Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i MotorTrend

Pickup trucks, like everything else in the world of automobiles, are changing. Last year, during the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year contest, we spent some time discussing what a truck even is—and we awarded an electric pickup the big prize. This year, the field of full-size contenders runs the gamut from traditional internal combustion trucks to cutting-edge hybrid and fully electric pickups. But no matter what’s under the hood or between the axles, we evaluate each truck according to our standard OTY criteria. The winner must do well in six categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value, and performance of intended function. We evaluate each truck on a punishing off-road dirt course, on the open road during extended street loops, and loaded for payload and towing tests…

Fabian Schossau puts his foot on the brake and presses a button on the dash. He keeps the steering wheel straight and holds down the right shift paddle. Then he lifts his foot off the brake, punches the gas … and suddenly, our G-Class is spinning in one spot as if a giant had skewered it to the ground and flicked a corner with a finger. The horizon is a blur of color and dust accompanied by the scrabble of rubber on rock and dirt. Meet the all-electric, four-motor Mercedes EQG. Schossau lifts off the accelerator, and the rig stops suddenly, having traveled not at all from its starting position. He admits he’s not sure whether the “G-Turn,” as G-Class engineers have dubbed it, has a practical application. But it…

Historically among BMWs, the CSL suffix has stood for Coupé Sport Leichtbau, or “Lightweight Sport Coupe.” The name first appeared on the E9 3.0 CSL and the famous E9 CSL–based “Batmobile” race car. BMW later offered an extra-hot E46 M3 CSL, too. It’s one of the most revered nameplates in company history, but somehow we’ve had to wait nearly two decades for its resurrection in the form of the 2023 M4 CSL. What a return. In the CSL transformation, BMW shaved 240 pounds from the M4, including 46 alone by deleting the rear seats. Additional alterations include a titanium rear silencer, M carbon-ceramic brakes, plenty of badging, and lighter forged wheels, springs, and struts. Unique engine and transmission mounts, reworked suspension tuning, and powertrain upgrades are on the list, too.…

We will remember 2022 as another year of disruptions everyone grew tired of talking about. Pandemic shutdowns and the semiconductor shortage continued to plague vehicle production, but they eventually stopped driving each day’s biggest industry headlines. Instead, electric cars dominated the automotive world’s news feeds. Carmakers announced a steady stream of commitments, resource allocations, future vehicles, and new assembly and battery plants. But while fanfare rarely centered on new vehicles with internal combustion engines, there were some notable exceptions, like the 2024 Ford Mustang. The seventh-generation pony car will likely be the last before the Mustang goes full EV, and competitor Dodge also showed its Charger as a fully electric muscle car concept, complete with enhanced powertrain sounds to appease motorheads. The year also saw Ford split itself into two…

Of all the MotorTrend Of The Year competitions, our Truck of the Year event, like the pickup truck itself, is unique. There are fewer candidates—just five nameplates this year—yet they are arguably more diverse than the dozens of vehicles at our Car and SUV competitions. The testing is more involved and intense, and as trucks morph from workhorses to luxury vehicles, the parameters are always shifting. Every year we ask anew: What do today’s buyers need from a truck? In recent times, our TOTY event took place in our home state of California, but for 2023 we return to Arizona, home of Chrysler’s—sorry, Stellantis’—desert proving ground. For the trek from Tinseltown, our judges each saddle up one of our seven entrants (both Ford and Toyota sent two trucks) with instructions…

PROS • Good mix of 1500 Rebel and 2500 Power Wagon • Longer bed than 1500 Rebel • Unique Mopar hood design CONS • Winch only available on gas models • Can be bouncy on the road • Heavy diesel unit limits towing and payload Vehicle Layout Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck Engine, Transmission 6.4L port-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8, 8-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 7,499 lb (57/43%) Wheelbase 149.3 in Length x Width x Height 238.8 x 83.4 x 80.9 in On Sale Now Not everybody needs a range-topping Ram 2500 Power Wagon. In fact, not everybody needs a 1500, let alone a 2500. But there are still plenty of use cases for a big, capable truck, and the 2500 Rebel doesn’t disappoint, despite being intentionally engineered a notch down in capability from the almighty Power…

