Cars – Page 10

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA feels like a real car, not a science experiment

car review, Cars, First drive, Mercedes-Benz CLA / Mike M. / July 17, 2025

Mercedes’ new 800 V electric powertrain is ready for the public, and we’ve driven it.

Mercedes-Benz has high hopes for its new EV technology, which debuts in the 2026 CLA. Credit: Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a marked departure from Mercedes’ EV efforts. Instead of a dedicated line of EQ vehicles—like the EQB, EQC, and EQS—we’re getting vehicles “with EQ Technology.” It started with the electric G Wagon, but the CLA is the first mainstream product to make the change. The thing is that the change is significant and for the better. Several months ago, we got some time in a prototype CLA; now we’ve driven the final product.

The CLA returns for the 2026 model year as an EV first (with a hybrid coming) on an all-new 800-volt architecture. This architecture will find its way to other Mercedes vehicles, like the upcoming GLB and GLC. This thoroughly modern setup features some of the company’s biggest innovations.

The CLA will be available with either one or two electric motors, with a two-speed setup for efficiency and performance. The 250+ base model makes 268 hp (200 kW) and 247 lb-ft (335 Nm) of torque. Mercedes is claiming up to 792 km of range with this model on the WLTP cycle. Accounting for WLTP’s optimism, it’s still possible we might see an EPA-rated range over 400 miles, but Mercedes isn’t quoting any real numbers yet.

Not quite a sedan, more like a four-door coupe. Mercedes-Benz

The dual motor, all-wheel drive 4Matic variant, makes 349 hp ( 260 kW) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque. It also has a two-speed setup. The WLTP estimate from Mercedes here is up to 771 km, which would still be potentially 400 miles under EPA testing in the real world.

Peak DC fast charging is 320 kW, with a 10–80 percent charging time of 22 minutes for the 85 kWh usable lithium-ion battery pack. For comparison, the current EQB peaks at just 110 kW.

Two charge ports

Like the upcoming Nissan Leaf, the charge connector situation will be a little weird on the CLA. It’ll have a standard SAE J-1772 plug for level 2 charging, but sitting next to it, behind the charging door, is also a NACS connector for DC fast charging. It’s not my favorite solution to the problem. If you were to switch from a Model 3 to a CLA, you might already have a Tesla charger in your garage, and you’ll need an adapter for the J-plug, but we are in a strange transitional time for all of this. At least they’re on the same side of the car.

Some early cars making their way to the United States will only support 800 V DC fast charging stations. Those would include Mercedes’ own stations, along with Ionna. But those early cars won’t work on the nation’s biggest 400 V network, Tesla Superchargers.

Mercedes tells us that these early cars will be limited to demonstration vehicles, with customer vehicles early next year supporting both 400 V and 800 V chargers.

“After the initial limited delivery of cars late this year for demonstration of the CLA’s fast-charging abilities, 2026 US customer orders from early next year will feature a converter and be capable of charging at 400 V and faster 800 V, meaning the largest number of US charging points, currently over 140,000.”

Customers shouldn’t have to think about it when they receive their own cars, which is ultimately what matters the most. It does, however, highlight some of the challenges of developing EVs in a fast-changing environment.

Finally, a hood that opens

The CLA with EQ Technology has some new changes for Mercedes in the cargo capacity department, too. It’s the first Mercedes with a frunk since the W23 of the 1930s. It was silly to offer a hood on a car that is bolted shut, so it’s nice to not only see Mercedes change course on that but also provide 2.5 cubic feet (71 L) of storage up there.

The cockpit layout is similar to the EQ Mercedes EVs. Mercedes-Benz

That gives the CLA overall cargo capacity of 18.7 cubic feet (530 L) between the frunk and the trunk. The trunk swallows two people’s luggage without much issue, but the load lift into the trunk is pretty high. This is not uncommon for a proper sedan, but it is noticeable.

Speaking of being a proper sedan, the new CLA is 1.3 inches (33 mm) longer than the old car, with a 2.4-inch (61 mm) longer wheelbase. It also has more headroom for both front and rear passengers and is a comfortable place to spend time once you get settled.

Our test models all had the AMG Line package, which included sportier seats that are actually quite comfortable. The cabin gives you a feeling of being cocooned in the car, but it doesn’t feel cramped or claustrophobic.

When you look ahead, you have an optional heads-up display and Mercedes’ new MBUX Superscreen. This is a 10.25-inch driver display, a 14-inch center display, and a 14-inch passenger display. They are all powered by MB.OS and Unity Game Engine. The new infotainment includes support for apps, like Disney+ and Angry Birds. The driver can access these while parked, but the passenger can use their display while the vehicle is in motion.

the back half of a Mercedes CLA seen with pedestrians and cyclists in the foreground. — Less eye-catching colors are available. Credit: Mercedes-Benz

While playing Angry Birds, I couldn’t help but notice how good-looking the passenger screen was. In fact, all the screens have excellent contrast and color reproduction, which is partly due to their lack of a screen filter that normally prevents the driver from seeing the screen.

