In fact, in the second quarter of 2023, Mitsubishi shifted just 1,974 Mirages—that includes the hatchback as well as the G4 sedan. This go around, it’s moved 4,859 of them over the same time span. The Mirage starts at $17,840 including destination for the five-door, though we’re obliged to point out there’s a trim that costs about $2,200 more and involves a Ralliart appearance package. Is it actually faster? God no, but look at it.

And then there’s the humble Nissan Versa. I actually drove one of these when the latest generation launched five years ago, and it’s a totally serviceable car for the $17,820 it starts at. (Frankly, it’s hard to imagine the Mirage being better, even if hatchbacks are my personal preference.) The Versa is up 45.3% year-over-year for the second quarter. And if you compare calendar year-to-date numbers, Nissan has delivered 6,798 more of them through 2024 so far—17,812 units over the first half of ’24, against 11,014 over the first half of ’23.

Naturally, we wondered how the Kia Rio’s been doing, as it comprised the trio of cheap subcompacts in America, alongside the aforementioned mainstays, for years. But Kia discontinued the Rio after the 2023 model year, in anticipation of the upcoming K4. I happen to think the K4 looks phenomenal, but it’s also new and decidedly upmarket compared to the ancient bargains that are the Mirage and Versa. It’s hard to say if it’ll remain competitive with them in price—especially the highly compelling wagon variant.

That said, the K4 likely won’t face the same competition the Rio did, as the writing’s been on the wall for some time that the Mirage’s days are numbered. Mitsubishi doesn’t even sell it in its home market of Japan anymore, and rumor has it this will be the last or, at best, second to last model year the Mirage gets. Perhaps Mitsubishi is making a concerted effort to get these off lots as efficiently as possible. To that end, we have an idea, and we won’t ask Mitsubishi for a dime: Ralliart decals on every hatch in stock.

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post Nissan Versa and Mitsubishi Mirage Sales Are Soaring in 2024 appeared first on The Drive.

We can thank Ford Authority for bringing this wagon to our attention, which currently resides in Moonachie, New Jersey. I’ll have you know I was just in Moonachie last weekend for a wedding, but I don’t recall seeing this Taurus on the road. Of course, draped in silver (I’m sorry—Silver Frost Metallic), I’m not sure I would’ve caught a glimpse of it on Route 17 even if I’d been looking for it. It’s in remarkably good shape for what it is—there was reportedly one accident in 2006 that resulted in the owner replacing the rear bumper cover. That’s more than most Taurus owners would’ve done!

Under the hood is a 3.0-liter 153-horsepower Vulcan V6—an engine I know admittedly nothing about, though it does have a phenomenal name. It’s hooked up to a four-speed auto, but that’s not really the draw here anyway, is it? The fourth-gen Taurus is funny because while Ford went a decent length to obscure the polarizing ovoid look on the sedan, it gave up halfway for the long-roof flavor. The result is a wagon with a New Edge-ish front end, that literally reaches further back in time the farther your eyes move toward the rear. Still, I always thought the heckblende treatment was neat on these. It’s like someone at the Blue Oval was a massive fan of the FD Mazda RX-7, and tried to make lemonade from lemons.

One day, this Taurus could wind up in a museum dedicated to long-forgotten commuters. As that day isn’t here yet, it deserves to run for at least a few more years in trademark anonymity. Is it cool? No, at least not unironically. But if its next owner doesn’t preserve this time capsule of mediocrity, maybe they could steal some SHO badges off of eBay and create Ford’s early-aughts response to the M5 Touring that no one has or ever will ask for.

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post Yesterday’s Mediocrity Is Tomorrow’s Classic: Buy This 25K-Mile Ford Taurus Wagon Before We Do appeared first on The Drive.

Based on the 110 (that’s the four-door, medium-sized one), the high-performance Defender is powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbo mild-hybrid V8 making 626 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque paired to an eight-speed auto. Torque is increased to 590 lb-ft with Dynamic Launch Mode turned on, and the truck gets from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and hits a top speed of 155 mph. Yep—155 mph and 60 in under four. In a Defender.

According to JLR’s press release, it’s called the Octa for reasons related to diamonds and how strong they are, or something. But all you need to know is: think Raptor, but British. Naturally, there are a bunch of reworked chassis parts upping the Defender’s off-road cred including longer and tougher wishbones, as well as unique active dampers with separate accumulators. Bigger Brembo brakes help rein in the increased power while an entire network of hydraulically interlinked active dampers keeps the thing stable.

The Octa is lifted by 1.1 inches, tracks are 2.7 inches wider, and fenders are beefier. New bumpers allow for better approach and departure angles, while the underbody has been further protected. As a result, the Defender Octa can ford up to 3.3 feet of water, deeper than any other production Defender before it. The Octa also happens to have the quickest steering ratio ever fitted to a factory Defender. There’s a new Octa “performance-focused off-road” driving mode that unlocks its full sand-destroying potential in addition to anti-lock braking and an off-road launch mode.

As another Defender superlative, the 33-inch all-terrain Goodyears specifically developed for this vehicle are the biggest factory Defender tires to date. Inside, new performance seats keep front occupants in place while integrating something called “Body and Soul Seat audio technology” that apparently lets you feel your music in addition to hearing it.

The 2025 Land Rover Defender Octa will start at $153,475, but the first-year-exclusive Edition One will cost $169,275 and be painted in exclusive Faroe Green.

Got a tip or question for the author about the Defender Octa? You can reach him here: [email protected]

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The Model 3 I drove was a dual-motor car with the Autopilot “Full Self-Driving” system equipped and subscribed to. I only had a couple of days with it, so I couldn’t test it as thoroughly as I normally would. However, I don’t think I needed to. I got the gist of it in the short time I had and my consensus is this: buy a Hyundai Ioniq 6 instead.

Whether it’s because Elon is afraid of criticism, can’t afford a press fleet, or simply does not care, Tesla doesn’t do press cars. Special thanks to the fine folks at Turo, though, who comped us a three-day rental. If you want to check out this Model 3 in New York, you can find it here. 

The Basics

I can still remember staying up until 2 a.m. on the East Coast to cover the initial launch event for the Tesla Model 3 in 2017. Back then, it was a big deal. Perhaps not as big of a deal as the Model S was originally, but the Model 3 still changed the game. Finally, a semi-affordable electric sedan from Tesla that not only had more range than its competition but cost less. However, it took six years for Tesla to give it any significant updates. BMW, Mercedes, and Audi—its primary internal combustion competitors—would have entirely new models out by then. Now, though, it’s finally been updated and the refreshed Model 3 is better in many ways than its predecessor. But it’s also worse in others.

From the outside, there’s no question that the Model 3 Highland is prettier than the original. Its headlights are slim and sharp, its front end is pointier, and its taillight design is much more upscale. Granted, it still looks like a jelly bean and is incredibly boring to look at in grayscale colors but it’s an improvement over the aging 2017 car. 

Inside, it’s mostly the same, though. Which is to say, it’s shit. I really try not to criticize interior ergonomics or design too hard unless it significantly hinders the driving experience. Even odd interiors will be learned by their customers. However, the Model 3 is almost dangerously bad inside. The seats are miserable (although I hear the new Model 3 Performance seats are excellent), every surface and material feels econobox-cheap, and the ergonomics can genuinely cause crashes.

Like with all Teslas nowadays, there’s no wiper stalk. Or side mirror controls. Or even steering wheel adjustments on the column itself. Everything, and I mean literally everything, needs to be controlled via the massive tablet-style touchscreen, with its dizzying amount of menus and tiny smartphone-sized icons. Not only do you have to take your eyes off the road to use it, but you also have to focus on touching the right icons because they’re small and all very similar looking. The menus have a very similar UI design, color scheme, and font to an iPad, which is great when the car is stationary but maddening while moving. 

It’s infuriating and easily the dumbest user interface I’ve ever encountered, on any device, in my entire life. However, the newest dumb thing Tesla did with the Model 3 was move the gear select controls to the touchscreen. To put the car into drive, you need to step on the brake like normal but then slide a skinny bar upward on the left part of the touchscreen. To reverse, you slide it down. It works OK, but several times in less than two days, it failed to register my swipe. 

There are redundant drive select buttons, though. But do you know where they are? Built into the interior lighting panel on the headliner, between the sun visors. Since Tesla wants the touch slider to be the primary control, the redundant buttons only illuminate when you use them. So if you want to turn on a dome light while driving, you can easily accidentally press a drive button and get a frighteningly loud beep beep as the car warns you that it can’t go into reverse while moving forward. It’s almost like whoever designed the cabin never drove a car before. 

Driving the Tesla Model 3

Thankfully, the Model 3 is still as quick as ever, so you can enjoy a little speed to make yourself forget about the frustrating controls. Two electric motors make 394 horsepower and 377 lb-ft of torque and launch the little Model 3 forward hard enough to make you forget about the Performance model. 60 mph arrives in 4.2 seconds, just 0.5 seconds slower than the BMW i4 M50. Buyers certainly don’t need anything quicker and, by the seat of the pants, the dual-motor Model 3 feels practically just as quick as that BMW. 

When the Model 3 originally came out, I remember hearing that its driving dynamics were genuinely close to cars like the BMW 3 Series. I was told that it was among the best sports sedans in the world. Now that I’ve driven one, I can finally, honestly say… bullshit. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. But it’s far from great. Its steering is hyperactive to the point of feeling incredibly fake and it self-centers with such an artificial rubber-banding that it actually becomes annoying. It’s accurate but there’s zero feel and the ratio is so quick that it feels overly twitchy at speed. 

Then there’s the ride, which is brittle. On smooth surfaces, it feels planted and solid. However, sharper bumps can upset that planted feeling. It isn’t horrible, but it’s certainly not as composed or as comfortable as something like the BMW i4 or Polestar 2. It’s more on par with the Ioniq 6. While it can be fun through twisty corners, it feels too rubbery and artificial to be genuinely engaging. So, it’s an OK sport sedan but far from a great one. 

Now, here’s the part where I get to talk about Elon Musk’s infamous “Autopilot with Full Self-Driving.” With the system set to its most comprehensive setting, allowing it to “drive itself” to the fullest of its abilities, I tested it on both normal and stop-and-go roads and highways. For the most part, it works well. It keeps itself in a lane perfectly, it shows you exactly what it sees and what it’s doing, it can stop at red lights, and it can follow traffic just fine. I also like that it tells you why it’s doing certain things, like, for example, changing into a faster lane to better match your desired speed, which I appreciate. 

It ain’t perfect, though. Twice, it failed to recognize a lane split, choosing to take a highway exit instead of staying straight. And when you need to correct it, the steering wheel aggressively tries to stay its course. Then, when you finally do correct it, Autopilot disengages, requiring you to start it again. Tesla needs to tone its aggressive throttle down, too. Even in its “Chill” setting, it accelerates too quickly from a stop and I had to quickly act to disengage it when it tried to quickly move around a cop car that had pulled another driver over. It’s impressive, there’s no doubt, and among the best on the market, but GM’s Super Cruise is still the superior, more nuanced system. 

The Highs and Lows

Without a doubt, the best part of the Model 3 is Tesla’s charging experience. Using a Tesla Supercharger is, by far, the easiest public EV charging experience out there. Simply drive up to a station, plug in, and walk away. There’s no fussing with accounts, credit cards, payments, screens, mobile apps, or anything else. You just plug in. That’s it. You can see why other brands like Ford and Rivian are going to start using them. But the Model 3 is also a quick little car that makes easy work of slicing through traffic and merging onto highways. Forward visibility is impressive. The dual wireless phone charging tray is pretty great and the rear touchscreen will make kids in the back seat go “Ohhhhh” and “Ahhhhh.” 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of low points. The interior just feels cheap and underequipped, especially for the price. The $28K-to-start Hyundai Kona is nicer inside, and its ergonomics would infuriate me every time I drove it. There was a sharp edge on the rear passenger door, so I cut myself when opening it once—an Easter egg tipping its cap to the Cybertruck, perhaps. It’s also noisy inside, with tons of wind and tire noise at high speed, even with double-pane windows. And the car seat LATCH points in the rear are difficult to hook onto. 

Tesla Model 3 Features, Options, and Competition

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the more affordable EVs in its class, with a starting price of $40,380 before federal and state tax incentives. The long-range AWD model I tested starts at $48,880 before it all. However, it comes relatively well-equipped with heated seats, the massive touchscreen that controls damn near everything, a rear seat screen, and all of its other snazzy gizmos as standard. As of this writing, the Model 3 is also eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax incentive under the Inflation Reduction Act.

There actually isn’t much of an options list to speak of for the Model 3. You choose your powertrain, color, wheels, and whether you want “Full Self-Driving Capability.” The latter of which—despite it being a misnomer at best, bald-faced lie at worst—costs $8,000. Every color except for Space Gray is an optional extra, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. Since my test car was Space Gray with the basic wheels (the only other wheel option costs $1,000) and FSD, its as-tested price was $57,130. 

The Model 3’s closest competitor, in terms of price, performance, and quality, is probably the aforementioned Hyundai Ioniq 6. The BMW i4 is much nicer inside and the better sports sedan but it’s significantly more expensive, with a starting price north of $60,000 for a dual-motor car. The Polestar 2 is pushing 60 grand if you’d like the AWD version. Meanwhile, Hyundai will sell you a fully loaded Ioniq 6 Limited with a dual-motor powertrain for under $55,000 before incentives. Its only downside is being low on range compared to the Model 3, with just 270 miles compared to the Tesla’s 341. However, Hyundais will be able to use Tesla’s Supercharger network starting in Q4 of this year. 

Range, Charging, and Efficiency

With 341 miles of range, the Model 3 bests every one of its competitors. The only EVs on the market with a higher range cost significantly more, such as the Lucid Air and Mercedes EQS. During my time with it, however, I averaged over 3 miles per kWh, which is pretty dang good. 

More important than range, though, is charge speed. If you can charge up quickly and conveniently, outright, full-charge range becomes less of a concern. And there’s no easier charging solution than Tesla’s Superchargers. They just work brilliantly. If you’ve ever fussed with an Electrify America station, you know that charging any other electric car can be maddening. You plug the car in, wait for the station to connect, either link your account or pay with a card, wait again for it all to initialize, then it starts charging. It is routinely a multi-minute process before electrons even begin flowing. And that’s if it actually works properly, which is far from a guarantee. However, there’s no fuss with a Supercharger. You simply plug in and walk away. When you’re done, you press the button on the charging handle or a button on the interior screen, charging stops, and you unplug and drive away. 

Value and Verdict

The 2024 Tesla Model 3 is fundamentally a good car. It’s quick, handles well enough, and has great range. However, it also comes with a lot of aggravating baggage. Just unlocking the car is annoying, having to either trust the mobile app to work properly or use the little keycard (which does not act like a keyless entry fob, you have to tap it against the B-pillar). It also feels as cheap as a ‘90s Corolla inside. Now that mainstream automakers have electric sports sedans, the only advantages the Model 3 has are range and charging—which, admittedly, are a couple of big, big advantages. But as more and more automakers switch over to the NACS port and gain Supercharger access, the latter advantage is about to become moot. 

Everything great about the Model 3 inherently—its smooth electric power, decent handling, and gas-free driving—can also be said about the Hyundai Ioniq 6. And while the Hyundai lacks the Tesla’s outright range, it’s more affordable, has a much nicer interior, comes with a far better warranty, and has a much wider dealer network (a quick search shows 820 Hyundai dealers in the U.S. versus 240 Tesla stores). Subjectively, I also think it looks far more interesting.

The Model 3’s importance to the market can’t be overstated, as it was a game-changer when it first came out in 2017. But since then, the competition has caught up and its luster is lost. Unless you simply must have the electric compact sedan with the most range, it’s hard to see why anyone would buy one over the current, and future, competition.

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post 2024 Tesla Model 3 Review: No Longer a Trailblazer appeared first on The Drive.

