Motor News

The 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor is here, featuring new coil springs in the rear, the most suspension travel of any factory pickup, and optional 37-inch tires.
It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6, though a Raptor R, likely with a supercharged V-8, is coming next year.
The 2021 F-150 Raptor will arrive in the summer and is expected to start at around $59,000.
Ford says that since 2009 it has sold more F-150 Raptors than Chevy sold Corvettes. We believe them. Think about it, how often is there a day that you don’t spot one? Raptors even stalk the concrete jungles of Southern California, a place where the official state vehicle might as well be the Toyota Prius. It took 12 years for another truckmaker to launch a rival, the stonking Ram 1500 TRX, and Ford has just answered with the third-generation Ford F-150 Raptor—and with a Raptor R coming after that.

View Photos

Ford

All the usual elements of Ford’s would-be trophy truck are in play: long-travel suspension, knobby all-terrain tires, and skid plates to protect the relatively soft underbelly from hard impacts following short flights. It’s a recipe Ford knows well, after all. And, just as with the workaday 11th-generation F-150, this Raptor is tweaking the formula just enough and even stealing a play from Ram.
Control arms still underpin the independent front suspension, but, as half-ton Rams have done since 2009, the Raptor now swaps its old-timey leaf-spring suspenders for a pair of contemporary coil springs and a few links, including a Panhard rod. Ford says the new design contributes to a better utilization of torque through improved traction. This translates to more speed through the desert. We like more speed.

700-Plus-HP Ford F-150 Raptor R Confirmed

All the Off-Road Goodies on the New F-150 Raptor

View Photos of the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor

And when the speed is so much that little hills cause the Raptor to take flight, the 2021 has a little more squish room than before. With 14.0 inches in front and 15.0 inches in the rear, the Raptor has the most suspension travel of any factory pickup. But those numbers only apply to the base 35-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2, the optional 37-inch BFGs reduce travel by an inch in front and 0.9 inch in the rear. But what is lost in travel is made up with improved approach, departure, and breakover angles and ground clearance, which grows from 12.0 inches with the 35s to 13.1 with the 37s. Three 17-inch wheels are available. The base wheel is the only one that will not accept a beadlock ring.

View Photos

Ford

Adaptive dampers from damping giant Fox Shox are beefy as well. Thicker bodies handle the larger damping forces of the internal-bypass shocks. The rear dampers have external reservoirs. The Live Valve technology adapts to driving style and terrain, varying the damping up to 500 times a second.
If you were hoping for a V-8, that’s gonna have to wait for next year’s Raptor R. For 2021, the Raptor gets what amounts to a carry-over engine. The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6, or high-output 3.5 EcoBoost, will likely make a handful more horses than the 450-hp 2020 model. Peak torque of 510 pound-feet is unlikely to wander from the peak that starts at 3500 rpm. The possibility of a few more horses is made possible by a new equal-length exhaust system with muffler bypass valves that, when activated, sounds menacing in a way that few V-6s have ever. The HO EcoBoost mates to a 10-speed automatic transmission and an automatic four-wheel-drive transfer case that, unless things went very wrong in Ford’s trans development, will shuffle gears and driveline modes seamlessly. A limited-slip differential is again an option, while a locking rear is standard. Both axles house 4.10:1 gears.

View Photos

Ford

Ford nixed the extended-cab Raptor, so all are crew cabs. The frames are fortified with upgraded mounting points for the front suspension and all the bracketry for the new rear suspension as well as the addition of a Raptor-specific trailer hitch, which looks dished to make room for a full-size 37-inch spare. Ford likes to point out that its customers expect to be able to use Raptors as trucks, so no bed-mounted spares.
Just as with the new F-150, the Raptor carries all the electronic doodads and organic Wi-Fi that keep peoples’ phones and brains connected to the Matrix. So that means wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability as well as over-the-air updates for the Sync 4 infotainment system. Ford’s Pro Power onboard generator system offers 2.0 kW of AC power should your Raptor’s rear suspension travel be tested by a tailgate party. Both payload and towing capacities grow 200 pounds, to 1400 pounds and 8200 pounds respectively. We expect the Raptor’s curb weight to climb by a similar amount, to about 6200 pounds. We expect a small price increase, too, but the truck should start around $59,000.

