This is my second time with the third generation Sequoia in the last year, I previously spent a lovely week with a 2023 Platinum back in September. My summary was that while the Platinum was good, I felt like the TRD Pro trim level “represents a much more interesting option just from a “damn that’s got some personality” perspective”. Toyota must be paying attention to my ramblings and decided to deliver an “Ice Cap” white 2023 Sequoia TRD Pro for a week to see what’s what. Or it was just the next car in my rotation, that’s more likely. Still, I was excited to swap the the Jetta GLI Autobahn I had last week for this big Toyota and see how it compares to the Platinum. Let’s get it on!

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Overview

The 2023 lineup is the same as it was last time…except more expensive. Specifically, each trim level has seen a $1,565 increase in MSRP across the board since fall of last year. So you’re at close to $60,000 for the base SR5 and the top spec Capstone is nearly $76,900. All Sequoia trim levels get a turbocharged 3.4L V6 hybrid setup making a robust 437 horsepower and a very stout 538 lb-ft of torque. Each gets a 10-speed automatic and AWD is optional on all trim levels except for the TRD Pro where it is the only option.

Standard feature highlights for the TRD Pro include:

• TRD emblazoned synthetic leather upholstery
• Red engine start button
• Toyota heritage dashboard badge
• Leather-trimmed TRD steering wheel
• 18-inch TRD wheels
• Black grille with integrated light bar
• Dual exhaust tips
• Electronic locking rear differential
• Fox front coilovers and rear remote-reservoir shocks
• TRD aluminum front skid plate and front stabilizer bar

The TRD Pro is available in four colors, white, orange, gray, and black. Only the cool Solar Octane orange adds to the price ($425) but looks phenomenal. As you can see below, our tester got a handful of options including power extending tow mirrors ($290), a TRD Roof Rack ($1,395), a dash cam ($499), and a hitch mount ($87).

Out the door you’re at a significant number – $79,866. So, I noted that the Platinum’s $78,500 (ish) price was “not inconsequential) and that’s clearly the case here. Let’s find out if there is enough extra personality to make this pricey Pro worth considering.

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Inside & Out

So, first off I really do like the look of the Sequoia TRD Pro. The bright white looks clean and I really dig the muscular shape. The front and rear fenders are nicely sculpted, the rear is clean and simple with two big TRD exhaust outlets, and even the front end is largely free of extra design cues present in a lot of big trucks. Naturally it says “T O Y O T A” across the front, we can blame the original Ford Raptor designer for kicking off that trend.

Still, it’s a good looking thing, I actually don’t even mind the camo accents on the fenders and some of the exterior trim. Some people on Twitter X noted that it was a little “dude-bro” looking, especially when paired with the eye-scorching red interior. I actually dig all of it, it feels like it has a sense of theater, like it has a personality. Bro.

Dang, look at that, it’s red ain’t it? I was a fan of the new interior on the last go-around and that remains the same. It’s chunky without looking out-of-date as the last generation Sequoia felt every time I drove one. Unlike in the Platinum, you get a large “T O Y O T A” emblazoned across the right side of the dashboard. In case you forget. From a standard features perspective, the TRD Pro is basically identical to the Platinum, getting stuff like the 14-inch touchscreen, 14-speaker JBL audio system, and 14 cupholders. I actually made that last bit up, but it’s possible since the front door alone has two. I actually left an empty soda can in there, forgot it was there, finished another the next day and had a spot for that empty as well. It’s all pretty usable and well laid out.

I didn’t come up with much I didn’t like, though I did think it odd that it still uses conventional USB to sync my phone, but there is right next to it USB-C to charge. I find myself coming out to each new press loaner with both cables since it’s hard to tell what the hell is going to happen. Oh, on the tech side there was one mild annoyance. The system lowers the radio volume slightly when I use voice to text, which is fine. However, when it reads it back to me it’s also not very loud, so I’m not sure what I said. CarPlay was like “would you like to send” and I’m like “uh, not without knowing what you’re sending”.

Like the center console in the Platinum (and the Tundra) the one in the TRD Pro is massive. I didn’t stash a bottle of Tito’s in this one, but clearly it would fit. Plus, there’s more camo.

Interior room is solid, the middle row in particular is pretty comfortable. As you can see from the montage above, the rear row is plausible for a six-footer like myself, but not much more, and not for all that long. However, there is a little window screen back there for the rear passengers, neat.

You’ll get 22.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, and Toyota has some cool little dividers and shelves to help keep your groceries from sliding around. Max cargo capacity is 86.9 cubic feet, however just like the Platinum, the seats don’t actually fold flat enough to make a good interior camping spot. However, I suppose you could drop the captains chairs, and the rear row, and with the shelf things would be slightly flat. If you ignore the big hole in between the middle row. That you could fall into at night. My Wrangler just folds down and I can hop back there and sleep, easy peasy.

2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro On the Road

The TRD Pro sounds really good, if you told me it was a V8 I would believe you. Plus, with all those torques it gets moving with some enthusiasm. As a daily driver, it did quite well in a mix of stop and go traffic and highway driving. The TRD rides fairly quietly as well, that is except for the roof rack which makes quite a noise poised up there in the wind. So make sure you test drive one at a variety of speeds if it comes fitted with the optional rack.

Still, for an $80,000 truck, it’s a nice place to spend some time. Even the leather-on-leather gearshift falls nicely to hand. Yeah, it’s a little lumpy but gives you something to fiddle with in traffic. Oh, and I did try the front light bar, which I could only get to come on when the high beams were on. So you can really piss people off at night!

The tow mirrors are pretty cool, they easily extend out to see what’s going on behind you. The V6 hybrid in the Sequoia is good for 9,020 lbs. of towing capacity, which opens up some nice options for the weekend warrior.

Summary

I liked the Platinum, but I really liked the TRD Pro. If you’re going to get something big, at least get one that looks cool. The other trim levels in the Sequoia lineup are just a bit too pedestrian looking. The camo trim and crazy seat colors might not be for everyone, but if you want a fun off-roady look with three rows and the potential for some of that long-term Toyota reliability, there are worse ways to spend close to $80,000. I’d happily daily drive a Sequoia TRD Pro, just make sure it’s your cup of tea.

The post 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro: Review appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome back to the Off the Road Again podcast! We’ve missed you. The focus is on the off-road adventure, but we also dabble in all things SUVs, truck, and van, and maybe even some rally cars.

Chris and Ross welcome the incredible Emme Hall, automotive journalist, race car driver, and offroad maven. She’s here to discuss her unique experiences and share expert advice.

Get ready to dive deep into an enlightening discussion about the latest models on the offroad scene – the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and the 2024 Lexus GX550. Emme provides expert insights on these vehicles, breaking down their offroad capabilities, technologies, and why they are the next big thing in the 4×4 realm.

We don’t stop there – this episode also features a detailed discussion about the Polaris Ranger 1000 Expedition and the highly-anticipated Ranger Raptor. We’ll explore their trail-conquering prowess, the latest features, and upgrades, and how they stack up against their competitors.

Last but definitely not least, Emme gives us a tour of her beloved offroad Miata named ‘Buddy’. Emme talks about the challenges and triumphs she’s experienced with Buddy, her modifications and future plans, and why the Miata makes such an unexpected yet formidable off-roader.

The post 2024 Land Cruiser, Emme Hall – Off The Road Again Podcast: Episode 175 appeared first on Hooniverse.

The Volkswagen Jetta is now in its seventh generation. Seven! I don’t really remember the first gen Jetta (A1) but it was actually the best selling European car in North America. I guess that was relevant based on what was available at the time, but I can say for certain that I remember the second generation, and by the time the third generation came along, I wanted one desparately. One of my best friends in college had a red VR6 Mark 3 with a manual transmission and I was smitten. By the time I owned my first Jetta, a fourth generation 2002 model year wagon, things had gotten a bit…sideways. I ended up with a pretty awful car, even aside from the coil pack issue it had a lot of faults. However, it’s been two decades and things have changed. I’ve been driving this 2023 Jetta GLI Autobahn for a week and have things to say about it.

2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Overview

This bit is easy. If you want a Jetta GLI, which is technically a separate model distinct from the Jetta, you have one option. Yep, it’s the Autobahn. If I’m honest, it’s a pretty solid trim name in a world of alphanumeric nonsense. While the regular Jetta starts at just $20,665 for the base S and goes up to the top spec SEL starting at $28,385, the GLI starts at $31,585.

The most obvious difference between “an Jetta” and “an Jetta GLI” is the engine. The regular Jetta gets you just 158 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque from its 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder while the GLI has a 2.0L turbo four making a more robust 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. Of course it weighs 282 pounds more than the regular Jetta. Still, if you want a more powerful Jetta, VW has got you fam.

It’s pretty well equipped though, with most of the typical comfort, convenience, and technology features you’d expect on a $30,ISH thousand dollar car. Options are limited to an automatic transmission for $800, some paint colors (our Rising Blue Metallic was free and fantastic), and the $595 Black Package which includes a black painted roof, black painted side mirror caps, a black rear spoiler, and 18” black alloy wheels. Not a bad price for some black accents if I’m honest, but I like the way our tester was spec’d.

Out the door you’re looking at $32,680 as tested. Let’s get into the details to see what’s what and whether the Jetta GLI Autobahhhhhhn should be on your shopping list.

2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn Inside & Out

The seventh generation Jetta is five years into it’s lifespan, which isn’t all that old in VW terms. The sixth gen Jetta lasted from 2011 all the way to 2018, which places the current Jetta in the second half of it’s lifespan. Still, it’s a pretty good looking thing, sort of like the Arteon we drove recently. It’s all very neat and clean, a classic German design strongpoint. The beltline accent crease starts at the red GLI logo and extends all the way through the door handles ending at the top of the brake light. The rear has a similarly simple design with some taillights and a dual exhaust, and that’s about it. Simple and clean.

