The Hyundai Kona Electric has been with us for a while now, and it’s a pleasing electron-powered alternative to the standard Kona. For 2022, all of Hyundai’s Konas are getting a new face, and now we know at least the European-market version of the Kona Electric will, too, among other changes.
Outside, the Kona EV adopts the gas-fed model’s slimmer headlights and sleeker face. The wheel arch cladding is body colored instead of bare plastic, while the rear of the car gets slimmer tail lights, new turn signal elements, reversing light unit, and a new rear bumper. All in all, the changes to the exterior have turned the entire Kona range from a somewhat awkward looking machine into something relatively handsome.
Underneath that massaged sheetmetal lies a familiar powertrain—the Kona still makes 201 horsepower (150 kW) from via a single electric motor. European versions of the Kona EV have the option of either a 64-kWh [...]
We already knew that the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid has more power and torque than its segment rivals, save for the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX, which is hardly an apples-to-apples light-duty competitor. Now, according to the EPA’s website, we’re learning the gas-electric PowerBoost hybrid truck will boast pretty impressive fuel economy numbers, too. The EPA also has revealed efficiency figures for most of the rest of the 2021 F-150 family.
2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid MPGThe hybridized Ford F-150 delivers an estimated 24 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and—predictably—24 mpg combined on the EPA test cycle. It achieves this high rating while managing to put out 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. As expected, the hybrid performs better than most other models in the F-150 lineup, while edging out all of the gasoline-fueled variants of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 pickups. The Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid also is more efficient than [...]
Porsche’s original Boxster sports car was presaged by the silver 1993 Boxster concept car that carried a strong whiff of the original 1955–56 550 Spyder. You know, the car that actor and cool-guy James Dean nicknamed the “Little Bastard” before meeting his early demise in it? Porsche wasn’t finished flirting with a 550 revival, however; after the Boxster came out in 1997, the German automaker rolled out a Boxster 550 Anniversary Edition celebrating the original sports car’s 50th birthday. Later, the Boxster Spyder models kept the 550’s idea of a stripped-down, lightweight mid-engine sports car alive. And just last year, there was this: The Vision Spyder concept.
You probably didn’t see it, because it’s one of a trove of concept cars and design studies Porsche never made public until recently. But all the expected 550 touches are there: The silver paint, the bulgy fenders, the perfectly centered two-seat open cockpit. Porsche’s designers even layered the [...]
One of the major storylines of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season has been how the series and its drivers stood behind Bubba Wallace, which is examined in episode two of NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure, further documenting a year on the track unlike any in NASCAR history.
The episode “We Stand United” that debuted on Saturday, November 7, only on the MotorTrend App, showcases how Wallace, the only Black driver in the cup series, led the sport through the national conversation about racial justice brought on by George Floyd’s death. NASCAR has a reckoning with its past and makes the seismic decision to ban the Confederate flag at its events. Thrilling races at Martinsville and Talladega ramp up the intensity of the season’s summer stretch while Wallace’s advocacy brings new fans to the sport and inspires NASCAR to acts of solidarity and a commitment to cultural change.
Subsequent episodes of NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure will [...]
Hyundai’s lineup is stacked with SUVs, and with the Kona, Santa Fe, Palisade, Tucson, Nexo, and Venue on the menu, there’s seemingly something for almost every niche. That does not mean, however, that the Korean automaker is resting on its laurels. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Hyundai has just announced that its current SUV blitz will continue through the end of 2021, including 12 new or significantly updated SUVs and SUV variants. Here’s some of what you can expect.
The 2022 Kona and Kona N-Line have already been announced, however, and we know a high-performance Kona N is on the way. We expect the Kona N to share a powertrain with the Veloster N, meaning a turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 that will make between 250 and 275 horsepower. The 2022 Tucson and 2021 Santa Fe are totally new, but we don’t expect either to get high-power N versions.
A hybrid version of the new [...]