View Photos

Ford

Ford’s suite of advanced safety features is standard, as are many drive modes. Lots of drive modes. They are Slippery, Tow/Haul, Sport, Normal, Off-Road, Baja, and Rock Crawl, which adjust throttle, transfer case, damping, and transmission programming. One more interesting mode isn’t for going fast, but rather for going slow off-road, or rock crawling. Ford calls it one-pedal drive, and it is just as it sounds. When lifting off the throttle, the brakes are automatically engaged like aggressive regenerative brakes on an EV. While not a g0-fast feature, a Raptor that never sees dirt is a terrible waste of potential and it should give novice off-roaders the confidence to take their shiny new trucks down a trail. Or at least something to play with until that faster R launches next year.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

The latest Bowlus Road Chief rolling palace is the $265,000 Terra Firma 26-foot travel trailer.
Health-conscious buyers will appreciate built-in water and HEPA air filters.
Pets can be treated to a personalized matching bed and integrated food and water bowls.
The luxury travel-trailer manufacturer that makes the Bowlus Road Chief, has launched the Terra Firma model, its third and most lavish model yet. The Terra Firma rides on the same 26-foot platform as the brand’s Endless Highways series trailers and sports the same polished-chrome exterior styling, but adds interior amenities with people and pets in mind.

Bowlus Road Chief

An onboard water-filtration system uses s carbon filter to deliver better-tasting and safer water through the designer faucets in the kitchen and bathroom. Bowlus has also included a HEPA air filter and built-in UVC lighting elements to reduce bacteria and other impurities in the air inside the trailer. High-tech touchscreen controls for the trailer’s power management system are also standard and can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app.

Neiman Marcus Puts Bowlus Camper on Its Gift List

Living Vehicle Camping Trailer Costs a Cool $300K

Airstream Courts Remote Workers with Mobile Office

The Terra Firma features upholstery and linens rendered in light-colored natural tones, and even four-legged family members will find comfort here with a personalized pet bed. Integrated into one of the lower drawers in the dining area is a set of food and water bowls. Like other Bowlus models, the Terra Firma packs a large lithium iron phosphate battery pack, good for a week’s worth of grid-free camping.

Bowlus Road Chief

As the demand for travel trailers and motorhomes continues to surge during the extended COVID-19 pandemic, wealthy travelers may find that Bowlus’s more traditional rivals don’t quite cut it when it comes to style and luxury. Toward that end, the company provides a seemingly endless list of ways to customize one of its hand-crafted trailers to suit the individual buyer. The Terra Firma currently carries the highest price of all three of Bowlus’s trailers at $265,000; interested parties can order their bespoke trailer now through the Bowlus Road Chief website.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Porsche has added an AI build suggestion tool to its online configurator.
A blue lightbulb icon on the screen suggests options and gives their prices. It’s based on the tool’s Recommendation Engine, which “learns” about your preferences from other choices you’ve made.
Porsche says no two users get the same set of recommendations, and it claims the tool is 90 percent accurate in giving buyers what they really want.
Porsche’s configurator has a seemingly endless amount of options, giving customers numerous possibilities when building their ideal Porsche sports car, sedan, or SUV. Now, the German automaker has added an AI assistant tool that gives suggestions on options, because who doesn’t want to make their Porsche as expensive as “humanly” possible?

Porsche

The suggestion tool is a small blue lightbulb icon that’s located at the bottom right of the screen when building a Porsche on its online configurator. When we were building a 2021 911 Turbo S, we got suggestions to add a Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur leather interior ($10,680), a Burmester sound system ($3980), and a front axle lift system ($2770). Porsche’s AI also told us the $10,680 bespoke leather interior is an 86 percent match for us. And it would be, if only our pockets were deeper than the Mariana Trench.