Up front things are still pretty neat and tidy, at least compared to modern standards. The GLI has got some sporty red accents across which look pretty good, other than that it’s all fairly straightforward. Add some curvy split-spoke wheels (that aren’t black) and you’ve got a very attractive sedan for the price.

Inside, things are good, if not great. The platform is starting to show its age, and as much as I rag on the latest VW “no-button” designs, it does start to look pretty clean in comparison. Similar to my thoughts on the Arteon, even though this setup is much more usable from an ergonomic standpoint, it looks more dated. Aside from the haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel, everything else looks older. Even the leather seats look a bit wrinkled after a short number of miles. If you were cross-shopping the Jetta against other newer-design Volkswagens in the showroom, you’ll notice. Hypocritical perhaps, but real.

To be fair, I did start to get used to the sliding non-button button used to control the volume on the steering wheel. Ironic since the GLI has got a real volume button, though it’s parked on the far right of the screen. On the technology side, I had the same wired Apple CarPlay vs wireless issue I had in the Arteon (and most VWs I’ve driven lately). Saying “yes” to wireless CarPlay means that USB CarPlay just doesn’t work. And since my iPhone wouldn’t charge reliably in the wireless charging tray since it slides around (and gets hot when it does work), I had to remove the phone and start over.

Then, I had a massive technological failure during a long morning drive. As I was pulling away from my apartment, mapping an hour+ drive up to and unfamiliar part of Maryland, my phone would not connect through USB or Bluetooth. If it weren’t for the other issues, I would blame my phone, however the system would not play any music from any source including all radio sources, so I think it was the car. I did have some flashbacks to my 2002 Jetta when the entire stereo stopped working at less than 10,000 miles.

Cargo space is 14.1 cubic feet, which easily tackled hockey practice. The Jetta’s trunk even swallowed up the hockey stick, which some compact cars have trouble doing. Overall, the Jetta would be a fine daily driver to haul people and stuff within reason. Not quite as good as a hatchback, more on that in a bit.

2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn On the Road

Out on the street, it’s got some decent getup and go. If you shift right (or wrong depending on your point of view) it’ll get 2nd and chirp the tires. Immature, but fun. The shifter is pretty large, but it fits in your hand nicely, although that does mean the throws are a bit long. I noticed that in fourth gear out on the highway, it will definitely build some speed pretty impressively. However, on a long drive the hard plastic next to my right knee started to hurt if I rested against it for too long.

There were a couple of other foibles I found while driving, the cupholder is super annoying, for some reason they made it 3/4 of an inch larger than a soda can. That means that my diet Mountain Dew slides around every time I sped up or slowed down accompanied by a loud “clink”. Plus, most new cars I test have auto unlock when you put your hand in the door handle, the Jetta still makes you push a button. Minor I know, and perhaps only noticed by someone like me who drives a lot of different cars.

However, I found that the front seat will lay almost perfectly flat! Don’t @ me, none of your business.

Summary

With the ID EV future of VW fairly clear, it’ll be interesting to see where the Jetta goes moving forward. There is talk about an eight generation Jetta on the horizon, but rumors are that it might just be a carryover with a refreshed exterior and interior. Regardless, the biggest issue with the Jetta is the…GTI. It not only has more power from its 2.0L engine (241 hp and 273 lb-ft) it’s just over 18 inches(!) shorter but has 5.8 more cubic feet of cargo space. Front headroom, shoulder room, and legroom, as well as rear headroom are all the same or better in the GTI, with only rear legroom falling short by (a not inconsequential) 2.4 inches.

The GTI is pricier though, with the base MSRP starting at $30,530 and the Autobahn version ramping up to $39,070. However, the Mk8 GTI was recently updated for the 2022 model year. And yeah, yeah, I know it doesn’t have buttons and regular Hoonireaders will know how much I hate that with a passion. Still, those looking for a four door commuter should definitely check out the GTI over the Jetta, unless you hate hatchbacks. Weirdo.

The post 2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn: Review appeared first on Hooniverse.

I know what you’re probably saying “have you gone mad?”. Comparing Toyota’s “Gazoo Racing” (GR) Corolla with their Corolla Cross compact crossover makes absolutely no sense. However, there is a method to my madness. Which of these $35,000 Corollas, neither of which is actually a Corolla, is best? I’ll run them through a comparison test based on exterior design, interior accoutrement and technology, and how they drive out on the open road. If you want a Corolla that isn’t a actually a normal Corolla, where should you spend your hard earned money?

2023 Toyota GR Corolla Overview

There are three main versions of the GR Corolla, the base Core like our test car, the mid-spec Circuit Edition, and the one Jeff tested, the Morizo Edition. As you can see below, prices escalate quickly from the base price of just under $36,000 up to almost $43,000 and nearly $50,000 to the top trim level. All three iterations have basically the same turbocharged 1.6L three-cylinder that cranks out 300 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (295 lb-ft in the Morizo). The Circuit gets a carbon-fiber roof, limited-slip diff, and some exterior and interior updates. Meanwhile, the Morizo goes full track-day-bro with only two seats, trim-specific 18-inch forged alloy wheels and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a stiffer body, revised transmission, and a suede-wrapped wheel.

Our test car added the Cold Weather Package ($500), Supersonic Red paint ($425), the Performance Package ($1,180), Tech Package ($770), and some floor and cargo mats. All that racks up $4,259 in add-ons for an out-the-door (pre-markup) price of $40,159.

2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Overview

While the GR has three trim levels, the SUV version of Toyota’s Corolla has a full six including three regular petrol trim levels and three hybrid versions. Prices for the non-hybrid Corolla Cross start at a reasonable $23,610 while the hybrid version starts at just under $28,000 and goes up to a (still way below average for a new car) $31,065 for the top-spec Hybrid XSE like our test car. I kept things simple below with just a list of the hybrid-powered Crosses.

All Corolla Cross trim levels are powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine mated with a hybrid system for a total output of 196 combined horsepower. They all get AWD as standard and a power goes through a continuously variable transmission. For just under $3,100 the top spec XSE trim is worth it for the interior upgrades alone. Our tester added the Convenience Package for $1,250, $800 for a JBL stereo, adaptive headlights for $610, and two tone paint for $500. Out the door (likely with no markup whatsoever) the Corolla Cross XSE comes in at $35,565.

So, this ridiculous comparison has it’s baseline. Now it’s time to run the non-Corolla Corollas through a battery of extensive tests and see which is best!

GR Corolla vs. Corolla Cross: Exterior

Other than basically being a five-door hatchback with a large gaping black grille, these vehicles don’t have a lot in common on the outside. The GR Corolla is low, squat, and wide. The Corolla Cross is the opposite of that, riding higher than a typical Corolla.

The Crossy is based on the Toyota GA-C platform that also played host to the C-HR (R.I.P., 2018 – 2022) but it’s larger in just about every way. It’s four inches longer, an inch wider, and about three inches taller. I love the ridiculous “Acid Blast” paint color, it makes an otherwise anonymous crossover stand out a bit. Kudos for the non-black wheels as well, the swirly five-spoke design looks solid. Elsewhere there is a lot of black cladding, which is a thing on basically every crossover these days. Ruggedize all the things!

The GR isn’t a particularly attractive car, but it looks purposeful and interesting. The width alone adds to the GR’s presence, it is about two-inches wider than a typical Corolla hatchback. The wheelbase and height are basically identical across the GR and Corolla hatch (and the Corolla Cross), while the GR is 1.6 inches longer than the basic Corolla hatch. While I’m not as much of a fan of black wheels as I used to be (getting old folks) the GR’s fifteen spoke wheels look light and purposeful.

Exterior Winner: The GR Corolla! The Corolla Cross, despite the blazing paint color, looks like every other crossover on the road. Meanwhile, there is no mistaking the GR Corolla, it stands out in traffic. That alone is enough to give it the win in this first category.

GR Corolla vs. Corolla Cross: Interior

The bones of the GR and the Cross are generally from “the “an Corolla”, however unlike in Honda’s Civic and CR-V pairing the lineage isn’t quite as obvious. But if you look closely, there are some similarities. Pay attention to the trapezoidal dashboard vent layout, and the overall shape of the dash itself particularly the area near the screen.

Corolla Cross Gallery

The Corolla Cross has a well laid out dash with physical buttons for all the major things across the HVAC spectrum. I’ll say it again, I absolutely love that there are real buttons, I’m already tiring of having everything moved into a screen. If I have to be critical about a positive thing, the volume knob itself is the same color as the black surrounding material making it very difficult to accurately grab. Plus, it’s a little shallow (aren’t we all) making it even more difficult to grab. On the technology side, you get an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration and the full suite of Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0. driver aids.

Like the exterior, there is some playfulness to the interior as well. I dig the fun stripey pattern in the seats, it’s more interesting than a plain color. Unsurprisingly, the Corolla Cross is pretty practical for people and things. With seating for five, the Cross has 32-inches of rear legroom and 39 inches of rear headroom.

From a cargo perspective, the Cross has 21.5 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. That should be plenty for the average small family to live life without much compromise.

GR Corolla Gallery

Meanwhile, the GR is a bit more function over form. The largest changes compared to the Corolla Cross have to do with the fact that it’s got a manual transmission and a real emergency brake handle. The e-brake offsets the cupholders a bit, but overall the GR is pretty easy to live with from an ergonomics perspective. Odd enough, when I reached for the volume knob, I actually got the HVAC button. Kind of funny since the GR has a chrome surround for the volume knob where the one in the Cross is all black. But again, at least there are buttons and knobs. For now at least.

On the technology side, things are similar to the Corolla Cross. The GR also has an eight-inch screen with Apple and Google connectivity, but has a bit less when it comes to the driver aid side of the house. It still gets blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance.

