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39 Articles

75 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE TRENDS AND COUNTING.

If you told the average person in 1949 that in 75 years, one of the world’s top-selling cars would be all-electric and made by a Chinese company named Build Your Dreams, well, who knows what they would have thought? But as 1949 was the year Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China, the preceding statement probably would have come across as preposterous. 1949 was also the year Robert “Pete” Petersen founded MotorTrend. I can tell you this much: When I started working here in 2010, there’s no way I would have or could have predicted a Chinese EV bestseller. MotorTrend turns 100 years old in 2049; I’ll bet a dollar the bestselling vehicle in 25 years will be manufactured by a company that hasn’t yet been founded. Also of note,…

75 YEARS OF AUTOMOTIVE TRENDS AND COUNTING.

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE ’80S?!

If you had Cyndi Lauper screaming “She-Bop” in one ear, Ronald Reagan denouncing communism in the other, and Don Johnson smacking you upside the head with an Atari 2600, you still could not have a more ’80s experience than driving the first-generation Nissan Pathfinder. Nissan introduced the Pathfinder in 1985, a year when the minivan was only just beginning to threaten the giant wood-sticker-sided V-8 wagons still sold by the Big Three. SUVs were becoming righteously trendy, though if you told the average mid-’80s American the SUV would someday dominate the market, they’d probably dismiss you as a wastoid or a total space cadet. Still, that day was coming—and the Pathfinder would help usher it in. But let’s not ask Zoltar to predict the future just yet; instead, let us appreciate this…

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE ’80S?!

PATHFINDER: GENERATIONS

GEN 1 1987–1995 The Pathfinder made its debut as a chunky two-door SUV that shared its front-end styling, body-on-frame architecture, and engines with the Hardbody pickup. With SUVs beginning to supplant minivans as the family car of choice, Nissan added a four-door Pathfinder in 1990. 1987 Pathfinder Specifications Base Price: $15,399 Powertrains: 2.4L SOHC 8-valve I-4, 106 hp/131 lb-ft; 3.0L SOHC 12-valve V-6, 140 hp/166 lb-ft 0-60 (V-6): 12.7 sec GEN 2 1996–2004 The ’96 Pathfinder was longer, wider, and heavier, with more space-efficient unibody construction. Although Nissan toned down its exterior styling, the cabin was modern and stylish. Performance was tepid, a problem Nissan remedied in 2001 with a new 240-hp 3.5-liter DOHC V-6. The second-gen Pathfinder was the basis for Infiniti’s first SUV, the QX4. 1996 Pathfinder Specifications Base Price: $21,459 Powertrain: 3.3L SOHC 12-valve V-6, 168 hp/196…

PATHFINDER: GENERATIONS

1988 NISSAN PATHFINDER: WHAT WAS THE COMPETITION LIKE?

Chevrolet S-10 Blazer The downsized Blazer, as its name illustrates, was based on Chevy’s S-10 pickup. For its 1983 debut, it offered cargo space comparable to the legendary full-size Blazer in a significantly smaller package. Like the Pathfinder, the S-10 Blazer initially had only two doors; it wasn’t until 1991 that Chevrolet would add a four-door version with a longer wheelbase. Ford Bronco II With a mission brief identical to the S-10 Blazer’s, Ford launched the Bronco II in 1984 as a trimmer, more efficient alternative to the full-size Bronco. Its short wheelbase and narrow track made it notoriously unstable and rollover-prone, a safety flaw that reportedly cost Ford a couple billion dollars in litigation expenses. When the Bronco II’s four-door replacement appeared in 1991, it bore a new name: Explorer. Isuzu Trooper II You…

1988 NISSAN PATHFINDER: WHAT WAS THE COMPETITION LIKE?

BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te

FIRST DRIVE We’ve published numerous stories in the past several years about changing a beloved classic to electric propulsion, and it’s often followed by discourse over the intangibles. Will the car retain its original spirit? Will it still sound good? Will it still be fun? If the car in question is a BMW 2002 done up to become an all-electric Bavarian ECONS 2002te restomod, then lifelong fans like me need not worry. Brothers Edgar and Nicolas Navarro are passionate about BMW 2002s. They founded their company, Bavarian ECONS (a portmanteau of “electric” and “icons”), in 2020 as a way of future-proofing people’s ability to continue enjoying these great cars, and the 2002te is their first creation. Bavarian ECONS fitted the car with a 180-hp electric drive unit that originally turned a Tesla Model…

BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te

BMW 2002 HISTORY IN BRIEF

1968–1975 2002 Legendary importer Max Hoffman is responsible for BMW bringing the 2002 to the U.S. market, having requested a sportier version of the 1602 that would also pass emissions requirements. Enthusiasts fell for the boxy exterior, its 100-hp 2.0-liter I-4, and its exceptional driving dynamics. 1968–1971 2002TI Before the days of BMW’s M division, the company used “ti” to identify its higher-performance models. The 2002ti’s 2.0-liter engine received dual Solex 40 carburetors and was tuned for higher compression to develop 120 hp, a 20 percent increase over the base model. Top speed was 115 mph. 1970 2002TI DIANA These were created when racing driver and BMW dealer Hubert Hahne wanted to give his wife, Diana Körner, a wedding present. Coachbuilder Baur customized 12 cars with black, brown, or white upholstery, each wearing unique exterior…

BMW 2002 HISTORY IN BRIEF

2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS

FIRST TEST The thing that makes modern Porsche sports cars so dang easy to love is that they come into their element no matter where or how you drive them. The same precision that makes a 718 or 911 brilliant on a rollicking two-lane creates a sense of control during a stressful commute. Want to use a sports car for a 2,000-mile road trip? For a relaxed Sunday cruise? To peacock down Rodeo Drive? Porsche abides. The 2023 911 GT3 RS is the exception to the rule. Drive it slowly or on a highway or in a city or with a non-car-crazed passenger riding shotgun, and it’s kind of miserable. An order of magnitude stiffer than even the 911 GT3, the RS needs the right environment to reveal its superpowers. If there’s…

2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS

A 911 GT3 RS steering wheel had been one of life’s simpler pleasures. Devoid of buttons, the wheels of the 996, 997, and 991 GT3 RS were tasked with just one job: pointing Porsche’s purest sports cars exactly where you want them to go. That changes with the 992 generation, which adds controls to the steering wheel for the digital instrument cluster, Sport Chrono lap timer, and voice assistant, along with a bevy of knobs and buttons that allow drivers to live out Le Mans fantasies. But it’s not exactly intuitive how the settings affect dynamics, so let us save you the trouble of tracking down an owner’s manual. DRS The drag reduction system automatically moves the front and rear wings into low-drag positions when the Porsche exceeds 62 mph and with…

50 MARCH/APRIL/MAY 1974 PRICE: $0.75 The energy crisis was well underway in the spring of 1974, and it dominated our coverage. We looked at the 50 best cars to drive during a fuel shortage, from the Datsun B210 (35.0 mpg) to the Pontiac Ventura (14.6 mpg). The latter featured the GTO package with a four-barrel carburetor and ram-air hood scoop, because, well, we are who we are. We compared fuel-efficient imports, with the superior-handling Mazda 808 edging the Datsun 710, Fiat 128, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corona and Corolla. We found out what it took to get 45 mpg out of an ordinary ’74 Chevy Vega, which turned out to be a cocktail of parts, additives, and slow driving. Of course, it wasn’t all econo doom and gloom. We did roundup drives of pony cars…

HOW DO SPEAKERS WORK, AND HOW IS CAR AUDIO GETTING SMARTER AND BETTER?

At CES 2024 in January, I ran across a mind-blowing audio concept that didn’t seem like it should work at all but in fact sounded amazing. My presumption it wouldn’t work reflected an incomplete understanding of the fundamentals of how audio loudspeakers function. As we transition to this quarterly print format, we’re subdividing my traditional Technologue column, opening with a thorough explanation of an automotive concept even avid car lovers like me might not fully understand, then using that foundation to tee up an innovation like those this column has covered for years. We hope you like it. Car Audio 101—How Do Speakers Work? Believe it or not, audio speakers rely on some of the same magic that powers the AC induction motors found in the front of many dual-motor Teslas and…

HOW DO SPEAKERS WORK, AND HOW IS CAR AUDIO GETTING SMARTER AND BETTER?