Keep your eyes on the road

However, in the CLA, the passenger display is initially visible to the driver. The camera mounted above the center display, which is also used for features like video conferencing or in-car selfies, watches the driver. If the driver looks toward the passenger display, the screen will be disabled until the driver pays attention to the road again. It’s an interesting way to solve the driver distraction problem while not ruining how the screen looks.

Star Wars’ Andor looks and sounds pretty good with the Burmeister sound system, even if it’s in Danish by default—because we’re in Copenhagen—and I don’t know Danish.

My biggest complaint about the new infotainment system in these versions is huge bezel on the center screen. Some of the bezel is needed for the camera, but in 2025, it comes across as being a bit cheap. They look great, just the bezel doesn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if upgraded displays in higher-end future models expand to fill those gaps.

We’ll need to spend some time with the CLA on familiar roads before we can truly judge its efficiency. Credit: Mercedes-Benz

Driving the new CLA is a pleasant experience. The 250+ has plenty of grunt for most of the driving normal people do. The two-speed setup operates seamlessly, and at no point did I feel the need for more power.

If you want more power, or more importantly, all-wheel drive, the 350 4Matic delivers. In the normal driving mode, acceleration is even more brisk, but it doesn’t snap your head back. Put the car into the Sport setting, and you get all the acceleration you could really want. Yes, there’ll be more powerful versions in the future. But a 4.8-second run to 60 mph in a non-performance car is plenty.

That’s smooth

The country roads outside Copenhagen don’t offer many opportunities to really push the car to its limits, but ride comfort is excellent. Only when we hit a manhole cover on a torn-up street did I feel like I was driving an entry-level vehicle.

On the other hand, I didn’t feel the need or desire to switch over to the car’s sport mode. With a standard fixed suspension, little changes when you engage the setting (except unlocking the full acceleration power), and frankly, it never felt necessary.

That’s not to say the car isn’t fun or isn’t any good. On the contrary, I could spend a lot of time in one of these and be quite happy with it. However, there’s room to add an AMG variant that really cranks up the performance.

As for looks, I find the car attractive without being too much. I think the darker colors, look better on this car than the lighter ones, as the front grille looks a little busy with lighter colors. I find the car more attractive in person than in photos, and while I wasn’t a fan of the TriStar motif in the rear taillights, it has grown on me.

I haven’t driven the G580, but the GLC prototype I drove last month and the CLA feel different. Unlike previous Mercedes EVs, these feel like cars and not just science experiments. Yes, the technology is all there, but the one thing that BMW was able to do on its EVs that previous EQs lacked was delivering a driving experience that felt like it wasn’t exclusively dictated by math. There’s also no word on pricing yet.

The CLA with EQ Technology might be a mouthful, but it represents a significant leap forward.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA feels like a real car, not a science experiment Read More »

Stellantis abandons hydrogen fuel cell development

Cars, FCEV, hydrogen, Stellantis / Mike M. / July 16, 2025

Hydrogen is also much less energy-dense by volume, and making the stuff is far from efficient, even when you use entirely renewable electricity. And of course, the vast majority of commercial hydrogen is not so-called blue hydrogen, which was made with renewables but is instead mostly produced via steam reformation from hydrocarbon stocks. That’s an energy-intensive process and one that is very far from carbon-neutral.

Finally, there’s virtually no infrastructure for hydrogen road vehicles to refuel.

The vehicles are inefficient, and the fuel is expensive, difficult to store, and hard to find. So it’s perhaps no wonder that someone at Stellantis finally saw sense. Between the high development costs and the fact that FCEVs only sell with strong incentives, the decision was made to cancel the production of hydrogen vans in France and Poland.

Stellantis says there will be no job losses at its factories and that R&D staff will be put to work on other projects.

“In a context where the Company is mobilizing to respond to demanding CO2 regulations in Europe, Stellantis has decided to discontinue its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program,” said Jean-Philippe Imparato, Chief Operating Officer for Enlarged Europe. “The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, with no prospects of mid-term economic sustainability. We must make clear and responsible choices to ensure our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers with our electric and hybrid passenger and light commercial vehicles offensive.”

Stellantis abandons hydrogen fuel cell development Read More »

BYD has caught up with Tesla in the global EV race. Here’s how.

BYD, Cars, china, elon musk, EVs, syndication, Tesla / Kris Guyer / July 15, 2025

“Tesla has partnered with Baidu [a Chinese search and AI group] but Baidu can’t disclose all the data points to Tesla,” Duo adds. “The real-world data is definitely more valuable.”

Home field advantage

While BYD might have home turf advantage when it comes to data collection and security, Wang’s late pivot to driverless functionality has created some risks for the group.

One is question marks over financial sustainability. Price wars among Chinese carmakers are putting margins and the industry’s balance sheet under strain as Beijing demands more action to protect suppliers in the world’s largest car market.

It has also opened up some rare gaps in BYD’s otherwise formidable vertical integration. Its market leadership has also enabled it to pressure suppliers for price cuts and extended payment terms, allowing it to rigorously control costs.