The GR has massive bolsters on the front seats, which isn’t all that surprising considering the cornering speeds this thing can handle. They are firm, but pretty comfortable and weren’t bad for an hour-plus drive. However, unlike the Cross, there is no center console or armrest which can cause issue on longer drives since you don’t have anywhere to, well rest your arm. The interior feels like a Corolla, which is problematic for a vehicle that can hit $50,000 before options. Room up front is pretty similar to the Corolla Cross, however you lose about two inches of legroom in the GR compared to the Cross, while rear headroom is about 1.4 inches less.

Cargo capacity in the GR is a still reasonable 17.8 cubic feet, which was enough to (mostly) tackle hockey practice for my youngest. Although I had to put the stick up on top of the cargo cover since the width and depth weren’t enough to get it in the boot.

Interior Winner: The Corolla Cross! The top spec XSE starts at just over $31,000 and even in our as-tested version is $35,565 out the door. That’s cheaper than the GR Corolla’s starting price, which means you just get more for less in the Crossy. It’s more comfortable, has more room, and has more standard features on the comfort and convenience side. In this case, bigger is better.

GR Corolla vs. Corolla Cross: On the Road

OK, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Literally. I’m a firm believer that you buy a vehicle to drive it, not just as a conveyance appliance. So, I’ve got a lot more to say about these two non-Corolla Corollas in this section.

First up the Corolla Cross! It’s…not all that quick. The sub 200 hp engine rating isn’t bad, but it’s a full 400 pounds more than a Corolla hatchback and about 200 pounds more than the GR. Not a bad number considering it’s bigger, but when you pair all that with a CVT transmission it takes close to eight seconds to get to 60 mph. Ride quality is great, and lateral grip isn’t bad either, the AWD system scrambles around on-ramps with reasonable capability. The seat bolsters are decent for a small crossover and seat comfort was quite good. The safety nannies weren’t bad either, it was easy to quickly mute the parking sensor in stop and go traffic by pushing a quick button on the steering wheel.

And now the GR. Oh the GR. I love that it exists. I love that Toyota engineers decided to build it and that the accountants and Toyota leadership approved it. Naturally, it has great acceleration, hitting 60 in around five seconds. That means one…two…three, as you read this it represented the gap between the GR passing 60 mph before the Corolla Cross gets there. Considering it’s roots, the GR has a fun set of driving modes. The GR-FOUR AWD system has three power settings that can split front and rear torque distribution. Toyota says that 60:40 for everyday driving, 50:50 is for track and maximum stability, and 30:70 for more torque off the rear wheels. It is all good fun.

Overall it sounds great but it does lack a bit of the theater that cars like the Veloster N have. The lack of pops and crackles is a bit more grown up I suppose, and the exhaust note has some nice bass. Push the “iMT” button and you get a pretty impressive rev matching function. Speaking of gears, the acceleration in fourth gear through sixth gear is excellent. Out on the highway it’s very easy to build speed, but at said speed you get some noise vibration at certain RPMs. I noticed that after a longer drive the kids got annoyed by it. It also doesn’t ride particularly well, regardless of driving mode.

Driving Winner: The GR Corolla! It wasn’t really close, the GR isn’t perfect, but it’s a blast to drive. Despite the noise and ride quality, it put a smile on my face every time I drove it. Really the Corolla Cross is just “an car” and when it comes to driving experience it just isn’t anything too interesting.

GR Corolla vs. Corolla Cross: And the winner is!

By a 2-1 margin, the 2023 GR Corolla Core wins this incredibly stupid contest. That’s not really the end of this article though, sorry. I know, I’m at 2,000 words already, but I have some more to say. I found myself wondering something strange, who is the GR Corolla actually for?

It’s sort of like the final boss in the Corolla level of a Toyota-themed video game (made you think about what that would be like). It’s the daddy of the Corollas, but do other Corolla owners care? I doubt any Corolla owners actually noticed the GR during my week with it. At a gas station a chap came up and said “that looks like a really fun daily driver”. Which is technically true, or is it? I’m curious if the positives outweigh the negatives to make that a true statement as an owner? The ride isn’t all that great, so I’m not actually sure it would make a great daily driver, at least not for the people that can afford one. Back when I was younger, commuting across DC in autocross-prepped daily drivers, I likely wouldn’t have cared. But I also couldn’t afford a GR Corolla at that point in my life. Now that I’m in my 40s, and I can, but can’t see myself having it as an only car. As a second fun car, maybe?  

Plus, there is a some competition at the moment. The Civic Type R is brand new (I get it next week), Hyundai’s performance cars like the Veloster N are continually getting better and better, and the used market has things like the Focus RS that still exist, and are very good. Before I close out my thoughts on the GR, I did get a great piece of advice from one Jeffrey Glucker – “Drive it like you hate it”. That simple phrase did up the enjoyment level of the GR Corolla. If you drive it hard, the point starts to become apparent.

As far as closing out this crazy comparison overall, perhaps if you randomly had, oh I don’t know, say $75,724 to spend on two vehicles, this just might be a great two-car solution!

The post 2023 GR Corolla vs. 2023 Corolla Cross: Which Non-Corolla Corolla is Best? appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As (almost) always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week: Ford debuts refreshed F-150 with some major changes, Nissan embraces their heritage with the Frontier Hardbody Edition, GMC upscales the Acadia, Cadillac refreshes the CT5, and the UAW is striking against the big three.

2024 Ford F-150

The juggernaut that is the Ford F-150 is getting its mid-cycle refresh for the 2024 model year. The usual enhancements that come with a refresh, those being new styling tweaks and features, are of course included. But there’s a lot more going on here than just a new face and some new tech. It’s safe to say that the half-ton pickup market has never been more competitive than it is now. Ford is responding with numerous changes to the truck’s functionality and user features as well as packaging and standard equipment. It’s also making the PowerBoost hybrid powertrain more accessible than ever.

Starting with the design changes first, it has all new lighting elements front and rear as well as new grille designs which change with each trim level. Even the lower trims have a much more interesting grille design now. Interior design hasn’t changed much if at all, but notably, the once optional 12″ LCD touchscreen in the center console is now standard across the entire lineup, as is the fully digital 12″ gauge cluster. Being able to charge up front for a feature most buyers likely went for anyway while also streamlining the production process a little makes this a logical choice. And for the first time on the F-150, a heads-up display is available which can display information for Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving, tow/haul, and off-road drive modes.

Ford is also playing the fancy tailgate game now. Their first big new upgrade to the tailgate since the introduction of the folding tailgate step in 2006 is the Pro Access Tailgate. This feature splits the tailgate into three sections with a swing gate in the middle which can open up to 100 degrees out for easier access to items in the bed. They’re not the only ones offering a dual-function tailgate like this, but the benefit of this system is it’s designed to operate even with a trailer in tow, which is why their system looks a bit different than Honda’s and Ram’s. If you’re not into this sort of thing, a standard tailgate is… well, standard. Another standard feature a bed storage box located behind one or both wheel wells in the bed. This locking box can be used to store tools, straps, jumper cables, definitely not drugs, or any other little thing you’d rather not have sitting freely in the cab or out in the open in the bed.

The process of ordering a 2024 F-150 will be easier than before with numerous simplifications to what’s standard and what can be ordered outside of a package. They say ordering complexity has been reduced by 90% compared to the 2023 model. Don’t know what exactly that means, but anyone who’s spent time on the 2023 configurator knows there’s a shit load of options to choose from. For the new and improved process, the examples Ford gave are popular options like the 36-gallon fuel tank and Class IV trailer hitch. Those used to be things you had to add to the truck individually, but now they’re included as standard equipment on all models. Other popular freestanding features like the moonroof, Max Recline Seats, axle upgrades, and tow mirrors can still be added in without having to pick a package. This will help simplify the ordering process, but also the manufacturing process.

Some notable differences in the powertrain department include a new standard engine. Well, the engine itself isn’t new. But the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, which used to be a some $1,200 upcharge on lower trims while being standard on mid grades, is now standard on every mid-to-lower trim, replacing the naturally-aspirated 3.3-liter V6. The biggest change powertrain wise though is the price change for the PowerBoost Hybrid, which now matches the price for the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in which it’s based on. On the 2023 models, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost was a $1,500 upcharge while the PowerBoost was a $3,300 upcharge. Now, both the 3.5-liter EcoBoost and PowerBoost are $1,660. But according to the configurator, that can only be applied to 4WD trucks now. For 2023 and prior, you could get PowerBoost in a RWD truck as well. That no longer appears to be the case, assuming the configurator is correct. So you’re really only saving money if you were planning to get 4WD anyway. Regardless, Ford hopes the price parity will entice more hybrid buyers.

If you’re one of those F-150 buyers that likes to get dirty, the 2024 Tremor and Raptor were revealed alongside the standard trucks and each have some new features as well. For the Tremor, Ford developed an optional modular front bumper that can be used for a wide range of off-road accessories, such as a 12,000-pound WARN winch and a brush guard, both of which can be installed as dealer accessories. The Tremor also gets its own grille design with orange “coast-to-coast” detailing. With the usual range of off-road features carrying over from the current truck, the Tremor remains a solid choice for buyers who crave adventure, but aren’t quite in need of a desert racer.

Those who do want a desert racer will be pleased to know that the Raptor is still completely bonkers. And with the Ram TRX riding off into the sunset, the Raptor once again stands at the top of the pile. New updates include new Fox Dual Live Valve shocks with position sensitive compression control and new continuously variable rebound control. The end goal is even more control over rough terrain and there’s no reason to doubt their efforts haven’t succeeded. The Raptor also gets a new modular front bumper as well as the ability to spec your Raptor with 37″ tires (previously this was exclusive to the Raptor R). And yes, the 700+ horsepower Raptor R is still available.

