SuperTunes

It ain’t easy standing out in the overly-saturated subcompact crossover segment, but the Kia Soul does exactly that with its mix of unique and attractive styling, equipment, and overall value. Now the Soul enters its third generation for the 2020 model year with a debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, and its bringing a fresh take on the boxy goodness of the outgoing model, plus loads of gear, fun features, and a stout turbo engine option, plus available AWD.

The company’s smallest crossover yet, the Porsche Macan arrived in 2014 and slotted under the highly popular Cayenne. After four years on the market, the compact SUV was updated to mid-cycle specifications. The Macan S is very similar to the base model we saw hit the spotlight earlier in 2018 on the outside. It’s identical inside the cabin as well save for the trim-specific features. However, it’s a different story under the hood, as the “S” badge comes in tow with a larger, 3.0-liter V-6. What’s more, while the four-banger lost a few horses with the facelift, the V-6 delivers a bit more power and torque.

Understandably, the Toyota Supra is all that everyone’s talking about these days. It’s scheduled to make its long-awaited debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show and just yesterday, leaked photos of the production version made their way to the Internet. But don’t focus all of your attention on the Supra just yet because it appears that it’s not the only retro Toyota sports car that’s making a comeback. Brace yourselves for months, maybe even years, of anticipation, folks. Word has it that Toyota is bringing back the MR2 as part of a joint development with Subaru. Neither Toyota nor Subaru have confirmed these plans, but if it’s true, our dreams of reviving the nostalgia of Toyota’s trinity of sports cars is two-thirds of the way from becoming reality.

Volkswagen is really doubling down on its electrified offerings as of late, adding a range of battery-powered models to a variety of segments and previewing each with a series of concepts tagged with the I.D. sub-branding. Now, we’re getting some info on what the production I.D. models will bring to the table, including a new SUV rumored to be called the I.D. Lounge.

Hypercars are getting crazier and crazier with every successive generation, and the new Aston Martin Valkyrie is a perfect example of just how wild the current crop of top-shelf performers truly are. A lot of the Aston’s insanity comes down to the beating mid-ship heart of the machine, and now we’re getting a fresh take on what makes it tick.

For those living in areas with rough winters or simply refusing the lure of indoor binge-watching when the temperatures drop and the elements go all crazy, the Ram 1500 North Edition might just be the present you write Santa for.

Persuaded by the high interest in SUVs and crossovers in Europe, Ford decided to rough up the 2019 Ford Focus a bit and give it an Active badge. The Focus is the third model in Ford’s lineup to be offered in Active trim after the likes of Fiesta and KA+. The Focus Active can be had in both hatchback or wagon body styles, and Ford says its engineers tweaked the springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars, while also lifting the ride by 30 mm up front and 34 mm at the rear.

If there’s one thing we know about Christmas, it’s that even if we think that we’re going to have time to rest and relax, the busy nature of the season will come back and force us off our beds and couches. Whether it’s a late night dash to the nearest Walmart or Target or a trip to the parent’s house an hour away, we’re going to need our SUVs this season more than we realize. On that end, you’re going to need an SUV that can excel during the holiday season. Need space for all your Christmas shopping? An SUV with a spacious cargo area would come in handy. How about those long distance trips? You’ll need an SUV that can a provide a smooth ride while returning great fuel economy. What about if you need to tow a Christmas gift like, say, a new jet ski? An SUV with a high towing capacity is the ride for the job. All these circumstances could play out this season, which is why we’re putting the spotlight on six SUVs that could come in handy this Christmas depending on what your needs are.

Chevy is in a tough spot. Well, GM as a whole is in a tough spot. News has recently circulated that GM was closing several plants, and put five others on watch. 15,000 people are now out of work, and many more have little job security. Along with the three closures in Oshawa, Ontario, Detroit, and, Youngstown Ohio, GM will also cease production of the Chevy Cruze, Chevy Volt, Cadillac CT6, and the Buick Lacrosse. The Warren powertrain plant and Baltimore powertrain plants are also in danger of shutting down after next year as well. Things are getting ugly, but how bad is it?

As you are well aware, Aston Martin has been the car of choice for the not-so-secret agent, James Bond 007. In fact, some go as far saying that Bond’s relationship with his Astons are a lot healthier than his relationship with the women in his life. But these days 007 is undergoing drastic changes, and it got us thinking what if they also decide to change the Bond cars? What would be the alternative and what sort effect that alternative would have on the character?

