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Thursday, December 10, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 10, 2020

Dec 10, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

California and Washington ban Chevrolet's Camaro SS and ZL1

Enthusiasts in California and in Washington should act fast if they want to put a new Chevrolet Camaro SS or ZL1 in their garage. Both models are now illegal in those states due to the percentage of copper in their brake pads. California's Departme…

2020 Roush Ford Ranger Review | Show for a lot of dough

We're in the middle of an off-road pickup truck craze , from the high-powered Ford F-150 Raptor to the unique Jeep Gladiator . But it's not just OEMs getting in on the action, aftermarket companies are cashing in on off-road upgrades including Roush, w…

2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali gets Super Cruise and an upgraded interior

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 is getting Super Cruise! Exclamation point required, because this is exciting news. Cadillac has been the sole owner of Super Cruise at GM from the start, and though we knew it was coming to the Hummer EV , we didn't know a fa…

2021 Audi RS 6 Avant vs. 2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon | Super wagon comparison test

Never before has a super wagon comparison test between Mercedes-Benz and Audi been possible in the United States. Mercedes has sold a hell-raising estate car here for nearly two decades, but Audi has frequently declined to bring its spiciest wagons h…

2021 Mazda Miata rocks new white leather interior

Mazda has announced changes for the 2021 MX-5 Miata , and while the model year is mostly a quiet one for the enthusiast-favorite sports car, there is one striking new addition: a White Nappa leather option. Sure to be the bane of Miata restorers year…

10 awesome LEGO cars that would make great gifts for the holidays

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. There's something extra special about LEGO around the holidays. For many, tearing open a gift and finding a LEGO kit given to yo…

Some Ford dealers are offering $10,000 discounts on the last remaining Fusions

Ford ended production of the Fusion , the last sedan in its American lineup, in August 2020, but there are still over 11,000 examples lingering on dealer lots across the nation. Its stores are offering big incentives in order to clear out the remainin…

First new Bentley Blower built since 1930 is now being tested

Just over a year after announcing the program , Bentley has finished building its first Blower car since 1930. It's called "Car Zero" since it's not one of the 12 customer cars. Instead, this first car is a prototype that will undergo testing before t…

Watch Toyota cut the roof out of a new Supra for a 'SEMA' build

It's not often that we see behind the scenes of SEMA builds, but Toyota is taking us there right now. Two builds are in progress, but the Supra project has the majority of our attention. The main appeal is watching the roof be cut out of the brand-n…

SpaceX Starship's highest test flight ends in crash-landing and explosion

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6½-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown…

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 8, 2020

Dec 08, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Nissan Armada gets a facelift and big interior improvements

The 2021 Nissan Armada made its debut today, and the changes this year amount to a heavy mid-cycle refresh. Nissan's full-size SUV isn't especially old in model years having debuted in its current form for the 2017 model year , but that doesn't tell t…

2021 Ford F-150 Tremor is a J.V. Raptor

The Tremor will slot in between the FX4 off-road package and the forthcoming Raptor. With this hierarchy, Ford is working toward being able to sell an F-150 to the off-pavement traveler on just about any new-truck budget. In other words, think of the…

2021 Nissan Kicks refreshed with butch styling and a nicer interior

It's only been a few short years since the Nissan Kicks was introduced , but Nissan has the tiny crossover's first update ready to rock. The 2021 Nissan Kicks gets revised styling in front and back, some thoughtful interior changes and a number of tec…

GMC Hummer EV heads north for winter

GMC announced early Tuesday that its new Hummer EV pickup is ready to head north for winter testing. What might seem like a trip in the wrong direction to us warm-blooded enthusiasts is a critical next step in the development of GM's new electric tru…

Gymkhana is back, as Travis Pastrana jumps a speedboat and hits 150 mph

While Ken Block has been known for years for his wild driving in extreme Fords , when he did his first couple of Gymkhana films he was behind the wheel of Subarus . The latest Gymkhana video once again features a Subaru WRX STI , one with a bigger-displ…

2020 Acura NSX leads this month's list of discounts

With its 573-horsepower hybrid powertrain and 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds, there's no doubt that the Acura NSX is an impressive machine. As its production numbers and pricing adjustments attest, however, it's not a big seller. And this month, Acura's hi…

2021 Cadillac CT4 Review | A joy to drive, a puzzle to compare

Cadillac's smallest sedan is arguably its most competitive. The question is, though, what does the 2021 Cadillac CT4 actually compete with? It has the price tag and interior in keeping with the growing number of sub-compact luxury sedans, yet its rea…

Hibernating snakes stall Tesla's German gigafactory

FRANKFURT/BERLIN — A German court has told Tesla to suspend clearing of a forest at the site of the proposed Berlin Gigafactory after environmentalists said that cutting down more trees could endanger hibernating snakes. "The Landesumweltamt (state …

2021 Hyundai Santa Fe pricing revealed; slightly more expensive than before

Just before it's slated to hit dealer showrooms, the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe now has official pricing. The significantly redesigned crossover is slightly more expensive, but it brings with it bold styling, updated engines and some new features. The ba…

Ineos Grenadier will be built at former Daimler plant in France instead of in Wales

LONDON — Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos will manufacture its first vehicle in France after a deal to take over a site run by Germany's Daimler, ditching plans to build a factory in Britain as COVID-19 disrupts the automotive industry. Prominent B…