As a result of all the simplifications mentioned previously, regarding the screens and other things that were once options, you can expect prices to increase for every model. According to the configurator (both 2024 and 2023 are available), the very basic regular cab XL F-150 jumps by $2,735 to a new starting price of $36,570. A SuperCrew XLT jumps by $2,390 to $49,980. And for some reason the SuperCrew Platinum jumps by $8,510 to $73,425, but anyone spending that much on a truck will probably be alright. So the F-150 continues to get more expensive. Granted you can easily see where that additional money is going now that everyone gets a 36-gallon tank and the smaller “this is only here to satisfy the back-up camera requirements” screen is gone in favor of one of the best displays on the market. But still, that hurts a little.

[Source: Ford]

2024 Nissan Frontier Hardbody Edition

Nissan is embracing its heritage a little with the Frontier Hardbody Edition, a throwback to the original Nissan Hardbody truck of the 80s. It incorporates some of the styling that made it an icon four decades ago. “Even if you don’t recognize or remember the original Hardbody, you’re still going to say, ‘That’s a cool truck'”, said project lead designer Hiren Patel. I think he’s right.

The Hardbody Edition starts with a well-equipped Frontier Crew Cab SV 4×4 (a King Cab would’ve been a more faithful reproduction, but oh well). It rides on three-spoke, heritage-styled 17″ alloy wheels which closely replicate the look of those on the original truck… and are completely rad. All-terrain tires, an aluminum skid plate, black over-fenders, black side rail, mud flaps, and a med-mounted sports bar only add further to the retro look. Its bumpers, mirrors, door handles, and grille are all painted black, just like the original truck. It also wears a throwback black graphics package and a cut-out Nissan logo on the tailgate, replacing the typical badge. Nissan Design America went all-out on this project, not least because the Hardbody was the first production model designed at their studio. They loved this truck and it shows. One thing I couldn’t find a mention of in the press release is whether this truck was only available in red or other colors as well. Because I have social anxiety, I didn’t ask anyone at Nissan.

Anyways, if you’re interested in a new truck that’s just about the right size with some very well-executed throwback design, the Frontier Hardbody Edition is one worth looking at. The Hardbody Edition package is $3,890. Add that to the $35,670 for a Crew Cab SV 4×4 and you’re looking at $39,560 before taxes and delivery fees.

[Source: Nissan]

2024 GMC Acadia

The GMC Acadia is one of those vehicles that I pretty much forgot about. It’s a crossover/SUV thing sold in America, so I likely see a dozen every day without realizing. But starting next year, the Acadia just might be one that’s hard to ignore. It’s getting an all-new redesign and a proper-looking AT4 trim for families looking for a little adventure.

The premium mid-size SUV is longer, wider, and taller than its predecessor. It’s also been reshaped significantly to have a more truck-like appearance. With a more spacious interior and plenty of premium materials and tech features, it’s aiming to be a luxurious family hauler for those who aren’t quite in need of a larger Yukon but don’t want to sacrifice too much space. Seating configurations for seven or eight are available and there’s nearly 80% more cargo space behind the third row and 36% more behind the second row when compared to the outgoing model. It really does seem like they’ve butted up against the Yukon as much as possible without stealing sales too much.

All Acadias are powered by a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with more power than before. With 328 horsepower and 326 lb.-ft. of torque and an eight-speed automatic, it’s got plenty of power for just about any family adventure. When properly equipped, it can tow up to 5,000 lbs. All-wheel drive is available as well, including an off-road-capable (to some extent) Active Torque Control AWD system with a twin-clutch rear differential exclusive to the AT4.

The Acadia AT4 won’t replace a Jeep Wrangler, but it does promise to have some kind of capability in tricky terrain and slick road conditions. It has a 1″ lift coupled with 18″ AT tires, off-road-tuned suspension with hydraulic rebound control, the aforementioned exclusive AWD system and rear diff, skid plates, tow hooks, and drive modes including hill descent control. Mild adventures like driving on a dirt road to a camp site or a cabin or even just wintry conditions should be no problem in this.

On the other hand, the Acadia Denali is for those who shudder at the idea of sleeping in a tent. Exclusive styling enhancements and luxurious appointments make this worthy of the Denali name. Some new features include standard one-touch folding second-row seats and power-folding third row, new 22″ wheels, a panoramic sunroof, laser-etched wood decor with Galvano chrome accents, heated and ventilated front seats, and an active noise cancelling feature from the 12 or 16-speaker Bose sound system.

Pricing is not available yet.

[Source: GMC]

/head

2025 Cadillac CT5

Cadillac rolled into Detroit with a refreshed CT5. The updates for the 2025 model year include a revised front fascia, more luxury features as standard, more standard tech, and a giant ass 33″ LED touchscreen.

The revised fascia features a new, “bolder” design incorporating a lower and wide front grille, plus revised vertical lighting and stacked LED headlamps. Moving inside, the CT5 gains a 33″ curved LED touchscreen display capable of 9K resolution. The interface, which comprises of the gauge cluster and the central infotainment screen, is widely customizable and can display all sorts of useful (or not) information. It’s also curved towards the driver, as it should be. Some new tech features have also been added – the new standard bits are Blind Zone Steering Assist and Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking. Optional additions are 5G Wi-Fi hotspot capability, Traffic Sign Recognition with Intelligent Speed Assist, and Driver Attention Assist.

If one of the last American luxury sedans sounds enticing to you, order books will open soon and production begins in the spring of 2024. Pricing isn’t available yet.

[Source: Cadillac]

The UAW is striking against the Big Three all at once for the first time in history

Image source: UAW

To clarify that headline a bit right off the bat, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has gone on strike against the Big Three, Ford, GM, and whatever Chrysler is called this week, plenty of times before. But this is the first time they’ve done so against all three at the same time. This went into effect last night at 11:59 PM Eastern as negotiators from UAW and each manufacturer failed to reach an agreement on a new contract before the deadline.

At the core of the UAW’s demands is a 36% pay raise over the next four years across the board, a 32-hour work week with the pay of a 40-hour week, the elimination of the tiered wage system so everyone’s on the same wage scale, cost of living adjustments, the reintroduction of a pension as opposed to a 401(k) with matching, the ability to strike over plant closures, and the ability for the UAW to represent workers at ten electric vehicle battery plants (which will be important as auto worker jobs are shifted into the EV space).

The Big Three all claim to have made multiple offers, but the UAW has rejected them all, some of which were called “insulting”. Ford claims their offer was “historic”, including a 20% wage increase over four years, cost-of-living adjustments, an end of wage tiers, more benefits for retirement and healthcare, and more paid time off. Ford CEO Jim Farley claims “if we signed up for the UAW’s requests… we would’ve lost $15 billion and gone bankrupt by now”, adding “there’s no way we can be sustainable as a company”.

The UAW counteracts claims like this made by all three companies by pointing out record profits for the automakers, even just this year. According to the UAW, “Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis made a combined $21 billion in profits in just the first six months of this year. That’s on top of the quarter-trillion dollars in North American profits that the Big Three made over the last decade”. The UAW went on further to claim that if each of its 150,000 members received a $20,000 raise, they’d still have $18 billion of that $21 billion in profits left from the first half of this year. But of course, UAW demands are for more than just a $20k raise, but that sort of paints the picture of why they have the demands they have.

Because the UAW was not presented with offers they were willing to accept from any of the Big Three, the striking is commencing. But not all 150,000 members are walking out right away. They’re beginning with one factory per automaker – the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant (Bronco and Ranger), the GM Wentzville Assembly Plant (Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon and Express/Savana work vans), and the Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex (Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler). These strikes involve 12,700 workers. If negotiations continue to falter, they’ll add more locations to the mix. But already, these are critical plants for each manufacturer. Though it is worth noting that there are still bigger and more important plants they could choose from.

The potential economic impact could reach far more industries than just the Big Three in Detroit. For their part, the Biden Administration has sent acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Gene Sperling, one of the White House economic advisers, to Detroit, presumably to try and assist with negotiations. Or maybe bring some snacks.

When it comes to hot issues like this that are bound to get political, I try and cover them as neutral as possible. And in fact, I’m pretty much completely neutral on this issue. It’s no secret that the economy is doing objectively well, but not for people like you, me, and those auto workers. Wages have been stagnant for ages while prices continue to rise on basically everything. I support workers who stand up for a fair share. But I also recognize that all these demands are likely very hard to satisfy all at once without some major restructuring or convincing some executives to work for less money (crazy, I know). And even if they do agree to the terms, automakers will simply respond by raising their prices for the rest of us even more than they already have been. It’s a tough situation for everyone involved. And as someone whose occasional side job is to report on the industry when I feel like it, I’m genuinely on the fence here. I hope that somehow everyone gets what they want.

This will also be a rapidly changing story which I definitely will not be able to do justice. So I gotta give a shoutout to Autoblog for their extensive and fantastic coverage on this so far. I sourced some stats and quotes from this article which I’ll recommend for those interested in some more detail and hard numbers.

[Sources: UAW, Autoblog].

What’s your news for the week?

So that’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.

Have a good weekend.

The post The News for September 15th, 2023 appeared first on Hooniverse.

My 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has now been on US soil for over a year. For better or worse, it was completely stock when I bought it. It was well maintained but it needed some modernization. After some basic maintenance updates, I began modifying it. First, it received a new radio and suspension. I followed that up with a partial matte black wrap, which covered up the sun-damaged paint. Now, in part three of this series, the Prado is ready for the two things that make the biggest difference on any vehicle – wheels and tires.

The Ironman4x4 lift kit I installed made the Prado ride and drive much better. But it also created an additional gap between the factory wheels and the stock-sized tires. The tires that came from Japan happened to be relatively new and of good quality. I really did not need to replace the wheels or the tires. But also, I NEEDED(!) to replace them, because I am a mentally ill car dork and can’t leave well enough alone.

