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KOENIGSEGGCC850 FORD VSLIGHTNINGF-150RIVIANR1T SHOW DOWN 1,385HP ANDAMANUAL! PLUS ACURA INTEGRA FIRST TEST SUPERSEDAN COMPARISON 2022NOVEMBER

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The last gasp for gas-powered luxury supersedans. Scott Evans of Its Kind Lamborghini rolled out its final example of legend, and we got to play. Lieberman a Dull Carrera limited-run on a perennial

Jonny

Moment Acura NSX Type S vs. Porsche 911

EST. 1949 VOL. 74 NO. 11 Comparing the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning is more difficult than you might expect. Tests & Drives MotorTrend (ISSN 0027-2094) November 2022, Vol. 74, No. 11. Published monthly by Motor Trend Group, LLC, 831 South Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245. Copyright© 2022 by Motor Trend Group, LLC; All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $18 for 12 issues. Canada $30 per year and international orders $42 per year (including surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only. Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to: MotorTrend, P.O. Box 37200, Boone, IA 50037. ON THE COVER Rivian and Ford square off in our DarrenPhoto:comparison.electricsecondpickupMartin NOVEMBER 2022 26 Power On Ford F-150 Lightning vs. Rivian R1T Which competitor in the fledgling electric pickup segment deserves your dough? Christian Seabaugh 38 Drive Like a Spy A former CIA officer teaches one of our own how to maneuver his way out of sticky situations. Aaron Gold 44 Down to the Wire Koenigsegg CC850 The CC850 introduces the world’s first stick-shift-by-wire system. Angus MacKenzie 52 Words to the Music Cadillac Lyriq Electrified American luxury proves worth the wait. Alexander Stoklosa 58 Do Not Go Gently BMW M5 CS vs. Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing vs. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door

sports car takes

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Departments & Features 6 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022 STREAM THE NEW TOP GEAR AMERICA ON THE MOTORTREND APP! SIGN UP FOR THE ALL-NEW adventures of Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry, and Jethro Bovingdon at MotorTrend.com/TopGearAmerica 12 Editor’s Letter America’s EV charging infrastructure. 14 Intake This month’s hot metal. 24 Technologue Intelligent braking systems for the software-deﬁned vehicle. 25 Your Say Responses to recent issues. 82 The Big Picture Does the Volkswagen Golf MkVIII live up to its legacy? MotorTrend Car Rankings See more at MotorTrend.com/Cars 14 ARRIVAL Mazda CX-50 UPDATES Kia Carnival Kia Seltos VERDICT Toyota Supra MTGARAGE 82 2476 The new Civic Type R is still a wild child, this time with more conventional looks. FIRST LOOK

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America’s needsinfrastructurechargingalotofhelp.

nless you’ve been living in a Cretaceous-era cave somewhere in the wilderness, you’ve probably noticed the automotive industry has reached a point where carmakers are delivering cars with long-range batteries and quick-charging capabilities. You don’t have to be a MotorTrend reader or even a hardcore car enthusiast to be aware of the sea change underway in one of the world’s most impactful industries.

Editor’s Note

But here’s the thing: Although automakers and battery suppliers have moved quickly during the past few years, America’s charging infrastructure doesn’t allow these nifty new EVs to always take advantage of their own capabilities.

Speaking as someone who lives in Los Angeles, one of the friendliest and most accommodating American cities when it comes to EV ownership, there are still many issues with public charging stations. Like many Angelenos, I rent an old apartment from a stingy landlord who won’t even think about installing a home charger, so finding a way to replenish such a car adds stress to the day.

In early June, I drove a Kia EV6 with a long-range battery to test the charging infrastructure in the middle of nowhere. After driving through desolate parts of Oregon,

But because you are an MT reader, you may recall five years ago, when the Chevrolet Bolt EV became our 2017 Car of the Year. You might also remember we called out two numbers—238 and $29,995, to be precise. The first was the number of miles the Bolt EV could cover on one full battery charge; the second was its price after buyers collected their $7,500 federal tax rebate.

We applaud the federal government for pushing incentives to the masses and working to increase the number of public chargers. The infrastructure law signed last year marks a decent first step, and the Transportation and Energy departments’ ongoing joint effort to boost the charging infrastructure will hopefully lead to improvements. But we also need those stations to be maintained and up to date, and we need more of them. Whether it’s in big cities, along transportation corridors, or in the countryside, chargers are necessary to help you get to your destination, but a big chunk of them don’t work the way they’re supposed to. This must change.

Today we’re seeing those numbers climb significantly: Hyundai and Kia have EVs that deliver more than 300 miles of range, and the Lucid Air (our 2022 Car of the Year) Dream Edition can travel up to 520 miles on a single full charge. None of these cars costs $29,995, and although the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 do get close after the rebate, they are more expensive when equipped with the 300-mile-capable battery.

Five roadand150-kWuswhichquitAmerica350-kWinafterminutespluggingourEV6,theElectrifychargerworking,causedtoswitchtoachargerdelayourtrip.Thecharginginfrastructurehascomealongway,andongoinginvestmentwillmakeitevenbetter.Buttomakeeveryroadaccessible,westillneedmore. 12 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

For example: A few weeks ago, I drove a Ford F-150 Lightning and wanted to stop to charge it on the way to my destination. I logged on the PlugShare app, looked at the map around my neighborhood, and headed to an Electrify America 150-kW charger. Of the station’s three fast chargers, two were in use, and one was broken.

We’ve seen an increasing number of chargers installed in parking lots and city centers, but if they don’t work, aren’t always online—or online as much as possible— and don’t charge without issue, they don’t do much good. Right now, states are not staffed to handle upkeep, and private companies seem to lack the incentive to do it, but if anyone expects all new cars to truly be fully electric by 2035 (as is the plan in California), we must find a solution that can support the growing EV fleet. Otherwise, even the fanciest tech advancements in the cars and batteries won’t mean nearly as much as they should Q Miguel Cortina

Mexico Editor

About a week later I drove a Genesis GV60 and used a Level 2 charger around the corner from my place. I downloaded the Flo app and created a new account, and within minutes the GV60 was charging. I left it charging overnight and woke up, relieved, to a full battery. Great—except that charger has been broken every time I’ve tried to use it since.

Washington, and Idaho, I ran into several nonfunctional chargers at three Electrify America stations. Some were offline, while others would cease charging a few minutes after plugging in. During my five-day trip, only two of the stations where I charged were working properly, charging from 20 to 80 percent in 18 minutes via a 350-kW connection.

But check this out: On August 16, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, providing new federal tax credits for automakers who have run out of them, though the credits now come with price and income caps, as well as restrictions on where qualifying EVs are built.

So we’ve built our most capable Subaru yet. 9.5 inches

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The engine bay houses the same 2.0-liter turbo-four as before; this time, it makes 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, increases of 9 hp and 15 lb-ft, and mates exclusively to an updated six-speed manual with a rev-matching function. The Type R trumps all the aforementioned cars’ torque

direct competition than its predecessor. A redesigned VW Golf R is back for another round, and newcomers such as the Toyota GR Corolla and Hyundai Elantra N will take swings, too. These super compacts bring varied power levels and drivelines to the battle: The GR Corolla and Golf R have all-wheel drive; in contrast, the Type R and Elantra N rely solely on their front wheels to put the power down.

Of course, the ﬁrst thing you probably noticed is the prior Cybertron-meets-Gulf stream-jet look has been considerably toned down. Blame—or credit, depending on your take—the more mature styling of the car underneath. That said, there’s no mistaking the new Type R for any other Civic. Once again, it has plenty of func tional aero add-ons, but the latest model is longer, wider, and lower than before.

Subaru’s STI has exited (perhaps not to return), but the new Type R will face more

Honda says it will be as rewarding to drive as ever—what else is it gonna say?— with a direct and engaging feel. We’ll have to wait until this fall to conﬁrm for ourselves, but with more power, a lighter chassis, increased rigidity, and improved high-speed stability, it sounds like the Type R has everything to deliver the same thrilling experience we’ve come to expect.

PHOTOGRAPHY RENZ DIMAANDAL

14 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

numbers by 15 to 37 lb-ft, and its horsepower compares favorably to the Elantra N (276 hp) and the GR Corolla (300 hp) while tying the Golf R.

Up front, a honeycomb grille texture distinguishes the Type R, and air vents are punched through the hood and the fenders. The requisite red Honda and Type R badges are present, as well. Around the side, special side skirts redirect airflow to make the Type R slipperier, low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport tires further signify the car’s intent and ensure plenty of grip, and, unlike any other Civic, the rear doors flare to give the Type R wider hips.

Five available colors include Rallye Red, Racing Blue Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Sonic Grey Pearl, and Championship White. There’s plenty of red inside, as Type R fans would expect, including on the comfortable and supportive sport seats. The rest of the cabin is familiar top-spec Civic, including the honeycomb mesh that incorporates the air vents, digital instru ment cluster, 9.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and three USB ports.

The 2023 Civic Type R goes on sale this fall; pricing is still being ﬁnalized, but don’t expect it to rise much higher than the last car’s $38,910 opening ask Miguel Cortina

ejoice: The all-new Civic Type R has been revealed. Based on the 11th-gen Civic, the new Type R sits above the Si and Sport, and it emphatically caps the Civic performance lineup as the most powerful Honda car for sale in America.

MOTORTREND

2023 Honda Civic Type R

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 15

onda’s CR-V is a rare repeat winner of our SUV of the Year award, so it’s fair to wonder if the sixth-generation version will claim another victory.

FIRST DRIVE

The steering delivers a fair amount of weight and good feel through the chunky wheel. Likewise, well-tuned suspension damping makes for a comfortable ride that doesn’t feel ﬂoaty. The driving experience is pleasant enough that you won’t lament your lifestyle calling for the practicality of a high-riding hatchback.

Mac Morrison and Alex Leanse

Its bolder design riffs on familiar cues: The upright grille expands on the previous hexagonal shape, and the accent strip that runs across the top is straighter and ﬁnished in chrome or black. A subtle kink accents the slim LED headlights. In proﬁle, a creased shoulder line and angular window surround add some edginess. From behind, the L-shaped taillights recall the prior CR-V’s, but they contain additional LED details.

Inside, if you’ve seen the Civic’s or HR-V’s dashboards, the CR-V’s looks familiar with a honeycomb-mesh air vent treatment, but it’s uniquely accented by textured trim below. A new internal frame gives the front seats more lateral support, and two-way lumbar adjustability is standard. The rear seats gain 0.6 inch of legroom and eight adjustable backrest angles. There’s a little more cargo space, too: 36.3 cubic feet behind

We were pleased by the generous rear legroom, and the reclining backrest is a great feature. However, Honda missed the mark on the latter in terms of its usability: The only way to adjust the angle is via a plastic lever located in the top of the seat and over your outboard shoulder. Passengers must contort awkwardly to reach the lever while seated.

Honda hasn’t held a full-ﬂedged driving program for the CR-V, but we brieﬂy sampled an EX-L AWD model, and our early impressions are overwhelmingly positive. Its larger dimensions—the wheelbase is up by 1.6 inches and the overall length by 2.7—can make you forget this is a “compact” SUV. Honda’s global architecture, found in the Civic and HR-V, delivers a 15 percent increase in the body structure’s torsional stiffness, which in turn allows for suspension tuning targeted at better ride comfort and steering response.

the second row, 76.5 cubic feet when it’s folded down. An adjustable cargo ﬂoor adds versatility in nonhybrid models.

Ofﬁcial pricing is forthcoming, but expect the EX to start around $30,000. We’ll put the new CR-V to the test in our forthcoming 2023 SUV of the Year contest to discover if it deserves an unprecedented threepeat.

The new CR-V’s armrest bin has a 9.0-liter capacity, which Honda says makes it the segment’s largest. 2023 Honda CR-V BASE PRICE $30,000–$39,000 (est) LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD/AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINES 1.5L/190-hp/179-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4; 2.0L/143-hp/129lb-ft (est) Atkinson-cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus two electric motors, 204 hp/247 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSIONS Cont variable auto; 1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 3,600–3,900 lb (est) WHEELBASE 106.3 in L X W X H 184.8 x 73.4 x 66.6 in 0–60 MPH 6.8–8.0 sec (MT est) EPA COMBCITY/HWY/FUELECON 26–39/31–34/28–37 mpg (est) EPA RANGE, COMB 400–500 miles (est) ON SALE Fall (est) 2023 Honda CR-V

Like the EX, the EX-L we drove comes with a standard 190-hp, 179-lb-ft 1.5-liter turbo-four engine and a continuously variable transmission. (Sport and Sport Touring trims employ a 2.0-liter I-4/dualmotor hybrid powertrain, good for total peak output of 204 hp and 247 lb-ft.) Our short drive covered smooth roads, where the SUV cruised quietly with just enough power to prevent us from grimacing

Poised for an SUV of the Year threepeat?

during passing situations. Honda revised the turbocharger and cylinder head to provide a broader torque band with an earlier peak, but the CVT takes a second to spin up the revs when you jump on the throttle, so plan your moves accordingly.

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Boot it, and the big Cadillac surges off, surﬁng on a fat torque wave that starts way down low, achieving high doubledigit speeds before you realize you should back off. But there’s not much drama beyond the burly noise emanating behind you and a vague sense that something rather extraordinary happened.

Its size, mass, and presence dwarf its V Series stablemates, and it also has a very different mission. The V and Blackwing V versions of the CT4 and CT5 aim to please their drivers. The Escalade-V aims to awe the driver and passengers and their neighbors and onlookers and nearby wildlife and, well, just about

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 17

he 2023 Escalade-V highlights the model’s transformation into the vehicle it always should have been. We just drove it in long-wheelbase ESV trim, and oh boy, it’s something special.

anything else with a set of eyes and ears.

2023 Cadillac Escalade-V ESV BASE PRICE $154,490 LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 7-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 6.2L/682-hp/653-lb-ftsuperchargeddirect-injectedOHV16-valveV-8 TRANSMISSION 10-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 6,450 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 134.1 in L X W X H 226.9 x 81.1 x 76.4 in 0–60 MPH 4.5 sec (mfr est) EPA COMBCITY/HWY/FUELECON 11/16/13 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 368 miles ON SALE Now

Roll control was one of several challenges Cadillac engineers faced when adapting the Escalade-V for the increased performance provided by its big, blown eight-cylinder. The air springs provide great ride-height adjustability but don’t help with lean, dive, or squat. Here chief engineer Mike Symons and his team took advantage of the increased capabilities of the MRC dampers, including the new accelerometer that affords the computers greater insight into what each damper is doing and more ﬂexibility in making proactive adjustments. Floor it, and it’ll stiffen the rear to mitigate squat and the right front to prevent enginetorque-induced twist. In practice, that means stable (but not lean-free) cornering with little drama, even if there’s rough pavement in the middle of the turn. There’s some squat under full acceleration, but it’s appropriate, not excessive. Same with heavy braking. MRC is an amazing technology.

Stay tuned for potential variants, perhaps to celebrate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the V line; even as Cadillac has ﬁnally given us the brash, bound ary-pushing Escalade-V we’ve always wanted, it’s already thinking about how to give us more.

Intake

2023 Cadillac Escalade-V ESV

Out on a winding mountain road high above the desert floor, what matters is how quick the Escalade-V feels and whether you can stop and turn all its mass before a dramatic physics experiment takes place. Here’s where the fourth-gen Magnetic Ride Control (MRC), recali brated air suspension, and appropriately sized six-piston Brembo front brakes need to shine. And they do. The V rides firmer than a regular Escalade without being punishing, and it provides handling that doesn’t (and shouldn’t) hide the sheer size of the vehicle. It feels secure and confident at entertaining velocities. That’s no simple task. A well-calibrated steering system helps, with noticeable gradations in effort between drive modes.

Alex Kierstein

There’s no artiﬁcial heft to simulate sportiness here—just smart, direct, accurate steering that provides a surprising amount of predictability and feedback.

MOTORTREND I 11.22

Its eight-cylinder salute to excess, a 6.2-liter behemoth breathed upon by a 2.7-liter TVS supercharger that pours on 10 pounds of boost, creates a 682-hp inferno underhood—more than the already staggering ﬁgure provided by the CT5-V Blackwing’s related power train. There’s 653 lb-ft of torque, too, slightly less than in the CT5-V. These are barbarous stats, at the hairy edge of good sense and societal responsibility, and the vessel that contains them is a massive slab of steel and aluminum that strains the asphalt at 6,450 pounds.

V-max achieved.

It roars and bellows and shrieks and snarls, this engine, performing a heroic horsepower opera that’s neither mufﬂed by turbos nor synthesized by electric motors, and it punches harder than Tyson Fury in a bad mood. It’s one reason the Tecnica will be remembered wistfully when we’re all whooshing around in mega-horsepower EVs.

You can use Corsa mode on the road, of course, but Sport is the best all-around setup for a blast through the twisties. There’s a little more support from the traction and stability control, and the rear steering delivers both agility and stability. The direct-ratio steering, uncorrupted by a driven front axle, is a joy.

18 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

ge has not wearied it, nor the years condemned. The 5.2-liter V-10 that powers the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica may trace its origins back to a time when the iPhone was an idea and Amazon a work in progress, but one full-throttle acceleration run, one hot lap of a racetrack, one ﬂat-out blast along a challenging back road is enough to convince you: It’s one of the all-time greats. An engine for the supercar gods.

Yes, LDVI works furiously in the background, and it’s nowhere near as ﬁne a balancing act as in the race car. But this subtly analog element to taming the Tecnica, the sense that extracting the last little bit of the car’s performance is down to you, is a big part of this Lambo’s appeal.

Thumbing the little button at the base of the third spoke on the steering wheel into Sport mode gives the powertrain a triple shot of espresso. Throttle response is sharper and shift times shorter. And the electronics that control the car’s adaptive shocks, rear steering, traction control, and torque vectoring get a revised set of orders from the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI) system, with its accel erators and gyroscope sensors at the car’s center of gravity monitoring lateral, longi tudinal, and vertical loads, as well as body roll, pitch, and yaw. The result is a car that feels more urgent, more focused, yet more playful, willing to oversteer if you want to showboat on the track but still possessed of terriﬁc traction and stability.

functionality expected in a modern car, controlled via a redesigned user interface that will also call up arcane nuggets of performance data on demand.

That’s not to say the Huracán Tecnica will throw you under the bus if you get things wrong. It won’t; this is as sweet a Lambo at the limit as has ever been built. But as in the Huracán GT3 race car, nailing a truly quick lap time means ﬁnding the balance between the vivid front-end response and the rush of power and torque to the rear wheels under hard throttle.

Hitting the sweet spot.

But it’s not the sole reason.

2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica BASE PRICE $239,000 LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe ENGINE 5.2L/631-hp/417-lb-ft portand direct-injected DOHC 40-valve V-10 TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch auto CURB WEIGHT 3,500 lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 103.1 in L X W X H 179.8 x 76.1 x 45.9 in 0–60 MPH 3.2 sec (mfr est) EPA COMBCITY/HWY/FUELECON 13/15/18 mpg (est) EPA RANGE, COMB 357 miles (est) ON SALE Now MOTORTREND I 11.22 Intake 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica

It only takes a mile or so behind the wheel to understand the Tecnica is a kinder, gentler Huracán than the STO. The revised suspension means the ride won’t shake the ﬁllings from your teeth, and it’s nowhere near as noisy at cruising speeds on the freeway, especially with the car in the softest of its three drive modes and the seven-speed dual-clutch left in Auto.

longitudinal grip. Part of the Corsa protocol includes locking the rear steering system. Shutting down what is pitched as a dynamic driving aid might seem counterintuitive, but it delivers purer, more precise handling at the limit. If you’re good enough.

The Tecnica is the sweet spot of the Huracán lineup. It gives you nearly all the thrills of the STO in a grown-up supercar. It’s a feel-good Lamborghini, one that makes you smile every time you hit the gas.

All of this is wrapped in bodywork massaged to give the Tecnica a longer, lower proﬁle, a visually wider stance, and more sophistication to its menace.

Angus MacKenzie

The Huracán Tecnica’s genius is simple, though its execution is rather more nuanced. The Tecnica combines the 631-hp, 417-lb-ft version of the V-10 from the edgy, track-focused Huracán STO with a rear-drive, rear-steer chassis that’s been tuned for all-around road work. The cabin can be trimmed with the most luxurious materials in Lamborghini’s catalog and offers all the connectivity and

In Corsa, the powertrain is calibrated to provide track-oriented throttle response and the quickest gearshifts, and the omniscient LDVI instructs its electronic minions to deliver maximum lateral and

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The most indelible initial impression is how loud the AEV’s tires are compared to a stock Ram’s, the sound and vibration even coming up through the steering wheel in turns. This is followed closely by how high the Prospector XL sits. You’ll look down on lifted Super Dutys and across at semi drivers. The taller, heavier tires and added curb weight blunt acceleration, but it’s still plenty strong. The added inertia is also noticeable in braking, where stops take more pedal effort than in a stock Ram 2500. But sure enough, the ride feels almost identical, maybe smoother, thanks to the additional mass.