Registered to one Korneliusz Wieteska in Poland, TeslaShop.com is an independent website that’s evidently trying to become a Tesla community hub and an outlet for parts and accessories. Its homepage greets visitors with a photo of a Model X towing a camper, and invites them to sign up for a newsletter or reach out for commercial partnerships. Tesla’s logos and font aren’t used anywhere, and the homepage touches on “pain points” of Tesla ownership—clearly, the site’s owner isn’t trying to pass themselves off as an affiliate of Tesla.

But the domain name is similar enough to that of Tesla’s online retail outlet (shop.tesla.com) that Tesla decided to try to seize the domain. Due to technicalities with the domain provider, this wasn’t decided in a court of law, but through arbitration.

Tesla’s argument more or less boiled down to the one used by Nissan and Bentley before it: That it’s the biggest company to use its name, and therefore has a right to the TeslaShop.com address. It claimed the site rides the coattails of Tesla’s brand for commercial benefit and to gather customer info, and that it had no good reason to invoke Tesla’s brand. It also contended that TeslaShop.com was trying to pass itself off as official because it lacked a disclaimer stating otherwise.

The site’s ownership countered by pointing out that TeslaShop.com is not currently commercialized, and that European trademark law doesn’t stop third parties from using a brand name to indicate intended use of a product. (As in, you can sell Ford parts without representing Ford yourself.) It also demonstrated that the domain had been registered as far back as August 2006, years before the first Tesla Roadster was built, and more than a decade before Tesla rebranded from Tesla Motors.

“Given this timeline, it is evident that Complainant’s complaint should be viewed as an attempt at hostile takeover by a larger entity leveraging its market dominance,” the site’s legal representation stated. “The delayed assertion of trademark rights against a domain registered and used well in advance raises concerns about the legitimacy of Complainant’s claims.”

Ultimately, the arbitration panel found that while many of Tesla’s claims were grounded, it concluded the site wasn’t posing as a representative of Tesla. It pointed to the site’s prominent complaints about ownership issues like expensive parts, and the use of a family road trip photo rather than a curated corporate photo shoot as a lead image.

And so, TeslaShop.com will remain under the control of its Polish proprietor. Whether the site becomes a business or community hub remains to be seen, but it’s another victory for Davids against Goliaths. Perhaps Tesla could’ve learned a thing or two from Nissan’s and Bentley’s similar flops in court—though that’d require Tesla acknowledging it has something to learn from legacy automakers. Judging by Tesla’s tumbling sales, it’s hard to see things any other way.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: [email protected]

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The goals for the 800-volt platform were higher integration, efficiency, and power density, says Audi—in short, the goal was a better EV ownership experience for prospective buyers. One that aims to be more seamless than ever, and that, perhaps, ironically, pairs bleeding-edge tech with the historic identity of a brand like Audi—and it’s hit the mark. This is classic Audi: power, luxury, and great handling. It seamlessly blends old and new, making for an EV that’s less interested in being an EV and more interested in being an Audi.

Of course, making a new tech-heavy SUV that embodies the Audi spirit required upending some norms. Audi took a new approach to making the Q6, designing it from the inside out rather than the outside in. That’s not quite sacrilege in the world of R&D, but it’s close. Whereas the combustion engine was once at the center of the Fibonacci spiral that led to a car’s design, the driver is now at the center in the Q6 E-Tron. As well as the passengers, to some extent.

Audi says that it started by making the interior of the Q6 first, coming up with a tech-laden cabin that feels overwhelming at first. As soon as you step in, the wrap-around display threatens to swallow you whole. There’s an 11.9-inch OLED driver’s screen behind the squared-off steering wheel and a 14.5-inch OLED center screen in a panel that curves toward the driver. The interior favors the driver, but there’s an optional 10.9-inch LCD display on the passenger’s side above the glove box. The three displays house the EV’s native infotainment, built on Android Automotive OS. There’s also wireless Apple CarPlay for the iPhone faithful.

From the driver’s seat, I started to believe Audi’s claim that the Q6 E-Tron was designed from the inside out, though not for the better. The cabin reminded me of a design study from a new designer that would be scrapped in the early stages of development—something that looks good on paper or CAD software but would never fly in the real world. And, yet, there it was, a screen living on the former dead space at the end of the dash. Why not let it stay dead?

The panoramic display hovers over the center console which has a small volume knob that also lets you skip tracks. Thank heavens for rotary dials! Still, I wasn’t in love with the interior. The HVAC controls are on the screen rather than on a row of buttons, and it’s obvious that touchscreens and capacitive touch buttons are Audi and VW’s way forward into the EV future. 

Clearly, Audi is nudging me to use the Q6 E-Tron’s voice-activated Audi Assistant, which can handle over 800 functions and change the majority of settings. The Assistant can even learn to tell apart the voices of driver and passenger, and ignore commands from the latter. Neat, but not convincing enough to use voice-assist.

I worried the techy interior would put me off because the screens and voice commands are just the tip of the iceberg. The Q6 and SQ6 E-Tron are the first to get Audi’s “End-to-End Electronics architecture” (E3), which is in charge of everything from the infotainment and driving functions to ADAS features. And driver assists are a big part of the Q6, with adaptive cruise control and emergency braking being standard. There’s an optional adaptive cruise assist plus, combining adaptive cruise with lane-keep that controls acceleration, braking, following distance, lane position, and more.

Audi says the system learns from surrounding traffic and other motorists to the point of slowing you down at a dangerous curve if it detects that you’re coming in too hot. The Q6 E-Tron pulls swarm data from HERE map services (in Europe) which is a widely-used mapping and mobility data provider that once belonged to Nokia. Yes, that Nokia. Basically, the Audi Q6 and SQ6 are constantly learning and adjusting the car’s braking, acceleration, and steering on models with the ADAS upgrade.

The Q6 also applies machine learning to its regenerative braking, which defaults to an “auto” mode that gives it some say in how the car recovers energy as it slows, increasing or decreasing the regen level based on driver behavior. It’s just another way drivers are sharing more control of modern vehicles with sophisticated computers. This has been the case for decades, given the software underlying most automotive hardware is controlled by a computer algorithm. But the effects are more overt in new vehicles, and it makes you perk up the first time the Q6 does something unexpected, such as braking into a turn when it judges you’re going too fast.

By now, you may have guessed I hated driving the Q6. That I pouted and proceeded to stand next to the EV waving my fists at it and the clouds… where the internet lives. But just because the Q6 did something unexpected, doesn’t mean it was unwelcome. After getting over the shock of giving up a little control, I noticed that the Audi was helping rather than hindering me, so I eased up and enjoyed the computer-assisted drive. Look, I’ll probably never tell a robot to take the wheel, but a little help doesn’t bother me.

Especially when that help allows me to reign in the power of the SQ6 E-Tron on unfamiliar European roads. The Audi Q6’s new PPE platform means it and the SQ6’s two drive motors and 100-kWh battery are also new. The Q6 and SQ6 will launch with dual motors and all-wheel drive, but a single-motor model will come later, as well as a fastback and other RS versions that Audi has confirmed but not yet revealed. 

The Q6 E-Tron makes a combined 422 horsepower from its front and rear motors but bumps that up to 456 hp with launch control. Audi didn’t specify combined torque, but the Q6 will go from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. The performance-oriented SQ6 shares the same motor layout but makes 483 horses as-is and 509 using launch control, sprinting from zero to 60 in 4.1 seconds. The downside of that performance is reduced range: the SQ6 is rated for 276 miles while the base Q6 gets 307.

Of course, I didn’t set the SQ6 E-Tron to warp mode because that would be irresponsible and (mostly) I’m not eager to find out what prison is like in Spain. I’m a native Spanish speaker but castellano doesn’t always graft onto my Latin American lexicon. The linear power delivery of the SQ6 E-Tron’s dual motors never surprised me, for better or worse. But there’s plenty of power on tap, and traction was never lacking thanks to Quattro all-wheel drive. Passing the countless hatchbacks and diesel wagons on the AP-8 motorway was effortless. The SQ6 has perfectly weighted steering, communicating maneuvers well and gaining my trust early on.

The Q6 E-Tron’s suspension was a bit soft, but the sport adaptive suspension of the SQ6 was just right. Both models boast air suspension with selectable modes, including one for off-road. We tested this mode accidentally on purpose by getting lost and driving on some ranch trail carved into a mountain. The Q6 did just fine in the mud. And adding to that practicality, the electric SUV has a towing capacity of up to 4,400 pounds. 

Back on the highway, the road test resumed in earnest through the many twists and turns as we ascended and descended the mountain passes. Through it all, the Q6 and SQ6 were composed, hugging the road better than any SUV with a 1,300-pound battery should.  Remember, this platform will also underpin the electric Porsche Macan, and the SQ6 is an S-badged Audi through and through.

I pushed it where I could, but found no jerking, no skittishness on sudden direction change, nor any excess body roll in bends or tight turns. Some of that was because the SQ6 would often slow down for me or correct a mild drift from the lane, keeping our speed in check and trajectory true. But these corrections were neither alarming nor obtrusive. Even regen braking was hard to detect, giving the SQ6 a natural feel at the brake pedal. The option for aggressive regen is certainly there, with five modes ranging from one-pedal driving to regular-car coasting. I set the regen to “auto” and completely forgot about it.

I could hear the SQ6 E-Tron whispering in the back of my mind, reminding me it was designed from the inside out, revolving around me, the driver. I wanted to call it a liar and point to the dumb display on the passenger’s side, but once you’re moving, that screen goes into privacy mode and becomes impossible to see from the driver’s seat. When it was my turn as a passenger, I used the screen to set a route on the nav after Android Auto did its thing and reset the GPS. Thanks, Google. 

OK, fine. I’ll admit that the passenger screen came in handy. 

The 800-volt architecture enables 270 kW DC fast charging, which means the 100-kWh battery pack will charge from 10 to 80% in as little as 21 minutes. The battery can get up to 135 miles of range in 10 minutes under ideal conditions. But 800-volt architecture is still uncommon, so Audi built in a few tricks to take advantage of the new platform’s capabilities.

It enabled bank charging in the Q6, which allows the electric SUV to “divide” its single 800-volt battery into two 400-volt batteries that recharge simultaneously at stations where DC fast charging is unavailable. Audi also paid attention to the battery and drivetrain thermals. There’s even a dry sump electric oil pump for the rear motor, The E3 computer can cool or heat the battery to optimize charging efficiency. And Audi also changed the battery’s packaging for improved isolation and cooling. The juice pack is now lighter and more compact for better heat transfer, which resulted in a space-efficient battery that bought Audi more freedom in designing the Q6. 

The exterior design of the Q6 is unmistakably Audi, athletic and streamlined but not shouty like other luxury cars. It’s also not leaning hard into a futuristic EV aesthetic for no good reason, as some other EVs tend to do. From far away, this is a typical Audi SUV, only with two CCS charging ports—one on each side—for the sake of convenience. The fenders have the flair of old Quattros while taking after the E-Tron GT sedan. The SQ6 amps up the sport with available 21-inch “Aero” wheels and red brake calipers.

The Matrix LED headlights and OLED taillights have eight selectable patterns. The tails even let you communicate with others on the road via light patterns. Oh, wait. No. Full functionality of the lights will be disabled in the U.S. due to regulations, despite having all the required hardware.

For now, the Q6 E-Tron will fit between the smaller Q4 and bigger Q8 E-Tron in Audi’s EV lineup. Legroom in the back row is generous thanks to the compact packaging of the new drivetrain built into the SUV’s 9.5-foot wheelbase. The electric Q6 and SQ6 don’t replace the gas Q5 and SQ5, of course, but are in the same midsize luxury SUV orbit. Audi envisions the Q6 E-Tron competing with the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX, and Ford Mustang Mach-E. The Q6 is expected to hit U.S. dealers in late 2024. Pricing remains unknown but is expected to be around the mid-$60,000s for the base model and low-$70,000s for the SQ6.

Rather than swim against the current and force people to love unfamiliar technology, shoving the EV-ness of the Q6 E-Tron in our faces, Audi found a way to work with our proclivities. The result is an EV that feels and handles naturally or more “normal,” pretty much like a comparable ICE-powered model. And I say that as a compliment. The Q6 is not only a good electric car, it’s just a good car period. As far as driving experiences go, at least, we’re finally approaching the point of EV normalization, and the Audi Q6 and SQ6 E-Tron are at the front of the line.

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post 2025 Audi Q6 & SQ6 E-Tron First Drive Review: Futuristic Yet Familiar appeared first on The Drive.

Per a Porsche Cars North America spokesperson, “In Europe and other markets, [the 911 Carrera GTS Coupe’s coefficient of drag] is 0.27. For the U.S. cars, the value is 0.29, based on the fact that we do not have an Eco mode setting for the rear spoiler, due to specific brake light visibility requirements in the U.S.”

The 911 GTS comes standard with an active rear wing that adjusts itself depending “primarily on speed, but also on the charge-air temperature.” Presumably, the wing’s most slippery setting blocks the third brake light in a way that makes it non-compliant with NHTSA’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), resulting in a 0.02 Cd penalty.

It should be noted that the difference between a Cd of 0.27 and 0.29 isn’t night-and-day. According to Popular Mechanics, Cd variations of up to 5% can be recorded by the exact same car depending on the wind tunnel and testing methods being used. But it also isn’t nothing. Porsche’s own Taycan Turbo, for example, has a published Cd of 0.22, while the Tesla Model S notches a 0.24, and the jellybean-shaped Mercedes-Benz EQS outperforms them both with a 0.20 Cd. Carmakers will even brag over the relative efficiency of their exterior designs, especially when marketing EVs targeting ever-longer range.

It should also be noted that this U.S. versus rest-of-world difference in the aerodynamic properties of the Porsche 911 GTS isn’t a new development, as this discrepancy existed in the outgoing GTS, too. “Eco Mode spoiler setting was also not available on the previous generation (992.1) in our market, so this doesn’t represent a change from the car before,” the Porsche spokesperson told The Drive. Nevertheless, it’s a detail I found interesting, and one I don’t think a lot of people know about, so there you go.

If you absolutely must have the most aerodynamic 911 GTS that Porsche makes, you should probably start looking into emigrating. Or just wait for someone to jailbreak that active rear wing.

Got a tip or question for the author about the new 911 GTS? You can reach him here: [email protected]

The post The Porsche 911 GTS Is Less Aerodynamic in the US—and Safety Is Why appeared first on The Drive.

Dealer networks Asbury Automotive Group, AutoNation, Group 1 Automotive, Lithia Motors, and Sonic Automotive all run CDK technology. Between those, we’re talking about basically every car brand. Exactly how much business was lost by this outage is hard to quantify. The dealers have still been selling cars, parts, and service, but it’s been a headache for everybody who works with these systems.

“We are continuing our phased approach to the restoration process and are rapidly bringing dealers live on the Dealer Management System,” CDK said in a statement issued to Automotive News early July 1. “We anticipate all dealers’ connections will be live by late Wednesday, July 3, or early morning Thursday, July 4.”

I stopped by Lia Honda in Kingston, New York a couple of weeks ago to pick up some MTF crush washers, and the poor guy running the parts desk had to make me a handwritten receipt. I suspect the real pain will begin after the holiday, when service writers, techs, and other folks working at these places will probably have to re-enter everything they’ve been doing on paper since June 19.

Based on some of the comments on our first story about this incident, it sounds like people using CDK services were not, uh, particularly big fans of it. Obviously the company’s going to have to commit to some major cybersecurity overhauling to keep dealership business—maybe the service will get better with its next version?

Got a tip? Email us at [email protected]

The post Car Dealerships Hobbled by CDK Cyberattack Should Be Back Online by July 4 appeared first on The Drive.

Crazy Taxi was never a multiplayer game in its heyday, at least in the most direct sense. The challenge was improving your own play, and beating your personal best score. Whatever bragging rights the game elicited were mostly constrained to the leaderboard on your local arcade’s cabinet. It’s clear, however, that the reboot will send cabbies out en masse, in what sounds like a kind of battle royale-style free-for-all for fares. There will be cops prowling the streets too, which is something we’d seen hinted at from the title’s earlier footage last year.