Modification 4: Tires

My choice of tires was a simple and obvious one – BFGoodrich’s excellent All-Terrain KO2 tires. I’ve had two sets of them on my old 4Runner. I have them on my Bronco. Jeff has them on his Montero. Ross has them on his Lexus GX. A friend of mine has them on his F-150 and another friend on his Defender. When the friend with the new Defender traded it in for a newer Defender, the V8, I advised him that he must swap out the factory highway tires for KO2s, right away, which he did. Every one of us here at Hooniverse loves these tires and we can’t say enough good things about them.

However, there are many people who love to complain about their KO2s. I will now list those common KO2 complaints that I’ve seen on the internet. I will also attempt to explain how those people are wrong, based on my experience:

• Snow traction: I’ve had KO2s for nine New England winters now. We ski almost weekly in New Hampshire and Vermont. I’ve driven through fresh snow, packed snow, deep snow, wet snow, and icy snow. Now, KO2s are not proper winter tires. But KO2s meet the industry’s severe snow service requirements and are branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. That said, I think they’re great in the snow. I’ve never had an issue of any kind; traction uphill, stopping, turning. It does what it is supposed to do. The big factor here is the driver. Knowing the limits of one’s vehicle and own abilities is key. Yes, a proper winter tire would do all those things better, but the KO2 does them very well.
• Rain traction: when I bought my 4Runner, it came with the first generation of KO tires. That very evening there was a heavy rainstorm. Not knowing the car, I took it very slowly and easily. But in a very short amount of time, those tires proved to be very capable of channeling away significant amounts of water.
• Loudness: People will complain about everything. No, the KO2 is not a loud tire. Yes, the KO2 is louder than the highway tire that will slide on a banana peel. For an all-terrain tire, it’s about average. That’s because it’s difficult to fight physics. But compared to any mud-terrain tire, they are whisper quiet. I’ll give credit to those who say that these tires get a little louder with age.
• Wear: I replaced my first set of KO’s on my 4Runner not because I wore them down but because they became dry-rotted. I don’t know why that has happened. Based on my experience, with proper air pressure and rotations, they should last 60,000 miles. BFGoodrich guarantees them to 50,000 miles.
• Mud traction: This should not be a surprise. The KO2s are rather bad in the mud. What is surprising is how many people don’t understand that. I read a review of the Ford Bronco Raptor, arguably one of the best 4x4s on the market, where the reviewer went to an off-road park, by himself, with no recovery gear, drove into a mud hole, and got stuck there. He blamed the tires, because of course, and obviously not himself. For those of you who want to go mudding, BFGoodrich makes the excellent KM3, mud-terrain tire.

For the mildly lifted Prado, a 32-inch tire was the perfect size. I planned to switch from a factory 16-inch wheel to a more modern 17-inch wheel. Given the wheel diameter and the tire size I needed, the best size fit was 275/70-17. I had them installed with the white letters out, obviously.

The only drawback was that in that size, the KO2 comes only with a load E rating. Higher-load tires are heavier, with thicker rubber, and can carry heavier loads. Those tires can handle higher air pressure, too, with 80psi max versus the typical 50psi max for load C. They’re also stronger and more resistant to damage. But the heavier tires do impact acceleration, stopping, and ride. I love these tires, but at this point, I question if I perhaps should have gone with smaller 265/70-17 load C tires like I had on my 4Runner. 285/70-17 is also available in load C, and I have them on my Bronco, but those are too big for this Toyota.

Modification 5: Wheels

Those meaty KO2s needed to be wrapped around a cool set of wheels. With the same bolt-patter as Tacomas, 4Runners, some Land Cruisers, FJ Cruisers, some Sequoias, and some Tundras, there were many OEM options. But I didn’t want modern Toyota wheels on this old rig, as that can look weird. TRD Pro wheels are all the rage now and that was another reason to ignore them – everyone has them.

I wanted a wheel that was matte or flat black, so it would match the wrap. I also wanted a classic or a timeless design. Finally, I wanted something period-correct-ish, something that reflected the 1990s but also provided a hint of modern. Additionally, I wanted to make sure that the wheels did not extend past the fenders, like on my gym-bro’s Silverado. I wanted a clean look, sort of OEM-plus thing.

I chose Motegi Racing Traillite wheels. They are 17” x 8.5” and the fit was just great. Before installing them, I had them ceramic coated. A set of black Gorilla lug-nuts finished them off. I mounted the tires with white letters out, because of course. I had to make a minor modification to the spare tire holder. There is occasional light rubbing in the front fender liner but it’s nothing that upsets me.

Short of a solid detailing, the exterior is now done. Over time I’ve performed more maintenance and some repairs that will be explained later. The Prado has been a great truck in the year that I’ve owned it. More on that in the near future.

The post My Land Cruiser Prado – Modifying It; Part 3 appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome back to the Off the Road Again podcast! We’ve missed you. The focus is on the off-road adventure, but we also dabble in all things SUVs, truck, and van, and maybe even some rally cars.

Join Ross and Chris on an off-road journey as we sit down with Dan Kunz, the off-road expert and founder of GXOR (GX Off-Roaders). In this adrenaline-pumping episode, we dive deep into the world of off-roading and explore the latest updates on the highly anticipated 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser reveal.

Dan Kunz, a seasoned off-road enthusiast, and passionate automotive expert, takes us on a thrilling ride as he shares his wealth of knowledge on all things off-roading. From the fundamentals of building a formidable off-road rig to advanced suspension upgrades, he divulges invaluable insights and tips that will inspire both beginners and seasoned off-road enthusiasts alike.

As the founder of GXOR, Dan leads a community of like-minded people who swear by the Lexus GX series for their off-road escapades. We delve into the unique features that make the Lexus GX the perfect companion for conquering rugged terrains and exploring some of the most memorable GXOR expeditions across breathtaking landscapes.

The highlight of this episode is the exclusive coverage of the long-awaited 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser reveal. Dan Kunz shares his thoughts and expert analysis on the latest innovations, design elements, and performance upgrades that make this iconic vehicle a formidable force in the off-road world.

Whether you’re a dedicated off-roading enthusiast or simply intrigued by the allure of outdoor adventures, this episode is packed with captivating discussions and essential tips to elevate your off-road experiences. From selecting the right gear and vehicle modifications to mastering challenging trails, Dan’s expertise and passion for off-roading will leave you energized and eager to hit the dusty trails yourself.

Don’t miss out on this gripping episode as we venture into the heart of off-road culture with Dan Kunz of GXOR, explore the powerful capabilities of Lexus GX off-roaders, and discover the exciting enhancements introduced in the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. Get ready for an unforgettable ride that will fuel your wanderlust and ignite your adventurous spirit!

The post GXOR, Dan Kunz – Off The Road Again Podcast: Episode 174 appeared first on Hooniverse.

I love cars. I also have come to love mountain biking. And it’s been fascinating to watch the rise of electrification in both of them. The parallels are remarkably similar. Both weigh more and both cost more. The initial embrace has been a mixed bag. But more and more of them are finding favor with happy buyers.

Am I ditching my own gas-powered things for electric? No. I still want gas-powered machines in my life. And I can’t actually see a time in the future when that would change. But the electric side of mountain biking? Now that’s a bit more appealing at the moment… and here’s why:

Go check out The Loam Wolf: https://theloamwolf.com/

Here’s a link to the Trek Rail: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/rail/

The post Cars and Mountain Bikes: Everything is going electric? appeared first on Hooniverse.

Small cars generally aren’t seen as ideal for long road trips, but I stand firmly in the camp of supporting small, light sports cars as the right tool for effectively any task they can reasonably handle. And so, I found myself road-tripping a 2023 Toyota GR86 Premium from Connecticut to Virginia Beach and back through 105-degree heat, and never regretting it for a second.

The Trueno Blue Toyobaru twin arrived on my doorstep a day ahead of my departure so I could get acclimated to it and load it full of my vacation necessities. The shape of the car isn’t vastly changed from the first-gen, but it’s a traditionally good looking vehicle in the sports car sense. Some of the details are especially appreciated, like the ducktail spoiler (versus the small deck spoiler on the Subaru version). Oh, and Trueno Blue might be one of the best colors on sale today. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Small, fun cars should always be bright colors. The 86 is just right in this spec.

Climbing inside reveals an improved but still relatively simple cabin. While this might turn off prospective buyers looking for luxury, it’s actually quite beneficial in my mind; large dials and an unfussy, reasonably-sized screen means making adjustments while on the go is easy. Few things frustrate me more than having to pull my eyes off the road for extended periods to adjust things like the climate control or radio (Looking at you, current VW products). Thankfully, the 86’s controls are refreshingly simple. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t: The sports car way.

Out on the road, the 86 is delightful. The dedicated sports car platform (as opposed to repurposing an existing chassis to be sporty, like is the case with many hot hatches and fast sedans) lends itself beautifully to ride quality and road manners. It’s composed, compliant, and, at least to my average-ish sized frame, quite comfortable. The seats are fantastic, with just enough bolstering to keep you in place when taking on/off-ramps at speed while simultaneously being soft enough to not cause sleeping-ass syndrome on long stints. They breathe well, too, which was nice considering how hot it was (daytime temperatures averaging around 100*F) during my time with the car.

Cruising at highway speed on the New Jersey Turnpike amid a mass of enormous SUVs and 18-wheelers was no issue whatsoever for the little 86. The seating position is perfect and visibility is excellent, making it easy to keep your eyes peeled for dangerous drivers (which the east coast has plenty of), traffic, and sections of broken or construction-laden road. I spent almost 10 hours behind the wheel of the Toyota on my first day of this trip and never felt fatigued or wishing for another car to be in. Almost hilariously, the car’s air conditioning also proved and away the best I have experienced in recent memory. Podcast on, A/C cranking, and just let the 86 do its thing. It’s not made for long road trips, but it eats them up with ease.