Both get toughened AEV bumpers, a 3.0-inch suspension lift, and AEV wheels. Tires are the main difference between the two packages. Base Prospectors get 37-inch tires that ﬁt under stock fenders with Mopar ﬂares. XLs get 40-inch tires that require the fender and rear quarter openings to be expanded by about 3.0 inches. (XL is 40 in roman numerals.) Choose the XL if you’re looking for the ultimate rock climber/mud bogger. For max payload capacity, go for the entry Prospector on a 3500; AEV de-rates the

Perhaps the most vital piece of over landing kit for self-preservation is a sturdy winch. AEV front bumpers are all designed to accept one, but they cost extra. Our AEV Prospector XL featured a Warn 16.5ti with synthetic rope that rang in at $2,711. With a host of other overlanding options, including upgraded shocks, auxiliary lighting, brush guards, and more, our test truck had $19,150.50 in extras for an all-in price of $119,194.50 for the well-equipped Laramie. All those add-ons brought the estimated curb weight to within 1,000 pounds of the truck’s gross rating, so some judicious expedition packing is called for.

If you have a low-mileage current-gen Ram (or Jeep) that’s never been wrecked, AEV can upfit it for you, but most builds are ordered new through AEV. Our test truck’s price includes a lot of show-car fluff we could do without. But the engineering is so stout we felt compelled to gin up our ideal build, starting with a strategically optioned 2500 Tradesman Cummins then adding a total upfit cost of $29,196. (Your ideal might differ.) We’d be out the door for $93,941. Frank Markus

here’s trail running, and then there’s overlanding. The former portends day trips or weekend jaunts, possibly primitive tent camping. The latter conjures extended off-grid adventuring where you may need to be self-sufﬁcient for days while exploring the wilderness. American Expedition Vehicles seeks to cover the trail-runners with its Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator and Chevy Colorado offerings while offering overlanders the Ram Heavy Duty–based Prospector and Prospector XL.

2022 AEV Prospector XL BASE PRICE $91,679 LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck ENGINE 6.7L/370-hp/850-lb-ftturbodieseldirect-injectedOHV24-valveI-6 TRANSMISSION 6-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 9,000 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 150.6 in L X W X H 238.8 x 89.5 x 83.7 in 0–60 MPH 8.0 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON Not Rated ON SALE Now MOTORTREND I 11.22 Intake 2022 AEV Prospector XL

rear gross axle weight rating from 7,000 to 6,390 pounds for the 40-inch tires but not for the 37s. (The 2500’s factory RGAWR of 6,000 is unchanged with either tire.) The base Prospector package costs $15,987; the Prospector XL costs $20,999.

20 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022 PHOTOGRAPHY JIM FETS

FIRST DRIVE

At the heart of this upﬁt is AEV’s 3.0-inch DualSport suspension, with the “dual” referring to its goal of improving technical off-road prowess with no penalty to the original ride and handling. AEV accomplishes this trick by maintaining the stock springs and the original suspen sion geometry. To do this, it relocates the various mounting points for the suspension hardware. The front axle, for example, is articulated down and forward, increasing the wheelbase by 1.6 inches. This saves AEV having to make custom versions of the 40-some different Ram springs tailored to every weight class. AEV also ﬁts a hydraulic steering upgrade to help swivel the giant tires.

Having mostly wheeled crossovers and stock Jeeps at our local ORV park, we’re used to the toughest obstacles being off limits. Not for this rig. Climb any rock or plunge through any bog by simply relying on the tread lugs, the Cummins’ torque, and inertia to power through. The Prospector XL tackled every path with ease—or at least every path wide enough to accommodate it. We were also impressed by how sturdy everything felt. It took the harshest impacts in stride, with no expen sive-sounding noises.

The overlandingProspectorRamisreadyforseriousduty.

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This car isn’t the hot hatch so many insist it must be. Time and progress ran their course, and Acura built a car that represents what it is now. If that’s not enough, don’t despair: This entry in the Integra tale isn’t the ﬁnal word. Alex Leanse

From the MTArchive

2023 Acura Integra A-Spec BASE PRICE $33,895 PRICE AS TESTED $37,395 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5pass, 4-door hatchback ENGINE 1.5L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 200 hp @ 6,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 192 lb-ft @ 1,800 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,040 lb (60/40%) WHEELBASE 107.7 in L X W X H 185.8 x 72.0 x 55.5 in 0-60 MPH 7.7 sec QUARTER MILE 15.7 sec @ 91.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 123 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.87 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.2 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) EPA FUELCITY/HWY/COMBECON 26/36/30 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 372 miles ON SALE Now MOTORTREND I 11.22 Intake 2023 Acura Integra FIRST TEST

NOVEMBER 2012 PRICE: $4.99

the latest pony cars and predicted the genre would live on despite a hascenturylandscape.automotivechangingAhalf-ofhistorysinceproveduscorrect.RoadtestsincludedJaguar’sXJ12andLotus’Plus2andEuropa,pluswepublishedaguidetosnowmobiling.No,really.

Pauses introduced by clutch and shifter actuation are factors in the Integra’s 7.7-second 0–60 time. All of its two-pedal rivals do the sprint in less than 7.0 seconds. Likewise, the Integra’s quarter-mile performance trails its adversaries. Even so, the engine feels strong for its size, delivering a torquey surge on boost that’s accentuated by little wastegate whistles.

22 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

...

The Integra embodies buzzwords that set enthusiast hearts aﬂutter. In most situ ations it’s entertaining, moving with poise and pep that evinces the great engineering in its architecture. But the Integra is not a particularly sporty car, as proven by its test results and how it feels when driven hard.

Our cover touted our ’93 import roundup, but Chrysler’s new LH coupe,Saturn’sDefenderRover’stheupdatedMorelate-’80sthebigVision—wereConcorde,Intrepid,sedans—DodgeChryslerandEaglethestory,signalingendofMopar’sstagnation.tests:Ferrari’sTestarossa,512TR;Landlimited-run110;andnewcheaptheSC1.

PHOTOGRAPHY CAVAN BENNIGSON

he 2023 Acura Integra isn’t a revival of the insubcompacttheHondafeelsmeetforsakecrossover-saturatedcelebratedismaycommentariatstraightforwarddriver-focused,hatchbacktheyearnsfor.ThismayAcuraacolytes,andindeedwe’dthearrivalofsuchacarinourmarket.Butdon’tthenewIntegrabecauseitdoesn’tyourexpectations.Eventhoughitsimilar—perhapstoosimilar—totheCivicSi,AcurasufﬁcientlyelevatedIntegratotheluxuryrealm.Automaticsareprevalentamongluxurycars,butchoosingtheIntegraA-SpectrimandaddingtheTechnology

The Honda Civic Si for adults.

We took an in-depth look at the Wankel rotary engine, which was making headlines as the powerplant of the future, and tested several rotarypowered vehicles. Of course, we all know how that turned out. We also rounded up

package unlocks a no-cost six-speed manual gearbox. As in every Integra, it’s joined to a 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4 that sends 200 hp and 192 lb-ft to the front wheels. In manual Integras, the power is regulated by a limited-slip differential.

Rear View

Out on the road, the Integra is willing to play up to a point. Its tidy size and weight let it ﬂow between corners, but its initial verve evaporates if you ask too much of it. Instead, it’s overwhelmed by understeer and imprecision. Truly sporty cars come across as a vivid conduit between driver and road—the new Integra doesn’t.

NOVEMBER 1972 PRICE: $0.75

The Porsche 911 Carrera S took our 2012 Best Driver’s Car title, beating an moreToyotaTesla-poweredenjoyableHondaEVs,order.Aventador,GT500,BR-Z,C63soupalphanumericofcompetitors:AMG,GT-R,MP4-12C,ZL1,XKR-S,andinthatComparingwefoundtheFitEVmorebuttheRAV4EVpractical.

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Bottom Line

With today’s ABS, when you step on the pedal, pressure is distributed evenly to all four wheels, either directly or by wire via an external pressure source and often with a front/rear propor tioning valve. Then, if traction is lost at one or more of the tires, a valve on a central hydraulic controller relieves some pres sure to the slipping wheel(s) to regain traction. But today’s best hydraulic valves can only open and close in roughly 20-milli second increments, relieving about 5 bar (73 psi) of brake pressure each time. Drivers feel pulsations, as does the chassis. Both are happier without them, and Sensify eliminates them.

The ability to reverse the electric motors allows spring clips to retract the pads off the rotor, eliminating drag and improving

Cost, Weight, and Availability

cooling, which boosts efficiency and reduces brake-dust particulate emissions. Never applying more pressure to any brake than precisely what’s needed for the given circumstances further reduces wear, heat, and dust.

HydraulicElectricCaliperElectromechanicalConnectionConnectionUnitControlBrakeSimulatorPedal1

Electrical connections are simpler, lighter, and cheaper than hydraulic lines. Electrons travel faster than hydraulic pressure pulses, and by delivering precise force to each wheel, electric actuators improve control, reduce wear, and boost efficiency.

The Beneﬁts

24 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Sensify should weigh about the same as a conventional system of equivalent performance, with the mass of today’s brake lines and fluid largely offsetting Sensify’s added equipment. And although there’s additional parts cost, Brembo suggests life-cycle value is also roughly equal, considering simpliﬁed development, integration, and assembly of this dry-chassis system and the lower maintenance costs that come with dramatically improved pad life and little or no ﬂuid to replace or bleed.

SENSIFY UnitControlBrake2ActuatorHydraulicCaliper

Brembo Sensify is braking for the centrally controlled softwaredeﬁned vehicle. It consists of control units that direct braking independently at each corner in response to the driver’s input on the brake-pedal force sensor. It operates “by wire,” but Brembo avoids the terminology to distinguish Sensify from today’s by-wire systems, which still generate pressure centrally then bleed it to control slip.

rakes haven’t evolved much since four-wheel electronic antilock became mainstream, but I think I just experienced the next leap in braking tech: Brembo Sensify.

Brembo reckons Sensify can apply to nearly any vehicle, from city cars and trucks to motorcycles, race cars, and the hypercars already using Brembo brakes. The most elemental systems will employ an electromechanical brake (EMB) at each corner. These use a sliding caliper with a high-precision reversible screw-jack motor rather than hydraulic pistons to squeeze the brake pads. (The parking brake function involves a park pawl engaging to prevent release.) Six EMBs could power a big monobloc caliper, but this would be huge and heavy, so higher-performance applications get a “wet corner,” with a traditional hydraulic caliper and a screw jack pressurizing a master cylinder mounted just inches away.

The Problem

Some jurisdictions still require a fail-safe fluid link to the front brakes, and Brembo will provide this on its ﬁrst application scheduled for production in 2024. Note that by equipping its EMB actuators with two sets of electric windings and redundant controls, Sensify qualiﬁes for up to Level 5 autonomy.

The electromechanical brake motor looks like a D-cell battery and drives a screw jack that applies pressure to this sliding-caliper rear brake. The smaller cylinder perpendicular to it is a parking-brake solenoid that engages to hold pressure.

Frank Markus

Brembo’s Solution

At the moment, Brembo doesn’t claim these brakes allow for shorter stopping distances, and back-to-back wet and dry stops in Tesla Model 3 Performance sedans with and without Sensify showed no difference, though further development and integration with smart tires and the like could improve straight-line stops. But steering during a panic stop proved far more accurate, with the brakes helping yaw the car. And ﬁnally, Sensify brakes can tell the driver when pads need replacement and potentially refuse a restart once they’re depleted completely.

Precise control of each wheel’s instantaneous brake pressure allows the brakes to help with yaw control in ways that simply bleeding pressure can’t. After decelerating from highway speeds, subsequent gentle stops might use the rear brakes only, allowing the fronts to cool. Rotors can be individually “dried” as needed in wetconditions.Sensifycancoachdriverstoimprovetheirbraking to deliver better mpg, EV range, or lap times. Brake response can be tailored to drive modes, informed by pedal pressure, travel, application rate, or a mix of all three. Installing Sensify on a trailer’s brakes with the tow vehicle controlling them promises unprecedented towing safety and stability. And Brembo or other OEM brands could offer over-the-air upgrades like Track mode programming for a weekend, or forever.

My test drive suggests Sensify is to stopping what four-motor electric powertrains are to going. I want both, and so do you.

Independent, intelligent brakes improve control, reduce emissions.

Technologue

I want some honesty about EVs and their shortcomings: how quickly charging decreases battery life and capacity, more about the costs of at-home charging, and coverage about charging in cold weather.

I enjoyed the September issue covering upcoming EVs. I’m a believer in technology and look forward to one day owning an electric car—if prices ever drop into the $20,000 range for the “average” man with a family and bills to pay. Maybe they will once manufacturers begin to recover development costs.

For civilian users, V1 Gen2 is a break-through on range.” Mike Valentine

Even so, your enthusiasm for EVs reflects where you live and work—in a major metro area—and I don’t think it’s reflective of what the majority of Americans face: a lack of charging stations. I know “they’re coming,” but for the next few years they’re going to be too few and far between for many small-town people. My city has one charging station, behind a hotel with only two chargers.

Johnny Bonds Via email

MT subscribers trust you. We buy cars/ SUVs based on your recommendations. Please tell us the truth here.

The solution is, of course, to install a home charger. But it’s an additional several-thousand-dollar expense on top of the initial cost of the vehicle, and I don’t think many will pay the extra cost. It also masks an additional problem not covered very often in the reviews you write.

I know this letter will probably go straight to the trash, but I hope it doesn’t. I also subscribe to Car and Driver, but writing them would be a waste of time. I am all for hybrid vehicles and can see one in my future, but not an EV.

Stay tuned to our Garage section during the coming year. We hope to answer many of your questions (and ours).—Ed.

—

Gas stations have been prolific along this nation’s highways for decades. Even in small towns, there’s usually at least one station, and prominent signage makes it easy to spot. Finding a charging station, though, is a crapshoot. There are no signs visible for several blocks to let you know you’re approaching one. Until there’s a standardized signage system, no one will want to hunt for a station by driving all over an unfamiliar town.

INTAKE I 11.22

Mike Lee Hernando, Mississippi

Meet Valentine One Generation 2 All-new with military know-how circuitryAll-newwith www.valentine1.com 1-800-331-3030 Valentine One Generation 2 is a registered trademark of Valentine Research, Inc. ©2021 VRI WRITE US AT 831 S. Douglas St. El Segundo, CA 90245 Email us at MotorTrend@MotorTrend.com

wouldn’t be impressed with a Tesla doing 0–60 mph in about 2.0 seconds?), but readers would appreciate the full truth of EV ownership: What is the trade-in value after five years, the cost to charge or replace batteries, and the answers to questions like, “Will charging stations really be everywhere and always available when needed?” Does EV mileage really

Wayne Dickey Via email

November’s Readers on Location are Jeff and Aiden Cotter of Dallas, Pennsylvania, who wrote to us from America’s 50th state: “My wife and I have talked about going to Hawaii for more than 20 years, and we finally got here this summer. We brought our three kids and spent 10 days on the Big Island and Kauai. One stop on the Big Island was Volcanoes National Park. To see an active volcano is amazing, and at night it is truly moving. I have been an avid MotorTrend reader for more than 30 years, and my 17-year-old son, Aiden, has also been an MT guy for years now, too. There are so many scenic opportunities in Hawaii, but we figured the spot where new land is created is the best place for a cover with the VW ID Buzz on it.”

“ It’s about range superiority. I told my engineers, ‘We want the best radar-ﬁnding engine this side of the military.’

drop when using the A/C? Do electric motors ever fail? Will the grid be able to support the EV future, and at what cost?

Your Say ...

Yes, solutions are coming. But right now the proliferation of new EVs coming to market will not be embraced by the masses until there’s a national network of charging stations equal to that of today’s gas stations. I won’t buy an EV, even though I want one, until then.

How about an article telling the whole story of an EV in America? I like the glitzy stories MT writes about electric cars (who

Reader on Location

You raise many valid points about the nation’s nascent charging infrastructure and the additional costs of wiring a home for EV charging (something several editors are experiencing). As for finding stations, apps such as Plugshare or Google Maps— not to mention onboard nav systems—help make them easy for drivers to find.—Ed.

All Charged Up

COMPARISON 26 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

The Lighting is, well, different. If the R1T aims to “electrify the outdoors,” the Ford aims to electrify the modern American full-size pickup—the bestselling one on the market, at that. The Lightning is intended to work, with the deﬁnition of “work” left to the owner’s imagination—F-150s are just as likely to tow horses or explore country two-tracks as they are to haul lumber or whisk families away on interstate road trips.

omparing the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T makes little sense. Sure, both are electric pickups (the third and ﬁrst to hit the market), but beyond that, they have about as much in common as we do with American Journal of Botany

The Rivian R1T, our 2022 Truck of the Year, is an immensely capable pickup with a lifestyle-oriented bent. It’s great to drive on-road and damn near unstoppable off-road, and it can tow and haul far more than a vehicle barely bigger than a Toyota Tacoma has any right to. That’s why it vanquished the GMC Hummer EV pickup—a similarly lifestyle- and off-road-oriented EV—in our ﬁrst-ever electric pickup truck comparison (August).

2022 FORD 2022 RIVIAN SHO DO

Although these pickups are built for different purposes, they’re priced similarly, which means they’re inevitably going to be cross-shopped. With that in mind, we got our hands on a 2022 F-150 Lightning Lariat extended range—likely the most widely available Lightning for the foreseeable future—and snagged the

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 27

The Lightning isn’t so different under the skin from gas-powered F-150s, either. It rides on a specialized version

FORD F-150 LIGHTNING VS. RIVIAN R1T: AS CLOSE OF A COULD BE HOWOWN

of the gas F-150’s frame, with an optional 131-kWh battery pack stacked neatly between and on top of the frame rails. Power comes courtesy of two permanent-magnet motors mounted where you’d ﬁnd differentials in conventional four-wheel-drive F-150s; the two motors combine here for a healthy 580 hp, 775 lb-ft of torque, and 320 miles of EPA-rated range. (Lightnings with the smaller 98-kWh battery pack have 426 hp and 230 miles of range.) The switch to electric motors also allowed Ford to rethink the suspension, swapping the conventional F-150’s rear live axle and leaf springs for coil springs.

The R1T will likely look out of this world to the typical pickup buyer, but as far as EVs go, it’s fairly conventional. Rather than

keys to our long-term 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition (effectively an R1T Adventure with unique paint).

To most pickup buyers, the Lightning Lariat extended range ought to feel quite familiar. Solely available in the popular crew-cab, short-bed (5.5-foot) conﬁguration, the subtle tells that this F-150 is electric are minor styling changes, full-width light bars front and rear, some badging, a faux grille, and a 14.1-cubic-foot frunk (complete with four 120-volt outlets, no less).

squeezing batteries around a frame, the Rivian’s 133-kWh battery pack (for now the only one available) is the frame. Nestled around the big battery are four motors, two at each axle, good for a combined 835 hp, 908 lb-ft of torque, and 314 miles of range. Like the Ford, the R1T’s four corners are independently sprung, though the Rivian uses air springs, active dampers, and novel hydraulic cross-linked anti-roll bars that help

improve the truck’s capability. The tidy dimensions of the R1T’s mechanicals also allowed Rivian to think differently when it came to the pickup’s design. Like the Ford, the Rivian features a frunk and a stubby bed—4.5 feet, in this case—but it also has additional storage spots, namely an in-bed trunk and the pass-through gear tunnel between the cab and bed.

Both trucks feature pin-drop-precise one-pedal braking modes. Should you need to use the brake pedal itself, the Ford’s feels more natural. Where the two trucks most differentiate themselves on the road

The flap between the R1T’s bed and tailgate extends the floor to about 6 feet.

with a seemingly endless power supply. The closest internal combustion analogue would be if Ford somehow engineered a Power Stroke diesel with a 15,000-rpm redline and squeezed it into an F-150.

The R1T’s powertrain is that but more. With double the motors aboard, the R1T is both quicker and more sure-footed than the Lightning, never struggling for traction or grip, no matter the surface. Both trucks are so quick that it won’t make a difference to the average buyer, but you can jump to the chart at the end of this story to see how they performed at the track. It’s a shame electric vehicles have been politicized by those who clearly don’t understand them— the truth is, American drivers are really going to enjoy experiences like this.