Now, I don’t think it is a stretch to say that James Bond is becoming more and more politically correct. There are talks that he should be played by a man of color, which is great, and some have even pondered the possibility of a female Bond, Jenna Bond, which I suppose is better than a gender-neutral Bond. So in the next movie there probably won’t be romantic liaison for poor old Bond before he has gotten a full consent, preferably in writing form the love interest, no ethnic characters are going to cast as baddies, he will probably play at a online casino with eurogrand rather than a real one in Monte Carlo, and as for his car, well, obviously, it has to be electric or at the very least hybrid.

Mercifully, there are some nice electric and hybrid cars that would fit the character of the 21st century Bond without making him look like an IT professional with license to hack. Aston Martin themselves have the Rapid-E electric sedan which, although a bit too family-oriented, is still exotic enough to work as at least one of Bond cars. Then there is the BMW i8 whose looks fits the bill perfectly for a 007 adventure, but it we’re honest it works better as a baddie car. There is also the Honda/Acura NSX hybrid which is a cool car, but has a bit of an brand image issue. I suppose the NSX would work as a retirement car for Bond. What about Tesla Model S, though? Now this is an interesting one. This one looks cool, goes like hell, and is almost as PC as the new Bond himself!

Of course, other characters will have to be updated accordingly, with Miss Moneypenny getting probably a Nissan Leaf, Q running around his lab in a little BMW i3, and M being chauffeured around in a PHEV Range Rover. Hmm, such a Bond movie will probably be catastrophically boring to watch, but at least it’ll have a very small carbon footprint.

The post Alternative Bond Cars and Their Effect on 007’s Character appeared first on Motorward.

If you were looking for conclusive proof that there is a new order in the automotive world, here it is. It started with Korean car makers stealing the game from the Americans and the Europeans. But when Nissan announces the production of a limited-run super exotica, you know things have moved on. Who do Nissan think they are? Ferrari?!

Apparently so. The GT-R50 by Italdesign is Nissan’s ticket into the world of bespoke, highly-customized supercars. It’s like we are having a new era of coachbuilding in the car industry, only it is now available to a wider range of people. Make no mistake, though. This custom GT-R will be produced in strictly limited numbers of just 50 copies. And yes, the price will be so high, you will have to do some serious online betting to afford it.Yep, it’ll cost an eye-watering 990,000 euros before taxes and options!

But if you are a GT-R fan, that’ll probably be worth it. I mean, yes, the car is still very much a Nissan. And yes, it is based on a nearly 12-year old car. But the Italian touch means the GT-R50 by Italdesign is every bit as fabulous to look at as any high-end Euro exotic.You know what it’s like? The Italdesign GT-R is like a mixed race baby if the father was a Scandinavian honk and the mother the prettiest Geisha girl you ever saw.

What Italdesign has done here is more than a mere facelift. They have basically come up with a new body for the car.That is probably why Nissan has the nerve to ask for near as makes no difference a million euros for this thing. Well, that, and the fact that they have also done some serious mechanical work on it. This car features a NISMO-tuned 720 PS engine, so when we say it’s a super car, we mean it. Pair that power with the GT-R’s innate performance characteristic, and you realize this bad boy is a proper speed monster.

Despite all of that, we personally feel that a million euros is too much for something with a Nissan badge. What’s more, if you really fancy this car you can probably get a second-hand GT-R for about 20 or 30 grand and spend another 10 on a custom aftermarket kit that looks just like the one on this car. Basically, what you are paying for here is that brand, Italdesign. Now, if would have been alright if everybody recognized it at first glance. But you have to explain it. You have to tell people no, it really is an Italian design. And yes, it really has cost a million euros. And how uncool is that?

The post Nissan to Produce the 720 PS GT-R50 by Italdesign appeared first on Motorward.

Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, people live longer now than ever before in human history. That is obviously an excellent thing, but it does bring about new concerns and challenges. And one of the biggest of them all is the question of driving. Should we allow old people to continue to drive well into their ripe age? What should be the cut-off age? What sort of cars are best for the elderly?

Now, some people believe that old folks should spend their final years at a retirement community, playing bingo online with legs 11. These people are insensitive to the fact that someday they, too, will get old and knackered. But, being selfish by nature, they will then insist that they should retain their independence and continue to benefit from all the fruits of civilized society. So that is not really a solution, especially, as mentioned above, people are living pretty long and they are usually physically fit well into their eighties and nineties.

So if we should let octogenarians continue to drive and have their vehicle, the next obvious question is what is the right kind of car for these folks? Well, pondering the question for a few moments, everyone comes up with the same answer: cars that are the safest. And that is true. The elderly definitely need cars that have the maximum safety ratings. But there is more to it than that. Older drivers are sort of like newbie drivers. They often have the same habits and road behaviors, and have the same concerns and complaints when it comes to motoring. Therefore, the best for an old person is the same car you get for a teenager when he or she is first learning how to drive.

