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This rare and pristine 53,000-mile 1992 Volkswagen GTI is a near match for our editor-in-chief’s first car.The last of the second-generation GTI 16Vs, this 2505-pound hatchback is powered by a raucous 134-hp 2.0-liter four.Complete with the factory installed BBS wheels and Recaro seats, this original example is currently being auctioned until Saturday, January 28.It’s said you can’t go back, but then you see your first car being auctioned off on Bring a Trailer and you start to question that adage. Staring down at me on my laptop screen is a box-shaped piece of my past: a 1992 Volkswagen GTI 16V with 52,000 miles. It matches my first car down to the Tornado Red paint—other paint colors included white, black, and Montana Metallic, a teal-like hue. Okay, it’s not exactly like mine. My 1990 model lacked the integrated third brake light and had black trim around the rear window. But mine had the same big-bolstered Recaro seats with electronic height control and two-piece BBS RMII cross-spoke wheels that had the look of the far pricier three-piece BBS RS wheels. The last of the second-generation GTIs, the U.S.-spec models were assembled in VW’s plant in Mexico. Earlier second-gen Golf and GTIs came out of the company’s Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, plant, which shuttered in 1988. Early 16Vs arrived in 1987 and featured a 1.8-liter four with 123 horsepower. In 1990, the engine grew to 1984 cc or 2.0 liters, and horsepower rose to 134, with 133 pound-feet of torque at the ready. VW added the four-headlight grille and big bumpers that helped modernize the car. A very high 10.8:1 compression ratio meant the four thirsted for premium, a recommendation that our sister publication Road & Track missed when it tested one in 1991; C/D never tested one. Running on 87 and with an R&T tester at the wheel, the 2505-pound 16V hit 60 in 8.4 seconds (VW claimed 7.8 seconds).The engine is rough, even by the standards of 30 years ago. Hitting the 5800-rpm power peak sounds abusive, and punching the 6300-rpm redline isn’t much of a celebration either. Shifts are light and positive, and the gearing is short. On the highway, the four settles into a steady 4000-rpm buzz at 80 mph. Easily the best part of the late-GTI 16V is the handling. Ride quality is harsh and the structure is lacking, but lots of information flows up from the 195/50R-15 tires to the four-spoke steering wheel. Originally, the 16V would’ve worn Pirelli P600s; the example being auctioned wears far grippier Michelin Pilot Sport 3 summer tires in the original size. GTI NostalgiaThe cornering attitude is classic GTI as the inside rear wheel lifts off the ground. The three-wheel motion isn’t something you notice from behind the wheel; you simply marvel at the joy of hustling this relatively light machine to its limits.In addition to the Recaro chairs, you also get flares. Front fender flares, the black trim coming off the fenders, are wider to cover the big rubber and 6.5-inch-wide wheels—this was heady stuff for a Golf. Behind those wheels are vented front rotors with solid rotors in back. Anti-lock brakes weren’t on the menu; nor were airbags. No airbags meant federally mandated door-mounted belts with separate lap belt. At least they’re fixed and not motorized. Fortunately, this example doesn’t appear ever to have been in any sort of action that involved an airbag. This GTI is hard to fault and far cleaner than the second GTI 16V I purchased in 2002—I’ve tried to go back before. I sold it a couple of years later when someone left a note on it in the C/D parking lot. Even in the early ’90s, these were rare cars and cost roughly $15,000, or about $33,000 in today’s money. Today, they’re even harder to find as most gave up their lives to hard and fun-filled miles. In a recent column, I wrote about how the spirit and joy of the Toyota GR Corolla reminded me of my first 16V GTI. I believe that this GTI will get up to about $45,000, which is about the price of a nicely equipped GR Corolla. Go back or go forward? I’d say you can’t go wrong with either choice. More