Arrival: 2022 Volkswagen ID4 Pro “When VW drops its first mass-market EV, you deserve to know if it’s any good.” Ed Loh Base price $42,525 As tested $42,525 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 116/98/107 mpg-e Specs Vehicle layout Rear-motor, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Motor type Permanent-magnet electric Power (SAE net) 201 hp Torque (SAE net) 229 lb-ft Transmission 1-speed automatic Curb weight (F/R dist) 4,549 lb (48/52%) 0-60 mph 7.3 sec Quarter mile 15.8 sec @ 88.8 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 123 ft Lateral acceleration 0.85 g (avg) MT figure eight 27.7 sec @ 0.62 g (avg) EPA range, comb 365 miles “The ID4 stands out by … not standing out,” features editor Scott Evans said, backhanding VW’s multi-billion EV big bet in his assessment of the 2021 ID4. And from my first brief experience with it, I wholly agreed with him. When the ID4 made the…

2021 Kia Seltos “Did we find the Seltos’ spiritual forebear in the MT archives?”Brian Vance Service Life 9 months/10,625 miles Average Fuel Econ 22.0 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $62.35 (inspection, oil change) Normal wear $0 Base price $26,610 As tested $26,915 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 25/30/27 mpg I had an epiphany the other day while staring at the back of a first-generation Toyota RAV4: The Kia Seltos is in a lot of ways a modern interpretation of Toyota’s original compact crossover SUV. The first RAV4 went on sale in the mid 1990s and quickly became one of the most popular SUVs of the era. The original RAV4’s success was largely due to its respectable cargo space, fun nature, and unique, aspirational styling. Sound familiar? Both the original RAV and Kia’s Seltos are exercises in practicality and proportions. The…

Verdict: 2021 Kia Sorento SX “We put a wrap on our adventurous year with Kia’s reinvented midsize SUV. And what a year it was.”Alex Leanse Base price $40,965 As tested $42,190 Options Cross bars ($360); auto-dimming mirror with HomeLink ($350); carpeted floormats ($210); cargo cover ($190); carpeted cargo mat ($115) Problem areas None Total fuel cost $4,585 Maintenance cost $354.18 (2x inspection, oil change, tire rotation; in-cabin air filter) Normal wear $0 3-Year residual value* $36,700 (87%) *IntelliChoice data; assumes 42,000 miles at the end of three years. Service Life 12 months/23,033 miles Average Fuel Econ 22.8 mpg As a midsize crossover with three rows, the Sorento teeters on the precipice of brilliance and irrelevance. Some may find its in-betweener form factor ideal; others will find something more specific would better fit their needs. Over the many months and more…

Words Billy Rehbock If you’re a Porsche fanatic—or visit the corners of the internet that celebrate oddball cars—you’re likely familiar with custom “Safari 911s.” Inspired by Porsche 911 rally cars of yesteryear, the term has come to embody builds that take a classic neunelf and add a lift kit, knobby off-road tires, a roll cage, a brush bar, and perhaps a spare tire on the roof. Thing is, none of those homages has been official. Until now. “We’ve got the same ideas, and we know what the fanbase wants,” 911 chassis development manager Achim Lamparter says. “It was just the next step.” So Stuttgart has joined the fun with a run of 2,500 911 Dakar models, the name nodding to the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally, where Porsche claimed the podium’s top step.…

With more than 3 million Americans using a wheelchair full time, you’d think there would be more accessible SUVs on the market. Unfortunately, few vehicles besides minivans provide the maneuvering space needed for a wheelchair user to transfer to the driver’s seat, but BraunAbility has identified one: the Chevrolet Traverse. The Chevy requires extensive re-engineering: The unibody is cut in two so the floor can be lowered and flattened. The exhaust, wiring, and brake and fuel lines are rerouted and a cassette-style ramp installed under the right-rear door, which itself is modified, plug-style, to open away from and toward the rear of the vehicle. Through it all, BraunAbility was able to preserve the Traverse’s 5,000-pound towing capacity. Black body cladding extends below the rockers to help hide the changes in…