COMPARISON 28 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

If you’ve spent any time driving an F-150 built within the past decade, the Lightning feels like home. “What I like from the get-go is the instant familiarity,” senior editor Aaron Gold said. “This is like any one of the dozens of F-150s I have driven in my career, except it’s quieter and a heck of a lot quicker.” If you enjoy the conventional F-150’s twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 but ﬁnd yourself wishing for a touch more meat to its powerband, you’re really going to like the Lightning’s twin motors. Despite a touch of torque steer under hard acceleration, the Ford pulls effortlessly,

Because the Rivian R1T was built as an electric vehicle from the start, it allowed engineers to explore novel ideas like this pass-through gear tunnel ahead of the rear wheels.

is in how they ride and steer. America’s legions of full-size truck buyers will find familiar territory in the way the Ford goes down the road. Like the standard F-150, the Lightning’s ride is somehow firm but floaty, shuddering slightly over rougher impacts like most body-on-frame trucks do. It’s never punishing or harsh, but it couldn’t feel more different than the Rivian. The R1T in its default All-Purpose drive mode is firm and well controlled, almost like it’s pushing back down into the road, attempting to flatten out the impacts it justTheencountered.samedynamic plays out in how the two trucks corner. The Ford steers far better than any conventional F-150 thanks to its lower center of gravity, but the steering itself is trucklike with a slow ratio. But good weighting and feedback allow you to place the Lightning accurately on the road. The R1T’s steering is springy and precise, which, coupled with the instant torque vectoring provided by its four motors, results in a pickup that’ll likely

IT’S A SHAME EVS HAVE BEEN POLITICIZED. THE TRUTH IS, AMERICAN DRIVERS ARE REALLY GOING TO ENJOY EXPERIENCES LIKE THIS.

Unlike their Rivian counterparts, Ford engineers didn’t have carte blanche to build a bespoke electric truck. The massive frunk is one result of those “limitations.”

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 29

The Ford isn’t in its element off-road, but it’s not necessarily out of place, either. The Lightning doesn’t have the body control to move quickly when it’s away from asphalt, but at slower speeds the truck comfortably ambles down hardpacked dirt and through loose sand. On more technical terrain, the F-150’s rear diff-lock helps the truck maintain forward momentum, though it could use a locking front differential, too, as it tends to spin

the driver-side front wheel quite a bit. Trying to keep pace with the R1T will result in nothing but frustration and body damage, but if you take things slow and choose your line carefully, the Lightning will get you where you need to go.

The Ford scores some points back when it comes to getting work done. With the Lightning rated for a 1,606-pound payload and the R1T a 1,760-pound load, both shrugged off our 1,500-pound standard payload test weight. The Rivian simply didn’t notice it had anything out back, while the Ford saw some minor improvements in ride quality. Range was unaffected by hauling.

and the composite ﬂap that bridges the gap between the bed and tailgate tends to collect debris. The Ford also has more powerful rear power outlets (9.2 kW versus 1.5 kW), better for running high-draw tools and other Althoughitems.theFord has the better bed area, the Rivian surprised us with how much more conﬁdence-inspiring it is with a trailer hanging off its hitch. Our load—Sassy and Corazon, two friendly horses loaded up in a 22-foot warmblood trailer, totaling about 5,200 pounds— didn’t come close to taxing either truck’s towing capacity (the Rivian can yank 11,000 pounds, the Ford 10,000), but it was representative of what the average full-size pickup owner tows.

As we found when the R1T won Truck of the Year, the Rivian punches well above its weight with a trailer hitched. The R1T makes towing effortlessly smooth. Its buttery power delivery, heavy brake regen in Towing mode, long accelerator-pedal travel, and well-sorted suspension give the Rivian the feeling of an understressed heavy-duty truck when pulling a load. “Even better stability than the Ford, and a much better ride,” Gold said. “Great motor control, too, especially for starting on steep inclines.” Our biggest issue is that the R1T’s trailer brake controller—operated via the

Interestingly, engaging Tow/Haul mode in the Ford turns off one-pedal driving, which makes it more difﬁcult to drive the truck smoothly—especially crucial when your load stands on four spindly legs. Were it available, we’d prefer to tow using a one-pedal mode; its compressionbrake-like effect allows more precise and predictable towing performance than when the brake pedal is part of the equation.

It’s a similar story when the pavement ends. Off-road, the Rivian is far more capable than the Ford. With ﬁve off-road modes (All-Purpose, Rock Crawl, Rally, Drift, and Sand—the last a recent overthe-air update addition), there’s little that can stop an R1T off the pavement. Its height-adjustable suspension gives it a tremendous amount of ground clearance, while the hydraulic dampers help it keep all four all-terrains on earth. Its quadmotor system is incredibly impressive, too, combining the gearing of a low range, the traction of locking differentials, and the precision of electric motors to conquer the types of obstacles that’d make a Toyota Land Cruiser owner blush.

COMPARISON A recent overthe-air update gave the R1T Sand mode, which throughuniqueforsuspensionbraking,acceleration,tailorsandtuningchallengestodrivingsoftsand. 30 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

As for the beds themselves, the Light ning’s is superior. It’s not only bigger than the R1T’s but also easier to work out of and access, with meatier tie-downs, an auto up/down tailgate, and a tailgate step and work surface. The Rivian makes up for its lack of real estate with its gear tunnel (the doors of which also double as steps), but the bed isn’t as easy to access,

Sassy and Corazon aboard, the F-150 Lightning felt much like the last conven tional F-150 we towed with on this same loop. “The Lightning performed as we expect a half-ton pickup to, except for having much better acceleration,” Gold said. “You can feel the trailer pushing the truck a bit on downhills, but it’s nothing excessive—it shows good stability.”

IF YOU TAKE THINGS SLOW, THE FORD GETS YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO GO OFF-ROAD.

surprise quite a few sports car drivers on a good back road. “I don’t think there’s any pickup that can match the entertainment value of the R1T in curves,” Gold said.

Despite the Rivian’s initial higher charge rate, in our testing it underper formed at a 207-kW peak; the Ford overperformed (holding 172 kW) and was able to hang on to that higher rate for longer. The result is it took the R1T 44 minutes to go from 5 percent to 80 percent indicated state of charge and the F-150 Lightning 50 minutes to do the same. However, neither outcome is particularly impressive in the big picture compared to the 350-kW charge rate capability of the Hummer EV pickup and upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV. Here’s hoping both truckmakers can make some incremental improvements via over-the-air updates, as our long-term Rivian has already done once.

Although both trucks are comparable in battery size and range (130 kWh and 320 miles for the Ford, 133 kWh and 314 miles for the Rivian), we were apprehensive about the Lightning’s peak charge rate of

32 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Rivian is constantly mapping and adding roadways) and often hugs lane lines and gets “bumped” by trafﬁc either driving too close or sneaking in front of the truck. Taller drivers also reported difﬁculty seeing the Driver+ status icon around the steering wheel’s rim. Ford’s system, dubbed Blue Cruise, is the better of the two. It drives as a human driver would, sends clear signals as to when it’s safe to have your hands off the wheel, and lets you know when it needs you to take control with plenty of warning. Neither system is as good as GM’s Super Cruise, however.

The R1T offers towing ability that even its impressive specs can’t communicate.

150 kW against the Rivian’s 220 kW. The slower your battery charges, the longer your time spent tethered to a charger.

The onboard power supply and tailgate work bench, which also appear on conventional F-150s, make it easy to get work done.

The biggest concern many have with an EV purchase is charging and range.

thumbwheel on the right spoke of the steering wheel—doesn’t allow for the same precise adjustments as the traditional trailer brake switch in the Ford.

It’s worth a quick look at both trucks’ advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), each of which allow for hands-free driving on highways and interstates. Rivian’s setup, Driver+, is the less polished of the two. It works in fewer areas (though

The ways we interact with these two trucks is just as important as charging. In most gas-powered vehicles, it’s easy to ignore the automaker’s included software suite and use your phone or apps via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for most infotainment tasks, but in electric vehicles, the embedded software plays an outsized role in how the vehicle functions and how we use it.

Of note: The Lightning offers vehicleto-load capability—the ability to run power to your home—via an included 80-amp charger. Although this is a neat feature, we’re skeptical of its utility given it will likely require most people to spend thousands of dollars on electrical upgrades to their homes, and early reports from owners regarding Ford’s installation partner, Sunrun, are largely unfavorable.

It’s also tremendously easy to deal with recharging; the Rivian offers a dedicated charging screen that allows you to set its charge limit (70 percent for daily use, 85 percent for extended range, and 100 percent for road-tripping), schedule charge times for off-peak hours, and see live and historical charging information, like the current peak charge rate or kWh of energy dispensed. With how ﬁnicky Electrify America (the nation’s largest fast-charging network) can be, that information can be the difference between a quick charge and a long one.

Digital natives will likely take to the Rivian’s system. Operated via a large, Tesla-style 15.3-inch landscape display, the Rivian’s setup is snappy, responsive, intuitive, and feature-rich, with func tions like a native Spotify app and a Pet Comfort mode. The latter keeps cabin temps between 68 and 74 degrees while parked, provided at least 50 miles of range remain. The central screen also displays a bold message for passersby so they know your critter is safe.

Still, it’s not perfect. The Rivian is overly reliant on soft buttons. Simple tasks such as changing drive modes are made complicated in the R1T, as they require multiple taps and menus to access and adjust. The most annoying are the fully digital HVAC vents, which turn something you can do in seconds with your eyes on the road in the Ford to a distracting, drawn-out affair.

More annoying, the Lightning defaults to 90 percent after every single charge, requiring the owner to menu surf and reset the charge limit to 100 percent each time they want a little extra range. On one occasion, we had a charging session set for

The Lightning is better in some ways but worse in others. Featuring the 15.5inch portrait display from the Mustang Mach-E (lesser Lightnings trade screen real estate for more hard buttons), the Ford’s display has a volume knob and large, relatively easy-to-hit soft buttons. It lacks a pet mode (a feature we hope to see added via an OTA update), but it does feature some basic games, truck-speciﬁc apps like onboard payload scales, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—the latter two unlikely to be added to the R1T. Why not? Because Rivian, like Tesla, has an immersive native OS, and it doesn’t want to help Apple or Google develop a competing system. Rivian also believes its version is superior while effectively allowing the company to better control the overall vehicle ecosystem.

Still, there’s a lot of room for improve ment with Ford’s software. Besides it being laggier to respond, we found far too much of its core functionality buried in menus—especially as it relates to charging information. It takes at least three swipes and taps to get to the Lightning’s menu to

Ford F-150 Lightning vs. Rivian R1T

I COMPARISON NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 33

The andmuchonlyothertowsLightninglikeanyF-150,it’smuch,quickersmoother.

The Ford’s video games are fun, but we wish its infotainment setup offered more substantial and specific charging information than it does (below right).

view simple info such as state of charge or to set a preferred departure time.

Although the R1T has a distinct soft ware advantage over the Ford, the Ford has an equally big hardware advantage over the Rivian. Ripped straight out of conventional F-150s, the Lightning’s cabin is positively massive, besting the smaller Rivian in every conceivable passengervolume metric. It also beats the R1T when it comes to storage, featuring about a dozen cupholders, big door pockets, fold-away underseat storage in back, a flat floor, and a massive center cubby, the lid of which folds out into a worktable. Some material pieces are too plasticky and flimsy for the Ford’s price tag, but the Lightning is nevertheless a great place to spend time in and get work done.

LIFT-OVER HT (FRUNK/BOX) 34.5/36.7in40.2/31.2in PAYLOAD CAPACITY 1,606lb1,760lb TOWING CAPACITY 10,000lb11,000lb TEST ACCELERATIONDATA TO MPH 0-30 1.6sec1.2sec 0-40 2.2 1.8 0-50 2.9 2.3 0-60 3.8 3.1 0-70 4.9 4.0 0-80 6.2 5.2 0-90 7.9 6.5 0-100 9.9 8.1 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.7 1.5 QUARTER MILE 12.4sec@106.9mph11.6sec@110.8mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 133ft 126ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.73g(avg)0.77g(avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.2sec@0.63g(avg)26.6sec@0.68g(avg) CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $69,269 $86,075 PRICE AS TESTED $80,839 $88,975 AIRBAGS 8:Dualfront,frontside,frontknee,f/rcurtain 8:Dualfront,f/rside,f/rcurtain BASIC WARRANTY 3years/36,000miles5years/60,000miles POWERTRAIN; BATTERY WARRANTY 100,0005years/60,000miles;8years/miles(to70%capacity) 175,0008years/175,000miles;8years/miles(to70%capacity) ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5years/60,000miles8years/175,000miles BATTERY CAPACITY 131kWh 133kWh EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 78/63/70mpg-e74/66/70mpg-e EPA RANGE, COMB 320miles314mi RECOMMENDED FUEL 480-volt240-voltelectricity,electricity 480-volt240-voltelectricity,electricity ON SALE Now Now *Plus 11.6 cu ft (gear tunnel) and 14.3 cu ft (under cargo bed, without spare tire). COMPARISON 34 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat 2022 Rivian R1T Launch EditionPOWERTRAIN/CHASSIS The Rivian lacks a high center tunnel; this low tray is there instead.

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-andrear-motor,AWD2xfront-and2xrear-motor,AWD MOTOR TYPE Permanent-magnetelectricPermanent-magnetelectric POWER (SAE NET) 580hp 415hp(front),420hp(rear);835hp(comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 775lb-ft 413lb-ft(front),495lb-ft(rear);908lb-ft(comb) WEIGHT TO POWER 11.7lb/hp8.6lb/hp TRANSMISSION 1-speedautomatic1-speedautomatic AXLE RATIO 9.72:1(fr),9.61:1(rr)12.6:1 SUSPENSION,FRONT;REAR Controlarms,coilsprings,anti-rollbar;semi-trailingarm,coilsprings,anti-rollbar Controlarms,airsprings,adjshocks;multilink,airsprings,adjshocks STEERING RATIO 15.7:1(est)15.2:1 TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 3.1 2.9 BRAKES, F; R 14.0-inventeddisc;13.8-inventeddisc 13.5-in vented disc; 12.9-in vented disc WHEELS 8.5x20-incastaluminum8.5x21-incastaluminum TIRES AT2275/60R20115THankookDynaPro(M+S) 275/55R21116HPirelliScorpionVerdeElectRIV(M+S) WHEELBASEDIMENSIONS 145.5in135.9in TRACK, F/R 68.1/68.3in68.1/68.1in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 232.7x80.0x78.3in217.1x81.8x72.5-79.0in GROUND CLEARANCE 8.4in 7.9-14.9in APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 24.4/23.6deg34.0/29.3deg(max) TURNING CIRCLE 48.0ft44.9ft CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R) 6,794lb(50/50%)7,143lb(51/49%) SEATING CAPACITY 5 5 HEADROOM, F/R 40.8/40.4in41.4/38.1in LEGROOM, F/R 43.9/43.6in41.4/36.6in SHOULDER

There’s no dancing around the fact both trucks are incredibly expensive for ROOM, F/R 66.7/66.0in60.6/59.0in 67.1x65.2x21.4in54.0x55.1x18.3in 14.1/52.8cuft 11.0/29.2cuft* 50.6in50.2in

PICKUP BOX L X W X H

WIDTH BET WHEELHOUSES

Our feelings about the R1T’s cabin are more nuanced. It’s attractively designed and built incredibly well, and it features a lovely mix of colors and materials beﬁtting the R1T’s cost. It’s not as roomy as the Ford, but it’s easily spacious enough for four adults and generally comfortable, though taller passengers complained of the rear seat-back shape. However, it lacks storage. There are but four cupholders in the entire truck, there’s no glove box, the door pockets are small, and the deployable drawers in the front seats are too narrow to be used for anything substantial. That means the average-size center console and the wireless charging pad become the de facto places you pile all the stuff you accumulate while driving a pickup, like your phone, keys, wallet, gloves, or tools.

100 percent. When it failed at 88 percent, we had to unplug and plug the truck back in to begin again, only for the Ford to stop the session a few minutes later at 90 percent, forcing us to run through the dance once more. In addition, there’s no way to view the vehicle’s charge rate or the kWh dispensed during a session, though you do get a very brief look at the kWh consumed after a session concludes via a pop-up that disappears quickly. (Ford’s phone app—also not quite as polished as Rivian’s—does at least allow you to view information from your past charges, excepting peak rates.)

FRUNK/CARGO BOX VOLUME

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went to press), we shed our R1T’s all-ter rains, off-road package, premium paint option, and power-operated tonneau cover but kept its optional full-size spare (stan dard on the Ford) and added the optional wall charger (standard with the big-battery F-150). That totaled $87,645, about $7,000 more than the 2022 Ford but nearly $2,000 less than what a similarly optioned Ford will cost going forward.

The Lightning’s interior is pure F-150—except for that massive portrait-orientation central screen, of course.

36 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Despite Ford touting the Lightning’s affordable $41,669 starting price, our F-150 Lightning Lariat extended range isn’t exactly cheap, either, stickering for $80,839, though that price, too, will go up on 2023 models. We think the 2022 Light ning XLT is a better buy than the Rivian due to its similar equipment and interior quality levels, but shoppers are looking at an $87,769 outlay for the 2023 F-150 Light ning Lariat extended range.

the average buyer. Technically speaking, our R1T Launch Edition long-termer is the cheaper of the two with its $76,875 as-tested price. Thing is, if you were to buy our exact same truck today, you’d need to spend $96,250, as Rivian increased prices of the R1T to make room for the upcoming dual-motor R1T variant, making it much less of a value than it once was.

Regardless of the finishing order, these two signal the beginning of an outstanding future for electric pickup trucks.

We spent some time on both Ford’s and Rivian’s conﬁgurators to try to equalize our trucks’ equipment levels and paint a clearer picture of the price differences between them. Losing just the optional all-terrain tires on our test F-150 but keeping the extended-range battery, spray-in bedliner, and Max Tow package would see the Ford’s as-tested price fall slightly to $80,689. Using the R1T Adven ture as our starting point (the cheaper R1T Explore was discontinued as this issue

So which is the better truck? Well, it’s complicated, as they clearly target different buyers and there’s not really a wrong answer here on an individual basis. In the Rivian’s favor, it’s the better tow rig, more engaging on pavement, and more capable off it, and its software smooths the switch from gasoline to electricity. But the Ford drives nearly as well empty, tows almost as well, and has a far more func tional bed and a roomier, more comfortable cabin. It also charges just about as quickly as the R1T while going slightly farther

Despite the heavy reliance on soft buttons, the ambiance of the R1T’s cabin matches its price tag.

EDITIONPROS

• Comparatively little interior storage

• Better to drive than any previous F-150

• Software suite needs reﬁnement and deeper data

• Not quite as polished as the Rivian

• Still expensive and getting more so VERDICT

VERDICT

2ND PLACE RIVIAN R1T LAUNCH

• Robust charging curve makes road-tripping feasible CONS

Despite this extremely close loss, the Rivian R1T remains one of the best EVs on the planet.

• Premium cabin CONS

The Ford F-150 Lightning wins by the tip of a whisker—but this battle will continue to hinge on over-the-air updates. Q

COMPARISON NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 37

• Silly fun to drive on the road, unstoppable off it

• Huge cabin with tons of storage

per charge. Ford’s software team would beneﬁt from a few months spent in the Rivian, but that’s an easier ﬁx than adding interior storage to the R1T.

the capability of the R1T, similar charging performance, a better bed, and a more practical cabin—for slightly less money in 2022 or slightly more in 2023. So the Lightning takes this round by the hair of its chinny chin chin, but given future price increases and how quickly software evolves, we plan to revisit this face-off in 12 months or so to see if the Ford is still worthy of the crown.

• Revised pricing greatly diminished its relative value

• Underperformed in charging tests

Which is the better truck? The answer is complicated, as they target different buyers.

For many shoppers, the R1T’s superior off-road capability, on-road dynamics, tow capacity, lifestyle elements, and soft ware will rightly win them over. But the 2022 F-150 Lightning offers 90 percent of

• Advanced software

1ST PLACE FORD F-150 LIGHTNING LARIAT EXTENDED RANGE PROS

s my wrists and ankles were being bound with duct tape in the Utah desert, I resolved to read my emails more carefully. I was standing next to a Chevrolet Malibu’s trunk, open and awaiting my imminent installation within, as part of the Escape & Evasion Driving Experience created and taught by former CIA agent Jason Hanson. I’d been so enthralled by the invitation to participate and its promises of ramming through roadblocks and doing highspeed reverse 180-degree turns, I somehow missed the paragraph about being restrained and thrown into the back of a car.