Beyond that, the interview doesn’t reveal many details, as it mostly consists of surface-level talk of the game’s overall vibe, along with some discussion of how young and enthusiastic the dev team at Sega’s Sapporo Studio is. Indeed, the group seems to have its head in the right place; a member of the art department talks of the iconic yellow cab (likely the one driven by Axel) leaping into the familiar background of the West Coast with blue water under blue skies, in classic Sega fashion. The city’s said to be realistic but also set up “like an amusement park,” a fitting descriptor given that classic Crazy Taxi already sent players through amusement parks in cities. The devs hinted at a variety of game types, and it’s not hard to imagine tweaks on the classic CT formula for team-based play, or a new mode pitting cops against cabbies.

Anytime a beloved game like Crazy Taxi is brought back after so many years, fans are likely to be cautiously optimistic. Sega’s madcap driving game might not be a household name these days, but it holds a very special place in the hearts of those who sunk hours and hours into it decades ago. Crazy Taxi struck that delicate balance of being outrageously addictive and competitive, yet somehow rarely demoralizing. Whether you posted a new leaderboard best or not, it was difficult not to have a blast, drifting and bounding over San Francisco’s hilly intersections to a kickass punk soundtrack.

It’s perhaps a relief, then, that Sega isn’t trying to recreate those games, but better; it’s going in an entirely new direction, one that’s understandably more modern, and reflects the way people play together today. It’s best not to count on the end result being a bona fide success on all fronts (especially not on launch day if gaming in the 2020s has taught us anything), but this Crazy Taxi fan is interested to see where Sega takes this long-dormant arcade mainstay.

Got a tip? Email us at [email protected]

The post New Crazy Taxi Game Sounds Like a Multiplayer Battle Royale for Fares appeared first on The Drive.

Normally, a new performance car making its rounds around the ‘Ring would hardly be news. But this is a Chinese supercar, a relatively new thing that exists now, from one of the world’s fastest-growing automakers. And its presence at the Nordschleife not only shows how serious BYD is about the U9’s performance and handling, but also signals how serious the company is about, well, being taken seriously. The U9 is real, the U9 is here, and you can watch its brakes glow bombing down into Fuchsröhre.

Yangwang—BYD’s ultra-luxury brand whose name literally translates to “look up”—builds the U8 plug-in hybrid SUV and the U9 supercar. The U9 makes nearly 1,300 horsepower from four electric motors hooked up to a 80-kWh BYD “Blade” lithium iron phosphate battery. It apparently gets from zero to 62 mph in 2.36 seconds, covers the quarter mile in 9.78, and has a top speed of 192 mph. Under the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), it’s good for 280 miles of range.

It can also drive on three wheels and jump.

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Starting at the equivalent of about $230,000 in its home country, the Yangwang U9 is built on an 800-volt architecture and supports fast charging at speeds of up to 500 kW as well as dual charging—that is, two chargers simultaneously. BYD claims it can go from 30% to 80% charge in just 10 minutes—impressive, considering I’m not entirely sure my iPhone can even do that.

Oh, and before you call it a knockoff McLaren, the U9 was designed by a man named Wolfgang Egger, the former design boss at Alfa Romeo, Audi, and Lamborghini whose resume includes the Alfa 8C Competizione.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach him here: [email protected]

The post Watch BYD’s $230K Quad-Motor Hypercar Slayer Take the Nurburgring appeared first on The Drive.

But America! Trade policies! Tariffs! Well, those only apply to made-in-China stuff as a way to protect domestic production. But any blockades—financially and figuratively—are merely efforts to buy time. 

Chinese automakers have been transparent about their manufacturing plans outside of their home base. This includes battery-electric vehicle production and assembly plants in Mexico for BYD, Chery, and Great Wall. BYD and Great Wall will also add production facilities in Brazil and Europe. Chery, Geely, LeapMotor, and SAIC MG plan to build in Europe as well.

There goes the market. 

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020, aims to bolster and protect homegrown businesses and goods through increased local production and free trade. If “Made in China” tags now read “Made in Mexico,” those earlier tariffs won’t mean a thing. But will consumers care, especially given China’s history of forced labor and shunning environmental protections?

If a brand-new BYD Seagull EV costs less than $11,000 versus the U.S. EV average of more than $50,000, new-car buyers might turn a blind eye. Government subsidies allow Chinese OEMs to offer these rock-bottom prices. And when a “value meal” at McDonald’s now costs 20 bucks, people will more often than not prefer food and financial freedom over struggle meals and debt.

Time is racing toward us, but maybe it’s not such a terrible idea. If Chinese automakers want to build here, let them. They’ll have to follow our labor laws, for one thing. We definitely won’t have kids working in plants—well, hopefully. And if it means more choice and freedom (and competition) in the car-buying space, so be it.

The post China on Track To Sell 30 Percent of All Cars Globally by 2030 appeared first on The Drive.

Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History recently released a video about a little-known Pontiac GTO concept from 1988. Following a brief overview of the GTO’s history, at about the five-minute mark, the time capsule opened. 

And it’s not exactly pretty or profound. 

At first blush, it resembles a fourth-gen Chevy Camaro in bright canary yellow, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Then you see hints of the Pontiac Firebird, maybe a Fiero, and bits of Saturn, too. Yeah, kind of all over the place, but such is the purpose of a design study. For what’s supposed to be a sports car, though, it’s not the least bit intimidating. It’s certainly sleek. The rear three-quarter angle is its best view if you’re looking for a modicum of muscle. I still doubt it can do a pull-up.

If the year is correct, this GTO concept would fall between the unveiling of the Pontiac Banshee and Protosport concepts. Those were actually shown and released into the wilds of public opinion, while the apparently unnamed GTO concept of 1998 was not. So far, an online search for images of this specific car eventually just led back to this Rare Classic Car YouTube video.

GM has a habit of releasing images from its design vault long after the concept in question is utilized or relevant. This one probably could’ve remained in there. As the narrator points out, this 1988 Pontiac concept looks like nothing any GTO that came before or after. Automotive design is neither better nor worse for it. What’s your take?

The post The ‘Unknown GTO’: Why GM Abandoned a 1980s Pontiac Revival appeared first on The Drive.

If you haven’t heard, there’s been a commercial truck driver shortage for the last few years. In the U.S., the DRIVE SAFE Act suggests opening the profession to 18-year-olds while some states increased load limits. But this is not just a U.S. problem; it’s an everywhere problem. In Japan, the proposed fix is a 310-mile-long conveyor belt. Because if there’s no one to drive the freight to its next destination, why not use a ridiculously long treadmill? Hmm, are we really out of other options?

Referred to as the “Autoflow-Road,” this network of automated logistics roads would transport goods using both above-ground tracks and tunnels. At ground level, tracks could be placed in a variety of places, most likely medians and alongside shoulders. So, the basic infrastructure is already in place, and the use of tunnels would minimize the impact on above-ground congestion.

The Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is looking to model the AutoFlow-Road’s above-ground freight tracks after existing high-capacity conveyor belt systems currently used in the mining industry, particularly a 23-km (14-mile) belt in Kōchi prefecture or a 100-km (62-mile) one in Western Sahara.

The ministry says the system “will not only address the logistics crisis but also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We would like to speedily proceed with discussions on the matter.” The hope is that each conveyor belt pallet can hold up to one ton of cargo. In a 24-hour cycle, the ministry estimates the Autoflow-Road can deliver the same amount of freight as 25,000 drivers.

Of course, there’s no official timeline or budget for this stab in the dark. However, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun, the ministry has suggested a completion date as early as 2034. The regional newspaper also noted that cost would be a significant challenge, with wide-ranging estimates of 7 billion yen to 80 billion yen ($43 million to $497 million at today’s currency rates) per 10 km (6 miles). According to a study by the Nomura Research Institute, Japan’s long-haul workforce is expected to plummet by 36% within the next six years. The impact of the driver shortage will be most severe in rural areas. The Yomiuri Shimbun adds that by 2030, nearly a third of all packages will not be delivered if there aren’t enough drivers.

The post Japan Plans a 310-Mile Long Conveyor Belt to Replace Semi-Trucks appeared first on The Drive.

Baert managed to pull off onto the infield grass, but Hook was stranded in the middle of the course—literally in the middle. A double-yellow caution was flagged almost immediately. In video footage, you can see the digital caution flags as well as a race official frantically waving at passing drivers who were supposed to slow down to the same speed, drive in a single file, and not overtake.  

But for reasons that can only amount to sheer stupidity, none of the drivers tapped the brakes. One by one, at least a dozen GT World Challenge Europe drivers flew past their stranded German colleague until Adrian D’Silva’s No. 61 Porsche 911 GT3 R collided with the left rear of Hook’s Ferrari. 

Then came the boom.

The violent hit from D’Silva sent the No. 333 Ferrari into a spin. A fire had already begun in the Ferrari’s left rear, but its ensuing crash into the retaining wall created an explosive burst of flames.

All three cars were retired from the race. The drivers are reported to be in OK condition. 

Motorsport is a high-risk competitive sport. Crashes are likely, injuries are possible, and death is a reality. The multi-colored racing flag system mitigates these and complements the ever-growing list of safety features and procedures. This particular incident could’ve been much more gruesome, but thankfully, the drivers didn’t suffer any serious injuries.

However, there is no excuse for not heeding the caution warnings. Severe penalties should be handed down to every single driver who didn’t follow protocol. Otherwise, incidents like this will continue to happen, and they might not always end up “OK.”

The post Try Not to Wince at This Horrible Crash at Spa as Drivers Ignore Double-Yellow Flags appeared first on The Drive.

Located in the Texas Panhandle, about an equidistant five-hour drive between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Dallas, Texas, the city of Amarillo doesn’t have a huge claim to fame outside of an occasional country ditty, the 10 half-buried vehicles known as Cadillac Ranch, and a 72-ounce steak challenge. Now, you can add a go-kart facility to that list. 

Just 20 minutes east of Amarillo is a track built in the likeness of the 19-turn Instabul circuit that former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone once called “the best race track in the world.” The Turkish GP has been part of the F1 schedule nine times since 2005. The Texas version saw construction begin in 2012 of what would eventually be a nearly one-mile-long track.

A passion project of local orthopedic surgeon (and obvious Formula One fan) Thane Morgan, the go-kart track wasn’t initially open to the public. Instead, the exclusive Morgan family circuit was built to indulge his children and like-minded racing friends. The venue didn’t hold a competitive race until 2017, when the Texas ProKart Challenge brought 80 to 100 competitors to the panhandle.

In 2022, the Amarillo Kart Circuit was sold to three brothers — Kyle, Brad, and Joe Yuchinski. They conducted a massive renovation of the once-private facility into a more event- and public-friendly entertainment destination. This included adding 20,000 sq. ft. of asphalt, a covered grid area, a revamped track exit, a scoring tower, an elevated viewing platform, security fencing, bathrooms, showers, and a new pro shop with rental spaces. The newly-dubbed Amarillo Kart Complex opened in May 2023.

But just 11 months later, the whole lot is up for sale. No word on whether the Yuchinski brothers plan to stay on board as management while letting someone else handle the ownership business. The real estate listing shows an on-market date of June 18, 2024, with an asking price of $2 million. Don’t worry, there are living quarters onsite so, technically, you’re buying a race track that you can live at.

The post There’s a Replica of the Istanbul F1 Track in Texas and It’s For Sale appeared first on The Drive.

Unless it is an actual stolen vehicle. We have no idea but we do have a lot of questions. 

In a Facebook Marketplace listing posted three days ago, a “2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Coupe 2D” with 20,000 miles on the clock is up for grabs for the low low price of $35,000. There’s no funny business in the title. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s everything else that gives pause. 

“Does not start stuck in drive! No title. Don’t ask for vin,” the listing starts. The single photo shows the back corner and side of the Gallardo, license plate conveniently cropped out. It looks fine apart from the dolly mysteriously stuck under the rear wheel. “Sold as is for parts everything is there nothing missing,” the listing ends.

Again, we’re not saying this is stolen. We’re not not saying it either. Just making observations, like the location of East Hartford, Connecticut isn’t exactly crawling with Lamborghini owners. And oh, right: the listing was posted by a Mr. “Bagg Chaser”.

Apparently, Bagg Chaser is so keen on getting rid of this supercar that he posted a nearly identical listing the next day—with a price reduction. Now just $34,000 (such savings!) and with a full vehicle image, Mr. Chaser again asks prospective buyers to “STOP ASKING FOR THE VIN.” He adds that a friend “did a [sic] insurance job and reported the car.” Interestingly, he now claims to have the title too. If you want it, you’ll have to meet him and his “good friend’s house.” Great. “That only way we doing business.”

Kelley Blue Book shows nearby listings for Gallardos of a similar age and mileage ranging from $95,888 to $140,995. All are from seemingly reputable dealers and private sellers who include multiple (and clear) photos as well as accident reports, ownership history, and VINs. Anyway, just another day on Facebook Marketplace. Best of luck to Bagg Chaser and his “buddy,” though. May they have no shortage of red flags to wave.

The post This Is Definitely Not a Stolen Lamborghini on Facebook Marketplace, No Sir appeared first on The Drive.

Courtesy of a dash cam recording from a transporter, we see the hand of karma on full display regarding the consequences of vehicular mayhem. A member of the Facebook group Dash Cam Owners Australia posted video footage of an afternoon affair between a Mazda 3 hatchback and a Subaru Outback wagon. When and how they met is unknown. What is evident is the unfriendliness of the meetup, which leads to a literal mashup.

The pair are driving on the far right, or slow lane, of a three-lane highway. Via the transport truck’s righthand camera, which lists its posted speed as 101 km/h (63 mph), we see the Subaru speed up as if intending to pass the truck on the right. The Mazda follows suit, only to have the Subie hit the brakes. 

At first, it’s a soft tap, as if a warning. Except that almost immediately after, the Subie driver apparently stomps on the brake. The Mazda driver barely avoids the rear bumper smack. If that wasn’t unsettling enough, the dance continues further up ahead with disastrous results. The entire event is caught in its entirety by the transporter’s front-facing dash camera.

After the near-miss, the Subaru does proceed forward and passes the truck but remains in the slow lane. There is just enough of a gap, though, for the Mazda 3 to also pass the truck and change lanes. Wanting to change lanes is a good idea. Remaining behind the Subaru while attempting to do so was the wrong call. 

BRAKE CHECK.

The Mazda again avoids a collision with the Subaru but swerves out of the way with too much force, traveling across the highway to the number one lane, where a Land Rover is. Kudos to the Mazda driver for not hitting the sitting duck Rover, but his or her overcorrecting makes the vehicle fishtail back to the other side of the road. Avoiding the shoulder guardrail is a success, but avoiding the transport hauler that’s been recording the entire scene is not.

The Mazda’s driver’s side comes into contact with the truck’s right side. If only the video footage had ended there. Unfortunately, the Mazda ricochets across the front end of the transporter and into the path of another hauler, which was speeding by on the left shoulder. Seems their hurry to move past the chaos only created more mayhem. The Mazda goes into a 540-degree whirlwind before stopping nose-first into a guardrail.

Time lapsed? Forty-one seconds. The Mazda driver was able to exit his vehicle, but it’s unknown if there were injuries or passengers. At that point, the Subaru was far out of the frame. The debate continues as to who was the instigator. Yes, the Subaru caused the crash, but why? Was the Mazda excessively tailgating? Was the Subaru looking for a quick insurance scam payout? But the Mazda needed to crash into the Subie for that to happen. According to the original poster, the truck is part of a fleet of haulers belonging to Brisbane-based Team Transport & Logistics, and police are investigating the incident.

The post Mazda vs Subaru Road Rage Crash Is an Instant Karma Classic appeared first on The Drive.

According to the Australian outlet CarSales, Suzuki will have a Jimny EV by 2030 but a hybrid will arrive before then. There might even be a Jimny built for global distribution, possibly resurrecting the Might Boy moniker. But the Mighty Boy was a coupe-like truck, not unlike the iconic Subaru Brat and forgotten Dodge Rampage. So, does that mean a subcompact sport truck is in the works?