How We’d Spec It: Our New Dream Cars

How We’d Spec It: 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S

How We’d Spec 2021 Rivian Electric R1T and R1S

Porsche says the suggestions are based off millions of data points from the configurator (it sometimes seems that there are that many options, too), and it uses algorithms to find patterns and predict user options. Porsche boasts that its recommendations are more than 90 percent accurate in suggesting something that the customer will end up choosing. Bentley launched a similar program in 2015, using facial recognition to build customers a suggested Bentayga SUV, though it’s no longer available.
The new suggestion tool is available on Porsche’s online configurators in Germany, China, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S, and Porsche says it’ll be available elsewhere in the world soon. It works on all Porsche models from the 718 Boxster and Cayman to the Cayenne SUV.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Airstream is launching a variant of its midrange Flying Cloud travel trailer with a built-in office area.
The 30-foot trailer combines the space and luxury of the regular model with a special setup intended to give remote workers or students a dedicated place to work.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues into 2021, the RV industry is poised for continued success as Americans look to motorhomes and travel trailers as alternatives to vacations that involve flights and hotel stays.
An unexpected winner during the tumultuous, virus-choked 2020 calendar year was the American RV industry, as more families took to the road to cure the quarantine blues. As remote work and school continues to be the norm for many, the opportunity to satisfy one’s wanderlust while remaining dedicated to a career or home-schooling children is something luxury travel-trailer maker Airstream is hoping to enable with its latest product.

View Photos

Airstream

Based on the brand’s mid-range Flying Cloud trailer, the new 30FB Office floor plan offers a built-in desk in the back adjacent to the lavatory that would allow a remote worker to maintain a 40-hour work week while also traveling the country. The desk features built-in drawers for storage, USB ports for charging devices, and a pull-out table to create a larger workspace. It’s not the most roomy home office, but Airstream has put considerable thought into setting it up perfectly for video conference calls, with blackout curtains on the windows and a privacy divider to shut the area off from the rest of the trailer.

View Photos

Airstream

The new model is based on the 30-foot-long Flying Cloud—the lineup’s longest model—and features a queen-size bed in the front and a spacious dinette that also can be transformed into a bed for guests or children. The office area can also be used for guest accommodations if needed, as the integrated side seat can be transformed into a twin bed.

Airstream Caravel Is a Rolling Hotel Room

Take a Hike: This Winnebago Is Ready For Adventure

Mercedes Metris Weekender: Four-Wheeled Escapism

Mobile internet is available through the brand’s Airstream Connected service, which uses AT&T and the 4G LTE network. Plans start from $25 per month, but remote workers will likely need more connectivity than that basic plan offers. Airstream also offers an optional roof-mounted antenna to make the best use of campground-provided Wi-Fi signals at a campsite. Workers or students who need a more robust service may find that newer 5G hotspot devices provide a better method for getting online from the road. That technology, however, isn’t as widespread as 4G and may limit destinations for working road trippers.

View Photos

Airstream

According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), RV sales surged to over 430,000 new motorhomes and travel trailers sold in 2020—an increase of 6 percent over 2019. RVIA is projecting an even more lucrative 2021 for the industry, with sales expected to grow to over 500,000 this year thanks to growing interest from Millennial and Gen-X demographic groups.
Airstream’s decision to offer a mobile office floor plan appears to be a smart one and it’s a trend that could spread to other motorhome and travel-trailer manufacturers in 2021. The Flying Cloud 30FB Office starts at $107,500 and is available for order at Airstream dealers now.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io 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.

Some might say it’s a scheme to get you to buy two copies, but the way you can build and rebuild the new Porsche 911 Lego set into either Turbo or Targa versions could also be seen as bang for your buck.
When built into Turbo mode, the model shows off its whale tail and black rims, while the Targa’s removable roof fits under the hood. Both models feature a flat-six boxer engine in back and a tan interior.
The $150 set will go on sale March 1, but if you’re a Lego VIP, you can order early and get bonuses like four art prints.
When shopping for an actual Porsche 911, the decision to go Turbo or Targa is likely made early in the process. With a new Lego set, though, you don’t need to decide right away, and you can always change your mind after you’re finished.

