My dad has never hesitated to press his cars into temporary off-road agricultural duty. I vividly recall riding with my sister on a large board roped to the rear bumper of our ’70 VW Beetle as Dad ran a pattern throughout the back yard in an effort to work sand down through the Bermuda grass and into the tough red Memphis clay. He taught me: Never fence a yard without preserving vehicle access. I never have. These days, there’s a whole industry that purpose-builds side-by-side ATVs to do jobs like what dad used our Beetle for, and I just spent three weeks with a pretty cool one: a 2021 John Deere Gator XUV835R.
What is a John Deere Gator XUV835R?This is the flagship, full-size model that tops John Deere’s range of Gator side-by-side ATVs, or more accurately: UTVs (for Utility Task Vehicles). That distinction is important as the side-by-side market kind of subdivides into [...]
As difficult as it may be to believe, take a look outside from your work-from-home space: it’s already November 2020. For much of the country, that means cold temperatures, and plenty of rainy, snow, and ice in the near future. Those conditions conspire with the pandemic to bring a big slow-down to the track-day and autocross events we enthusiasts love, at least until next spring. If you read our previous guide to sim-racing wheels, you’ll know there are some affordable options to get you started. Here, we take a closer look at the new Logitech G923 gaming wheel, and the GTR GTA Pro simulator rig, two potentially key components of an affordable sim-racing setup for home use. While they may not provide as complex an experience as the multi-hundred-thousand-dollar pro-grade setups used by professional racing teams, they’re still advanced enough to give plenty of thrills from the comfort of your living room. And be sure [...]
The Mustang GT500 rewrites rulebook regarding expectations for Ford’s pony car. Not only is it the most powerful production Mustang ever, it also has a snappy dual-clutch gearbox, can be had with carbon-fiber wheels, offers some of the most friendly and capable handling on the market today, and runs the 1/4 mile in 11.3 seconds at 131.6 mph—all while being less expensive than a base Porsche 911. But what if your inner rebel wants to unleash its 700-plus-horsepower fury in some other car—what ever shall you do?
Ford has just answered that question: The GT500’s supercharged 5.2-liter 90-degree V-8 “Predator” engine will soon be available for purchase as a crate motor courtesy of Ford Performance. There’s no word yet on how much horsepower or torque the crate engine will deliver, but even if the numbers are merely identical to those of the GT500—760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque—that would make the Predator one of [...]
Amateur racing is an expensive hobby. Fortunately, Mazda makes it relatively affordable by way of the MX-5 Cup.
We know, “relatively” is doing a lot of lifting in the prior sentence, because even though running in the MX-5 Cup costs a lot less to compete in than other racing series, it’s far from a cheap pastime. License and entry fees alone run into the thousands of dollars, and that’s before accounting for the price of hardware, such as the car itself, and consumables such as brake pads, tires, fuel, fluids, and other parts.
Even so, the fact is the MX-5 Cup remains accessible, and it’s just announced a new agreement with IMSA for 2021 that sees the series expand to seven venues and 14 rounds for the 2021 season—the most in history, according to Mazda. The season kicks off in late January 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in conjunction with the Rolex 24 at [...]
The Toyota Mirai hasn’t changed much since it arrived for the 2016 model year. That changes this December, when we will see the launch of the 2021 Toyota Mirai, a brand-new version of the previously styling-challenged hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. In the meantime, Toyota is showing off the new design on social media, and we’re impressed. The car looks more like a Lexus-ified Camry, and we mean that in the best way possible. Oh, and did we mention it’s rear-wheel-drive?
Can you feel it? Something electrifying is coming ???? and it's the 2021 #Mirai — coming late December in Hydro Blue, Oxygen White, Heavy Metal, Supersonic Red and Black! #LetsGoPlaces pic.twitter.com/EC0bFdel2R
— Toyota USA (@Toyota) November 1, 2020
Ditching the aggressive grille and ungainly proportions of the old generation, the new, more streamlined Mirai is far easier on the eyes. The design resembles what we saw on the Toyota Mirai concept last year. Five paint options [...]