Quarterly Publication After subscribing to MotorTrend for exactly 27 years straight, I was extremely disappointed to learn it would switch to a quarterly print publication. I read Ed Loh’s special note in the February 2024 issue about the need for a major change to the MotorTrend print product, and it all made sense and I started to convince myself it would not be that bad. Then I read Aaron Gold’s Detroit vs. L.A. article. It was hands down the most entertaining automotive article I can remember reading out of the 324 issues of MotorTrend still sitting in boxes in my office. Beyond the article’s highly entertaining premise, he chose to drive perhaps my favorite car of all time, the C8 Corvette Z06; I dream of one day owning one. This article not…

MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 10 Most Iconic Vehicles of Our Time, and Much More MotorTrend’s 75th anniversary is coming in 2024, and we’re ready to celebrate with you in a variety of new ways. The magazine you hold in your hands, a brand founded by Robert E. “Pete” Petersen, is where it all began, and we’re memorializing this legacy through the release of our full archive in digital format, available now. Our digital archive features 75 years of print issues dating back to 1949, all available for free. In addition, we're marking this milestone with a limited-edition Matchbox die-cast replica of the 1949 Kurtis Sport Car, which holds a unique place in our legacy, being the first subject to grace our cover, in September 1949. It’ll be available in 1:64 scale on MattelCreations.com in 2024. We…

MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 3 Series is commonly the first car enthusiasts learn an automaker’s internal naming codes for so they can better distinguish and argue which model is the best. Few other nameplates can boast such a rich legacy of engineering and performance from generation to generation, offering endless fuel for fans across the world and across decades. By the mid-1970s, BMW had steadily delivered well-handling executive sedans with midsize and full-size models like the 5 Series, but we think the company didn’t land on the perfect performance and practicality package until the more compact 3 Series broke cover in 1975 as a two-door, quickly growing in scope with the second-generation model in the early 1980s. Its compact nature made it the most affordable and popular sedan in BMW’s lineup, becoming a sales…

It seems strangely clairvoyant that a year before Ford revealed its transformative 1949 cars—all-new designs from Henry Ford II's revitalized Ford Motor Co.—it introduced the first F-Series pickup. Did the Blue Oval know trucks would rule the American marketplace in just a few decades? Since the launch of that first F-1, Ford trucks have served millions of drivers as workhorses, family cars, tractors for their trailers, or off-road adventure machines, often fulfilling several duties concurrently. Their ability to serve those roles is thanks to classic truck design—a body-on-frame layout that survived even into the electrified age. Despite that, many innovations changed the F-150 from a basic farmer’s truck into a modern, rolling office. One innovative technology for trucks popularized by the F-150 was the Twin I-Beam—and its eventual 4WD stablemate, the Twin…

Has there been a bigger democratization of performance than the Ford Mustang? A case can be made for the Japanese tuner cars of the ’90s and 2000s, but if you judge purely by from-the-factory hardware, horsepower, and engine size, the Mustang can’t be beat. Sure, there have been stout competitors over the years in the form of the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, but as 2024 rolls on, only the Mustang will remain—both as a pony car you can still buy new and as one that offers a V-8. Throughout its seven generations, the Mustang has adhered to the pillars of its own truth: rear-wheel drive, a menu of powertrain and body style options, and big power for relatively little money. Sports cars and power have traditionally and notoriously been reserved…

JEEP CJ/WRANGLER

Has any vehicle had a bigger or more important debut stage than the original Jeep? The Willys MB and Ford GPW’s goatlike agility and incredible versatility helped propel an army to victory in Europe. GIs, impressed by the Jeep’s go-anywhere nature, brought their impressions home to their civilian roles as ranchers, hunters, farmers, and weekend warriors. The spartan, toollike Jeep became the mass-market 4x4 archetype. Even before the war ended, Willys-Overland was already thinking about the Civilian Jeep (CJ Series) to transform its remarkable wartime machine into a peacetime powerhouse. The first real production CJ—the CJ-2A—rolled off the line in June 1945. Despite a glut of war-surplus MBs and GPWs, the CJ-2A was a hit. Burnished with utilitarian credibility, the Universal Jeep became an icon of unpretentiousness and industriousness. The CJ line’s…

