J
    Joe Lorio

    Joe Lorio

  • 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 First Drive Review | Same power, more ways to enjoy it

    A stomp of the accelerator, and the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S roared ahead, flinging us past the other car. With a flick of the steering wheel, we snapped back into our lane, barely halfway to the next corner. Few crossovers can effectively maximize passing zones like the AMG-fettled GLC, and its blistering acceleration is in another world compared to the response of the typical crossovers that fill our nation's freeways and parking lots.

  • 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 First Drive | A better bestseller

    The Mercedes-Benz GLC replaced the GLK in the all-important compact-crossover segment back in 2016, and the model has gone on to become the brand's bestseller in the United States. The GLC Coupe — really a four-door fastback, but the Germans will not be dissuaded from calling it a coupe — joined the lineup for 2017. Now the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 and GLC 300 Coupe have been updated with a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, additional off-road capability, the brand's latest infotainment interface, and design tweaks inside and out.

  • 2020 Hyundai Venue is a smaller-than-Kona subcompact crossover

    Hyundai's SUV lineup is expanding in all directions. At the top end, there is the Palisade full-size three-row schooner, and at the far opposite end is the new Hyundai Venue, a pint-size offering that almost could be a dingy for its big-boy sibling. Hyundai already has a subcompact crossover, the Kona, but the new Venue is even smaller.

  • 2020 Hyundai Venue First Drive | Hyundai's tiniest crossover

    The 2020 Hyundai Venue, a subcompact crossover even smaller than the Hyundai Kona, was only just revealed today. From the driver's seat, the Venue is easy to see out of, thanks to its squared-off greenhouse and reasonably thin pillars. At 91.9 cubic feet, the stated passenger volume is roughly two cubes less than the Kona's 94.1.

  • Jaguar I-Pace named World Car of the Year

    The Jaguar I-Pace has been named World Car of the Year. The organization also recognized the most significant new Luxury, Performance, Green, and Urban cars.

  • GMC Syclone pickup returns via Special Vehicle Engineering

    The original GMC Syclone was a 1991 mid-size Sonoma pickup turned muscle truck. With an all-black livery and a lowered ride height, the Syclone looked the business, and backed up those looks with a 0-to-60 time of 4.3 seconds and a 13.4-second quarter-mile, according to contemporary magazine testing. Given all the recent interest in high-performance pickups, it's amazing that GMC hasn't revived the Syclone.

  • Craiglist to end free car listings

    Craigslist, the free classified-ad website that effectively decimated local newspapers by wiping out their classified-ad sales, has slowly begun charging users to post listings is some categories. Craigslist already had been charging $5 for vehicles listed by dealers, which of course meant that many dealers were masquerading as private owners, listing their cars in the "By Owner" section in order to avoid the fee. Unfortunately, it's not likely to stem the tide of scam buyers that plagues Craigslist.

  • Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series embraces the darkness

    It is a truism that designers love the color black, and the hue features prominently in the Bentley Bentayga V8 Design Series. Outside, the Design Series comes standard with the Bentayga's optional Blackline package, which includes black trim, black exhaust outlets, and a body-color lower front fascia. The Design Series also gets a special set of seven-spoke Paragon alloy wheels in dark gray.

  • Hyundai’s N division will tune electrics, steer clear of Genesis

    At Hyundai's Namyang proving ground in a small garage emblazoned with a giant "N," Albert Biermann, the ex-BMW engineer who now heads up vehicle development for the Korean brand, recently provided a few hints about what to expect from Hyundai's nascent performance sub-brand — and that includes EVs. Biermann also said we can expect a more powerful version of the new 2020 Hyundai Sonata — which we've just reviewed, and which will launch in the United States with a 180-hp 1.6-liter turbo and a 191-hp 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four. "There are no plans yet to make a sub-label for Genesis like we did with N for Hyundai," Biermann said.

  • 2020 Hyundai Sonata First Drive Review | Style haven

    U.S. automakers are abandoning the segment but Hyundai is hanging in (partly because it's still viable in Korea). "We need to do something with the sedan." Those are the words of Hyundai's worldwide head of design, Sang Yup Lee, who is the man charged with doing that something. To save the sedan, Hyundai is going all-in on design, maximizing the body style's advantage over crossovers inherent in its longer, lower proportions.

