Best Shots

Monday, August 24, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 24, 2020

Aug 24, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Ford F-150's FX4 off-road package: $100 more buys you a key new feature

Ford's new, 14th-generation F-150 will reach showrooms in fall 2020 as a 2021 model, and information about the trim level hierarchy is beginning to emerge. Leaked documents confirm the off-road-oriented FX4 package will return, unsurprisingly, and it…

2020 Buick Encore GX First Drive | Bringing serenity to the subcompact market

With Buick seeing sales success in our crossover-crazed world, it's no wonder the company is adding to its crossover lineup with the 2020 Buick Encore GX . It sits just above the existing Encore , and it offers more space and new turbocharged engines f…

Indy 500 Mega Gallery | The Greatest Spectacle in Racing with no fans

Takuma Sato took the checkered flag at the 104th Indianapolis 500 this year. It's the second time Sato has won The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, but this time he did it without a single fan in the grandstands. There was some waffling on whether fan…

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class bringing powerful engines and heaps of tech to U.S.

Mercedes-Benz hosted media for ride-alongs in the 2021 W223 S-Class, and the initial write-ups indicate it could take six months to figure out everything Stuttgart engineers put into the best-selling full-size luxury sedan. The least complex aspect i…

Leaked patent images reveal Russia's take on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Russia's upcoming entry into the booming mega-luxury SUV segment has been revealed ahead of schedule by leaked patent images. It's made by Aurus, the firm founded to develop president Vladimir Putin's limousine. Ostensibly aimed at the Bentley Benta…

Active Wheel Alignment System adjusts caster, camber, and toe on-the-fly

Wheel alignment is an exact science, but a one-size-fits-all exact science. Camber, caster, and toe can't be changed once the technicians have finished their work beyond what the suspension provides. Thanks to a piece in New Atlas via Motor1 , we know…

Harley-Davidson Bronx definitely delayed, may be canceled

Late last year, Harley-Davidson took its new Bronx naked streetfighter to Milan's EICMA show. The middleweight bike's frame cradled Harley's new liquid-cooled Revolution Max V-twin engine in the smaller 975-cc displacement, promising more than 115 ho…

Lucid SUV may have been spotted on a film shoot in Northern California

Earlier this month, Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson told Green Car Reports , "I can confirm that we're doing an SUV off the Air platform," and that the nascent automaker has already finished a road-worthy prototype. Deliveries of the Air sedan start …

2021 Chevrolet Silverado could lift tow ratings for 2.7T and 3.0

There are a bunch of detail changes coming to the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, and it appears the most useful change is the one we understand the least. GM-Trucks reports that GM's August Consensus Report sent to dealers included a full page of imminent…

Ford rumored to be working on a multifunction tailgate

In July, after the debut of the 2021 Ford F-150, Ford Authority asked the automaker why the 14th-generation pickup didn't get a multifunction tailgate. F-150 engineering manager Dawn Piechocki told FA that customer feedback indicated F-150 buyers wer…

Friday, August 21, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 21, 2020

Aug 21, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Ford F-150 Raptor next-gen could get 700-plus-hp Mustang GT500 V8

Ford surfed the downsizing wave sweeping across the industry when it put a twin-turbocharged V6 under the hood of the second-generation F-150 Raptor launched for 2017. It's allegedly about to backpedal by releasing the third-generation model with a m…

2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition sells out in three hours

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition is officially sold out. In fact, it's been sold out for a little while now. Ram announced today that all 702 trucks were spoken for just three hours after order books opened. Only 702 Launch Editions will ever pr…

New Jeep Wagoneer teaser deepens the mystery

Another Friday, another Wagoneer teaser — at least that seems to be the deal for August, anyway, and as we inch closer and closer to Jeep finally pulling the sheet of its new people-mover, its marketing team appears to be content with giving us just …

Rolls-Royce Dawn becomes two-seater Silver Bullet convertible

Rolls-Royce has transformed the Dawn, the only convertible in its range, into a two-seater roadster named Silver Bullet. It's a limited-edition model that's part of the company's client-commissioned Collection Cars line. The stately Silver Bullet is…

2020 Hyundai Venue scores IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

The 2020 Hyundai Venue has gone through IIHS crash testing, and the news is good. It received a Top Safety Pick rating, the second highest commendation from the vehicle safety testing organization. It just barely missed out on a slightly higher Top S…

Volkswagen ID.4 production begins before the crossover is even revealed

Volkswagen hasn't yet formally revealed the ID.4 , but it's already bragging about beginning series production of the electric crossover in its Zwickau, Germany, plant. The best images we have of the ID.4 are above in the trippy blue camouflage. It's …

2020 Audi S7 Luggage Test | Another win for the sportback

The 2020 Audi A7 is one of the best looking Audis on sale today, but it's also one of the most practical cars in its lineup. The sportback design and shape looks slick and luxurious, yet the hatchback that comes along for the ride means there's an ab…

Roger Penske to Indianapolis 500 fans: 'I wanted you here'

INDIANAPOLIS — Roger Penske will not pretend he is not disappointed he can't open the gates to spectators for his first Indianapolis 500 as steward of the iconic event. Penske purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway in January and spent an additional …

2021 Acura TLX to start at $38,525, hits dealers this fall

The 2021 Acura TLX will start at $38,525 (including a $1,025 destination fee) when it arrives in dealerships this fall. The flagship Type S model, which will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V6, will not arrive until spring, and while Acura has not …

Win the ultimate glamping package: an Airstream Caravel, Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and $20K

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. The first time I ever saw…

Thursday, August 20, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 20, 2020

Aug 20, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Road Test | HMS Cullinan