But according to Chris McNally, an analyst with US investment bank Evercore, the God’s Eye platform uses software and hardware partners, including Momenta, a Chinese group backed by General Motors in the US, and some chips from Nvidia.

BYD EVP next to car — BYD’s executive vice-president Stella Li said competition with Tesla in EVs and autonomous technology would accelerate innovation, ultimately making BYD a “better’” company. Credit: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

For years, the risks associated with reliance on US-made chips in particular have hovered over the Chinese car sector—plans for driverless systems could be held back at any moment by US export controls or sanctions.

“Given the geopolitical environment, no one will invest in a technology with such a high risk that they’re still relying on foreign technology,” says Raymond Tsang, an automotive technology expert with Bain in Shanghai.

However, these vulnerabilities might not persist. Analysts believe BYD will soon develop most of its driverless systems in house and increasingly swap out Nvidia chips for those made by Beijing-based Horizon Robotics. “This is the BYD way to drive costs down,” McNally says.

It would also be consistent with a broader shift towards self-reliance in key technologies, in response to Washington’s steadily increasing restrictions on technology exports to China.

Yuqian Ding, a veteran Beijing-based auto analyst with HSBC, says that while BYD has not talked about developing a robotaxi service, executives have made “very clear” their plans to develop in-house all the important software and hardware needed for autonomous vehicles.

Wang, the BYD boss, has also previously indicated to analysts that the company has all the tech and know-how to develop robots, in another potential long-term challenge to Musk.

“With more than 5 million scale per annum, they can do everything,” Ding says, adding: “That’s the ultimate goal . . . Their target is much closer to Tesla.”

In an interview with the Financial Times this year, BYD’s executive vice-president Stella Li said competition with Tesla in EVs and autonomous technology would accelerate innovation, ultimately making BYD a “better” company.

“In the future, if you are not producing an electric car, if you’re not introducing technology in intelligence and autonomous driving, you will be out,” she warned.

Additional reporting by Gloria Li in Hong Kong

Graphic illustration by Ian Bott and data visualisation by Ray Douglas

BYD has caught up with Tesla in the global EV race. Here’s how. Read More »

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 N offers more sound, more shifts, more smiles

Cars, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Hyundai Ioniq 6 N / Mike M. / July 14, 2025

In addition to the new sound, the shape of the 6 N is obviously quite a bit different than that of the SUV-silhouette of the Ioniq 5. Being a sedan means having a trunk, and on that trunk is a mighty large wing with a dramatic curving profile to match the sculpted edges at the rear of the 6 N.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 N charge port — The Ioniq 6 can fast charge very quickly, but how many tracks have convenient 350 kW DC fast chargers? Credit: Tim Stevens

Not big enough? Don’t worry, Hyundai is launching a new line of N Performance parts, enabling buyers to swap on a positively massive rear wing that follows the trend of gooseneck mounting, a design popularized by modern GT racing.

Big wings and EVs don’t usually mix, since the priority is usually aerodynamics and not downforce. However, Eduardo Ramirez, Chief Designer of Hyundai Design Europe, told me that despite the extra aerodynamic volume, the bigger optional wing doesn’t create extra drag. So if you crave that low-key GT3 look but worry about a big-time range hit, follow your heart.

The final change from the 5 N is so subtle that I didn’t even notice it at first, but the division’s distinctive Performance Blue paint now shines through a white pearl coating. I’m a big fan of the N series’ blue/red/black liveries, and the extra sheen here just makes things look that much more premium.

Speaking of premiums, the big question on my mind is how much the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N will cost. Prices of everything are a bit turbulent, with shifting tariffs and credit situations, but right now, you’ll have to spend an extra $23,600 over the $42,600 MSRP of an Ioniq 5 if you want to step up to an Ioniq 5 N.

If that same delta is maintained for this new model, given the Ioniq 6 starts at $37,850, you’ll be looking at somewhere around $60,000 for an Ioniq 6 N. But the market has changed significantly since the 5 N was introduced in 2023, so it’s anyone’s guess which numbers will be stuck on the glass of the 6 N when it hits American dealerships, assuming import tariffs don’t turn this blueberry into forbidden fruit.

When might you be able to get one? Nobody’s talking about that yet, either, but hopefully, Hyundai won’t keep us waiting long.

Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 N offers more sound, more shifts, more smiles Read More »

5 big EV takeaways from Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”

Cars, EV charger, EVs, One Big Beautiful Bill, syndication / Tim Belzer / July 12, 2025

Plus, OBBB got rid of penalties for automakers who fail to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. These standards have ramped up over the last 50 years and forced auto companies to make their vehicles more gas-efficient. They pushed manufacturers to, for example, get into hybrids, and build some of the first modern electrics. Now, they’ll no longer have that extra incentive to get clean, emission-wise.

Keep your eye on your city or state

Just because federal EV support is going away doesn’t mean all government support is over in the US. “I do think we’ll see states step in to fill the gap,” says Harris. So it’s worth doing a bit of research to see what incentives exist where you live.