Monday, December 7, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 7, 2020

Dec 07, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Ford Bronco Sport First Drive | Worthy of the name

Apologies to those looking for the first drive review of the Bronco you're thinking about . That one is coming in the future. Instead of leading with the main dish, Ford gave us a little Bronco appetizer with the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. For those who…

2021 Ford Bronco Sport design: How the little Bronco came to life

After being thoroughly impressed with seeing and driving the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport , we decided to sit down (virtually) and have a chat with some of the key folks who designed it. The little crossover's design contributes heavily to how it feels behi…

AC Cobra Series 4 is an electric Cobra with 617 horsepower

AC cars announced an all-electric Cobra earlier this year , but the specs and performance figures were a little disappointing. It only had 308 horsepower and went from 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds. At a price of roughly $170,000, it was quite the ask. Fast…

Ford Bronco launch delayed until summer 2021; manual Sasquatch pushed to 2022

The 2021 Ford Bronco launch has been delayed until summer due to COVID-related supplier delays, the company said. The Sasquatch package for manual transmission models has been pushed back from late 2021 availability to the 2022 model year. Ford spo…

Autoblog Gift Guide: Watches for car guys

You may have noticed a correlation: The car guy in your life — maybe it's you — is also interested in watches. Car- or racing-inspired watches can run into thousands of dollars. So we've picked some timepieces we liked the looks of, but costing less.…

2022 Nissan Rogue Sport will offer a nicer interior and video-game-like chimes

Nissan is preparing to release a new Rogue Sport for the 2022 model year. Developed in England, the crossover will wear a sharper-looking exterior design, and it will offer a completely overhauled interior with a lot more tech. While the Japanese fi…

992-based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup previewed with massive rear wing

Porsche is about to unveil the first track-only variant of the eighth-generation 911 . Built to GT3 specifications, it was developed for privateers seeking a turn-key, factory-built racer that needs only a driver and fuel to compete. Development work…

2020 Land Rover Defender, a pair of super wagons and watch talk | Autoblog Podcast #655

In this week's Autoblog Podcast , Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer . They kick things off discussing what they've been driving this week. Greg has been spending time in the 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 , and Zac has…

Junkyard Gem: 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart

I do manage to find the occasional discarded Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution during my Denver-area junkyard explorations , but such cars— like their Subaru WRX rivals— are always far too crashed and/or stripped to be worth documenting for this series . Whe…

Thursday, December 3, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 3, 2020

Dec 03, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Acura TLX Review | Back to the future

The best-selling luxury car used to be an Acura. The brand's combination of reliability, quality, design and driving dynamics clearly resonated with buyers. In the past decade-plus, however, those last two elements stopped resonating, while the Acura…

2022 Ford F-150 Raptor spy photos show front end parts in reality and digitally

The one Ford F-150 variant absent when the significantly redesigned 2021 model was revealed was the desert-pounding Raptor. But have no fear, it's on its way, and we have a sneak peek courtesy of F150Gen14.com , a forum for the newest generation of Fo…

2021 Toyota Camry Review | A quality car in many flavors

The 2021 Toyota Camry is not the drab beige appliance you might remember. This generation set a unique tone from the very beginning with its significantly enhanced driver involvement, interior quality and overall style. Toyota has steadily been updat…

Lego Technic Jeep Wrangler kit will have you off-roading around your house

Lego is kicking off next year with a slew of automotive kits. The company just announced models of the McLaren Senna GTR and a Ferrari 488 race car . Now it has revealed a Technic kit of the Jeep Wrangler . At 665 pieces, it's of a slightly smaller va…

Redesigned Ducati Monster gains power and loses weight

Ducati gave its all-new Monster an official unveiling via its five-part Ducati World Première web series , promising that the latest version of its popular naked motorcycle will officially hit dealerships in April 2021. The storied Italian manufacture…

Hennessey Venom 800 Ford F-150 is toxic to TRX

Ford introduced the 14th generation F-150 earlier in 2020, so it was only a matter of time before an array of immensely powerful trucks emerged from the aftermarket and followed in its wake. Texas-based tuner Hennessey fired first by releasing a limi…

Hoefele Design makes the Mercedes G-Class even more opulent with 'coach' doors

Few cars are as ostentatious as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class , or G-Wagen if you prefer. The distinctive shape and its shift from utilitarian off-roader to boulevard cruiser make sure of that. But German customizing company Hoefele Design managed to make…

[VIDEO] Toyota RAV4 Prime fails the moose test in Sweden

Swedish publication Teknikens Värld has a reputation for calling out automakers who fail its proprietary moose test, in which a fully loaded vehicle is driven through an S-shaped obstacle-avoidance course at moderate speeds. The test is designed as a…

The Audi R8 Panther is very black, a bit red and 100% rear-wheel-drive

The rear-wheel-drive Audi R8 has been resurrected as a regular-production model for the 2021 model year and to celebrate the model's arrival, Audi is producing a limited-edition variant called Panther developed exclusively for the United States. Nam…

2021 Toyota C-HR is a IIHS Top Safety Pick

Newly-available electronic driving aids earned the 2021 Toyota C-HR a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Japanese firm's smallest crossover missed out on a Plus rating, however. Toyota made its Safety S…