Peel away the decades of evolution that have softened the modern SUV—independent suspension, leather-trimmed heated seats, rear-seat entertainment systems, power-adjustable pedals—and what do you have left? Heritage from the golden age of off-roading.
The term “sport utility vehicle” didn’t exist back then. People were just realizing that vehicles designed for emergency crews and farmers also made for exciting off-road adventuring. The vehicles became so popular that sales increased by 700 percent between1961 and 1971, growing 31 percent every year in that period. SUVs soon replaced muscle cars as the hot niche.
These machines were simple and honest. [...]
A few months ago, we got a glimpse at the Volkswagen ID4 EV’s somewhat vanilla exterior. Well, it looks like the new electric car’s interior follows the same simple-is-better philosophy. In fact, we rather like the clean, uncluttered look, which reminds us of the Tesla Model 3’s pared-back cabin.
Like the most modern cars, the ID4 keeps the number of physical buttons at a minimum through a reliance on digital touchscreen displays. Both the instrument display—the ID4’s key difference from the Model 3 and Model Y, which lack a formal gauge cluster ahead of the driver—and the larger central touchscreen sit above the dashboard. The steering wheel, display housings, and control panels in the doors can be had in Piano Black or Electric White, depending on the buyer’s preference. Other noteworthy details? The brake pedal features a “pause” sign, and the accelerator features a “play” sign. Cheeky.
In 2014, the MotorTrend Group helped turn the Woodward Dream Cruise into a multi-event happening by organizing Roadkill Nights, powered by Dodge—a street legal drag racing program that lets car enthusiasts “run what they brung” right on Woodward Avenue in front of M1 Concourse in Pontiac. For 2021, that 87-acre venue, which ranks as the world’s largest garage-condo/motorsports complex, will add a 28,500-square-foot event center and restaurant facility that will serve as the epicenter for two more big events, both organized in conjunction with Pontiac Motorsports Exposition, the Woodward Dream Show and the American Festival of Speed. Here’s a primer on both:
Scheduled: August 19–21, 2021
Envisioned as a three-day event that zeros in on the [...]
It’s been an unprecedented year of upheaval across the globe, one that has dramatically impacted all manner of sporting competition, with the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans being no exception. The world’s oldest active sports-car race was forced to move from its customary June start date to September 19 and 20, and for the first time ever, there will be no spectators at the track during the race.
But there will be millions of viewers tuning in when the green flag finally drops and the cars begin roaring around the Circuit de la Sarthe, and the MotorTrend App is the EXCLUSIVE SPOT IN THE U.S. where fans will be able to see the full 24 Hours of Le Mans in its entirety.
As the official presenter of the 2020 Le Mans race, MotorTrend is able to bring fans unprecedented access to the entire spectacle, including qualifying on Thursday, Sept 17, the green flag at [...]
(As it turns out, you can see the Mustang Cobra Jet dragster in action on the show Hard Cell on the MotorTrend app. In the meantime, subscribers can check out other episodes of the performance-EV-focused program right here.)
The Mustang Mach-E is a clear indication Ford wants to make quick, powerful electric cars. Now the Blue Oval has prepared an even more potent pony: a Cobra Jet EV dragster with more than 1,500 horsepower.
Like fossil-fuel-powered Cobra Jets, the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype—so named, we suppose, for the 1,400 wheel horsepower it was originally thought to produce—looks a lot like a regular Mustang on steroids, with optimized bodywork and fat rubber signifying its quarter-mile purpose. For better or worse, though, this latest model sounds nothing like your average ’Stang. In a teaser video released by Ford, the electric prototype seems to perform its dragly duties in all the smoky, hellaciously quick ways we’re [...]