To date, 11 states—California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington—have joined together to experiment with new polices and programs that promote cleaner vehicles.

And last month, in the middle of a fight with the Trump administration over California’s power to set its own clean air rules, California governor Gavin Newsom directed state agencies to come up with new and innovative ways to support zero-emission vehicles. The state still plans to phase out sales of new gas cars by 2035.

Stay optimistic, EV fans

Industry watchers seem certain of one thing: Despite this setback in the US, electric vehicles are the future. So while American consumers and automakers try to figure out how to cope with uncertainty, electric progress will continue all over the world.

Expect China to continue to put out well-built and -priced EVs, and export them all over the world. “Americans are paying more and closer attention to those offerings, and eventually there’s going to be demand,” says Nigro. American companies are going to have to keep up—or else. ”That’s the existential crisis the industry faces,” he says.

Yoon, the Edmunds analyst, also expects the new bill to result in short-term electric pain. But he believes there’s light ahead. In fact, Yoon is so optimistic, he allows himself an auto metaphor. “Ultimately, this will be a speed bump rather than a true obstacle,” he says.

This story originally appeared at wired.com.

5 big EV takeaways from Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Read More »

Life after two-stroke: Rotax electrifies its bike and kart powertrains

Can-Am, Cars, electric motorcycles, Rotax / Paul Patrick / July 12, 2025

Whether I was riding in the rain in Austria or the blazing heat of the Texas sun (115° F/46° C), Rotax’s focus on thermal management kept the two Can-Am bikes ready to deliver the expected power at any speed. It’s not only a tremendous feat of engineering, but on the road, it can mean the difference between life and death.

The Can-Am Pulse is the other Can-Am motorbike to use Rotax’s electric powertrain.

Motorcycle riders are keenly aware—because we are routinely reminded—that our method of transportation is inherently dangerous. We straddle a motor connected to two wheels with a metal frame holding it all together. While astride these machines, it’s important that everything works as expected. More so than inside a car, counting on the brakes and powertrain to perform as anticipated is extremely important. Thermal fade in a car isn’t great. Thermal fade in a motorcycle could lead to a life-threatening situation.

For a company that has been building motors for itself and other bike makers, the importance of creating a vehicle that performs as expected is likely not lost on Rotax.

The company is also aware that the rest of the motorcycle industry is likely keeping an eye of the Can-Am bike sales. “They know what we did in the power sports industry, that we are a serious company with design, development, manufacturing capabilities, an international footprint, an international global supply base, and we have the knowledge to do great products. If I [were] them, I would be watching us,” Gebetshuber said.

Like other businesses, Rotax is trying to deal with the fallout of the United States’ chaotic tariff situation. Gebetshuber notes that the company doesn’t want to comment on politics but, “what we can say is the environment is currently very difficult, because changes are happening faster than we’re able to react.”

You’ll find Rotax’s motors in a number of other OEMs’ bikes. Credit: Rotax

It does help with development that nearly everything is done in-house. The motors are built at a Rotax facility. The bikes are put together at another. Development is done in Austria. Nearly everything on the Can-Am bikes is either built by Rotax or, in the case of the inverter on the electric platform, built to Rotax specifications.

Life after two-stroke: Rotax electrifies its bike and kart powertrains Read More »

Lamborghini follows successful racing Huracan with new Temerario GT3

Cars, GT3, Lamborghini Temerario / Rejus Almole / July 11, 2025

Thanks to performance balancing, older GT3 cars like the Huracan are still competitive. But with the road car out of production, it was obvious that a racing version of its replacement was called for.

“The Temerario GT3 has been designed with the end user in mind,” said Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer Rouven Mohr. “Everything has been considered, from the efficiency of the aerodynamics to the power curve to the way in which the team is able to operate the car. The car operates in a slightly different area of the performance windows, which are used to balance the cars of different configurations compared to its predecessor. We are confident that it will be competitive in terms of lap time, while also nice to drive in a wide range of conditions, including at night and in the rain. The development team has worked hard to ensure the car has a wide operating window and that the teams are better able to work on it.”

The hybrid system is gone—too complex for customer racing, not to mention far too heavy. And again, with its balance of performance, it’s not like the Temerario GT3 would be allowed much more than half of the road car’s 907 hp (676 kW). The 4.0 L twin-turbo V8 stays, albeit limited to just 550 hp (410 kW), and there’s a new six-speed racing transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. The bodywork is designed for rapid replacement—rubbing isn’t really racing, but contact happens, and the faster you can fix it, the better.

These customer racing cars are even a decent little money-spinner for Lamborghini. The company sold more than 200 Huracan GT3s, and probably at least that many Super Trofeo cars, which race in a one-make series and don’t have the restrictions of the GT3 category.

Lamborghini follows successful racing Huracan with new Temerario GT3 Read More »

Rivian’s new Quad-Motor R1T and R1S beat the competition in any conditions

car review, Cars, First drive, Rivian, Rivian R1S, Rivian R1T / Tim Belzer / July 8, 2025

Faster than a supercar to 60, still able to rock crawl with the best of them.

