FULL Topic Hub

2019 Mercedes-AMG GLS63 – Road Test Review – By Matt Barnes

With a $125,000 base price, the Mercedes GLS 63 AMG is out of range for many people. For those who have the wherewithal and need to haul six people, it is an excellent — and perhaps only — choice. Featuring a hand assembled AMG 5.5 liter twin turbo (Mercedes calls it a biturbo) V8 with 577 horsepower and 561 torque, the GLS AMG has only one three-row performance competitor: the 475 horsepower Dodge Durango SRT 392. [Audi is not bringing the diesel SQ7 to the USA.] When it comes to luxury, the Mercedes is at the top in this class. …

Nov 15, 2018 Read more

2018 Kia Soul EV+ Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

You may have heard the term “Range Anxiety” when it comes to Electric Vehicles. (EV to you and me). It describes the nervousness you have over not having enough range to get where you’re going. With a gas car, it’s a stop at the local sip ‘n go. But with an EV, if you can find a place to plug in, it’s still between 45 minutes to a couple hours to get a meaningful charge. But now we have a new term. EV Anxiety? This is different. For many of us enthusiasts, we look at the EV as the death …

Nov 08, 2018 Read more

2018 Nissan Armada Platinum 4WD – Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

Seems like every manufacturer has their “Luxury Flagship SUV” these days, and Nissan is no exception. While most of these are more luxo-barge than flagship, there are a few that remain true to the real SUV credo of ruggedness, capability and anywhere anytime composure. We’d include the Range Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser in this select group. And now we’d also add the new Nissan Armada. It’s a whole ‘nother kind of Armada. One look and you know this is different. Where the old model was an SUV version of the previous-gen Titan, Nissan does us a solid and gives …

Feb 25, 2018 Read more

2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 4Motion – Road Test Review – By Ben Lewis

If you go by sales, VW SUVs have always been the scrawny kid on the beach getting sand kicked in his face. But, as if answering one of those mail-order bodybuilding courses, a new, big, powerful and buff VW Atlas is giving those other bullies a roundhouse to the jaw, and claiming its rightful place in the sun. Behold: the VW Atlas. Or as we named out tester, Charles Atlas. If you don’t remember Charles Atlas, you can still appreciate that the U.S. is big SUV country, and up until now VW hasn’t really courted the buyer who needs three …

Jan 25, 2018 Read more

2017 KIA Cadenza Limited – Road Test Review + 2 Videos

There is real buzz around the brand-new 2017 Kia Cadenza. Car reviewers near and far have been shocked by its lux feel and right-priced tech. Are they right? We spent a week in the loaded Cadenza Limited to find out. Hard on throttle and chucking it around corners… and honestly expecting the worst. After all, it is a hard time for near-luxury sedans. Cars like the Maxima, Avalon, Lacrosse or Chrysler 300 are suffering from low sales and a crowded marketplace. Meanwhile, the deeply unfun Lexus ES still hoovers up sales for reasons no one truly understands. How can Cadenza …

Jun 27, 2017 Read more

430HP, 5.0s 2017 Maserati LEVANTE S – Full Specs, Pricing + 60 Photos Inside & Out

Update1: Pricing for the Levante is reported to be from $72k, and up to an $83k base for the Levante S. A full and immersive look at the upcoming Maserati Levante tonight — and things are looking quite hot and slinky! The look, for one thing, is damn hot from dead ahead. And those slimline headlights are far more unique and striking than the current Ghibli of QP. Or even the GranTurismo, really. They preview a meaner next-gen look for the whole line. Up front, this is defined by the carved-out inner intake and grille in vertical form just …

Mar 20, 2016 Read more

2016 VUHL 05 Updated for London Motor Show

A refreshed VUHL 05 is now available for global trackday aces with pricing from around $100k for this cross between a Lotus and Radical. The UK sportscar industry is not only an inspiration for this trackday special, but also a target for its dual-use configuration. VUHL hopes to have certification for English roads in the near future. But even though road and track are both viable in a VUHL… one is far more heavily emphasized. A completely smooth underbody is race-ready, as is the doorless racing frame below the skin. You can guess how fast the 3.7-second VUHL is on …

Mar 08, 2016 Read more

2017 MSO 675LT Spider + Full-Carbon P1 Revealed for Geneva

2017 McLaren 675LT Spider by MSO MSO PAYS CARBON FIBRE TRIBUTE TO McLAREN P1™ AND WELCOMES 675LT SPIDER AT 2016 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW McLaren Special Operations (MSO) pays carbon fibre tribute to the outgoing McLaren P1™ MSO crafts carbon fibre-themed 675LT Spider as fastest ever, street legal convertible McLaren, which makes its public debut at Geneva after selling out in weeks Full McLaren model line-up on display showcasing the Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series New stand location at the Geneva Motor Show, Stand 6040, Hall 6 McLaren Automotive will attend the Geneva Motor Show for the …

Feb 17, 2016 Read more

Concept Flashback – 2012 Toyota FT-Bh Envisioned 135-MPG SuperPrius

Yes yes, it is easy to focus on amazing concept cars for the flashback pieces. But what about the functional stuff? The wild and hideous? EOE coverage here… with a look back at the 2012 Toyota FT-Bh from Geneva of that year. As a sculptural piece, and an achievement in aerodynamics… the FT-Bh is clearly impressive. It is a large wagon variant about the length of the current Prius V, but much lower and wider. What we saw in the FT-Bh was the next step in Toyota hybrid aero styling. By comparison, the Mirai fuel cell production car …

