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VW is updating the ID.4 for 2024 with new electric motors and a revised interior.The base rear-wheel-drive version now makes 282 horsepower and the all-wheel-drive version has 330 hp.The updated models will start arriving early in 2024, and pricing isn’t available yet.Volkswagen is adding more oomph to its electric SUV for 2024 courtesy of new electric motors. Both of the ID.4’s powertrain configurations, which include a rear-wheel-drive single-motor setup and an all-wheel-drive dual-motor version, get a big power bump for the new model year. This only applies to models equipped with the larger 77.0-kWh battery pack, and not to ID.4s with the base 58.0-kWh battery. There are also revisions to the interior and new wheels, along with a few new features for certain trim levels.The 77.0-kWh RWD ID.4 produces 282 horsepower, compared with the old model’s 201 hp. This should significantly improve acceleration compared with before, which we measured at 7.6 seconds to 60 mph in our test of a 2021 ID.4. The dual-motor AWD ID.4, meanwhile, goes from 295 hp up to 330 hp; that model previously recorded a sprint of 5.4 seconds in our testing, and it will likely get quicker too.VolkswagenVolkswagen also says that the new electric motors will improve range, but EPA estimates are not yet available. It’s currently rated at between 255 miles and 275 miles with the larger battery pack, so we can expect incremental improvements over those numbers once the official ratings are out.More on the ID.4VolkswagenOther upgrades include a larger 12.9-inch infotainment screen for upper trim levels, which is said to offer improved menu structures and simpler climate controls compared to the old 12.0-inch screen. The steering wheel and shifter designs are also revised. Cooled front seats are now standard, and the S Plus trim level gains a Harman/Kardon audio system. 20-inch wheels replace 19-inch wheels, and the S Plus now has 21-inch wheels. (VW hasn’t yet released exterior photos of the U.S.-spec 2024 ID.4, but pictured at top is a Euro-spec model with 21-inch wheels.)The 2024 ID.4 will start arriving at dealerships early next year. Pricing isn’t out yet, but we’ll update this story once it is.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

The manual transmission will die with the current generation of Mini Cooper, the company’s boss told Top Gear at the launch of the next-generation hatchback.The new Cooper hatch will come with both electric and internal-combustion powertrains, but the gas-powered models are expected to be automatic only.The final manual-equipped versions of the current Cooper will be produced in February of next year.Cars with manual gearboxes are truly becoming an endangered species. After Volkswagen announced the death of the stick-shift Golf GTI last week with the GTI 380 special package, it now appears that the manual transmission will soon disappear from the Mini lineup. The British marque recently revealed an all-new generation of Cooper hatchback, but according to Top Gear, the do-it-yourself gearbox won’t return for the updated model. MiniThe head of Mini, Stefanie Wurst, told Top Gear, “We won’t have a manual unfortunately.” A Mini representative left the door open for a future addition to the lineup, saying, “It doesn’t look likely that the next-generation Mini ICE hardtop and convertibles will come with a manual transmission at launch.” This could suggest that the stick-shift gearbox could be offered down the line if demand is strong enough, but we think it is unlikely. This news comes after Mini reintroduced the manual transmission on the Cooper hatchback for the 2023 model year, after it had removed the option in May 2022 due to supply-chain constraints. The six-speed manual was offered on the two-door Hardtop Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works variants. More about MiniMini has only disclosed details on the electric version of the 2025 Mini Cooper so far, but the EV will be joined by gas-powered models that are expected to use carryover engines. The outgoing Cooper was motivated by either a 134-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder and a 189-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which should continue to be hooked up to an eight-speed automatic in the new model. The final versions of the current-generation Cooper with the manual gearbox will roll off the assembly line in February 2024, according to Mini. 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.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

When it comes to upgraded versions of full-size trucks, Chevrolet’s Silverado ZR2 Bison is special in its own way.We’ll show you around the Bison package, which has the same suspension as the regular ZR2.Car and Driver suspension expert Dan Edmunds explains how it works and shows its degree of flex, as shown in our Ramp Travel Index test. The Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison may lack the high-output bragging rights of the Ram TRX or the long-travel wide-track suspension of the Ford F-150 Raptor, but it has a few features of its own. For starters, it’s less expensive than those two trucks, and it offers a locking front differential and Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers. In this video, resident suspension expert Dan Edmunds explains how the ZR2’s suspension works and shows how much it flexes compared to other trucks with the Ramp Travel Index test.The Silverado ZR2 in this video has the Bison package, which adds high-clearance bumpers and underbody protection along with different wheels and interior features but leaves the truck mechanically unchanged otherwise. Because the suspension is the same, the findings in this video apply to the standard ZR2 as well. Sizing Up the CompetitionWe start at the front, where the Multimatic DSSV dampers appear prominently. The spool valves inside the shocks offer greater control but, as Dan shows by turning the wheels to one side, the three-chamber design takes up precious space. More Video Deep DivesAfter weighing a mounted wheel and tire, Dan switches to the rear suspension, which features inverted Multimatic dampers and blocks under the leaf springs to achieve its lift. Alas, those inverted rear shocks sit more inboard than we’d prefer on an off-roader, requiring owners to consider their placement—along with the differential—when straddling rocks. Given the suspension similarities to the standard Silverado and the overlanding intention of the ZR2, especially when paired with the Bison package, its score of 444 is unsurprising. It’s higher than the similarly priced and outfitted Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (408) but lower than trucks with wide track long-travel suspension, such as the last-generation Colorado ZR2 Bison (501) and F-150 Raptor (559). Deputy Editor, VideoFrom selling them to testing them, Carlos Lago has spent his entire adult life consumed by cars. He currently drives the creative behind Car and Driver video. More

