Vehicles: Page 59
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Polestar 2 Finds Sweet Spot Among Bevy of Winning BEVs
What makes the Polestar 2 a winner is its near-perfect blend of the BEV formulation. It’s not the one with the longest EV range or the highest output, but it’s still “shockingly fast” and a blast to drive.
By David Zoia • Sept. 23, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s Hybrid Beast Wins Us Over
Ford’s PowerBoost, a 2021 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems winner, explodes hybrid stereotypes and becomes F-150’s top powertrain.
By Drew Winter • Sept. 22, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Semifinalists Named for 2022 Car, Truck, Utility Vehicle Awards
The awards recognize outstanding new vehicles in their segments based on innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
By Drew Winter • Sept. 21, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Florida Conversion Firm Puts Juice in Classic Land Rovers
For its first conversion, ECD Automotive Design took a 1995 Range Rover Classic and replaced the powertrain with a 450-hp motor and a Tesla 100-kW battery pack sourced from Electric Classic Cars in the U.K.
By Sebastian Blanco • Sept. 21, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW 330e Sedan Stands Out Among PHEVs
The 330e takes a great 4-cyl. turbo and adds an electric motor that kicks in an extra 107 hp and 77 lb.-ft. of torque to deliver a first-rate drive experience, while approaching 40 mpg during our real-world testing in metro Detroit.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 21, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Top-Level Technology Powers Pricey Porsche Taycan 4S
Whether or not we want to embrace it, gas-powered high-performance cars are beginning to represent the fading past and BEVs the rapidly arriving future, as demonstrated by the lightning-quick Taycan 4S.
By Bob Gritzinger • Sept. 20, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Santa Fe Wins With Sterling 2.5L Turbo-4
The Korean automaker’s 277-hp powerplant reminds us how satisfying state-of-the-art internal-combustion engines can be.
By Jim Irwin • Sept. 17, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rivian Launches Production of Battery-Electric Pickup
Tuesday’s production launch represents a significant win over rivals including Tesla, General Motors and Ford for Rivian, which can now claim it is the first company to build a battery-electric pickup for customers.
By Joseph Szczesny • Sept. 16, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Steyr Automotive to Produce Zero-Emission Volta Trucks
Volta Trucks says Austria’s Steyr Automotive was chosen to build its Volta Zero BEVs based on its experience in commercial vehicle manufacturing, existing manufacturing infrastructure and potential speed to market.
By Paul Myles • Sept. 16, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Running on Hydrogen, Toyota Mirai Dazzles Again
The Japanese automaker has not wavered in its pursuit of vehicles that can run on the most abundant element in the universe. The Mirai fuel-cell sedan is fun to drive and extremely quiet, not to mention handsomely styled.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 16, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Owner Appeal Survey: Mass-Market Vehicles Catching Up to Luxury
“It used to be all premium vehicles were at the top and all mass-market ones were at the bottom,” says J.D. Power’s David Amodeo.
By Steve Finlay • Sept. 15, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
2022 Infiniti QX60 Conquers Life in Style in Wine Country
Designed for busy moms on the go, the QX60 delivers luxury, performance and advanced driver assistance technology in a responsive SUV that is easy on the eyes.
By Glenn Sanders • Sept. 15, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Trailblazer’s Powerful 1.3L 3-Cyl. Surprises
We challenge potential buyers to take the Trailblazer for a test drive – and then tell us how many cylinders are under the hood.
By Bob Gritzinger • Sept. 15, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Kona Electric Scores a Three-Peat
The South Korean automaker’s 3-year-old battery-electric crossover still is a standout in terms of performance, range and price.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 14, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Germany Boosts Autonomous Buy-In With Robotaxi Service
The robotaxi offering will be included in Sixt’s mobility platform ONE, which combines products for ride-hailing as well as car rental, car sharing and car subscriptions.
By Paul Myles • Sept. 14, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Wrangler 4xe Brings New Level of Efficiency to Jeep
Wrangler 4xe is noteworthy for its rough-and-tumble off-road readiness, while clocking in at nearly 30 mpg during 300 miles of road testing around metro Detroit this past spring.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 13, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Silverado Gets Super Cruise, Upgraded Interior for 2022
General Motors usually holds back on safety tech, requiring the addition of options packages or higher trim levels, but that’s not the case with the new Silverado. Chevy Safety Assist is standard on every trim.
By Chris Teague • Sept. 10, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
College Football Go-To Vehicle for Most-Viewed Auto Ads
Leading the pack for the week of Aug. 30 was Jeep’s “Wildly Civilized” spot, which ranked No.1 for the third week in a row and was backed again by the highest estimated spend among national automotive TV ads.
By Jim Irwin • Sept. 10, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
2022 Polestar 2 Single-Motor: Driving Into EV Mainstream
With incentives, the new single-motor Polestar 2 can be had for $36,200. But is it better than a Tesla Model 3?
By Mark Rechtin • Sept. 10, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Subaru BRZ Matches Toyota GR 86 Cousin’s Fun Factor
For the new-generation GR 86 and BRZ, Toyota handled the lead planning and design, while Subaru took charge of the engineering and production efforts. Styling aside, Subaru admits the differences between the two vehicles are not major, but they do exist.
By Sebastian Blanco • Sept. 9, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Smart Previews Electric-powered, China-built CUV
The Concept #1 design study presages the first model from the 2-year-old Geely-Mercedes-Benz joint venture. Smart has not commented on plans to import its new CUV to the U.S.
By Greg Kable • Sept. 9, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Polestar BEV Brand Eyeing Up to 30 Global Markets
The new markets for the brand will include parts of the Middle East, including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Luxembourg and Iceland will join the growing European base while additional markets will be confirmed at a later date.
By Paul Myles • Sept. 8, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW Chairman Diess Details Countering Climate Change
“The transport sector must be decarbonized quickly without harming the global economy,” Volkswagen Group Chairman Herbert Diess says. However, he stresses the importance of providing personal transport solutions for the individual.
By Paul Myles • Sept. 8, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Merkel Pushes for German Leadership in Autonomous Tech
At the official opening of the IAA auto show, Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany is the first nation to officially permit automated driving technology up to Level 4 on its public highways.
By Paul Myles • Sept. 8, 2021 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How Long Can OEMs Hold on to Their ICE Operations?
In North America alone, GM, Ford and Stellantis build about 9 million engines and transmissions a year. Merging their powertrain units would eliminate duplication and slash costs dramatically.
By John McElroy • Sept. 3, 2021
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