In the supertruck horsepower war, the Ram 1500 TRX shot first. Sure, Ford’s F-150 Raptor pickup has been on the hunt for more than a decade, but history has it down as the balanced desert-runner, its power level—450 horses today—more or less in equilibrium with its dirt-dashing chops. In contrast, the TRX arrived two years ago as a ballsy, 702-hp beast with a mission to rooster-tail sand in the face of Ford’s “wimpy” off-road pickup. No more. The R thumps the TRX by 0.4 second in the 0–60 sprint, hitting the mark in 3.7 seconds, and it feels every bit that quick, charging off the line like a rhino with an ICBM up its rear on the way to a 12.1-second quarter mile. The TRX’s best: 12.7 seconds. (The Ford…

Heaven knows the growing demand for electric vehicles is straining our global materials supply chain, as many of the minerals required to manufacture motors and batteries are sourced in unfriendly nations and/or extracted under unethical circumstances. Now the heavens may be helping solve our rare-earth magnet supply woes by sending us meteorites composed partially of highly magnetic tetrataenite—a compound not found naturally on earth. What is Tetrataenite? Tetrataenite (say “te-tra-TEE-nite”) is a metal composed primarily of iron and nickel with a uniquely layered tetragonal cubic crystal structure (a cube stretched along one axis). Nickel/iron compounds do not exist on earth with this structure, and for years scientists believed forming this structure required extremely slow cooling of the sort that can only happen on a meteorite that spends millennia, or even…

Electric vehicles may not represent the present for most of America, but they are the future. The industry agrees; of the two luxury brands represented in this comparison test, Genesis says it will launch only electric models after 2025, and Cadillac promises an exclusively battery-powered lineup by 2030. Neither manufacturer is new to electrification—Cadillac dabbled in plug-in performance with the overpriced but sneaky-good ELR last seen as a 2016 model, and Genesis recently released a battery-powered version of the G80—but neither has offered a dedicated EV. Enter the Cadillac Lyriq and Genesis GV60, a pair of critically important electric SUVs that offer a glimpse of what we can expect from these companies’ electron-fed futures. When we look back at this pair toward the end of the decade, will they represent…

Words Duncan Brady PROS • Big-screen, Google-integrated infotainment • ZR2’s off-road dominance • Excellent powertrains CONS • Mediocre driver assists • ZR2’s rumbly ride • Cheap-looking hood bulge Vehicle Layout Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck Engine, Transmission 6.2L direct-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8, 10-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 5,789 lb (56/44%) Wheelbase 147.5 in Length x Width x Height 232.8 x 81.2 x 78.7 in On Sale Now There’s no satisfaction like someone taking your advice, and Chevrolet’s midcycle refresh to its full-size Silverado directly addressed our criticisms of the truck. Our recommendation of the Silverado 1500 always had a cabin caveat. The Chevy’s interior was plastic fantastic and featured a small screen—toyish stuff compared to the cabs of the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500. Not to mention, GM couldn’t compete with the trail-ready Ram Rebel, Toyota…

PROS • Generous back seat • Strong powertrains • Decent all-around choremaster CONS • Struggles with a heavy trailer • Poor build quality, difficult as that is to believe • Excels at nothing in particular Platinum; TRD Pro Vehicle Layout Front-engine; front-engine/motor 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck Engine, Transmission 3.4L twin-turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 24-valve 60-degree V-6; plus permanent-magnet elec motor, 10-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 5,998 lb (58/42%); 6,172 lb (56/44%) Wheelbase 157.7; 145.7 in Length x Width x Height 245.6 x 80.2 x 78.0; 233.6 x 81.6 x 78.0 in On Sale Now Toyota’s all-new-for-2022 Tundra was represented during TOTY by two trucks, a Platinum 4x4 and an off-road-ready TRD Pro. The Tundra struck us as a solid middle-of-the-road truck, but our list of complaints was worryingly long. The Tundra Platinum was powered by the…

