Autos
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Chevy C8 Corvette Recalled for Frunked-Up Front Trunks Capable of Trapping You Inside
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette has just been recalled for the first time because it’s front trunk might not open beyond the 10 minutes that pass after you’ve turned it off. According to a release by Chevy, the new ‘Vette fails to comply with S4.1 of Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 401, “Interior Trunk Release.” Essentially, the C8 enters a “sleep” mode 10 minutes after it’s been off and the electronic front trunk release may not work as a result. GM plans on fixing the problem via a wireless, over-the-air software update that will “(lower) the voltage required to wake the vehicle from the low power “sleep” mode.” This essentially means that the C8 will be able to unlatch the hood if the interior frunk release button is pressed even when the Corvette is in its sleep mode. Owne...
2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed First Look: Still *the* 626-HP, 190-MPH SUV
Last week, Bentley gave us a glimpse of a future that becomes reality today. The opulent SUV you see before you is the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed, which pairs the new Bentayga’s look with the tried-and-true existing mechanicals of the outgoing Bentayga Speed, just introduced last February. That means this exceptional fast SUV stays quick, and looks good doing it. 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed: What’s New? The short answer is that the new 2021 Bentley Bentayga Speed puts the current 2020’s mechanicals into the updated-for-2021 body. There is of course a lot more to it, since the updated sheetmetal and interior afford the Speed lots of ways to differentiate itself from its lesser V-8 powered siblings. Another big chunk of new? The Speed model is also now the only way to get the W-12 eng...
Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback Killed by Venue and Kona Crossovers
One of our favorite affordable hatchbacks is saying goodbye, and we’re not at all ready to see it go. Hyundai will discontinue the Elantra GT in the U.S. after the 2020 model year to focus on its growing crossover lineup. Hyundai said the decision was “due to [an] expanded SUV lineup that includes Venue and Kona.” It’s a shame that Hyundai is sacrificing the Elantra GT, because we always viewed it as a great crossover alternative thanks to its spacious rear seats, cavernous cargo capacity, and strong visibility. We also love that the hatchback is nimble, relatively quiet, and fun to take around a corner. This also marks the end of the road for the even-more-entertaining Elantra GT N Line. Along with a more powerful engine making 201 horsepower, this variant offers a slick-shifting six-spee...
Miss Out on Tom Brady’s Stretched Cadillac Escalade? Sylvester Stallone’s Is for Sale
There are 72 steps leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s entrance—you know, the ones a certain fictional boxer played by Sylvester Stallone hoofed up in Rocky? That’s not many steps, nor much of a distance, and neither is the 1,000 miles traveled by Stallone’s stretched Cadillac Escalade ESV limo that’s currently for sale by its builder. While it might take you some sweat equity to mimic Rocky’s famous climb up the Philly museum’s steps, buying his low-mile Caddy only requires a cool $350,000. And you might even be able to drive the Escalade up those steps, too. Albeit, very carefully. That’s because its maker, Becker Auto Design, has added 20 inches to the wheelbase—stretching this Cadillac SUV beyond the Escalade ESV’s already yawn...
What Happens When Your Free Cadillac Super Cruise Trial Expires?
General Motors is preparing to push its Super Cruise driver-assist tech to more of its brands in the coming model years. For now, though, the hands-free driving feature is exclusive to Cadillac. The setup relies on regularly updated high-definition maps, which work with the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering self-steering functions to accurately locate and place a so-equipped vehicle on more than 200,000 miles of Super Cruise-friendly highways with little-to-no driver interaction required. Additionally, an interior-mounted camera monitors the driver’s attention as a safeguard to ensure the individual behind the wheel can take control of the car if necessary. And aside from the tech’s upfront cost, using it is free—for a time. You see, Super Cruise is not a permanent fixture i...
Volkswagen’s Diesel V-8 Chugs Into That Engine Graveyard in the Sky
Whether or not you believe Volkswagen has cleaned up its act in the wake of its diesel emissions cheating scandal, the company still sells diesel-powered cars in markets all across the world. In fact, the company has said 27 percent of all Volkswagens sold in 2018 ran on gasoline’s unrefined counterpart. It is therefore safe to say VW still cares about its diesels, and now the automaker must mourn the death of one of those—its mighty diesel V-8. That makes this limited-edition Touareg SUV—the last to get the oil-burner V-8—a sort of hearse, right? <!– –> You remember the Touareg, don’t you? VW hasn’t sold the Touareg in the U.S. since 2016, when it was replaced by the Atlas, but the nameplate lives on elsewhere and is the brand’s most expensive, mo...
