2021

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Mystery wreck of Tiger Woods? 2021 Genesis GV80

Genesis sedans have received many awards in their short tenure, including Car of the Year by well-respected automotive publications. But the luxury carmaker’s newest vehicle, the GV80 sport utility vehicle, is now in a spotlight it didn’t want. Early helicopter video of the solo-vehicle car crash involving Tigers Woods showed Genesis signage on the side door of a wrecked sport utility vehicle. The logo read: “Genesis Invitational,” but the vehicle was unknown to many observers. The wreck was a 2021 Genesis GV80. The midsize SUV debut last November as the fourth vehicle in the upscale manufacturer’s lineup. The SUV is unique among competitors because it has a 7,700-pound towing capacity, the highest in its class. Woods was loaned the Genesis

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2021 Hyundai Sonata: epic return of a sports sedan

Pity the poor sedan. Once the go-to vehicle style for well-built, dependable and comfortable transportation, sales of the former family favorite have been decimated by sales SUVs and pickup trucks. The 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line presents a strong case for reconsidering a sedan. Key Takeaways N Line rescues the sedan from SUV dominance: With 290 hp and a 5.4-second 0-60 time, the Sonata N Line makes a compelling case for reconsidering sedans in an SUV-obsessed market. Dual-clutch eight-speed sharpens the driving experience: The 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder paired with a DCT delivers the sporty response that the N Line badge promises. Impressive value from $25,299: Even the base SE with 191 hp includes LED headlights, 16-inch alloys, 8-inch touchscreen, Apple

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2021 Dodge Durango: No wonder it’s called a Hellcat

Production has started on the beast of all sport utility vehicles, the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. The most powerful SUV ever made, the limited edition (2,000 units) features its share of high-performance. The Hellcat delivers 710 horsepower and 645 lb.-ft. of torque from a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Hellcat V-8 engine. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. With its optional Tow N Go Package, the full-size, three-row SUV has a towing capability of 8,700 pounds. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine has a towing capability of 6,200 pounds. Perhaps the Hellcat’s most impressive statistics, it accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, completes a quarter-mile in 11.5 seconds and has a top speed of 180 miles

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2021 Volvo top-line V90 wagon honors icons

Someday soon as an homage to the not-too-long-ago automotive history, a manufacturer will introduce a vehicle called a station wagon. A good choice would be next year’s Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design. The 2021 editions, like other carmakers’ choices in recent years, are called wagons. It’s as if the “station” designation is an insult. The original classification derived from families carrying their heavy trundle suitcases to train stations. The long wagons, precursors to sport utility vehicles, became station wagons. Beauties they were, with three rows of seating, lots of interior and exterior wood and comfort to spare. Road trips were joyful. The Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design is the modern-day equivalent to yesteryear’s classics. It’s a holdover generation, but the

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#169, Hagerty expert talks strong new 2021 auctions

Auto auctions are back! Live, that is. Online auctions have continued during the pandemic, but January sales are a key indicator for collector car sales. And what a January it was. Brian Rabold, Vice President of Valuation Services at Hagerty, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Rabold about the new year, the return of live auctions and some of the surprising prices paid for vehicles. According to Hagerty, January 2021 auto auctions generated $181.9 million. The impressive tally doesn’t include sales from the launch of the Barrett-Jackson campaign. It’s been postponed until March. “For us at Hagerty and others in the collector car market, January is a

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2021 Honda Odyssey makes minivans proud

The Honda Odyssey, the former standout and industry wonder, is now 27 years and stagnant. But it’s not the minivan’s fault. Sales of sport utility vehicles, crossovers and pickup trucks continue to increase, dominating the industry. Minivans’ success, like the fate of sedans, have floundered. In 1996, a year after it debuted in the United States, the Odyssey had its best sales year, just shy of 178,000. In 2109, the versatile family hauler, which has the same top reputation as the rest of the Honda lineup, fell to 99,000. It was the minivan’s first sales year under the six-figure plateau. Last year, in the business malaise of the coronavirus, Odyssey sales fell another 16 percent to 83,000, about 47 percent

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Auction set: 2021 Ford Bronco, Mustang Mach 1

The first 2021 Ford Bronco 2-door (VIN 001) and first 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 (VIN 001), two highly coveted vehicles, will be auctioned for charity by Ford Motor Company and Barrett-Jackson at the Scottsdale Auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale, March 20-27, 2021. One-hundred percent of the winning from the Ford Bronco VIN 001 will benefit National Forest Foundation and Outward Bound. Both are part of the new Bronco Wild Fund mission to connect people to the outdoors. The total sale price of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 VIN 001 will benefit JDRF, the non-profit organization’s efforts against type 1 diabetes. Auto Icons: Ford Bronco, Ford Mustang “The 2021 Ford Bronco 2-door VIN 001 and 2021 Mustang Mach 1

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2021 Lexus UX 200: little SUV big on value

Unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Lexus UX 200 is the upscale Toyota brand’s newest sport utility vehicle. It’s a subcompact crossover smaller than its NX sibling. The 2021 edition receives a few minor upgrades and tweaks. Small even by sub-compact SUV standards, the Lexus UX 200 is available in Base, Luxury and F-Sport trims. It has a close relative in the UX 250 hybrid. Key Takeaways Smallest Lexus SUV punches above its size: The UX 200 feels bigger than its subcompact profile suggests, with athletic handling and precise steering through mountain roads and city traffic. Sluggish acceleration is the biggest weakness: At 8.9 seconds 0-60 mph with just 169 hp, the UX 200 struggles noticeably on steady

