Rental Review: 2023 Toyota Corolla LE, Aged Basic Transportation
I spent a few days in the Florida sunshine this week, behind the wheel of a most basic 2023 Corolla LE. It's a design that's been with us for a few years now, a sedan shape so common that it’s totally unnoticeable. Unfortunately, driving it was an experience I don't care to repeat.

Alfa Romeo Announces Quadrifoglio Carbon Editions for 2024
Though electric vehicles can be brutally quick and offer staggering performance, there’s nothing like the sound of a howling exhaust and a rowdy gas engine. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia Quadrifoglio have one of the best-sounding V6 engines around, and the automaker recently announced a new appearance package for the pair that brings sinister styling to the supremely powerful Italians.

Ineos Starts Production of Grenadier for North America
Moneyed types in this country who’ve been pining for the spiritual successor to Land Rover’s old-school Defender will be gratified to learn the first series production Grenadier models for North America have started rolling off Ineos Automotive’s factory floor.

Rental Review: The 2023 Chevrolet Malibu, Last Domestic Midsize Standing
In its current guise since 2016, the ninth-gen Chevrolet Malibu is no spring chicken; the rumor is an all-new model will arrive in 2025. And after three days and some 700 miles behind the wheel of a 2023 example, your author has a few observations and a strong overall opinion on the very last domestic midsize sedan in production. Let’s hop in and journey east, through the Appalachian Plateau.

QOTD: What Feature Do You Want the Most?
We reported yesterday that research/analysis firm AutoPacific found that the most wanted new-car feature among consumers is fog lamps.

Fat Cars: Report Reveals What We Already Know About Vehicle Weight
Despite hearing corporate and government actors praise the merits of electrification for years, a sobering reality appears to be taking hold. Despite boasting exquisite torque delivery and the ability to benefit from at-home charging, the public is beginning to doubt their status as economical and environmentally sound transportation. EV prices haven’t fallen as promised, battery mining turned out to be rather contentious, and the vehicles themselves continue getting heavier — resulting in some record-setting curb weights that are likely serving to undermine roadway health and automotive safety.
While the weight issue may be more pronounced among EVs, it’s hardly limited to them. Just about every modern vehicle outweighs its ancestors by a staggering amount and a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study has claimed that an extra 1,000 pounds increases the chance of crash fatalities between vehicles by 47 percent.

2023 Toyota BZ4X Review – Falling Short
When it comes to reviews, the 2023 Toyota bZ4X has taken it on its oddly-shaped chin. And, as I found out, for good reason.
That’s a shame because had this car been done right, it could’ve easily worked as affordable EV transport.

QOTD: Does American Made Matter to You?
Cars.com's American-Made Index list for this year is out and it's getting buzz this week. We covered part of it the other day.
Yours truly also said through a Zoom briefing on the list.

Polaris Xpedition: Continuing a Slow Creep Towards Trucks & SUVs
Where’s the line between off-road side-by-sides and on-road pickup trucks or SUVs? That’s a boundary explored by the nation’s powersports companies, one which is being pushed even further with the spellcheck-vexing Polaris Xpedition.

Volkswagen ID.7: This is It
We've been covering the Volkswagen ID.7 in the lead-up to today's unveiling, and now we have the official deets.

What's Wrong With This Picture: Two Mules, One Market Edition
As we’ve already seen, BMW is building a record number of variants of its next-generation 3 Series, including “GT” hatchback and X4 “Sport Activity Coupe.” But as this photo shows, there is at least one other Dreier bodystyle that we hadn’t heard about yet: the long wheelbase sedan (top). Given the brand’s post-Bangle swing towards extreme styling consistency, the decision between a LWB 3 series and a 5 series seems to have serious head-scratching potential… but it’s not something we’ll have to worry about. The LWB sports sedan will only be sold in China, according to Auto Motor und Sport, where upmarket buyers favor chauffeurs… even in the Ultimate Driving Machine.

