Innehållsförteckning för October 2023 från MotorTrend

Porsche celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, so it’s no surprise the Stuttgart company is looking to make a splash. The Mission X supercar concept certainly does, and if it hits its target—to become the quickest road-legal car on the Nürburgring Nordschleife—it will make an even bigger one. That’s a big ask, because the Mission X is an EV, and it would have to topple the $2.7 million Mercedes-AMG One hybrid supercar, which has the benefit of gasoline’s much greater energy density. The AMG holds the outright production car record at the ’Ring (6 minutes, 35.183 seconds), while the Tesla Model S Plaid Performance owns the production EV record (7:25.231). So it’s a tall order, but Porsche no doubt considered its bogey before setting its goal. Besides, what else could…

There are two models in the 2023 Urus lineup—the S is the new entry trim, and the aptly named Performante represents the even higher performance variant. Both get a 16-hp bump compared to their predecessor (now 657 hp), with power routed through an eight-speed automatic to all four wheels. Both 2023 Urus versions retain four-wheel steering and active anti-roll bars, but the Performante goes beyond. To improve acceleration, the Performante gets a shorter rear axle ratio. To improve roadholding and handling, it swaps its air springs for steel coils that lower its ride height by nearly an inch, and its front and rear tracks are slightly wider. Finally, Lamborghini worked with Pirelli to develop a nearly slick, exceptionally grippy Trofeo R tire. When we tested that 2019 Urus, it set…

Electric Groove As a retired union electrician and owner of an electric car for eight and a half years, I want to express my appreciation for Eric Tingwall’s article on EV chargers and charging in the August issue. The massive number of backorders for EVs indicates sales are finally taking off, and thus millions of folks will need to get up to speed (so to speak) on all aspects of this method of transportation. The benefits of EVs are too many to list, so I’ll just say drive one and you’ll be sold—the only problem is picking just one now that so many models are offered. One bit I’d like to emphasize from the article is that many EVs can be set to accept whatever max charge an existing electric…

MASERATI GHIBLI The 334 Ultima edition arrives as a final send-off to the trident brand’s Ferrari-derived twin-turbo V-8—the numerals refer to its top speed in kph. That’s 208 mph in freedom units, which makes it the fastest four-door in the world. The engine still makes 572 hp, but work on the tires and aero combined with a diet to deliver the new Vmax, with 0–62-mph acceleration also dropping to a claimed 3.9 seconds. Just 103 will be built, all resplendent in carbon trim, special badging, and unique paint. GRANTURISMO The long-in-tooth GranTurismo finally gets replaced for 2024. The new GT is longer, lower, and wider than the car it replaces. More powerful, too. Most GranTurismos will initially be powered by a derivative of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 found in the…

  ARRIVAL: 2022 Kia EV6 Wind AWD “We’re ready to spend a year with Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle.”Erick Ayapana Base Price $52,695 As Tested $55,500 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 120/98/109 mpg-e With the arrival of our long-term Kia EV6, you’ve probably noticed a trend: Our garage is stacked with electric vehicles. Seven to be exact. In the past year, we’ve added a Rivian R1T, Volkswagen ID4, two Ford F-150 Lightnings (stay tuned), Lucid Air, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and now the EV6. It’s a good mix of the EV landscape in America, and the Kia immediately stands out for its daring design, quick-charging capabilities, surprising agility, and value. This impressive mix helped the EV6 garner heaps of praise from judges at our 2023 SUV of the Year competition, where we…

Update: 2022 Volkswagen ID4 “We learn the hard way how to make the most of 275 miles of driving range.”Ed Loh Service Life 7 months/8,736 miles Average Fuel Econ 3.9 miles/kWh Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal wear $0 Base price $42,525 As tested $42,525 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 116/98/107 mpg-e The drive from L.A. to Sacramento usually takes about six hours in a gas-powered vehicle, but because the trip is approximately 380 miles, making the drive in our ID4, which has 275 miles of range, requires at least one stop. For a recent trip, we charged the battery to 100 percent the night before leaving and cruised at 80 mph up Interstate 5 to our first charging stop, 209 miles away. Eight Electrify America charging stations sit in the parking lot of the famed…

