Author: News Room
Remember the Nissan Juke? The Kicks stepped in to replace it several years ago, promising to preserve the Juke’s youthful personality and low price point in a body that wasn’t quite so … quirky. Now there’s a new Kicks in the mix for 2025, and from the outside, it looks ready for client meetings instead of trips to the beach. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but how many times have we seen interesting vehicles turn bland in the name of maturity? The good news is, there’s still some charm and value in this grown-up Kicks, despite getting a haircut…
Good in-car infotainment systems are hard to find, especially when every automaker thinks their tech can topple Apple or Android. Very rarely do they even come close. But instead of bucking against the trends, one company decided to lean into the smartphone aesthetic: Toyota. Toyota ditched its horrible Entune infotainment system in 2021 and introduced the new-and-much-improved Audio Multimedia System. It’s so good, the system doesn’t even need a clunky name. The idea, Toyota said, was to make the system cleaner, more intuitive, and easier to use—you know, like a smartphone. Mission accomplished. Quick Specs 2024 Toyota Crown Platinum Touchscreen…
Despite what its staid body lines might suggest, the Bentley Continental GT is very different for 2025. Gone is the mythical W-12 engine, replaced by a hybrid V-8 that promises to better the outgoing engine in every way. The Conti GT has also gotten a major facelift as part of the brand’s new styling direction, stripping its legendary quad-circle headlights in favor of two new clusters that add an “eyebrow” daytime running light. The missing cylinders and new face make the Continental GT stand out less over the competition than before. But after a few hours behind the wheel in…
Rebadging is just part of the business. When two disparate companies want to share technologies or save costs, they team up to build similar vehicles with different badges, and market each one to their respective audiences. And apart from a few outliers (remember the Aston Martin Cygnet?), modern rebadging usually proves successful for both brands. The problem with badge engineering though, is that sometimes the two products are too similar. They share virtually everything: Powertrains, technology, dynamics, etc. The only differences are the way they look and the badges on their backsides. With the Prologue, I was worried Honda’s new…
About five years ago, Lamborghini decided to hybridize its entire lineup, forgoing the move to pure electrification. At the time, introducing pure EVs—not hybrids—seemed like the only path forward, with legislation and public pressure coming down on manufacturers. But that pressure has since reversed course, with electric car sales faltering and governments walking back aggressive EV mandates. With demand for extravagant, high-displacement ICE cars greater than ever, it’s clear Lamborghini’s gamble has paid off. Chief technical officer Rouven Mohr says even now, an all-electric supercar from the brand wouldn’t succeed. “At the moment, now, the time would not be right…
Hyundai is an emerging rival for Toyota but that doesn’t mean the two automakers are sworn enemies. They’re actually collaborating by jointly hosting a car event later this month in South Korea. The “Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival” will bring together road-going sports cars and motorsport-spec vehicles from both companies. There will also be a bunch of interesting prototypes and concepts cars. Scheduled to take place on October 27 at the Everland Speedway in Yong-in, the event will host Toyota’s GR Supra and GR86 models alongside Hyundai’s Elantra N (Avante N in Korea) and the fully electric Ioniq…
After the F40, F50, Enzo, and the LaFerrari got fresh tires, their ancestor is now offered with brand-new Pirelli rubber as well. The bespoke Cinturato P7 set targets a limited crowd since the GTO is the rarest of the Ferrari flagship supercars. Only 272 units were made between 1984 and 1987. That’s right–there are new tires for a vehicle that went out of production nearly 40 years ago. Initially engineered for 1974 WRC rally cars, the Cinturato P7 was Pirelli’s first ultra-low-profile tire and made its way to road-legal models a couple of years later. For the GTO, the rubber is…
Ford has extended its colorful Free Wheeling package to the Bronco. Based on the Free Wheeling vehicles from the 1970s, it includes red/orange/yellow gradient striping and other retro cues. It goes on sale in January 2025. We first saw this collection of colorful stripes in 2023, plastered to the sides of a Ford Bronco Sport. Now, the same treatment is coming to the big Bronco with the new Free Wheeling package. The appearance upfit is a callback to the Free Wheeling package that adorned Broncos, F-Series trucks, and even Econoline vans back in the late 1970s. As with the Bronco…
Despite being eight years old, the Jeep Compass is still going strong. With 84,474 units delivered in the United States through September 2024, demand is up by 18% compared to the first nine months of last year. A next-generation model is coming, but you’ll have to wait. Released today, the first teaser signals the crossover’s world premiere in Europe next September. The adjacent design sketch comes along with news about the Compass going fully electric by switching to the STLA Medium platform. Don’t worry–there will still be versions with combustion engines, including traditional ICE and hybrid setups. Jeep calls it…
Automakers have released their sales data for the third quarter of 2024. At the top of the list are all the regulars: The Ford F-150, the Toyota Camry, the Chevrolet Silverado, and so on. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s a whole host of cars that simply aren’t selling. Not counting vehicles that have recently been discontinued or just went on sale in the last few months, there are dozens of cars and SUVs buyers simply aren’t interested in. That includes options from brands that otherwise sell a ton of cars like Hyundai, Lexus, Toyota, and others.…