2021 Nissan Rogue “The Rogue got a refresh for 2023, but how much better is it, really?”Kelly Lin Service Life 9 months/7,659 miles Average Fuel Econ 22.2 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $89.37 (oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal wear $0 Base price $30,090 As tested $33,530 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 25/32/28 mpg Our time with the Rogue is coming to a close, and there’s just enough to like about the SUV to make it a bittersweet ending. When we hand over the keys, we’ll miss the crimson family chariot, even if it’s far from perfect. We recently announced our 2023 SUV of the Year winner, and I couldn’t help but think of the Rogue. Two years ago, the 2021 Rogue advanced to the finalist round in the competition. But this year, the refreshed model couldn’t make…

2022 Kia Carnival “We enter a battle of wills with our seats and assess the Carnival’s fitness for antiquing.”Frank Markus Service Life 2 months/6,036 mi Average Fuel Econ 23.0 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal wear $0 Base price $39,055 As tested $39,940 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 19/26/22 mpg My relationship with the new Carnival got off to a rocky start after two run-ins with the loaded SX Prestige mobile dentistry/salon-chair variant—what good is a minivan that can’t haul cargo as well as it can people? Once our more conventional EX long-term test van arrived, I couldn’t wait to clear out all of the Carnival’s rear furniture to assess its chops as a cargo hauler. And let me preface this with a reminder that way back before the start of my 31-year car-scribbling career, I served…

“The future,” Yogi Berra memorably quipped, “ain’t what it used to be.” And in October 1958, a week after the little man from St. Louis helped the New York Yankees win their sixth World Series of the decade, car buyers were shown an automotive future that was nothing like the bucking, bouncing, hand-cranked Model T that put America on wheels 50 years earlier. Unveiled at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, GM’s Firebird III is still the most remarkable concept car ever built, a money-no-object machine that revealed much about a company at the absolute zenith of its power and wealth. Its dazzling iconography perfectly captured the zeitgeist of rocket-age America. Boasting seven fins aft of its double-bubble cockpit, the Firebird III’s bodywork was inspired by the F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter…

Words Alisa Priddle Talk about your ugly duckling becoming a swan! The new Prius has undergone the kind of transformation often promised but rarely delivered, going from frumpy and really efficient to stunning and, well, still really efficient. And that last point is key. For as much as the looks might quicken hearts, it was critical that the new car be just as green as the old one. It’s actually even more so, delivering as much as 57 mpg combined against the previous car’s max of 52. Plus, it’s more powerful. The fifth-gen hybrid system pairs a larger 2.0-liter I-4 engine with a new lithium-ion battery that has 15 percent more output than the previous nickel-metal hydride unit. The pack is again located under the rear seats, but the new chemistry…

There’s a guy in an Audi A6 driving 6 inches off my rear bumper. If he knew what this car cost—approximately 12 times what his did, new against new—he’d back off. To him, it’s just an old bucket, probably too slow to get out of its own way. No matter. He quickly learned what the 6.2 badge on its rump means as I suddenly disappeared into the distance. This is an Icon Derelict, a classic car meticulously reinvented from the ground up to look stock but outperform modern vehicles. Each Derelict—there have been 20 or so—follows a philosophy that could be called “subtle perfectionism,” and this one is perhaps its ultimate expression. It began life as a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, and you must look closely to tell what…

Leave it to Chevy to democratize exotic levels of acceleration, braking, and lateral grip, making them affordable to mere hundred-thousandaires, while safely bringing thrilling performance within the grasp of mortal drivers with moderate skills. How exotic is that performance? Let’s look at the numbers. Our first test results from the new Z06 were extracted from a base convertible. Our Z07-package coupe weighed 88 pounds less, including lightweight carbon-fiber wheels that shave around 10 pounds of unsprung weight and rotational inertia off each corner; it also had a major tire upgrade from Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ZPs to Pilot Sport Cup 2 R ZPs. Combined, these changes improved its results in our racetrack-in-a-bottle figure-eight test from 22.70 seconds at a 0.93 g average to just 21.85 seconds at 0.99 g. We’re…