Automakers can’t build ’em fast enough, yet there are also too many cars. Somehow trains are involved? Used car prices are down, but if you zoom out, they’re way up. Oh, and our 2023 SUV of the Year, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, went for above-MSRP prices yesterday but today has cash on the hood. What. Is. Happening? The short answer? Plenty, but as always, the MotorTrend Buyer’s Guide (MotorTrend.com/cars) has your back. Depending on where you look, certain brands still can’t keep up with demand while other cars are starting to collect dust on dealer lots. And a rail-car shortage contributing to shipping delays wasn’t on our bingo card. You can fight change, or sometimes, you can just go with it. The market is nearly as chaotic today as it…

The Lexus GX has a well-earned reputation for rugged reliability, performance on the trail, and luxurious appointments. It’s also been roughly the same for a long time. The second-generation GX was introduced way back in 2010 as a body-on-frame luxury off-road SUV that shared a platform with the international-market Toyota Prado. Although Lexus has lightly updated the GX multiple times since, it eventually couldn’t mask the SUV’s age, even as it added a large infotainment touchscreen for 2022. Its growth spurt is finally here. Lexus overhauled the styling, underpinnings, and technology of the new GX in an effort to help it better take on today’s luxury SUV market. Its highlight feature is a boxy body style reminiscent of old-school SUVs from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yet its tech-forward…

Welcome to our annual look at virtually every model from every major manufacturer. If you’ve been in the market for a new ride, you already know the landscape has changed. Prices can be eye-watering, and even finding the vehicle you want can be difficult. In other words, patience is more crucial than ever, but it’s worth it when you see just how many cars offer performance, styling, and features that not so long ago would’ve seemed out of this world. For even more info and year-round updates—plus our latest rankings of the best choices in every segment—visit MotorTrend.com/cars. ACURA INTEGRA Last year, Acura announced the Integra was coming back, and after the four-door fastback launched that summer, the automaker confirmed the Integra Type S would return in 2023. The Integra…

RAM PROMASTER EV The upcoming ProMaster EV work van is the first planned all-electric Ram vehicle for the U.S. market; it’s slated to go on sale in the second half of 2023, a full year before the more mainstream Ram 1500 REV pickup truck. Expect it to carry over a lot of the existing European Fiat E-Ducato van, which is available with a single 120-hp motor that also makes 210 lb-ft of torque. Two battery packs should offer an all-electric range between 120 and 220 miles, good enough for daily out-and-back deliveries. Ram previously announced “strong customer demand” for an EV version of its ProMaster. Ford and Mercedes are also electrifying their delivery vans, and Ram has already revealed Amazon as a major customer for its version. MINOR UPDATES 1500,…

Update: 2022 Kia Carnival “Onboard Wi-Fi can mean the difference between ornery devils and perfectly pacified angels.”Frank Markus Service Life 5 months/12,688 miles Average Fuel Econ 23.2 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $141.23 (oil and filter change, tire rotation, inspection) Normal wear $0 Base price $39,055 As tested $39,940 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 19/26/22 mpg Way back in 2022, at the very beginning of our Carnival chaperoneship, I spent a few blissful minutes in my sister’s driveway ordering Wi-Fi for use on our California-to-Michigan odyssey. I’d merely pressed the UVO button on the overhead console, spoken with a helpful operator who gave me instructions for establishing a Verizon account, followed his instructions, and completed the process in about the time it took me to set up Wi-Fi on my Ram 2500, Dodge Durango, and countless…

Verdict: 2021 Ram 1500 TRX “The mighty TRX remains the supertruck we fell in love with, but the world has changed.”Jonny Lieberman Service Life 16 mo/27,488 mi Avg Econ 10.8 mpg Base Price $72,020 As Tested $91,185 Options TRX Level 2 ($7,920: heated leather seats, ventilated front seats, parking-distance and blind-spot monitoring, remote start, power tailgate release), beadlock-capable wheels ($1,895), red interior accents ($1,495), dual-pane sunroof ($1,495), carbon-fiber accents ($1,295), Technology Group ($1,095: head-up display, digital rearview mirror), Advanced Safety Group ($995: emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keep assist), Bed Utility Group ($845: bed step, spray-in bedliner, tie-down hooks), tonneau cover ($695), TRX exterior graphics ($495), trailer reverse steering control ($495), two-tone paint ($250), Trailer-Tow Group ($195: trailer light check and tire pressure monitoring) Problem Areas Faulty A/C, audio system intermittently…