“The project, I would say, is not dead,” said Michael Pachota, general manager of Suzuki autos in Australia. “Imagine a Jimny with two seats at the front and nothing at the back?”

Well, we don’t have to imagine. Suzuki released images of a proposed pickup during the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon. The Jimny Sierra pickup concept is as adorable as you’d expect, but don’t be deceived by its cute face. Its 4×4 abilities are evident with its higher ride height, meaty off-road spec tires, wider fender flares, and topside LED spotlights.

The Jimny is already coveted the world over, as evidenced by its profitability. “Anything that starts with Jimmy ends in sales,” said Pachota. In Australia, the Jimny is Suzuki’s top-selling model, with buyers experiencing long delivery wait times for the three-door. The arrival of the five-door SUV only added to the demand. 

But a Jimny truck would probably create a global frenzy. Unable to wait for a production version, neighboring New Zealand took matters into its own hands and introduced a conversion program. The certified utility vehicles feature a flatbed tray and are offered in two trims.

There is no timeline as to when a factory-built Jimny pickup would start being built. Besides, the consumer cheers would only come from off-roading fans in Japan, India, Africa, Latin America, and Australia. Americans, Europeans, and the UK will still be SOL and crying in this timeline since Suzuki has pulled out of those markets due to poor sales (U.S.) or stricter emissions rules (U.K., Europe). 

Suzuki did return to Europe, but only in commercial vehicle sales. A Suzuki comeback in the U.S. is even more unlikely. Like many exotic automotive fruits, the Jimny wasn’t developed for the U.S. market. The Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz may have reinvigorated the compact truck segment, and there’s no shortage of small SUVs available stateside, but Suzuki will need more than hand-raisers to attempt a return. Regulations are still a thing, and, oh, there’s no dealer network. But hardcore Jimny fans will seemingly find a way, or just wait 25 years.

The post Single-Cab Suzuki Jimny Pickup Is a Real Possibility  appeared first on The Drive.

Of all the sports cars that could make the switch to battery power, it’s especially hard to digest the Italians. Their V12s and V8s—and even their twin-turbo V6s now—are the stuff of legends. Take that away and what do you have? It’d be like taking Luciano Pavarotti’s voice away and thinking he could still sell out venues on looks alone.

But all along, Maserati’s people insisted that the Gran Cabrio Folgore was, first and foremost, a Maserati through and through, and secondly, not a replacement for its ICE models but an alternative. Six weeks later, fully expecting to hold them accountable, I got behind the wheel of this so-called Folgore—which, by the way, means “lightning.”

The Basics

I’ll tell you my thoughts on the risotto, but first, here’s the recipe: 751 horsepower from three motors drawing from a 92.5-kWh battery laid out in a T shape. The battery pack runs down the middle of the car through the “transmission” tunnel and the “T” arms expand underneath the rear seats. This is key—more on it later. There’s one motor up front and two in the rear, although the front motor can be disabled for pure RWD if so desired. Maserati says the Gran Cabrio Folgore can go about 233 miles on a single charge (EPA certification is underway), though you won’t be hitting that number if you try and test its 2.7-second zero-to-60-mph time or its 180-mph top speed.

Most importantly, however, is the Folgore’s infinite headroom. It’s the whole reason to buy one, especially considering its target buyer likely already owns other high-dollar machines; combustion and electric. The appeal here is buying into the new and very exclusive club of convertible electric car owners—and with a Maserati at that. 

It looks like a Maserati, too. There’s no confusing it for anything else on the road. Design chief Klaus Busse and his team hit a home run with the new Gran Turismo a few years ago, and the Folgore is every bit as romantic and eye-catching as its fixed-roof, gas-drinking sibling. The muscular front end is dominated by dramatic fenders over the front wheels, while the quintessential Maserati grille remains mostly untouched. I say mostly because it was tweaked due to the lack of a gasoline engine under the hood, but the result is just as charming.

The rear is sleek, refined, and, overall, less aggro than the front. This is especially true when compared to the previous-gen Gran Turismo. It works, and it gives the Gran Cabrio that touch of sophistication that’s seen throughout the entire lineup nowadays. In today’s crowded supercar segment, Maserati is upping its elegance and performance game equally, knowing that it needs to cater to rich folk who not only want to go fast but also want to be seen as edgy and savoir-faire. No more hot-headed playboys or bulked-up South Beach gym owners. 

And as Busse put it while showing me around the car, the biggest challenge was making the Folgore look great with the top up and down. This involved working and reworking the beltline until it gave the body the right proportions. It couldn’t be too thin, too thick, it couldn’t be too high or too low, or too far back as it went across the rear. Too far forward, however, and it impacted the rear passenger space. (This is an authentic four-seater, after all, not a 2+2.) Well, he nailed it.

Driving Experience

Travel delays nearly ended my chances of getting some seat time in the Folgore, but thanks to some quick-thinking folks, this hiccup actually worked out in my favor. Rather than sharing (which isn’t always caring), I had a car to myself on the twisty, lakeside roads in northern Italy. My mission was to catch up to the group journalists who had set off a couple of hours before me. Boy, how did I end up in this awful situation?

With the Folgore’s soft top closed due to an incessant drizzle, I set off from Lake Maggiore and headed into the mountains. The first revelation arrived rather quickly: This feels like a true Maserati. Forget that it’s electric—everything about its steering, suspension, brakes, and overall performance screamed, “We’ve been making Italian sports cars for over 100 years. What did you expect, dummy?”

This made my job very easy, really, because, for the next 90 minutes, I would get to know the Folgore’s intricacies rather than figure out whether it lived up to its heritage. It’s like when you go on a first date and early on you learn that there will be a second one—so you can enjoy yourself rather than spend every minute of it overanalyzing things. 

Set to the GT drive mode (there are four: Folgore, GT, Sport, and Corsa), the electric convertible powered effortlessly through narrow mountain roads, though more notably, it didn’t exude that odd “riding on rails” feeling that most EVs have. While that phrase is typically used to compliment a car’s handling, it can also be a bit of a bad thing. See, EVs that ride on skateboard platforms have low centers of gravity, but because everything—including the seats—is mounted on top of the platform, seating positions are usually quite high and handling can often feel unnatural. While cornering at speed, it often feels as if you’re being pulled from the bottom and you’re just along for the ride, rather than controlling the ride.

The Folgore doesn’t have this “fake feeling,” if you can call it that. Instead, it feels neutral and well-balanced, just like a non-electric Maserati would. The reason for this has everything to do with the battery layout, which allows the front seats to sit as low as possible on the platform while distributing the weight longitudinally across the vehicle. This means the driver feels more engaged and connected to the driving experience rather than just being subjected to a speedy, torque-heavy rollercoaster ride.

Likewise, the various regenerative braking modes—with the exception of the strongest one—feel more natural than they do in the average sporty EV. Think more like the feeling you get from going down a gear rather than stepping on the brake pedal. Unlike in most EVs, I found myself leaving the regen paddles alone and just relying on the car’s natural tendencies to dive into corners off-throttle. The six- and four-piston Brembo brakes with ventilated rotors provide strong braking performance and a precise pedal feel. I learned this first hand when a tourist came around a corner with their car planted right smack in the middle of the cliff-side road and I had to perform a panic stop strong enough to trigger the ABS to avoid crashing head-on. (I know they were tourists because a local would never do such a thing.)

Suspension feel in GT and Sport modes was ideal for the kind of driving I did. GT allowed for a little more body roll and steering play, while Sport felt tidier and more precise. Either way, burying your foot into the accelerator made your stomach turn from the tsunami of torque—996 lb-ft is no joke. Pedal calibration was clever, though, avoiding that flip-switch-like acceleration most EVs are known for. Every time I went over a speed bump (some rather big) I expected to feel a harsher thud on such a low-riding car, but that never happened. The electronic dampers quickly sorted out the situation and kept me comfortable. Corsa mode simply stiffened the suspension and heightened the car’s senses too much to enjoy the drive, though I can imagine a nicer bit of tarmac with the right combination of curves would put that setting to good use.

There’s no completely hiding the Folgore’s 5,249-pound curb weight, of course, but Maserati engineers tried anyway. They did a good job. Driving the EV and the 900-pounds-lighter V6 Trofeo back-to-back revealed that where the Folgore feels like it’s gotta move more mass, it makes up for it with its torquier response and quicker feedback. Remember, neither of these cars are dedicated track toys. These are luxurious and powerful grand tourers. 

In the end, that’s exactly where the Folgore shines. Cruising along the lake shore and making my way through impossibly narrow and crowded village streets, the vibration-free cabin and lack of booming noise was a welcome experience. I simply did not miss the raucousness of its twin’s gas engine. The Folgore looked just as glamorous, rode just as phenomenally, and yet still went like hell when my right foot desired—there’s simply nothing wrong with that picture. Actually, there was, and it was that the top was still up. Despite the lack of sunshine, I put it down anyway and enjoyed pretending to be part of the 1%.

Lowering the canvas top revealed yet another pleasant characteristic of the Folgore: the sound. There’s a very faint, deep hum that you can hear inside the cabin while the top is up. Lower it and you’ll hear it slightly clearer—not louder. Switch over to Sport or Corsa mode and the intensity increases, though its volume remains almost the same. It’s a light audible reminder that you are driving a performance car, but it’s faint enough to keep it from feeling gimmicky. It’s not replacing the sound of an engine or trying to remind you of what you’re doing with your right foot, it’s the electric drivetrain simply making itself known.

The Early Verdict

The 2025 Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore isn’t just another EV or like any other EV. However, I find it puzzling that this EV’s best characteristic is that it doesn’t feel like an EV at all. Is this good? Is this bad? What does this mean for the brand? Do Maserati customers want a truly unique EV experience or do they want an EV that mimics an ICE Maserati? Likely the latter. Europe’s well-off will line up to buy a Folgore thanks to ever-increasing taxes on thirsty sports cars, something which they can mostly avoid with plug-in hybrids but fully skirt with EVs. As far as the rest of the world, time and sales figures will answer those questions.

We’ve already established that the ICE Gran Turismo is a hoot, and its feisty Nettuno twin-turbo V6 sounds even better with the top down in the Gran Cabrio. But the Folgore is a whole different experience, one with as many smile-inducing highlights. It turns out the marketing guys weren’t blowing smoke this time, this is a real Maserati.

Contact the author at [email protected]

The post 2025 Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore First Drive Review: This Glam EV Is a Real Maserati appeared first on The Drive.

ExoCross is developed by Germany-based Orontes Games, which iRacing acquired in 2021, running on the studio’s proprietary engine with some enhancements brought over from the circuit-racing side of the business. iRacing Executive Vice President Steve Myers tells us that ExoCross utilizes the same tire and AI code, for example, which may sound surprising given that iRacing is something pros turn laps on when they’re not in real race cars, and ExoCross has more in common with old-school fantasy racers like Rollcage than any form of motorsport that has ever existed.

The thing about ExoCross, though, is that it comes across less like a nondescript arcade racer, and more like a simulation of an experience that isn’t yet possible in the real world. I liken it to Sony’s anti-gravity racing series Wipeout: Sure, we’ll probably never realize that kind of motorsport in many more lifetimes, but if technology did progress to a point where we could fling 10-ton spears at many hundreds of miles per hour several feet off the ground, it’d probably feel something like it does in that game.

ExoCross is considerably more grounded by comparison, however, involving wheeled, all-terrain vehicles powered by fuel-burning V8s kicking up space dust. The fourth-wall-obliterating conceit is that in the future, actual racing’s all but dead and sim racing is losing appeal, primarily because nobody still living had ever witnessed it before. The solution? Send remote-controlled ATVs to tear up the far reaches of the galaxy. Cute.

That’s really all the story you’ll get, but what little context there is plays out in the form of interstitials between championships in the Career Mode. These don’t accomplish much more than setting the stage, though they are reminiscent of the amazing, comic book-style illustrations from Jet Moto, for my fellow ’90s gamers out there.

As for what ExoCross is like to drive, things are shaping up quite nicely. The build I’ve been playing is still undergoing some final tweaks for wheel handling, but it plays perfectly on a controller. Again, this is no simulation, but aspects of the dynamics—weight transfer, the way throttle impacts oversteer on loose surfaces, and so on—feel natural and predictable, because they’re rooted in reality. That makes nailing drifts oh-so satisfying. Couple those sensations with solid track design mixing various surface types and multiple paths winding through neon-colored intergalactic flora, and ExoCross aces the fundamentals a game like this ought to. It figures to really come alive in multiplayer. Plus, it runs wonderfully. I’ve got it on Ultra settings across the board on my rig (Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, RTX 3070 GPU), and it’s still maxing out my monitor’s 165Hz refresh rate at 1440p.

If there’s one concern I have about ExoCross at the moment, it’s that I wish there was more of it. This game was in development under the title DRAG Outer Zones before iRacing bought Orontes, and at launch it’ll consist of four locales with four to five track configurations a piece, and three vehicles very much stratified into the “Beginner, Advanced, Expert” archetype of arcade racers from 30 years ago. As charming as that is, ExoCross is crying out for features like vehicle upgrading, or maybe some sort of strategic wrinkle to the racing itself, like Fast RMX’s color phasing. (In that game, you can go faster or gain access to certain portions of the track if you toggle from one “phase” to the other. It makes more sense when you see it in action.)

Hell, the expansion of the ExoCross universe itself could be really cool. The Jet Moto epiphany I mentioned earlier was exciting for me because that game had an exceptionally badass energy about it—these riders competing for different teams, all superheroes and villains in their own right, amid a background of shredding guitars. I hoped that’s what ExoCross was setting up for with its intro film, but Orontes isn’t tapping into the narrative potential, at least not yet. I know story isn’t exactly iRacing’s bag, but the physics are obviously sorted; it’s those other, more artful qualities of the experience that could really take things to the next level.

Regardless, ExoCross is a promising start for iRacing’s ambitions beyond sim racing, and I’m happy it’s taken this step. It doesn’t matter how realistic a racing game is—the polish needs to be there, whether you’re aiming to replicate something or nothing at all. The team behind ExoCross appears to understand this. If this game’s scope is narrower to facilitate that quality, fair enough, but it has me even more excited for what iRacing and Orontes get up to in the future.

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post iRacing’s Futuristic Off-Road Racer ExoCross Comes Out Next Month. Here’s a Sneak Peek appeared first on The Drive.

“I have had a very diverse career in racing, probably one of the most diverse careers in racing,” Legge said. She ain’t kidding. Legge has raced in the Indy 500, IMSA, DTM, European Le Mans, Asian Le Mans, American Le Mans, Lamborghini Super Trophy, and NASCAR. If there’s a racing series with fast cars, there’s a good chance Legge has been behind the wheel at some point. But, until a few days ago, never Pikes Peak. So why now and what took so long?

“I love the history of racing and so I’ve always wanted to do it,” she said. Scheduling clashes with IMSA are what usually kept her out of Pikes Peak. But when it finally came time to charge up the hill, both the race’s history and danger suddenly became real. “I don’t even think I got the enormity of it, and the emotion that it evokes, until I was here and I drove up the mountain for the first time and had the biggest grin on my face and was like ‘This is the craziest shit I’ve ever done. What was I thinking? This is insane.’” 

Even after an incredibly long and diverse career going very, very fast—Legge helped develop the freaking DeltaWing—Pikes Peak was the most challenging. “There is nothing that compares to the intensity and the focus and the adrenaline that this gives you. I think it’s probably because you can plummet 3,000 feet to your death at any second.” 

It gets even harder considering there really isn’t any warm up to speak of. Sure, drivers run up the hill days before the race but the road is open to the public then, so they can’t practice at speed. They can drive as fast as is legally acceptable, and find some visual references for braking points and apexes, but they have to stay within their lanes, watching out for other cars. On race day, it can be tough to recall all of that information, since your first run up the mountain is your only one.

“You get one try. And you don’t get any practice. There’s no warm up, no settling in, no getting your tires warm like there is in all of circuit racing. You hit the start line, cold, after four hours of hanging around and eating barbeque.” 