2024 Buick Encore GX: Old Brand, New Attitude
Buick is an old nameplate, both in terms of how long the brand has existed and its perceived target market.
OK, the latter probably isn't true anymore and probably hasn't been for a while. Certainly, the brand's actual target market appears, at least based on recent TV ad campaigns, to be young-ish and attractive folks between the ages of 30 and 50.

2024 Mazda CX-90 Unveiled – New Flagship in Town UPDATED
Mazda currently sells four crossovers, not including the California-only MX-30 EV. But it doesn’t have a premium-priced three-row. Yes, the three-row CX-9 is nice for the price, but it’s not quite the flagship the brand needs.
Enter the CX-90.

2023 Kia EV6 GT Review – Electric Excitement
Standing around outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week, I noticed a bunch of fighter jets taking off and landing from the nearby Nellis Air Force base. It must be unbelievable to feel the G forces when those things accelerate, I thought to myself.

QOTD: New Prius, Who Dis?
I am typing this from 40,000 feet over the middle of nowhere as I travel to L.A. for the auto show. Sometime tonight I will see the next Toyota Prius for the first time, along with hordes of other shrimp-eaters. Until then, however, I can surf my browser over to the Google machine and find information on the Japan-spec Prius, which has already broken cover.

Honda Teases New Accord: Updated Styling, Google Tech
On Tuesday, Honda teased the arrival of the 11th generation Accord – offering a series of darkened photos and just enough relevant information to whet one’s appetite.

Escape Plan: Ford Restyles Popular Crossover, Provides New Engines
Believe it or not, the Ford Escape has been around for over two decades. It is currently in its fourth generation, with the current suppository-like styling first blighting landscapes in 2019. Now, the Blue Oval has gifted it a midcycle refresh, installing new engines and a face that no longer looks like a rolling tribute to the noble lungfish.

This Is The Chevy Volt's Post-Crash Safety Protocol
TTAC has received the following protocol, developed by GM in the wake of the June Volt fire at a NHTSA facility in Wisconsin, from a GM source and has confirmed its legitimacy with a second GM source. Though the procedure may be refined based on the findings of NHTSA’s latest round of tests, it gives a good picture of what GM currently does to ensure the safety of Volt driver and passengers as well as rescue workers, towing company workers and salvage yards. And, I have to say, it puts some of my fears about this safety scare to rest. It hadn’t occurred to me that GM’s Onstar system could provide opportunities to respond to crashes in real-time, and apparently the system provides a wide variety of data with which GM’s “corporate SWAT team” can tailor its response to any Volt crash event. Hit the jump for the full procedure.

2022 Lexus RX450h AWD F Sport Review- How to Review a Good Car That You Kind of Hate
I want to be perfectly honest with you guys — this is The Truth About Cars, after all — I didn’t like driving the 2022 Lexus RX450h AWD F Sport. It’s not that the Lexus is a bad car, it’s that it’s not the right fit for me … and I mean that both figuratively and literally.
2022 Lexus NX 350 AWD Review - Getting with the Times
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Lexus’ NX compact crossover. I’ve found it to be fairly sporty – in general, and not just by staid Lexus standards – and overall more engaging to drive than the larger (and highly popular) RX, but also a bit cramped inside. Not to mention that the NX, like most Toyota and Lexus products, just seemed a step behind when it came to infotainment.
Lexus addressed two of those criticisms with the current model and did so quite nicely.

Kia Wins Wards 'Best Interior' Award For EV6
Kia’s continual improvements are getting noticed by Wards Auto.

2021 BMW M4 Competition Review - Heart Trumps Looks
Almost every automotive journalist and enthusiast I know hates the new BMW grille – the one that took the twin-kidney look and made it as bucktooth as a beaver.

2021 Honda Ridgeline AWD Sport HPD Review - Slightly More "Truck" Than Before
One of the things this author has always appreciated about the Honda Ridgeline is its car-like qualities. More than once, the phrase “Accord on stilts” has escaped my lips when talking about the Ridgeline with fellow auto scribes, and I meant it as a compliment.
Imagine my dismay to find that the refreshed 2021 Honda Ridgeline felt jussssst a bit more “trucky” than before.