That means the car needs to be small, easy to maneuver, with a light steering wheel, comfy suspension, good headlights, and of course, an automatic gearbox. There is just one proviso, which is a major difference between a teenager’s car and an old person’s car. And that is complexity. While you can put a teenager in a spaceship and s/he will figure it out in ten seconds, the car you get for your parents has to be simple and straightforward. For instance, don’t get your folks a new BMW with one of those fancy gear sticks and iDrive system. It’s going to drive them mad!

Unfortunately, cars are getting more and more complex these days, what with the new digital services integrated into them and new ways of interacting with them. Car makers are just not taking into account the old people when designing these cars. Even Honda, for years the go-to choice for any driver above seventy, is now favoring the PlayStation generation over the Atari generation.

The post Suitable Cars for the Elderly – Things to Consider appeared first on Motorward.

Journalists have tried out the all-new, seventh-gen, 2019 BMW 3-Series G20 at its official launch event in Portugal, and first impressions of the car are really good. You’d expect BMW to want to pull out all the stops in order to get its smallest and most popular sedan right and, apparently, it did.

Journalists have tried out the all-new, seventh-gen, 2019 BMW 3-Series G20 at its official launch event in Portugal, and first impressions of the car are really good. You’d expect BMW to want to pull out all the stops in order to get its smallest and most popular sedan right and, apparently, it did.

It’s not even 2019, and we’re already talking about the hybridized version of the new 992-generation Porsche 911. Yes, the plug-in model will only be unveiled in late 2020 for the 2021 model but August Achleitner, Porsche’s current head of sports car development, has already shed some light on how the German company prepared for this move.

We knew ever since the new 911 was presented to the world at the L.A. Auto Show that it would have some built-in features that would, later on, make the adaptation of a hybrid powertrain simpler. Now, we get a bit of insight of how Porsche is working to fit the battery pack and the electric motors onto the 911s platform.

It’s not even 2019, and we’re already talking about the hybridized version of the new 992-generation Porsche 911. Yes, the plug-in model will only be unveiled in late 2020 for the 2021 model but August Achleitner, Porsche’s current head of sports car development, has already shed some light on how the German company prepared for this move.

We knew ever since the new 911 was presented to the world at the L.A. Auto Show that it would have some built-in features that would, later on, make the adaptation of a hybrid powertrain simpler. Now, we get a bit of insight of how Porsche is working to fit the battery pack and the electric motors onto the 911s platform.

The Porsche Macan often gets overshadowed by its bigger and more accomplished brother, the Porsche Cayenne. But, that’s about to change because the new Macan S breaks the crossover out of its shell. Not only is the 2019 Macan S sexier, but it also packs a new engine that produces more power than its predecessor. Those three elements are the biggest highlights of the new Macan S, underscoring what we’ve all been waiting for from the model since it first arrived in 2014. Put together; the new Macan S sheds its rough-around-the-edges label in favor of a more balanced ride. Don’t look now, but it appears that Porsche’s entry-level crossover is ready for the big leagues. The new Porsche Macan S starts at $58,600.

The Porsche Macan often gets overshadowed by its bigger and more accomplished brother, the Porsche Cayenne. But, that’s about to change because the new Macan S breaks the crossover out of its shell. Not only is the 2019 Macan S sexier, but it also packs a new engine that produces more power than its predecessor. Those three elements are the biggest highlights of the new Macan S, underscoring what we’ve all been waiting for from the model since it first arrived in 2014. Put together; the new Macan S sheds its rough-around-the-edges label in favor of a more balanced ride. Don’t look now, but it appears that Porsche’s entry-level crossover is ready for the big leagues. The new Porsche Macan S starts at $58,600.

We have something special for you today – the first look at the long-awaited Toyota Supra A90. SupraMKV forum leaked the picture that clearly shows the front end of the new Toyota Supra. Of course, nothing is official as of yet, but I am really confident that this is the real deal. It shows the Toyota Supra being transported by a car transport wagon. The photo we have does show clear links with the FT-1 concept Toyota presented five years ago. That is a really good thing as the FT-1 looks rather stunning. The first public image of the new Toyota Supra in grey is the biggest news today, and I can say right now that this car does not look like the Z4 as some have feared.

We have something special for you today – the first look at the long-awaited Toyota Supra A90. SupraMKV forum leaked the picture that clearly shows the front end of the new Toyota Supra. Of course, nothing is official as of yet, but I am really confident that this is the real deal. It shows the Toyota Supra being transported by a car transport wagon. The photo we have does show clear links with the FT-1 concept Toyota presented five years ago. That is a really good thing as the FT-1 looks rather stunning. The first public image of the new Toyota Supra in grey is the biggest news today, and I can say right now that this car does not look like the Z4 as some have feared.