Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i MotorTrend

@markrechtin We’re a nimble bunch at MotorTrend. The pandemic has affected our daily reality. Mobility is limited. Fear of mass-spread infection events is high. We take this crisis and the safety of our testers, editors, photographers, and videographers very seriously. But we also take seriously our obligation to provide our readers with the best, most complete information on cars, trucks, and SUVs. That includes our Car, Truck, and SUV of the Year testing. In confronting what is typically a logistical mountain to bring you OTY, this year added the hazards of performing these tests under threat of contagion. Traditionally, for Car and SUV of the Year, we have used Honda’s and Hyundai’s desert proving grounds located a couple hours’ drive north of Los Angeles as the staging areas for instrumented…

Not content simply launching an all-new EV sedan with more than 1,000 horsepower and expected EPA range of more than 500 miles, the mad geniuses at Lucid Motors are cooking up a new SUV, because of course they are, and today’s market dictates they offer one. It’s called the Lucid Gravity. Little official information is available at this point beyond these two key items: First, the Gravity looks wider and will of course be much taller than the Lucid Air sedan, but it will sit on the same stretched-wheelbase skateboard platform, so the SUV/CUV’s length should be close to identical. (Perhaps somebody whispered in our ear that the Gravity is less than an inch longer than the Air—who’s to say?) Second, VP of design Derek Jenkins is an off-roading enthusiast…

For those of you who wouldn’t know a Polestar from a pole vault, the Polestar 2 is an all-electric vehicle from an upstart division jointly owned by Geely Auto Holdings and Volvo Car Group. The Polestar 2 is sized and configured to strike between Tesla’s Model 3 compact sedan and Model Y SUV with a tall hatchback body and dual-motor all-wheel-drive performance that aims to land somewhere between the base and performance variants of the popular Teslas. Combining the power and torque of the Polestar 2’s front and rear motors yields 408 hp and 487 lb-ft, for an 11.6-lb/hp weight-to-power ratio. That roughly splits the ratios of a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance (9.0 lb/hp) and a single-motor long-range 3 (14.4 lb/hp). It’s no surprise, then, that a plot…

More Reponses to September’s “Driving While Black” Feature I have been a subscriber to MotorTrend magazine for 30 years now. I am also a Black man born and raised in the United States and a retired police officer. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when I received my September 2020 issue and saw that there was an article about driving while Black. My excitement was twofold. One: I don’t feel that Black people are well represented, not just in MotorTrend but in the auto industry as a whole. Two: I wanted to see just how far-reaching the article would be. Would it just be a couple of paragraphs? A one-page article? Would it speak the truths about what we as Black people go through every day,…

Need a family SUV that’s comfortable to drive around town but has a dose of performance? The 2020 Audi SQ7 will deliver exactly that. With its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, Ingolstadt is delivering the more powerful version of its three-row crossover to American families for the first time and giving enthusiast parents the chance to combine their wants and needs. As part of its midcycle update, the Q7 is getting a host of important changes. Starting with its face, the SUV gets a new grille, which replaces the horizontal slats with vertical ones while keeping its octagonal shape. New LED headlights bring part of the Q8 styling to the Q7, and higher trims can get the matrix pattern with laser light beams. Audi’s cool sequential turning lights remain and now provide…

It’s been a long time coming. After patiently waiting for years for the fifth-generation Chevrolet Tahoe and 12th-gen Chevrolet Suburban, the new family three-row SUVs are finally on the streets. Sharing their platform with the Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, and GMC Yukon, the 2021 Tahoe and Suburban offer bold styling, more passenger and cargo space, and an improved interior. The Tahoe and Suburban are virtually the same. The Tahoe rides on the “short” version of the platform; the Suburban adds about 13 inches of wheelbase and 15 inches in overall length. If you have a big family, the Suburban’s massive third row doesn’t sacrifice any cargo room, but with the third row up, the Tahoe’s cargo space is limited to small bags. Still, we were impressed by how much space…

