The 2022 Lexus RC F Fuji Speedway Edition is an all-around excellent sports car for its power, handling, solid inputs, and exclusivity.
Check out our automotive review on the 2021 Toyota GR Supra 2.0 4-cylinder turbo. We found it to be a good value for its performance, handling, and fuel economy.
Today we’re getting behind the wheel of one of our current favorites in the hot hatch segment. Weighing in at just over 2700 pounds, the ST is outfitted with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four cylinder motor which generates 197 horsepower and 214 foot-pounds of torque, up a whopping 77 HP and 102 LB-FT from the standard Fiesta. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that the ST has plenty of oomph when dipping into the throttle, and paired with a stiff chassis, uprated suspension and torque vectoring wizardry which equates to quick turn-in and flat, generally neutral cornering, the Fiesta ST is an amicable companion for attacking your favorite twisty stretch of road.
Today we’re taking a look at a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible which has been warmed over by the horsepower fanatics at Lingenfelter. The drop top now sports over 600 horsepower by way of a HeartBeat supercharger system, which includes ECU modifications, an Eaton “TVS” 2300 rotating group, an internal intercooler system and bypass valve, twin dual-pass charge-air-coolers, a coolant circulation pump and a heat exchanger. To make sure the Corvette’s bark is as loud as its bite, it’s also been fitted with a Lingenfelter Performance exhaust system.
Automotive luminary and Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson once proclaimed that in order to be considered a bonafide gearhead, one must own or have owned an Alfa Romeo at some point in their life. This was formerly a distressing prospect to those of us in the United States that were born after, say, 1970, as Alfa Romeo packed up and left the American market altogether in 1996, giving those without the masochistic urge to pick a second hand 164 little recourse to meet Clarkson’s decree outside of the handful of $250,000 8C Competiziones that made it to the US in the 2008. But this year that all changes, as the 4C serves as the opening battle cry of the Italian automaker’s charge back into the American market with cars that people with typical incomes might be able to afford, putting this otherwise almost unattainable commandment of gearhead-dome suddenly within reach. The question now is whether or not it’s a prospect worth seriously considering, so with keys in hand, we set out to determine just what Jezza was on about.
Honda’s venerable hatchback sees big changes for 2015. How big? How about a new platform, new engine and transmissions, and a new look. The new 5-door is 1.6 inches shorter than the outgoing model, but also weighs in at 100 pounds more, due to more substantial use of high-strength steel in its construction, which provides significantly bolstered chassis rigidity for added safety and improved handling. Despite its shrinking dimensions, the Fit’s new platform actually expands on both front and rear passenger space dramatically.
The most athletic Range Rover on the roster is all-new for 2014. We spent a bit of time with the Sport in Detroit earlier this year, but we were left wondering how this split-personality SUV would fare on the city streets of Los Angeles and along the twisting canyon roads of the San Gabriel Mountains. Range Rover Sports of the past garnered a reputation that preceded them, for better or for worse depending on who you talk to. But regardless of what context you’re referring to the 2014 V8 Supercharged model in, the fact that it’s got a whole new bag of tricks isn’t up for debate. To go along with our POV test drive through Los Angeles and along Angeles Crest Highway, we’ve put together a list of some of the new SUV’s most notable highlights.
We quickly became fans of the new WRX once we got a chance to review the car late last year. Our only regret from the time we spent with the ‘Rex was that we didn’t get a chance to capture the driving experience on the video. This week, we’re finally able to remedy that issue with this Limited trim example, which is coated in Crystal White Pearl paint.
When Cadillac rolled out the high performance CTS-V sedan, along with its subsequent coupe and wagon counterparts, it started to become clear that fairly sweeping change was underway for the company. In the ensuing years, there’s been a concerted effort to change public perception of Cadillac from the go-to choice for reasonably well-heeled pensioners to something more youthful, relevant, and performance oriented. Or to put it another way, more BMW-like. But to truly complete with BMW, they needed a worthy 3-Series fighter, and that’s just what we got with the all-new 2013 ATS sedan – a tour-de-force of GM’s latest engineering efforts designed specifically to beat the German’s at their own game. The sedan has earned high praise from critics and consumers alike, but if Cadillac wanted to achieve parity in the segment, they’d also need an answer to the two door BMW 4-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class as well. Enter the 2015 ATS Coupe.
This week we’re taking full advantage of the summer weather by spending it behind the wheel of an open top Ferrari. Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.
