Posts

2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup

Image
  There's no other way to say it:   The 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup   is absurd in the best possible way. As a pickup truck? Meh, but that's not the point, is it? Everything about this truck is completely ridiculous, and we absolutely love it. Each Number Is More Bonkers Than The Last Nothing is more outrageous than the numbers. At 8,976 pounds, we needed a commercial-grade scale to weigh the Hummer because it's heavier than a diesel-powered heavy-duty dually. The best part? It should've been heavier! Our pre-production test truck was missing the standard roll-up tonneau cover. Despite being the heaviest four-wheel vehicle we've ever tested (fourth-heaviest of all time, regardless of wheel count) and the heaviest electric vehicle, the 2022 GMC Hummer is still insanely quick. This 4.5-ton behemoth launched from a standstill to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds. That makes it  the quickest pickup we've ever tested , period, beating the previous record-holder— the 835-hp 2022 Ri...

Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo

Image
  With a potent blown five-cylinder engine to match its stunning, Chris Bangle-penned design, the revised   Fiat Coupé   went down a storm at Autocar. The 2.0-litre modular five-pot added 25bhp with the help of a new, low-inertia Garrett turbo. A viscous coupling was employed to keep the driven front end in check, while the ECU limited boost in the bottom two of five gears for the same reason. The  Alfa Romeo GTV ’s quick steering rack was added and the Brembo brakes were upgraded. The lag-quashing turbo helped produce spectacular performance from the sonorous engine, including 30-70mph in just 5.4sec. Low-gear wheelspin could be a problem, even in the dry, but the gearbox itself was slick and the brakes effective. Feel from the new steering impressed, despite some torque-induced wiggles, and the handling was tidy enough to be fun, if best enjoyed in a higher gear than you’d normally choose to stop the front from getting too ragged. The ride was merely acceptable, th...

New Yamaha Neo is Europe-bound electric

Image
  Japanese motorbike manufacturer Yamaha has launched its new Neo electric scooter – it's first model offering performance equivalent to a 50cc moped to be offered in the European market. The brand recently announced it would be  offering a suite of new electric models  including a new range of electric bikes and an e-moped.  The Neo is powered by a 50.4V lithium-ion battery that is located below the seat in the centre of the chassis.  Weighing 8kg, the battery can deliver a range of 23 miles, and can be removed from the Neo’s body for charging. The portable battery can be plugged into a domestic socket and charged in around eight hours. The Neo is capable of carrying a second battery, extending the range to 42 miles, although that comes at the expense of the underseat storage space, which otherwise has enough room for a full sized helmet.  Neo riders will be able to choose from a number of driving modes. STD mode delivers the highest power output of 2.06kW...

New 2023 Porsche Panamera pictured during winter tests

Image
  A prototype version of the new   Porsche Panamera   has been spotted testing in winter conditions, as the German firm prepares to launch the third-generation model for the end of 2023.  The model, which was not wearing the Porsche badge, was pictured with a solid black exterior paint. Its front-end design is similar to the current Panamera, while the rear features new lights and an updated spoiler.  The new Mk3 model, which goes by the internal working name 972, looks set to continue the German company’s long tradition for small, evolutionary changes between generations, with an exterior design that subtly progresses the look of the six-year-old second-generation  Porsche Panamera . Underneath the steel and aluminium bodywork, though, Porsche is lining up more significant modifications for its  BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé  and  Mercedes-Benz CLS  competitor. With the two-year-old  Porsche Taycan ...

New 2023 Porsche Panamera pictured

Image
  A prototype version of the new   Porsche Panamera   has been spotted testing in winter conditions, as the German firm prepares to launch the third-generation model for the end of 2023.  The model, which was not wearing the Porsche badge, was pictured with a solid black exterior paint. Its front-end design is similar to the current Panamera, while the rear features new lights and an updated spoiler.  The new Mk3 model, which goes by the internal working name 972, looks set to continue the German company’s long tradition for small, evolutionary changes between generations, with an exterior design that subtly progresses the look of the six-year-old second-generation  Porsche Panamera . Underneath the steel and aluminium bodywork, though, Porsche is lining up more significant modifications for its  BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé  and  Mercedes-Benz CLS  competitor. With the two-year-old  Porsche Taycan ...

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae 2022 review

Image
  This is it, then – but not really. The new  Lamborghini Aventador  LP780-4 Ultimae is the last version ever to use 12-cylinder power alone, but it won’t be the last time we see an almighty V12 in the bowels of something hand-made in Sant’Agata. The Aventador’s imminent successor will also be V12-fired, with electric aid but crucially still no turbos. So this is an end but also a beginning. Instead of dwelling on the demise of the purely V12  Lamborghini , whose time, you could reasonably argue, has well and truly come, let’s therefore focus on exactly how a car as momentous as the Aventador is bowing out. Momentous because it was such an epic statement of intent when it arrived in 690bhp LP700-4 form in 2011, when CEO Stephan Winkelmann described it as not simply one generation on from the Murciélago but effectively two. Dramatically improved ergonomics, a super-stiff carbonfibre monocoque to replace the steel lattice frame and an all-new, lower-slung (being d...

Jaguar Land Rover

Image
  Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has laid out ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases across its production processes and vehicle fleet by 2030. In line with objectives set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement – an international treaty aimed at keeping global warming to less than 1.5deg C –  Jaguar   Land Rover  will slash greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 46% over the next eight years, and emissions from its value chains by an average of 56%. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicles it produces over their lifetimes by 60%.

Mercedes-Benz EQXX

Image
  Technology showcased on the super-efficient   Mercedes-Benz   Vision EQXX concept will make production, Mercedes has confirmed. Talking to Autocar’s sister brand  Move Electric , a Mercedes spokesman confirmed that technology featured on the car, as well as processes adopted during its super-quick 18 month gestation, will filter through to mainstream models. “Our EQXX is a research vehicle designed to push boundaries and explore options for future production vehicles. It is a blueprint for series production. Many innovations from this technology programme will soon find their way into our production vehicles," they said. Chief designer Gordon Wagener confirmed that the EQXX is "at least one segment smaller" than the recently revealed EQE, hinting at its eventual production potential as an electric equivalent to the C-Class, which  Autocar has previously reported is due around that time , likely using the all-new MMA platform for compact and mid-sized EVs....