Tag: 2020

2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe: An Interior Befitting AMG?

Post author By axelrin
Post date April 8, 2020

When you aren’t getting your head pinned against the seat, check out the ambiance.

If you pay almost $100,000 for a 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe, you’ll undoubtedly have certain expectations. Many of them are related to power. After all, this Mercedes compact “coupe” has a handmade AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. It leaps forward at the slightest touch of the pedal, unleashing 503 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, channeled through an AMG-tuned nine-speed automatic transmission.

Driving the AMG, your neck snaps back when you accelerate, whether you want it to or not. This is far more fun on an open stretch of road, but not so much in stop-and-go traffic, which is made worse by an abrupt stop-start system. With such a powerful engine, the whole car shudders when its eight cylinders fall silent.

So does the interior of this so-called coupe—even though it has four doors—live up to its performance? We spent a few days in a loaded-up $96,425 (base price is $85,095) GLC 63 S to find out.

Tags 2020, Mercedes, mercedes-glc-amg, Reviews

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2020 BMW M8 Competition Coupe First Test: Behind the Wheel of BMW’s Biggest M Car

Post author By axelrin
Post date April 8, 2020

By Scott Evans – Words, Brandon Lim – Photos – MotorTrend

617-hp GT is ready for the drift competition.

Formula Drift didn’t exist when BMW launched its M division, turning its sport coupes into competition-ready, street-legal race cars. But times have changed, and it’s nice to see the company expanding its motorsports interests with the 2020 BMW M8 Competition Coupe.

At least, I think that’s what’s going on here. BMW already races the M8 in sports car classes around the world, spawning the delightfully silly “Big M8 Meme” in which video editors make the already large race car three to 10 times the size of the other racers. Now, with the roadgoing version finally available (the race car’s been competing for almost three years), our instrumented testing reveals an apparent push into professional drift competition, as well.

Tags 2020, BMW, bmw-m8, Reviews

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2020 BMW 840i Gran Coupe: Pros And Cons

Post author By axelrin
Post date April 2, 2020

By: Brandon Turkus – Motor1

The Most BMW BMW You Can Buy.

Think of BMW’s best cars and what comes to mind? Stylish, fun-to-drive sedans that are both luxuriously appointed and a joy to live with. Look to the New Class of the 1960s and 1970s, the E30 3 Series of the 1980s, the E39 5 Series of the late 1990s, and the E46 3 Series of the early 2000s. We aren’t saying you should add the 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe to that list of legends, but it certainly possesses some of the traits that endeared those older cars to generations of fans.

The 840i Gran Coupe falls short of the heights set by its iconic predecessors in a few important ways, though. Like almost every BMW model on sale, this swoopy sedan doesn’t communicate with its driver. And while BMW’s tech is far more intuitive than it was 20 years ago, the company has fallen backward over the past several years and is building systems that have become harder to learn.

Tags 2020, BMW, bmw-840, Reviews

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Hybrid SUV Battle – 2020 Toyota RAV4 XSE vs. 2020 Honda CR-V Touring

Post author By axelrin
Post date April 2, 2020

By Zach Gale – Words, Brandon Lim – Photos; MotorTrend

Two rivals compete for hybrid SUV supremacy, and it’s a close fight. Go ahead, splurge. Treat yourself to the best compact SUV in the showroom—just don’t let the hybrid badge surprise you. If that h-word provokes associations of stodgy, slow, compromise-mobiles, consider this: The 2020 Honda CR-V and 2020 Toyota RAV4 offer engine upgrades that deliver more responsiveness and efficiency than almost any SUV under $40,000.

Oh, and you’ll retain the interior space you expect while traveling more than 100 miles longer between fuel stops. When it comes to having your cake and eating it, too, the hybrids of these segment-dominating rivals provide satisfying and guilt-free motoring. At the higher end of the segment, though, which is the best hybrid SUV—the CR-V Touring or the RAV4 XSE?

Tags 2020, Comparison, Honda, honda-crv, SUV, Toyota, toyota-rav4

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2020 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD First Test

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 31, 2020

By Christian Seabaugh – Words, Brandon Lim – Photos – MotorTrend

America is missing out on this criminally overlooked sedan. We auto enthusiasts are a fickle bunch. We demand manual transmissions or rear-wheel-drive platforms (or both) but then don’t buy them. Pontiac G8? Dead. Chevrolet SS? Gone. Ford Fiesta ST? See ya. It seems like every time an automaker designs and builds a car with us in mind, it ends up getting unceremoniously dumped after a truncated production run. Some time spent with the 2020 Kia Stinger GT AWD reminded me that we’d be remiss if we let that fate befall Kia’s fantastic sport sedan.

