When Jim Hackett took over as chief executive officer of Ford in 2017, he brought with him a design approach he calls “minimum viable prototypes.” In short, Hackett’s mentality is that an automaker ought to avoid sinking too much money into expensive prototype vehicles, which oftentimes results in a company feeling financially compelled to see a potentially sub-par project to completion.
Ford used this approach to create the 2021 Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, as well as the 2021 Bronco SUV. In the case of the latter, Hackett’s method allowed the team to play around with items such as the vehicle’s removable doors and roof, as well as the placement of the Bronco’s body panels and side mirrors, while affording them the ability to skirt the fine line between creating an homage to the original Bronco while also making the SUV fresh and relevant.
Minivans aren’t exactly huge business in America anymore—of 3.5 million new vehicles sold in the first quarter of the year, just 81,000 or so were of the sliding-door variety—but nevertheless Kia has just dropped a few official images of its next-generation Carnival, which you know better as the Sedona.
Kia calls the new Sedona minivan a “grand utility vehicle,” for whatever that’s worth. It’s not clear if that description indicates that the van will be moving up in specification or if it’s simply marketing hyperbole. Kia says the design is “SUV-inspired” because minivans are vehicle non grata these days, and that influence can be seen in a rear three-quarters view that shows a whiff of—of all things—Ford Expedition to the surface interactions, as well as the longer, flatter hood. The latter a visual trick applied variously by minivan makers over the years to give their vans more of a rugged, off-roady vibe, including by General [...]
The news lately has been wall-to-wall 2021 Ford Bronco, and that’s quite understandable. It’s going to be one of the most noteworthy new SUVs in recent memory. But while the Bronco’s been away, the Jeep Wrangler has been holding down the fort for open-air off-road-oriented SUVs. It helps that the Jeep already has a stacked powertrain options list, which includes a turbo-diesel V-6, a torque-rich turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and a traditional gas V-6 that makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque and pairs with an available six-speed manual gearbox. What the Wrangler hasn’t offered is a V-8 under its hood, which makes this teaser image shared by Jeep to its Facebook page even more compelling.
Sure, we’ve driven Wranglers converted by AEV with FCA’s 6.4-liter “Hemi” V-8, but the Italian-American company’s never built a Hemi-powered Wrangler of its own for public consumption. This teaser image, however, indicates this may change. And as the [...]
Custom shops often take, shall we say, artistic liberties when building unique cars, and the results aren’t always good (for evidence, take a gander at some of the show cars from the SEMA aftermarket bonanza). This custom Ford Everest is a welcome exception, however, and gives us an idea what a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup could have looked like as an SUV—had Ford decided to build one itself.
First off, what’s a Ford Everest? Sold in markets outside the U.S., the Everest is a midsize body-on-frame SUV based on the same T6 truck platform as the global Ford Ranger pickup. The SUV has three rows, offering seating for up to seven passengers. Because it overlaps with the U.S.-market Ford Explorer, the Everest wasn’t brought over when the Ranger returned to our shores. However, as you’re probably well aware of by now, that slot is being taken up in the U.S. market by a different SUV [...]
(Editor’s Note: Normally, editor-in-chief Mark Rechtin’s long-term update would appear in this space. However, after Jethro Bovingdon, star of the Top Gear America series coming soon to the MotorTrend app, made off with our 2019 Genesis G70 for a couple weeks, we conscripted him to write this month’s installment.)
When I was given the keys to the Genesis G70 3.3T for a recent Top Gear America filming stint, I was extremely excited. We don’t get Genesis the marque in the U.K. or Europe (though there are plans to launch in 2020), and I always think they look great zipping around California. I’m also a big fan of the characterful and hilariously oversteery Kia Stinger. Surely a smaller, lighter, and more agile Stinger with a higher-quality interior would be something pretty special?
My week with the G70 took in plenty of freeways, a blast up into the Angeles Forest area for filming, and a few laps [...]
