Automotive Reviews

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2023 BMW iX M60 joins electric vehicle SUV elite

A year after BMW debuted its iX electric sport utility vehicle, it one-upped itself. For 2023, BMW iX M60 joins the two-car stable. It has the same interior beauty, superior performance and a peculiar front grille resembling the two halves of a rear-end or a set of flared nostrils. Competition at the high end of the electric SUV segment includes the Tesla Model X, Mercedes EQS, Audi e-Tron, Cadillac Lyriq and the Rivian R1S. The Polestar 3 is scheduled for a 2024 debut. The BMW is the only vehicle in the group without third-row seating. But the distinction is overridden as a minor inconvenience considering the M60’s upside. The new IX features 610 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-60

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Porsche updates Ferry’s dream car 75 years later

Somewhere Ferry Porsche is smiling. Seventy-five years after Ferry’s dream car — the iconic Porsche 356 No. 1 — was unveiled, the German sports car brand revealed a modern version of the classic dubbed the Vision 357. Porsche revealed the concept car in Berlin at Volkswagen Group’s “DRIVE” Forum. The Style Porsche Team worked to formulate what the automaker’s founder’s “perfect” sports car might look like today. The Vision 357 commemorates the automaker’s first production vehicle, the 356 and uses the 718 Cayman GT4 RS’ platform while echoing a number of the original 356 No. 1 Roadster’s timeless design cues.  Porsche didn’t quite keep the inverted-bathtub shape of the original 356, but the uninterrupted, swooping lines from the headlights to

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2022 Lexus LX 600 goes big, luxurious, expensive

New for 2022, the Lexus LX 600 replaces its lackluster LX 570 stablemate and beams anew as the manufacturer’s latest, biggest and most luxurious sport utility vehicle. Debuting the vehicle’s fourth generation, The LX 600 is equipped with a 3.4-liter, turbocharged V6 with 409 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It’s an impressive leap. Last year’s turbocharged V8 with 382 horsepower. The new Lexus advances on a new chassis the carmakers said is 20 percent more rigid and with lower overall weight. The combination substantially changes the SUV‘s dynamics. It hasn’t transitioned into a sports car, but it is more sporty. The LX 600 is available in five trims, ranging from the five-passenger, two-row LX to three mid-level offerings —

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Aston Martin bids farewell to DBS with limited 770 Ultimate

Aston Martin unveiled the DBS 770 Ultimate this week and it marked the end of the grand tourer’s production. The 770 Ultimate is the final iteration of the current-generation DBS and the most powerful production vehicle Aston Martin has produced. It’s limited to 499 units between the coupe and Volante convertible and if you want one, it’s too late. The full production has been reserved. The “770” nameplate has been given to this DBS for the 770-ps (759 horsepower), 5.2 liter, twin-turbocharged V12 found under the hood. Torque figures are equally exciting at 664 lbs/ft, and are sent with all 759 horsepower to the rear wheels through a ZF-built eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard mechanical limited-slip differential. Aston Martin

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2023 BMW X7: stunning, luxurious and pricey

The 2023 BMW X7 is the fifth edition of the manufacturer’s largest and most expensive sport utility vehicle. It’s a seven-passenger, three-row family hauler available in two trim levels. Both are luxurious, ideally showcasing the German carmaker at its best. Announced in 2014 and unveiled in 2018, the public debut of the BMW X7 began in 2019 in the XDrive40i and M60i trims. The xDrive40i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-six-cylinder engine with 375 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. The M60i has a turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 rated at 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. Both engines feature an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension. It gives the BMW its soft, smooth ride, more reminiscent

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Hennessey unveils track-ready Venom F5 Revolution

American high-performance automaker Hennessey has dialed up track performance to the proverbial “11” with the release of the Venom F5 Revolution. The 1,817-horsepower hypercar adds large downforce components to the standard, top-speed focused Venom F5 Coupe to maximize its competitiveness on the racetrack. Hennessey says the Revolution will be street-legal and priced at $2.7M. Only 24 units will leave the production line. Hennessey Chief Engineer John ‘Heinrocket’ Heinricy said in a statement the original F5 was designed to be “ultra-light and monstrously powerful, with dynamics to match.” Heinricy stated the Revolution’s purpose is to take Hennessy’s existing hypercar and “create a machine that is the ultimate visceral and emotional driving experience.” Adding new aerodynamics to the most powerful production car

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Only Corvette ZL-1 convertible could fetch $3M

The 1969 Corvette ZL-1 Convertible is one of Chevrolet’s rarest vehicles and it’s heading to RM Sotheby’s auction in Phoenix, Arizona, auction in January. Only two Corvettes Stingrays were equipped with the 7.0L ZL-1 V8 from factory and only one is a convertible. The auction marks the first time a Corvette with a ZL-1 engine has been offered to the public in 30 years, and the only time a convertible with this engine has been available for purchase. This ultra-rare Corvette was never intended for public sale. It’s anticipated to fetch between $2.6- $3 million,  which would make it one of the most expensive Corvettes ever sold. The current record is an L88-powered 1967 example that sold for $3.85M in

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2022 Volvo XC90 challenges German rivals

Volvo may hold an unofficial title. It’s the manufacturer with the most improved vehicles, appearance to performance, including the 2022 XC90 Once boxy, plain slow and staid, Volvo remains unheralded in the United States. But its market share in 2021 was 4.2 percent, its best since the manufacturer began selling cars in the U.S. in 1959. Sales increased by 12.6 percent from 2020 to 2021. The major reasons include the carmaker’s complete transition. Its fleet, paced but the XC90 sport utility vehicle, is upscale, inside and outside. Top-level materials, a smooth, handsome design and continued top safety ranking pushed Volvo to three straight years of U.S. sales of more than 100,000 vehicles. Prior to 2019, Volvo hadn’t reached six-figure sales