  • 2020 Kia Soul EV First Drive Review | EZ to like

    The 2020 Kia Soul is the third iteration of the boxy little crossover and the second generation of the battery-powered variant, the Soul EV. While the 2020 Soul overall is mildly upgraded compared to the outgoing model, the Soul EV makes a major leap where it counts: with a new powertrain that more than doubles the stated range to an impressive 243 miles. The new 2020 Kia Soul EV scraps the previous 30-kWh battery for a new, more energy-dense 64-kWh unit, shared with the Hyundai Kona Electric.

  • 2020 Range Rover Evoque First Drive Review | Flash forward

    Nearly a decade after the model made its debut, the 2020 Range Rover Evoque still looks audacious and sleek, especially in the compact SUV class where awkward styling and proportions are depressingly prevalent. According to Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern, the Evoque is the first Land Rover to sell primarily on its styling. This despite the opportunity afforded by an all-new platform, Land Rover's so-called Premium Transverse Architecture, which was spurred by the need to accommodate electrified powertrains including an eventual plug-in hybrid (although we're told there are no current plans to sell the PHEV in the U.S.).

  • 2019 Nissan Murano Second Drive Review | Crossover Maximus

    The Nissan Murano was an early entrant into what is now a sprawling universe of midsize crossovers, first appearing as a 2003 model. Against a rising tide of fellow two-row midsizers such as the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento, and Subaru Outback, the Murano has attempted to retreat to more luxurious ground. Additionally, Nissan's rear door alert is now standard (if a rear door is opened before a trip but not reopened afterward, the system honks the horn to remind the driver to check the rear seat).

  • 2019 Nissan Altima-TE AWD: what it's like to drive an Altima on tracks

    MONT-TREMBLANT, Quebec — All-wheel drive comes to the Nissan Altima with the model's 2019 redesign, and while that's big news for the U.S. market, it's an even bigger deal in the Great White North, where all Altimas are so equipped. To herald the news, Nissan had built what it calls the Altima-TE, an AWD Altima outfitted with snow tracks, and we recently had a chance to drive it. It's not unlike the Nissan "370Zki" we drove in February of last year, in concept if not execution.

  • 2019 Nissan Altima AWD Second Drive Review | Gaining traction

    Among the highlights of the Nissan Altima's 2019 redesign are a new platform, new styling inside and out, and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in place of the previous V6. Given the importance of the feature, we recently spent more time in the all-wheel-drive version—in a part of North America where winter is hanging on with a vengeance, the ski country north of Montreal, Canada. All-wheel drive is available only with the base 2.5-liter engine.

  • The Bugatti Baby II is a three-quarter-scale Type 35

    Bugatti ownership is about to get a lot more affordable — particularly for children with indulgent parents. Like the original baby Bugatti, a model originally built for the 4-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, the Baby II is modeled after the Type 35 grand prix car. The Baby II is only about 1/100th of the price of the Chiron Sport at 30,000 Euro (about $33,700).

  • Toyota's Corolla Hatchback gets the GR Sport treatment

    The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback plays somewhat against type by being interesting to look at and not a complete snore to drive (characterizations that now also can be applied to the new Corolla sedan). After all, the latest Corolla hatch and upper trim versions of the sedan use a larger, 2.0-liter engine, boast an available six-speed stick with rev-matching, add a fixed first gear to their CVT, and swap the previous torsion beam rear suspension for a multilink setup. Now Toyota is exploring that potential with the just-announced GR Sport version.

  • 2020 Jaguar XE updated inside and out, diesel engine dropped

    For the 2020 Jaguar XE sports sedan, less is more, at least in terms of powertrain offerings and trim levels. The 247-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged Ingenium inline-four is the base engine. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and can be had with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

  • Guess when this car will plunge through the ice, win $1,500

    In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a sad-sack Saturn raises money for charity while awaiting an icy fate. The 1998 Saturn is a bright orange beacon inviting folks to make a bet on the coming of spring.

  • New 2020 Bentley Bentayga Speed tops out at 190 mph

    To the surprise of no one, Bentley is applying the Speed treatment to its SUV offering, the Bentayga, which has become the brand's bestseller. Ever since it first appeared on the 2007 Continental GT, Bentley's Speed variants have denoted higher performance, and the 2020 Bentley Bentayga Speed becomes the top-performing Bentley SUV. It wrings an additional 26 horsepower out of the W12 engine, for a new total of 626 hp.The torque figure of 664 pound-feet (at 1,350 rpm) is unchanged.