Earlier on race day, Legge told media that drivers will be happy if they know they did their best and didn’t leave any time on the track. However, that’s almost impossible at Pikes Peak. “Nobody can get 156 turns exactly spot on, right?”

Legge was a few seconds shy of the front-wheel drive record but she felt she probably left 30 seconds on the hill. “I tried too hard and I made mistakes. I’m kicking myself for it but I think, having been a rookie, now I know what I need to work on next year, to calm myself down and just focus on hitting my marks.” 

She wouldn’t blame her car, though, the HRC-built Acura Integra Type R . “The car was excellent.” She said tire pressures could have been tweaked a bit better but that had more to do with unexpected weather. During the few days before the race, the weather was much colder toward the top of the mountain than it was on race day. And the road was greasier than expected, causing some oversteer. However, Legge praised the Acura team for constantly adjusting the car to her requests. “They’ve done such a great job with that front-wheel drive car. It’s unbelievable. Even tuning the turbo. On the middle section [of the hill climb], I was like ‘Hey, there’s some turbo lag in the W’s [switchbacks], I have to try and get on the throttle going into the corner, which gives me a bit of understeer. Is there anything you can do to spool the turbo up [earlier]?” Just a programming tweak gave Legge the earlier turbo boost she requested, which she says made her about five seconds faster. 

How does a Pikes Peak first-timer adjust to the altitude, when climbing over 4,700 feet to a 14,100-foot summit? “I thought ‘I’m fit, I’m young, I got this, no problem,” she laughed. “It kicked my ass.” Thankfully, like most Pikes Peak drivers, Legge had oxygen on board.

She wasn’t the only one that struggled with the altitude. So did the car. “So they say that you lose almost 100 horsepower from the bottom to the top. And you can definitely feel it on the steep stuff as you get near the top.” 

Is Legge going to be back next year? “Oh, I really hope so.” As long as it doesn’t clash with the countless other racing series’ she’s involved with, of course. “It will be priority because it’s so cool … I want to break that record and I want to break 10 minutes.” 

Got tips? Send ’em to [email protected]

The post ‘What Was I Thinking? This Is Insane’: Katherine Legge on the Perils of Pikes Peak appeared first on The Drive.

In business terms, a minimum viable product is a half-baked first batch of something that a company puts out to test a concept in the market. In car-buying terms, it’s similar: I want to spend the least amount of money possible to experience something that ticks certain boxes. I have a few ground rules: I steer clear of salvage titles and body rust (usually). Miles are much less important to me than service history and overall condition. A car might have some mechanical issues that need to be set right, but they’re generally not things that would keep me from driving the car as I work on it.

Finally, I know I’m not just buying the car—I’m buying the previous owner’s upkeep. I’m looking for someone who can be honest and upfront with me about the car’s condition, any known issues, and what their ownership experience has been like.

That’s the recipe I followed when buying my 1999 ‘996’ Porsche 911 three years ago. It had 104,000 miles and cosmetic imperfections galore, from a peppered front bumper and torn seats to faded center caps and foggy headlights. It’s also the slightly less-desirable all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 model, which weighs an extra 100 pounds and missed out on the cable throttle of its rear-drive sibling. But for four-season grand touring and backroad bombing here in the Northeastern U.S.? I daresay it’s perfect. Crucially, it also came with a receipt for a recent clutch and IMS bearing change, knocking out a major bogeyman.

Sorting

Nearly any used car will require some sorting, doubly so for a high-mileage European sports car. Thanks to a pre-purchase inspection, I knew the 996 needed brake pads, rotors, and tires, so I replaced those safety-crucial items and changed a laundry list of fluids and filters. Then, I drove the hell out of it—adding 22,000 miles since April 2021, to be precise. It’s been to North Carolina twice, Canada once, and all over the Northeastern U.S. I even moved to New York City with it as my only car.

Small issues cropped up: a rattly muffler, a dead starter, and a freak issue where the serpentine belt shredded itself on a pulley groove. None of these issues sidelined the car for more than a week, and I developed a relationship with an expert local mechanic for issues I can’t tackle in my rented garage spot. (Shoutout to Cheech and Rennwerke in Elmsford, NY.) 

The biggest problems have occurred when I’ve let the car sit—such as a four-week idle period in a friend’s driveway after which I returned to find mice had chewed through the car’s wiring harness. Now, I keep it in a clean garage and follow Andrew Collins’ mouse prevention advice.

Making it My Own

Last year, with the 996 in a good place mechanically, I decided to add some performance and quality-of-life upgrades to the mix. The first order of business was replacing the stock, unsupportive seats with buckets. I’ve sat in stock Porsche seats from the ‘80s and 2010s and had no issue, but for some reason the 996 seats never worked for me. I found them overstuffed and under bolstered, with a too-high seating position for a sports car. So, using Facebook Marketplace, I scoped out a set of Recaro Pole Positions with tartan plaid inserts.

Now, a $3000 pair of seats in a $12,000 car sounds excessive because it is. Let me explain. I’ve always wanted plaid seats in a car, and I believe in paying up for high-quality safety equipment. Recaro has a proven track record of safety, and the 996 has its side airbags in the doors and not the seats, so I felt comfortable replacing a stock part with a well-engineered one. Now I sit much lower and more comfortably and can steer with my fingertips on mountain runs instead of flailing around for support.

I also picked up an IPD intake plenum to increase throttle response and high-RPM power. Known as the “Y-plenum,” the design speeds up the air inside the intake and increases flow. It feels like it makes the car pull harder, and definitely adds a deeper intake note above 4,000 rpm.

The Most Crucial, Satisfying, and Worthwhile Upgrade

Next, I wanted a set of lightweight wheels with stickier tires. I picked up a set of lightly-used gunmetal grey O.Z. Allegeritas last fall—a popular choice in the 996 community because of their light weight and good looks. This spring, Continental sent over a set of their new ExtremeContact Summer 02 tires to test, and so far they’ve exceeded expectations. Turn-in is much snappier with a huge increase in front-end grip compared to the Michelin PS4 all-seasons I was running previously. I know it’s not fair to compare a summer tire to a performance all-season, but I’ve driven the Contis in 50-85 degree temps and through sunny and rainy conditions so far, and they’ve been communicative, responsive, and confidence-inspiring. Even the ride feels smoother, due to less unsprung weight from the O.Z.s and a softer rubber compound.

The ECS02s are a performance summer tire optimized for dry and wet conditions, but not for sub-freezing temps or snow. They have a Y speed rating, meaning they’ve been tested at speeds above 186 mph (I don’t plan to validate that one, but it’s nice to know), and an ample 340 treadwear rating. Treadwear ratings are notoriously hard to understand, but Continental gives these a 30,000-mile warranty, or 15,000 when running staggered widths (as in my case). They also rock Continental’s Tuned Performance Indicators: nifty “D” and “W” symbols baked into the tread blocks that fade as the tire wears down and can no longer offer optimal dry or wet grip, respectively.

If you’re looking to get the most out of your sporty car, switching out an all-season for a summer tire is one of the best, most cost-effective ways to improve grip and driver feedback. Temperatures and tire strategies vary, but in four-season climates you can generally run a summer tire from around April through November. I use Thanksgiving and Easter as rough indicators of when to switch over to winters and vice versa, but temperatures above 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit are generally fair game for a summer compound. In some mild-weather climates like Southern California, you can even run them year-round. Paired with the lighter wheels, this has been the most satisfying upgrade I’ve made. 

The Project Never Ends

There’s still a lot I want to do. This fall, I’m planning to tackle a refresh of the mostly-original suspension. It handles well and nothing’s leaking, but with 125,000 miles and plenty of potholes under their belt, I have to believe the shocks aren’t performing at their best. I want to keep it factory with Porsche’s Euro M030 kit—the inch-lower sport suspension and bigger anti-roll bars the rest of the world got. After that, maybe a mild exhaust? I don’t know, I kind of like flying under the radar.

One of the things I love most about this car is that it’ll never be perfect, and therefore I’m free to do with it as I please. Three years later, I’m about $20,000 into my $12,000 911 including the initial purchase price, but if I’d gone out and bought a “nicer” example for $25,000 or $30,000, I wouldn’t have had the funds to experiment with it or learn from the process. Going this route has been incredibly liberating.

With 996s getting more love today, people often ask me when I plan to repaint the front bumper or take care of the exterior cosmetics. I typically laugh and say “ask me in 20 years.” I’m not a fan of the word “never,” but where some see this car’s rock chips and scars as evidence of mistreatment, I see the opposite. It’s living the life it was supposed to live: Being driven, maintained, and enjoyed. As long as I’m its custodian, I plan to keep it that way.

The post Building a Beater Porsche 911 Is Incredibly Freeing appeared first on The Drive.

The CR-V’s look was new for 2023 and there are currently six trims to pick from, ranging from about $30,000 to $40,000 to start. Seat materials and safety features are the biggest differences inside, but the main price-driving features are under the skin. You can choose between a VTEC turbo four-cylinder engine or a more powerful and efficient hybrid powertrain. Then from there, you can go front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, depending on whether you’d rather focus on fuel economy or traction. 

We tested a range-topping 2023 Honda CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid AWD, which rang up at about $42,000 with destination and handling fees. But most of the takeaways from this dog-friendliness review will apply to all 2023-to-present CR-Vs.

Today’s Test Dogs

Our CR-V test was conducted by Bramble and her brothers Indi and Silas, Australian Shepard/Golden Retriever mutts. Bramble’s about 45 pounds and the boys are more like 65.

Climbing In and Out

The very first thing I noticed about the new CR-V is how wide the rear doors open up. It almost seems like they become completely perpendicular to the car’s body, which is not as common as you might think. Safe to say, it’s helpful for allowing animals into the back seat.

That said, the seats are pretty high off the ground, and the footwell is on the tighter side. That means getting a larger, less-than-athletic animal up in there might take a little stepstool or a strong back on your part.

The hatch seems slightly easier to hop into and out of if you’re inclined to put pups behind the back seat.

Interior Materials

Honda’s high-trim leather is pretty nice these days; it feels robust. While we always use a seat cover, I think you’d have pretty good resistance to claw scratches here. The colored stitching gives it a little whiff of personality, too.

The plastics are also among the better offerings—a lot of surfaces have a bit of rubberization feeling to them which leads me to believe they’ll last a few years without deforming.

All the controls on the center console are way forward, far away from where paws might get to. I liked the traditional shift lever and generally obvious button placement, too. But be careful what kind of beverages you put in the cupholders with a dog in the back. They’re close enough to the elbow area that an intrepid snout might come slurping.

Window Access and Air Flow

The new CR-V’s rear window doesn’t retract completely into the door—I can’t quite decide if that’s a good or bad thing. It does add a slight barrier to an animal that might try and hop out while the windows are down, but it will also prevent shorter dogs from being able to get some fresh sniffs at low speed.

Otherwise, airflow to the back comes from just two little vents in the center console. Adequate for maintaining a temperature, and if you only have one dog, these vents would probably be able to cool them fairly quickly after a hot summer walk. I don’t know if they’d be up to the task of keeping multiple dogs from panting, though.

Driving With the Dog

Bramble settled into the backseat of the CR-V very nicely. She’s tall enough to get her nose into the wind even without a completely retractable window, so a dog in the 40-pound neighborhood should be able to do that too. There’s certainly room in the cargo area for an animal, but it’s easier to keep an eye on them and lock ‘em into a proper harness when they’re on the seat.

When left behind in the car, Bramble immediately tried climbing into the cockpit. I found her standing with her front paws on the center console when I ran into the gas station to grab a drink—this is why you’ve got to be careful of what goes in those cup holders!

The rear bench seat does not have deep butt buckets, but there are small cavities on the left and right passenger sides. Not enough to bolster an animal through turns, but that doesn’t matter all that much since there’s no real reason to whip a CR-V around on purpose. 

Pack Hauling — Multiple Dogs On Board

The CR-V initially felt very crowded with three dogs across the back seat. However, once they settled down I could see hauling as many as five without a major issue. The thing is, dogs are like human kid siblings … the rowdiness comes in waves as little tiffs start, and they begin escalating their torment to each other. In the case of our animals, the dogs are literally siblings … as soon as they calm down, somebody (usually my princess Bramble) will bite somebody’s head just to re-stoke chaos.

All this to say, when a vehicle is this skinny and the dogs are physically touching each other at all times, it takes a while for the quiet periods to last a long time.

I think the optimal full pack would be three medium-sized dogs like we have here—two on the bench and one in the way back, so they could lie down without spilling on top of each other. But if you really had to, you could pack five grown Golden Retriever-sized animals in here. Just prepare to have fluff pop out of the vents every time you turn them on forever.

Carrying Kennels

I foolishly failed to get a photo of our kennel in the CR-V, but you can fit a medium-sized one in the back with one of the seats folded down. Unfortunately, the cargo area is a little too short to comfortably swallow a kennel and keep the second row in use. If you have a large kennel in this thing, you’ll only have room for one passenger behind the first row.

Honda CR-V Dog-Friendliness Verdict

The CR-V is a solid dogmobile. For the back door’s wide swing and tough-feeling interior materials alone, I think most people with one 40 to 90-pound pooch will get by fine. On the negative side, it is a bit of a big jump from the ground to the back seat, and the rear seat fans might not cool off a super-fluffy animal.

So while I wouldn’t call the CR-V exceptionally dog-optimized, it’s reasonably dog-friendly. 

Other Family Cars Tested by Dogs, for Dogs

• Honda HR-V
• Volvo V60 Cross Country
• Audi RS Q8
• Chevy Trax
• Toyota Prius Prime
• Aston Martin DBX707
• Mazda CX-5

The post 2023 Honda CR-V: Will It Dog? appeared first on The Drive.

JFR added in its statement: “The move was a welcome positive for his family members, who have maintained a daily presence at the hospital all week.” Force is noted as “improving,” but he’s far from a racing return at present. The “faces long road ahead” portion of his team’s announcement is more than a little ominous. His daughter Brittany Force will sit out this weekend’s NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio, where she was slated to drive her Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster. Force’s teammate Austin Prock, currently first in NHRA Funny Car championship points, will compete.

Force’s crash has been replayed time and time again since it happened, and the impact was positively brutal. He had just completed a 4.100-second pass at 302.62 mph when his car’s supercharged Hemi grenaded, putting him into the wall. NHRA’s Safety Safari personnel made it onto the track quickly and assessed his condition before Force was admitted to a nearby medical facility.

Force won two of the NHRA Funny Car season’s first eight events, and he was second behind Prock in points. It seems like a record 17th title isn’t in the cards this season, but honestly, that doesn’t matter. The Hall of Famer is alive and that’s what’s important.

Turns out, this guy is one tough bird. Here’s hoping he’s on his feet and feeling better again soon.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: [email protected]

The post John Force Transferred to Neuro ICU Days After 300-MPH Crash appeared first on The Drive.

Technically we’re talking about changing wheels and tires. And of course this is not the loadout you need for removing and re-installing a tire from a wheel. But the common colloquialism of “changing a tire” applies. Here are the tools in my wheel-changing kit and why I use them:

Ratcheting Breaker Bar

You’ll want a breaker bar to break the lugs loose while the car’s still on the ground. Ratcheting ones add just a little more convenience because you don’t have to keep pulling the socket on and off the lug to make adjustments. I find an 18-inch bar perfect for this purpose—plenty of leverage, but not annoyingly large to keep in the car.

I copped this one from a company I’d never heard of called Ares. It seems good, not great. The handle is nice and the ratcheting function works fine, but the material quality around the head doesn’t seem particularly exceptional. Totally viable for the price and this purpose—I’m not gonna be beating the thing up on exhaust bolts, so I don’t need a top-tier tool here.

Torque Adapter

If you’re just slapping on a spare tire to get home, torquing the wheel down with a few ugga duggas (push it ’til it feels tight) is OK. But if you’re about to go out on track, you want to make sure your lugs are torqued to spec. A little dongle like this can snap right onto your breaker bar and effectively turn it into a torque wrench. I found that exact AC Delco one, used, from some dude on eBay for real cheap, so that’s what I’m running. Harbor Freight also has a knockoff for a few bucks less. I personally am not crazy about getting precision instruments from HF, but it’s probably fine.