Earlier this summer we got a chance to get behind the wheel of Ford’s latest performance-oriented pickup, the F-150 Tremor. With the new aluminum-bodied 2015 F-150 due to land in showrooms in just a few short months, we thought we’d give this hopped-up version of the outgoing model a thorough once-over before it goes the way of the dodo.
Today we’re behind the wheel of Chevrolet’s pony car contender. The Camaro received a refresh for the 2014 model year that includes revised front and rear fascia styling, new headlamps and taillamps, and a new SS hood that draws inspiration from the heat extractors first seen on the 2012 Camaro ZL1.
While the 8-speed ZF sourced gearbox that made its recent debut in the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was big news, we actually got a preview of how this gearbox might behave when hooked to a Mopar motor by way of this Grand Cherokee, which was the first of the Hemi-powered Chrysler vehicles to benefit from the new gearbox.
The supercar, on a conceptual level, is an enticing proposition – a purpose built performance vehicle with exceptional capability and a striking aesthetic – a car that brings a sense of occasion to even the most mundane driving task. In practice however, there’s a multitude of situations where that formula is less than ideal – like when you’re hobbling along in traffic or when forced to traverse through some unforgiving city streets, for instance – and it becomes clear that the supercar formula was really designed for use under ideal driving conditions. But therein lies the brilliance of the R8 V10 Plus, because Audi has actually found a way to make it all work, satisfying just about every need that an enthusiast could want in a sports car while somehow also giving the R8 enough adjustability, subtly, and good manners to make this a supercar you could legitimately use every day.
This week we’re taking a look at Volvo’s hot selling sporty crossover, which gets an updated powertrain lineup for 2015 to go along with last year’s visual refresh. That powertrain update brings the company’s new Drive-E engine family into the fold, which has a few interesting tricks up its sleeve.
When Audi unveiled a new S6 last year, a car which eschewed a pair of cylinders and gained more efficiency in the process, many were surprised to discover that its sporting capabilities had increased despite factors that would normally point in the opposite direction. We recently spent a week with the mid-sized Audi to see if those numbers, along with the new car’s plethora of technological features and overall retooling, added up to a better S6.
Back in June we headed out the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to give the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe a proper thrashing around the Wisconsin backroads and the Road America road course. While the weather proved somewhat uncooperative during our street testing, we were fortunate enough to see several hours of dry pavement during our time on track, giving us a chance to properly push the new M cars on this particularly fast course.
While we all anxiously await the arrival of the next MX-5, we also should take a moment to reflect on the fact that the current Miata is a excellent sports car in its own right. Here we find ourselves behind the wheel of a third generation MX-5 in Club trim, Mazda’s subtle nod to the Miata’s strong following in amateur club racing. This particularly racy package includes side stripes, Gunmetal Black 17 inch wheels, black headlight bezels, a front lip spoiler, a rear diffuser, body color matched interior trim pieces, and red stitching to go along with the requisite badging inside and out.
For many, the biggest loss taken when GM’s restructuring called for Pontiac to close its doors was the revelation that we’d never see a Firebird based on the fifth generation Camaro. Since the new Camaro’s introduction for the 2010 model year many have offered their own approach to what Pontiac’s pony car might have looked like, with varying degrees of aesthetic and performance success. The Lingenfelter LTA, however, might be the final word on the subject.
While the 707hp Hellcat has been grabbing all the headlines as of late, it’s not the only SRT-flavored Challenger that Dodge has on offer now. The 6.4-liter V8 from last year’s Challenger SRT model comes back for the 2015 refresh as well, now packing 485 horsepower and an optional 8-speed TorqueFlight automatic transmission, a combination which is good for a 0-60 sprint of 4.2 seconds.
Perhaps you think you want a Radical. But really, you want this car.
We’ve talked to many racers who drive production-based cars, like cars in SM or T2/3/4 or GTS, and almost to a person, they say “I’d love to drive a Radical,” or “When I can afford it, I want to get a Radical”.
They are so right and they are so wrong. We know, because we race a Radical and now we’ve driven the Wolf GB08.
Last month we headed to San Francisco to drive the Mk7 GTI in and around the city and found it to be carrying on the legacy of fun VW hot hatches quite competently. Today we’re taking an in-depth look at the new GTI from top to bottom, and then we’ll be hitting the streets once again to see how this sporty Golf handles the roads around Michigan.
Supercharging is a type of forced induction that has historically been used by automakers to raise an engine’s power output. Bolted to the side or to the top of the engine, the supercharger creates a powerful combustion by blowing compressed air into the cylinders.