Two-in-One Porsche 911 Set
LEGO
$149.99

Based on the late ’70s and early ’80s 911s, the new Porsche 911 set is actually the eighth 911 model Lego has produced for sale. There have been Speed Champion and Technic versions, but this is the first one to be made at this scale and with this level of detail. That means it has a working steering wheel, and the doors, trunk, and hood all open up to reveal a rear-mounted flat-six boxer engine and the gorgeous tan interior with tilting front seats, a gear shifter and a hand brake.

Lego.com

While the base of the build is the same no matter which option you choose, at some point in the process you do have to decide between the fixed-roof Turbo with the classic spoiler or the open-top Targa. The differences include not just the obvious exterior changes, but also two sets of rims (black for the Turbo, and sliver for the Targa) as well as Turbo badging, a wider rear axle and a little Lego turbocharger and intercooler on the Turbo version. When you make the Targa, there’s a brick-built rear window and you can store the removable roof under the hood.

Targa version of the Lego Porsche 911.
Lego.com

The new 911 set started as a side passion project for Lego designer Mike Psiaki, and he said in the promotional video shown above that Lego created a few new pieces were created for this model, including a new “triple bow” and a 5×5 quarter-circle that were both needed to get the 911’s iconic shape as accurate as possible in brick form.

LEGO Speed Champions Porsche 911 RSR and 911 Turbo 3.0 75888 Building Kit (391 Pieces) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
LEGO amazon.com
$76.99

With eyes on the global market, Lego is including license plates tiles for three countries: U.S. (P51AK3), Germany (S-CU 6000) and Japan (Gunma 93 10-295). Psiaki gave away that there are Easter eggs in these plates, and the U.S. one is kind of easy. For the Japanese plate, the Kanji on the tile mean Gunma Prefecture, but they could also be read as a group of horses. All of the printed elements in this set are actually printed on the brick, so there’s no need to apply any stickers or worry about taking them off if you want to rebuild the kit into the Targa/Turbo version you didn’t build the first time around. It also means getting some cool printed Lego tiles with the Porsche logo on them, to add to your collection.

Lego.com

The $149.99 set comes with 1458 pieces and will be available March 1. The finished model measures 4.25 inches high, 6.3 inches wide, and 14.0 inches long. The on-sale date is February 16 for members of the Lego VIP program, which is free to join. If you get in early enough as a VIP, Lego will throw in a “limited-edition Lego Porsche owners pack” with your purchase. This pack includes “a certificate of ownership, an official Lego Porsche card wallet and a set of four unique art prints based on contemporary Porsche 911 adverts, all presented in a smart collector’s wallet.”

This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Today Ford and Google formed a partnership to use Google’s cloud platform and Android operating system in Fords and Lincolns beginning in 2023.
The infotainment system will be Ford branded but will have native access to Google Maps, Google’s voice assistant, and the Google Play store.
Google’s cloud platform will be used to help with supply chain management and training.
The partnerships between automotive and tech powerhouses continue with Ford and Google announcing today that they will enter a new partnership called Team Upshift. Part of the deal is that in 2023, new Ford and Lincoln vehicles will have an infotainment system that uses the Android operating system. On the business side, Ford will also use Google’s cloud platform to help with manufacturing, train its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning systems, and train Ford employees.

How Does 2021 F-150’s Infotainment Measure Up?