Just make sure you grab a drive that matches your breaker bar—one-half inch is the move here.

As for “why not just use a torque wrench?” Well, the old heads have all told me not to use a torque wrench as a breaker bar because it can screw up the calibration. So you break the lugs loose with this thing safely resting in its case, and then attach it when you go to re-install the wheel. This is also cheaper than a torque wrench and adds some flexibility due to its small size.

Naturally, you’ll also need to look up the correct torque spec for your car’s lug nuts and memorize it or write it down somewhere.

Nylon-Wrapped Lug Socket

Finally, a socket specifically designed for lugs (thin walls, coated in something soft) is nice because it’ll be compatible with many different wheels and prevent you from making annoying scratches. I’ve had this 19mm socket from Titan for almost a decade now, and you can buy a whole kit of them to accommodate a few different vehicles. If you’ve got spline-drive lug nuts or open-ended ones with a star-style drive (ones that look like huge Torx screws), you can try wrapping a little hockey tape around the outer edges for the same effect. I get mine at Howies Hockey (no affiliation).

What Else?

The factory scissor jack is sufficient for changing wheels—in fact, that’s all it was designed to do. Your car should have a factory wheel chock too—if not, both those things should be findable on eBay or at a junkyard for dirt cheap. The factory ones are optimal for keeping in your car because they’re small and light, but of course, if you’re going to be doing track stuff, a nice aluminum low-profile floor jack comes through in the clutch.

If you’ve got any other ideas for little mini tool-combos that could be good, hit me up and I’ll check them out!

Email the author at [email protected], or leave a comment below.

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Volvo informed dealers and customers of the delay Wednesday, attributing the postponement to “changes in the global automotive landscape.” Volvo emphasized that the EX30 is still on track to come to our shores and that it still aims to deliver cars starting some time in 2025. Those who have preordered the CUV will apparently get options to drive new Volvos before their EX30s arrive, though Volvo wasn’t specific about what that’d mean.

What Volvo means by landscape changes is also unclear, though it may be related to the Biden administration’s new 100-percent tariffs on Chinese EVs. Initially, the EX30 was only made in Zhangjiakou, China, which would subject the car to the tariffs. But Volvo may be trying to circumvent that, as it has added a production line for the EX30 at its Ghent, Belgium factory to accommodate high demand. Because Volvo says the delay is related to its production ramp in Belgium, it would seem U.S.-bound cars will be made there.

Volvo said the EX30 “reflects our ambition to build cars where we sell them as much as possible.” While it has a factory in South Carolina, it has not suggested it could build the EX30 there so customers can access the federal EV tax credit.

Volvo may also have an eye on the perceived plateau of the EV market, though some evidence suggests only Tesla is affected. In any case, the premium segment the EX30 targets is well-saturated, so automakers are increasingly pushing toward the budget end of the market. Starting at $36,245, this electric Volvo is far from the priciest EV out there, but it’ll have its hands full with the Chevrolet Equinox EV—not to mention the fruits of Ford’s “skunkworks” EV program.

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It makes a lot of sense seeing as Rivian needs money and VW needs better electric cars. However, the arrangement is a little more complicated than one company buying another’s technology. As released by Rivian and VW AG:

“Initially Volkswagen Group will invest $1 billion in Rivian through an unsecured convertible note that will convert into Rivian’s common stock subject to certain conditions upon the later of receipt of regulatory approvals and December 1, 2024. Volkswagen Group is expected to invest a further $4B as part of the transaction.”

Asterisks from there lead you to:

“The conversion price of half of the outstanding amount under the note will be calculated based on a certain daily volume-weighted average price (VWAP) prior to this announcement and the conversion price for the remaining half will be calculated based on a certain daily VWAP prior to the conversion date.”

And:

“The additional investment of up to $2B in Rivian’s common stock is expected to take place through two tranches of $1B each in 2025 and 2026, with pricing based on a certain daily VWAP of Rivian’s common stock prior to each respective purchase. The investment of $2B related to the JV is expected to be split between a payment at the inception of the JV and a loan available in 2026.”

From where I’m sitting this looks like a huge win for Rivian. It should take some pressure off of their retail operations to bring in all the bacon that keeps the lights on at the R&D operation.

The exact phrasing used to introduce this partnership is that VW and Rivian “announced their intention to form an equally controlled and owned joint venture (JV) to create next-generation electrical architecture and best-in-class software technology.” The word “intention” tells us it’s not inked yet, but surely it’s gotta be close since they issued a press release.

The more interesting nugget is a little deeper: “Both companies aim to launch vehicles benefiting from the technology created within the joint venture in the second half of the decade. In the short term, the joint venture is expected to enable Volkswagen Group to utilize Rivian’s existing electrical architecture and software platform. The partnership’s ambition is to accelerate Volkswagen Group’s SDV plans and transition to a pure zonal architecture. Each company will continue to separately operate their respective vehicle businesses.”

That zonal architecture being referenced is how Rivian organizes the computer systems controlling its vehicle. We talked about this in our recent Rivian R1S review. The company made a big deal about how much physical wiring and plastic parts it’s been able to remove from its cars by consolidating ECUs and functionality into “zones.” It must indeed be a feat if VW would rather buy it than figure it out alone.

The announcement states both Rivian and VW are hoping to launch new vehicles with this technology between 2025 and 2030. That could be referring to the Rivian R2, which is theoretically approaching a release along that timeline, and the new Scout, which is set to be revealed as soon as this summer.

Scout is, of course, an old nameplate from the ’60s and ’70s. The original Scouts were primitive SUVs made by International Harvester, the agricultural tractor company that had the foresight to market 4x4s as family cars. Unfortunately, they were a little too far ahead of their time in some ways and behind in others—Ford Broncos and Chevy Blazers were objectively superior and most moms and dads were still into station wagons. The last IH Scout was a 1980 model, but Volkswagen bought the brand name and is reviving it as an electric SUV we’re supposed to see any week now. (Late summer 2024 is the actual stated reveal date, on-sale timing is TBA).

Another interesting piece of context in this development is the fact that some folks working at Rivian have left to go to work at Scout somewhat recently. I know one myself but there’s no need to put them on blast, and there might not be anything to read into it. After all, it does make sense that a competitive employee at one EV outfit would also be desirable at another. Nevertheless, any indication of cross-pollination between Rivian and Scout is intriguing to me.

Which brings us to the first question I had when I saw Rivian and VW were teaming up: What does this mean for Scout? I dropped them a line, of course, but the official reply was simply: “We do not have a comment to share from Scout Motors at this time.”

My theory is that the overlords at VW AG decided a long time ago that its own EV platforms were not going to be competitive off-road against the Rivian, Hummer EV, and electric Mercedes G-Wagen in a cost-effective way. They must also know that the new Scout will be DOA if it doesn’t have some impressive performance because, despite my personal dreams, it surely won’t be cheap. The stakes for Scout’s launch are really high—the only “brand stans” are grumpy old heads like me who will be basically impossible to impress, and nobody else has heard of it. While Tesla can spraypaint a dumpster chrome and get people to spend six figures on it, Scout needs to come out swinging and offer a really compelling value proposition.

All this to say, it stands to reason that Scout is looking to bypass some debugging stages by leveraging the development work Rivian’s already done by organizing this deal. If it translates to lower consumer cost, I’m excited about it.

The post Volkswagen and Rivian Are Teaming Up. What Does This Mean for Scout? appeared first on The Drive.

It might surprise those of you who don’t own older cars, but all classic cars, even the reliable ones, need almost constant upkeep. Every single piece of a car, from the chassis down to the smallest screw or rubber plug, can degrade. Decay. Corrode. Seize, strip, bend, crack, or break. As the miles add up, service intervals can coincide, and you can find yourself stacking several minor maintenance items on top of big ones. Long-term failures of items that you never imagined wearing out can also arrive unannounced. Before you know it, a clunk can turn into a front suspension rebuild, and a leak can cascade into a full engine-out job.

In theory, this can all be avoided by just buying a classic without many miles on it. It hasn’t been through these wear cycles, the thousands of hours of idling in traffic jams, hailstorms, salty roads, potholes, or the other miseries a daily driver endures. Maybe it’s been kept in a garage all this time, perhaps a climate-controlled one. Maybe it’s even been kept in a literal bubble. But make no mistake, these are gilded cages, and cars that have been sitting are deteriorating all the same.

Cars don’t just degrade from the outside in—it can also happen in reverse. Old coolant becomes acidic and can eat away at metal, rubber, and gasket material from inside your engine. Brake fluid absorbs water, which can corrode your master cylinder, brake lines, and even calipers. (That can make your brakes seize and drag.) Rubber used in critical places throughout your car can dry rot and can become brittle. Gasoline goes bad in a matter of months, losing octane and potentially leaving varnish inside your fuel system. At a minimum, that’ll complicate starting the engine again, and at worst it can clog it all up.

The net result of all this is that while a pristine classic can look like it’s ready to transport you back to the simpler time when it was built, it might just be a good-looking problem child. I’ve seen multiple examples recently, one of which is my imported JDM Mitsubishi.

It was in as good of shape as you could ask of a 28-year-old family car. It had less than 100,000 miles, one past owner, and had been kept in a carport most of its life. It was well-maintained, had a good body, and almost no modifications. Still, I hadn’t owned it for 36 hours before the consequences of age (and sitting for several months) reared their ugly head.

While halfway through driving it home across the country, I found my brakes had seized and been dragging, scraping the brake pads down to metal. While replacing them, I found the transfer case had a small leak out its rear seal. The archaic Blizzaks it was rolling on were literally crumbling, and later on, I’d pay to replace the timing belt not a second too soon (it was cracking, and the tensioner was weeping). I was able to replace its leaky valve cover gasket myself, but there’s still more that needs fixing. I’d like to get the engine mounts and clutch fluid done before a family road trip this Summer. The failing shocks, old wiring insulation, and failed steering rack bellows will probably have to wait though.

An even better example that didn’t grace my driveway was the 1989 Toyota MR2 Supercharged that floated past me in an owners’ group on Facebook. It was a New Mexico car that had just 46,000 miles, and had spent most of its life in a garage. It might be one of the most rust-free first-gen MR2s on the planet at this point. But its new owner sagely planned to trailer it home, as it had sat for two years, and they wanted to know what it might need to get on the road. The to-do list that myself and other commenters put together underlines just how much work even a seemingly perfect car can need.

Because you might not know when the consumables were last done, it’s wise to just reset the clock on all of them. That means all fluids, from the engine to transmission and supercharger oils, coolant, brake and clutch fluids, and fuel. All rubber needs examination if not imminent replacement—so, tires, belts, hoses, and suspension bushings. Things like engine mounts and water pump seals might be going bad too. Filters are all worth doing (intake, fuel, oil cabin air)—the paper and foam there can degrade over time, too. Oh, and a battery if it wasn’t on a tender.

Even with all that done, the end may not be in sight. Random failures are pretty much a way of life with old cars. Maybe rodents ate the wiring insulation. You might’ve missed a rusty hardline. Seals can start seeping only after you put on some miles. Or if it’s British or Italian, it’ll just malfunction for no good reason. When you get down to it, the best reason to splash out on a low-mileage car is for the convenience of getting a good body and interior. If convenience isn’t as important, a full rotisserie restoration can sometimes be the economical option, and that’s saying something with what cars can cost at auction these days.

Look at it this way: If I were given the choice of driving one of two nearly identical classic cars across the country tomorrow—one a 100-mile garage queen, the other a 150,000-mile ex-daily—I’d take the latter any day. Keeping a car moving requires a minimum of maintenance; leaving one in a vault, technically, requires none. If a car isn’t being driven regularly, you can’t trust that it’s being properly cared for. Being driven, on the other hand, requires being drivable.

Of course, none of this matters if you aren’t buying a car to drive it. To some people, a classic is merely something to look at, or squat on as an investment. That 254-mile McLaren F1 that gets passed around like a blunt is a prime example. Its value is no longer intrinsic to being one of the greatest road cars ever built, but fully extrinsic as a low-mile specimen thereof. Whether it’s in any shape to drive comes second to the appearance of being unsullied. In other words, that 254-mile odometer is bait to lure someone into overpaying for a car they imagine is a turnkey time capsule. If things turn out otherwise for the buyer, then the onus is on them to maintain the image so as not to lose millions of dollars.

In the case of something that valuable, fluids are likely being preemptively monitored and tires are occasionally spun by somebody’s staff. But this car is in another kind of trap—with so much of the vehicle’s value tied up in its odometer reading, you can’t drive it without costing yourself a fortune. That’s more of a factor for people who buy super-clean classic Hondas and Toyotas. This 4,900-mile Honda Prelude got bid to $60,000 looked very clean, but as soon as it’s driven with any regularity, it just becomes an old Honda.

In reality, whether it’s a humble ’80s Toyota or McLaren’s seminal hypercar, you can’t really tell jack about a classic car just by looking at the odometer. Audit the maintenance records yourself, or run the risk of replacing lots of plastic and rubber. At the end of the day, a classic car’s value is only as great as the paper trail it holds down. Our imaginations merely justify the rest.

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But the top-dog, automatic-only $66K Nismo track special? I was skeptical. Could it really compete with the GR Supras, Mustang Dark Horses, and BMW M2s of the world? Yet, like a 40-year-old Olympian sneaking onto the podium, the Nismo Z surprises. It’s determined to prove the haters wrong, and despite a few glaring flaws, you can’t help but respect its hustle.

The Basics

Since the first 240, Zs have had a punk, underdog energy about them, putting Porsches and other more expensive cars on notice. Now, though, the Z is the old guard, honed and polished, and it’s hard to come across as the underdog when you’re the oldest guy in the room.

Let’s review the Z’s trim hierarchy for a moment. The base car comes in two levels: Sport and Performance. Sport is the basic car with 18-inch wheels, 400 horsepower, and cloth seats for a price tag of $44,110. For $10,000 more, the Performance trim gains a much-needed limited-slip differential, 19-inch forged wheels, better Akebono brakes, leather seats, and an aero kit. 

For another $14,000, the Nismo gets you Recaro seats, 20 more hp for a total of 420 (blaze those … tires), one-inch-bigger front rotors, sweet-looking Rays wheels, and an aggressive body kit. Beyond the bolt-on upgrades, Nismo has gone to town on the chassis, reinforcing the front core support and rear floor, adding stiffer engine mounts and sport suspension with higher spring rates and more damping. This reinforcement makes the Nismo Z 100 pounds heavier than an automatic-equipped Performance model, or 168 pounds more than one with the manual.

As you’ve probably heard, the Sport and Performance Zs are available with either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic, while the Nismo exclusively gets the automatic, a wet-clutch unit licensed from Mercedes-Benz. More on that later.

Driving the Nissan Z Nismo

If you’re over six feet tall, stepping into the Nizmo (abbr.) is akin to putting on a helmet, though its cabin is not quite as claustrophobic as the Supra’s. The driving position is great, aided by the Recaros’ low height. Once moving, the hot Z is sharper, tauter, and more sporting from the outset. The German term “gestalt” defines something as more than the sum of its parts, and that describes Nismo’s changes. On paper, 20 hp and a few suspension tweaks don’t sound like much, but it delivers in the intangibles.

Whereas the Performance model I drove a year ago felt soft, with plenty of body motion and ride compliance, the Nismo is very much a Sports Car. It turns in quickly and doesn’t get caught in moments of inertia in quick left-right transitions. There’s noticeably less squat and dive under acceleration and braking, too. The steering responds precisely off-center, with a texture and fluidity that’s refreshingly analog. The Alcantara-rimmed wheel isn’t some swollen blob, either—it’s appropriately thin, although I shudder to think what its matted fur will look after a few years of palm sweat.

At speed, the ride is firm and controlled but not uncomfortable in the way the best-balanced cars can be. But drop below 30 mph on pockmarked streets, and the high spring rates and aggressive rebound make things almost unbearably harsh and jittery. Think head toss, side-to-side motion, and constant seesawing motion. I’d go as far as to say that if you live in a city or need to traverse bad roads regularly, save your money and get the Performance model with its extra compliance.