Lots of EVs can accelerate quickly, few also have off-road abilities that would put a mountain goat to shame. Credit: Tim Stevens

It’s getting harder to find hyperboles to describe the performance of modern EVs. Horsepower figures measured in four digits and acceleration figures clocking in well under three seconds aren’t exactly de rigueur, but they’re well short of rare these days.

Rivian’s latest generation ticks those boxes, joining the automaker’s range alongside the cheaper dual-motor models we tested last year. The new Gen 2 Quad-Motor versions of the company’s R1S SUV and R1T truck offer 1,025 hp (764 kW) and 1,198 lb-ft (1,624 Nm) of torque, enough to get the pick-up from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds—the heavier SUV is a tenth slower. That’s awfully quick for a truck that weighs in at around 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) and can tow 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg) or, in the case of the SUV, seat seven comfortably.

That spread of performance and practicality is impressive, but as I learned in a day behind the wheel of both the $115,990 truck and $121,990 SUV, winding around and over the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, that’s just scratching the surface of what they can do.

Rivian launched its second-generation R1 last year, with a cheaper dual motor version. Now it’s time for the more powerful quad motor powertrain to hit the road. And the trails. Tim Stevens

More motors, more potential

As you can guess by the name, the Quad-Motor editions of Rivian’s R1 machines offer four motors, one per wheel. That, of course, provides those astronomical performance figures, providing the sheer force necessary to accelerate them so quickly.

But it goes well beyond that. Most EVs with all-wheel drive—including the cheaper dual-motor R1S and R1T that Rivian started selling last year—rely on a pair of motors: one up front and one out back, each splitting its power across two wheels courtesy of a differential. Each differential divvies up the twisting force from a motor but introduces extra friction and drivetrain losses into the equation.

Most traditional differentials also struggle with wheelspin, such that when one wheel starts to lose grip, the EV actually needs to apply the brakes on that wheel to keep it from spinning wildly. Hitting the brakes while you’re trying to accelerate isn’t great for maximum performance.

Rivian R1 interior — Rivian continues to eschew buttons and phone-casting interfaces like CarPlay. Credit: Tim Stevens

Installing one motor per wheel simplifies the whole setup immensely. Now, each motor can be controlled individually, with no differentials required to ensure power goes where it’s needed. If one wheel starts to slip, the car can simply cut that motor’s power without impacting any of the other three.

That process is helped by Rivian’s new system architecture introduced in the Gen 2 R1 platform last year. This not only greatly simplified the architecture of the vehicles, cutting cost and weight, but it enabled far more finite control over those motors.

The four motors are backed by a 140 kWh (usable) NMC battery pack, which, for the first time on a Rivian, is charged via a Tesla-style NACS port. That pack offers up to 374 miles (602 km) of range per the EPA if you go with the efficiency-minded all-season wheel and tire setup. Switch the Quads over to Conserve drive mode, and Rivian’s engineers told me upwards of 400 miles (643 km) on a charge is possible.

But if you want that eye-opening acceleration figure mentioned above, you’ll need to opt for the optional summer wheel and tire package, which swaps out the low-rolling resistance tires for a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S tires on staggered 22-inch wheels, measuring 275 wide at the front and 305 at the rear.

More into the off-road side of the equation? There’s another wheel and tire package available: 20-inch wheels with aggressive Pirelli Scorpion tires. Choose wisely, because your selected wheel and tire will have a huge impact on the personality of your Quad.

Rolling clean

I started my day in an R1T Quad-Motor on the street performance-oriented Michelin tires, and sadly, the first hour or so was spent idling through traffic. That meant leaving most of those 1,025 horses safely blanketed in the stable, but it did give me time to sample the more nuanced changes in the Quad.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Rivian’s second-generation machines, but Quad-Motor features a few updates. The cel-shaded visual display design has been cleaned up a bit, especially the gauge cluster view of the world around you, meaning the entirety of the interface looks equally clean and charming.

Sadly, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are still missing, which I found particularly annoying when testing the now Atmos-equipped sound system. Since I couldn’t access the music I’d downloaded on my phone, I was stuck relying on the truck’s data connection to stream music through Apple Music. Connectivity is spotty in the rural routes around Lake Tahoe, and it was rare that I got through a single track without stuttering or outright pausing. Fumbling for my phone and having to pair over Bluetooth felt awfully low-rent for a $119,900 as-configured machine.

Rivian infotainment screen showing the RAD tuner — The RAD tuner is new. Credit: Tim Stevens

An unexpected software surprise was the new RAD Tuner. This presents you with a screen full of vehicle parameters to modulate, including standard stuff like suspension stiffness and throttle response, plus far more nuanced parameters like front-to-rear torque split and even roll stiffness. You can modify any of the stock on- or off-road modes or just add new ones to your heart’s content.

