Rally racing is the most dynamic motorsport on earth—or at least it used to be. From the 1970s to the late 1990s, rally racing did wear that crown and rally cars were some of the most coveted vehicular icons of their time. The sport birthed world-renowned stars in both driver and vehicle, like Colin McRae and the Subaru WRX STI. But recent years have not been kind to the sport of rally racing and it is in need of a facelift. The Top Gear America hosts think they have that all figured out.
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The Heroes of Rally RacingRally drivers are some of the best race car pilots in the world. The constant variations in terrain and traction combined with open-stage course conditions [...]
Good news! As of 2021, the Chinese-market Cadillac XT5 and XT6 will get a 48 volt mild hybrid system, new gold paint, and—if the above photo, which we swear on our mothers’ lives was actually included with the press release, is any indication—the ability to levitate.
As of model year 2021, the Chinese-market XT5 and XT6’s standard 2.0-liter turbo four now comes with a 48-volt “mild hybrid” system, which Cadillac says boosts fuel economy by roughly 5 percent in the XT5 and 6 percent in the XT6 (to 7.0L/100km and 7.2L/100km respectively, if you must know—about 33.6 and 37.2 mpg).
According to Cadillac, the 48-volt motor will be [...]
Rivian is validating early builds of three key electric vehicles launching in the second half of this year, even as CEO RJ Scaringe works on an expanded portfolio. The electric vehicle startup showed how serious it was about mass production when it bought an assembly plant in Normal, Illinois, from Mitsubishi in 2017, and under Scaringe, Rivian didn’t just retool the 2.6-million-square-foot plant, but expanded it by a further 800,000 square feet. Even that might not be enough to handle his future plans.
First Up: Rivian R1T Electric Pickup in JunePilot versions of the 2021 R1T five-passenger full-size electric pickup are being built for validation and testing in the real world in preparation for a June launch of vehicles earmarked for customers. It is a slight delay from pre-COVID plans to start production in December 2020.
The launch of the R1S three-row electric SUV will follow in [...]
You just knew the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 was going to be skin-tinglingly expensive. When it’s fairly easy to load up a normal Wrangler with one of its gas four- or six-cylinder engines—not to mention its pricey diesel V-6 option—past the $60,000 mark, there was no way the long-awaited V-8-powered Wrangler wouldn’t have at least a seven in front of its price tag.
Prepare Thyself …Lo and behold, Jeep has released pricing for the new Wrangler Rubicon 392 Launch Edition, and it starts at $74,995. That’s $24,030 more than the next-priciest Wrangler’s ask, and barely less than it’ll cost you to buy a Levante luxury SUV—sold through Jeep parent Stellantis’ Maserati division. We needn’t list all the mainstream compact SUVs the limited-edition Wrangler is pricier than (all of them), but we will toss one more comparison your way: The Rubicon 392 will cost you more than even hotted-up compact luxury crossovers such as [...]
Even though we all knew it was coming, we’re still excited to see the first official photos of the 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. Until now, we’ve only seen images of the Mission E Cross Turismo concept and spy shots of Cross Turismo mules testing across the globe. When it finally hits the U.S., the Taycan Cross Turismo will serve as the Taycan electric sedan’s more butch, wagon-bodied counterpart. Adding a little extra practicality to the Taycan model line is great, but one of the few flaws of Porsche’s EV is its heavily sloped roofline that results in limited rear-seat headroom. The Cross Turismo ought to remedy this problem. Porsche’s photos also reveal the Cross Turismo’s extra ride height relative to the Taycan sedan, as well as the wagon’s roof rails and tough-looking cladding around its wheel arches. All of these bits hint at the fact this Taycan will no doubt be more of a [...]