No doubt the opportunity to master such escape techniques appeals to many, but as a short, fat, out-of-shape journalist whose idea of exercise is lifting a Philly cheesesteak to my mouth, I’m not one of them. I don’t own a ﬁrearm or even a decent pair of running shoes—if you see me running, something behind me is on ﬁre. I am the opposite of a survivalist: In the event of a nuclear war, my goal is to die in the initial attack. Barring that, I’ll be the guy on the roof with a sign that says, “Unarmed. House full of money, food, and tools. Please help yourself.”

FEATURE I Driving Like a Spy 38 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

HOW TO DRIVE TO AVOID HAPPENSWHATKIDNAPPED—ANDBEINGTODOIFITANYWAY

ESCAPE AND EVADE

WORDS AARON GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY WILLIAM WALKER

Neither the class nor the teacher was what I expected. I envisioned Hanson as a bulky, shouty, camo-clad man who would rip off his wrap-around sunglasses

and ﬁx me with a glare that dismissed me as worthless and weak. Instead, he turned out to be a tidy, well-spoken sort with a physique that was muscular but lean, thin enough I feared he’d disappear if he turned sideways. Hanson runs his own security and executive protection business, and although he isn’t allowed to speciﬁcally link them, his course is based on CIA techniques he passed on to spies

Bad guy trying to carjack you? Disarming him doesn’t take strength, just surprise and speed. Getting away takes a more refined set of skills.

So it is rather unfortunate I waited until after my plane tickets were booked to read the message in detail and realize exactly what I was in for, which is to learn how to avoid being captured by bad guys—and how to escape if they take you anyway.

he recruited—or rather would have done had he actually recruited spies, which of course he did not do and the CIA does not do, or so I have been assured by the sternlooking men in suits who just showed up at my Peopledoorstep.whotake this class are not the militia-wannabe types I envisioned,

FEATURE I Driving Like a Spy

It turns out you don’t need a steroidenhanced physique to master the techniques Hanson teaches. Take escaping when your wrists are duct-taped in front of you. Kidnappers like duct tape because it’s cheap and strong and raises little suspicion when purchased, and they generally bind your wrists in front so you’re less likely to stumble and fall when they need to move you quickly. Hanson’s instructions are all about speed and angle rather than raw strength: Put your hands above your head, arms angled like the roof of a house, then rapidly move them down and apart. Get the angle right, and the tape snaps like paper. Do it wrong—arms down and then apart, like you’re elbowing someone behind you—and it doesn’t. I broke free on the ﬁrst try, much to my expletive-laden surprise. One of the more muscle-bound attendees didn’t—score one for the dad bod!

But this is MotorTrend, not DuctTape Trend, and I imagine you want to hear about the evasive driving stuff, which is arguably the most important part of the training. After all, bad guys can’t snatch you if they can’t catch you.

The education begins by covering car-control basics using a slalom course on a dirt road; dirt is preferred because it’s slipperier than pavement. The object is to learn what it feels like when the car loses grip so that you can recover quickly. There’s a twist, though: Normally, you can establish good rhythm on a traditional slalom, but we can’t do that here because Hanson and his team reposition the cones slightly between runs. No two escape

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 41

Once we got the hang of the swerve, Hanson said he was going to add a surprise distraction, making me wonder how surprising it could be if we knew something was coming. Yeah, well, silly me, because I was genuinely jarred when I approached the obstacle and saw Hanson—who proceeded to jump out in front of my car and hurl a frickin’ cone at the frickin’ windshield.

If you and your high-networth friends need to learn how to protect yourselves from abduction, head OperativeDriving.com.to Breaking free of duct-tape bindings is surprisingly simple, once you know how.

The slalom is followed by the obstacleavoidance maneuver, with a coned-off lane similar in size to a narrow European street (because all the best people get kidnapped in Europe) and a rectangle of cones representing an obstacle such as a car blocking the road. The technique seems straightforward enough— approach, swerve, and recover—but it’s easy to panic and pick up too much speed, making it more likely you’ll spin the car in the recovery.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a traffic cone hurled at you while you’re driving. I imagine the number of people nodding in the affirmative is extremely low outside of those who have taken this course or those who have gone through a difficult breakup with a highway main tenance worker. Believe me, it’s a rather unnerving experience, yet one that inflicts surprisingly little damage to a car. Some of my fellow students were stunned to the point of plowing into the cone “wall.” I managed to swerve successfully, eliciting much praise from Hanson, though I’ll be

either. Instead, Hanson’s workshops attract folks with well-founded concerns about carjacking or kidnapping for ransom, including high-proﬁle executives and high-net-worth individuals (which means I and my fellow MotorTrend staffers are all safe). For them, getting robbed or snatched is a real possibility, and they want to learn how to get away— preferably by car—from a bad situation and how to escape from a worse one.

scenarios are the same, he points out, and this slalom’s variable nature requires careful adjustment of your line—but you can’t ﬁxate on the cones, because as any racing instructor and Hanson will tell you, whatever you look at, you will drive into.

FOR SOME, GETTING SNATCHED IS A REAL POSSIBILITY; THEY WANT TO LEARN HOW TO GET AWAY.

aim for the car’s back end, which is lighter and easier to move than the front. The object was to hit the offending car with half the width of our vehicle or less—less being better, as it’s easier to go around a car than through it. Do it correctly, Hanson told us, and the car we strike will spin 90 degrees, clearing a path for our escape. The airbags might go off, but as Hanson pointed out, airbags don’t stop a car. (Some newer cars apply the brakes either before or after a collision, so best to do this with an older vehicle.)

The hit came with a sharp crack and a slight hesitation in the Ford’s progress, and I was once again headed for freedom (in this case, a solid wall of dirt, proving once again that freedom isn’t free). I stopped and looked back and saw the Dodge, now

IT WAS A HELL OF A LOT OF FUN, SO MUCH SO THAT SMASHING THROUGH CARS WITH AN OLD PICKUP OUGHT TO BE ILLEGAL.

FEATURE I Driving Like a Spy Ramming 101: 20 mph max, aim for the lighter back end, use half of your car or less.

And that brings us to the day’s grand ﬁnale, ramming through the roadblock. In our case, this consisted of a couple of junk cars parked perpendicular to our path. Our ramming vehicle was a clapped-out Ford F-250 with a fabricated steel bumper (so the truck could be reused) and airbags disabled (so we could be reused). To that end, we also wore crash helmets, which put Hanson’s assurances this was a perfectly safe operation into some doubt.

You might have noticed a theme here: The best way not to get kidnapped is to get away from the kidnapping scenario. But what about when, as the Scientologists say, the way out is the way through?

darned if I can tell you how I managed it. There are far more lethal things than trafﬁc pylons, and surprised by a betterequipped baddie, I’m not sure I could keep control of either the car or my bladder.

will come around neatly as can be. Drop the transmission into drive, straighten the wheel, and away you go.

42 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

roadblock, Hanson told us, is not to do it like they do in Hollywood, i.e., accelerating to the fastest speed possible and plowing through the bad guy’s BMW. The ideal ramming speed is surprisingly pedestrian: right around 20 mph. Any faster, and you risk disabling your car, defeating the purpose of breaking through the roadblock in the ﬁrst place—though if the bad guys do get you, at least they’ll face higher insur ance

Our next lesson was my second most anticipated activity: the reverse 180, otherwise known as the J-turn. Kids, don’t try this at home. First, shift to reverse, look over your shoulder, and grasp the wheel with your left hand in the 9 o’clock position (if you want to spin counter clockwise; 3 o’clock with your right for a clockwise turn). Get the car going about as fast as you can in reverse, then lift off the accelerator and whip the wheel 180 degrees. The tricky part is ignoring the screaming reﬂexive urge of every single neuron in your body to step on the brake pedal—if you can avoid doing so, the car

The trick to blasting through a

And so it was that I found myself doing what I’d come here to do: coaxing a cranky old pickup truck into gear and plodding down a curving dirt road into a dug-out bowl, where a soon-to-be-ex-Dodge Stratus blocked my path. It was the ﬁrst time in my driving life I tried to drive into a car instead of around it.

Wepremiums.weretoldto

It was, to be honest, somewhat anticlimactic. It was also a hell of a lot of fun, so much so that smashing through cars with an old pickup truck really ought to be illegal. When Hanson asked if anyone wanted to try again, every hand shot up. I bashed once again through the Stratus, then took aim at— and took out—its clapped-out Cobalt coupe companion, purely in the interest of bringing you a thoroughly researched story. You’re welcome.

But wait. I realize I glossed over the duct-taped-in-the-trunk thing, so here’s the story: Having learned to break out of bound wrists and ankles (for the latter, spread your feet at a 45-degree angle, then squat quickly, which should split the tape), we were duct-taped at both points and helped into the trunk. I couldn’t get out; I couldn’t get my arms at the right angle to whip the tape apart. Hanson was kind enough to tell me that of all the exercises, this is the one his students struggle with most, and that in an adrenaline-fueled situation—like, you know, a real kidnapping—people tend to be more successful in these endeavors.

There was one more notable lesson, one that has become all too real given what’s going on in the world: how to

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slightly less Stratus-shaped, turned precisely 90 degrees from its former position. I’d done it! I’d rammed my way through a real, live roadblock!

For what it’s worth, MT photographer William Walker did manage the whole escape—not just when the car was parked but even while it was moving on a bouncy dirt road. Walker (like me) had trouble breaking the tape on his wrists, but it turns out three failed attempts will stretch the tape enough to wriggle your hands free. Had I stuck with the effort as he did, I might have made it out, but … well, remember what I said about my reaction to nuclear war. I must say, though, his ability to escape not once but twice has caused me to reevaluate my ﬁrmly held notion that being overweight and out of shape is a good idea.

disarm an assailant with a gun or a knife at close range. Like breaking out of my duct-tape manacles, doing so is simpler and easier than I ever imagined. Hanson’s technique relies not on strength but on speed and the simple fact that action is quicker than reaction. Faced with a real weapon, I’d likely still hand over my wallet and car keys, a course of action Hanson recommends. But at least now I

So yes, Jason Hanson’s Escape & Evasion Driving Experience was certainly educational, but more than that, it was empowering. I was genuinely amazed to learn you don’t need a WWE physique or pro-racer driving skills—or even a weapon—to get out of an ugly situation. At the risk of sounding like a self-help book, Hanson’s class really did teach me that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible, and it’s a lesson I’m attempting to apply to all aspects of my life. I still have no desire to survive a nuclear conﬂict, but in the event I do, you’d better believe I’m ready to drive the hell out of there, duct-taped or not.

know I have options that require nothing more than my hands and my wits … and a villain who hasn’t also taken one of Hanson’s classes.

The best way to avoid getting kidnapped is to drive away before they can get you. The reverse 180 is one of your best tools.

After all, in two decades the Swedish ﬁrm has built just 250 cars.

That’s right, the CC850 has a stick shift—but it’s a stick shift like no other. Look inside the cockpit, and you’ll spot a shifter standing proud in a classic slotted metal gate that arches upward from the center console. There’s a clutch pedal in the footwell, too. But neither is physically connected to the nine-speed Light Speed Transmission (LST) at the rear of the car.

eet the Koenigsegg CC850, built to celebrate the Swedish hypercar maker’s 20th anniversary. Koenigs … who? That’s OK, because unless you’re an inveterate gearhead, spend inordinate amounts of time digesting hypercars on Instagram, or hang out with the sort of people who think nothing of splashing several million bucks on a Ferrari Daytona SP3 or a Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 or anything Horacio Pagani makes, there’s a good chance you might never have given much thought to Koenigsegg.

The CC850, like the Jeskos, will be fully homologated for sale in the U.S. market; it’s a loving homage to the 2002 Koenigsegg CC8S, a car that company founder Christian von Koenigsegg labored eight years to create and was the ﬁrst Koenigsegg sold.

That includes the 5.0-liter Koenigsegg V-8, though it’s ﬁtted with smaller turbochargers than in the Jesko, which means it produces slightly less power and torque: 1,385 hp at 7,800 rpm on E85 (or 1,185 hp on regular fuel) and 1,021 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. In case you’re wondering, the original CC8S, hyped as having the most powerful production engine in the world at the time, made a mere 655 hp.

Koenigsegg says the low-drag Jesko Absolut version will be the fastest car it has ever built, with a top speed north of 310 mph. The bewinged Jesko Attack model will be a road-legal, high-downforce track rat.

THE KOENIGSEGG CC850 HYPERCAR PACKS WORLD’S FIRSTMANUALSHIFT-BY-WIRETRANSMISSION

But oh, what cars. Koenigsegg’s greatest hits include the 806-hp CCR, which in 2005 beat the McLaren F1’s production car speed record; the 1,017-hp CCXR that in 2007 outpowered the Bugatti Veyron; and the 1,341-hp Agera One:1, so called because its 1,360 metric horse power propelled a car weighing just 1,360 kg (2,998 pounds) for a weight-to-power ratio of one to one.

FIRST LOOK I Koenigsegg CC850 44 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

And then there’s the Jesko, which we recently drove. You get a mind-blowing 1,600 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque from Koenigsegg’s own screaming 5.1-liter twin-turbo, ﬂat-plane-crank, dry-sump V-8 running on E85 fuel (1,280 hp if you use pump gas). And all that grunt drives only the rear wheels through an innova tive nine-speed automated manual transmission that was engineered in-house.

The CC850’s clean and simple forms echo those sketched on paper and then honed in clay more than 20 years ago by von Koenigsegg himself, though not a single nut or bolt is shared with the original car. The CC850 is state-of-the-Koenigsegg-art.

“This is the ﬁrst Koenigsegg that has not been designed to break a record,” von Koenigsegg said. It’s not that Koenigsegg is going soft, he insists. It’s just that he ﬁgures almost 1,400 hp and more than 1,000 lb-ft of torque is probably entertaining enough in any reardrive car with a manual transmission.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 45

WORDS ANGUSMACKENZIE

How the Koenigsegg CC850’s extraordinary transmission works to offer the best of both worlds

Development is ongoing, but von Koenigsegg says the goal is no difference in feel from a traditional manual: “That’s the objective. It should feel like a mix between a Mazda Miata and a Ferrari gated shifter. The best of the two worlds.” AM

In the Jesko, the ratios are selected via paddles. The new iteration in the CC850 has no paddles. Instead, there’s a clutch pedal and a stick shift. How does it work? We’ll let the man himself explain: “It’s a clutch-by-wire,” von Koenigsegg said, “but you feel the pres sure of the clutch through the pedal the same as with a traditional one. It’s just electronically connected. You can go in and out of the point [where the clutch bites]. You can launch with revs. You can step off the pedal too quickly and stall the car. It feels no different than a normal “Force-feedbackclutch.mechanisms link the shifter to the clutch movement,” he continued. “If you want to pull out of a gear, you can’t do that until you have a certain movement on your clutch pedal, like in a traditional car. If you want to shift into a gear that’s too low, you can’t get the shifter into the gate. If the gear’s only a little too low, you feel a little resistance, like you would get from synchros.”

Koenigsegg’s Light Speed Transmission isn’t new—it made its debut on the Jesko in 2019—but the shifter and clutch pedal are, making it feel more like a traditional manual.

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Dual-clutch automatics used in most cars are programmed to essentially assume what the next gear wanted by the driver will be and, when the appropriate shift paddle is clicked or the computer determines it’s time to shift, simultaneously release the clutch driving the gear you’re shifting from while engaging the second clutch for the gear you’re shifting to. It then moves the synchronizers to engage what it thinks will be the next gearset needed, resulting in extremely quick shifts when the transmission guesses correctly.

down through eighth, seventh, and sixth to get there. All the LST does is open and close the relevant clutches, and bingo— you’re instantly in the gear you want.

he CC850’s remarkable gearbox is a cleverly evolved version of the nine-speed automated manual Light Speed Transmission (LST) fitted to the Koenigsegg Jesko. The technology is emblematic not just of Christian von Koenigsegg’s knack for catchy product names but, more important, of his irrepressibly leftfield approach to hypercar engineering.

In the LST, no gearsets move. Instead, there are two shafts with three gears each, and they are all permanently engaged. Which combination of gears sends drive to the wheels is determined by opening and closing seven compact clutches within the transmission.

Unlike in conventional dual-clutch transmissions, it’s possible to go directly from, say, ninth to fifth without shuffling

It’s the world’s ﬁrst stick-shift-by-wire setup. Using the lever allows you to select six of the LST’s nine ratios. Which six of the nine you can select is determined by whether the car is in Road or Track drive mode. And when you get bored with shifting, you can ﬂick the stick all the way across to the right, tug it back, and switch the transmission to operate in automatic mode, where it shifts between the full nine speeds all by itself.

The CC850 rolls on forged aluminum wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, 265/35R20 at the front and 325/30R21 at the rear. The telephone-dial wheel design echoes that of the CC8S.

the tops of the rear control arms to reduce squat under hard acceleration.

It’s slightly mad and utterly ingenious.

In terms of suspension tune, the CC850’s setup is between that of the track-oriented Jesko Attack and the go-fast Jesko Absolut. “It’s that sweet spot in the middle where it’s very, very capable on the track, but not as hard and extreme as the Attack [while being] ﬁrmer than the Absolut,” von Koenigsegg said.

The CC850 has an interior befitting a everydayandlikeroutineItdollarmultimillion-hypercar.alsooffersfeaturesAppleCarPlaynavigationforuse.

The brakes are Koenigsegg’s own, with massive carbon-ceramic rotors—the fronts measure 16.1 inches, the rears 15.6—clamped by calipers also of Koenigsegg’s own design. In the Jesko they deliver incredible perfor mance, and the chassis displays remarkable stability, to the point where, on a level surface, you can take your hands off the steering wheel and the car will pull up straight and true under braking.

The CC8S had no active aerodynamics. The CC850 has a rear wing that powers up from the engine cover and can ﬂip to act as an airbrake at speed. It also has active ﬂaps under the front of the car, active ride height adjustment, and active dampers.

FIRST LOOK NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 47

The LST means that, as in the Jesko, there’s no clutch or ﬂywheel on the end of the V-8’s ﬂat-plane crank. It might not have the ultimate power of the Jesko, but the CC850 still boasts the same stunning throttle response. Von Koenigsegg says the engine builds revs faster than even the free-spinning 4.0-liter V-12s in Gordon Murray’s T.50 and T.33 hypercars.Usingthe Jesko platform means the CC850 is 1.6 inches longer in wheelbase than the original CC8S. The overall width is the same, but the new car is slightly taller overall, so the basic proportions are similar. The multilink front and rear suspension has the same layout as the Jesko Absolut and includes the so-called Triplex damper that links

My first car was a Suzuki Swift GTI, but my second car was a Mazda Miata, which I still own. I’ve sold it and bought it back three times over the years, the last time three years ago. It’s just a very nice thing to be motoring around in. I think its transmission still is the pinnacle of shifting enjoyment. AM

Koenigsegg has built 250 cars in 20 years and is now gearing up to build 400 cars over the next two or three years. Is this how you imagined it would be?

No one was asking for a Swedish supercar 30 years ago. To get the world to pay attention, Koenigsegg sought to outdo everyone else.

48 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

I would say I aimed for success and greatness. What is that? Is it Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Porsche? Or is

Has the EV been put on a pedestal as the solution to all the environmental problems caused by cars?

FIRST LOOK

Absolutely. It has happened already, and it’s an oversimplification. I think battery technology will improve and electricity production will improve. But in the short term, we’re missing out on an opportunity to reduce the environ mental impact sooner. There’s so much we can do with modern combustion engines—biofuels and synthetic fuels, more hybridization. We could have a much bigger impact than just waiting for everything to go electric.

What was your first car?

CvK They’re all so different. The most impossible car of all, even though it’s the simplest one, was the CC8S because, on average, fewer than 12 people created it. In the first seven or eight years, only four people were working on it, and we had very little experience. That it turned out the way it did is unbelievable to me today. Then I would say the Agera for breaking the mold completely. A car with no gears is still a mind-bender for me.

MT Of all the cars you’ve created, do you have a soft spot for any in particular?

It was an absolutely wild execution that no other car company would ever have dared to do.