Any automotive engineer will tell you: Small, inexpensive vehicles are the hardest ones to make. Low selling prices mean small profit margins, which means small development budgets. Issues that could be improved or solved with a bit more work or more expensive parts go unaddressed when there isn’t any money left in the budget. To make a good car at a bargain price, you have to compromise somewhere, and the 2021 Hyundai Venue shows how it’s done. No one expects a Rolls-Royce for $23,000 fully loaded, but expectations for entry-level cars have risen over the years, so they can’t be disposable, either. The Venue comes out of the gate strong by focusing on emotional appeal. Editors appreciated the stylish exterior with its optional two-tone roof. We were also pleasantly surprised…

When the first-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA arrived on U.S. soil, we were split on whether we’d consider it an SUV or a car. “The GLA is proof the best way to get Americans to buy a hatchback is to jack it up and call it an SUV,” international bureau chief Angus MacKenzie said during our 2015 SUV of the Year program. Yet the first-edition GLA impressed judges with its fun driving dynamics and great handling, which prompted the small Mercedes to move on as a finalist. But after a deeper evaluation, we concluded the GLA looks like a car and drives like a car, so it must be a car. Enter the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA, and the tiny crossover continues to impress; its punchy powertrain, improved interior space, and classy styling…

The 2020 Tesla Model Y is not the 2021 SUV of the Year. Nor is it a finalist for the award, or even a contender. Despite our repeated entreaties, Tesla declined to participate in the competition. In order to bring you this review, we rented a privately owned Model Y and evaluated it against our award criteria, but we respected Tesla’s desire not to be considered for the Calipers. Despite this setback, we feel the Model Y is a significant vehicle for Tesla, for the industry, and for the consumer—and thus it deserves to be evaluated. Richard Hak at Precision One Design in Torrance, California, agreed to rent us his low-mileage 2020 Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Long Range to do so. We found the Model Y scores very well…

The Cadillac Escalade didn’t invent the concept of the luxury full-size SUV, but it’s been so dominant for so long you’d be forgiven for thinking so. Even as the competition caught and surpassed it, the biggest Caddy remained a staple of red carpet premieres, music videos, and valet lots. Now, though, the boss is back. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade takes every criticism leveled at both itself and the Cadillac brand head-on and comes away with barely a scratch. We can’t begin anywhere but the interior. For years, we’ve begged GM to give Cadillac the budget and freedom to design world-class interiors, and the most we’ve received is high-quality materials held back by lackluster design, frustrating technology, and too many parts cribbed from the Chevrolet bin. Finally, finally, Cadillac has been…

Nissan’s best-selling vehicle could soon be notable for more than just the amount of cash on the hood. After seven long model years, the new 2021 Nissan Rogue re-enters the compact SUV scene more relevant than it’s been in a long time. Nissan, we missed you. The box-checking Rogue hits at the heart of the segment with smart, practical touches. A large back seat and wide-opening rear doors are just the start. The Nissan manages to offer a spacious cargo area while shrinking in length by 1.5 inches, making it that much easier to park. A new cargo spot below the center console could be useful, and like the class leaders, its rear seats fold down by pulling levers in the cargo area. Nissan has clearly upped its game with…

YES, YOU REALLY CAN OWN JAMES BOND’S CAR, GADGETS AND ALL The best thing about driving the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation? No, it’s not just playing with the gadgets—the revolving license plates, the machine guns, the bulletproof shield, and the rest of the 007 arsenal. It’s the fact that you’re driving a genuine 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that’s brand new from its Avon cross-ply tires up. OK, the machine guns don’t fire real ammo, it sprays water out the rear rather than oil, and you can’t get rid of a tiresome passenger with an ejector seat. But the Goldfinger Continuation is still the real deal. It’s a real Aston Martin, built in the same shop in Newport Pagnell, England, where fewer than 900 DB5s were built between 1963 and…

