Autos

Model-year 2020 marks the end of the line for the Dodge Journey crossover SUV and the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan, which means the aging Dodge Durango must serve the role as the brand’s sole people mover come next year. Fortunately, a thorough update for 2021 ought to help the SUV attract Journey and Grand Caravan buyers in search of a Dodge-badged three-row family hauler. The most noteworthy exterior changes are made to the Durango’s front end, which features a new front fascia that mimics the look of the Dodge Charger sedan’s. Slimmer headlights and new grille designs (Dodge offers three grille options throughout the line) give the SUV a more modern look. A more driver-centric dashboard breathes fresh life into the Durango’s cabin. A newly available 10.1...

The craziest moment during BMW’s virtual-reality Connected Car press event was briefly sensing that zoned-out, mental blue-screen feeling that’s the hallmark of jet lag. We’re familiar, thanks to those many annual European press trips we (usually) attend to log miles in the newest cars on the Continent’s best roads. Too many old triggers were piling up—I notice that Munich looks overcast again outside the stopped 5 Series‘s windshield in which I’m twisted to my left in the passenger seat, glancing back and forth between the car’s info screen and the monotone-voiced BMW rep behind the wheel who’s virtually explaining everything to me. There’s been no nine-hour time change, or endless, hissing 37,000-ft flight, or waking up at 2:45 a.m. t...

The electric vehicle segment is very competitive in China. Local offerings are strong from manufacturers such as BYD, NIO, and Xpeng, and that’s before accounting for outside EV automakers such as Tesla (which itself now produces some of its vehicles in China). With such a strong market for these vehicles, it’s no surprise that Porsche is debuting its entry-level Taycan in China. Despite serving as the lowliest model on the Taycan totem pole, the rear-drive model is still a well-equipped luxury sedan that rides on a set of stylish—and standard—19-inch wheels. Like the Taycan 4S, the base Taycan comes standard with a 79-kWh battery pack. A 93-kWh pack is optionally available. With the smaller battery, the Taycan’s lone electric motor puts out as much as 402 hp and is capab...

After initially reviewing the new-to-U.S. Ford Ranger upon the nameplate’s return to the American market for 2019, we were unimpressed with its already-old styling, so-so ride and handling, and low-rent cabin. To be fair, the Ranger had already been on sale for some time globally before it was modified for American customers, and we nonetheless deem it a capable truck with a solid (and segment-unique) turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine. Now Ford is injecting a bit more appeal into its mid-size pickup by upping the Ranger’s off-road capability with a new Ford Performance line of off-road accessory packs. Will these Performance packages change any of our baseline complaints about the Ranger? No, but they offer a compelling distraction from them. Available in three gr...

Crossovers and SUVs are the bread and butter of Volkswagen’s product line. In fact, more than half of all VWs sold in the United States in 2019 were such models. Predictably, the German automaker wants more of this sales action, and it’s leaning into it by adding a new, smaller model to its lineup.  Earmarked for production at the company’s Puebla, Mexico plant, the latest Volkswagen crossover aims to take on the Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos, and Nissan Rogue Sport. As we previously reported, VW is not simply building a variant of its European-market T-Roc subcompact crossover for North American consumption. Instead, we expect the brand to build an iteration of the Tharu crossover it sells in China, albeit sold on our shores under a different name. Recent filings by...

Bentley’s Bentayga has long polarized opinion. The EXP 9F concept that teased Bentley’s first-ever SUV, unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, was panned for its ostentatious detailing and oversized design cues shoehorned onto a platform that didn’t allow the graceful proportions expected from the iconic British luxury brand. The ostentation was toned down by the time the production Bentayga hit the streets in 2016, but the decision to build the car on VW Group’s MLB architecture meant it remained proportionally challenged. The facelifted 2021 Bentley Bentayga is still no shrinking violet. The proportions haven’t changed, but a host of styling tweaks are designed to make the 2021 Bentayga look lower and wider and more confidently planted on the road. And Bentl...

We like the Audi Q5 a lot, and so do consumers. Its the company’s best-selling vehicle in the United States, and that’s because it’s a genuine crowd-pleaser. Its upscale yet understated looks inside and out, useful tech features, and combination of comfort and performance strike a great balance in a segment with tough competition. After all, the Q5 faces off against the sporty BMW X3, the sleek Mercedes-Benz GLC, the athletic Acura RDX, and the luxurious Lexus NX. And don’t forget the stylish Volvo XC60, either. The 2021 Q5 is not a ground-up redesign but a facelift of the model that Audi introduced for 2018. It’s a refinement of a formula we already know works well, with some tech upgrades and exterior additions. More on that in a bit. See all 28 photos ...

Dodge, never a brand to shy away from patriotic marketing, has something big to tell us on Thursday. But until then, you’ll just have to play this maximum ‘Murica teaser on repeat. A brief release accompanying the teaser informs us Dodge will drop three more teaser videos on Wednesday, July 1, one each on its Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. A final teaser image will be released on the morning of Thursday, July 2, before the big announcement, which will stream live on Dodge.com later that day at 12 p.m. eastern time. What’s the big news? Dodge promises a complete look at its 2021 performance lineup, which we take to mean the Journey won’t be getting a mention. The mostly muscle car brand claims its expanding performance portfolio will offer a combined 8,95...

Uncertainty may abound these days, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) shareholders were reassured at their annual meeting that the proposed merger with PSA Group remains on track to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2021. PSA Group shareholders were given the same message at their annual meeting this week, as well. After a year of planning, FCA and PSA announced their plans for a 50-50 merger on December 18, 2019. The news followed many years of efforts by FCA’s former head, Sergio Marchionne, to merge the Italian-American company with another automaker. Doing so would achieve the scale he believed was necessary to be successful in an industry reliant on the development of expensive technology to transition to a lineup of electric and autonomous vehicles. See all 36 ph...