JEEP CJ/WRANGLER

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH

Let’s go back to 1971, when Lamborghini celebrated the Miura’s fifth anniversary by revealing a new SV model at the Geneva Motor Show. At the same event, the company pulled the cover off the Countach LP 500 concept. Lamborghini likely didn’t know it at the time, but it had just shaken up the entire automotive industry, again. If the Miura was the world’s first supercar, the Countach was the first exotic car. Its angular wedge design stirred Geneva attendees’ hearts and wallets. There was no doubt the Countach would be a worthy Miura successor, though it wasn’t until 1982, when the Countach reached the U.S. market, that it hit its stride. Perhaps part of that demand was driven by the Countach’s appearance in the 1981 film Cannonball Run. Exposure from the movie…

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH

MAZDA MX-5 MIATA

Mazda hoped to recapture the magic of small British sports cars when it introduced the first-generation Miata in 1989. Officially called the MX-5 and bearing the internal code name NA, the original Miata was a breath of fresh air in the post-malaise era. Its classic sports car proportions evoked memories of the Lotus Elan, and its lightweight construction allowed for the nimbleness that made it a popular choice for driving enthusiasts. Our headline for our cover story of the time read, “Warning! This Car May Be Addictive!” As it turns out, it was. Mazda has stayed true to the formula that made the Miata a hit from the beginning: powered by a four-cylinder engine, offered with a manual transmission, and sporting seating for a driver and one passenger. Its simplicity also…

MAZDA MX-5 MIATA

The original Porsche 911 existed under a set-in-stone creed that its basic form could never change. In all of automotive history, has there been a smarter decision? Despite having the engine “in the wrong place”—a charming if sometimes dangerous characteristic Porsche spent years perfecting—the 911 has been everything a performance car can be, from affordable funster to unattainable status symbol, weekend runabout to GT car to championship-winning racer. Even so, it has rarely ventured more than a car length from its roots as a standard-bearer for sensibilities about driving dynamics and a touchstone for the human-machine connection. Originally called the 901 before Peugeot insisted it held some claim to three-digit numerical automotive designations with a 0 as the middle figure, the car appeared first at the 1963 Frankfurt auto show as…

Just 20 years ago, many car enthusiasts dismissed EVs as glorified golf carts—and then along came Tesla. Sure, the Roadster proved (to those who hadn't driven a GM EV-1) that electric cars could be thrilling, but it was the Model S that proved they could go mainstream—and way, way beyond. The auto industry hadn’t seen much disruption since the demise of underfunded Preston Tucker’s radical rear-engine game changer with the Cyclops Eye headlamp and helicopter engine. Don Panoz funded his automotive gambit with deep pockets supported by his invention of the time-release medicating transdermal patch; his AIV Roadster and Esperante road car offerings featured considerable innovation, but American Le Mans Series founder Panoz ultimately directed too much of his auto-industry investment into his passion for racing. And ultimately, his pockets were…

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

The Beetle is known for its never-changing shape, a silhouette so iconic that nearly any person, young or old, in any country with motorized transportation, is bound to recognize it. Yet has any car in history seen more change? Forged in the fires of modern history’s most evil of empires, the Volkswagen was intended to bring affordable motoring to the German masses. In the wake of German defeat, and after the VW design was offered to and rejected by several Allied automakers, the Volkswagen provided much-needed jobs as well as personal transportation. The simple, economical Beetle became a worldwide hit and a key element of the Wirtschaftswunder, the seemingly miraculous growth of West Germany’s economy following World War II. An ocean away, the Beetle was busy turning the entire automotive industry upside…

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Was there ever any doubt? MotorTrend readers are largely American, and as much as we love Jeeps, Mustangs, and F-150s in this country, the Corvette has been “America’s sports car” for nearly as long as this publication has existed. That’s why you chose it via our online vote as the most iconic car of the past 75 years. Rewind 71 of those years to January 1953 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, and you might not have predicted this moment. Interest was strong in GM’s new fiberglass-bodied sports car, yes, but with a 150-hp “Blue Flame” inline-six under the hood backed by a two-speed Powerglide automatic, it wasn’t exactly the all-conquering automotive hero we know today. Chevrolet built just 300, and even those had trouble finding homes—you could…

YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN

“I hear they know a thing or two about trucks in Detroit,” big boss Ed Loh said when explaining why, for the first time in MotorTrend’s 75-year history, we conducted one of our signature Of The Year evaluations in the Motor City. His quip should be a reality check for anyone who believes the Detroit manufacturers face imminent extinction. California represents the technological tip of the auto industry spear, but Detroit still understands what millions of Americans really want. Remember, the three most popular vehicles in the U.S.—the Ford F-Series, the Chevrolet Silverado, and the Ram pickup line—are built by automakers that call Michigan home. The boss wasn’t just talking about the manufacturers, though. Moving Truck of the Year across the country was an opportunity to flex the Michigan testing capabilities we’ve…

2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN

MITTEN IN THE MACHINE

Truck of the Year, while logistically complex, is generally the least chaotic of MotorTrend’s various Of The Year competitions. SUV and Car of the Year are multimarque madness-fests, with editors flapping around like inebriated butterflies to drive a gaggle of competitors. TOTY has far fewer entrants, and although it involves more driving of each—empty, loaded, heavy trailer, on-road and off—it’s also calmer, running like a well-oiled machine. Which is why, for 2024, we decided to throw a wrench—or perhaps we should say a mitten—into the works. For years, we’ve run TOTY not too far from our Los Angeles headquarters, testing in the deserts of California or Arizona. But MT also maintains an office in metro Detroit, and we thought it might make things interesting if we moved TOTY to the Wolverine State. Fitting,…

MITTEN IN THE MACHINE

2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD

PROS Powerful Duramax diesel engine with excellent 10-speed • Stylish and upscale interior; improved exterior design • Impressive off-road ability across the lineup CONS Not all trims benefit from the 2024 refresh • Missing towing and tech features found on other heavy-duty trucks • No power increase for 6.6-liter gasoline V-8 When Chevrolet unveiled its all-new 2020 Silverado HD lineup, it set the truck world ablaze, and not in a good way. While Chevy upped all the figures that matter to pickup owners—power, torque, payload, and towing—the Silverado’s polarizing exterior and antiquated interior design dominated discussions. The good news is, the company listened and for 2024 brought out a refreshed Silverado HD with all these issues largely resolved. Also new for 2024 is the Silverado HD ZR2, which completes the manufacturer’s family…

2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD

2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R

PROS Tows and hauls better than it needs to • Intoxicating acceleration, off-road capability • A more versatile, equally fun Shelby GT500 CONS • Droning exhaust note • Tires squirrely on pavement • Transmission hunts a bit Which new overpowered pickup played the part of the adult-size Tonka toy truck nobody could resist this year? That’d be the Ford F-150 Raptor R. This supercharged V-8-powered version of the Raptor 37 that arrived in 2021 came a little too late for last year’s competition—just as the slightly upgraded 2024 model missed this year’s competition. The 2024 will get a new modular bumper, upgraded dual-mode Fox shocks that can vary damping in both jounce and rebound directions, and an anticipated output bump. Will all those changes make the 2024 even better? Probably, but we…

2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty

PROS Strong engines • Hugely capable haulers • Functional interior layout CONS Looks and feels old • Mediocre unladen ride quality • Loose steering The heavy-duty truck world moves more slowly than other pickup classes, and progress comes in spurts. Take the Ford F-Series Super Duty, whose recent refresh included softer-edged styling, a new entry-level gas-fed V-8, a new high-output 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8, and myriad small improvements like new bedside steps. Is it still basically the same truck as before? Absolutely, but it’s also a better Super Duty, however incrementally. Only one of the two Fords on hand for 2024 Truck of the Year evaluation had one of the new engines, the High-Output (HO) 6.7-liter diesel. It’s pricey but a beast, with smooth power delivery and effortless hauling capability. It brings 500 hp…

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty

2023 GMC Canyon

PROS Pleasant to live with • Good work ethic • AT4X is a no-holds-barred off-roader CONS Stylish trim contrasts with cheap plastics • Build-quality issues • High price GMC, the luxe-truck division of General Motors, has long struggled to differentiate its products from mechanically similar Chevrolets. In 2015 and 2016, the GMC Canyon midsize pickup watched from the sidelines as its cheaper sibling, the Chevy Colorado, took home back-to-back MotorTrend Truck of the Year trophies. The Canyon was just as good, but it didn’t offer enough content or value to support its higher price. The all-new GMC Canyon tries harder. Exterior styling and ritzier cabin trim are the primary differentiators, but there are significant mechanical changes, as well. To wit: All GM midsizers get a 2.7-liter turbo I-4 engine, but while Chevy offers…