The Nissan 370Z seems to be such a permanent fixture in the Nissan lineup that you’ve probably stopped wondering how long it’s been around. Well, we’re going to tell you anyway because it matters: The current-gen Z launched in 2008, and 12 years is a pretty long haul even for a sports car. In fact, there were doubts if a successor would ever materialize, and between the current economic climate and the negative press Nissan has received the past couple of years, you would be forgiven for losing all hope. But Nissan swore the Z was part of its very DNA and that a new one was coming. Now the wait for what we believe will be called the 400Z is over. Almost. The Z Proto is a thinly disguised…

The new 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be a force to be reckoned with when it reaches American shores in both S 500 and S 580 forms sometime in the first half of 2021. The new platform extends the Benz’s wheelbase by 2.0 inches, most of which translates to additional rear seat space. The S-Class’ body is stretched 1.3 inches in length and gains 0.4 inch in height. Mercedes recommends every driver create a profile to automatically load preferences for everything from audio levels and frequent navigation destinations to climate settings and seat position. You can activate yours by a fingerprint swipe, facial or voice recognition, or a PIN, and up to seven profiles can be stored, with the car’s owner able to restrict how much access other profiles have to…

N HTSA has been noodling on adding an offset car crash test to its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for half a decade. I first discussed what is currently being referred to as the Frontal Oblique test in a 2016 “Technologue.” It involves striking a stationary test vehicle at a 15-degree angle with a moving deformable barrier traveling 56 mph. The hit is to the driver side with just 35 percent overlap to the test vehicle. Adding new crash tests is the best way to advance overall vehicle safety and to separate the vehicle pack once too many vehicles start earning five-star ratings. There’s still no scheduled date for NHTSA to roll out its Frontal Oblique test, but the 2021 Acura TLX comes to market sporting an innovative new passenger…

TESTERS/JUDGES EDWARD LOH Head of Editorial MARK RECHTIN Editor-in-Chief JONNY LIEBERMAN Senior Features Editor KIM REYNOLDSTesting Director CHRIS WALTON Road Test Editor ERICK AYAPANA Associate Road Test Editor ZACH GALE Buyer’s Guide Director SCOTT EVANS Features Editor CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH Features Editor MIGUEL CORTINA MotorTrend en Español AUDI A6 ALLROAD • AUDI Q7 • BMW X6 • BUICK ENCORE GX • CADILLAC ESCALADE CHEVROLET TAHOE/SUBURBAN • CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER • GENESIS GV80 GMC YUKON • HYUNDAI VENUE • KIA SELTOS • LAND ROVER DEFENDER • MAZDA CX-30 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA • MERCEDES-BENZ GLB • MERCEDES-BENZ GLC MERCEDES-BENZ E 450 ALL-TERRAIN • NISSAN ROGUE • TESLA MODEL Y* TOYOTA HIGHLANDER • TOYOTA VENZA • VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS CROSS SPORT…

“What can be said about the X6 M that hasn’t been said before?” That’s what features editor Christian Seabaugh wondered about the third generation of BMW’s slope-roofed midsize SUV. Turns out, a lot. For one, we collectively felt that this third-gen X6 is the best one BMW has ever built. Still hailing from Spartanburg, South Carolina, the X6 feels very solid, as if it was hewn from a single block of a heavy, precious metal. For two, it still makes you question why it exists. “I mean, I kind of get it,” features editor Scott Evans said. “You definitely stand out in a crowd. It’s not for me, but it works well.” It’s not just Evans—other judges echoed his faint praise, like Buyer’s Guide director Zach Gale: “If you like…

Every full-line automaker needs a strong portfolio of SUVs in every shape and size to be competitive in today’s market. Although Chevrolet has had a subcompact SUV in the Trax for years, that car has failed to gain meaningful traxtion with consumers. Riding to the rescue is the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which avoids many of the missteps made by the Trax but doesn’t go far enough to achieve class leadership. Leave aside any baggage associated with the Trailblazer name (if you can), and the all-new and entirely different model makes a good case for itself on paper. Its $19,995 starting price is noteworthy, its rear seat is enormous for the class, and it offers a number of optional technologies you just don’t find in this price range. We were particularly…