When the electric Ram Revolution concept was revealed, its rearmost jump seats made it a three-row pickup truck. Now, new photos provide a closer look at the Ram 1500 EV’s third-row seating, which may be useful or useless. Based on the images from the concept, the two small seats each feature bottoms that fold out of the rear wall.Anyone who has ever sat on the tiny jump seats in the back of an old extended-cab pickus knows they’re not very comfortable. Then again, neither is riding in the back of a truck bed, which can also be unsafe. Well, jump seats might make a comeback based on what we know about the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept that was recently revealed. Thankfully—unlike the ones in Uncle Eddie’s rusted-out Chevy S-10—the electric Ram’s rearmost seats are part of a makeshift third row. Newly released photos also give us our best look at them.From the get-go, Ram acknowledged that the Revolution’s third row consisted of jump seats. However, only now do we get to see what they actually look like. As expected, the images show two small seats that fold out of the back wall. It’s the same wall that doubles as a mid-gate that opens up to create an even larger cargo bed. Obviously, this is part of the reason the rearmost row had to be jump seats.The debate that follows is whether or not the Ram EV’s third-row seats are useful or useless. We get why calling it a three-row pickup truck is a bit misleading, and also why some people will likely scoff at the idea of spending extended time back there. However, we think it’s an innovative idea. As in the past, the jump seats aren’t meant to coddle passengers on road trips and whatnot, but rather to provide extra space for people on short stints. After all, we’d rather safely ride inside the electric Ram than risk bouncing around the box. Extra Ram EV ReadingThis 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. More

The 2024 Honda Passport SUV and Ridgeline truck are scheduled to receive a more rugged set of revisions later this year, Honda confirmed in a media briefing. An updated TrailSport trim will headline the facelift, offering a treatment that will likely include all-terrain tires and steel skid plates, helping the Passport and Ridgeline tackle tougher terrain instead of just pretending to.It seems equally likely that the overhauled 3.5-liter V-6, and 10-speed automatic transmission from the new Pilot will be added as well.Pavement-bound SUVs dressed in off-road garb are all the rage these days, with Honda’s previous TrailSport offerings acting as a prime perpetrator. The newest 2023 Pilot TrailSport, though, transcends the off-road-in-name-only fad, and adds more ground clearance, all-terrain tires, skid plates, and suspension revisions. For the 2024 model year, both the Passport SUV and the Ridgeline truck are scheduled to receive a similarly rugged set of revisions, Honda confirmed in a media briefing. More Trail Blazing HondasHowever, those holding out hope for a hybrid powertrain will be disappointed, as Honda confirmed that neither the Passport nor the Ridgeline will add a gas-electric option for 2024. This solidifies our suspicion that both will receive the updated powertrain from the Pilot. The new 3.5-liter V-6 in that car improves the fuel-delivery system, internals and packaging, ups the horsepower from 280 to 285, and pairs with a new 10-speed automatic transmission instead of the old nine-speed. We haven’t had the chance to put the new powertrain through our usual testing regimen yet, but it doesn’t feel discernibly quicker from our initial drives.Michael Simari|Car and DriverOff-roading is not a foreign concept for the Ridgeline pickup. In fact, Honda has been supporting a desert-racing Ridgeline pickup dating back to 2015. Adding some off-roading chops to the consumer version is a welcome thought, even if the naysayers will complain that most TrailSports will never venture beyond the trailhead. 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. More

Honda has announced that it will launch a hybrid version of the Civic compact car for the 2024 model year.The company says the Civic hybrid will be offered in both sedan and hatchback body styles and will be powered by a version of the powertrain in the larger Accord hybrid.Hybrid models will not replace the gasoline ones currently offered but will be sold alongside them when it hits the market in 2024.The next step in Honda’s plan to hybridize its lineup will come in the form of the 2024 Civic Hybrid, which will be offered both as a sedan and a hatchback. The company’s electrification plans include shifting to an entirely electric lineup by 2040, but increasing its hybrid offerings in the meantime is meant to bridge that gap.We reported last April that Honda had launched a hybrid version of the Civic hatchback in Europe, and speculated that the car would also come stateside to fill the gap left by the discontinued Insight sedan. We’re not sure yet exactly how Honda will adjust the European car’s powertrain, which consists of a 2.0-liter inline-four and two electric motors that combine for 181 horsepower, for the U.S. market. But we can only hope that its output comes closer to the 204 horsepower offered by the closely related hybrid setup in the 2023 Accord hybrid.HondaWhile consumer interest has moved from cars to light trucks and SUVs, Honda still sees sedans and hatchbacks as important parts of its business. “The market has shifted away from passenger cars, but cars still matter to Honda, said Mamadou Diallo, vice president of automobile sales for American Honda. “The cars bring in younger, more multicultural buyers to the brand.”Our Latest Honda TakesThe introduction of a hybrid powertrain to the Civic lineup is part of Honda’s plan to keep those younger buyers coming. Honda plans to open the order books for its all-electric Prologue SUV this year as well, which will be its first step toward the broader electrification of is lineup within the coming years.We expect to find out more about the Civic hybrid closer to the car’s on-sale date, which should be in early 2024. 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. More