2023 GMC Canyon

2023 GMC Hummer EV 3X

PROS Futuristic interior and cool theatrical elements • Great handling when towing • Impressive fast-charging capability CONS Needs Extreme Off-Road package for full potential • Some interior materials don’t align with cost • Inefficient The Hummer EV 3X was the lone EV contender in this year’s Truck of the Year competition. Considering the 2022 and 2023 winners were both electrified, a betting man might throw down a sizable chunk in favor of GMC’s supertruck. But if our judges weren’t sold the first time around on the all-inclusive Edition 1 in 2022, what does the new 3X bring to the table to win their votes? The Hummer EV is just as wild and impressive as before, but that’s the biggest problem. The 3X trim doesn’t introduce anything new, but it does increase build…

2023 GMC Hummer EV 3X

2024 GMC Sierra HD

PROS Interior enters the modern era with abundant leather and chrome • Locomotive-like towing chops • Legendary Duramax/Allison powertrain CONS Is the price worth it for a dressed-up Silverado? • Close, but not the torque king • Polarizing interior layout It’s the bougiest GMC Sierra HD yet, inside and out. This three-quarter-ton pickup entered the 2024 Truck of the Year ring refreshed, with mightier towing figures, a boosted power output, and other updates throughout earning its place in the competition. Unlike its Chevrolet Silverado HD cousin, the Sierra didn’t have to address a previously ghoulish face. No matter your angle of approach, this truck greets you with bold visual cues. The black Vader Chrome grille on our Denali Ultimate drew praise, as did the functional hood scoop, the side mirrors, and the…

2024 GMC Sierra HD

THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Timing is everything, and for the second time in as many generations, the introduction of a Chevrolet Colorado was timed perfectly. For the 2015 model year, after ceding the midsize truck segment to Toyota and Nissan for three years, Chevy re-entered the market with a truck that outclassed its aging competition so significantly it handily won our Golden Calipers. For 2023, Chevrolet rolled out an all-new Colorado, but its launch timing meant it just missed last year’s competition. In the interim, the brand subsequently rolled out the stunning off-road-race-ready ZR2 and announced a forthcoming range-topping ZR2 Bison edition. In another lucky stroke for Chevy, the delay also aligned with MotorTrend moving its Truck of the Year competition to Michigan, where we’ve found a vastly improved playground for testing and evaluating…

THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR

THE AUTO INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST MOVERS AND SHAKERS

The 49 players who most influenced the car world in 2023—and the MotorTrend Person of the Year. It was a year of build and repair, of normalcy and lunacy, of press forward and pull back. The recovery from the pandemic continued as new vehicle inventory levels increased, but high interest rates and elevated sticker prices kept some would-be buyers out of the market. U.S. light vehicle sales climbed 12 percent to 15.6 million—their highest level since 2019—but were still about 2 million vehicles short of pre-pandemic levels. Honda, Tesla, VW, and the Korean automakers were among those making big gains; only Stellantis saw a drop in sales. Increased vehicle inventories prompted more competitive pricing and the return of incentives. Automakers reported strong earnings and continued to invest in all types of vehicles…

THE AUTO INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST MOVERS AND SHAKERS

UAW PRESIDENT SHAWN FAIN IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND PERSON OF THE YEAR

Shawn Fain is the fiery auto worker driven to become a United Auto Workers leader. He was elected as the group’s president by a small margin in March 2023—the first UAW president directly selected by the membership—promising an end to past regimes’ corruption and a return to hardline bargaining. The 55-year-old is an electrician by trade who worked at a Stellantis parts plant in Kokomo, Indiana, his hometown, and had been a UAW member for 29 years before joining a reform caucus to restore credibility to the tarnished union. There was little time to settle into the big chair. Contracts with the Detroit Three were expiring in six months, and Fain was determined to ink new agreements with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis that would recover and mitigate concessions made in previous…