Mazda is in a state of transition. Not just from “Zoom Zoom” to “Driving Matters,” but from a builder of affordable, fun-to-drive cars and crossovers to what it considers a proper premium marque with sights set on the likes of Acura, Genesis, and Lexus. The 2020 Mazda CX-30, for better or worse, straddles that transition point between mainstream and luxury. Design might be the most elegant part of the CX-30, a crossover nominally built to slot in the narrow white space between the slightly cheaper subcompact CX-3 and slightly more expensive compact CX-5. Although not breaking any new ground for Mazda, the CX-30 nevertheless stands out in its segment. Unlike many compact crossovers, the CX-30’s sheetmetal is simple and elegant with crisp, understated lines. It’s the same story inside. “It…

As Mercedes-Benz broadens its reach to bring young buyers into the brand, new, seemingly affordable vehicles like the GLB have been developed to welcome them to the family. Although the GLA continues to be the entry-level SUV for the three-pointed star, the GLB is right above it with its boxy styling, a cool interior, and space for up to seven passengers. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB was specifically developed for China, where a third row—regardless of how tiny and cramped it is—is considered essential for many families. But in the U.S. market, where customers are not used to seeing small, premium SUVs with a lack of attention to detail, the GLB might not be as well suited. Americans are familiar with bigger products, such as the rear-drive-based GLC or the more…

A side from those made in China for local consumption, every Toyota Highlander (and Kluger, as it is known in Japan and Australia) is built in a factory in Gibson County, Indiana, that employs 7,296 Hoosiers. For 2020, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana retooled to build the fourth-generation Highlander and Highlander Hybrid around Toyota’s TNGA-K architecture and two powertrain combinations. Gas models receive Toyota’s ubiquitous 295-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 and eight-speed automatic transmission. Meanwhile, the Highlander Hybrid uses a new system based around the tried and true 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4, two coaxially mounted electric motors, a battery pack mounted under the rear seats, and a sequentially “shiftable” CVT. Highlander’s hybrid drivetrain now works in both front- and all-wheel drive; Toyota claims it is smaller, lighter, and 24 percent more efficient than the…

When we picked the Genesis G70 as our 2019 Car of the Year, we turned a lot of heads from Sindelfingen to Nagoya. “Is it really that good?” were the first whispers, followed by “What do you know about the SUV?” Well, we now know a lot. The Genesis GV80 comes to the U.S. in two gas-burning configurations: a 300-hp 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four and a 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6. The GV80 2.5T is available in rear- and all-wheel drive (AWD) and starts just under $50,000. The higher-performance 3.5T model commands $10,000 more and comes only with AWD. Both engines spin the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission electronically shifted by a lovely jewellike rotary dial mounted on the center console. Similar bejeweled touchpoints can be found throughout the GV80’s stunning…

When the luxurious Lexus RX is out of reach, Toyota might have the next best thing. The 2021 Toyota Venza wraps the RAV4 Hybrid’s powertrain in a longer and more premium package, providing buyers in the midsize SUV market a fresh option with a specific focus. You won’t find any fancy off-road driving modes inside the Venza, which does have standard electric AWD, thanks to its rear-mounted motor. And the Toyota isn’t rated to tow, either. Instead, the Venza aims to be the best high-riding school-run cruiser in its class. Oh yeah, and because it’s a hybrid, it’s more efficient than its Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Edge, and Honda Passport competition. “It’s like Toyota is trying to expand to fill whatever gap there may be just below Lexus,” features editor Scott…

Worth the wait? After years of delays, we have our first taste of what a short-wheelbase 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer will look like. There will also be a long-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer and a more mainstream, less luxurious 2022 Jeep Wagoneer, also in two sizes. The first members of the new Wagoneer family will arrive in the summer of 2021, starting with the regular-sized SUVs. The stretched versions (analogous to the Cadillac Escalade ESV, Lincoln Navigator L, and the long-wheelbase Range Rover) will follow later as production swells at the plant in Warren, Michigan, which also makes the Ram 1500 Classic pickup. That is no coincidence: The Wagoneer family uses a modified version of the Ram 1500 pickup truck architecture rather than stretching the Grand Cherokee platform as originally planned. There…