Best of all, the GR86 is constantly, continuously, always fun. Whether chucking it down a back road en route to the highway, taking long parkway turns at speed, using the excellent manual gearbox, or just enjoying the inherent qualities of a light, tossable, small sports car, it’s simply a pleasure to interact and engage with. The ND Miata is great, but the GR86 has better steering feel, a better shifter, and corners better. Maybe the newest Mazda iteration has a slightly more lively engine, and of course its roof goes down, but the Toyota is better objectively. Toyota will never do this, but the car is a removable roof away from absolute motoring perfection. Even the GR Performance exhaust that was installed on this press car sounded great, with light pops and burbles on blipped downshifts that don’t overdo it, and the car never flinched in 105-degree heat. Many would think a car like this would fall apart on a road trip like this, yet my experience was the exact opposite; the 86 was a total joy. I wouldn’t hesitate to run cross-country in one, or from Tuktoyaktuk to Tierra del Fuego. It’s that good.

Still, it isn’t perfect. The Apple CarPlay integration failed numerous times, disconnecting at properly inopportune moments like debating which exit to take to avoid Turnpike traffic. There’s also a bit more road noise than would be ideal, however this was limited specifically (and isolated solely to) the left front, making me wonder if maybe the car was in need of an alignment or wasn’t running just the right pressure in the tire perched on that corner for the given outside (and subsequent tarmac) temperature. Also, and major nitpicking here, but the factory floor mats are utterly unusable if you drive without shoes. I don’t have big feet but do love to drive barefoot in the summer when flip-flops are the choice footwear for walking around, and the section of floor mat just below the gas pedal was so offensive that I took the floor mat out after a couple hours on the road. Easy enough to avoid, but the car is so good that I have to dig really deep to find “negatives.”

I drove the second-generation GR86 briefly last year in the form of the Subaru BRZ, but spending more time with the 2023 Toyota GR86 Premium revealed that it’s head-and-shoulders above its predecessor. It’s truly a world-class sports car, one with the steering, shifter, and personality that puts it up there with vehicles costing a significant amount more than the price would make you think (Our test car had a base MSRP of $30,500 and an as-tested price of $34,123 including $1,095 for Delivery, with the only other big-ticket item being the $1,700 upgraded exhaust). Hell, the thing won AutoExpress’ Best Driver’s Car for 2023 against cars that are from manufacturers that you “need to be on a list” to order a new car from. It really is that good, and it’s an excellent road trip companion which isn’t exactly the norm for fun-forward vehicles. The GR86 truly is among the best there is today at any price, and that it’s so affordable and approachable makes it even sweeter. Well done, Toyota. This is a winner.

The post Road-tripping the 2023 Toyota GR86 846 miles in 105-degree heat appeared first on Hooniverse.

So, this is a little awkward, I’m not sure I’ve ever tested a car that I know is about to end production. Volkswagen has confirmed that after eight years of production, 2024 will be the final year of their Arteon sedan. However, this is still 2023, and you still have time to consider whether this midsize sedan is a worthy addition to your driveway. So, with that in mind I set off for a week in this 2023 Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion to see what’s what and give you some valuable consumer advice. Is this end-of-life VW sedan any good? Let’s get at it.

2023 Volkswagen Arteon Overview

You can have any 2023 Arteon, as long as its an R-Line! You can see some of the major differences below, all iterations have a 300-horsepower turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Pricing ranges from just over $43,000 for the SE up to just over $50,000 for the SEL Premium like our tester.

VW added the gorgeous Kingfisher Blue Metallic paint ($395) and as likely remnant of the chip shortage gave a $495 credit for not having a ventilated and massaging driver’s seat or rear seat heating. Which is unfortunate since I absolutely love a massaging seat, but whatever.

Out the door you’re at $50,890 which puts the Arteon SEL Premium in some interesting company. More on that in a little. Let’s get on with the important bits.

2023 Volkswagen Arteon Inside & Out

Just look at this damn thing, it’s absolutely gorgeous. No, stop and scroll back up again, I’ll wait. God it’s a good looking car, from the sculpted line that runs along the side from headlight to taillight, to the (mercifully) non-black wheels, simple and attractive rear, and reasonable use of chrome bits, its all just so good. It’s almost impossible to find a bad angle on the Arteon.

If I have to get critical on the exterior, and it’s difficult, I guess the front end has a little bit of first generation Ford Fusion going on (see top left), there are a lot of horizontal lines happening there. Still, it’s all nicely integrated and doesn’t look like a Mach-3 razor like the Ford did.

The interior is a little bit of a mixed bag if I’m honest. It does have a series of great details, that pixelated blue panel that spans the right side of the dash actually looks pretty good flanked by (likely faux) carbon fiber bits and metallic accents in particular. The layout is solid as well, with a touchscreen that feels nicely integrated into the dash, especially compared to all those tacked on screens I’ve seen lately. VW has a neat storage area up front, just ahead of the (giant) shift knob for wireless charging. What’s cool about it is that it has a retractable cover, so if you just have to hop out to grab something quick (and can live without your mobile device that long) it will keep your phone away from prying eyes.

Plus, Volkswagen used a few actual buttons to control functions like the audio volume, which is not the case on some of the more recently updated VW products like the Golf R I just drove. It’s all just haptic feedback flat surfaces on new VWs which are impossible to find while driving. However, and this is quite the conundrum, it does make the Arteon feel a bit dated if you were to hop from the latest VW interior directly into this one in the showroom. So, usability is a bit higher, but details like the button layout (and that tall shifter) do make it feel like yesterday’s model. Which I guess it is.

The interior on the window sticker is listed as “Mistral Gray and Raven Leather”, but on the website “Titan Black” is the only option. Whatever you call the interior of this tester, the leather does look a bit wrinkled already, even after a relatively short number of miles. I found a similar result on the Jetta GLI that came shortly after this Arteon left. The black option might have hidden that a bit better.

In the back, legroom is a very reasonable 40.2 inches which was more than enough for my tall teen children on a one-hour drive. Cargo space was pretty solid as well, the hatchback layout delivering a 27.2 cu. ft. of space. The Arteon survived my youngest’s hockey practice, the bag fitting easily, but the stick was a tight fit.

For daily driver duties, the Arteon will likely make easy work of passengers with room for five adults, and a decent sized cargo area for most errands.

2023 Volkswagen Arteon On The Road

So, a 300 horsepower AWD sedan that looks amazing, that’s quite a recipe. Sixty miles-per-hour happens in around six seconds, which is pretty quick. Just like in the Golf R, turbo lag is very prevalent off the line and I didn’t really notice a difference between sport mode and regular mode. As I noted above, the big shifter is strange to see these days when most vehicles have moved to some sort of button or dial, but I understand that the Arteon is going away soon so it’s not surprising.

I’m always a sucker for a flat bottom wheel and VW does it as good as anyone. I love the little nubs built into the wheel to help you keep your grip in tight cornering. Speaking of cornering, the Arteon is solid if not class-leading. The AWD system keeps things moving the right direction without a lot of drama.

The only issue I came across out on the road was when I rolled down the window after a hard rain and some cold water dumped in onto my leg. Might have been a design flaw, or just a perfect storm of water in the wrong place.

Summary

The bottom line is that the Arteon would be a fantastic daily driver in most situations. It is reasonably quick, comfortable, and absolutely fantastic to look at. Of course, as I teased earlier, there are a bevy of competitors in the $50K realm that are also very much worth of consideration. The Acura TLX starts at a cheaper MSRP and while the Type S is a couple grand more expensive than this top-spec Arteon, it’s got 55 more horsepower and is more engaging to drive. With other sedan options out there of varying sizes like the Cadillac CT5, Audi A4, and Volvo S60 all in the same price range, it’s not an easy choice.

Still, the Arteon is better looking than all the rest and a worthy consideration if you’re in the market.

The post 2023 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line 4MOTION: Review appeared first on Hooniverse.

We’re now a two-car team with respect to the West Coast efforts in the 24 Hours of Lemons. Yes, we still run the 1962 Ford Ranchero and it finally has V8 power. But we’ve added another headache; a 1966 MGB GT. And this one too, somehow, also has V8 power. Even better? Both cars finished the last race we did under their own power.

The Lemons team interviewed car owner Ted Odell (father of Tim), and he spilled the story of how he wound up with a car for free. Of course, it doesn’t stay free. Especially when you want to take it racing.

The post This is the story of the Free-B MGB GT we race in Lemons appeared first on Hooniverse.

It’s automotive journalist tradition to dunk on the Toyota Prius. And in full disclosure, I’ll admit I’ve never really driven one that I was all that impressed with. While the driving experience was…fine, it was just “an car”, it was never a very good looking car. *Dramatic stinger noise* Until now! This new Prius, the fifth generation XW60 version, looks absolutely phenomenal. Not like “it looks good for a Prius”, it just looks good. Full stop. I just spent a week with a new 2023 Toyota Prius Limited and have things to say. Is it just a pretty face? Let’s find out.

2023 Toyota Prius Limited Overview

To say that the Prius is a green car pioneer is a bit of an understatement. The first generation was likely the first hybrid car that most people ever saw on the road. Production in Japan actually dates back to 1997 making it the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. We didn’t get it here in the Colonies until 2001 and in case you didn’t know, “Prius” is actually a Latin word meaning “first” or “original”, which is fitting for such a trailblazer in the automotive world.

The newest Prius is still built on the TNGA-C platform that the fourth generation was astride from 2015–2022. Interestingly the new Prius has a higher drag coefficient than than the previous car and actually comes with less boot space. It’s a drastically new design though, and comes in three basic trim level options including the LE, XLE, and Limited.

As you can see, each trim level is available with AWD and prices range from $27,450 for the base LE with FWD up to $35,865 for the top spec Limited AWD trim.

