly, with a horizontal light bar stretching over the entire width. This element is reflected on the tail end, which boasts a horizontal light strip as well. There are EQ-specific colors and wheels, and there will be a choice of regular or AMG-Line front and rear bumpers.The interior is carried over from the GLB as well, but it comes with EQ-exclusive color and trim options, including rose gold (pictured here), one of Wagener’s favorite colors. Due to the battery packs in the floor, interior space suffers a bit: Daimler cautions that the third row will only work for people up to 5’5″, and the trunk shrinks considerably. That said, the EQB is still a crossover SUV that offers more space than usual for its exterior dimensions.The EQB was unveiled in China, and it will be launched there first as a fully loaded model with a standard AMG Line look, all-wheel drive, and two motors that make a combined 288 horsepower. Europe will get both the EQB350 4Matic with around 268 horsepower and the front-wheel-drive EQB250 with 221 horsepower; there will also be a midlevel version designed as a long-range model. Both China and Europe will see the EQB at dealers within the 2021 calendar year. The U.S. will have to wait until 2022, and the company is mum about the possible powertrain options. “Stay tuned for more details in the coming months,” we are advised. What we can deduce from our experience with the EQA is that even the least powerful versions of the EQB will come in at around 4500 pounds, which we hope won’t translate into plodding, cumbersome handling characteristics, even if that would feel a bit less out of place in a people hauler like the EQB than in a compact hatch like the EQA. There will be no true AMG version, unlike on the EQS and the EQE. However, we’ll suspend judgment until we can drive it.

Mercedes-Benz

Once it arrives on U.S. shores in mid-2022 as a 2023 model, we expect pricing to begin in the $40,000 range for the entry-level version. That model’s performance, despite the EQB250 moniker, can be expected to fall way short of the GLB250, which starts at $39,100. Unlike the EQS, the EQB will be no game changer. But it could be a fitting second or third car to share the garage with Daimler’s new king of EVs, the EQS sedan.
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VW has announced that it will brand the sportier, faster versions of its upcoming electric-vehicle lineup as “GTX.”The new branding starts with the all-wheel-drive ID.4 GTX, which has a second motor on the front axle.The official unveiling of the ID.4 GTX doesn’t come until April 28, but until then we can see the logo, at least.Volkswagen is set to officially unveil a faster all-wheel-drive version of the ID.4 later this month, one that will carry the new GTX branding the company says it will be using to indicate higher-performance versions of its pure electric models.
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In Europe, Volkswagen already uses GTI, GTD, and GTE branding – respectively for gasoline, diesel, and plug-in-hybrid models, with the badges applied variously to faster versions of the Golf, Polo, Passat, and even the baby Up! But on our side of the Atlantic, GTI is a model in its own right, and it’s also the only member of the eighth-generation Golf clan to be sold in the States. While GTX branding hasn’t been used in the States before, it has featured in other markets. The 1984 Jetta GLI was sold as a GTX in some territories, including Canada.The ID.4 GTX will be officially announced on April 28, but we’re told that the branding will also be used on other ID models. GTX versions will be distinguished by extra performance and, in the case of the ID.4, all-wheel drive through an additional motor on the front axle, which is the first time this will be offered on an ID model.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4.
Volkswagen

Volkswagen hasn’t officially confirmed power or performance, but Autocar in the U.K. has reported that the ID.4 GTX will have a combined output of 302 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque, giving a claimed 6.2-second zero-to-62-mph time under Europe’s generally conservative testing methodology. If so, that means the fastest of VW’s ID models will remain substantially slower than even the most leisurely Tesla.

We can safely expect the GTX to be distinguished from lesser versions of the ID.4 with visual tweaks and a more dynamically focused suspension. We’re also hoping that the tartan seats long associated with GTI models make the transition to the brave new world of electron-fueled performance derivatives. The GTX hasn’t been officially confirmed for the U.S., but we have been told that all-wheel-drive versions of the ID.4 will be offered starting next year, so it is entirely possible that this will be one of them.Volkswagen is already reporting strong demand for its ID models in Europe, announcing it is also set to double the capacity of the Braunschweig, Germany, factory that assembles battery packs for vehicles that sit on the group’s pure electric MEB platform, from 250,000 to 500,000 a year, alongside up to 300,000 smaller battery packs for plug-in-hybrid vehicles. In addition to the ID.3 and ID.4, the company has just unveiled the larger ID.6 crossover at the Shanghai auto show; we’re also expecting a coupe-SUV ID.5 later this year.
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Ready to take on the status quo?For the next episode of Inside Track, Road & Track’s virtual Q&A series, Car and Driver Editor-in-Chief Sharon Carty is taking over to chat with Girls Auto Clinic Founder Patrice Banks. GAC is a woman-owned-and-operated business that offers automotive buying and repair resources, products, and services based on trust, education, inclusion, and empowerment. It’s all happening on Thursday, April 22, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT), and we’d love for you to join us.Register Here In this episode, Sharon will explore how Patrice continues to challenge the status quo after starting her business, as well as the impact she’s made on women in the auto industry. If you want to see it all go down, head on over to our sign-up page here.(Plus, check out Patrice’s “do-it-herself guide” to auto maintenance, roadside emergencies, and car services here.)Inside Track is one of the many offerings of our newly revamped magazine. We’re hosting live events, virtual experiences, and adventures around the globe. We’ll also be hosting driving rallies at race tracks and on the most epic roads, holding discussions and debates on cool topics with some of the most influential people in the car world, and giving you the white-glove treatment at concours and auto show events.Register Here If you want to get in on the fun, become a member of The Track Club. You’ll get every issue of the magazine, plus a whole lot more. Find more details on the membership tiers and exclusive discounts at roadandtrack.com/join, and check out our experiences lineup at experiences.roadandtrack.com.This content was provided by the Road & Track marketing team.