A 621-hp mid-engine supercar that in form and function elbows the Ferrari F8 Tributo in the ribs, the 2021 MC20 is precisely the sort of car Maserati would never have been allowed to build a few years ago when the parent company still owned Ferrari. Reportedly developed in a company-record 24 months using virtual tools—including sophisticated dynamics simulators that allowed engineers to create and test fully digital versions of the car to 97 percent of final spec before constructing any prototypes—the MC20 is designed to be a supercar on the road and a race car on the track, development chief Luigi Sciarretta says. The clue is in the name—MC20 stands for Maserati Corse (Maserati Racing) 2020. At first glance the MC20 looks like a 21st-century mid-engine supercar on paper: carbon-fiber…

You are not looking at a concept car—this is the 2022 Hyundai Tucson you’ll be able to buy next year. Hyundai will build two versions of the Tucson, one with a short wheelbase and one with a longer one—only the latter will be sold in the U.S. (This strategy is similar to the current VW Tiguan, which is sold in America in the longer of its two global forms to offer more interior room.) Front- and all-wheel drive will be available. Hyundai is working with a new styling language, one we haven’t seen on any other production model save the limited-production, high-tech Nexo fuel-cell electric vehicle. Compressed within the fairly conventional tall-hatchback shape of a modern compact crossover SUV is a lot of styling. Typically, that spells trouble, as piling…

What are a few of the elements that you feel capture the Z identity in this new design? I use “memory” instead of “retro” because it’s an important difference. Because when a car is 50 years old and you’re designing in the modern era, I think it’s more healthy to use memory than [to be completely] literal. There are a few things that are very much an example of that—the posture in the center line of the car. Yes, it’s 240Z to your memory. But actually the gesture, the hood, and the power is very much of the modern era. Its stance is very wide, very low, much lower feeling. The rear edge of the car is lower than the fender—which the 240Z, even 260Z and 280Z, did not have.…

Square pegs don’t fit into round holes. Yes, due to some sort of legalese, the Audi A6 Allroad is technically an SUV. But you know it’s not an SUV, we know it’s not an SUV, even dogs know it’s not an SUV, probably because they can jump in the cargo area without a ramp. The only people unsure as to what the current-generation A6 Allroad is—an ever so slightly lifted station wagon—are the fine folks at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The problem becomes, what do we do with a raised wagon at an SUV of the Year party? Well, we let it in because we’re not heathens. “As the lines blur between SUVs and cars, the lifted wagon really does make the most sense here,” features editor Scott…

Buick hopes its new-for-2020 Encore GX will take market share from its competition, which includes the Honda HR-V and Jeep Compass. That’s a tough segment—the largest and most competitive in the Ultimate Car Rankings section of our Buyer’s Guide. So what does the 2020 Buick Encore GX bring to this packed party? The Encore GX and platform-sharing Chevrolet Trailblazer mark the debut of GM’s all-new Vehicle Strategy Set (VSS) for small, front-drive-based SUVs, a global parts-sharing, cost-saving architecture. The North American models of both will be built in South Korea. The Trailblazer and Encore GX come with two new turbocharged inline-three engines that displace 1.2 and 1.3 liters, respectively. Encore GX entry-level pricing starts at $25,095 for a front-drive model powered by a 137-hp 1.2-liter turbo and a CVT that…

Long squeezed from the top by Cadillac and the bottom by Chevrolet, GMC seemingly has very little breathing room to thrive. Yet the 2021 GMC Yukon tries harder than any GMC effort in recent years to distinguish itself from its Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban stablemates. To some measure, GMC succeeds in differentiating itself. The fifth-gen Yukon is more conservatively styled than either the Tahoe/Suburban or the Escalade, allowing it to stand apart on its own. The Yukon AT4 and Denali are better-looking still. “Styling is why I would consider the GMC over a Chevy,” Buyer’s Guide director Zach Gale said. Under the skin, the Yukon is much the same as the Tahoe. The big news is the new unibody-on-frame platform. This new structure allows the Yukon to offer trucklike…