We started with a Reservoir blue non-AWD Limited trim and Toyota added The Limited Premium Package w/options (heated rear seats, automated parking system, digital rearview mirror, and panoramic camera system) for an out-the-door total of $37,494. That’s not an insignificant amount of monies for a compact sedan, so let’s see how it stacks up to its MSRP.

2023 Toyota Prius Limited Inside & Out

This is a damn good looking car, and from just about every angle it looks good. The profile is still a fairly traditional Prius shape, but the front and rear are sleek and even a bit aggressive. The fifth generation Prius doesn’t suffer from the recent trend of over-designing, by that I mean extra slats, scoops, intersecting lines, and details that just don’t add to the car. It’s all fairly simple with the Prius, particularly out back where the brake light-to-brake light integration looks fantastic across the rear of the car. It actually reminds me of the new Nissan 400Z a bit, which is a good thing. The front is a little fussier, with a tiered daytime running LED situation, but still generally just looks…well great.

Well done, no notes.

Inside things are largely positive as well, with a mix of shiny bits, quality-feeling materials, and a cool blue hue interspersed across the dash. Sure, it’s the same slightly tired “hybrid blue” that has been around since the OG Prius days, but it looks good. Everything is reasonably laid out from a usability perspective, except for the volume button for the radio. Yes, I’m excited it exists, but even at six-feet tall, I couldn’t really reach it since it was placed on the far side of the screen. The rest of the switches and buttons (primarily for the HVAC systems) are easy to use and placed neatly under the nicely sized touchscreen.

I love the dual sunroof setup, that combined with the light seat color makes for an airy cabin. It was also nice that the sunroofs have a manual open function for the shades, it’s much easier and quicker than waiting for the motorized cover. My only other criticism of the front passenger area is the shape of the binnacle that holds the driver’s information screen. I’m sure it’s meant to harken back to the original Prius, with the screen set back up into the dash. However, as you can see from the top middle picture above, it looks a bit goofy. There’s just a lot of real estate between the wheel and the screen. Still, the new Prius has comfortable and easy-to-use interior up front.

The rear seats have a way more than ample 43.2 inches of legroom, which is up 1.4-inches over the outgoing model. However, as I mentioned above, cargo space is quite a bit less. The 5th gen Prius has 20.3 cu. ft. of space compared to 27.4 cu. ft. in the 4th gen car. That’s a significant drop, so if you’re in the market for a car like the Prius, make sure it’s enough for your day-to-day needs.

Summary

Out on the road, it’s not a groundbreaking driving experience, but it’s not bad either. Most testers have it pegged in the mid-to-high seven second range to 60 mph. Not fast, but not slow. I found that there were no issues in day-to-day driving, including highway merges and the like. The driver selector is a bit odd, it is a little rocker switch that sits flush on the panel near the shifter. It’s so flush that it’s hard to get ahold of without averting your eyes. Not that the drive modes changed the driving experience all that much, just an observation.

My longest trek was about an hour, but I imagine that the Prius would be a good road trip car. Besides the 52 mpg combined EPA-rating it’s a solid place to spend some time. The seats are quite comfortable, with a surprisingly good side bolster. Plus, the center console aligns nicely to the shifter, giving you a great place to rest your arm. The only day-to-day annoyance while out on the road was the fact that I hit my head twice getting out of it. Again, I’m not particularly tall, so it must have been the sloping roofline.

Still, overall the new Prius is a treat to look at, has a nice interior, and gets over 50 mpg. So, I expect to see a lot more on the road, and that’s great since I actually enjoy looking at it!

The post 2023 Toyota Prius Limited: Review appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome back to the Off the Road Again podcast! We’ve missed you. The focus is on the off-road adventure, but we also dabble in all things SUVs, truck, and van, and maybe even some rally cars.

In this episode of Off The Road Again, we journey into the heart of the Gambler 500 and Sons of Smokey with founder Tate Morgan. A revolutionary spirit who merged the worlds of rugged adventure and environmental stewardship, Morgan offers a fascinating insight into the creation and growth of these innovative events.

We’ll dig deep into the ethos and appeal of the Gambler 500, a unique navigational challenge promoting fun and the cleanup of public lands. Plus, we’ll take a closer look at Sons of Smokey, an organization built on the shared passion of outdoor enthusiasts committed to preserving our trails and natural spaces. Prepare for tales of rust buckets triumphing over treacherous terrains, all while picking up heaps of trash.

As part of our gear talk, we’ll also dive into the capabilities and performance of the 2023 GMC Canyon AT4.

Ross and Chris can’t resist a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the understated capabilities of Pontiac Vibes, and the enduring charm of Land Cruisers. They’ll explore how these diverse vehicles have influenced the world of off-road adventures.

Topping it off, we discuss a passionate mission shared by our hosts and Morgan: eradicating littering in our natural spaces.

This episode offers an exhilarating ride through the off-road world, highlighting the crucial importance of trail stewardship, the camaraderie among adventurers, and the joy of turning old beaters into beasts of burden. So buckle up and let’s get Off The Road Again!

The post Tate Morgan, Sons of Smokey & Gambler 500 – Off The Road Again Podcast: Episode 173 appeared first on Hooniverse.

You’re here, and then you’re instantly over there when you’re driving the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance. That’s what happens when you have over 1,000 horsepower being put to the ground seemingly effortlessly. What a wild machine, this thing is…

[Disclaimer: Lucid sent over the Air and tossed us the keys. They also gave us the car on a full charge.]

The post Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance is a teleportation machine on four wheels appeared first on Hooniverse.

My 2018 Lexus GX460 has come a long way in the roughly two years I’ve had it. It has received mechanical, livability, armor, and technology updates thanks to many partners joining in on the project along the way. In this update I’ll run through a few miscellaneous things that I’ve done to it recently, from adventures to preparation for further upgrades.

Less is more

Much of the work done to the Lexus has involved improving ground clearance in the quest for better off-road capability. The factory approach angle is simply dreadful, and the departure angle isn’t much better. In my continuing attack on the truck’s stock components, it was time to trim the rear mud flaps. A few minutes with a Sharpie, a few more with the ‘ol Dremel, and voila; the job was done. Why do this, you ask? When coming down off of a rock or ledge, this “mod” eliminates the plastic immediately behind the rear tires that is likely to get hung up and potentially break off. Mud flaps look cool, but less is more here.

The next step was by way of preparation for the rock sliders, the installation of which means removing the factory running boards, associated trim, and the entry flood lights that are housed within the side step shroud. Removal was fairly easy, with the only hiccup coming by way of another reminder to always wear goggles or some kind of protective glasses when working on a vehicle. For the number of times that I’ve gotten dirt or rust in my eyes, you think I’d have learned by now. Needless to say, I did the rest of the job with my peepers covered.

Cleaning and prep-work

Having realized the underside of the truck was quite filthy from prior trips, it was time to clean it up a bit. Pro tip time (And by “pro” I mean amateur tip): A sprinkler shoved under a vehicle goes a long way to getting the muck off the frame and driveline components.

Speaking of trips, the GX460 once again proved an excellent companion for a semi-recent off-roading adventure. It handled the trails with ease, the Toyo Open Country A/T III tires providing all the traction I needed once properly aired down (17-18 PSI seems to be the sweet spot). While front and rear lockers would be nice, the Lexus didn’t flinch on the outing, and again impressed with its level of comfort to and from the trails.

Next up are some supplemental goodies for the truck, one in the form of the aforementioned rock sliders and the other by way of adding gauges to monitor some towing-related vitals. Stay tuned.

The post 2018 Lexus GX460 Build: Out with the old, prep for the new appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome back to the Off the Road Again podcast! We’ve missed you. The focus is on the off-road adventure, but we also dabble in all things SUVs, truck, and van, and maybe even some rally cars.

Buckle up and get ready for another episode of Off The Road Again Podcast as Chris & Ross dive into the world of off-road adventures with a special guest, Loren Walker, the owner of XGrid Campers! XGrid Campers is a premier full-service off-road camper trailer company with branches in both Las Vegas and Knoxville, TN. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast looking to hit the rugged trails and explore the great unknown, XGrid Campers is your one-stop destination!

In this episode, we sit down with Loren Walker, who’s a passionate off-road enthusiast himself and the driving force behind the success of XGrid Campers. Loren shares his journey from being an avid camper to becoming an entrepreneur in the off-road camping industry. We’ll explore the genesis of XGrid Campers and discover the inspiration behind their selection of top-notch brands, including Taxa Outdoors, Mission Overland, XPedition Trailers, Opus Campers, and more!

Join us as Loren regales us with tales of adventures and unforgettable moments that he and his team have experienced while exploring the diverse landscapes of North America. From traversing treacherous mountain passes to conquering sandy deserts and crossing babbling brooks, we’ll learn how XGrid Campers’ products enable outdoor enthusiasts to embrace nature’s wonders with confidence and comfort.

Loren will also give us insights into the unique features and customizations XGrid Campers offer to cater to every adventurer’s specific needs. Whether you’re a solo backpacker seeking solitude, a couple looking for a romantic escape, or a family yearning for quality time together, XGrid Campers has a perfect fit for you.

So, if you have a spirit for exploration and an itch for adventure, this episode is a must-listen! Tune in to Off The Road Again Podcast as we delve into the world of off-road camper trailers and get inspired to hit the trails with XGrid Campers leading the way!

The post Loren Walker, XGrid Campers, Offroad Camping Trailers – Off The Road Again Podcast: Episode 172 appeared first on Hooniverse.

If you’re going to put a badge that says TrailSport on a vehicle, it better perform in the dirt – and the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport is a step in the right direction for this sub-brand.

[Disclaimer: Honda tossed us a keys to this Pilot and included a tank of fuel.]