That’s a very good question. We’re in an interesting world where the environment is critical for all of us, and we need to take responsibility. Long before that was an aspect in our industry, we started working with renewable fuels. We are doing electri fication now, but the customers are not asking for electrification per se. We’re mixing it in with hybrid tech as well as enhancing the combustion engine, which can run on renewable fuel.

it McLaren or Lotus? I just wanted to build cars. I didn’t know if it would be 10 or 100,000 cars. I started by building one car by hand, selling it, and then another one. When I had made a few, I thought I could probably make a few more. I didn’t set any limitations to what it could be. I don’t think 22-year-old Christian von Koenigsegg would have been super surprised that we ended up here.

What is Koenigsegg going to look like in five or 10 years’ time?

Five Questions Christian von Koenigsegg

Sure, the CC8S feels a little old school today, but in a good way. The engine growls lustily; it’s also bolted to the chassis, so you feel it as well as hear it. The six-speed manual transmission is very mechanical in its action and motions. The pedals are well placed and nicely weighted; heel-and-toe downshifts are a snap. The only complaint is the notably heavy steering.

The CC850 will feature all the usual Koenigsegg amenities, including the signature dihedral synchrohelix-hinged power doors, plus a power hood and engine cover. A 9.0-inch touchscreen controls the info tainment and various other systems, such as climate control, custom lighting, and electric controls for the mirrors, doors, seats, windows, and seat heating.

Von Koenigsegg, who rides along as we drive down roads that wend among wheatfields surrounding the company’s factory in Ängelholm, Sweden, says the early cars all had different steering weighting as the team tried to sort out the hydraulic power steering system’s valving. “This is one of the heavy ones.”

What’s most remarkable about the CC8S is that it feels like a proper Lamborghini crusher, not some cobbled-together kit car. The interior is comfortable, the ride is good, and its wraparound windshield—still a Koenigsegg design feature—offers excellent visibility. It has a brawny, muscular presence but feels light on its feet and remarkably fast, two hallmark Koenigsegg traits to this day. Very impressive, indeed. AM

“It’stag.such an emotional car because it harks back to the ﬁrst Koenigsegg ever,” von Koenigsegg said of the CC850. “We’ve done it in an analog yet very forwardlooking way. If you didn’t know anything about Koenigsegg and saw the car on the road, you wouldn’t think it was a celebration of a 20-year-old car. It looks like something super modern.” Q

Only 50 CC850s were planned (Koenigsegg announced an additional 20 units right before press time), though that’s not the only reason for the ﬁnal two digits in its name. The car also celebrates Christian von Koenigsegg’s 50th birthday this year. Most have already been snapped up by enthusiastic Koenigsegg owners despite the roughly $3.6 million price

Twenty years on, Koenigsegg CC8S chassis No. 2—the first Koenigsegg ever delivered to a customer, in 2002— still feels awfully impressive.

The CC8S name? The CC bit means “coupe convertible,” a nod to the original Koenigsegg’s removable roof, which could be stored in the frunk and looked like an integral part of the car when in place. But it also references Christian von Koenigsegg’s nickname as a kid, CC.

In a nod to the past, the CC850 also features old-school analog instruments in addition to the old-school exposed shifter mechanism.

The Car That Started It All

The eight stands for the number of cylinders in the 4.7-liter engine, which was based on Ford’s modular V-8. And the S signifies it’s supercharged.

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2023 Koenigsegg CC850 PRICE $3,600,000 LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe ENGINE 5.1L/1,185-hp (1,385-hp on E85)/ 1,021-lb-ft twin-turbo port-injected DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 9-speed seven-clutch auto CURB WEIGHT 3,100 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 106.3 in L X W X H 171.8 x 79.7 x 44.3 in 0-60 MPH 2.7 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL CITY/HWY/COMBECON, Not yet rated EPA RANGE, COMB 228 miles (est) ON SALE Now

THE CC8S FEELS A LITTLE OLD SCHOOL TODAY, BUT IN A GOOD WAY.

Driving the Koenigsegg CC8S, the inspiration for the CC850

No ethanol in your local pumps? Despite selling a minuscule number of cars in total, Koenigsegg thoughtfully created an upgraded Agera for such markets. With all the Agera R trappings but tuned to run on gas with octane ratings as low as 93, the Agera S still put out 1,030 hp. Its “Aircore” carbon-fiber wheels were hollow; such wheels have been catching on in the past couple years, but this was rocking them back in 2012. The weight savings are substantial: 11 pounds per corner. They’re light enough to easily toss into the air.

CC Prototype

The first “green” supercar? Now with ethanolburning capability, that was certainly the story for the CCXR. But despite being based on biological sources like corn, ethanol isn’t

Agera (2010)

The Teetotaler

CC8S (2002)

CCXR (2007)

The CC prototype demonstrated a few future Koenigsegg calling cards, such as dihedral doors and a unique greenhouse with a removable roof panel. The shape was a little awkward, but that would be rectified soon enough. At this point, Koenigsegg wasn’t building its own engine, instead using the well-regarded Audi 4.2-liter V-8. The car made its first public appearance in 1996 before premiering in final form at the 2000 Paris auto show.

Low, muscular, and looking like nothing else on the road, the CC8S was a revelation. It was also a lot more handsome than the CC prototype, placing the wraparound windshield on a much more cohesive, almost monolithic shape. Deceptively simple, even today its details stand out, such as the way the geometric roof dives into the organic-looking humps over the engine. The engine was a 4.7-liter supercharged force, re-engineered from a Ford V-8 architecture to pump out 655 horsepower. The dihedral doors and carbon-fiber roof added to the charm.

necessarily very environmentally friendly. What it can do, however, is help boosted engines make a lot more power thanks to its higher octane rating. In this case, the CCXR crested the 1,000-hp mark thanks to its E85 capability, totaling 1,032. Koenigsegg said the CCXR could almost touch 250 mph, and a CCXR Special Edition was created at the end of its run.

The New Kid

Still clearly of the breed, the Agera is the first Koenigsegg that looked significantly different from the car that kicked off the lineage. The front end was modernized with more aggressive, swept-back headlights, and ovoid taillights punctuated a new look at the rear. Other improvements included significantly increased downforce, more power from a now-turbocharged V-8, better suspension, and bigger brakes. The result is an improved overall package and a real looker, better suited to the contemporary hypercar environment than its predecessor. Total output? A staggering 947 hp.

Agera R (2011)

The famous Nardò track in Italy is where the McLaren F1 set its legendary top speed record in 1993, and it’s also where, for a short time, a Koenigsegg CCR claimed the same crown.

Just like the CCXR, the Agera R went to new extremes thanks to ethanol. It could go from wild to full bonkers depending on what it guzzled; 95-octane pump gas was good for 947 hp, while E85 or E100 uncorked the car’s full 1,124 hp. With four-figure power output and smooth lines, the Agera R was truly a rival to the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra. But did either of those cars offer a custom cargo-box option to tout factory-optional Michelin winter tires? No? Well, Koenigsegg just does hypercars differently.

20 Years of KoenigseggInnovationhasalways done things differently— very differently

An evolved CC8S, the car hit 241 mph, enough to be crowned the speed king (at least until Bugatti’s prototype Veyron came out to play). The CCR built on the CC8S with larger aero pieces and wheels, while the V-8 now used twin superchargers to make 806 hp, an astonishing figure for 2004. The CCR looked understated—it was anything but.

The CCX is just the previous model with some tweaks, right? After all, that was the formula until this point: The underlying chassis was so good, it could take massive power increases and capture top speed records. Why mess with success? But in reality, the CCX used an entirely new chassis, had a new engine (now displacing 4.8 liters), and shared few components overall. It snagged a number of records involving acceleration and deceleration and some track records, as well. It pumped out 817 hp, up slightly from its predecessor. Just two were made.

The R Stands for Ethanol

If one thing’s been made clear in the two decades since the first production Koenigsegg hit the streets, it’s that the Swedish company thinks outside the box. Need proof? Just check out the hypercars in its history.

CCX More(2006)ThanMeets the Eye

CCR Speed(2004)Merchant

CC Prototype (first driven in public in 1996) A Long Beginning

Words Alex Kierstein

A Star Is Born

Choose Your Octane Adventure

Agera S (2012)

One:1

Going the other direction, the Jesko’s highlight feature is its Light Speed Transmission, which features nine forward gears and seven clutches. This arrangement allows ultrafast gearchanges and skipping of multiple ratios.

What is a mega-GT? When you’re a company that invents tech and creates entirely new categories, you can define it however you like. The Gemera fits the bill, because it was created to embody the label. Despite seating four, it’s as wild as—if not wilder than—any Koenigsegg that came before. It wasn’t enough just to take the Regera’s clever powertrain setup, so instead of the 5.0-liter turbocharged V-8, it features a 2.0-liter twinturbo I-3 that produces an eye-watering 592 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque on its own. Yes, a three-cylinder that makes V-8 power! And it goes big—nay, huge—in other metrics. Zero to 62 mph? 1.9 seconds. Top speed? 248 mph. Total output? 1,677 hp.

Jesko Absolut (2020)

Agera RS (2015)

The Absolut is all about raw speed. Much of the downforce-producing aero is dropped to make the car extremely slick, with a stated drag coefficient of just 0.28. Its V-8 is punched out to 5.1 liters and produces 1,600 hp on E85.

Faster, Faster

Regera Where’s(2015)theGearbox?

One:1 (2014)

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In a situation where it’d be helpful to go from seventh to third in a hurry? The LST can do that in less time than it takes you to snap your fingers. Despite the $3 million price tag, the Jesko (and its Absolut variant) are sold out. This is a high-volume car for Koenigsegg; the company plans to build 125 Jeskos in total. It had only built 250 total cars up to this point.

Four Seats, No Compromises

Jesko Absolut

Gemera

Speed Broker

Tech Tour de Force

The First Megacar Koenigsegg loves inventing fun names for its cars and their components. Here, the automaker created an entire category: the megacar. According to the company, a megacar produces 1 megawatt of power. The One:1 also features a 1 kilogram to 1 horsepower weight-to-power ratio, hence its moniker. Once again, the One:1 uses an engine tune that allows it to burn ethanol, and it could run E85 or regular gasoline or even race fuel. The maximum output?

Convert a megawatt to conventional pony power, and it’s 1,341 horses. All in a car that weighed just 2,954 pounds. That’s more than 600 pounds lighter than the Agera R. Only seven of these “megacars” were built.

The Agera RS combined learnings from the One:1 with the relative usability of the R and S models, including adding back some sound deadening, comfort and convenience touches, and even memory-foam seats. Even so, some of the techniques developed for the One:1’s lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque helped the RS achieve a lighter curb weight than either of its predecessors. The twinturbo V-8 still pumped out 1,134 horsepower, and an optional upgrade could bring it to the One:1’s state of tune. With less downforce than the One:1 but the same output, von Koenigsegg realized the RS might be fast. Extremely fast. “Break the top speed record” fast. It did that and more, swiping the title from Bugatti at 277.9 mph and setting a few more records besides.

The road-legal Absolut will theoretically top 310 mph, and its new chassis allows for significantly more head- and legroom inside. With less downforce, the suspension can be softer. It almost seems like a practical choice, as far as hypercars go.

Gemera (2020)

hybrid can be. The Regera pairs the expected V-8—a 5.0-liter twin-turbo, in this case—with three electric motors. The system is good for a stupefying 1,500 hp. This is no “ordinary” hybrid setup, either. In this case, Koenigsegg’s DirectDrive system means there’s no conven tional transmission at all. The electric motors move the vehicle until about 30 mph, when a hydraulic coupling activates to bring the V-8 into the mix via a direct-drive arrangement. Although the 0–60 time is impressive (2.8 seconds), the Regera excels at highspeed acceleration to well past 200 mph. The powertrain remains so novel, we barely have room to mention the styling and heavily modified Agera chassis.

Jesko (2019)

It’s tempting to think of hybridization as simply a fuel-saving technology. Koenigsegg? The paradigm-breaking company has a whole different idea of what a

FIRST DRIVE I Cadillac Lyriq EV 52 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 53

n the eve of Cadillac’s pivot to electriﬁcation, we note how the marque came to be deﬁned by the vehicles at its lineup’s margins: the now ubiquitous Escalade SUV and a bunch of V-series supersedans. Stuff like the XT4, XT5, CT6, STS, CTS, and XTS came and largely went, instantly forgotten seemingly even by Cadillac. Those that still hang around today do so as uncompetitive placeholders that wait to be supplanted by an EV.

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THE LYRIQ IS AS PRAGMATIC AS IT IS GROUNDBREAKING.

The Lyriq is perhaps most distinctive viewed from the rear, which is festooned with LED lights capable of dynamic little shows.

However modest its speciﬁcations, the SUV comes together beautifully on the road. GM’s world-class chassis engineers landed on an ideal ride/handling mix, delivering supple comfort, keen noise isolation, and taut body control. This is a big, heavy vehicle, measuring 196.7 inches

Vertical front accent lighting is a well-established signature of Cadillac’s ever-evolving Art and Science design language; the Lyriq is the first production model to actually house its headlamps there, however. (The horizontal “eyes” at the leading edge of the hood are turn signals.) A long hood, tapered roofline, and huge wheels give it show-car looks, and all the exterior lighting can be animated and choreographed, including the backlit pinstriping on the gloss-black “grille.”EVdevelopment increasingly involves a “top hat” (or body) mounted on a skateboard-style platform with flexible dimensions; in this case, the Lyriq’s distinctive top hat sits on GM’s Ultium electric vehicle architecture. (The Ultium hardware will support every new electric Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC, too.) The Lyriq features a structural, floormounted battery and provisions for front and rear electric drive motors, though the examples we drove in Park City, Utah, were rear-drive, rear-motor versions. GM pulled the Lyriq’s launch forward by several months, and the rear motor unit shared with the GMC Hummer EV was ready to go. The front drive motor on the coming AWD models is new and specific to the Cadillac, and it needs more development time—its arrival coincides with the Lyriq’s original launch timing.

But where might Cadillac be today had it not poured resources into chasing the ghost of ’90s BMW “ultimate driving machine” glory? What if it had passed on building thrilling sport sedans that luxury customers were already shunning, instead leveraging the Escalade’s cachet on an excellent supporting cast of smaller, more mainstream SUVs? We think we found an answer: The Lyriq EV just might be the stunning, surprisingly excellent conﬂuence of multiple Cadillac

Against anything from Tesla or Lucid or even conventional luxury SUVs such as the BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, the Lyriq’s specs are average. Its single rear motor produces 340 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque and motivates nearly three tons of vehicle. The lithium-ion battery is made up of 12 modules and has a Tesla-like 102 kWh of capacity to deliver an EPA-estimated 312 miles of driving range. The suspension is multilink front and rear (ﬁve links per corner); that it does without electronically adaptive dampers, air springs, or other softwareenhanced trickery is particularly surprising given GM’s expertise in such technology. Instead, the Lyriq rides on coil springs and “Passive-Plus” frequency-selective dampers.

FIRST DRIVE

That’stimelines.becausethe Lyriq is the company’s ﬁrst mainstream product in generations to so obviously enjoy the sort of engineering attention lavished on its

halo products. A total reset for Cadillac, its ﬁrst EV reveals a willingness to grow from the middle out, not top down. The Lyriq therefore arrives as a midsize luxury SUV, occupying one of the hottest market segments. It’s as pragmatic as it is groundbreaking: When the fully electriﬁed lineup it portends comes to light, the Lyriq will be just another volume seller equivalent to today’s XT5 or XT6, only you’ll remember this one.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 55

Want more? The dual-motor Lyriq will bring about 500 hp later this year, and a Cadillac engineer hinted the brand’s V performance badge will stick around through the transition to electrics.

At least half a century has passed since Cadillac interiors lived up to the manufacturer’s old “standard of the world” boast. If the newest Escalade turned the tide, the Lyriq does it one better, being the rare modern Cadillac whose interior not only matches but might exceed expectations set by its asking price. That price, by the way, is just $62,990.

GM finally signed off on bespoke switches, buttons, and the like for Cadillac, many of which appear here for the first time and aren’t shared with Chevrolet, GMC, or Buick. The expensive-looking and -feeling parts are several notches better than those in today’s XT4, XT5, or XT6. Precise fits and thoughtful touches such as the stitched leather lining of the large drawer that slides out from the dashboard or the huge and intricately formed metal speaker grilles on the doors rocket the Lyriq into contention with the likes of Audi and Mercedes.

The Lyriq’s acceleration is sufﬁcient, not thrilling. Figure on 60 mph taking about 6.0 seconds. We also noticed a programmed softening of pedal inputs, which means no matter how eagerly you jump on the accelerator, the motor hesitates before ramping up its power delivery. The delay is similar to asking for a downshift in a gas-powered vehicle, and it keeps occupants’ heads from whipping into the headrests. Together with the secure handling, smooth ride, and utterly silent interior—it is crypt-quiet thanks to traditional sound-deadening and active noise cancellation—the dynamics are genteel and reﬁned. Perfect for, yes, a mainstream luxury SUV.

just a few inches shy of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class’, and the rear seat is limousinelarge. As in the Escalade, an incredibly crisp and easy-to-use 33.0-inch touchscreen extends from the left windshield pillar to the center of the dash. Nearly anything on-screen that looks like an icon is a pressable “button.” Shortcuts to audio, navigation, and phone menus live across the bottom of the display, and swiping left or right on the screen’s central area calls up a deeper roster of buttons for more detailed menus and settings.Physical controls are limited to the steering wheel buttons, the row of metal HVAC tabs below the display, and the

This is a large vehicle, so the cabin is likewise spacious and airy, as you can see from, well, the air.

The cabin also is huge, as it should be: The Lyriq’s 121.8-inch wheelbase is

long and 77.8 inches wide, yet its vice-free setup and near 50/50 front/rear weight distribution help it feel light on its feet. The Lyriq corners ﬂat and is unperturbed by bumps in the middle of bends, though the long wheelbase and somewhat sedate steering ratio can lead to busy hands on ultratight, switchback-intensive roads.

GM FINALLY SIGNED OFF ON BESPOKE SWITCHES AND BUTTONS FOR CADILLAC, MANY APPEARING HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Those looking for nerd-out levels of customization and software that lets you change the horn to a fart noise will want to stick with Tesla. Same goes for anyone looking for a quicker electric SUV. But the Cadillac is hardly a Jitterbug phone on wheels. Over-the-air software updates will be capable of delivering power increases, new choreography for the LED exterior lighting, and other enhancements.

central tunnel’s knurled control wheel and volume scroll knob. The touch- and physical-input control mix strikes a happy balance between wow factor and frustration-free usability. Even the metal paddles you pull to release the doors from inside are satisfying to use. The ﬂush buttons you press to enter the Lyriq are perhaps less so, as they merely pop the doors open, requiring a pull of a little handhold on the front doors to complete the action or, on the rears, grabbing the trailing edge of the door and pulling. No complaints on the liftgate release, though: As on the Escalade, you simply press the Cadillac crest on the tailgate, and the panel motors open.

56 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

This big, stoic box on wheels is a hydrogen fuel cell charging unit from GM Hydrotec. And no, you can’t buy one for yourself. Yet.

Nearly everything that looks like an icon on the curved 33-inch display is a pressable “button,” but it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

For all its visual drama, the Lyriq nails SUV basics, including with its large cargo hold.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 57

pressure-sensitive paddle on the left side of the steering wheel to summon up to 0.35 g of regen braking on demand.

A proper review of the Lyriq’s EV-ness, including how it charges and what it’s like to live with day to day, will need to wait for a full instrumented test, but our experience so far reveals it to be the best new mainstream Cadillac in some time. All the brand’s activities over the past two decades have led it here, to this moment. We’ve enjoyed its amazing sport sedans, but the Lyriq proves Cadillac didn’t shrink at the opportunity to show a broader segment of buyers exactly what this American luxury house is capable of.

And Cadillac is serious about ensuring customers, many of whom likely won’t be the EV fanatics Tesla enjoyed early on, are supported in their electriﬁcation journey. GM trimmed hundreds of dealers unwilling or uninterested in selling EVs from its network, and it will connect buyers with home-charging installers and provide a mobile cable setup with switchable plugs to ﬁt 110-volt household outlets, a variety of 240-volt NEMA outlets, and any future socket that might crop up. Customers who don’t want or can’t install a home charger can Cadillac Lyriq RWD

2023

BASE PRICE $62,990 LAYOUT Rear-motor, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV MOTOR 340-hp/325-lb-ftpermanent-magnet electric TRANSMISSION 1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 5,650 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 121.8 in L X W X H 196.7 x 77.8 x 63.9 in 0–60 MPH 6.0 sec (MT est) EPA FUEL ECON 97/82/89 mpg-e EPA RANGE, COMB 312 miles ON SALE Now

opt instead for two years of unlimited free charging at public EVgo stations.