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Even after being on the show before, for reasons known only to him, Matt Farah of the Smoking Tire podcast found time in his busy schedule to face this week’s Window Shop challenge: Find the best $100,000 used car.In addition to producing a podcast, posting videos to his YouTube channel, and contributing to Road & Track, Farah owns and operates Westside Collector Car Storage, a purpose-built facility in California that regularly houses this caliber of car, so we’re glad to have him on the panel for this challenge. Contributor John Pearley Huffman gets us started with an intriguing pick. His 1966 Ford Galaxie has a 7.0-liter V-8, its top goes down, and it looks pristine. The WS crew likes this big, beautiful Ford, but given its similarity to Galaxies that cost $25K, we’re not sure it looks like 100,000 bucks. In contrast, Farah hits shoppers with a Porsche 911T that looks as expensive as it is. We all remember the 911T and the way it drives. We can’t deny the performance of his pick, but some of us feel it’s a little too obvious a choice.Contributor Jonathon Ramsey lends weight to that argument when he shows off his find: a 2014 911 GT3. Like so many 2014 GT3s, this one had to have its engine replaced due to teething problems and a risk of fire. But at least the new engine has a 10-year warranty.Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell goes in another direction, selecting an E34 BMW M5 Touring. For those who don’t speak BMW, Touring means wagon. This rare longroof Bimmer features a high-revving 3.8-liter inline-six and a stick shift. Barely sneaking in under the price cap is deputy editor Tony Quiroga’s exotic Ferrari 360 Modena. The car features a manual transmission with the classic gated shifter and promises not to be as expensive to maintain as other Ferraris.

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Kia is preparing some visual updates to its compact sedan for 2022.We expect the U.S. model to look just like this Korea-market version, called the K3.The Forte may also be renamed K3 in the U.S., as Kia has already filed for a trademark for that name.

Kia’s compact sedan is about to get a new outlook on life—and possibly a new name to go along with it. The Korea-market K3 has been revealed with updated styling inside and out, and we think that the U.S. version, currently called Forte, will adopt its global name like its big sibling did when it was renamed from Optima to K5. Kia has already filed for a trademark for the K3 name in the U.S.; a Kia spokesperson told C/D that the company does not comment on future product.

Kia

The refreshed 2022 Kia K3/Forte benefits from attractive new headlights, slightly different taillights, and a new wheel design. Kia’s new logo is on board, too. Inside, it appears to have a larger touchscreen infotainment system and a digital gauge cluster.We don’t expect any significant mechanical changes to the Forte/K3 for the U.S. market. It will likely keep its 2.0-liter inline-four base engine, although it may drop the base model’s manual transmission and offer only a CVT automatic like its sibling, the Hyundai Elantra. The higher-performance GT model should continue with its more powerful turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four, and we hope it will still offer a manual like the current GT, which has a six-speed manual as standard and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic as an option.Look for Kia to announce more information about the U.S.-market Forte/K3 later this year. It should go on sale in the U.S. by the end of 2021.

Kia

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Subaru of America will recall 466,205 vehicles to fix a potential problem with the ignition coils, which could degrade and lead to “starting or stalling issues.” The vehicles being recalled are the 2017–2019 Impreza and 2018–2019 Crosstrek.A second recall, issued at the same time, is to tighten bolts on the rear stabilizer bracket. This recall includes 405,000 2019 Crosstrek and Forester models.Subaru says there have been no accidents or injuries reported from either issue.Subaru of America has announced that it will recall nearly half a million Crosstrek and Impreza vehicles from the 2017 through 2019 model years over a problem with ignition coils that could degrade and cause stalling. The automaker says that reports of this occurrence are “extremely low” and no accidents or injuries have been reported. The recall includes 466,205 2017–2019 Impreza and 2018–2019 Crosstrek vehicles. Subaru said it will notify affected owners by mid-June; dealers will check and update the engine control module programming and replace ignition coils.

Separately, Subaru is also recalling 405,000 2019 Crosstrek and Forester vehicles to check and re-torque rear stabilizer bracket bolts that could come loose and cause damage. The automaker says that in this case, too, there have been very few reports and no accidents or injuries.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet listed these two recalls on its recalls website, but owners can check there to find out if their vehicle is involved in the recall.

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