As someone who is often frustrated by the lack of configurability in modern EVs, I loved being able to tweak every slider. Each adjustment is paired with an intuitive graph and explanation showing you exactly what it does. Best of all, I could really feel the differences. Dragging the roll slider up and down made the R1T go from a relaxed, floppy feel to a taut, engaging turner.

Unfortunately, nothing I changed made the ride quality any better. The truck was surprisingly harsh over broken asphalt, and there was a fair bit of road noise, too. That’s a big difference from what I’ve experienced from Rivian’s R1 machines in the past, making me think the sportier wheel and tire package is the culprit here. I unfortunately did not have a chance to sample the all-season wheels and tires, but I would have to figure their less aggressive design would be an improvement.

Given that, I’d probably skip the Michelin tire setup. But with it equipped, the truck was impressive. Acceleration was truly eye-opening, as you’d expect, while the ability to seamlessly apply power to each wheel as needed resulted in a confidence-inspiring machine when the traffic cleared. Only the complete lack of steering feedback dampened the fun, but even so, the R1T Quad-Motor is far more engaging on the road than a truck this size has any right to be.

A pair of Rivians seen off-road at dusk. — Time to get dirty. Credit: Rivian

But things got even more fun when the road ended.

Rolling dirty

The second half of my time behind the wheel was spent in an R1S Quad-Motor outfitted with the more aggressively treaded Pirelli Scorpion tires. That three-row SUV brought me up and over some astonishingly tricky terrain, including a sheer rock wall that, on foot, would have required a ladder.

Over loose gravel and tricky articulations, the new Quad showed its ability to lean on those tires with grip while quickly cutting power to those left hanging in the air. This is the kind of next-level traction management that trumps locking differentials and makes an R1 Quad-Motor a cinch to drive up even the most extreme terrain.

It was easy going down, too. On loose surfaces, with the regen set to maximum and the SUV’s central display showing the output of the individual motors, I could see how each corner of the vehicle dynamically ramped its regen up or down to match the available grip. The result was a clean, straight descent.

The side of a Rivian R1T, seen from the rear. — Tire choice is quite important. Credit: Tim Stevens

The Quad-Motor is even easy to turn around in tight spaces. Rivian’s original Tank Turn returns, now rebranded and expanded as the Kick Turn, enabling 360-degree spins on loose surfaces or even tail-dragging pivots around tight corners. The process of engaging this mode is a bit clumsy, requiring you to hold buttons on the steering wheel simultaneously with both thumbs to indicate spin direction. But, when off-road at least, this helps to make up for the R1’s continued lack of rear steering.

At the end of the day, I honestly wasn’t sure whether I was more impressed by the on-road or off-road capabilities of Rivian’s new Quad-Motor machines. That spectrum of performance makes the top-shelf R1 series unique, an addictive mixture of supercar speed and super truck capability.

Rivian’s new Quad-Motor R1T and R1S beat the competition in any conditions Read More »

2025 VW ID Buzz review: If you want an electric minivan, this is it

car review, Cars, VW ID. Buzz / Rejus Almole / July 4, 2025

The fast charging stats are acceptable for a 400 V powertrain. VW quotes 30-minute fast-charging from 10 to 80 percent, with the battery able to accept peak rates of 170 kW. In practice, I plugged in with 35 percent SoC and reached 80 percent after 21 minutes. Meanwhile, a full AC charge should take 7.5 hours.

You want plenty of space in a minivan, and there’s a huge amount here. In the US, we only get a three-row version of the Buzz, which offers features that the two-row, Euro-only version can’t, like air vents and opening windows in the back. There are also a plethora of USB-C ports. You sit up high, with an H-point (where your hip goes) that’s a few inches above that of other minivan drivers.

One of the downsides of that large battery is the extra height it adds to the Buzz, although a tight turning circle and light steering mean it’s never a chore to drive. However, getting in could be a little simpler for people on the smaller end of the spectrum if there were grab handles or running boards.

The width shouldn’t prove a problem, given the number of commercial Buzzes you now see working as delivery vans or work trucks in Europe these days. The bluff front and large frontal area may also explain the wind noise at highway speeds, although that can easily be drowned out by the sound system (or two rows of children, perhaps). Driving slowly, and therefore efficiently, is made simpler by the lack of side bolstering of the seats and that high H-point that magnifies any amount of roll when cornering.

VW’s infotainment system still lags a bit, and the car relies on capacitive controls, but at least they’re backlit now. Jonathan Gitlin

Both middle and third row are viable places to put fully grown adults, even for long drives. The specs actually give the third row the edge, with 42.4 inches (1,077 mm) of legroom versus 39.9 inches (1,014 mm) for the middle row, and VW had to issue a recall because the rear bench is slightly wider than federal rules allow if you only have two seatbelts.

2025 VW ID Buzz review: If you want an electric minivan, this is it Read More »

From Le Mans to Driven—where does F1: The Movie rank?

Cars, culture, F1 the movie, movie review / Rejus Almole / July 3, 2025

How well does the world of F1 translate into the tropes of a sporting movie?