SUVOTY: Many Thoughts I always look forward to your issues, especially at the end of the year as you come out with your awards. When I saw your SUV of the Year, I had to take a step back and say, “What in the world is this?” First, “We need to define the SUV.” You sound like our “fearless” politicians when trying to define a recession. Looking at the issue and turning the pages, I started to laugh. The Hyundai Kona N? The Kia Niro? The Kia EV6? Really? Don’t get me wrong: I like Hyundai and Kia. They are making great cars, but just because a car comes in all-wheel drive does not make it an SUV. Also, no Subarus at all? Pete DaCosta Star, Idaho Hi, Pete. We…

You knew this comparison test was coming. The moment Toyota literally slid the GR Corolla across a stage for its big debut, we were wowed by its “that’s a Toyota?!” audacity and 300-hp, racing-derived three-cylinder engine, six-speed manual, and adjustable all-wheel-drive system. Its bogey for true greatness was clear even then: The Honda Civic Type R has been our favorite hot hatch since 2016, when for the first time in 30 years of the Type R subbrand, Honda sold it in America. Could a Corolla go toe to toe with the house of R? R you kidding? Nope, there’s no joke here. The 2023 GR Corolla, whose name ties it into the same Gazoo Racing subbrand behind Toyota’s GR86 and revived Supra sports cars, arrived as a legitimate competitor. It…

PROS • Improved interior • Thoughtful integration of Google, Apple, and Android • Strong braking, steering, and engine response CONS • Super Cruise was super AWOL • Magnetic dampers betrayed by 22-inch wheels • Phantom “Service Suspension” warning Vehicle Layout Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck  Engine, Transmission 6.2L direct-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8, 10-speed automatic  Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 5,536 lb (58/42%)  Wheelbase 147.4 in  Length x Width x Height 231.9 x 81.2 x 75.5 in  On Sale Now The GMC Sierra received a significant midcycle update for 2022, but test vehicles weren’t available in time for last year’s Truck of the Year competition. So here it is. Two new trims arrived with the refresh. One was the off-road-themed AT4X; the second—the Denali Ultimate, a Hillary Step above the mere Denali—was what GMC sent us for evaluation. Its…

Some vehicles change the automotive world by being radically different inside and out. Others change it by being different where it counts and familiar where it helps. With pickup trucks being the bestselling vehicles in America by a wide margin, converting them to EVs has the potential to make an outsized impact on everything from air quality to gas prices to global warming—but only if truck buyers want them. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the first EV pickup to appeal directly to the existing truck market, doing its job so convincingly that it’s our 2023 Truck of the Year. THE LIGHTNING CONNECTS THE FUTURE TO THE PRESENT LIKE NO OTHER PICKUP TRUCK. While a whole cadre of first-time truck buyers will be drawn to the Rivians of the world,…

Arrival: 2022 Subaru WRX Limited “Affordable fun and versatility have always been front and center with the WRX.” Mac Morrison Base price $37,490 As tested $37,754 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 19/26/22 mpg Specs Vehicle layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine 2.4L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve flat-4 Power (SAE net) 271 hp @ 5,600 rpm Torque (SAE net) 258 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Curb weight (F/R dist) 3,391 lb (60/40%) 0-60 mph 5.9 sec Quarter mile 14.2 sec @ 98.2 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 112 ft Lateral acceleration 0.96 g (avg) MT figure eight 24.8 sec @ 0.75 g (avg) EPA range, comb 365 miles Neither I nor any of my MotorTrend cohorts involved in planning our long-term test-fleet coverage discussed this ahead of time, but one way or another, stewardship of the 2022 Subaru WRX Limited that just landed in our garage fell my…

2023 Mazda CX-50 “Overwhelmed by what to look for during a test drive? Here are a few keys for the CX-50.”Zach Gale Service Life 4 months/5,487 mi Average Fuel Econ 19.1 mpg Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $0 Normal wear $0 Base price $42,774 As tested $43,170 EPA City/Hwy/Comb fuel econ 23/29/25 mpg The salesperson throws you the keys to a new 2023 Mazda CX-50, and you sit in the driver’s seat. Whoa. It’s been years since you were behind the wheel of a new car, and here you are, butterflies in your stomach and a little overwhelmed. As your hands grasp the leather-wrapped steering wheel, one thought bubbles to the surface: What am I supposed to look for? As strange as it might seem, the first thing we’d recommend you look at is your phone. The goal…