The post 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport is a step in the right (off-road) direction appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome back to the Off the Road Again podcast! We’ve missed you. The focus is on the off-road adventure, but we also dabble in all things SUVs, truck, and van, and maybe even some rally cars.

Ross and Chris welcome you to a crew episode. Chris talks about his Colorado trip and the rooftop tent that he ordered. Ross discusses his time with the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the Ford F-150 Raptor R, and the KIA EV6 GT. Ross also took a trip to Maine with the Raptor R and the Polaris Scrambler XP 1000 S ATV.

The post Raptor R, Durango SRT Hellcat, Maine Trip – Off The Road Again Podcast: Episode 171 appeared first on Hooniverse.

I think rally racing is some of the best bit of motorsport on the planet. You can keep your boring-ass Formula 1. NASCAR only gets fun when you invite Kiwis to run courses with real corners. And endurance racing has its highline events, but rally is always the real deal. Besides car stuff, I also love mountain biking. And one of the best in the game is Brandon Semenuk. He rides for Trek and he’s basically the best slopestyle/freestyle rider on the planet, in my opinion. Brandon also enjoys rally, and he’s pretty damn good at that too.

In his latest video, Semenuk and his team capture what it takes to compete in two sports happening at nearly the same time. Brandon is fighting for his first American Rally Association championship. He’s also preparing for the Red Bull Rampage, which is an insane event that unfolds atop a crazy course in the middle of Utah.

The video is titled Balancing Act, and it shows what the rally team has to do in order to win. Then it cuts to the preparation required to make Rampage happen. The visuals of both are awe-inspiring. Just like the driving, co-driving, and riding are as well.

The post Balancing Act – Rally and Rampage with Brandon Semenuk appeared first on Hooniverse.

Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As (almost) always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week: Ford turns the Mustang into a supercar with the Mustang GTD, Acura may have previewed the next-generation NSX, Pininfarina debuts a stunning open-top speedster, plus your news for the week.

Mustang GTD

Like many of Ford’s most memorable products, this one began in secrecy. A handful of Ford engineers were gathered for an after-hours mission to develop a Mustang that could take on the very best of what Europe could offer. The result is a limited-edition Mustang that’s well and truly unlike anything else they’ve ever made. It’s called the Mustang GTD and was developed alongside the Mustang GT3 which will enter global competition next year. This one though has more power and is fully street legal. It’s the most powerful road-going Mustang in history, the first to feature numerous motorsports-derived technologies such as DRS and pushrod suspension, and the most expensive… by a lot. Like, $300,000 a lot.

“Mustang GTD shatters every preconceived notion of a supercar,” said Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO. “This is a new approach for us. We didn’t engineer a road car for the track, we created a race car for the road. Mustang GTD takes racing technology from our Mustang GT3 race car, wraps it in a carbon fiber Mustang body and unleashes it for the street.”

The car was developed by many of the same people who developed the Mustang GT3 and for Le Mans-winning Ford GT, from within Ford and Multimatic. In their quest for the ultimate Mustang, they turned to pretty much every trick in the book. That begins with the chassis and its wild suspension setup. It rides on state-of-the-art semi-active suspension that can vary in both spring rates and ride height. Adaptive spool valve damper technology pioneered by Multimatic and hydraulically actuated dual sprint rate and height suspension provides two settings for on-road and on-track performance. Track mode provides a 40mm drop in ride height. The Ford GT had a similar trick. Additionally, a short-long arm front suspension provides enhanced lateral stiffness and improved kinematics.

At the back, trunk space is traded for a rear suspension setup that previous Mustangs could only dream of. It has an integral link pushrod and rocker arm setup with inboard adaptive spool valve shocks and coil over springs arranged in a horizontal cross pattern which integrate into a tubular subframe. That raw mechanical grip is aided further by massive 325mm front and 345mm rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup R tires wrapped around 20″ forged aluminum wheels, or forged magnesium wheels with a design that mimics the GT3 race car wheels (pictured) as an option. Behind those wheels are Brembo carbon ceramic brakes as big as they could fit.

The part that everyone’s gonna see first is the insane bodywork. The fenders, hood, trunk cover, door sills, front splitter, rear diffuser, and roof are all carbon fiber. A carbon front and rear fascia is also optional, as is a more comprehensive underbody aerodynamic tray in carbon fiber as well. Essentially everything but the doors are carbon. The body largely follows the same form as the Mustang GT3, but with a few notable differences.

The C-pillar-mounted swan neck wing is lifted straight from the GT3, but it has an available DRS system that’s hydraulically controlled. There are also hydraulically controlled front flaps available as an optional extra to manage airflow for aerodynamic balance in coordination with the rear wing. It also has a slightly different hood design with shallower vents and a fender vent design that’s just slightly different as well. The side rocker panels feature more aero elements as well since there’s no side exit exhaust to deal with as with the race car. The rear diffuser is a tad less aggressive, but they took advantage of there being no trunk and added a race-inspired trunk cover with two air scoops to funnel air off the back glass into the trunk area and through the heat exchangers. Not even the race car has that same setup. Otherwise, this is as close to a GT3 race car body as you’re ever gonna get with a street car. And it’s well and truly an aerodynamics-driven design.

I mentioned earlier this was the most powerful street legal Mustang ever created. That comes courtesy of a purpose-built supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with “over” 800 horsepower. Dual air inlets, dry sump lubrication (a first for the Mustang), and titanium active valve exhaust are some of the engine’s party tricks. Given the specs, I can’t help but wonder if it’s the same “Predator” engine that was in the last-generation GT500. They don’t state that explicitly, nor do they claim this new engine is Coyote-based. Given that the engines look similar all the way down to the supercharger (GT500 left, GTD right), I’m gonna go with my hunch on this one. All that power is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed rear transaxle and a carbon fiber driveshaft. That’s right, a transaxle in a Mustang. They say this was done to achieve a near 50/50 weight distribution.

Update: a sound clip posted by Ford’s Product Communications Director confirmed my suspicions regarding the engine.

While they didn’t post pictures of the interior, they did drop a few details about it. Expect high quality materials like Miko suede, leather, and carbon fiber. Recaro seats that will keep you firmly in place are practically mandatory on a car like this. The rear seats are gone in favor of storage space to help ease the burden of there being no trunk. And just because they didn’t already have the most badass Mustang imaginable, they’ll give you 3D-printed titanium paddle shifters, rotary dial shifter, and a serial plate. Where does that titanium come from, you might ask? Well, only a retired Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the most badass plane in service and the undisputed king of the skies. It’s just a nice little finishing touch on what is the most ridiculous, insane, and outrageous Mustang ever made.

As for why they went through all this trouble to even make something like this, Ford has been taking the Mustang to new heights for a while now. The S550 generation transformed the Mustang into a proper sports car, depending on how you spec’d it out. The GT350, GT Performance Package Level 2 (shameless plug), Mach 1, and GT500 all raised the bar. With the new generation, the Dark Horse is leading the way with its own racing variants, plus the first-ever Mustang GT3 program. I suppose Ford wanted to prove that the bar could be raised higher than any of us though was possible. Ford also has tangible goals set for the thing, namely a sub-seven-minute Nürburgring lap time.

I remember driving the GT500 a few years ago at a Ford Performance on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and thinking there’s no way Mustang gets better than this. It only took Ford three years to prove me wrong in a way I didn’t even think was possible.

[Source: Ford]

Acura Electric Vision might preview next-gen NSX

In Acura’s push for electrification, they’ve rolled into Monterey Car Week with a wild new design study for an electric supercar. And it might just preview what’s in store with the next-generation NSX, which Acura has somewhat hinted at previously. Not much has been said about this car and it was only ever shown in a group of shadowy teaser images. But it’s easy to tell this is a wild, low-slung, sleep concept. I liken it to the Lotus Evija which has an almost alien-like shape to it that you can tell was devised entirely from within the wind tunnel. They might show the full thing one day or it’ll remain a mystery until it becomes an NSX. No one knows at this point. But it shows that Acura isn’t done making wild performance cars after the death of the hybrid NSX.

Pininfarina B95

Acura wasn’t the only one in Monterey with a wild new EV. Pininfarina, legendary Italian design studio best known for the original Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, has unveiled a stunning open-top EV speedster based on the Battista supercar they showed a few years ago. Only ten are being built for 4.4-million Euros and are probably all sold out by now. So this means it’s pretty much irrelevant to 99.99% of the world’s population. But every now and then one of these ultra exclusive supercar projects are just so well done and so breathtaking that I just can’t help but give it just a little more news coverage.

The name B95 is derived from barchetta, an Italian word frequently applied to open top sports cars, and Pininfarina’s upcoming 95th anniversary in 2025, the year deliveries for this vehicle commence. The only things sticking above the cockpit are the drivers heads and the two roll hoops/buttresses that give it a classic motorsports-derived look. There are some very small wind deflectors to help control the wind’s movement through the “cabin”, but the paint-matched helmets they offer are still recommended. The interior is properly Italian with gorgeous leather and houndstooth upholstery for the part that sticks out into the airstream. I’d imagine buyers can get it painted however they want, but this vintage motorsport-themed yellow and silver paint scheme is already pretty damn good.

There are some designs that just instantly catch your attention. This to me is one of them. It’s not overly flashy or complicated, but sleek and evocative. You can tell that their years of experience and expertise gained from the Coca-Cola Freestyle project directly contributed to this.

And because it’s built on top of the Dave Bautista, that means it gets all of the same mind-bending performance as well from its four electric motors and 120 kWh battery. 1,874 horsepower, a sub two-second 0-60 time, and a top speed of over 186 mph await those brave enough to floor it.

Anyways, I just think it’s neat.

[Source: Pininfarina]

What’s your news for the week?

So that’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.

Have a good weekend.

The post The News for August 18th, 2023 appeared first on Hooniverse.