Long in the tooth. Older than dirt. Past its prime. These clichés can easily apply to the Tacoma on sale now. Some elements of Toyota’s ubiquitous midsize truck date back to its 1995 launch in America. That’s Stone Age history in the modern automotive era. Legions of loyal Tacoma owners past and present couldn’t care less, though. They’ve been too busy rocking and rolling over boulder-strewn trails, traversing rugged overland routes, running flat out on desert tracks, and hacking through concrete jungles in all Tacoma shapes and sizes for decades. In fact, it may take a little convincing for them to believe the 2024 Tacoma is worth trading up for. Once they understand how much design and engineering force Toyota has applied to the new Tacoma, though, they’ll line up…

South Korea is dotted with mountains that spawned a road network featuring miles of tunnels, so a road trip from Seoul to the Sea of Japan offers a chance to marvel at the engineering behind it. Making the trip in the new Kia EV9 allowed us to also marvel at this family vehicle’s quiet, comfortable ride in the echo chamber of long highway stretches literally bored through rock. Korean road engineers chose surfaces to reduce noise and vibrations but not ones so smooth that drivers get drowsy. The tunnels have “singing” sections where strips in the concrete are spaced so the vibrations create an actual tune when you drive over them. Inside a 6.8-mile tunnel on the Inje-Yangyang Expressway, which took 50,000 workers eight years to complete, sections of musical…

You’ve probably noticed how, for years now, our spec panels describing hybrid vehicles endeavor to list the peak output (power and torque) of the engine and each motor that helps propel the vehicle, along with a peak combined output. The numbers seldom add up, because of the vastly different power delivery characteristics of combustion and electric machines. Establishing those peak combined figures can be so tricky that the Society of Automotive Engineers convened a working group of industry pros to publish a nonbinding best-practices report, dubbed SAE J2908, describing four ways to determine peak combined … power. Did they leave the job half finished? First a brief refresher on torque and horsepower. Torque is the twisting force that quantifies the work a powertrain can do (in lb-ft or newton-meters). Power…

FERRARI SF90 XX STRADALE Drawing from its XX racing-program heritage, this new SF90 roadgoing variant is the most potent production car Ferrari has ever built. Compared to the base SF90, the XX Stradale features more total system horsepower from its already bonkers 986-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 and three-motor combo—we’re now talking 1,015 hp here. Slight changes were made to the engine’s internals to help achieve the performance gain. Ferrari engineers also reversed the layout of the medium-temperature radiator that cools the electrical components in an effort to aid efficiency. Another big aid in making this car quicker around racetracks is its rear wing, and this is the first time Ferrari has affixed one to a road car since the heyday F50. While a performance advantage for XX-series track cars, it…

After our first drive last fall of the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS on the U.K.’s Silverstone circuit, we suggested a need for “a new metric for evaluating cars like this. Sure, the GT3 RS will produce solid figures in our traditional testing, from 0–60 and quarter-mile times to braking distances to skidpad g’s. But none of those things is what this race car level of capability is about, and they’ll do nothing to accurately express the reality here.” As Porsche GT division boss Andy Preuninger told us at the time, “This car, on high-speed corners with a Cup-R-rated street tire, is quicker than a 911 Cup race car on slicks. Not in every corner but in [some] high-speed corners. For a street-legal car this is a serious, serious statement.”…

Update: 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz “Real trucks can tow. But can the Santa Cruz?”Alisa Priddle Service Life 6 months/7,371 miles Average Fuel Econ 19.6 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal wear $0 Base price $37,425 As tested $38,020 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 19/27/22 mpg If your towing needs involve lugging big campers or horse trailers to an equestrian competition, you’re likely going to buy a big, sturdy body-on-frame truck. But for most people who have something a lot smaller to tow—like a light fishing boat that needs to be launched and then pulled out of the water—a smaller pickup usually suffices. Our long-term Santa Cruz is one such smaller truck. Riding on the same car-based platform as the Hyundai Tucson compact crossover but with decent 8.6 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive, the…

The tipping point, insiders say, was when data from the first quarter of this year showed Tesla’s Model Y had usurped Toyota’s Corolla to become the world’s bestselling car. That’s when what Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe had earlier called “Tesla shock” truly hit home in Nagoya—when Toyota, the company whose lean production manufacturing techniques changed the way automobiles are built, realized it faced a threat as existential as the Toyota Production System had been to Detroit’s Big Three in the 1980s. The Tesla threat is twofold. First and most obvious is the fact Toyota is late to the EV party. Thanks to its pioneering work with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the company has a lot of experience with electric motors and batteries, but for years execs maintained that pure…