As hybrid powertrains make their way into everything from minivans to supercars, their core mission remains the same: making stops at the gas station—and associated openings of your wallet—fewer and farther between. The Kia Niro is a hybrid built to meet that end.
After a year with a 2017 model in our long-term test fleet, we know the Niro well. A 2020 refresh aimed to keep it a viable alternative to hybrid heavy hitters like the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and its own platform-mate, the Hyundai Ioniq. How do the Niro’s specs compare to those vehicles? And what else do you need to know about Kia’s dedicated hybrid?
How Quick Is the Kia Niro?Combined output from the Niro’s electric motor and 1.6-liter gasoline I-4 measures 139 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. That’s sent to the front wheels by a six-speed dual-clutch automatic (more on that later). At the MotorTrend test track, the Niro [...]
In a move to spice up this absurd Bizarro World timeline, new spy shots of a mysterious long-roof prototype hints that Ford is readying a lifted five-door midsize wagon/SUV to clash with the Subaru Outback. Remember, this is the same Ford that canceled all traditional sedans and hatches in favor of a lineup populated only by trucks, crossovers, and full-size SUVs (and the Mustang).
While there is no explicit Ford badging to be found on the exterior of the mule, the front fascia is very similar to the one found on the current Ford Edge, and that blacked-out oval badge in the center is a dead giveaway. Plus, we’d heard rumors of a CUV-style wagon on the horizon since soon after the demise of the original Fusion.
We’re unsure of the original source of these images, but we do know they first appeared on Chinese websites and have since filtered out through various Instagram accounts, [...]
Did Santa fail to bring you that Tesla you wanted? Well, now you’ve got a new incentive to make your own magic happen: three free months of the company’s questionably named Full Self-Driving Capability feature, as decreed on Twitter by Elon Musk himself. All you have to do is buy a Tesla and take delivery by December 31, 2020, then hope that Full Self-Driving Capability works better than everything else that happened in 2020.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Capability system has been a long time coming, with the company finally releasing a “beta” iteration of the system to some customers in October. (Because why spend money on testing with experienced professionals on the safety of a closed track when your customers are willing to take the risk for you—and pay for the privilege to do so?) Tesla has been cagey on the details of exactly what the system can and cannot do, but YouTube videos show [...]
On display now on the third floor of the Petersen Automotive Museum is Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed, a collection of high-performance vehicles dating back to the early 1900s. Beginning with the 1913 Mercer Type 35-J Raceabout and closing out with the 2005 Maserati MC12, the exhibit highlights some of the most iconic roadgoing supercars of the past 100 years.
Characterized by performance, limited production, outlandish styling, and speed, the Petersen’s supercars display showcases many of the cars that put “ultimate” in “ultimate dream-car garage.” While the Petersen Automotive Museum remains closed to the public pending a change to California’s pandemic restrictions, we compiled a preview gallery for you to explore here. And because we didn’t want to waive the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of our favorites, below are nine supercars from the exhibit that really got our imaginations racing. (To see the rest of the amazing machinery on display, [...]
When was the last time you saw a Toyota Land Cruiser? You can’t go a block without seeing multiple 4Runners, Highlanders, Tacomas, and RAV4s—or even the occasional Sequoia—but spotting any generation of a Land Cruiser is a rarity. For all its name recognition and iconic history, there just aren’t that many running around the U.S. And after the model-year 2021 iterations are built, there will be no new ones sold in America, at least for a while.
We first heard rumblings of the Land Cruiser’s demise in the States more than a year ago when multiple sources at Toyota hinted to MotorTrend that [...]