Rental Review: The 2020 Audi A5 Sportback, a Bit Damp
It’s a new week, and I’m back with another German car Rental Review for your enjoyment! Today’s rental is one of two American market entrants into the premium compact five-door liftback segment, and not a car one expects to find in an Enterprise lot. Presenting a 2020 Audi A5 Sportback, two years and 50,000 rental miles later.

Rental Review: The 2021 BMW 530i XDrive, Interference at No Cost to You
As a fan of the midsize luxury sedan class, it’s sad to see how many manufacturers have given up on the segment. The German trio still has their stalwarts, but Japan gave up in 2020 (RIP Lexus GS), the only American still in the ring is the Cadillac CT5, and its outlier status is accompanied by newcomer Genesis with the G80.
It’s a dying class, which is why your author was especially pleased to spend the Memorial Day weekend with a longstanding headliner of the German luxury sedan genre: A 2021 BMW 5-Series.

2023 Nissan Z First Drive - Old Dog, New Tricks
Meet the new Nissan Z. Same as the old Z.
Well, sort of.
Nissan has worked hard to hype the new Z – yet it’s an open secret that the new car shares some of its bones with the previous-generation car.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

2023 Cadillac Escalade-V: Blackwing All the Things
It appears that Tim “The Toolman” Taylor has a product-planning position at Cadillac.
That’s because, apparently, someone decided that just what the Escalade needed was “more power.”
A lot more power.

2023 Kia Sportage First Drive - Looking for Attention
I’ll admit it – I sometimes forget Kia’s Sportage exists.
That’s not because the current-generation Sportage is a bad vehicle. No, it’s because it competes in a crowded class and certain stalwarts and newcomers have commanded the market’s attention in recent years.
Enter the 2023 Kia Sportage. Thanks to a major redesign, this five-seat crossover is ready to ram its way back into the spotlight, for better or for worse.

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe First Drive - What's Green Worth to You?
Everybody’s going electric these days, it seems. Or at least, electrified. The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is Jeep’s latest entry in the electrified-vehicle space (sorry for that bit of marketing speak, I must need more coffee), following, of course, the Wrangler 4xe.
Getting electrified might be good for the ‘ole CAFE standards – but is it worth the price premium? Will electrification change a vehicle’s character – and if so, for the better or for worse?
To find out, I headed deep to the heart of Texas last month.

2022 New York Auto Show Recap - The City That Never Sleeps Takes a Nap
The 2022 New York Auto Show isn’t the first major auto show to be held since COVID-19 shut the world down in March 2020 – Chicago had shows in 2021 and 2022, and Los Angeles was in its usual slot last year. And there was Motorbella in Detroit last summer.
Still, for whatever reason – the loosening of COVID restrictions, the fact it was the first New York show since COVID, the presence of NY-based journos who don’t deign to travel west of the Hudson for those other shows – there was a pre-show feeling that this was it. This would be the show that marked the return of normalcy. Not LA in 2021 or Chicago just a couple of months ago – no, it would be this one.

2022 New York Auto Show: Hyundai Palisade Gets Even More Classed-Up
Hyundai’s Palisade separates itself from Kia’s Telluride, at least in terms of appearance, by being the more “urban”, stylistically speaking, of the two.
The former looks boxy and rugged, while the latter has curves that evoke urban luxury — at least to this author’s eye.*

2022 New York Auto Show: Kia Toughens the Telluride
The Kia Telluride looks more rugged and tough than it is. Well, Kia is changing that with updates for 2023.

2022 New York Auto Show: Jeep Goes Long With the Wagoneer UPDATED
Let’s say you run a car company that just launched a large SUV last year. Let’s say you feel, for whatever reason, that it needs more length.
What do you do? Well, you extend it, of course.

2022 New York Auto Show Week: Chrysler Goes With the (Air)Flow
Another day, another teaser. Thankfully, this will all be over by tomorrow’s happy hour.
This time, it’s Chrysler. Which is showing the Airflow Concept.