Damson Idris (left) and Brad Pitt (right) star in F1 The Movie, directed by Joseph Kozinski. Credit: Apple

It may not have escaped your attention that there’s a new film about motorsport called F1: The Movie. It’s a return-to-racing story with elements you’ll have seen before, just maybe with other sports. A driver has been looking to slay his personal demons. There’s a wise veteran, an impatient rookie, and an underdog team with its back to the wall. Except this time, the backdrop is the multicolored circus of Formula 1, seen close up at 200 mph.

Backed by Apple and made by people responsible for high-energy productions like the recent Top Gun: Maverick, the film takes advantage of some of those same ingredients. For one, the filmmakers got an all-access pass from the powers that be, filming on the actual Formula 1 grid during 2023 and some of 2024. Having seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton as a producer helped with that. And the filmmakers were able to capture remarkable footage in the process thanks to powerful cameras that are now much smaller than the versions they strapped to some US Navy fighter jets.

The movie comes with a prebuilt audience, one that’s grown enormously in recent years. The Drive to Survive effect is real: Motorsport, particularly F1, hasn’t been this popular in decades. More and more young people follow the sport, and it’s not just among the guys, either.

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: The cars of the upcoming F1 based movie are seen driving on track during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 04, 2024 in Northampton, England. — Spot the camera car. Credit: Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

I’m not a new fan, but I only started really paying attention to the series at the end of 1993. I’d have reviewed the film sooner, but the screenings occurred while I was on vacation, and the 24-hour races on consecutive weekends at the Nurburgring in Germany and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium were not to be missed.

The setup of F1 sees Sonny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) brought back to the world of F1 30 years after a crash ended his rookie season. We find Hayes racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, filmed at the actual race last year. He’s lured back to F1 by his old friend, who now owns APXGP, in a Hail Mary attempt to score some points before the end of the half-completed season, thus saving the team.

An F1 driver’s most immediate rival is always their teammate—they both have to drive the same car, after all, so comparisons are immediate. (Pedants: please no long arguments about different setups or upgrades—you know what I mean.) And thus Hayes’ rival is Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris), a young driver in his first season who sees no reason to trust a driver whose arrival in his team mid-season seems more like a practical joke. That’s as much of the plot as I’ll reveal, but the writing is so formulaic that you can probably construct the rest for yourself quite easily.

What works, what doesn’t?

That’s not to say it’s a bad film. Yes, it requires some suspension of disbelief if you know enough about racing, but the issues are pretty small. The racing scenarios seem outlandish, but all of them have happened at one time or another—just perhaps not all to one team in nine races. Mostly, it’s a very close look at some parts of the sport most of us would never see—an actual F1 wind tunnel test filmed at Williams’ facility, which required assurances to the sport that this wasn’t just a way for that team to gain some more wind tunnel hours. McLaren’s impressive MTC shows up, too, though I’m quite sure you can’t park either a car or a bike by that particular door and expect to find either there when you return.

Brad Pitt, an actor playing Sonny Hayes, and Idris Damson, a driver for the fictional APX GP team in the Apex F1 movie by Apple Studios and Bruckheimer Films, pose for a portrait during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 5 to 8, 2024. — Pitt and Idris filming on-track at the Yas Marina circuit during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Credit: Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images

That’s the level of detail you can expect to trip you up. You may notice that a sequence that’s supposed to be in Spain or Belgium looks a little too much like Brands Hatch, an hour outside of London. Or that a seat fitting should take at least some amount of time.

Among the film’s biggest successes is what we don’t see. The cars don’t have an endless sequence of gears for the driver to punch their way through. No one suddenly remembers to accelerate all the way halfway down the straight rather than out of the apex like in real life. No race cars are driven out of tracks into high-speed pursuits, and no drivers have conversations with their rivals mid-race at 8,000 rpm.

All of that qualifies F1 for a podium position among racing movies. Neither the recent Rush nor Ford v Ferrari could resist some of those dumber tropes, and even the most desperate racing junkie will admit that neither Driven nor Michel Vaillant are really worth the time it takes to watch them unless the intention is to Statler-and-Waldorf your way through it with a friend.

And of course, there’s Days of Thunder, which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who also produced F1. The NASCAR movie loses what was third place in my personal pantheon of racing movies to the carbon-fiber newcomer. There’s little distance between them; I’m just much more interested in F1 than stock cars.

Only 3rd place?

The only problem is that all this has been done before. The last time F1 was this big, the same combination of fast cars and good-looking drivers captured Hollywood’s attention just the same. John Frankenheimer was the man who got to make the movie, and 1966’s Grand Prix broke new ground at the time, starring James Garner, who I’m told turned out to be rather fast behind the wheel in filming. Its story is sentimental, and some of the acting is a little wooden, but it’s visually exciting and features spectacular footage of the 1966 F1 season.

James Garner and Toshiro Mifune starred in Grand Prix. FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

The fact that Grand Prix broke so much more new ground than F1 means that Frankenheimer’s film finishes just ahead for me. But neither can quite supplant the magic of Le Mans, the 1971 film starring Steve McQueen, which was recently remastered on Blu-ray.