Audi is updating the Q8 for 2024 with a new face that combines a more streamlined grille with more expressive headlights and chunkier air intakes.The Q8’s turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 and the SQ8’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 carry over unchanged.The 2024 Q8 and SQ8 will go on sale in the United States this winter, with pricing and full U.S. specifications coming soon.The electric Audi Q8 e-tron received a handsome facelift for 2024 that introduced a sleeker grille and redesigned lighting elements. Now the German automaker is refreshing the gas-powered Q8, bringing the sporty crossover in line with its electric cousin with thinner headlights and a restyled grille. The high-performance SQ8 also returns for 2024 with its burly 4.0-liter V-8 powertrain.The changes to the 2024 Q8’s exterior are subtle but add up to give the crossover a slicker, more elegant front end. The grille is less chiseled than before and flows smoothly into the headlights, similar to how the Q8 e-tron’s grille is integrated into the lights. The air inlets in the front bumper have been enlarged and a new exhaust setup is fitted across the lineup. The SQ8 also wears a redesigned front spoiler and rear diffuser, while the grille, sideview mirrors, and air intakes are accented in aluminum. Optional packages can have the window trim, bumper trim, and grille finished in gloss black, creating a more sinister appearance.Audi also revised the layout of the Matrix LED headlights, and the Q8 will be offered with the high-tech laser lights that boost the range of the high beams. The daytime running lights on top-spec models can swap between four different lighting signatures via the infotainment screen, and the rear light bar has a simpler look and can now be had with Audi’s digital OLED lighting units. As with the electric e-tron models, the gas-powered Q8 now displays its model name and trim level on the B-pillar. Five new wheel designs are available, measuring between 21 and 23 inches in diameter. The Q8 also gains three new colors, including the eye-catching Sakhir Gold seen here. Inside, the Q8 offers several new materials and Audi has also expanded the list of apps that work with its infotainment system, including third party apps like Spotify.The Q8’s engines continues to be motivated by the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, which routes 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. The engine is also supplemented by a 48-volt hybrid-assist system that recoups energy under braking, smooths out the start-stop feature, and can allow the vehicle to coast for up to 40 seconds at a time with the engine off. The SQ8 still packs a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that churns out a potent 500 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. Like the lesser Q8s, the S model uses an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, but also offers a torque-vectoring rear differential and active anti-roll bars. The Q8 continues to come with a steel spring suspension as standard, but buyers can still upgrade to adaptive air suspension and can add rear-wheel steering to make their SUV more nimble. The SQ8 gets air springs, adaptive dampers, and rear-wheel steering as standard. The refreshed Q8 will go on sale in the United States this winter, and pricing and more detailed U.S. specifications will be available soon. Given the subtlety of the changes, we don’t expect a major price hike for the 2024 model, with the Q8 expected to start around $75,000 and the SQ8 likely to start in the high-$90,000 range.More Audi CrossoversThis 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 EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More

Volkswagen rolled out its ID.GTI concept in Germany this past weekend.The electric car has not yet been confirmed as coming to the U.S., but VW Group of America CEO Pablo Di Si was decidedly bullish on the idea.One problem to iron out first: it’s unlikely the ID.GTI will get all-wheel drive, and customers in the States may find that a sticking point.When we told you about the Volkswagen ID.GTI concept on Sunday, September 3, fresh from its unveiling at the Munich IAA auto show in Germany, the official line was that there were no confirmed plans to bring it to the U.S. But now Car and Driver has spoken with Pablo Di Si, Volkswagen Group of America CEO, and can report that he is pushing hard to bring the electric hot hatch stateside.Take a Good Look”Everybody wants the car in the U.S.,” Di Si told journalists at the IAA. “It’s a concept car, but we’re working very closely with the team in Germany in terms of the design and the specs . . . I think it could be a great car for the U.S. We just need to make sure that the touch and feel is going to be what the American consumer wants, and you achieve that by working with engineering from the beginning of the project.”There seem few reasons that such a plan couldn’t come to fruition. The production ID.GTI, which is confirmed for Europe, will sit on the MEB Entry platform, a front-wheel-drive version of Volkswagen’s existing MEB EV platform. The ID.4, which sits on the regular rear-/all-wheel-drive MEB architecture, is already being produced at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. U.S. Needs an Entry-Level EV Di Si confirms that Volkswagen is committed to launching a less expensive EV in the U.S. below the ID.4, a role the production GTI would seem perfectly suited for. “We are the people’s brand, so we need an entry-level electric vehicle, no ifs, no buts,” Di Si said. “Whether it is going to be the ID.2 or the GTI—whatever you want to call it—we need to have one. I like the GTI particularly because it brings the heritage of the brand in a smaller package, and a hopefully smaller price.”Mike Duff|Car and DriverWhich can be taken as a ringing endorsement from the boss, especially as Di Si added that his personal opinion is that the basic ID.2, which will sit below the ID.3 in Europe, will be too small and basic for U.S. buyers. One potential sticking point, according to Volkswagen insiders, is the ID.GTI’s front-drive layout, with the key question being whether U.S. buyers would expect their junior performance EV to come with all-wheel drive. That’s something that would be very hard to deliver given the concept’s dinky dimensions and tight packaging. But we’re definitely hoping the issues get ironed out on this one. The U.S. has long been one of the biggest markets for Volkswagen’s GTI variants, and we really don’t want to be denied this one. 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 European CorrespondentOur man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on UK titles including CAR, Autocar and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend towards the Germanic, owning both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16. More