Finally, the Nizmo puts all 420 hp down much more efficiently, owing to its stickier Dunlop tires. Paired with the turbocharged engine’s surge of midrange torque, the standard car wanted to break loose in first, second, and occasionally third. That’s entertaining but not ideal if you’re trying to go somewhere without causing a scene. After dispatching some initial wheelspin, the Nismo hooks up in second gear and takes off, making the 0.1-second zero to 60 mph difference over the regular Z feel much more dramatic than that spec suggests.

The Highs and Lows

The Z Nismo looks great, in a factory tuner car sorta way. The slimmer nose, lower ride height, and canards with lipstick-red accents lend it a more aggressive stance compared to the ordinary Z. And those nine-spoke Rays wheels? Chef’s kiss. It was a hit both at a car meet and with random passersby on the street. Inside, the Recaro buckets (basically a Sportster CS two-piece) are excellent—supportive and well-bolstered without being uncomfortable on long drives. As in the normal Z, the 12.3-inch navigation screen is easy to use and retains physical controls for HVAC. On the road, I appreciate the sharper dynamics and accept the ride penalty as the cost of a sports car experience.

What I can’t accept is the lack of a manual transmission option. Porsche realized it with the GT3, Toyota realized it with the Supra, but Nissan stubbornly followed their mistaken footsteps by making the Nismo auto-only. The difference? The 991 GT3 and Mk5 Supra had good automatics. While the Z’s nine-speed upshifts crisply at full throttle, it’s a bit of a one-trick pony. There’s an unpredictable buffer time at low speeds before your shift request is processed and delivered, and getting on the throttle in automatic mode can cause it to bug out and respond lazily before slamming a downshift. I found the transmission unpredictable, and I had to accommodate it instead of vice versa. 

There’s an easy solution here: A fucking clutch pedal. At launch, Nissan said choosing the automatic boiled down to faster lap times, and I’m sure the added expense of certifying both variants didn’t help. But if other sports car sales are anything to go by, Nissan would’ve sold at least half of these as sticks. Let’s hope they realize their mistake before it’s too late.

Nissan Z Nismo Features, Options, and Competition

The Z Nismo doesn’t offer many options. You get to choose from five colors (red is the only actual color; the rest are grayscale), and … that’s it. It’s kind of refreshing that this car isn’t about paint-matched seat belts or flexing at Cars and Coffee—it’s about driving. Not to beat a dead horse with a stick, but if it’s about driving, why is there no manual transmission in the best version?

The Nismo Z’s $67,441 price of entry puts it in the league of rear-drive performance coupes like the Ford Mustang Dark Horse ($60,865), BMW M2 ($63,815), and Toyota Supra ($59,790 in 3.0 Premium trim). All of these cars are more modern than the Z, and they all offer manual transmissions. I think the Z looks better than any of them on the outside, but its interior is noticeably lower-rent.

Fuel Economy

According to the EPA, the Nismo Z gets 17 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway, and 19 combined. Compared to automatic versions of the aforementioned competition, it’s slightly more efficient than the Dark Horse (5.0-liter V8s are thirsty, folks), practically matches the M2, but is notably less efficient than the six-cylinder Supra which manages 26 mpg combined.

Value and Verdict

The 2024 Nissan Z Nismo is a middle-aged marathoner: Impressive when viewed in isolation and respectable for its heroic effort. Viewed in the context of its peers, though, it looks tired, and Nissan made a couple of crucial missteps that keep it from overcoming that disadvantage. More expensive than its fresher competition, the Nismo Z feels like the end of something rather than the beginning.

During my week with the Z, I kept making excuses for it. I wanted to root for it; wanted it to succeed. It is a much better car dynamically than the standard Z, even if its clunky transmission and bouncy low-speed ride are annoying. Realistically, I think it’s the best-handling street car Nismo could’ve made with this platform. 

Like the best protagonists, it’s lovable but flawed, an enigma on four wheels. Though it may not be the best car in its class, I’m glad the Nismo Z is here. Here, at the end of all things.

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This all translates to a top speed of 190 mph with the M Driver’s Package (155 mph is standard) but zero to 60 mph takes 3.4 seconds. That 0-60 time is objectively still speedy in the context of a big sedan but it’s notably slower than the outgoing, non-electrified M5, which hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds in Competition form and 3.2 in base form (the hardcore M5 CS, meanwhile, did it in 2.9.) The reason for this is likely due to weight—the new M5 tips the scales at a massive 5,390 pounds. It’s practically 1,000 pounds heavier than the old M5, which was no lightweight itself.

Surely responsible for weight gain is that hybrid powertrain which BMW says is “closely related” to the M Hybrid V8 LMDh endurance race car the company takes to places like Le Mans. Electric-only range is said to be about 25 miles and the 14.8-kWh lithium-ion battery is located in the underbody for a low center of gravity. Engine and transmission mounts are specific to this car, while a new Boost Control function yields “instantaneous” speed when at traveling between 20 and 90 mph. A long pull of the downshift paddle puts the entire car into its most aggressive settings. Power travels through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels and gases are expelled through a new sport exhaust system.

The weight gained going hybrid may have hurt off-the-line acceleration, but BMW points to already-at-speed acceleration being an advantage of electrification, citing a 50-to-75-mph time of 2.2 seconds in fourth gear.

In any case, the new M5’s AWD system gets a lighter, more efficient transfer case than before while its Active M Differential can shuffle torque between the rear wheels however it likes. Just like with the last gen, the AWD system has three modes: regular 4WD, 4WD Sport (which directs more torque to the rear), and 2WD (which effectively turns it into a rear-wheel-drive car).

As with any new performance car, the body is stiffer than before, both longitudinally and torsionally. A bunch of strengthening beams have been added to the engine compartment including a shear panel between the strut towers. Rear underfloor braces are specific to M5, the aluminum double-wishbone front suspension has been made more rigid, and wheel carriers have been completely redesigned. The five-link rear axle uses its own bits, and it’s all said to contribute to this car’s ability to straddle handling and ride comfort. Adaptive M suspension is standard with electronic dampers including electromagnetically controlled valves that can adjust damping forces individually “in milliseconds.”

The power steering system is updated, featuring a variable ratio and speed-sensitive assist. M5 also now gets rear-wheel steering as standard at angles up to 1.5 degrees, giving it a smaller turning circle at low speeds but better stability and comfort at high ones. There’s a new integrated braking system and the car comes with M Compound brakes standard with lighter, stronger, and more durable carbon ceramics optional. Staggered wheels measure 20 inches up front and 21 inches in the back.

The M5, naturally, appears more aggressive from the outside. Bigger intakes up front and flared fenders on the sides make the seventh-gen look the business and, breaking out the tape measure, this car is 3 inches wider at the front wheels and 1.9 inches wider at the rear over the regular 5 Series.

The 2025 BMW M5 will start at $120,675 and is coming to Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, and dealerships in November. Of course, that wagon version is on the way, too. Stay tuned.

Got a tip or question for the author about the new M5? You can reach him here: [email protected]

The post 2025 BMW M5: The Super Sedan Goes Hybrid With 717 HP appeared first on The Drive.

In 2009, Briatore was forced to resign from the Renault F1 team in the wake of a scandal: his former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. had accused Briatore of race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, and that resignation was soon followed with a lifetime ban. F1 may not always be the noblest form of racing, the move seemed to say, but it simply will not tolerate a conspiracy to rig the results of a race by requesting one of its drivers crash to hand its other driver a win.

Except, of course, that’s not the case.

Briatore’s lifetime ban was overturned in court back in 2010. At the time, he mused that he would likely never return to the sport that had ousted him so dramatically. Now, Briatore is back. He will join Alpine—or, the successor to the Renault team he once managed—to serve as an executive advisor. 

The Alpine team has been in shambles. Esteban Ocon secured a shock win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and the team has managed a few podiums since, but nothing it’s tried seems to work. Ocon and his teammate, Pierre Gasly, are constantly at odds. An influx of cash from investors like Ryan Reynolds failed to manifest results. Leaders like Luca de Meo and Bruno Famin have struggled to get Alpine in line.

The hope, then, seems to be that Briatore—a man known for leading Benetton and Renault to multiple World Championships—could be the man to orchestrate a revival. But isn’t anyone concerned about Briatore’s reputation, or the scandal that follows his name?

Well, no. Not really.

In a pre-race press conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Alpine boss Famin brushed off Briatore’s history by saying, “I don’t really mind about [the] past. I am always looking at the future.” When interviewers pressed Famin further, pointing out that Briatore never publicly apologized for his role in 2008’s Crashgate scandal, he doubled down: “I’m looking ahead, not backward.”

That kind of reaction is perhaps understandable, coming from the man in charge of the team that has revitalized Briatore’s F1 career. But even the competition is willing to move forward. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said, “I think we need to give a chance to recover from the situations,” while Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur admitted that he thinks Briatore “paid the price of this.”

And sure, 15 years have passed. Briatore’s ban has been overturned. Pat Symonds, a Renault engineer who was also banned in the wake of the Crashgate scandal, not only returned from that ban to work with several F1 teams but also to serve as F1’s chief technical officer. The world has moved on.

But this highlights an ongoing problem in the world of motorsport, and particularly in F1: The sport cannot help but protect the men close to its inner circle, whether they deserve that protection or not. Look no further than Bernie Ecclestone; the former czar of F1 may have been routinely criticized for his backward perspectives on women and racial minorities, but aside from some surface-level discourse about how harmful his thoughts could be for the sport, Ecclestone was allowed to rule with an iron fist until the day he sold the sport to Liberty Media. Even today, there are plenty of people who want to temper any criticism of Ecclestone by pointing out how he transformed the sport into a profitable enterprise as if that should completely overwrite any harm he had done.

Perhaps Alpine needs an audacious Briatore-like figure to lead its charge back to success—but there’s no reason that person needs to actually be Briatore. There is no reason F1 should continue pulling from its usual pool of familiar faces when what the sport needs is meaningful change. 

Flavio Briatore has a legal right to work in Formula 1, but Formula 1 should know better than to roll out the red carpet in welcoming him back. Not if it wants to make meaningful change.

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The iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is 102 years old now, and while the road has changed a little (dirt’s now paved) the sense of wonder, adventure, and sheer terror are still extremely strong.

Acura has been associated with the Pikes Peak hill climb, in one form or another, for over a decade. Sometimes it’s sent hardcore, purpose-built machines up the hill, in an attempt to break records. Other times, it’s used Pikes Peak as a proving ground for its engineers to test out new performance technologies. Acura has even had the official Pikes Peak pace car before. This year, though, Acura went to Colorado Springs for a little bit of everything.

The honors of piloting the 2024 Acura ZDX Type S pace car went to BMX and time attack athlete Coco Zurita, whose seemingly never-ending enthusiasm kept a smile on his face even as he cooked the 6,000-pound-plus SUV’s brakes up the hill. The pace car doesn’t get clocked like the rest of the Pikes Peak racers. There was nothing he had to prove … well, except for showing off the car’s competence to all of us journalists the company invited. Zurita hauled ass up the treacherous mountain in an electric SUV with the curb weight of an Escalade and street tires to kick off the race. I’d pay good money for even half his courage and optimism.

Then came the long wait, as delay after delay, red flag after red flag, forced Acura’s first driver—Katherine Legge in an HRC-built Integra Type S—to sit around for hours longer than initially planned. 

During that downtime, I had to ask Acura representative Andrew Quillin the simplest of questions: why Pikes Peak? Why spend so much development and marketing money racing up the most dangerous hill climb in the world? It seems to be equal parts a passion project and an engineering exercise. “Acura is a challenger brand—and our associates and engineers really do embrace that challenging spirit. Competition in motorsports, whether it be IMSA or SCCA, gives us the opportunity to fully challenge ourselves and our products—going toe to toe with our competitors. Pikes Peak, in particular, is uniquely rewarding. Its storied history brings global attention and generates a lot of internal excitement within our company. And compared to most other forms of racing, you really only have one shot to get it, right—so it does create the ultimate challenge,” Quillin said. 

At around noon, six hours after she arrived, Legge’s name was finally called. Legge has been racing since she was a child. To call her a motorsport veteran would be an understatement. She’s raced, and continues to race, in the Indy 500, she’s raced in DTM and IMSA, and she’s even helped develop Formula 1 cars. If you can think of a four-wheeled motorsport, there’s a good chance she’s raced it. However, this was Legge’s first-ever Pikes Peak. Even still, simply finishing the 12.5-mile, 4,720-foot hill climb wasn’t the goal. Instead, she wanted to break the front-wheel drive record of 10:48.094, set by Nick Robinson in an Acura TLX A-Spec.  

Legge was initially supposed to start at 9:30 A.M., which would have given her tuned Integra Type S’ engine cool air to breathe up the mountain. However, when she started at noon, the air was hot, thick, and sticky. The exact opposite of what you want in a heavily turbocharged car driving through incredibly thin air, as you reach a 14,000-foot summit. And it showed. 

After Legge’s father waved the green flags, and she stormed off the starting line, there was nothing anyone could do but wait. The entire Acura team—engineers, PR reps, Legge’s dad, and us journalists—sat by the monitors, waiting for her section times to come in. Even as an objective third-party, with no horse in this race, I could feel the drama. More importantly than the times themselves coming in, we all just hoped that the times came in at all. If a section time didn’t show up in time, it could have meant the worst had happened. The emotions of the team were palpable. 

Thankfully, the times came in and Legge successfully made it up without incident. Unfortunately for her and the entire Acura team, the time wasn’t what they’d hoped. A 10:51 run meant she was a few seconds off the front-wheel-drive record. Unexpected heat toward the top of the hill seems like the culprit. But Legge, being a typical professional athlete, said there were countless things she could have done better. 

No matter, Acura had another batter up. About an hour or so later, Paul Hubers, driving a HART (Honda Associates Racing Team) Acura Integra A-Spec, made his third Pikes Peak appearance. Hubers is familiar with the mountain. He’s the one who guided us up the day before, giving us exact turn-by-turn instructions that seemed impossible to memorize. Hubers’ goal was simply to get under 12 minutes. But even his run was filled with drama.

Hubers was doing well, either meeting or exceeding expectations in the first two sectors. Then, he had to stop, turn around, and come back down, as the car in front of him crashed and required a safety crew to remove it. The driver was fine but Hubers had to drive back to the starting line, wait for the all-clear, and try again. Thankfully for him, he treated the first attempt as a practice run and capitalized on it, smashing his expectations on his second run, with a 11:40.736 run. 

The 2024 Pikes Peak overall was a success, not only for Acura. No drivers were seriously injured and Ford won with its hilariously named F-150 Lightning SuperTruck (it’s neither an F-150 Lightning nor a truck). For Acura, all three drivers made it up the hill without issues, one made history in the pace car, and another far exceeded expectations. Will Acura be back next year? Absolutely. And I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

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The post Seeing Pikes Peak for Myself Made Me Truly Appreciate Its Danger appeared first on The Drive.

An Instagram user by the name of @ferraricollectoraus posted a few images on Monday of a box supposedly sent from the manufacturer, with the caption “If you know you know, count down is on!” A few commenters also claim to have seen the yet-to-be-unveiled car themselves (or have spoken to Ferrari employees who have), with one mentioning that it incorporates technology supposedly derived from the company’s two-time Le Mans-winning 499P.

Here’s where things get interesting. Two of the pictures obviously show a stylized silhouette of the car’s profile, and as soon as I saw it, my mind went to the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo. That concept was developed for the sim racing franchise of the same name and unveiled in late 2022, months before the 499P first hit the track. It wasn’t real, of course, but in Ferrari’s headcanon, the Vision GT used the same engine as the prototype racer: a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine with hybrid assistance.

Anyone who put away the Saturday before last watching the world’s greatest race knows that the 499P runs in Le Mans’ Hypercar class. And while that category doesn’t necessarily have a road car homologation requirement, as it was initially planned to years before these cars began competing, the idea of a roadgoing spin on the 499P is what we in the industry call a winner. It also may explain that camouflaged mule seen milling about last year.

