Crossover

The first-generation Porsche Macan was launched in 2014, which means that it’s six years old as of 2020. Given that modern car life cycles take five to six years, it’s about time for a redesign. But it seems Porsche wants to keep the current Macan on the market a while longer. At least that’s what a set of new spy shots we just received suggest.

The Volkswagen ID.4, the company’s second dedicated electric vehicle, is set to debut on September 23, but the German carmaker has already unveiled the crossover’s interior. Not surprisingly, it looks a lot like the ID.3, the compact five-door hatchback that Volkswagen introduced in 2019.

Audi’s Q2 was brought to life to do battle against the likes of Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X1, Mini Countryman and to some extent, Volkswagen T-Roc. Four years after its inception, Audi is improving the recipe with more gear and extra technology.

If the latest report is to be believed, Mazda is cooking up a turbocharged version of the CX-30, which is expected to crank out 250 horsepower. The CX-30 is one of the most pleasing crossovers you can get as far as the driving experience is concerned, so the idea of extra grunt should, in theory, boost its desirability.

Let’s be honest: the current-gen Mazda MX-5 ‘Miata’ is becoming pretty long in the tooth. The fourth-gen MX-5 (codenamed ND) was shown six years ago and entered the market in 2015. So it’s only natural that Mazda is doing its best to keep it fresh and appealing. This time, the Japanese carmaker focused on the U.K. market, with the so-called GT Sport Tech treatment. Here’s what it’s all about.

Subaru is keeping the Forester fresh for the 2021 model year with subtle tweaks. In the process, the base sticker takes a hike, going from $24,495 for the 2020 Forester to $24,795 for the 2021 Forester. Granted, the $300 bump in price isn’t that much, not when it’s justified by the list of features.

Remember the Lexus LF-30 Concept that was revealed back in 2019? It was a futuristic concept with extreme styling and what you might expect from Lexus some 30-40 years from now. Even the cabin gave off the aura of a spaceship, so it was pretty clear that it wouldn’t enter production anytime soon. However, a new trademark filed by Lexus in the U.S., Europe, and Australia for the RZ 450e name, could hint that at least some of its DNA is about to head into production. Obviously, the “e” in the name means it will be an EV – one of the many that the company will offer by 2025 – but what kind of vehicle will it be?

Ford launched the Kuga PHEV in the U.K. earlier this year, and so far, it’s been performing quite well, planting itself as the 10th best-selling car there in July of 2020. However, there’s a big problem brewing, with Ford being forced to recall and temporarily suspend global sales of the Juga PHEV because at least four have caught on fire. This problem seems limited to the Kuga PHEV, and Ford is only recalling models produced prior to June 26th, but does this spell trouble for other battery-electric models like, say, the Ford Mach-E?

The Fiat 500X is somewhat of a quirky vehicle. For starters, Fiat isn’t exactly the most popular brand here in the United States, and when you pair that with the fact that it’s really more of a jacked-up hatchback than a true crossover. As you’ll read a little later on in this in-depth review, the 500X, outside of its standard all-wheel-drive actually fails when it comes to doing a lot of usual crossover things – like carrying lots of cargo. But we’ll discuss that a little further down the page. For now, I want to want to talk to you about what it’s like to drive the 500X and a little more of that quirkiness that, honestly, intrigues me so much.

Jeep recently unveiled its first hybrid vehicles based on the Compass and Renegade SUVs, but the FCA-owned brand is also working on an all-electric hauler. Recent intel claims that the upcoming crossover will be even smaller than the Renegade and that it will benefit from technology by PSA, following the recently announced merger between FCA and the French group that owns Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel.

Are you upset that Ford used the "Mustang" and "Mach" badges on an all-electric crossover? Well, things could have been worse. Whether it should carry a Mustang badge or not, the Mach-E looks pretty cool. But we can’t say the same about a crossover based on the first-generation Mustang. Yes, we know that Ford never designed such a thing, but Instagram’s wb.artist20 just rendered this crazy idea, and it looks awkward, to say the least.

After some light teasing, Cadillac has finally revealed the Lyriq SUV, but in its current form, it’s just a show car, and the debut video was littered with reminders that not all the technology you see will make it to the production model. With that tidbit out of the way, Cadillac should be commended for showing up late to the EV party in style, most of which is thanks to that new Ultium long-range battery and a new modular electric platform that will pave the way for all of GM to build countless EVs.

Hyundai introduced the Venue subcompact crossover for the 2020 model year as an all-new model that’s based on the same platform as the Ascent compact sedan. As a subcompact, you can get a well-equipped model for less than $20,000, but that affordability doesn’t come without its tradeoffs. Being an all-new model, we’ve been itching to see how Hyundai’s latest entry to the U.S. market holds up, especially against long-running nameplates like the Ford EcoSport and Nissan Kicks. We finally got our chance with the mid-level SEL trim, and this is what you can expect from it.

The Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe is, by most accounts, a slick-looking performance coupe-SUV. But like most vehicles — and that includes performance-spec models — there are ways to make a model like the AMG GLC 63 S better. There are ways to make it look better, and, certainly, there are ways to make it perform better.

Noted Mercedes tuner Lorinser took up the task of transforming the AMG GLC 63 into a better all-around coupe SUV. The German tuner is known for its programs for Silver Arrow models so this new aftermarket kit for the high-powered GLC should be a walk in the park, right? Right? Well, let’s save the verdict below.

In the wake of the success it had with the LEAF EV, Nissan is extending its ambitions in the crossover segment with the futuristic-looking Ariya, an all-electric crossover based on the Ariya prototype shown in 2019 in Tokyo.

As you’d expect, the styling cues flaunted by that Ariya - inside and outside - have a clear correspondent in Japanese tradition. The Ariya is available in 2WD and 4WD guise. Customers can also pick from one of the two available battery packs. We’ll get into more detail below.

Outside of the Chevy Bolt, GM doesn’t really have any electric vehicles. The Bolt was a huge step forward with its 259 miles of range on a good day, but GM is definitely falling behind, and that’s why Cadillac is set to “spearhead GM’s shift to an all-electric future.” The LYRIQ that has been teased here is the first of many to come and will be powered by GM’s Ultimum batteries. It will also ride on the same next-gen battery-electric architecture that will underpin most Cadillac and Chevy EVs going forward. We’ll get our first full look at it on August 6th, but what exactly can we expect?

While the whole world has been busy gossiping about the all-new Ford Bronco, BMW has quietly launched its second electric model, the iX3. Based on the third-gen X3, the model was first previewed at the 2018 Beijing Motor. Two years later, the automaker has launched the production version of its electric SUV that isn’t a whole lot different from the concept. With a single-motor setup and a 285-mile range, can the iX3 stand out, or will it be lost in the mix?

The Tesla Owners Silicon Valley group asked Elon Musk on Twitter if the company has plans to launch a Track Mode for the Model Y and the CEO replied in the affirmative. Despite a few flaws in its build and build quality, the Model Y has started well and is raking in good sales numbers for Tesla. So, the addition of a Track Mode will lure a lot more people and make this a complete package overall.

The death of the manual transmission has been lurking for some time as laziness kicks in and sales continue to decrease. But, what if there was a middle ground where you can still shift on your own without dealing with finessing a clutch pedal? As it turns out, Hyundai has a solution for that, and it’s called the Intelligent Manual Transmission. That’s right; Hyundai now has a manual transmission that doesn’t have a clutch pedal. How the hell does that work?