Acura’s new best-seller has become a risk-taker. With a more emotional design and divisive infotainment system, the 2019 RDX will dumbfound those accustomed to the previous model’s forgettable competence. Attracting new buyers to the brand may require just such an approach, and the RDX unapologetically makes a statement. With a bright red 2019 RDX A-Spec long-termer, we’ll have a year to determine whether we like what the Acura has to say.
The RDX’s extraordinary value story makes a good first impression. Even $38,295 base models include LED headlights, a panoramic moonroof, a package of active safety tech, and interior spaciousness you won’t find on some competitors at any price. The rear seats don’t recline, but there’s still room to stretch out. The RDX’s people-space doesn’t require sacrificing stuff-space, and I’m thankful for the crossover’s sizable cargo area and underfloor storage compartments.
The Acura’s most controversial feature is also [...]
The start of a new year is a great time to set personal goals to improve your health, happiness, outlook on life, or any other area you want to see progress in. We as individuals make New Year’s resolutions, but we wonder: Do automakers, too? If not, then now is the perfect time to start. Here are 10 suggestions from the MotorTrend team on how automakers can improve and innovate in 2019.
Automakers: Bring back CD players
Old fogeys like me want CD players to not go away. People can talk about the convenience of streaming audio all they want, but the fidelity of compact discs is supreme. Now that automotive stereo systems are so good, they deserve to get the full awesome power of CDs.—Mark Rechtin
Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis: Shoot for better fuel economy
The three Korean automakers have [...]
We love putting on World’s Greatest Drag Race every year as part of our Best Driver’s Car competition. But perhaps just as much, we love it when our videos inspire others to create homages like this stop-motion reenactment of World’s Greatest Drag Race 8.
MotorTrend fan and die-cast car collector Emmanuel Otuonye assembled most of the lineup from this year’s drag race and painstakingly recreated the quarter-mile sprint on his kitchen floor—in a couple cases nearly shot for shot. There are a few substitutions, including a Ford GT standing in for the Aston Martin Vantage and a Maserati GranTurismo in place of the Kia Stinger GT, but most of the major players are there. There’s a McLaren 720S, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and of course the 2018 BDC-winning Lamborghini Huracan Performante. The cars are a mix of 1:36 and 1:38 scale models.
In order to faithfully replicate World’s Greatest Drag Race 8 [...]
The Cullinan is a big deal, and not because it weighs nearly 6,000 pounds. Although Rolls-Royce’s first SUV starts rolling into driveways this holiday season, you don’t have to wait for one to appear under a freakishly large Christmas tree to learn more about it. As we discovered when we drove the 2019 Cullinan, the Rolls-Royce is more of a stately super-luxury cruiser than a quick and posh back-road carver. Great. But how much do you really know about the 563-hp, 12-cylinder Rolls-Royce Cullinan? Keep reading for six cool facts about the new SUV.
Trend Alert
Rolls-Royce says it’s starting to hear interest from a few customers who want an alternative to high-quality leather. Such an option may become available on the Cullinan down the line, but not until the right, no-compromises leather alternative is found, one representative told us. We’ve begun to see premium fabrics on lower-priced [...]
McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has been, ahem, Woking overtime to produce even more variants. In this case, they’re three orange 720S supercars that honor the marque’s first Formula 1 grand prix victory at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium a half-century ago.
The historic win saw company founder Bruce McLaren at the wheel of a McLaren M7A with a signature Papaya Orange livery. It was his fourth F1 win but his first victory driving his own car; doing so made McLaren the third driver to win a Grand Prix in a race car of his own design.
The McLaren 720S Spa 68 Collection was commissioned by a dealership in Brussels, Belgium, and they all sport a fresh coat of MSO Bespoke Anniversary Orange paint with a silver tracing of the Spa-Francorchamps course next to the rear wheel arch. The track outline is also embroidered in orange onto the headrest.
There’s also [...]
