Autos

On the whole, the automotive media has been enthusiastic—to say the least—about every Mazda MX-5 Miata derivative, no matter the generation. The smiles-per-dollar ratio has always been high across four distinct models, and for most the ability to stow all (or in the case of the MX-5 RF, some) of the roof is at least a bonus if not the major selling point. But there’s always been a small, vocal contingent that has wished for the rigidity or looks of a permanently fixed top. See all 7 photos And Mazda has sometimes fed that fire. The M Coupe Concept of 1996 lit it, and the extremely rare production 2003 MX-5 Coupe fanned it white hot. Just 22 pounds heavier than the roadster, the second-generation NB production Coupe seemed like a car that could become a reality in the States. And...

Here’s a question we’ve never asked ourselves before: What would happen if Chevrolet and Animal Crossing collaborated on Corvette-themed downloadable content? It might sound like a farce, but this question is officially answered, as Chevrolet just announced a Corvette-themed pack for the popular sim game, and it’s actually pretty neat. In case you’re unfamiliar with what Animal Crossing even is, here’s the gist. In the video game world of Animal Crossing, users play a character that mirrors themselves (or whoever else they’d like to be).  Players live in a simulated world—either a small village or a small island—where the goal is to prosper. The avatars grow plants, buy and sell goods, and build a home for themselves (among many, many other opt...

The revamped 2021 Buick Envision arrives early next year in the U.S. with a more modern interior, more standard safety features, and a more attractive exterior design. GM also promised it would bring out a range-topping, luxurious Avenir trim like the one it offers on the larger Enclave, and now we’re finally getting a glimpse of this upscale variant, or at least the Chinese-market version. We hope ours looks similar. In this photo, the Avenir is depicted as wearing a special grille with a shiny mesh design. It also gets new wheels we haven’t seen before on the Envision. The plum exterior and the body-color wheel arches look quite becoming on the SUV, which is lower and wider in its new iteration. The treatment overall is pretty much a dead-on copy of the Avenir trim on the lar...

UPDATE 6/19/2020: Apparently the widespread internet LOLs generated by moving the reveal to noted Bronco passenger and “If I Did It” author O.J. Simpson was too much, as the company has now delayed the reveal by four additional days, to July 13, as announced in the below tweet. In a less-controversial occasion of happenstance, July 13 is Harrison Ford’s birthday, which somehow seems appropriate. For what it’s worth, the company says the selection of the July 9 date was “purely coincidental.” So we will indeed see the new Bronco soon. Probably. —Ed. UPDATE 6/15/2020: Because 2020 is just one of those years, it seems, and because truth sometimes is stranger than fiction, the 2021 Ford Bronco’s rescheduled reveal falls on O.J. Simpson&#...

More than a decade after Mazda pulled the plug on its Ford Ranger-based B-Series truck in the United States, the “Zoom-Zoom” brand is making us yearn for its return to the American pickup segment with the new BT-50. Marking the model’s second full redesign, per the company, the new BT-50 trades its predecessor’s Ford underpinnings for Isuzu-based mechanical bits. That’s right, just because Mazda stopped selling trucks in the U.S. doesn’t mean it stopped selling such models in other markets. Look past the Mazda’s pretty, CX-9-like face and you will find what amounts to a re-skinned Isuzu D-Max—a model that was never offered here, from a brand no longer imported to our shores. Fortunately, this is no new take on an old truck, as Isuzu recently r...

The current-generation Honda Pilot is getting on in years, but it is hardly showing its age. That’s because Honda makes frequent small updates to the roomy and practical three-row SUV, including a styling refresh the year before last. For 2021, the Pilot receives a special edition trim and comes standard with the nine-speed automatic transmission across the line (previously it reserved for upper trim levels, while lower-spec models used a six-speed). For its extra three forward speeds, the entry-level 2021 Honda Pilot LX sees a price increase of $725, to $33,370. It is more expensive, therefore, than the base Chevrolet Traverse (which also is much larger) but still less expensive than the more similarly sized Toyota Highlander. Prices on the mid-level EX and EX-L trims have swelled b...