There’s a sense of gatekeeping that comes with proper SUVs. These four-wheel-drive body-on-frame vehicles are SUVs, but those unibody all-wheel-drive vehicles are fugazis—lifted hatchbacks, mere crossovers, wagons in drag. We much prefer to let the manufacturers provide their own interpretations of the genre, whereupon we prove them right (or oftentimes wrong) during our SUV of the Year competition. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 450 All-Terrain is bound to make the former group unhappy and the latter quite pleased. It’s easy to dismiss the E 450 All-Terrain as little more than a lifted Mercedes E-Class wagon, and, well, yeah, that’s exactly what it is. But as millions of Subaru Outback, Volvo Cross Country, and Audi Allroad buyers will tell you, that’s not such a bad thing. Curbside, the biggest changes are a…

When the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class won our SUV of the Year award back in 2017, we acknowledged that it wasn’t the sexiest choice, but it was the smartest. “The design is solid, the interior is first-class, the engineering is as good as small SUVs get, and the value proposition is strong … and despite surprising all of us with its power output, displacing just 2.0 liters means that the engine is also scarily efficient.” For our 2021 SUV of the Year competition, the revised Mercedes-Benz GLC seeks to join a select club of midcycle-update repeat winners. Our European readers will find a revamped Air Body Control suspension system has trickled down from the GLE (and the AMG GLC 43 and 63) to base GLC models. This is unavailable on the American…

Don’t get too excited, but let’s climb into the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s back seat. The rear space astonishes. Your jaw might actually drop when you experience the cavernous second row, regardless of how the front seats are adjusted. Wow. If only we could give bonus points for this VW’s spaciousness for passengers and cargo. But we can’t—there’s more to the midsize two-row SUV segment than just interior packaging, and that’s why the Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t meet our standards. Even the styling—which is arguably more important in a premium-priced midsize SUV than a more affordable compact—is a mixed bag. From the front, the Atlas Cross Sport looks too much like the three-row family SUV it’s based on, though we appreciate the sporty rake of the hatch lid as it…

The 2021 Kia Seltos is really, really good. Although its direct competition includes more than a dozen other subcompact SUVs, the Seltos is such an excellent all-arounder that we’d also recommend it to those shopping a segment up. Like the Telluride, our 2020 SUV of the Year, the Seltos establishes itself as more than just a bundle of features and a good warranty. Start with the styling, where the 2021 Seltos gets right what so many affordable SUVs miss—it looks like an SUV and not a tall hatchback. Even if you don’t like the pops of character provided by eye-catching details inside and out, the Seltos resembles a larger SUV than it actually is. That impression continues inside, where the Seltos delighted us with its spacious, reclinable rear seats. The…

You would be forgiven for assuming the judges of our 2021 SUV of the Year competition simply walked around the parking lot filled with 28 new and refreshed SUVs and pinned the award on the Land Rover Defender without starting a single vehicle. Unlike most of this year’s field, the all-new Defender actually looks the part of a proper sport utility vehicle. Sport utility vehicles as we know them have transformed from go-anywhere tools to mall-crawling tall wagons and minivan substitutes. Most vehicles we refer to today as SUVs are actually CUVs—car-based crossovers lifted up in the air a few inches, not for ground clearance but because people like to sit up high. There is no mistaking the Land Rover Defender for one of these poseurs. That said, the Defender…

I’ve just driven one of the most desirable Hondas since the original NSX, the supercar that shamed Ferrari. Like the NSX, it’s rear drive and rolls on a staggered tire setup. Similarly, its well-resolved chassis and powertrain make you smile every time you slide behind the wheel. It shows modern Hondas don’t all have to be worthy-but-dull appliances. And it does all this without burning a drop of gas. The Honda e is not Honda’s first electric vehicle – the company has been working on BEV technology since the late 1980s, and has released several production battery electric vehicles, including the EV Plus, a handful of which were made available on a lease-only basis in the US in the late 1990s. But Honda has never truly embraced the BEV, preferring…