featured

2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580: Value-priced, Ultra Luxury

Like sports cars and economy vehicles, what defines a luxury car is blurred in marketing materials and manufacturers’ whims. An ultra-luxury car easier may be easier to pinpoint since fewer are made. The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach qualifies without any squabble. After its long tumultuous tenure, Maybach ceased as a standalone manufacturer in 2013. Two years later it became a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. Beginning in 2021, Daimler began to make ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Classic and GLS-Class using the name Mercedes-Maybach. The 2022 edition is available in S 580 and S 680 trims. The reviewed S 580 features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 496 horsepower. Both trims have all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The S 680 has a 12-cylinder

Read more
,

Tiger Woods driving again but he should never drive again

The fandom and television network adulation stopped for a while, but now it’s all back. Tiger Woods is playing in The Masters this week and it will be celebrated as miraculous and with additional adjectives always best used sparingly, particularly in sport. Woods apparently didn’t spend much time considering the possibility of his children being fatherless before he crashed on Feb. 23, 2021, while driving twice the speed limit on a notoriously dangerous Southern California road. The golfer was lucky. Removed from his Genesis SUV via the “Jaws of Life” after suffering substantial leg injuries, Woods was alive, but a lot was unknown. Would he have brain damage? Would he have a leg amputated? Would he walk and talk again?

Read more
,

#221, Modern car icon Carl Benz will get inventing honor

German engineer Carl Benz was the first to design a car around the internal combustion engine rather than adding an engine to an existing wagon or carriage, a critical insight in auto evolution. Benz, who died in 1929, is often called the inventor of the modern automobile. With six additional luminaries, all patent holders whose inventions range from cataract surgery to the Super Soaker will be honored as part of the latest class of National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) inductees. Rini Paiva, the NIHF executive vice president for selection and recognition, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Paiva the selection of Benz to this year’s inductees. We

Read more

2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance: New, upscale, worthy

The automotive industry is always expanding with new niche markets unveiled within broader style segments. Welcome the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. It’s a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive small luxury sedan. The new Lexus is a few cars in one. It’s ideal for buyers seeking an upscale comfortable and capable sport sedan. The top-performing model in the IS lineup, the 500 F Sport features the same non-turbo V8 engine as its siblings, the LC 500 and the RC F coupes. It also has 472 horsepower, a power surge further bolstered in key areas. A sport-tuned adaptive suspension, Torsen limited-slip differential, larger brakes and 19-inch Enkei wheels fitted with performance tires are also part of the touted performance push. The result:

Read more

2022 Mazda MX-5 still best-value roadster at age 34

The Mazda MX-5, then called the Mazda Miata, arrived as a diminutive, lightweight roadster in 1989. It’s now reached relic status, a near automotive dinosaur. With its attractive design and low-to-the-ground driving, the MX-5 became the best-selling, two-seat sports car in history in 2000. The one-millionth MX-5 sold six years later. The 2022 Mazda edition, called the MX-5 since 2006 to appeal to a larger buying audience, is updated and offered toward the end of the car’s fourth generation. The MX-5, by any name, is now 34 years old, Its general consumer appeal is minimal; its enthusiasts remain stalwart and passionate. Mazda MX-5 Sales Plunging In 1990, about 36,000 Miatas sold in the United States, still the vehicle’s highest yearly

Read more
,

Tesla in space rings true with skyrocketing price increases

There once was a time when Elon Musk unveiled a plan to change the automotive landscape and offer his Tesla performance electric car for about $35,000. Musk has changed the car industry but his marketing promise never materialized. The original Tesla Model S debuted in March 2009 with a base price of $57,400 ($49,900 after federal tax credits). With the company founder’s pricing increase announcement March 15, the entry level price for Tesla is now about 40 percent more than originally promoted nearly 15 years ago. The latest price hike is far from the first price increase for the performance car. But it’s the second time in a week and the latest increase affects the brand’s entire line-up of electric

Read more
,

2022 Volvo XC60 worthy wagon as steady as steady gets

Now in its early teens, the Volvo XC60 is the Swedish manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle in the United States and globally. The luxury compact sport utility vehicle reached its tenure-best last year, with sales of about 41,500 in this country. The Volvo XC60’s second generation was introduced in 2017 as a 2018 model. The carmaker describes the 2022 model as the most significant upgrade since. Changes are aplenty. Exterior styling improvements include: subtle differences in the front and rear-end designs, new exterior color options and new wheel designs. Mechanically, a mild-hybrid powertrain is new and optional. The infotainment center has been improved to include an Android operating system and new sensor systems for driving assistance. Volvo XC60: Versatility Reigns What remains

Read more

Car loss on burned ship in the Azores exceeds $400 million

The destroyed vehicles among the cargo on the burned ship that caught fire last week in the Atlantic Ocean may tally a loss of more than $400 million, according to an industry consulting firm. Volkswagen alone could have incurred as estimated loss of $155 million. The total value of the cargo on the Felicity Ace, the ship ablaze for several days off the coast of Portugal’s Azores Islands, is approximately $438 million, according to the Russell Group. The 650-foot long ship was built in 2005. Estimates of the loss are based on all vehicles on board the burned ship as total losses. About 4,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles were on board, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and VW. About 1,110 of

Read more

Consumer Reports: Some new cars, trucks less than sticker

Despite extraordinary higher prices and limited supplies of new vehicles, a report recently released by Consumer Reports details several new cars and trucks are available for less than their respective sticker prices. Three of the most discounted vehicles are pickup trucks from Chevrolet, Ford and Ram. The publication’s analysis states discounted vehicles are “specific trim variations, rather than savings being consistent across a model range.” According to the report, the discounts are smaller than usual, with the best prices still available via “negotiation and shopping around.” Consumer Reports notes: “Most months there are a few models that are given an extra push with incentives tied to supply and/or a coming redesign. Automakers and dealerships need to make room for new

Read more

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz goes big in a smaller way

Introduced as the manufacturer’s first pickup truck, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz addresses a niche market. It’s a pickup truck for buyers who don’t want a truck or at least as previously defined. Available last June as this year’s model, the four-door, front-engine, all-wheel drive is marketed as an Adventure Sport Vehicle. Like the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick, the Santa Cruz has a unibody chassis design, not the ladder frame featured on most pickup trucks. The back seats are comfortable only for children or petite adults. The standard Hyundai Santa Cruz engine is a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder setup with 191 horsepower, 181 lb.-ft. of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s based on its sibling, the Tucson crossover sport utility

Read more
Previous