Jeep Drops First Teaser for New Grand Wagoneer (or New Grand Cherokee)
Jeep is working on something grand. Well, that’s the implication made in this teaser image by the off-road-oriented brand, which includes a picture of the Grand Canyon, a definition of the word “grand” (“magnificent and striking in appearance, size, or style”), and the copy “coming soon.” Given the Grand Canyon is millions of years old, we don’t think the geographic feature is the forthcoming thing that Jeep is teasing. More likely, the brand is previewing its forthcoming Grand Wagoneer full-size SUV, which may emerge as the largest model Jeep offers in its showrooms. Then again, the mid-size Grand Cherokee is slated for a redesign soon, too, and it’s possible this ad teases that model instead. Or maybe it’s neither the Grand Wagoneer nor the Grand Cherokee that Jeep’s alluding to in this...
2021 Porsche 911 Targa 4S First Drive: Dilettante or Masterpiece?
Close your eyes and concentrate on the word “targa.” What does your mind’s eye see? Something with a Porsche badge on the hood, I’m guessing. For me—probably because I own a $500 one—my brain locks onto the Porsche 914. However, I’d guess that for most car-lovers out there, an old (though still lovely) Porsche 911 Targa leaps to mind. Maybe even a soft-window one from 1967. Point is, you think Porsche, even though (almost) every Corvette coupe since 1984 sports a targa roof. Out of the dozens of targa-roofed cars (targa just means a roof panel that pops off while the B-pillars stay put) that have been built—we’re talking everything from the Suzuki Cappuccino to the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse—Porsche was lucky and/or smart enough to copyright the word “Targa” back in 1965. Ironicall...
Troubled Faraday Future Auctions off Pikes Peak Prototype
Electric car manufacturer Faraday Future seemed to have a future. That vision has been crumbling for years, and it’s been one troubling sign after another. The latest indication that things are going badly has a silver lining, however. Instead of creditors getting stiffed or executives jumping ship, this bit of news includes an actual car you can buy. In fact, this FF 91 prototype is—as far as we can tell—the first, and so far only, Faraday Future vehicle to go up for sale. Buying it won’t save the company, but at least you’ll be able to hold a tangible product produced by a company that otherwise just seems to be burning cash. And this is no ordinary FF 91 prototype. It’s the car that ran up Pikes Peak in 2017 in a claimed record time, although it wasn’t a production car—and, frankly, sti...
Maserati Expands Trofeo Performance Treatment to 2021 Ghibli, Quattroporte
Maserati is doubling down on the performance of its sedans. “Trofeo” has been a byword for the fastest and most powerful version of Maserati’s Levante SUV for a while now, but the Italian brand is finally bestowing the Trofeo badge on both the 2021 Ghibli and the 2021 Quattroporte sedans. While the Levante Trofeo remains unchanged, the Trofeo upgrades to the two sedans are extensive, and both now boast top speeds of 203 mph, making them the fastest production sedans Maserati has ever made. That incredible top speed comes as a result of what’s under the new Trofeo models’ hoods: A Ferrari-built, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-8 cranking out 580 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque. A version of this engine made an appearance in the now-dead Quattroporte GTS, but the Trof...
2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic Cabriolet First Drive
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic Cabriolet isn’t scheduled to arrive in America until later this year, but it already looks like a future classic. Sources in Stuttgart have confirmed what Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Nicholas Speeks told American dealers in June: The convertible E-Class will be axed in the next three or four years—along with its coupe cousin and two-door versions of the S- and C-Class—as Daimler moves to trim its current 45-model lineup. The beancounters have looked at the sales trends and concluded the world has fallen out of love with sedan-based convertibles. The Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic Cabriolet shares its 362-hp, 369-lb-ft mild hybrid I-6 powertrain, nine-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive system with the 2021 E 450 4Matic sedan. It also shares the new, ...
2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic Sedan First Drive
There’s something wonderfully calming about driving the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 4Matic sedan. The world outside might be going to hell in a handbasket, but here, in the cabin of the car that in many ways still defines the Mercedes-Benz brand, is a continuity that soothes the soul. Sure, there’s way more visual bling than there used to be—the engineers that created the Bauhausian W124 E-Class in the 1980s would be aghast at the glittery decoration adorning its 21st century successor, inside and out. But they would recognize the effortless competence of its powertrain, the studied confidence of its chassis, and the quiet efficiency with which its technology lends the driver a helping hand. The E 450 4Matic is top dog in a four-model lineup of the face-lifted W213 E-Class Mercedes-Benz sched...
