My wife loves her a to-do list. Checking items off the list gives her a little spark of joy no matter how many boxes are left to check. I suspect the engineers on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 program are more than a little happy themselves with the items they’ve crossed off their list.
Mercedes introduced the CLA in 2013 as a hip, inexpensive entry point meant to lure people out of their Accords and Camrys and into a Benz. Although it certainly attracted a fair number of buyers, it also attracted criticism, most notably for its low-grade interior, recalcitrant transmission, and droopy styling. You can imagine these would be at the top of the product refresh to-do list, and you can see it in the final result.
Far and away the greatest progress has been made inside. Where the previous car said C-Class but cheaper, the new one says technology and style. Not everyone [...]
It’s a good time to be a millennial. I mean, not in the socio-economic sense—we’re underpaid, overworked, and can probably forget about retirement. But when it comes to cars, our generation is finally being catered to. From affordable and fun Subaru BRZs, to the tech wizardry that is the Tesla Model 3, it seems that there’s a car out there to meet each and every individual desire. For the more fortunate among us, the subcompact luxury SUV space is chock-full of little 4x4s designed to meet our needs. Two of the newer ones are the Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40, and so we gathered both SUVs up in attempt to see which panders caters to Gen Y best.
On paper, our testers are pretty evenly matched. Our 2019 Audi Q3 Quattro Prestige S line and 2020 Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design are both sport-oriented subcompact luxury SUVs with all-wheel drive, efficient but powerful turbocharged four-cylinders, and [...]
Mercedes has for years owned the performance wagon segment in the U.S. Mind you, it’s a vanishingly small piece of the market. Between the demise of the achingly quixotic Cadillac CTS-V wagon in 2014—556-hp supercharged V-8 under the hood, and 514 of them built with a six-speed manual transmission—and this year’s launch of the Audi RS 6 Avant, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S wagon and Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S have been the only players in the segment.
Over in Europe, though, go-fast wagon enthusiasts are spoiled for choice. The midsize Mercedes-AMG C 63 and Audi RS 4 Avant sell alongside their larger siblings. BMW fans can order the 455-hp Alpina B3, based on the 3 Series wagon. Mini offers a 306-hp John Cooper Works version of the Clubman wagon, and Volkswagen a 296-hp Golf R wagon. Hell, even Škoda is in on the act, its front-drive 245-hp Octavia vRS wagon fitted with 19-inch [...]
James Bond is the quintessential spy. The orphan turned assassin likes to work alone, but frequently shares the silver screen with some pretty hot sheetmetal. The first trailer for No Time To Die dropped on Wednesday, and it gave us our first glimpse at the 25th Bond film in the storied franchise. The new teaser shows a retired Bond being pulled back into service by an old friend, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).
The trailer is packed with action. Motorcycle chases, an Aston Martin DB5 with miniguns in the headlamps, and a Land Rover being chased by a helicopter all feature in this first teaser. This is the fifth and likely final James Bond film Daniel Craig will headline, and we decided to put together a list of the cars that have starred alongside the most recent incarnation of the legendary British spy. Check out the trailer below and read on for a look at almost [...]
Another week, another Mercedes-AMG. The launch of a new AMG-badged Mercedes was once a rare event, eagerly awaited by enthusiasts. But now, with the global Mercedes-AMG franchise comprising a staggering 63 vehicles, it’s fast becoming routine. And, as the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ Coupe (whew!) shows, just a bit formulaic.
The GLE 53 Coupe is a go-fast Mercedes SUV by the numbers. Under the skin is the AMG-massaged version of Daimler’s 3.0-liter mild hybrid twin-turbo inline-six, along with AMG’s Speedshift TCT nine-speed automatic transmission, AMG’s Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system, and the optional AMG active anti-roll system. It’s all familiar AMG hardware in a mildly face-lifted wrapper dominated by the toothy grimace of the new AMG family grille. Other cosmetic changes include standard LED headlights, and new slimline taillights, along with a redesigned front apron, flares on the wheel openings, and a new rear fascia underpinned by the obligatory four cannon-sized exhausts.