Android Auto No Longer Feels Half-Baked

As part of the use of the Android operating system, starting in 2023 Fords and Lincolns will have be outfitted with an infotainment system that natively uses Google’s voice assistant, Google Maps, and will have access to the Google Play store to add additional applications to the vehicles. While the visible portion of the system will be a uniquely Ford and Lincoln experience according to the automaker, the Android operating system will be the underlying platform. In other words, it won’t look like the Android Automotive experience found in the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge.
On the back end, Ford will make Google its preferred cloud partner to help facilitate the training of AI and machine learning to help streamline manufacturing and make it easier to send personalized notifications to customers. The Google Cloud system will also be used to push over-the-air updates to the vehicles outfitted with the Android operating system.
Today’s news is part of a trend of automakers partnering with tech companies to help deal with processing issues around AI and over-the-air-updates. In January, GM and Microsoft announced a deal that would make Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform the automaker’s preferred platform service to help GM build its autonomous driving platform.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Nissan has given us a glimpse of what to expect with the new 2022 Frontier and 2022 Pathfinder ahead of their unveiling this Thursday.
The new Frontier will be completing its redesign which started last year with a new powertrain, while the Pathfinder will be wholly redesigned this year.
The reveal will be streamed live at 1 p.m. Eastern time on February 4 on the Nissan website.
Nissan is set to reveal the 2022 Frontier and the 2022 Pathfinder this Thursday, February 4, and ahead of those debuts, the automaker has teased both of the vehicles, giving us a glimpse of what to expect. The Frontier, which got a new powertrain last year, is completing its redesign this year with a new look. Meanwhile, the Pathfinder will be entirely new for the 2022 model year.

2020 Nissan Frontier: New Engine, Same Old Truck

2021 Nissan Armada Gets a New Look, Updated Tech

Tested: 2020 Nissan Frontier Is a Resto Rod

Both teasers show the vehicles darting down unpaved, sandy roads, suggesting for at least the Pathfinder—which currently doesn’t offer any sort of off-road trim—could gain some off-road attributes. The teaser of the Frontier PRO-4x shows an upright, aggressive-looking grille which matches the direction other small pickups have gone. The Pathfinder clip shows a quick shot of the rear of the car, showing that the Pathfinder name is written across the rear trunk, as on the new Armada. It’s difficult to tell from the teaser, but the Pathfinder may also be regaining its more upright and trucklike stance that disappeared in the last generational changeover in 2013.
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.

Nissan started changes to the Frontier last year when it introduced a new 310-hp 3.8-liter V-6 to the pickup. With that change, the manual transmission was discontinued, and the Frontier now comes standard with a nine-speed automatic. The Pathfinder could also see some changes to its powertrain including dropping the standard continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
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.

The new Frontier and Pathfinder will both be revealed on Wednesday, February 4, at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Nissan’s website.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Ford Performance has created a trio of Bronco 4400 rally trucks racing this weekend in the King of the Hammers race in California.
The purpose-built Bronco SUVs have custom tubular chassis along with long-travel suspensions to handle the mix of rock crawling and high-speed desert rally driving seen through the race.
This Wednesday, Ford will also be revealing a “never-before-seen” Bronco model live.
This weekend, in the form of the Bronco 4400 custom-built rally truck, the Ford Bronco name will be darting across the California desert in the grueling King of the Hammers off-road race. The three Bronco 4400s, which will race in the Ultra4 4400 unlimited class, have custom tubular chassis along with huge off-road tires attached to long-travel suspensions. These trucks were purpose-built to overcome the mix of rock crawling and high-speed desert rally driving which the King of the Hammers race is known for.

Here’s the Real 2020 Ford Bronco in Racing Form

All of the Off-Road Goodies on the New Ford Bronco

2021 Ford Bronco’s Six Trim Levels Explained

The Bronco 4400s will be tested in the King of the Hammers race. In last year’s rally, there were 105 entrants who started the race, and of those, 44 finished. The winner of that race took the podium with a time of just over seven hours; the last racer to complete the race finished roughly seven hours after the winner.
Ford Performance didn’t release many details on the powertrain going into the Bronco 4400s but said that they’ll be powered by high-powered engines and will also get custom 4×4 systems which build on the GOAT driving modes seen in the production Ford Bronco. The custom Broncos are much different than the Bronco R raced in the Baja 1000, a truck which took many of the components from the yet-to-be-revealed Bronco.

Perhaps most exciting, Ford said that it will reveal a “never-before-seen” Bronco model live on February 3, the qualifying day for the race. We’re unsure what the automaker has in store, but we’ll be checking that live stream to see what it will be.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More