2022 New York Auto Show Week: 2023 Kia Niro Takes the Stage
Many a debut has been made in New York over the years. Add the 2023 Kia Niro to the list.
It’s “all-new” in Kia-speak, though at this juncture we don’t know if it’s a redesign or a refresh. We’re guessing the former, based on the marketing speak.

2022 New York Auto Show Week: Hyundai's Next Palisade Aims to Continue the Upscale Image
Like its platform-mate, the Kia Telluride, the Hyundai Palisade is going under the knife, with the results planned for show at the 2022 New York Auto Show on Wednesday.

2022 New York Auto Show Week: Kia Updates the Telluride
It seems like just yesterday that Kia unveiled the Telluride three-row SUV. Now it’s apparently due for its first significant refresh.

2023 Honda HR-V Grows in Size, Specs to Come
As if the 2023 Honda HR-V hasn’t been teased enough. The wraps are finally off, yet we still know little about the mechanicals.

Here is the Toyota GR Corolla, Officially
We reported on the leak of the Toyota GR Corolla yesterday, and as expected, the specs we reported on matched up.

Toyota GR Corolla Leaked Ahead of Official Debut
Launching a new vehicle under embargo must be a stressful endeavor for all those who are involved on the OEM side.
Take the Toyota GR Corolla. The brand has been so careful to build up interest via teases, and has plans to take the wraps off tonight — and it all got spoiled by some careless management of the company’s consumer Web site.

Lotus Eletre SUV Unveiled, More Lotus EVs Planned
A Lotus EV? If British electronics are involved, isn’t a Lotus EV going to be useful only as a paperweight?
I kid, I kid. Lotus, however, is dead serious — the Lotus Eletre is here, and the company calls it “the world’s first electric Hyper-SUV”.

Talking Gas Prices and More on the Second TTAC Podcast
Hi there! Remember that podcast we did a few weeks back? Well, we’re back with more.
There’s also more to come.

Toyota GR Corolla Set to Debut Thursday, March 31
Mark your calendars for three days from now, folks.
Not only is it payday for a lot of us working schlubs, but Carscoops reports it’s also the day we’ll see the Toyota GR Corolla — and that the car is slated for our shores.

Abandoned History: The Current Buick Logo, Just One of Many (Part II)
There has been much speculation over the past week regarding General Motors’ trademark application for a new Buick logo. Likely related to a swath of new EVs on the horizon (but not yet confirmed), the news fired up the old Abandoned History thought box. Why not take a look at all of Buick’s past logos? We began yesterday in 1903, and pick up today in 1942.

Abandoned History: The Current Buick Logo, Just One of Many (Part I)
According to a recently filed trademark application, Buick’s familiar tri-shield logo may be going the way of the dodo. It’s been suggested the potential logo change is in pursuit of a revised image, in preparation for the Brave New World of EVs that Buick will soon unleash upon millions of eager customers. However, given the company has been around for over 120 years this is far from the first time Buick has swapped its badge.

A Polite Request Regarding Apple CarPlay
I was sitting in line for a car wash this morning, readying a test vehicle for photos, and since the line was long and moving slow, I started perusing Twitter on my iPhone while listening to the radio.
The same phone that was plugged into the Ford Maverick’s USB port so that I could run Apple CarPlay.

2023 Acura Integra: Return of the Entry-Luxury Sport Hatch
We’ve been hearing a lot about the 2023 Acura Integra all year, and now the wraps are off, officially.
The entry-level luxury/sport hatch will, as rumored, offer a manual transmission, though it won’t have all-wheel drive.

Gone Truckin': Kia to Have Two EV Pickups By 2027, Report Says
Not to be outdone by corporate siblings Hyundai and Genesis, which have announced plans to launch 17 electric, or at least electrified, vehicles combined by 2030, Kia has claimed it will have 14 EVs (or, again, vehicles that at least have some electrification) by 2027.
Including two pickup trucks.

Nissan Z Launch Timing Leaked, Sales Slated for June
A Nissan dealership employee shared what appears to be a presentation slide of the upcoming Z’s launch timing.
If true, it confirms that the car will go on sale in June.