Aug 15, 2015 Read more

2015 VUHL 05 Carbon Track Racer – Full Specs, Pricing and Configurator Details

A refreshed VUHL 05 is now available for global trackday aces with pricing from around $100k for this cross between a Lotus and Radical. The UK sportscar industry is not only an inspiration for this trackday special, but also a target for its dual-use configuration. VUHL hopes to have certification for English roads in the near future. But even though road and track are both viable in a VUHL… one is far more heavily emphasized. A completely smooth underbody is race-ready, as is the doorless racing frame below the skin. You can guess how fast the 3.7-second VUHL is on …

Jul 16, 2015 Read more

2016 Land Rover Discover Sport HSE – Full Design Analysis + Letter Grade Scores

INTRO: ICELAND IN JANUARY The new Land Rover Discovery Sport just enjoyed its big coming-out party over the weekend in Iceland, with many auto writers enjoying a 1000-mile adventure trying out the new baby Landie across heaps and dales and ice bales. But from our impression back at home, the vast majority of the travel time was not by car, but by plane. Iceland is farrrrr from everywhere in the United States. Far. (Sidebar, would we have gone if invited? YES!) And a general rule of thumb? The more exotic the launch location of a hum-drum car, the worse the …

Jan 28, 2015 Read more

2015 ARIEL Nomad – Exclusive Digital COLORIZER

This Ariel Nomad is a very cool piece of news – even as CES is in full swing and Detroit is starting to build momentum ahead of press parties starting on Sunday. We’ve spent a bit of time in photoshop to create an exclusive color visualizer for the new Nomad — with our skills obviously best able to create bright, Skittles-style shades. We’ve also lightened and darkened the wheels for a few ideas of what the gloss-black optional rims might look like. This car seems like it is *perfect* for the X-raid class of rallying, and as such there are …

Jan 06, 2015 Read more

3.3s 2015 ARIEL Nomad – Tech Specs, Options and Full-Throttle Testing Video!

Updated 1.6.2015 If anything, the real-life Ariel Nomad is even cooler than last week’s teaser renders indicated. Power is a stout 235-ponies, the Yokohama 35-inch mud tires are insane, and the options list will make you start drooling onto your touchscreen. Is there any downside to the ultra-light yet super-strong Ariel Atom chassis concept being applied to an off-roader? Not that we can think of. A heated windshield is even offered. The rear-engine playfulness and handling joy seem to apply themselves perfectly to the Nomad’s off-road mission — as well as guaranteeing traction for sprints and heavy braking. The 100-kph …

Jan 06, 2015 Read more

MANSORY G-Couture and G63 Soft Upgrades Add Fresh LED Headlight Strakes

The Mansory G-Couture is an absolutely brutal upgrade of the already-militant G-Class — with a huge new bumper and lower body upgrade that is wider, stronger and meaner than ever. The G63 “Soft” kit is a bit more comfort and style-oriented, and is where the latest Bentley-style LEDs debut their new embedded light elements. Beside these new round lamps are three horizontal white LED strakes behind a new glass shroud. It’s a nice update for the Galendewagen’s well-known style — and matches the lower bumper LEDs and roof LEDs very nicely! The upgrades lists are very, very extensive. See the …

Dec 23, 2014 Read more

MANSORY Cormeum Is Full Carbon Reskin of AMG SLS: Twice as Strong, Half The Weight

Carbon-fiber wraps are very passe in the highest-fashion circles of supercar owners. What will take a carbon wrap’s place? Something more authentic, twice as strong as steel or alloy, yet half the weight. A special weave of copper or titanium carbon-fiber in the raw is the perfect way to show true flash and near-bullet-proof strength. The Cormeum SLS upgrade is a great blend of fresh elements like the new headlamps (which look like they might be from the Ferrari 599), pointy new nose-cone and giant central-mounted rear wing. The result is certainly dramatic — and feels like something the SLS’s …

Dec 23, 2014 Read more

3.8s 2014 LOTUS Exige LF1 – Formula One Black/Gold Special – 50 High-Res Photos

Lotus is still not really recovered from its latest bout of trouble. Money trouble, talent trouble, mechanical trouble. But hey, Lotus is always in a bit of a pickle — so why should now be any different? High-level management stuff has never dulled the brilliance of the new Exige S sports-car range – and this thing is absolutely brutal on tracks. It delivers times that Porsche owners would take five years of practise to approach. But the Lotus Exige can do it on its first lap out there. It is just so, so quick with the supercharged V6 in back. …

Jul 02, 2014 Read more

1909 (Mercedes) “Blitzen” Benz — World Land (or Water or Air) Speed Record Holder 1914-1919 — 141.7MPH on Daytona Beach

Not just Land Speed Record. Any speed! This included air and water, where this exact car’s 141.7MPH run on Daytona Beach was, literally, the fastest man-made object on Planet Earth until 1919. The start-up process in the below video is handled by Mercedes-Benz Classic experts — and even they took at least six minutes to breathe 21st-century life into this beautiful behemoth. MOMENTS BEFORE START-UP — Cued Video Link http://youtu.be/xMa3_tT5mKA?t=6m17s FULL STARTUP VIDEO 2012 Pebble Beach — Ignition occurs at 6-minutes, 17-seconds Stunning features all around, including the aero-pointed radiator and the chain-drive traction system from a locomotive. No differentials …

Mar 11, 2014 Read more