UAW PRESIDENT SHAWN FAIN IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND PERSON OF THE YEAR

THE AFFORDABLE DUAL-MOTOR DUEL

WHICH AWD EV GOES THE DISTANCE? HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 TESLA MODEL 3 POLESTAR 2 It’s easy to get worked up about the country not being "ready" for electric cars if you haven’t taken a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come in the past decade. The bestselling electric vehicle in 2014 was the Nissan Leaf, with about 30,000 examples sold. In 2022, Tesla sold almost 197,000 Model 3s in the U.S. In that same period, public charging infrastructure ballooned from just 25,000 public charging ports to more than 143,000 and counting. Yes, more Americans than ever before are considering going electric. With the refreshed-for-2024 Model 3 Highland, Tesla hopes to keep those shoppers in its fold. But competition is coming on strong. The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 aims to offer Lucid Air levels of aerodynamics…

THE AFFORDABLE DUAL-MOTOR DUEL

EPA range numbers represent a blend of 55 percent city and 45 percent highway driving, which might be useful if you’re trying to figure out how many laps you can take around D.C.’s Capital Beltway before the battery goes kaput. However, you’ll need a different yardstick if you want to know an EV’s range for a real-world long-distance scenario. MotorTrend Road-Trip Range reveals how far an EV can travel driving from a 100 percent charge to 5 percent at a constant 70 mph. Our test uses an out-and-back route to minimize the effects of wind and elevation. We set the climate control to 72 in automatic mode, turn the sound system on, manually activate the headlights, and use cruise control when traffic allows. We never expect a vehicle to beat its EPA…

Hyundai Ioniq 6: 800 That’s the magic number when it comes to the Hyundai. As opposed to the 400-volt systems found in the Tesla and Polestar, Hyundai’s more advanced 800-volt electrical architecture allows the manufacturer to use wires that are thinner, lighter, and less material-intensive than its rivals. What this means for you is you’ll get a car that can theoretically deliver its power/charge twice as quickly as those other guys. Tesla Model 3: Supercharger The charging experience is truly spectacular. Thanks to Tesla’s widespread and ever-growing fast-charging network, Model 3 owners can avoid wasting their time with route-planning and worrying about charging; they instead may simply enjoy the drive. Adding insult to injury—for others—Teslas can be had with adapters that let them charge at CCS-, CHAdeMO-, and J1772-equipped stations, too.…

Intrigued by electrics but not ready to commit to a full-on EV? The Toyota Prius Prime might be for you. Despite a recent spate of compelling choices popping up at entry-level price points, Tesla’s Model 3 is the elephant that won’t leave the room. Among EVs that are reasonably affordable and offer decent range while not looking incredibly dorky—sorry, cheap-but-sad-looking Chevy Bolt and big-battery Nissan Leaf—it remains the benchmark. But is it good enough to convince fence sitters who think of going electric but aren’t sure if they can go all-in on an all-electric car? To find out, we pitted the entry-level Model 3 with the shorter-range battery and rear-wheel drive against Toyota’s equally new plug-in Prius Prime. Like the 3, the Prime is much better than its predecessor—now looking cool and…

Arrival: 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV “Our new long-termer is a little different than your average family SUV. Is that a good thing?”Kelly Lin BASE PRICE $51,315 AS TESTED $52,140 EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 35/33/34 mpg (gas); 83/75/79 mpg-e* (gas+elec) VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, 2x front-motor, AWD, 6-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 1.6L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus permanent-magnet electric motors POWER (SAE NET) 177 hp @ 5,500 rpm (gas), 17 + 90 hp (elec); 261 hp (comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 195 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm (gas), 32 + 224 lb-ft (elec); 258 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,563 lb (55/45%) 0-60 MPH 7.4 sec QUARTER MILE 15.5 sec @ 91.7 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 123 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.81 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.9 sec @ 0.62 g (avg) EPA RANGE, COMB 32 miles (elec); 460 miles* (gas+elec) ON SALE Now Next to some other…

MotorTrend’s 75th Anniversary: The Icon

Your choice as the most iconic car of the past 75 years? Of course it’s the Corvette; there really isn’t any other car that comes close. For 71 of the 75 years MotorTrend has been informing and entertaining the world about all things automotive, the Corvette has been part of the story, all octane, adrenaline, and attitude. America’s own sports car has had its good years and its less good years in that time, but it enters its eighth decade faster, sharper, and more desirable than ever. You could say we grew up together, the Corvette and MotorTrend. In fact, we may have even played a tiny part in inspiring its creation. The Kurtis Sport Car that appeared on the cover of our debut issue in September 1949 was notable for…

MotorTrend’s 75th Anniversary: The Icon

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