A tenet of good writing says you can't modify a superlative. "Very best" gilds the lily, and "one of the best" is a hedge. Best is all you need say. That's the spirit of the phrase "the Rolls-Royce of …," which gets applied to any kind of thing, say …

2021 Subaru Forester gets small price bump, more standard features

Information for the 2021 Subaru Forester is out, and the crossover hasn't changed a whole lot for the new year. This will be the third year of this generation of Forester, and it's also the third year in a row without a turbocharged engine option in …

2021 Toyota Tacoma gets two special editions and some updates

The bestselling midsize pickup for the past 15 years has been the Toyota Tacoma. After receiving a spritz for the 2020 model year, the third-generation Tacoma gets some sprinkles and another cherry to keep it interesting going into 2021. Two special …

Volvo leads and Mini fails in JD Power's Tech Experience Index

New cars are basically rolling computers. Everything from the engine to the infotainment runs on a series of ones and zeros, and a lot of that technology requires input from the driver. So it's no surprise that JD Power has a study designed specifica…

2021 Lexus ES adds AWD and Black Line Special Edition to lineup

Toyota engineered a Camry with all-wheel drive , so transferring it over to the Lexus only makes sense. The 2021 Lexus ES 250 AWD debuts today, adding all-wheel power to the ES for the first time. Lexus teased the possibility of an all-wheel-drive mod…

Subaru Levorg, also known as the WRX's wagon cousin, revealed in production form

Last year, Subaru gave us our first look at the new Levorg station wagon in "prototype" form , which over the past few years has shared most of its body and interior with the Subaru WRX. Now we finally get to see the production version, and it looks b…

VW Golf R Wagon looks intriguing and unattainable in new spy photos

Spies in Germany captured the 8th-generation Golf R Wagon (or Variant, as it's known overseas) in public. Disguised as an Alltrack, this prototype's true identity is revealed by its large wheels, low-profile tires and big, blue brakes. Even under cam…

Spy photos reveal updated Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup

It may seem like only yesterday that the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ushered in a new generation of GM pickup trucks, but with increased heat from the Ram pickup line and the pressure of the forthcoming launch of the redesigned Ford F-150 , GM can't…

BMW X1 vs X2 vs Mini Countyman | Which should you buy?

We often mention how crossovers are displacing sedans and hatchbacks as the daily driving vehicle of choice for the majority of Americans. The BMW lineup exemplifies this shift perhaps better than any other premium automaker. The brand's entry point …

Jeep will reportedly add three trim levels to the Renegade range for 2021

Motorists in the market for a Jeep Renegade will have three additional variants to choose from during the 2021 model year, according to a recent report. Two of the new trim levels are familiar-sounding hand-me-downs from the Wrangler, while the third…

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 19, 2020

Aug 19, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Polestar 2 First Drive | No gas, no bull, all beauty and speed

YPSILANTI, Mich. — For some of us, it's easy to get excited about new EVs, even if they're nothing too fancy, fast or mold-breaking. We can easily forgive a Bolt its hum-drum interior, the Kona Electric its oddness or the Model 3 its panel gaps. So w…

[VIDEO] Listen to the Mercedes-AMG Project One romp around Mercedes' proving grounds

It's been over three years since we saw the reveal of the Mercedes-AMG Project One , and we're still waiting on a final production car. Mercedes isn't keeping us entirely in the dark on what's going on behind closed doors, though. Today, Mercedes has…

Jeep's latest Grand Wagoneer teaser plays the heritage card

Jeep is about to resurrect the Grand Wagoneer after a long hiatus, and it released a preview video to announce the third-generation model will be much more high-tech than its predecessors. It's tentatively due out for 2022. Posted on the firm's offi…

2021 Mazda CX-9 gets new tech, Carbon Edition

Mazda announced early Tuesday that the 2021 CX-9 is getting a nip-and-tuck styling update along with some updated tech, including a new 10.25-inch infotainment system powered by the latest version of Mazda Connect. Mazda may have oversold things a …

Historic French brand Delage returns with the D12

We've seen several ways so far of resurrecting a dormant car brand. There's been the continuation build, like at Alvis , with period vehicles created from new-old-stock or parts created from original blueprints. We've seen brands wrap modern technolog…

Lucid details Air's fastest-yet high-speed and home charging

With the final unveiling of the Lucid Air around the corner on September 9 , the trickle of details about the all-electric luxury sedan is speeding up. In recent months, we've seen the car drive 400 miles on a charge , only to best itself with an estim…

2021 Porsche Taycan gets a number of updates in second model year

The 2021 Porsche Taycan is rolling into its second model year with a few updates. It's largely the same car as it was for 2020 , but there are some tech enhancements we'll go over below. Before the tech, let's talk acceleration. Porsche has revised i…

2021 Ram 1500 TRX | How we'd build our Hellcat-powered pickup

That didn't take long. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX was only revealed yesterday, but the configurator is already up and running. Here's the link . We surveyed the room to see how all of us would spec out their supercharged pickup. For a truck that starts ab…

Maserati MC20 spy photos show supercar in broad daylight

The upcoming Maserati MC20 mid-engine supercar has been teased a number of times , but thanks to new spy photos, we finally get a clear look at the prototype. Our spy photographer caught the MC20 in broad daylight from nearly every angle, and it was w…

Canoo to go public at $2.4 billion valuation and deliver vehicles in 2022

DETROIT — Canoo, a U.S. electric vehicle startup already working with South Korea's Hyundai, will go public later this year at a value of $2.4 billion and aims to start delivering vehicles by the second quarter of 2022. It has joined forces with a s…