Cadillac also gets the Lyriq’s most critical EV-speciﬁc feature very right. The one-pedal drive mode, which uses the motors to slow the car while generating electricity to dump back into the battery when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal, is consistent and predictable. There are three settings: off (the Lyriq coasts when you lift off the accelerator), low (0.1–0.2 g deceleration), and high (up to 0.3 g of deceleration). Although the pedal feel is somewhat artiﬁcial, the handoff between the regenerative braking function and the friction brakes is imperceptible. You can also pull a

58 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

WORDS SCOTT EVANS PHOTOGRAPHY WILLIAM WALKER

Equally disappointed was your dear friend Reggie Watts, the delightful band leader of The Late Late Show with James Corden and quite the car enthusiast. Much to our relief, our mutual friend Ed Loh was able to make time in his busy schedule to take your place as our third.

Still, I recognize what a great letdown this must be for you, so you have my word I’ll write often of our experience so that you may ﬁnd some small comfort in your time of ScottSincerely,recuperation.

BMW M5 CS vs. Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing vs. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door

Dear Jonny, I was terribly distressed to learn of your recent bout of COVID-19 and your unfortunate but necessary withdrawal from our long-anticipated rendezvous with the BMW M5 CS, Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S.

SIMPLY SUPERB ONTHE EVE OF LOFTIERPOWEREDELECTRIFICATION,GAS-SUPERSEDANSAREREACHINGEVENHEIGHTS.THREESTANDOUT,ONEISBEST,ANDJONNYLIEBERMANWASSICKTHATDAY.

Dear Jonny, I hope my letter ﬁnds you well; may the following good news hasten your recovery. Today’s activities reminded me of when we last were together with Ed. We had just become acquainted with the greatly anticipated M5 CS but were deeply disappointed to learn BMW was unable to equip it with the factory ultra-performance tires due to supply shortages. How sad we were the car couldn’t perform at its best.

2022 BMW M5 CS

Finally, BMW has secured a set of the coveted Pirelli P Zero Corsas for our evaluation, and the difference from the substitute and generally excellent Michelin Pilot Sport 4S performance tires is palpable to the skilled driver. No longer does the car seem skittish and struggle to maintain its hold on the road. Its monstrous power and sharp responses are now equaled by its purchase on the asphalt, dashing our past concern the car would overpower the tires’ rubber at a critical moment.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 59

It is with much delight that I inform you this wrong has been put right.

Curiously, these welcome subjective revelations are not supported by objec tivity. Our colleagues in the MT testing

The M5 CS is an imperfect thing. None among us had kinder words for the front seats than we did the last time we occupied them. We also remained unen chanted by the needlessly thick steering

department report the M5 CS is slightly less exceptional in all performance measurements on these gummy tires than those previous. As highly as we regard our instrumented findings, surely you agree with Ed, Reggie, and myself that the confidence the operator has in an automobile is paramount. Ed and I, having previously flogged the car with the Michelins, are of the same mind: The Pirelli tires are the driver’s choice.

Dear Jonny, I write in hopes your recovery has progressed since my previous letter. Our group of stupendous sedans also allowed reacquaintance with a dear friend, the CT5-V Blackwing. These many months have been far too long, and we were thankful to have time together again. It was as if nothing had changed, though the Cadillac was ﬁtted this time with a more fashionable 10-speed automatic rather than its lovely manual.

ScottSincerely,

2022 CT5-VCadillacBlackwing

As you may suspect, we remain unimpressed with the complexity of the interface used to tailor the car’s myriad performance settings. I know you disagree, but having the Cadillac and Mercedes on hand was illustrative of how such a system can be simpliﬁed without losing its range of customi zation. It’s rare we advocate for more features to migrate to the touchscreen, but done well it corrals all the necessary buttons in one intuitive place.

Reggie Watts of The Late Late Show with James Corden (left) makes his MT judging debut with editors Ed Loh and Scott Evans.

The M5 CS offers countless performance settings, but all the buttons create clutter.

We were also disenchanted—though with less fire—with the brake-pedal response, which we all found soft under initial contact before firming up. As Reggie put it to us, it’s “a little light at the begin ning of travel, and then it kind of bites down. Once you get used to it, it’s fine, but

The only other manner in which the Blackwing failed to endear itself to us was in its top-end power delivery, an artifact of its pushrod-valved and supercharged engine design. In any normal circumstance, the car’s power is intoxicating, but in the company of vehicles with enormous power that never seems to taper, the Blackwing never felt as strong as the M5 CS or GT63 S despite having the greatest output.

We introduced the Blackwing to our mutual friend Reggie in hopes the two would hit it off, but it was not to be. Much as he enjoyed the car’s poise and capability, he simply could not reach an accord with the automatic gearbox’s programming. In addition to the Cadillac’s many adjustable performance parameters, the manu facturer has introduced a performance shifting algorithm that attempts to identify a driver’s intent and deliver the transmis sion’s most raceworthy calibration. Ed and I took no issue with it, but the program simply did not suit Reggie’s driving style, and it frustrated him to no end.

wheel. Veteran critic Ed found it fatiguing, and Reggie agreed: “If I had to do a bunch of runs with that steering wheel, man, my hands would be so tired.”

I usually like a more ﬁrm pedal from beginning to end.”

This dichotomy is represented clearly in the measured testing results and

Beyond the quibbles, we collectively found the M5 CS to be utterly enthralling on mountain byways. The ferocity of its acceleration, the ceaselessness of its grip, and the nimbleness of its responses impressed us greatly.

Dear Jonny, I am hopeful this letter will ﬁnd you soon reaching the end of your convalescence. I have occasion to write again regarding another old acquaintance, the GT63 S. It was The Before Times when last I drove one, and I remember thinking the AMG a skilled operator with a cold and calcu lating personality. My memory served me well, as it has not altered its demeanor in the intervening years. Nor could its char acter have changed recently, as Mercedes opted not to produce any for the 2022 model year.

Ed and Reggie agree. “It’s sporty, but weirdly I didn’t really want to drive it fast,” Reggie said. “I drove it quickly but not fast. It’s a really reﬁned, badass tank that has

2021 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S

Equally impressive is its ability to decelerate. We all agreed, the stopping power and tactile feedback of the Black wing’s brakes stood above the others’.

undoubtedly attributable to its status as the only rear-driven car present. In choosing not to route power to the forward axle, Cadillac forwent the perfor mance advantages offered in favor of the vehicle’s dynamic character.

What a character it is! I will state it plainly to avoid misunderstanding: This is the best rear-drive sedan ever made. Its ability to translate such overwhelming power to just two wheels boggles the mind. The driver can be as aggressive as they wish with the accelerator while exiting a corner, and the car is able to apply its power almost wholly to accel eration rather than lose some amount to oversteer. It truly is remarkable.

COMPARISON NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 61

Even Reggie, who found the Cadillac’s transmission so disagreeable, said its brakes were the best in his estimation.

We must tip our hat to Cadillac for remaining steadfast in its commitment to the powerful rear-drive sedan, not as an anachronism but as a statement. We applaud the marque for standing on principle and putting in the elbow grease necessary to bring this concept to its fullest potential in the Blackwing.

ScottSincerely,

We were similarly infatuated with its handling and composure, deeming it the most capable of absorbing roadway imper fections without disturbing its balance, as well as the most conﬁdence-inspiring in its movements and reactions. We even found its seats the most comfortable while providing adjustable lateral support.

TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.1sec 1.6sec 1.0sec 0-40 1.6 2.2 1.5 0-50 2.2 2.9 2.1 0-60 2.9 3.7 2.9 0-70 3.7 4.5 3.7 0-80 4.5 5.4 4.7 0-90 5.5 6.5 5.8 0-100 6.7 7.6 7.1 0-100-0 10.5 11.6 11.0 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.4 1.5 1.5 QUARTER MILE 10.9sec@127.9mph11.6sec@124.9mph11.1sec@124.6mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 101ft 100ft 103ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.07g(avg) 1.01g(avg)1.05g(avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.3sec@0.88g(avg)23.8sec@0.85g(avg)23.3sec@0.88g(avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,500rpm 1,600rpm 1,400rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $143,995 $90,390 $163,950 PRICE AS TESTED $148,995 $110,635 $199,910 AIRBAGS 8:Dualfront,frontside,f/rcurtain,frontknee 8:Dualfront,frontside,f/rcurtain,frontknee 7:Dualfront,frontside,f/rcurtain,driverknee BASIC WARRANTY 4years/50,000miles4years/50,000miles4years/50,000miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 4years/50,000miles6years/70,000miles4years/50,000miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4years/Unlimitedmiles6years/70,000miles4years/50,000miles FUEL CAPACITY 20.1gal 17.0gal 21.1gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 15/21/17mpg13/22/16mpg16/21/18mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 342miles 272miles 380miles RECOMMENDED FUEL UnleadedpremiumUnleadedpremiumUnleadedpremium ON SALE Now Now Soldout 62 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022 2022 CT5-VCadillacBlackwing 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4Matic+POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 2.3 2.2 1.6 BRAKES, F; R 15.0-in15.8-invented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc;vented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc

WHEELS, F; R 9.5x20-in;10.5x20-inforgedaluminum10.0x19-in;11.0x19-inforgedaluminum10.0x21-in;11.5x21-inforgedaluminum TIRES, F; R 275/35R20102Y;285/35R20104YPirelliPZeroCorsa(star) 275/35R19100Y;305/30R19102YMichelinPilotSport4S 275/35R21103Y;315/30R21105YMichelinPilotSportCup2M01

WHEELBASE 117.4in 116.0in 116.2in

2022 BMW M5 CS

AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO 3.15:1/2.02:1 2.85:1/1.82:13.27:1/1.99:1

Multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

STEERING RATIO 14.3:1 11.6-15.5:1 14.4:1

DISPLACEMENT 4,395cc/268.2cuin6,162cc/376cuin3,982cc/243cuin

CARGO VOLUME 14.0cuft

WEIGHT TO POWER 6.5lb/hp 6.4lb/hp 7.4lb/hp

TURNING CIRCLE 41.4ft 42.6ft 41.3ft CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R) 4,104lb(56/44%)4,253lb(54/46%)4,637lb(54/46%) SEATING CAPACITY 4 5 4 HEADROOM, F/R 40.7/38.5in 39.0/36.3in40.8/38.2in LEGROOM, F/R 41.4/36.5in 42.4/37.0inNotavailable/28.6in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 58.7/55.9in 56.7/55.7in57.7/57.2in 11.9cuft 13.0cuft

COMPRESSION RATIO 10.0:1 10.0:1 8.6:1

POWER (SAE NET) 627hp@6,000rpm668hp@6,500rpm630hp@5,500rpm

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine,AWDFront-engine,RWDFront-engine,AWD ENGINE TYPE Twin-turbodirect-inwedDOHC32-valve90-degreeV-8,alumblock/heads 16-valveSuperchargeddirect-injectedOHV90-degreeV-8,alumblock/heads Twin-turbodirect-injectedDOHC32-valve90-degreeV-8,alumblock/heads

15.7-inventedcast-irondisc;14.7-inventedcast-irondisc 15.8-invented,drilled,2-pccarbon-ceramicdisc;14.2-invented,drilled,2-pccarbon-ceramicdisc

LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 196.4x74.9x57.8in194.9x74.1x56.5in199.2x76.9x57.0in

REDLINE 7,000rpm 6,500rpm 7,000rpm

DIMENSIONS

TRANSMISSION 8-speedautomatic10-speedautomatic9-speedautomatic

TORQUE (SAE NET) 553lb-ft@1,800rpm659lb-ft@3,600rpm664lb-ft@2,500rpm

TRACK, F/R 64.0/62.8in 63.3/62.3in65.7/65.2in

VERDICT

• Endless grip

At BMW, “CS” now means what just “M” used to—the M5 CS is the performance division at its greatest. Q

A Final Missive

this great may become a rarity as missPityprioritiesindustryshifts.thosewhoout.

VERDICT

• Slowest despite the most power

Not just dispassionate, it hides its speed, as well. Each of us recounted at least one moment of arriving at a corner far more quickly than anticipated, the lack of feedback disguising the vehicle’s true velocity. Thankfully, we found the brakes excellent, though they couldn’t top the feel of the Blackwing’s pedal.

• Excellent brakes

• Uncomfortable seats

• Incredible interior

I hope this last letter sees you fully recovered. I had a wonderful conversation with Ed and Reggie, and thought I should share our Betweenconclusions.theM5CS, CT5-V Blackwing, and GT 63 S, we all shared a preference for the BMW. The power of its performance, the gracefulness of its handling, and the passion it showed us left us each in its thrall. It was a unanimous decision:

• Obnoxious touch-sensitive buttons

The M5 CS is the greatest sport sedan in the Ourland.thoughts diverged on the others. Ed and I were impressed by the Black wing’s poise, especially considering its rear-drive chassis. Reggie, however, was still so frustrated by the transmission, he ranked the Cadillac third.

• Puts the power down remarkably

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 63

The other issue meriting a mention is the dismal rear window. The car’s massive hatch is certainly accommodating of cargo, but the necessary reinforcements encroach on the glass area. This would be a minor annoyance if not for the ﬁxed rear wing, which bisects the window, further reducingAlthoughvisibility.theGT63 S’ ﬂaws are few in number, its aloofness considerably dampened our enthusiasm for the car— especially considering its notably higher price

• Least ostentatious CONS

• Most comfortable seats

3RD PLACE 2021 MERCEDES-AMG GT63 S

Dear Jonny,

• Squishy brake pedal

ScottSincerely,tag.

• No personality

• Too many buttons

• Chunky steering wheel

• Wonky performance shift algorithm

2ND PLACE 2022 CADILLAC CT5-V BLACKWING PROS

ScottSincerely,

PROS

• Doesn’t feel as fast as it is VERDICT

Crazy capable but still unable to connect with its driver on an emotional level.

The best rear-drive performance sedan ever, but not better than the AWD BMW.

CONS

THE POWER OF ITS PERFORMANCE AND THE GRACEFULNESS OF ITS HANDLING LEFT US IN THE BMW’S THRALL.

1ST PLACE 2022 BMW M5 CS PROS

We were similarly divided by the GT 63 S. Reggie found its style and demeanor appealing enough, but Ed and I remained unmoved. In the end, we were as glad to have been able to pit these cars against one another as we were disappointed by your absence.

power and can deﬁnitely corner, but it feels to me more luxurious than sporty.”

• Shockingly nimble CONS

Indeed, the instrumented results show it’s as capable as the BMW—or nearly so—in every metric. It is a truly quick car with stupendous brakes and substantial cornering prowess, but it makes no emotional connection with the driver. It’s a shame, really. A car this capable ought to have no issue being enthralling.

Sedans

• Wickedly fast

Otherwise, the GT63 S is a ﬁne piece of work. The interior is really quite an accomplishment, ﬁnely crafted in rich leather and sturdy stitching. True, the on-screen interface remains cumbersome and overly layered, but a recently adopted row of shortcut buttons is welcome. If only they weren’t capacitive, and the same goes for the steering wheel controls.

• Crazy quick

“

f you will it, Dude, it is no dream!” So said John Goodman’s character Walter Sobchak, quoting Theodor Herzl, in the Coen Brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. The line echoed around my noggin as I drove Lamborghini Countach VIN ZA9C005A0KLA12085— the ﬁnal one built—out of the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory gates. As a little boy I once saw an orange Countach parked on some gray cobblestones in Old Montreal. My father was kind enough to let me stand there, jaw on those same cobblestones, as gobsmacked as a 9-year-old human can be. Was it 10 minutes, 20, half an hour? I don’t know.

CLASSIC DRIVE I Lamborghini Countach 64 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

I do know it was long enough that the memory helps guide my thinking, my career, my life to this day. How could such a shape, let alone on a car, exist? Moreover, how could I be standing next to it? Most crucially, how would I get myself behind that steering wheel? Because suddenly, right there and then, I had a pretty good and clear notion of what I wanted to do with my life. Whatever I’d become, cars like this Arancio Livrea–colored Lamborghini would be involved. We can’t go any further without recalling the 1987 Morley Safer 60 Minutes segment about the Countach.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 65 THIRTY-TWO YEARS LATER, ITS POWER REMAINS UNRIVALED

Without the Countach, these modern Lamborghinis might not even exist, the factory relegated to museum status, the marque a footnote in supercar history. The Countach was that important.

Amazing, no? Great reporting and a solid 1980s overdose aside, what a magniﬁcent machine. Three years earlier I’d seen one, and since then I’d been allowed to subscribe to the big four monthly American automotive buff books so I could go on and read all about it. But Safer’s video was the ﬁrst time I’d seen and heard one in action.

Well, technically it’s about the entire Lamborghini brand, but in 1987 the company was deﬁned wholly by the mighty wedge-shaped supercar. Sorry, Jalpa fans, but you know it’s true. My father was a CBS News junkie—Walter Cronkite was God, Dan Rather was the pope, and 60 Minutes the Vatican— meaning I had the episode on videotape. I’ve seen the piece at least 50 times. For my money, the segment is the singular greatest piece of automotive journalism extant. If you’ve not seen it, please pause now, Google “60 Minutes Countach,” and report back. I’ll wait.

So imagine being a lifetime Countach enthusiast and decades later driving out of the factory behind the wheel of the last one ever made. I was freaking out.

66 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Can this be real? Is life just a dream you really can will into coming true? I should probably leave out the parts about the rain, the miserable electric seats (a later Countach development) that meant even at just 5-foot-11 my head was against the roof, no power steering and at least three turns lock to lock, an 80-pound clutch pedal, the perma-fogged windshield, the lack of noticeable brakes—essentially all the usual Countach accoutrement and mishegoss. I didn’t care a lick about that list of negatives, not even an iota divided by a scintilla. I smiled for four hours straight until I had to return the car, and I kept on smiling until just about three minutes ago.

The Countach was 17 years old by the time 1990 arrived. The 25th Anniversary model was released two years earlier to celebrate the founding of the company, and rumor has it the Countach’s successor, the Diablo, was supposed to make its debut that same year. However, for a variety of reasons—like its design being rejected by Lee Iacocca, CEO of Chrysler, which owned Lamborghini—the Diablo was delayed for two years.

The Countach has many flaws by modern standards—and plenty even compared to its drivingcontemporaries—makingonwetroadslikethis a sketchy affair. The experience is unforgettable regardless.

I had waited a lifetime to visit Sant’Agata Bolognese. This fact surprised the people I’ve come to know over the years at Lamborghini. In fact, I’ve perhaps become too friendly, to the point the company’s design boss, Mitja Borkert, once even hand-drew me an invitation to visit any time I liked. I’ve visited Ferrari at Maranello and toured Pagani’s atelier twice, but for whatever reason I’d never made it to Lamborghini headquarters. On my most recent prototype test drive (of the new Huracán Tecnica several months ago) with former technical boss Maurizio Regianni, I asked if it were possible to perhaps also visit the factory. “Yes, absolutely,” he said. And while I was there, is there something special I’d be interested in Oh,driving?yes.

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 67

So even though I had other options, it was a no-brainer to go with the last Countach. Like Safer did 35 years earlier, I’d roll through the factory gates inside of Marcello Gandini’s design masterpiece. Except I’d be the one driving, not legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni.

THE INSANITY OF THE COUNTACH, ITS OUTRAGEOUSNESS, HAS ATTRACTED DROVES OF FANS TO LAMBORGHINI.

Now, here’s the thing: I’ve driven several Countaches. They’re not very good cars. Sacrilege, but they just aren’t. They’re slower than you imagine, clumsy, ungainly, difﬁcult to see out of, temperamental, and uncomfortable, the latter especially if it’s hot outside. Yet the Countach somehow remains my favorite supercar. Just look at it. Still, I’m aware of the cars in the Lamborghini Museum at the factory: Miura, Espada, LM002, Diablo GT, Reventón, Sesto Elemento, and Veneno, just to name a few I’d be interested in driving. But Lamborghini exists today because of the Countach.

Although I doubt the company was aware of it at the time, it had a young superstar designer on the payroll, one Horacio Pagani. It tasked him with revising the aging supercar for one last campaign. Mechanically identical to the 5000 QV, also known as Quattrovalvole, the 449-hp 5.2-liter quad-cam 48-valve V-12 was now fed via larger, more effective, and newly straked airboxes. The rear brakes were fed with straked ducts. Did Pagani make the 25th Anniversary model look too much like a Ferrari Testarossa? Perhaps. No matter, however, as that car was the bestseller among all Countaches.

Years ago, I was stuck in horrific L.A. traffic with Balboni inside a Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni Edition. We’d run out of things to say about his namesake car, so I asked him what it was like the first time he laid eyes on a Countach. “Ah, the Countach!” he said. “Impossible! Nobody believed it was a car.”