After 56 years, Toyota appears ready to add a second Century model to its flagship range. This one is for Japan only, but with the Crown now on U.S. shores, perhaps we could dream of a U.S.-market Century?Like everything else these days, this new Century is likely to be a crossover, though not a direct rival to something like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.Watch the debut at 12:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, September 6.Before ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne as emperor of Japan in 2019, Crown Prince Naruhito settled into a place with nearly as much prestige: the back seat of a Toyota. Specifically, that of a Toyota Century, long the automotive equivalent of Japan’s Imperial household. Handbuilt, luxurious yet incredibly reserved, just three generations of Century limousine have existed since 1967. It is a machine steeped in tradition. Now that tradition seems destined to change as Toyota readies an additional model in the flagship ultimate luxury vehicle category.It was initially hinted at in a projected silhouette at the launch of the Toyota Alphard minivan by Toyota chief branding officer Simon Humphries, and now the arrival of a Century SUV seems a sure thing. The most recent teaser image features the white-gloved hand of a chauffeur about to open the door of a crossover that bears the polished, squared-off styling of the current Century sedan.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.A Legacy of PowerTo understand why an SUV/crossover bearing the Century’s phoenix badge is a big idea, here’s a snapshot of the breed. Initially launched in 1967 as a large V-8 sedan, the first-generation Century received only the most minor updates for some 30 years. If you were the kind of conservative Japanese executive to exile the racing-obsessed Yutaka Katayama to the fledgling U.S. market to sink or swim, then you might well have been ferried around in a Century. Well, no actually, you’d obviously have been in a Nissan product, but the point stands. The Century wasn’t flashy, but it projected power nonetheless.The Century in 2018.ToyotaThe second-generation Century resembled its ancestor closely but dropped the bubble-economy Toyota engineering mic by being Japan’s only production V-12 car, ever. Introduced in 1997, early models of these are now U.S. importable, and they are wonderful to drive. Imagine the imperious wafting of a Rolls-Royce, with engineering from the people behind the Mk IV Supra Turbo, and assembled by trained takumi who hand-chamfer the body panels by feel alone.Still Handcrafted, Now HybridThe current generation of Century is now a 5.0-liter V-8 hybrid with a powertrain shared with the Lexus LS600h. As such, it feels a little less special, but there’s still a handcrafted quality to the car, one that limits production to just 50 vehicles per month, and Japan-only availability. Needless to say, the waiting list stretches to years.Sinking into the rich wool upholstery of a Century—it breathes better than leather in the humid Tokyo summer, and doesn’t squeak either—is a different kind of luxury. No flashy Maybach or Bentley, the Century embraces a subtlety not seen much in the luxury market these days. Akio Toyoda did have a GR version made, with less-reserved sporty tweaks, but that was more the exception that proves the rule.View from the BackWhat We Know So FarDetails on this new Century SUV have not leaked out ahead of the September 6 reveal (because of the time zone, it’s just after midnight in the U.S.), but camouflaged prototypes have already been spotted by Japanese magazine Car-Moby. The rumor among Japanese publications is that this new Century will ride on the same platform as the Toyota Grand Highlander, a variant of which also underpins that Alphard minivan.That means a transverse-mounted engine with front-wheel-drive architecture, a hard sell in the luxury segment. Given the Century’s use as a chaffeured livery car, hybridization is likely, and it’s possible that Toyota will be able to disguise any commoner roots with lashings of handbuilt quality.Coming Here? Wishful Thinking? What’s perhaps more interesting is the possibility of a Century on this side of the Pacific. Toyota bringing the Crown sedan to North America was an interesting move, and the crossover market is a safer bet. Lexus does have the Grand Highlander–based TX on the way, but perhaps there’s some room at the top for a flagship Toyota crossover without the L badge on the front.Whatever the case, the expansion of the Century range after nearly 60 years of staying the course is, like Emperor Naruhito himself, an indication that some traditions are going to be shaken up. And if those tremors remain Japan-market only, don’t forget to check those overseas auctions for any second-generation V-12 Centurys coming up for sale—there’s one on Bring a Trailer right now, although the auction ends September 6. They are just the thing to make you feel like an emperor, even when you’re just on the way to get takeout sushi. 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