2021 Polaris Slingshot R Limited Edition Review - Three-Wheeled Weirdness
You’ve probably seen them, especially if you live in a big city. Three-wheeled vehicles that straddle the line between car and motorcycle that often travel in packs, driven mostly by men in their 30s and 40s.
Adult toys of the non-sexual variety.
Can-Am Spyders. Morgan 3 Wheelers. And Polaris Slingshots. I was loaned one of the latter last year.

2022 Volkswagen Golf R Review: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Let me start this by saying that I considered the previous Golf R to be the all-around best enthusiast vehicle available in its price range during its time on sale. That’s particularly high praise coming from someone whose performance tastes generally gravitate toward V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive coupes, but I think Volkswagen had achieved something remarkable with the Mk7. It was a car that had the dynamic chops to hang with some very serious hardware out in the canyons but didn’t need to shout about it from an aesthetic standpoint, and it also sacrificed very little in terms of daily drivability and practicality to get there.
Beyond the fundamentals, the Mk7 Golf R had other important elements sorted out too – solid interior materials in a well laid out and comfortable cabin, a class-leading infotainment system with a nice-sounding stereo – that sort of thing. Automakers can get away with phoning in some of that stuff when it comes to their top-tier performance cars because enthusiasts tend to have different priorities than mainstream buyers do, but Volkswagen didn’t half-ass it. This is all to say that the Mk7 Golf R set the bar pretty high.

2022 Toyota Tundra Hands-On Preview: Top 5 Reasons We Look Forward to This Truck
America’s love affair with the pickup truck is long from being over, and for good reason.
Modern full-size pickup trucks are more capable, efficient, comfortable, and technologically advanced than ever before. They really have become the jack-of-all-trades choice amongst the automotive world. So when an all-new pick-up debuts, it’s a big deal.

Rumor Has It Rivian Will See More Production Delays
Rivian may be experiencing more production delays. Maybe this is why it now apparently has a delivery-time estimator on its build site?

Rivian to Add Delivery Time Estimator to Configurator
Rivian is planning on adding a feature to its online configurator that estimates the time of delivery of the customer’s vehicle.
It’s mild news, to be sure, but it’s the week of Thanksgiving.

Subaru Solterra In the Flesh
We’ve already covered the Subaru Solterra EV, so I don’t have much to add.
Instead, you can enjoy two poorly-lit pics from the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Another Zoomy Crossover: Meet the Rugged Mazda CX-50
The Los Angeles Auto Show is this week — yes, it’s actually happening, as of this writing, and this author is boarding a flight for Cali tomorrow — and one of the vehicles that had been teased in advance of the show was the Mazda CX-50.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI - Still Jekyll and Hyde, and That's Good
The 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI may be changed, but its character remains the same.
Just like with the heavily updated Golf GTI, that’s cause for a sigh of relief.
Perhaps even more so, since the Jetta GLI doesn’t get the same high-falutin’ interior treatment. Thank God for keeping it old school.

Mazda CX-50 Debuts Soon, Allegedly Off-Road Friendly
Mazda has announced that the 2023 CX-50 will debut on November 15th, foreshadowing its production launch in January of 2022 at the Alabama plant it shares with Toyota. That means odds are good that the model will share more than a few components with the Toyota Corolla Cross. But Mazda has been adamant that CX-50 is a unique vehicle riding on its very own platform.
Unique is a relative term, however, when the upcoming model represents another “lifestyle vehicle” designed to convince consumers that a jack-of-all-trades crossover is ready and willing to drag them up the side of a mountain. Officially, Mazda is claiming this one caters to adults with particularly active lifestyles and has surrounded it with nature-themed marketing materials. That presumably has something to do with the CX-50 boasting “enhanced all-wheel-drive capabilities.”

Audi Resurrects Historical Horch Nameplate, Creates New Luxurious Rare Ride
Audi recently announced a new, super luxurious version of its largest sedan, and it’ll wear some branding not seen in a very long time. Wake up Horch, it’s 2022.

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