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2021 Toyota Tacoma: enduring pickup gets edgy

By James Raia It’s been nearly 27 years since the Toyota Tacoma debuted in the United States, and it’s among the most enduring pickup trucks available. For 2021, the versatile daily driver and work truck has a new optional look. Joining six other Toyota cars, vans and trucks, the Tacoma is available in a Nightshade Edition. It’s an edgy look that features a lot of black — alloy wheels, front lower grille, rear spoiler, outside mirrors, door handles, side rocker panels and shark-fin antenna. There’s a single exhaust with dual black diffusers and black Toyota emblem and badges. Available in two-and four-wheel-drive variants with a spacious Double Cab body style, the new Tacoma features a 3.5-liter V6 with 278-horsepower. It

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Why You Should Buy An EV in 2021

COLLABORATIVE CONTENT Maybe your car needs repairs often and costs too much money to maintain. Or perhaps your lease is expired. If so, are you thinking about buying a new car in 2021? An electric vehicle is an excellent choice and there are many advantages to consider: Maintenance is Cheaper Purchasing a new car can be a bad investment. New vehicles depreciate quickly and depending on the purchase price of the vehicle, a buyer can lose thousands of dollars while driving the vehicle from the dealership. It’s an investment most people would consider a substantial stock market loss. With a higher purchase lease agreement you pay monthly for a vehicle in a certain class, the approximate value of the car

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2021 Maserati MC20: Super car debuts, needs new name

Italian carmakers’ lyrical names define what automotive art on four wheels should be called. Is there a better-named vehicle in the supercar stratosphere than the Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo? So isn’t it ironic? The first supercar in 16 years presented by the manufacturer that began in Bologna, Italy, more than a century ago has a ho-hum name. Meet the 2021 Maserati MC20. The MC20 designation stands for Maserati Corse 2020 and celebrates the brand’s return to racing. A mid-engine supercar, the new Maserati succeeds the MC12. But the two relatives share little beyond the carmaker’s name and a mid-engine design. Maserati hasn’t debuted a new supercar since 2005, with the MC20 the fourth mid-engine production vehicle in the carmaker’s 107-year history.

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2021 Mazda CX-5: new, gains on small SUV leaders

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is the 10th year of the small sport utility vehicle. Except for the business-curtailed 2020 pandemic year, the versatile family hauler’s popularity has increased annually. With seven trim levels and the brand’s top-rated reliability designation from Consumer Reports, the CX-5 and several of its stablemates have catapulted Mazda far way from its doldrum years. It joined Alfa Romeo and Volvo as the only manufacturers with increased sales in 2020 from 2019. The CX-5 was the country’s 21st best-selling vehicle in 2020 with 146,420 units sold. The Signature trim covers all modernized areas of the Japanese carmaker once maligned for its rotary engines. There’s nothing fancy or unique about the unassuming SUV, unless value, comfort and consistency

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2021 Ram 1500 TRX: Massive power, performance, prestige

The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the latest of the brand’s four straight years of Truck of the Year honors by MotorTrend, is in production at the manufacturer’s facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It’s now also available to consumers. Powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine, the top speed for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, the industry’s most performance-oriented, half-ton pickup truck, is 118 mph. It has 702 horsepower, 650 lb.-ft. of torque and 0-60 miles per hour performance in 4.5 seconds. The Ram 1500 won the prestigious truck title in 2018 and 2019. The Ram Heavy Duty took top honors in 2020. Adorned in exclusive Anvil exterior paint, the new Ram 1500 TRX is VIN No. 001, a launch

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2021 Toyota Supra: looks great, rough road ahead

Two decades after its original production ceased, a new old sports car re-emerged 18 months ago. Few consumers noticed the Toyota Supra. Less than 3,000 of the 2020 fifth-generation offering, a collaboration between the Japanese automaker and BMW, sold. The revised 2021 edition offers promise for a new wave of buyers interested in the luxury sports car first unveiled in 1978. A full year of sales will more than double the estimated 3,000 purchases from the vehicle’s initial six months back on the market in 2019. It’s encouraging considering the final year of the Supra’s initial tenure in the United States in 1999 resulted in only 24 sales. Toyota Supra gets second chance The Supra was all the rage in

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Odometer fraud on the rise; stricter rules begin in 2021

Manipulating odometer readings is a well-known automotive fraud. Government agencies have attempted to curtail the cheating for years, but it’s getting worse. The increased practice has become so prevalent, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will engage stricter regulations beginning January 1, 2021. Beginning with the new year, disclosures will be required for every transfer of ownership for the first 20 years, beginning with Model Year 2011 vehicles. Model year 2010 and older vehicles will continue to be subject to the previous 10-year disclosure requirements. They’re exempt from extended Federal disclosure requirements. Odometer cheating rampant The U.S. fleet of vehicles is, on average, older than ever. The NHTSA finalized this rule late last year to address an increase in

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2021 Nissan Rogue (Platinum): Much ado about the new

A new vehicle edition is sometimes difficult to differentiate from the previous model. Likewise, a current offering’s upgrade may be so extensive, a new generation designation seems warranted. The 2021 Nissan Rogue is a new edition of the sport utility vehicle and much is new. Nissan calls the new Rogue “completely reimagined” and all about “the modern family.” They’re marketing phrases. Translated, the debuting third generation has a healthy list of new stuff in varied areas: technology, connectivity, powertrain, rear multi-link suspension, steering, exterior and interior designs and a Platinum trim level. The manufacturer also reports the Rogue has a new attitude, a quality hopefully cited figuratively and not a reference to the vehicle being able to verbalize its feelings

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