Yes, of course, the Miura is very pretty, and the LM002 is the Rambo Lambo, and the Diablo is rad, and all of that. But it is the insanity of the Countach, its improbability, its outrageousness, its unlikeliness, the extremism of its design, its overt thuggishness that has attracted droves of fans to the marque. The

Countach speciﬁcally, and the spirit of the Countach in general, is why Chrysler bought Lamborghini, and why VW did the same about a decade later. What’s this spirit entail? Just the promise that the world would be a less interesting place if Lamborghini weren’t around.

THE QUIRKS,DESPITECOUNTACH,ALLITSISPERFECT.

He explained that when the prototypes ran around Sant’Agata’s vineyard areas years before, it was like seeing a spaceship because nothing on earth looked like it. “The power! The steering! The handling! The brakes …” he trailed off, then shrugged and said, “Well, not so much the brakes,” while making the sign of the cross. But his smile indicated my question had taken him to a happy place.

fraction of a second here, how much power a motor makes there. I’ve had people tell me they won’t consider buying a certain car because it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay. CarPlay? The Countach doesn’t have a trunk!

CLASSIC DRIVE 68 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

I nearly stuffed the ﬁnal Countach there, too, because it was pouring rain and I could not see out of it. The photographer I was transporting from location to location kept laughing at the situation’s absurdity. The only way I could see out of the windshield was for him to lean forward and wipe the glass with a rag. Once he was out of the vehicle, I was hosed. Everything you’ve ever read about how miserable and weak the Countach’s

Maybe you think the car and its legend are beyond overhyped after so many years. But indeed all this time later, following all the cars, supercars, and hypercars I’ve been around and driven in my career, there’s only one that returns me to the genesis of my infatuation. Only one that takes me back to my a priori love of automobiles, to an undoubtedly simpler and happier time.

Of course, the world today is ﬁlled with wonderful machines, but how many make you say, “Wow!” in the same tone of voice as the Countach? Not many, and even fewer cars remain a dream no matter how many times you ﬁnd yourself fortunate enough to drive one. Q

HVAC system is true, yet the defroster is even worse than the A/C.

Honestly, does every car need to be a Nürburgring all-star? Look at the soonto-be-released 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Yes, it looks extreme, but everything is there for a performance reason. On the Countach? The famous rear wing on most other examples actually slows the car down. Believe it or not, despite its weaknesses and probably because of them, as well, the last Countach ever made is joy on wheels.

This Countach, like all of them, is an attitude, a frame of mind, a monument to what could be and really what should be. You’re just happier around it than not. Are automobiles art? Can they ever really be art? A few can, and the Countach is one of the rare ones that would bring its owner as much joy bolted to their wall as it would parked in their garage. The car is simply a rolling wow. Remember, the name comes from the word contacc, a Piedmontese interjection used when a person is shocked and astonished.

There’s apparently only one road in the province of Modena, Italy, that the local manufacturers consider worth driving on, and I’ve now taken a Pagani, a Ferrari, and the ﬁnal Countach there to “make photos.” It’s a beautiful country road that wends its way up a hill. It’s minimally trafﬁcked, and you can get up to some good fun; I almost crashed a Pagani Huayra there because I tried to do something stupid.

The photos, however, as you can see, are outstanding. Silver is normally a dull color for a Lamborghini, but on wet pavement with vibrant Italian greens in the background, it pops. Looking at these images now, it’s easy to see how much it was worth working our way through the adverse conditions. None of it mattered, save for the part that I was driving a Lamborghini Countach around Italy. That smile I mentioned earlier was undefeatable: I even smiled when I realized I had to remove my shoes to drive it, and when it became known the Countach isn’t exactly waterproof, as evidenced by my soaking-wet socks. None of it mattered.Thecar, despite all its quirks, is perfect. Perfectly ﬂawed, perfectly ridiculous, perfectly alien. Yet perfect all the same. We all collectively spend so much time these days worrying measurements—aabout

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a truly great driver’s car do so for reasons that are not necessarily so obvious. To get to the bottom of this—to ﬁgure out why a car company builds what it does—we pitted the super-limited NSX Type S against a perennial Goldilocks, the 911 GTS.

COMPARISON I

GTS 70 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Certain cars are built for reasons other than fat and happy shareholders. Especially, perhaps, sports cars. The people who design and engineer

Features editor Scott Evans and I set out upon the magniﬁcent canyon roads above Los Angeles not only to ﬁgure out why these cars exist but also to learn which is the best to drive. One more question before we get started: Is the NSX Type S a supercar? If it is, what’s the 911 GTS?

hy do car companies build the cars they do? Understanding a brand’s motivation helps to shed at least a small amount of light on its products. What is the philosophy behind a car? For massmarket, mass-produced A-to-B transportation devices, the rationale can be dismissed easily as being “for the money.” And sure, you can take the cynical view that all corporations only get out of bed in the morning for the money. But let’s reject that notion for the moment.

EXPECTING

Some background: Acura made a few of us scratch our heads when it announced the Type S would be limited to just 350 examples globally Acura NSX Type S vs. Porsche 911 Carrera

WORDS JONNY LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN MARTIN

AN INFORMATIVE SHOWDOWN IN WAYS WE DIDN’T PREDICT UNEXPECTED THE

(with 300 for the U.S.), and after that, the NSX’s run would cease. Personally, seeing the NSX go raises my blood temperature by perhaps one degree. I hate seeing any performance car get canceled, mind you, but since day one I’ve been lukewarm (at best) about the second-generation NSX. As Evans said previously of the improved car, “The Type S is what the NSX should’ve been from day one.” That might sound harsh, but it’s true. Meanwhile, the latest Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is supposed to be the sweet spot of the 911 set. It’s midpack in terms

SOME PRO DRIVERS SWEAR BY THE MAXIM, “A CAR IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS BRAKES.”

72 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

of the 911 range but perhaps the perfect version for most of real life. It’s a hard proposition to measure, but if you drive other Porsche models, you ﬁnd the GTS is the point where they become interesting. A regular Cayenne is dull, for example, and the Cayenne S is just OK, but the Cayenne GTS is a great SUV. The same is true for the Macan and Panamera. But the 911? A “base” Carrera is a hell of a car, and the S is better still. There isn’t a thing wrong with the Turbo or Turbo S, either. But for three generations now, there has been a little something extra

The NSX’s interior never matched its price tag or its market position, and that only becomes more apparent as it ages.

special about the GTS. It’s as if the people who engineered the other 911s sat down and talked about what they should have done better, then went and did so. Which is probably exactly what happens.

We gave our test team a ﬁrst crack at these cars before we played with them in the canyons. The Acura makes a combined 600 hp by adding the 520 hp from its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 to the output from three electric motors, one sandwiched between the engine and the nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and two more for the front wheels. It seems odd Acura can only squeeze 80 hp combined from three motors, especially because motors and the batteries that power them are heavy. The all-wheeldrive Type S pounds the pavement with 3,903 pounds of hybrid goodness. The Acura makes 492 combined lb-ft of torque, another number that sounds low. The rear-drive 911 GTS, meanwhile, squeezes “only” 473 hp and 420 lb-ft from its 3.0-liter twin-turbo ﬂat-six. Its power then routes through an eightspeed version of Porsche’s excellent PDK dual-clutch gearbox. The 911 is of course rear-engine, and in GTS guise it weighs 3,389 pounds. That’s more than a quarter ton less than the Acura.

Road test editor Chris Walton’s ﬁgureeight test notes are also informative.

COMPARISON NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 73

price) than the NSX Type S—did it in 22.1. So we’ll say anything in the 22-second range qualiﬁes as a supercar, which makes it difﬁcult to label the mid-engine Acura as such. The Porsche makes a better case for itself, just based on test numbers.

In our testing, the Porsche beat the Acura to 60 mph. Stop and think about this: With a larger, more powerful gas engine, three electric motors, and an AWD traction advantage, the Acura lost the race to 60 mph by 0.2 second, 3.1 versus 2.9. In the quarter-mile run, where the NSX’s horsepower advantage should come into play, the NSX lost again: 11.2 to 11.1 seconds. The 911 GTS was also traveling

Not everyone digs the Teutonic aesthetic, but the 911’s interior feels richer and comes loaded with modern tech. It can also be heavily customized if you so choose.

faster than the Type S by the end of that distance, 124.6 mph versus 124.1. Braking? The Porsche won there, too, stopping from 60 mph in 99 feet, beating the Acura by 4 feet. To be fair, the NSX’s 103-foot distance was still quite tidy. But the GTS even pipped the NSX on max roadholding, managing 1.04 g (average) of grip on the skidpad versus 1.03 g. The lone bright spot for the Acura appeared in our ﬁgure-eight test, where the NSX Type S beat the Porsche by 0.1 second, 23.2 versus 23.3. And consider this: A Carrera 4 GTS we tested previously ran the ﬁgure eight in 22.7 seconds, and the 502-hp 911 GT3— which stickers for less ($172,450 base

Front trunks are a bonus feature made possible by relocating the engine, but Acura failed to take advantage.

Once Evans and I hit the canyons, I began in the Acura, and he followed in the Porsche. We expected the 600-hp mid-engine tri-motor hybrid would leave

Acura: “There’s certainly a lot going on here; the brakes are perhaps the weakest link in this equation.” Porsche: “It’s everything I expected. Supremely communicative, some of the best brakes in the business, utterly poised while cornering, and a thrill coming off the skidpad blasting across the middle.” If you’ve never heard it before, some pro drivers swear by the maxim, “A car is only as good as its brakes.” This hurts the Acura, as there’s something not so great about its brake feel. It’s not the sort of thing you’ll notice jogging the car to your favorite Sunday morning car show, but you hopefully buy cars like these because you like driving hard.

By “damping,” we’re talking about body control. “It needs work,” Evans said. “The car is stiff, but it gets bounced around too much over bumps, and you’re constantly

chasing it with steering or by releasing the throttle. It’s especially bad in big braking zones, where the NSX starts walking around in the lane when it shouldn’t. It’s manageable, but it shouldn’t have to be managed. Tie it down, and the car could surely go noticeably faster.”

COMPARISON

This is what we consistently saw during our driving evaluations. The NSX could just barely keep up with the 911, and the 911 could sit on the NSX’s bumper all day.

It was time for Evans and me to switch cars. Horsepower is important, and little makes me happier than hitting 200 mph—but after a mile in the “weaker” car, I realized it doesn’t really matter much if a vehicle lacks in other ways. The 911 GTS, as far as I could ﬁgure, doesn’t have weaknesses other than price and ubiquity. Yet the Porsche as tested was still more than $20,000 less than the Acura. Perhaps the reason you see so many 911s on streets across the country is because the buying public is aware of just how great the model truly is. As it was, I found myself chasing Evans and the NSX and having to slow down. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be when the GTS is way down on power and only has its rear wheels driven.

a second, you might say, you expect an Acura to compete with a Ferrari? Oh yes, absolutely. Remember, the reason we still talk about (and in some cases worship) the original NSX is it was such a great vehicle that it sent Ferrari back to the drawing board. But this one? Acura’s pulling the pin on the model, and Ferrari is electrifying its entire lineup.

the 911 in the dust. (We didn’t have the testing numbers yet.) Initially it seemed as if the NSX was making some headway; there were a few times early on when I peeped in my rearview and did not see the GTS back there. But by the end of a 9-mile stretch, the Carrera was keeping pace. “I had to give it everything I had in a few places to keep up with the much more powerful NSX,” Evans said, “but I kept up.” Thinking back to that part of the day, I lost conﬁdence in the Type S as I went. I started out going as hard as I dared, but the car’s combination of goofy brakes, hefty weight, relatively poor damping, and what I found to be vague steering had me second-guessing myself while approaching apexes.

As for the steering feel, I found it as artiﬁcial as they come. Evans wasn’t as extreme in his dislike, but he still wasn’t a fan. “The steering isn’t so much holding it back as it’s not making it better,” he said. “It’s very precise, but it lacks feel. Other supercar companies have ﬁgured out good steering with front-wheel motors.” Indeed, Ferrari has nailed great steering on vehicles equipped with electric motors; the SF90 Stradale is proof pudding. Wait

There are other real gripes with the NSX: It features the most unergonomic interior Honda Motor Co. has ever designed; an engineer once told me its

Porsche, on the other hand, has built the best-damped sports cars ever since the 991-generation 911. Perhaps a few rare others are as good, but none is better. This means the 911’s springs, active dampers, and active anti-roll bars (this GTS came optioned with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) dispatch an on-road event, like a compression, rather quickly. One and done, you might say. In the NSX you still feel the effects of whatever road imperfec tion you just ran over as the car is dealing with a new one.

74 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

LITTLE MAKES ME HAPPIER THAN HITTING 200 MPH—BUT IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER MUCH IF A VEHICLE LACKS IN OTHER WAYS.

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT AWD,Mid-engine,2xfront-and1rear-motor,2-pass,2-doorcoupe Rear-engine,RWD MOTOR TYPE Twin-turboport-anddirect-injectedDOHC24-valve75-degreeV-6,alumblock/heads,plus3permanent-magnetelectricmotors

COMPRESSION RATIO 10.0:1 10.2:1 POWER (SAE NET) 600(comb520hp@6,850rpm(gas),72hpfrontelec),47hp(rearelec);hp(comb) 473hp@6,500rpm

STEERING RATIO 11.1-12.9:112.3-14.1:1

AXLE/FINAL RATIO 3.58:1/2.27:13.39:1/2.07:1

ENGINE,

SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR adjanti-rollMultilink,coilsprings,adjshocks,bar;multilink,coilsprings,shocks,anti-rollbar Struts,coilsprings,adjshocks,anti-rollbar;multilink,coilsprings,adjshocks,anti-rollbar

TIRES, F; R

WHEELBASEDIMENSIONS 103.5in96.5in TRACK, F/R 65.5/64.5in62.8/61.3in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 178.5x76.3x47.8in178.4x72.9x50.9in TURNING CIRCLE 39.7ft 35.8ft CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R) 3,903lb(42/58%)3,389lb(37/63%) SEATING CAPACITY 2 2 HEADROOM 38.3in 37.9in LEGROOM 42.9in 42.2in SHOULDER ROOM 57.5in 56.2in CARGO VOLUME 4.4cuft4.7(trunk),9.3(rearparcel)cuft TEST ACCELERATIONDATA TO MPH 0-30 1.3sec 1.2sec 0-40 1.8 1.7 0-50 2.4 2.2 0-60 3.1 2.9 0-70 3.9 3.7 0-80 4.8 4.6 0-90 5.9 5.7 0-100 7.1 7.0 0-100-0 11.3 10.8 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.4 1.3 QUARTER MILE 11.2sec@124.1mph11.1sec@124.6mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 103ft 99ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.03g(avg)1.04g(avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.2sec@0.89g(avg)23.3sec@0.87g(avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,500rpm1,500rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $171,495 $144,050 PRICE AS TESTED $185,995 $165,770 AIRBAGS 7:Dualfront,frontside,frontcurtain,driverknee 8:Dualfront,frontside,f/rcurtain,frontknee BASIC WARRANTY 4years/50,000miles4years/50,000miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 6years/70,000miles 4years/50,000miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4years/50,000miles4years/50,000miles FUEL CAPACITY 15.6gal+1.3kWh23.7gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 21/22/21mpg17/23/19mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 328miles450miles RECOMMENDED FUEL UnleadedpremiumUnleadedpremium ON SALE Now Now 2022 Acura NSX

In this case, the truth is the 992generation 911 is a juggernaut within the industry. It’s a master class on what relentless automotive engineering looks, feels, and drives like. Porsche hasn’t stopped developing the 911— honing it, making it better—for nearly 60 years. Chew on that for a moment. Acura/Honda, on the other hand, quit on the NSX the ﬁrst time around, then didn’t get it right for the second generation. You might not agree with that last part, but the NSX’s slothlike sales totals bear out my version of the story. The car’s bestselling month of all time comprised 91 vehicles. I suppose we could interpret the improved Type S to be an admission Acura is aware the modern NSX was never as super as it should have been. But then why only build 350 There’sunits?amuch larger, more important question, too: What kind of car company does Acura want to be, other than a luxury brand that’s canceled its sports car and its big sedan—remember the RLX? It could look to Porsche for inspiration, as the German manufacturer knows exactly what it is: the maker of arguably the world’s best-driving cars and SUVs. The 2022 911 Carrera GTS proves just how clearly Porsche sees its path. Q

TORQUE (SAE NET) 492443lb-ft@2,300rpm(gas),108lb-ft(combfrontelec),109lb-ft(rearelec);lb-ft(comb) 420lb-ft@2,300rpm

DRIVE

TURNS 2.4 15.0-invented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc;14.2-invented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc 16.1-invented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc;15.4-invented,drilledcarbon-ceramicdisc

WHEELS, 8.5x19-in;11.0x20-inforgedaluminum 8.5x20-in;11.5x21-inforgedaluminum 245/35R1993Y;305/30R20103YPirelliPZeroHO 245/35R2091Y;305/30R21100YPirelliPZeroNA1 Type

S 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTSPOWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

pitiful “trunk” was better than the tiny Alfa Romeo 4C’s. Yes, apparently that’s a car Acura benchmarked when it came to storage. In a bubble, I suppose the NSX Type S is good enough; I have friends in the biz who have driven it and who genuinely had nice things to say about the experience. I’m not here to gaslight them. Rather, I’m here to demonstrate the importance of comparison tests where the same drivers drive the same cars on the same roads on the same day and then go and talk about the results. It’s the only way to get to the truth.

TRANSMISSION

F; R

LOCK TO LOCK 1.8

Twin-turbodirect-injectedDOHC24-valveflat-6,alumblock/heads

REDLINE 7,500rpm7,400rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 6.5lb/hp 7.2lb/hp 9-speedtwin-clutchauto 8-speedtwin-clutchauto

BRAKES, F; R

DISPLACEMENT 3,493cc/213.1cuin2,981cc/181.9cuin

he CX-50 drives a Mazda-shaped hole through the theory that weekend-adventure crossovers must look like the chunky Subaru Outback. With the sleek CX-50, you can almost hear the automaker whispering, “To each their own.”

The CX-50 represents a more subtle approach to a segment led by the wellrounded Outback—an SUV I chaperoned for a year (December 2021). Mazda’s first challenge is educating consumers on the difference between the CX-5, a longtime MotorTrend favorite, and the new CX-50. As we discovered during our first drive experience, there’s more to the CX-50 than just a “0” on the end of a CX-5 badge. What will having one in our fleet for a year

Startingreveal?at

$42,775, our CX-50 is the most expensive ﬁve-passenger Mazda

MT SPECS Vehicle Layout Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Engine 2.5L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 Power (SAE Net) 227 hp @ 5,000 rpm* Torque (SAE Net) 310 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm* Transmission 6-speed automatic Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 3,905 lb (58/42%) 0-60 MPH 7.0 sec Quarter Mile 15.4 sec @ 89.7 mph Braking, 60-0 MPH 117 ft Lateral Acceleration 0.84 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 26.8 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) EPA Range, Comb 395 miles On Sale Now 185.8” 75.6” Height 63.5” 110.8” *256 hp/320 lb-ft on premium fuel76 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Like almost every CX-50, our top-of-the-line trim includes a 10.3inch infotainment screen that can function as a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features that work wirelessly and are standard on every model. The system also has a rotating knob to control the native

model so we could test as many of the CX-50’s features as possible, from its new panoramic moonroof to a 360-degree camera system. Going turbo is also the only way to get an interior color other than black. With the available Terracotta medium-brown leather seats and stitching accents, the CX-50 feels more premium and interesting than your average compact or midsize SUV.

Updates on our long-term fleet BMWX7 CHEVROLETCORVETTE

ODYSSEYHONDA UPDATEKIASELTOS Arrival: 2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo AWD “The garage.”hasOutbackSubaruofMazdasenteredour Zach Gale EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/29/25 mpg Base Price $42,775 As tested $43,170 MOTORTREND I 11.22 GENESISGV70 CARNIVALUPDATEKIA

Within the CX-50’s 2.5 Turbo trims, we went all-out with the Premium Plus

PHOTOGRAPHY MT STAFF

you can buy today. Let’s break down that price. Every CX-50 includes standard all-wheel drive, which is one reason the base model starts at a relatively high $28,025. Most CX-50s will get a 187-hp 2.5-liter inline-four, the same powerplant we’ve seen in everything from the 3 to the CX-30 and CX-5. Like all of those Mazdas, the CX-50 offers an upgrade to a 2.5-liter turbo-four good for 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on 87 octane or 256 hp and 320 lb-ft on 93. That’s the one we picked.