Tags 2020, Kia, kia-stinger, Reviews

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2020 Hyundai Palisade Review: How Hyundai’s New SUV Stacks Up

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 31, 2020

By Carl Anthony – Automoblog

The 2020 Hyundai Palisade is a tough one for us. There was a lot we liked, from the quiet interior to the engine response on the open road. However, we noticed a few things that make it hard for us to justify owning one. Does that mean you should cross it off your list? No! Not by any stretch of the imagination! By all means, take one for a test drive. You may find the things we have a concern with are not deal breakers for you. And if you are a Hyundai fan already, you will definitely find joy behind the wheel of the Palisade.

Tags 2020, hyundai, hyundai-palisade, Reviews

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2020 Volvo V60 Review – Better Than An SUV? It Just Might Be!

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 31, 2020

By Denis Flierl – Automoblog

The Volvo V60 provides many of the same benefits as an SUV or crossover. While wagons may not be everybody’s thing, we do believe most will be pleasantly surprised at how nice the V60 drives and looks inside.

Wagons are not exactly popular in the U.S., but the 2020 Volvo V60 Cross Country is something many SUV and crossover shoppers should put on their list. If you have looked at the Subaru Outback, this a more luxurious version of the Japanese automaker’s best-selling all-wheel drive vehicle. The V60 has a higher ride height than most other wagons or sedans, and body cladding to protect against occasional off-pavement excursions. And it still offers the practicality of an SUV or crossover.

Tags 2020, Reviews, Volvo, volvo-v60

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2020 Jeep Gladiator Interior Review

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 31, 2020

By Christian Seabaugh – Words, Brandon Lim – Photos – MotorTrends

More than just a repackaged Jeep Wrangler. A lot of talk on pickup trucks is focused on how well they tow or haul. The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is no exception. Since it hit the streets a year ago, we’ve taken it overlanding on the Mojave Road, loaded its bed with horse mats, and bolted a 4,000-pound trailer to its hitch, among other things. One area we haven’t focused enough on is what it’s like to live with the Jeep Gladiator‘s interior. Although easy to dismiss as just a Wrangler cabin with a bed, there’s a lot more to the Gladiator’s interior than that.

Tags 2020, jeep, jeep-gladiator, Reviews

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2020 Hyundai Sonata – Review

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 31, 2020

By Miguel Cortina – Words, Jade Nelson – Photos, MotorTrend

With up to 54 mpg, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is one of the most fuel-efficient sedans on the market.

The race for the most fuel-efficient sedan is on. With Hyundai‘s 2020 Sonata Hybrid, the Korean brand is challenging the best from Japan in a fuel-efficiency battle. But Hyundai didn’t stop there, it packed the Sonata with premium materials, a ton of tech, and great packaging to deliver a spacious interior. And did we mention how upscale it looks?

You might not be able to visually distinguish the hybrid from the gasser, but the electrified model adds a slightly different front bumper and grille, as well as unique wheels and rear spoiler to help with the aerodynamics. Besides those minor differences, Hyundai positioned the Sonata Hybrid in the no-compromise zone, building on the already well-received gas-only Sonata but with more power and requiring fewer stops at the gas station. Would this be enough to attract more buyers into the brand?

Tags 2020, hyundai, hyundai-sonata, Reviews

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2020 Mazda CX-30 Interior Review

Post author By axelrin
Post date March 29, 2020

BY Alisa Priddle – MotorTrend

Newcomer to the Mazda lineup feels like you spent more than you did.

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 might be the newest addition to the Mazda family, but one peek inside makes it abundantly clear this crossover belongs in the same showroom. The Japanese automaker might not have the size, clout, or breadth as larger full-line global automakers, but the CX-30 continues the tradition of excelling in the areas where Mazda does well. One is the fun-to-drive quotient. The other is interiors that are clean, sophisticated, and feel more premium than the segment might warrant.

First, what is a CX-30? Mazda’s newest small crossover is essentially a lifted Mazda3. That means it is bigger than a CX-3 subcompact crossover that shares underpinnings with the Mazda2. The CX-30 uses the larger Mazda3 chassis and is packaged to give rear-seat passengers more legroom than the regular sedan and more cargo room behind the second row than the larger Mazda3 hatchback. Confused? Bottom line is it is a small crossover that sits between the CX-3 and the CX-5. The only reason it is not called the CX-4 is because that name was already taken for a model sold in China.

Tags 2020, interior, mazda, mazda-cx-30, Reviews