Consider the obvious appeal there, as well as this unnamed project’s stylistic similarities to the earlier made-for-Gran Turismo design. Plus, the very suggestion that this pie-in-the-sky concept would’ve been powered by an engine just like the race car’s, and it’s not too hard to reach the conclusion that we’re looking at a Le Mans-inspired machine Ferrari’s favorite clients can own. Just like the Mercedes CLK-GTR, Porsche 911 GT1, or McLaren F1 LM, except not legally mandated by motorsport. This one would be just for fun.

That’s my two cents, anyway. We won’t know any of this until Ferrari introduces this thing. According to a comment left by the account that posted these pictures in the first place, that may happen on October 13. June seems awfully early to ask folks to block out their calendars for a party, but I suppose when such an occasion only comes around every, say, 11 years, ample notice is appreciated.

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In the past year, at least five Americans have reportedly been killed or seriously injured by fake car airbags. WSJ‘s feature found that the problem dates back at least as far as the Takata recall, when numerous vehicles were found to have knockoff airbag inflators. Some apparently even had empty “shells” where airbags should have been. It seems that forgeries can have the same markings as real, OEM-approved parts, making them hard to identify. Tracking them is even harder, owing to the decentralized, small-scale supply chain of the fake parts.

According to WSJ, counterfeit airbags are often made from a combination of used and unapproved parts. They may reuse a factory front plate to look like an original part, but be backed by components from a junkyard, or potentially even knockoffs brought in from abroad. They’re then sometimes sold as “new” on sites like eBay at a lower cost than the OEM part, sometimes leading independent shops (well-meaning or not) to buy the cheaper, outwardly identical part.

The practice appears to be highly profitable, sometimes netting hundreds of dollars of profit per sale. Thousands may have been distributed by two unaffiliated individuals who were indicted in May—you do the math. Though tens of thousands of units have reportedly been seized in recent years, many more are suspected to have gone unreported after failing or being installed in cars without their owners’ knowledge.

It’s said that automakers are now pushing eBay to cease selling airbags and their parts on its platform, where many of the fakes are distributed. Many junkyards won’t sell used airbags either for liability reasons. For the time being, the only defense for consumers would seem to be getting airbags serviced where you know OEM parts will be used, like at a dealership. If your car has had its airbag replaced, it may be time to call up your shop and get them to show their receipts.

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The post Knockoff Airbags Are Here, and They’re Killing People appeared first on The Drive.

The driver put his speed at 60 mph—15 mph lower than what witnesses have reported—when the Jeep left its intended path and struck the parked Jeep Wrangler belonging to the Price family, which in turn struck Kadie Price after she had pushed one of her children away from the impending wreck. Her husband Kent County Sheriff’s Deputy Charlie Price and their two children were “not seriously injured,” per WOOD-TV. The dunes comprise an area of the Silver Lake State Park, open to the public and where off-roading is common.

Since the May crash, authorities have closely reviewed three pieces of footage from bystanders, so they have an understanding of how the events unfolded. They also seized the Jeep to examine it thoroughly. Initially, the driver—a 64-year-old man whose identity has been kept anonymous—was reportedly “very cooperative at the scene,” per Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast. However, “he grew a little less cooperative as time went on,” and was said to have requested that the CJ be kept under shelter, according to a park employee.

“(The driver) looked at a (park) ranger and I and asked if his Jeep gets impounded if it could go somewhere with a roof because ‘there’s a lot of money put into it,'” the employee said, according to WOOD-TV. Police didn’t take custody of his vehicle until two days after the crash, at which point, the individual seemed to push back more strongly at the prospect of seizure.

“I explained to (the driver) that it was determined the Jeep would need to be held as evidence until the case was reviewed by the Prosecutor,” one investigator wrote of their phone call with the man. “(The driver) was not happy with this and advised that he had been watching the news regarding the incident and that he was aware that the female that was killed in the crash was the wife of a Deputy Sheriff. (The driver) advised that he had a feeling that we would ‘throw him under the bus’ for this. I advised (the driver) this was not the case and that I investigate all incidents the same regardless of who was involved.”

Of course, the driver ultimately had no choice but to relent and surrender the Jeep, though he did apparently notify the investigator of his displeasure, and said that he’d be contacting his attorney.

Sheriff Mast shared the department’s assessment of the vehicle, as well as those of “local experts,” with the news station on Friday.

“(The Jeep) was set up very much for drag racing,” Mast told WOOD-TV. “We examined the braking system, the transmission, the drive system on it. We’re told by the local experts that it’s a high-dollar, well-built machine. It was set up very well, and it should have been capable of stopping with the braking system that was operating on the vehicle.”

The Silver Lake Sand Dunes were made exempt from a law that disallows drag racing in public areas in 2021. Mast noted that while there have been some injuries during races at the dunes, which attract approximately 300,000 riders annually, Price’s death was the first fatality.

There is a list of rules and regulations primarily directed toward off-roaders at Silver Lake, published by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources. However, it doesn’t state a precise speed limit (only that vehicles must be driven “at a safe speed and in a safe manner”), and there are no hard rules about how far away pedestrians must be from the course.

The Sheriff’s Department expects it will soon hand over the case to the Oceana County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine if the driver will face criminal charges. Mast told the news channel that he knows the investigation “seems to be taking a little bit of time, but we owe it to the families that have been affected by this to do our due diligence and make sure we’re using everything available to do this investigation properly and fully.”

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The post Jeep Driver Blames ‘Stuck Throttle’ for Killing Bystander, Authorities Aren’t Convinced Yet appeared first on The Drive.

It’s not yet clear what caused Force’s funny car to explode in the first place, but these things are wound pretty tight. With over 11,000 (yes, eleven thousand) horsepower the stakes are high for every single component. Here’s a clip of the incident that NHRA has released and is making the rounds:

And here’s the NHRA’s official statement:

“During the first round of Funny Car eliminations at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals on Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park, John Force’s Funny Car suffered an engine explosion at the finish line and then crossed the centerline, striking both guard walls before coming to a stop. Force was alert and was examined onsite by the NHRA Medical Team before being transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.”

NHRA

Fox Sports and Yahoo news are saying that the impact happened at 302 mph.

The explosion didn’t even look like the worst aspect of the incident. Once the car went out of control it crossed into the other lane, hit the barrier, and bounced back to the other barrier before finally coming to a stop. The only bit of mercy here for Force and his competitor Terry Haddock is that Haddock was able to slow down enough to keep the two cars from colliding into each other.

Having been active in racing for basically half a century, Force is no stranger to high-stakes speeds and wipeouts. As his bio says, the septuagenarian has “more all-time records than any driver in NHRA history” and is a 16-time Funny Car Champion.

Here’s hoping he heals up OK and quickly. In the past, crashes haven’t convinced him he should retire, but we’ll see what he has to say when his team addresses the public again. Force’s teammate Austin Prock ended up winning the event’s Funny Car division on Sunday, beating Bob Tasca III in the final round of the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals.

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This shift in brand identity was in constant play during my stint at the QX80 drive event in Napa Valley. So confident in its new product, Infiniti gave us top-of-the-line Autograph trims to drive—all pre-production models. Essentially, these were crushers. With huge risk comes huge reward, or an embarrassing face-first stumble. The all-new QX80 results in a little bit of both.

The Basics 

Right off the bat, this new-generation full-size QX looks very different from its predecessors. When the flagship Infiniti SUV arrived 20 years ago, the then-QX56 was every bit the brutish tank it aspired to be. From its styling to its handling, the QX56 catered to buyers with an alpha male mindset. But the early 2010s brought a redesign that softened its squarish squat into a curvaceous bubble, plus a name change to QX80. Following this evolution, the QX’s demo has become neither alpha nor male but tech-seeking hospitality-providing power couples. That’s what the marketing slide said, anyway. Nevertheless, the new QX80 fits this bill.

Less curvy this time around, the 2025 QX80 features large slabs of sheet metal with nary a kink or curve. There is a single high-belt character line that travels the length of the vehicle. Horizontal and unwavering, this lone design detail all but disappears from any angle that isn’t a side profile. And from that vantage point, the QX80 looks every bit like a Ford Edge-Range Rover love child. However, the QX80 is best viewed at its front three-quarters. From other angles, the large SUV either looks like a big-toothed mouse (massive front grille plus teeny flappy outside mirrors) or a van with a zippered opening (large rear greenhouse plus rippling-effect taillights). Considering how busy the brand’s other vehicles look, the zero-fuss QX80 might be a welcome respite for Infiniti fans.

The interior is where the real business happens. There’s the option to accommodate up to eight occupants, but the standard layout is seven seats, with captain’s chairs for the second row as well as a 60/40-split folding and reclining third row. The eight-seater replaces the captain’s chairs for a 40/20/40-split second-row bench. All are power-adjustable. Heated seats are standard for rows one and two but are now optional for the third row, which is a QX80 first. Also, massaging and ventilated seats can be optioned for the first two rows. Sorry, third-row riders can’t have everything. Perhaps Infiniti is saving that for the fourth-gen QX80 that’ll come out in, like, 2038.

The new QX80 is an inch longer (211.2), 3.4 inches wider (83.3), and 0.8 inches taller (76.6 at the lowest suspension setting). Those expanded exterior dimensions (as well as tricks like a flatter floor) result in more space inside. Cargo volume behind the third row has increased by 28% compared to the outgoing model, yielding enough room to fit at least two large checked-bag-size suitcases. With the third row down, cargo space went up by 17% over the previous gen, and with the second row also folded, total cargo room is up 6%.

What’s more, every seat is comfortable. Yes, even those in the third row, which come standard with power-adjustable seatbacks, air vents, cupholders, USB ports, ambient lighting, and an armrest for the outboard passengers. Those giant rear windows that make the exterior design appear awkward from certain angles benefit the interior by minimizing any cave-like claustrophobia. The wayback seats themselves are surprisingly well cushioned—the headrests were especially plush—and are styled like all the other seats with quilted inserts and contrast stitching. I spent the entire second leg of our drive route back there—all 65 miles through wine country. My only complaint? Despite all of the creature comforts, it still sort of feels like riding in the back of a body-on-frame school bus, with body movements exacerbated by the driver’s exuberance.

Driving Experience 

The 2025 QX80 is not just bigger, it’s also more powerful—in fact, it’s the torquiest Infiniti yet. Replacing the last-gen’s 5.6-liter V8 is a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 derived from the Nissan GT-R (RIP) and Q50 Red Sport (which, coincidentally, I drove to the event). Horsepower increases by 50 and torque is up by 103 lb-ft for a total output of 450 hp and 516 lb-ft. And every single bit of it is needed to move all that weight. An official curb weight isn’t available yet, but last year’s heaviest variant weighed 6,085 pounds. 

Replacing last gen’s seven-speed automatic transmission is a nine-speed that’s said to improve low-end acceleration by 27% and overdrive fuel economy by 12%. As a result, the EPA-estimated fuel economy for rear-wheel drive models is 16 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined, while four-wheel-drive variants are estimated to achieve 15/19/17 mpg, respectively. Highway numbers didn’t change year-over-year, but city and combined mpg for both drivetrains jumped by 2 mpg. Don’t ask me how much those figures drop when towing, but the QX80 offers a best-in-class standard rating of 8,500 pounds.

So, with an engine taken from sports cars, does the QX80 handle Napa Valley’s winding mountain curves like one? Don’t be silly. Although torsional and lateral stiffness increased by 25% and 57%, respectively, the QX80 is still a three-row SUV… that handles like a two-row SUV. I didn’t feel like there was a massive tail behind me. Acceleration was smooth, as was the transmission. But where the Q50 Red Sport wants to attack every corner, the QX80 gives them a gentle hug. That’s not a bad thing. Bear hugs from a bear sound terrifying anyway. 

The selectable drive modes are Standard, Eco, Sport, Snow, Tow, and a configurable Personal, but accessing them is a pain. There is a dedicated button, per se, but it’s on the 9.0-inch lower touchscreen where you manage climate control. Despite the haptic feedback, which you have to really push down on the icon to activate, the drive mode “button” is the farthest one away from the driver. Eh? The screens are nice but why do air suspension and camera access get a dedicated button? Over time, I’d memorize their positions, but that’s not going to happen with a touchscreen which, haptic or not, is still flat. 

In Standard mode, the QX80 was chill. The ride was comfortable and the steering was responsive. When switching to Sport mode, I noticed a stiffer steering feel, and it was, dare I say it, more fun to drive. I’d honestly forget there were two more rows of seating behind me. I hit some of the sweeping curves at the same speeds I did with the Q50 Red Sport, and the QX80 wasn’t flustered at all. Of course, it felt like a heavier vehicle but, like a sumo wrestler, it’s all power, not flab. And when push comes to shove, there’s beauty and finesse in the attack.

Infiniti QX80 Features, Options, and Competition

With its vast amenities and highfalutin’ attitude, the QX80 is definitely a premium vehicle. There is more of everything, including how much one can expect to spend. The 2025 QX80 starts at $84,445 including $1,995 for destination but the top Autograph 4WD trim you see here starts at $112,590. These prices are fairly big jumps from what this SUV used to cost—base versus base, it’s an 11% price hike while the six-figure Autograph QX80 is 24% more expensive than the previous top-trim QX80.

What justifies the jump? Well, you’ve got segment-first features like a wide-view camera up front, a 1,200-watt, 24-speaker Klipsch Reference Premiere sound system, driver’s seat-specific individual audio, and biometric cooling for the second row. Some new-to-Infiniti features that are standard include dual 14.3-inch screens, Google built-in, and, uh, flush door handles. Most of the fun new tech is available for Sensory and Autograph trims, with the latter being fully loaded with standard ProPilot Assist 2.1 and exclusive stuff like an in-car camera, a touchscreen for the second row, heated third-row seats, a front console cool box. 

The amount of tech onboard my QX80 Autograph test car was overwhelming at times. ProPilot Assist 2.1 improves upon the standard 1.1 edition by adding lane change assist. Simple and straightforward with its single-button activation, Nissan/Infiniti’s semi-autonomous safety system has always been a highlight. The individual audio system works wonders. From the third row, I couldn’t hear my co-driver receive navigation instructions, and his music sounded like a concert playing in the distance. Also, the addition of built-in Google helps future-proof the infotainment system since any synced apps can be updated via the Google Play store. 

There’s a mix of gimmick and function with the QX80. For example, the ability to operate the fold-down/up of all seats from the driver’s position is nice in theory. In practice, it’s cumbersome. From the home screen, you need to go through All Settings, Vehicle, Seat, and then get to choose what seat does what. Yes, the screen’s response time is quick but having to dig through multiple menus is annoying. 

If anything, the new QX80 has maybe too many displays and cameras. There are four large screens that replace traditional knobs and buttons, and the new in-car camera is meant to offer remote viewing of the interior (in case you forgot something… or someone). A silly side effect is that it doubles as another way to take a selfie or record a family episode of Carpool Karaoke. Safety tech includes a new Invisible Hood View, which, as the name suggests, projects an X-ray-esque view of what’s ahead and possibly under the engine bay, serving as another blind-spot monitoring angle. But the video image is too distorted and low clarity for my liking. Crouching in front of the car, it makes me look like a Conehead.

The Early Verdict

There is a lot to like about the 2025 Infiniti QX80, but six figures is a huge ask. Although I drove pre-production models, they were late-stage ones, meaning very close to the final product spec. There were plastic bits I didn’t care for, and although plush and chockful of premium amenities, there seemed to be a hesitance in its execution. 

As innovative as the new features are, they’re mostly new *for Infiniti* and not new for the upmarket segment it’s vying for. The BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GLS, and Jeep Grand Wagoneer already offer similar tech and luxury features. They also have something extra, an underlying sophistication (yes, even with the Jeep) that makes you not think twice about the price. Infiniti isn’t quite there yet. The brand aspires to be, and the QX80 is a significant step in that direction. Just how many more steps Infiniti needs to take is up for debate.

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