“Our Seltos S Turbo has become a unicorn.” Brian Vance Kia Seltos

Service life 6 months/8,396 miles Average Fuel Econ 21.8 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 2021

What makes the CX-50 so interesting is how it attempts to mix the best of Mazda’s ambitions with a target buyer new to the brand. Over the course of a year, we’ll see how well it can deliver the core Mazda trait of entertaining dynamics while matching the appeal of the Outback, a longtime leader in outdoorsy appeal. And with our CX-50 2.5 Turbo carrying an MSRP of more than $43,000, we’ll determine how premium it truly feels.

The Nightfall, like our S Turbo, features seats with cloth inserts and leatherlike SynTex bolsters on the backs and bottoms. The seats aren’t fully covered in SynTex, but it’s an upgrade over the all-cloth seats of lowertrimmed Seltos models. On our test car, the upgraded seats held up well, and the mate rial is easier to clean than real leather. Other improvements over our S Turbo include a bigger 10.3-inch infotainment screen (ours is 8.0 inches), automatic climate control, and pushbutton start. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but an old-school twist-key ignition can make an otherwise modern car feel archaic in 2022.

EditionNightfall ARRIVALMAZDACX-50

VOLVOXC40TOYOTAMIRAI NISSANROGUE GRTOYOTASUPRAVERDICT SORENTOKIA LAND DEFENDERROVER110 MERCEDES-BENZE450

Suffice to say, if the S Turbo seemed like an ideally optioned and nicely priced Seltos and you’re bummed you missed out, then the new Nightfall Edition is likely to scratch that itch. It features eye-catching aesthetics, many of the same options, and upgrades. All for only $1,400 more than our long-term Seltos.

the CX-5, the CX-50 isn’t classically beautiful. But that’s the point; the CX-50 actually shares its platform with the smaller CX-30, and it expresses a more outdoor-ready appeal.

Like our S Turbo, the Nightfall Edition features all-wheel drive but replaces the long-termer’s silver 18-inch wheels, grille, and roof rails with black ones. The leather-trimmed shifter and steering wheel carry over from the S Turbo, but silver and black exterior door cladding is unique to the Nightfall, differentiating it from other Seltos models. For 2022 and 2023, every Seltos comes standard with lane centering, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high-beams.

We can’t wait.

Our CX-50 rolls on 20-inch wheels with a shiny black ﬁnish; most CX-50s have black 17-inch wheels with more off-road-friendly tires. As with other compact and midsize SUVs, you’ll have to upgrade a couple trims to get a power liftgate. Otherwise, the CX-50 offers a generous standard equipment package at lower trim levels.

Mazda operating system. Blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency front braking, and adaptive cruise control are also standard on every CX-50.

In person, the CX-50’s positioning against the CX-5 becomes clear. The longer, lower, and wider CX-50 wears dark cladding over the wheelwells and has unique grille detailing. Unlike

1500RAMTRX

RIVIANR1T

s equipped, our long-term Kia Seltos S Turbo Edition has a lot to like: handsome mini-SUV looks, respectable driving dynamics, a practical interior layout, and a suitable set of features, all at an affordable price. All that earns the Seltos a high spot in our Ultimate Car Rankings in what has become an exceedingly crowded subcompact SUV market. Yet Kia axed the S Turbo trim for 2022 and beyond, and in its place it offers the slicklooking Nightfall Edition, making our S Turbo a one-year wonder in the Seltos squad.

A brand-new van lacking USB-C ports is unfortunate.

Hard rains driven by strong headwinds torpedoed our fuel economy all day, from an indicated 25 or 26 mpg through the mountains down to 20. We skipped a visit to the Archway Museum, which pays tribute to pioneer adventurers who plied the Great Platte River Road. Crossing the plains, whoever was in the passenger seat turned to email and work, whereupon we missed the SX’s 115V plug and the built-in Wi-Fi. (We initiated setup in California, but it takes 10 days to activate.)

When we finally rolled into our Detroit outpost, we’d covered 2,470 miles and consumed 102.726 gallons of gas, an average of 23.7 mpg— about 7 percent better than the EPA combined rating and 7 percent below the trip computer’s calculated 25.3 mpg. Stay tuned; this rig is bound for many more adventures.

MT GARAGE I Updates 78 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Service Life

Pressing on, we marveled at the gradual change of scenery from desert to dry hills to increasingly verdant mountains, viewing a geology lesson in heaved sedimentary formations. We exited the interstate at Cedar City on State Route 14, which climbs to 9,900 feet crossing the scenic Markagunt Plateau, and stopped at Navajo Lake, which is fed by springs through lava tubes and empties into several rivers we’d soon be crossing, including the Virgin. By now we were disappointed in the Carnival’s door pockets, which are basically only good for maps. (Remember those?) They feature a cupholder indentation, but it only fits 12-ounce cans. (Remember those?) Our taller water bottles and even motel coffee cups don’t fit. A midcycle refresh needs to relocate the speakers to the upper door panels so the pockets can accommodate larger water bottles.

Our first stop was at Calico Ghost Town, a former silver and borate mining boomtown near Barstow, California. It was restored in the ’50s by Knott’s Berry Farm founder Walter Knott, who worked in Calico as a carpenter before becoming a berry/jam/pie magnate. It’s here we noticed the Carnival EX gets standard sunshades for all the rear side windows—fancy stuff in a $39,055 van. This and the standard solar-reflective glass (a step up from the LX’s mere tinting) helped keep the cabin cool in desert sun.

The welcome center at Julesburg, Colorado, honors the Pony Express National Historic Trail—a 1,900-mile run from St. Joseph, Missouri, to San Francisco that originally took 10 days. The advent of the telegraph rendered it obsolete just 18 months after it was established. Speaking of obsolete, how is it that this brand-new minivan lacks modern conveniences like capless fuel fill, wireless CarPlay, and USB-C jacks?

“Our new Carnival long-termer’s first workout is a big one.”

Frank Markus 1 month/3,402 miles Fuel Econ 22.8 mpg

Average

A little way up Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 en route to Bryce Canyon, we hit Red Canyon, which features miniature hoodoos that preview the epic eroded formations that define Bryce. After a brief stop there, CarPlay acted up, requiring multiple unplug-plug operations to resume (wireless CarPlay is not yet available), thus interrupting our streaming performance of The Book of Mormon musical. We eventually prevailed and proceeded to the Bryce Canyon Pines motel and restaurant for a feast of local trout and berry pie. Later in the trip, CarPlay screen went completely black. Other native Kia

As we crested Vail Pass and continued on, we were met with snow and temperatures that dipped into the 30s. Yet the Carnival’s climate control managed to keep a constant temperature despite the day’s wild swings in sun load and exterior temperature. We were saddened to see the Johnson Tunnel on I-70, which marks the beginning of the end of the journey’s most epic scenery.

screens worked, but CarPlay entered a deep and persistent snit that resisted even a “cold reboot” (park, ignition off, open and close door, lock, unlock, open and close, restart). Later, after a longer lunch stop, full CarPlay functionality mysteriously resumed.

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 2022 Kia Carnival

Just east of Kearney, Nebraska, we detoured south to Minden to see the Harold Warp Pioneer Village, a cluster of 28 buildings housing 50,000 historical artifacts, including loads of cars, planes, tractors, and trains. We spent an afternoon and evening here during a cross-country trek in 2001 and were saddened to see the decline it’s suffered. Leaving, we approached the locked Carnival with the key sharing a pocket with an iPhone and struggled to get in. Turns out the phone interferes with the key—a fact we’d struggle to remember in the coming days. Other cars occasionally suffer this problem; here, it’s always.

As part of the Carnival’s Highway Driving Assist system, there’s a feature that uses map and GPS data to slow down in tighter curves. Some curves on I-70 through Utah and Colorado prompted the system to decelerate way more than necessary—sometimes by 10 or 15 mph. Puke-prone preschoolers in car seats may warrant such caution, but with two adults looking out the windows, not at a screen, we overrode this feature and eventually disabled it.

We streamed the musical Hamilton on our way into Des Moines and decided the non-branded audio system lacks any sense of spatial imaging. We found ourselves fiddling with tone settings more than we might with the SX Prestige model’s 12-speaker Bose setup. We closed the night with whiskeys at The Library, where two decades earlier, MT digital director Erik Johnson and I drank with the Drake women’s basketball team.

e decided to assign our long-term Carnival to the Detroit office after it was delivered to our SoCal HQ. That meant a cross-country road trip was in order. The Kia’s nav system estimated the direct 2,316-mile route would take 33 hours and 17 minutes, but our drive would be less direct and way more entertaining.

We encountered very few compelling roadside attractions to tempt us on the anchor leg of this journey, but the birthplace of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, in Gary, Indiana, lured us off the freeway. We both found ourselves fidgeting, readjusting the seat, and moving our legs around to stay comfortable after a few hours at the Carnival’s helm. A little reverse engineering and/or patent licensing of Nissan Zero Gravity seats might be another midcycle upgrade worth doing.

A couple times, CarPlay ceased to function. Thankfully, the native apps continued to work, but we’ll keep an eye out for recurrences.

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Base Price $54,945 As Tested $56,565

Chris Walton Service Life 14 months/10,430 miles Average Fuel Econ 25.7 mpg

Verdict: 2020 Toyota GR Supra

claims that the Supra coupe sharing mechanicals with the Z4 convertible somehow makes it less of a Supra. That’s wrong. Almost everything that can be tuned, mapped, calibrated, or customized is different between them. In fact, neither development team was allowed by German law to know what the other was doing or tuning, and the two companies never drove each other’s car during this time. Also, answer this: Would you prefer that both exist or neither? The same could be said about the Toyota GR 86 and Subaru BRZ. Because that’s what it boils down to.

*IntelliChoice data; assumes 42,000 miles at the end of three years.

Although the Supra’s gestation period seemed long and tortuous to outsiders, things moved fast for Toyota. From the days of Calty Design Research proposing the FT-1 concept sketches, to their bosses getting approval up the Toyota chain— ﬁnally to Akio Toyoda himself, who gave Calty the go-ahead to create a concept “Our startcontroversysurroundedSupralong-termwasbyfromtofinish.”

Maintenance Cost $0

As soon as we could get our hands on a 2020 Supra, it was a contender in our annual Car of the Year competition. Although the groundbreaking Chevrolet Corvette Stingray won that year, the Supra made the ﬁnalist round, and the Z4 did not. The Supra is a purer and more elemental sports car than the BMW. It requires its driver to be precise and use calm inputs to get the most out of the thrilling coupe. We also did a more thorough comparison test between the Supra and Z4 to make certain. The Supra won again. Also note, after about 2.5 years on the market, the Supra has sold roughly 17,000 to the Z4’s 8,000 units.

e had plenty of time to anticipate the 2020 Toyota GR Supra’s arrival in the MotorTrend garage. It took roughly eight years for the reborn Supra to grow from an idea into a production car, and our 14 months with the 3.0 Premium model gave us plenty of time to reﬂect.

car for the 2014 Detroit auto show—the Supra was fast-tracked, thanks to the big boss’ attention. But then there was the matter of building a production version of the haloed A90 Supra. In cooperation with BMW, the Toyota team was embedded for six months with a Munich-based BMW team, sorting out packaging, safety, and production details. For the latter, both BMW and Toyota turned to Graz, Austria’s low-volume manufacturing specialist, Magna Steyr, who builds both the Supra and its BMW Z4Evertwin.since the announcement of the joint BMW/Toyota project, we’ve heard

OPTIONS Driver Assist package ($1,195: adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert w/ emergency braking, parking sensors),

Nitro Yellow paint ($425)

MT GARAGE I Verdict

Problem Areas None

Normal-Wear Cost $0

3-Year Residual Value* $53,100 (94%) Recalls None

Perhaps this all explains why, to the last day of its loan, the public’s respect and admiration for the Supra continued to grow. We’ve noted how many folks who might be intimidated to approach us while refueling a Ferrari would routinely stroll up, camera in hand, and say, “Wow, is that the new Supra?”

TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,500 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $54,945 PRICE AS TESTED $56,565 AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, side, curtain, knee BASIC WARRANTY 3 years/36,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 years/60,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 2 years/25,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 13.7 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 24/31/26 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 356 miles RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium

WEIGHT DIST, F/R 52/48%

STEERING RATIO 15.0:1

NOVEMBER 2022 MOTORTREND.COM 81 VERDICT

BRAKING, 60-0

TURNS LOCK TO LOCK 2.0 BRAKES, F; R 13.7-in vented disc; 13.6-in vented disc

WHEELS, F; R 9.0 x 19-in; 10.0 x 19-in forged aluminum TIRES, F; R 255/35R19 96Y; 275/35R19 100Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport (star)

At the track or on a winding road, the Supra remains an entertaining car. Yet numerous trivial faults prevent it from being excellent.

EPA’s combined estimate. The EPA also rates this Supra’s range at 356 miles, a feat we only managed to beat twice. The longest road trip we made was 1,358 miles, setting the most efﬁcient tankful at 33.2 mpg. Toyota covers maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles, shy of the BMW Z4’s 3 years/36,000 miles. Last, the absolutely bonkers retained value of 94 percent after three years falls in line with the prices of most new and even used cars, and we’ll just leave that there.

0-90

VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 182.9 cu in/2,998cc COMPRESSION RATIO 11.0:1

MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.3

0-100 10.0 0-100-0 13.9 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.9 QUARTER MILE 12.5

DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged directinjected I-6, alum block/ head

We truly enjoyed driving the Supra at the track and on the winding roads surrounding Los Angeles, and at least one iron-butt staffer liked it for his nearly 1,500-mile road trip. However, this GR Supra 3.0 Premium wanted us to ignore too many trivial faults that, in total, didn’t allow us to love it as much as we wished. It’s a compelling car with a compelling story, but not one we wish we could keep another year.

REDLINE 6,500 rpm

Since its 2020 model-year introduction, the GR Supra 3.0 has gained 14 horsepower, up to 382 from the 368 hp of our car. We tested one and found it slower in the dash to 60 mph but faster in the quarter mile. There have been two limited-run special editions and a host of options/upgrades for 2022. For 2023, the 3.0-liter model gains the long-awaited manual option. Rumors say the Supra will cease production in 2025 as the business arrangement with BMW is set to expire. If that’s true, then Supras will probably keep their value even more, as the aftermarket has sunk its teeth into the model by now.

SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar

TO THE LAST DAY, THE PUBLIC’S ADMIRATION FOR THE SUPRA CONTINUED TO GROW.

LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.01

OK, so our Supra was an eye-catching and rewarding sports car that can accelerate to 60 mph in only 3.9 seconds and pull more than 1.00 g in cornering grip. You can thank the BMW-developed 3.0-liter turbocharged I-6 for that. So what’s not to like? There was a common list of complaints from those who drove car: the low roofline that knocked a bunch of noggins getting into or out of the car, the lack of an external hatch (or kick) release, lots of road noise intruding into the cabin (thankfully damped by a full complement of luggage), extreme wind buffeting with the windows even partially down, no manual transmission available at the time, dim screens on the center console and instrument panel, and a byzantine trek through screens and menus to access even the simplest things (like the aforementioned illumination level of the screens, which you’ll find seven layers deep). Lastly, there’s a particular hop we’ve driven many sports cars across, and the Supra absolutely despised it and bucked every time. Although the front of the car took it in stride, the rear axle compressed just fine then nearly sent its tires off the ground with the aggressive rebound damping. We were told the 2021 Supra addressed this tendency. After driving one, we only partially agree.

WEIGHT TO POWER 10.0 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL DRIVE RATIO 3.15:1/2.02:1

2020 Toyota GR Supra (3.0 Premium) POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

We’re a bit late on this ﬁnal report; we took delivery of this car just as the 2020 pandemic began—severely limiting its use, especially at the start. Despite keeping the car for two extra months, we logged just 10,430 miles (nearly 10,000 shy of our goal) with an average of 25.7 mpg, in line with the

0-80

POWER (SAE NET) 335 hp @ 5,000 rpm

WHEELBASEDIMENSIONS 97.2 in TRACK, F/R 62.8/62.6 in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 172.5 x 73.0 x 50.9 in TURNING CIRCLE 34.1 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,346 lb

TEST ACCELERATIONDATA TO MPH 0-30 1.5 sec 0-40 2.2 0-50 3.0 0-60 3.9 0-70

TORQUE (SAE NET) 365 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm

SEATING CAPACITY 2 HEADROOM 38.3 in LEGROOM 42.2 in SHOULDER ROOM 54.4 in CARGO VOLUME 10.2 cu ft 5.2 6.6 8.1 sec @ 110.6 mph MPH 103 ft g (avg) sec @ 0.79 g (avg)

To me, the Golf felt emblematic of a malaise threatening to engulf what was once the world’s biggest and most adventurous automaker, a company that not only reinvented VW and Audi and Škoda but also rescued Lamborghini and Bentley and revived Bugatti.

It’s all down to engine mapping and gearing done in the interest of good fuel efficiency, of course. And the Golf delivered on that front, averaging an indicated 36.6 mpg across 1,100 miles that included a tortuous climb over the 6,778-foot San Bernardino Pass on the tight and twisting old road, as well as plenty of running on German and Italian highways at 100 mph or faster.

The bad stuff? The shiny black touchscreen switch panels look unforgivably cheap and nasty and offer

he only Volkswagen Golfs you can buy new in the U.S. these days are the sporty ones: the snappy 241-hp Golf GTI (the eighth-generation successor to the original hot hatch) and the 315-hp AWD Golf R. The latter is my favorite stealth supercar, a compact hatchback capable of—at least in Europe when fitted with the optional Performance package—terrorizing sleepy 911 drivers on the autobahn with its 167-mph top speed.

1,100 miles in a Volkswagen Golf MkVIII exposes VW’s malaise era.

The good stuff? The chassis. Even in base trim, the latest Golf stops, steers, and handles better than most contemporary compact hatchbacks. Its demeanor displays a maturity and a confidence that its Japanese rivals still can’t match.

Ferdinand Piëch, the man who made the modern Volkswagen Group, was a brilliant engineer and ruthless martinet, a businessman who broke all the rules because he didn’t need the job. He refused to take no for an answer from anyone who worked for him, but he’s been dead for more than three years now. VW perhaps misses his obsessive genius.

The Big Picture

82 MOTORTREND.COM NOVEMBER 2022

Angus MacKenzie

The standard 17-inch all-season tires hummed annoyingly on smooth German tarmac, but I was pleased by their comfy high sidewalls while commuting on Turin’s cratered streets. And they proved surprisingly grippy when hustling the Golf on downhill stretches of winding Alpine roads.

In America, the closely related Jetta sedan now handles the mainstream motoring needs of those who simply want transportation. I thought about the Jetta as I climbed into my Golf rental at Stuttgart Airport. “Sure, the Jetta is fairly big and spacious for its class,” features editor Christian Seabaugh summed up in his road test story of the 2022 Jetta SEL, “but whether you’re shopping for a feature-rich commuting appliance or something to spark a little joy, your money goes further elsewhere.”

Worse, there’s a giant flat spot in the powerband right around 2,000 rpm. Punch the gas, and nothing much happens until at least 2,500, when the engine wakes up and starts paying attention. Even then, the revs hang annoyingly on upshifts, so it still feels lazy.

Hmm. I was about to spend more than two weeks with a six-speed manual Golf with 30 fewer horses and 20 percent less torque under the hood than the U.S.-spec Jetta SEL Seabaugh reviewed. I would drive it from Stuttgart over the Alps to Turin, commute around Turin for a spell, and then head back over the Alps to Munich. Forget the GTI and the R: This was the Golf as mere transport, a detuned Jetta without the trunk. I felt disappointment looming.

none of the tactile efficiency of the previous model’s switchgear.The128-hp, 147-lb-ft 1.5-liter turbocharged fourcylinder is a willing enough worker if you rev it. But the gearing means the engine spends most of its time at 2,000 rpm or less, where throttle response is soggier than a day-old bowl of Cheerios.

There’s just something missing from the entry-level Golf MkVIII. You used to get the sense that no matter how much you put into driving a Golf, it would still sometimes surprise you—still do something to make you smile. You felt like you bought a car that looked and felt more expensive than it really was. But look past the GTI and the R, and the magic that once made even the cheapest Golfs stand out from the hatchback crowd isn’t there today.

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Technologue Intelligent braking systems for the software-defined vehicle.

The Big Picture Does the Volkswagen Golf MkVIII live up to its legacy?

Editor’s Letter America’s EV charging infrastructure