Yeah, we drift and do burnouts, too, but that’s not how we get the best results DODGE DURANGO SUV/CROSSOVER FEATURES by Words and Photos: Motor Trend Staff February 26, 2018 One of the evergreen questions we get from readers and viewers concerns our testing regimen. "How do you get that 0-60 time?" "Do you use a dragstrip?" "Who drives?" "What equipment do you use?" "Do...
Largest brake caliper in auto industry Bugatti is far from the first automaker to experiment with 3D printing, but it does claim it's developed the world's first 3D printed brake caliper. The automaker will begin testing this new brake caliper in the first half of this year with the hopes of bringing it to series production. The brake caliper lays claim...
Chrysler Pacifica: Best Van How to van. After securing its spot as top van on our 2017 10Best list, the Chrysler Pacifica was tasked with defending its title against the latest Honda Odyssey, which is all new for 2018. Two vans entered, but only one van was victorious in a bitter battle where each displayed many virtues and few faults. Ultimately the...
Ford F-150 / F-150 Raptor: Best Full-Size Pickup Truck A fantastic blend of capability, features, and modernity. As good as it was a year ago when we named it the best full-size pickup, the Ford F-150 secured its position for a second go-round this year with drivetrain improvements for 2018 even as its primary rivals—the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra and the Ram 1500—mostly...
We heard plenty of disagreement about our naming the Honda Ridgeline to our 10Best Trucks and SUVs list last year, with most grousing centered around claims that it isn’t a “real” truck. We hate to play the dictionary card here, but, like it or not, the Ridgeline is by definition a pickup truck. And we’ve driven and tested the entirety of...
Whereas we divide other SUVs into regular and luxury classes for 10Best consideration, we throw all the big ones into the same pool. The reason is simple: All vehicles this big are expensive. Case in point is this year’s competition. Looking at as-tested prices, the Mercedes-Benz GLS450—a returning winner from last year’s awards—was pitted against a $78,420 Chevrolet Tahoe (an RST...
Few vehicles are as well rounded, well executed, and vice free as Audi’s Q7. In the mid-size luxury class, nothing comes close. Some challengers have an acute focus on practicality; others go all in on performance. Common among them is the sacrifice of one competency for another. The Audi forgoes nothing sliding into our graces, ferrying people and things as well...
Practicality may be king for vehicles tasked with the demands of suburban responsibility, yet our chores need not be devoid of enjoyment. Mazda gets that, and the CX-9 crossover is its flagship example of bringing driving satisfaction to the daily grind, a sophisticated standout that sets the benchmark for how a three-row SUV should satisfy its driver. The CX-9 rides to a...
The magicians/comedians Penn & Teller star in a TV show called Fool Us, where they invite the world’s top magicians to perform their best tricks in an attempt to confound the dynamic duo of prestidigitation. Only a handful of their invited conjurers manage the feat. The Porsche Macan is the automotive equivalent of those visiting practitioners of legerdemain who get to hoist...
For all their popularity, compact crossovers are some of the dullest-driving vehicles in the national motor pool. Their tall bodies hinder handling; they’re typically equipped with all-wheel drive, which adds weight; and many try to get by with small four-cylinder engines and droning continuously variable automatic transmissions (CVTs) in an effort to eke out decent fuel economy. We’ll concede...