McQueen might have been one of the world’s biggest movie stars at the time, but he mostly wanted to be a racing driver. He wasn’t bad at it, either—in 1970, he almost won the 12 hours of Sebring in a Porsche 908 despite having broken his foot in six places a couple of weeks earlier. The actor was originally up for Garner’s role in Grand Prix and never gave up on a motorsports movie, capitalizing on his success in the late 1960s to get his own project underway.

Objectively, as a movie, Le Mans can be considered a failure. There is no dialogue for the first half-hour, just the occasional narration from a trackside announcer that contextualizes the scale of the annual 24-hour race. There was no script for months during filming, and the film went through directors John Sturges and Alan Trustman before Lee H. Katzin finished the job.

Even so, there was an assortment of many of the actual race cars that competed in the 1970 race at Le Mans. And the town had graciously allowed McQueen’s production company to close some of the roads used by the track for more filming. The cars were mostly piloted by the elite racing drivers of the time, but McQueen drove his own character’s Porsche 917K—at racing speeds but with heavy film cameras rigged onto it—as did Siegfried Rauch in the Ferrari 512.

This is what happens when you let a frustrated racing driver make a movie. CBS via Getty Images

Other footage had been shot in the actual 1970 race, both trackside and onboard, thanks to the same Porsche 908 that McQueen drove earlier that year in Florida, which was used as a camera car. At times, it’s more like a documentary. But only at times. With Le Mans, there was no CGI, and no other tracks were standing in for filming.

F1 can’t quite make that claim. At times, the cars seemed to be at slightly different scales on track—a product of Pitt and Idris being filmed driving slightly smaller, slightly slower F2 cars. Perhaps my biggest issue was with some of the unsporting behavior you see on screen. Those antics work better in a comedy like Major League; in a serious drama, it feels a little like disrepute.

None of that will stop me watching F1 again, however.

Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica’s automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC.

From Le Mans to Driven—where does F1: The Movie rank? Read More »

Tesla Q2 2025 sales dropped more than 13% year-over-year

Cars, Tesla deliveries / Rejus Almole / July 2, 2025

Tesla sold a total of 384,122 electric vehicles during the months of April, May, and June of this year. That’s a double-digit decline compared to the same three months of last year—itself no peach of a quarter for a car company with a stratospheric valuation based on the supposition of eternal sales growth.

The automaker faces a number of problems that are getting in the way of that perpetual growth. In some regions, CEO Elon Musk’s right-wing politics have driven away customers in droves. Another issue is the company’s small, infrequently updated model lineup, which is a problem even in parts of the world that care little about US politics.

Most Tesla sales are of the Model 3 midsize electric sedan and the Model Y, its electric crossover. For Q2 2025, Tesla sold 373,728 of the Models 3 and Y across North America, Europe, China, and its other markets. But that’s an 11.5 percent decrease compared to the 422,405 Models 3 and Y that Tesla sold in Q2 2024, a quarter that itself saw a year-on-year decline.

The rest of Tesla’s sales are a mix of the increasingly elderly Model S sedan and Model X SUV, as well as the US-only Cybertruck. Here, the decline is far more severe—with just 10,394 sold, that’s a 22.5 percent decrease on Q2 2024. Tesla does not break these numbers out with more granularity, so it’s unclear just how few Cybertrucks were among that, but it does bring to mind Musk’s claims that Tesla would sell between 250,000 and 500,000 Cybertrucks a year.

Tesla Q2 2025 sales dropped more than 13% year-over-year Read More »

GOP wants EV tax credit gone; it would be a disaster for Tesla

Cars, elon musk, Tesla / Mike M. / July 1, 2025

The Republican Party’s opposition to tax credits for electric vehicles has stepped up a notch. As its members in the US Senate add their input to the budget bill that came from their colleagues in the House of Representatives, among the changes they want to see is a faster eradication of the IRS clean vehicle tax credit. The tax credit provides up to $7,500 off the price of an EV as long as certain conditions are met, and the language from the House would have given it until the end of the year. Now, it might be gone by the end of September.

The looming passage of the bill appears to have reopened the rift between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Republican Party, which the billionaire funded to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in the last election. After a brief war of words earlier this month that was quickly smoothed over when Musk apologized to President Trump, it seems there’s the potential for strife again.

Yesterday, Musk once again took to his social media platform to denounce the budget bill, threatening to form a third political party should it pass and reposting content critical of the GOP spending plan.

The changes to the budget would be quite deleterious for Tesla. Although its sales have collapsed in Europe and are flagging in China, the US has remained something of a bulwark in terms of EV sales. Most of the EVs that Tesla offers for sale in the US are eligible for the $7,500 credit, which can be applied to the car’s price immediately at purchase, as long as the buyer meets the income cap. That means all these cars will become significantly more expensive on October 1, should the bill pass.

GOP wants EV tax credit gone; it would be a disaster for Tesla Read More »