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2023 Acura Integra does ancestry proud

The Acura Integra and Acura Legend were pioneers when the upscale division of Honda debuted in North America in 1986. The Integra was a streamlined, more sporty version of the Honda Civic. It became a top-selling, front-wheel sports coupe. It won plenty of awards and then went away. Sports coupes and sedans fell out of favor with the ascension of sport utility vehicles. But the Integra is back after more than a 20-year absence. The 2023 edition is far removed from the original. The vehicle was unveiled with a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission and with 113 horsepower. As the car matured, it was repeatedly named to yearly top-10 lists. The new version features a turbocharged, 1.5-liter,

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Bugatti-Rimac hybrid hypercar will be ‘totally bonkers’

If you’re a Bugatti fan and have wondered about the successor to the Chiron in the wake of the manufacturer’s merger with Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac, wonder no longer. Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili said an interview with Auto Express the Chiron’s successor will be a “hypercar rearranged as a hybrid,” and that the engine powering it is already in development. It will the first time Rimac will use combustion power and Bugatti hybrid technology. For those not sold on the idea of electric power, don’t worry. Rimac, leading the development of the post-Chiron hypercar, told Auto Express the vehicle will be “totally bonkers” and that “everybody will be blown away when they see what we did.”

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2023 Mazda CX-50 challenges SUV icons

The sport utility vehicle market is so strong, Mazda decided it needed two similar vehicles, the CX-5 and the debuting 2023 Mazda CX-50. The combination gives the unheralded manufacturer quality and quantity in likely the most competitive automotive segment beyond pickup trucks. Key rivals, besides its CX-5 sibling, include the redesigned Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. The Toyota RAV4 was the country’s 4th best-selling vehicle in 2021, the CR-V was fifth and the Rogue seventh. The CX-5 placed 18th. With the CX-50, Mazda offers a more rugged alternative to the CX-5, first offered in 2012. The newbie’s exterior features a slimmer grille and more notable fenders. It’s more catered to off-road treks

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Ford Mustang: Age 58, still an American icon

Like other automotive standard bearers, the Ford Mustang is unmistakable. It’s an American-made muscle car with a long hood, short rear deck and an omnipresent pony badge. Unlike other pony and muscle cars no longer around, the Mustang has endured good and bad style changes and revolving consumer interest. But the vehicle introduced by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on April 17, 1964, is still around and faring well despite stagnating sales. Ford Mustang: American Icon Once selling more than 150,000 vehicles a year, the Mustang tally will reach about 40,000 this year. It’s a stark reminder of the increasing popularity of sport utility vehicles a pickup trucks. The 2022 Ford Mustang is the

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2022 Lexus LC 500h: unheralded luxury

The 2022 Lexus LC 500h, now in its seventh year, provides a superior example of one vehicle with complementary multiple personalities. The mesh of traits results in a car greater than its individual strengths combined. A hybrid-electric coupe, the LC 500h features two electric motors with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 354 horsepower and a manufacturer-estimated 4.7-second effort from 0 to 60 miles per hour. It’s propelled with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The top speed is 155 miles per hour. Key Takeaways Hybrid V6 delivers 354 hp and a 4.7-second 0-60: A 3.5-liter V6 paired with two electric motors and a 10-speed automatic gives the LC 500h genuine sports-coupe pace while topping out at 155 mph. Unheralded luxury coupe of the

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2023 Land Rover Defender reigns off-road

Sometimes vehicles get second or third chances. The Land Rover Defender, absent from the new car landscape for several years, returned not too long as a new model. For 2023, the off-road slanted sport utility vehicle is further customizable to appease any adventurer. The two-door Defender 90 and four-door Defender 110 have been joined by the extended-length Defender 130. The threesome’s base level starting prices range from $53,400 to $68,000. The top-line Defender has three rows of seating in a 3-2-3 configuration. As a midsized luxury SUV, the Land Rover Defender is available in three body styles and three engine choices as well as several trims with multiple option packages. It’s also unique because it’s in a segment alone. The

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Mercedes-AMG debuts most powerful S Class

Mercedes-Benz S Class fans wouldn’t typically associate the historically plush ride with supercar-rivaling performance figures. But that’s what the newly debuted S63 E Performance delivers. Mercedes’ next-generation S63 is equipped with nearly 800 horsepower, four-digit torque figures and sophisticated hybrid technology. All are firsts for the S Class AMG. The S63 also retains the turbo V8 synonymous with top-tier AMG models unlike the recently launched, four-cylinder C63 E Performance. The Mercedes-AMG achieved a 3.2-second 0-60 launch and 180-mph limited top speed. The S63 and its renowned 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 pump 603 horsepower and 664 pounds/feet of torque. These numbers are boosted to 791 and 1,055 respectively when factoring in the rear-mounted electric permanently synchronous motor (PSM) and 13.1-kWh, 400-volt battery.

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De Tomaso refreshes hypercar standing with new P900

Italian sports car manufacturer De Tomaso is on the comeback trail after financial issues derailed the company in the early 2000s. De Tomaso has introduced the P900 hypercar, one of the few road cars that achieves 1:1 power to weight ratios. It allows  the 900 kilogram (1,984-pound) machine to produce 900 horsepower. The automaker is also passing, at least for now, on the EV future, betting instead on the use of environmentally friendly synthetic fuel in the P900. Only 18 P900s will be built priced at $3M each. It’s a big step for the producer of the famous Mangusta and Pantera models. The P900 is a bold attempt to refresh De Tomaso’s hypercar standing and is using the shortest and

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