Car reviews

After years of getting mocked because it unveiled too many SUV concepts, SsangYong is now moving forward in the development phase of the fourth-generation Korando, as shown by a multitude of spy shots of the SUV doing some test runs out in public. The heavily camouflaged Korando didn’t reveal a whole lot of its skin, but the dramatically different shape of the SUV suggests that all the money SsangYong put into its SUV concepts are now being put to good use.

Update 6-20-2018: We’ve updated this article with the live stream window for the new Volvo S60. It’s scheduled to begin at 11:45 AM Eastern time. Check it out in the special section below!

Discontinued in 2018, the second-generation Volvo S60 sedan is about to get a redesign. Although the wagon version was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the four-door has yet to make a public appearance, but an unveiling is scheduled for June 2018, and we’re rolling out a preview.

The S60 sedan is set to get a major makeover. With almost eight years under its belt, the second-gen S60 is no longer a viable option on the market, especially with Volvo using a new design language, new technology, and new engines since 2014. We’ve already seen the V60, and we know it’s a downsized version of the V90. Will the S60 follow in the same footsteps and show up as a shrunken S90? Find out in the review below.

An updated version of the Audi A4 sedan is making the test rounds in Germany, looking every bit like a model that’s on the receiving end of a few facelifts. The premium sedan is expected to be released a little earlier than expected as rumors continue to swirl around the current model’s sales struggles. If true, we can expect the updated Audi A4 to get a quick turnaround date, possibly as soon as the latter part of the year or maybe in early 2019.

Audi first introduced the A7 in 2010 at the Paris Motor Sow as a sporty, yet practical iteration of the A6. U.S. models arrived for the 2012 model year, while the hot-to-trot RS7 was released in 2013 with more power, complimentary suspension and chassis upgrades, and sharper looks. Now, following the release of the second-gen A7 in October of 2017, Audi is cooking up a second generation for the RS7 as well, and it could get as much as 700 hybridized horsepower under the hood.

Update 06/19/2018: The Audi RS7, pretending to be an A7, was caught testing on the track, with a look of intent to debut sometime in the very near future. Check it out, along with what we can spot, in the spy shots section below!

Built between 1989 and 1999, the BMW 8 Series is now regarded as one of the most daring and intriguing Bimmers ever made. It’s also among the most desirable BMWs built in the 1990s. Requested again and again by fans ever since it was discontinued, the 8 Series finally made a comeback. Previewed by a concept car at the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the modern 8 Series made its debut at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.

A new 8 Series has been rumored for quite a few years, but for some weird reason BMW refused to bring it back until now. And I say "weird" because the German brand is in dire need of a luxury coupe above the 6 Series. With Mercedes-Benz already selling a two-door S-Class and Audi working on the A9, the 8 Series was pretty much mandatory in order for BMW to keep up with the competition. And needless to say, the S-Class was already far ahead of the 7 Series long before it gained coupe and convertible variants. Will the upcoming 8 Series have what it takes? Find out in my speculative review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW 8 Series.

The new Audi RS6 Avant has been spotted covered in partial camouflage while making the test rounds recently. The high-performance wagon model of the A6 sedan is the latest Audi model to be captured by spy photographers. If anything, this shows that Audi’s test drivers have had their work cut out of them. The sporty station wagon was even spotted alongside the RS Q8 SUV.

Aston Martin is in the middle of revamping its entire lineup. Having replaced the DB9 with the DB11 and the old Vantage with a brand-new model, the Brits are now testing a replacement for the Vanquish. But the new grand tourer won’t carry the same name. In April 2018, Aston Martin announced that it’s reviving the DBS Superleggera nameplate for its flagship model.

The DBS name goes a long way back, having been used for the first time between 1967 and 1972. The badge was revived in 2007 when it was used for the super GT that replaced the first-generation Vanquish. The latter returned in 2012, and it’s now set to disappear again to make way for the "DBS" badge. The Superleggera name will be used as a tribute to Carrozzeria Touring, the company that designed the iconic Aston Martin DB4, DB5, and DB6. Here’s what we already know about the upcoming grand tourer.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.

It’s been two years since Porsche updated the current Boxster, also giving it a "718" badge, and it seems that the German firm is finally working on a new iteration of the higher-performance Spyder model. First introduced in 2009 and relaunched in 2015, the Boxster Spyder is a modern tribute to the 718 Spyder of the 1960s, and the upcoming will be the first to actually wear the iconic "718" badge next to the "Spyder" lettering.

Introduced in 2016, the facelifted third-generation Porsche Boxster gained a couple of major changes compared to its predecessor. While the styling and interior didn’t change much compared to the previous roadster, the new Boxster changed its name to the 718 Boxster, a tribute to a sports car from the late 1950s, and switched to turbocharged engines for the first time ever. There isn’t a lot of information to run by as of this writing, but the spyder configuration is pretty obvious in the spy shots. First spotted in snowy weather in northern Europe, the upcoming sports car hit the Nurburgring track for some high-performance testing in April 2018. And we can see a few differences. The soft-top roof is different toward the back, while the engine hood features the famous flying buttresses. I also spotted a few changes front and rear. They’re not massive, but they do make the Spyder a bit more aggressive. Under the hood, it should get the most powerful engine ever fitted in a Boxster, but the nameplate’s switch to turbocharging makes things a bit complicated. We should find out more later this year, but until then let’s have a closer look at the spy shots in the speculative review below.

The new 718 Boxster Spyder could break cover in the summer of 2018.

Updated 06/15/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming 718 Boxster Spyder out for a new testing session, but this time with its top down.

Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder.

It’s been only three months since the hardcore Ferrari 488 Pista was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, and the Maranello-based firm has already created a special edition of the supercar. Designed to celebrate the 488’s success on the race track, it’s called the 488 Pista Piloti Ferrari and made its debut ahead of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Inspired by AF Corse’s no. 51 car, with which Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado won the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles, the Pista Piloti Ferrari is available exclusively to customers involved in the company’s motorsport programs. In short, if you’re not racing a race-spec version of the 488, be it a GT3 or a GTE, you can’t buy one. That’s a bit harsh from the Italians, but let’s a have a closer look at what you’re missing if you’re not involved in this program.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ferrari 488 Pista Piloti Ferrari.

A prototype version of the new Audi A6 Allroad has been spotted on a test run, suggesting that we could be close to seeing the new model make its debut. While it does look like an old test mule for the Audi A6 Avant, there’s no question that this is the A6 Allroad given how much higher it rides compared to the Avant and the base A6 sedan.

The Audi A6 was redesigned in 2018 after six years on the market and now its time for other versions of the sedan to get their official launch. First on the list is the S6, which we began seeing on public roads as a camouflaged prototype in 2017. Come 2018 and the four-door moving closer to an official launch, and we already know a lot of details about it.

The sedan is still hidden under wraps, but as before, the S6 will sport the same styling cues as the A6, but it will feature a slightly more aggressive exterior and a more potent drivetrain. The upcoming S6 is more important than ever to Audi, as both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have solid offerings in this niche in the M550i xDrive and the AMG E53 Sedan, respectively. Will the new S6 have what it takes to give its competitors a run for its money? Let’s find out in the review below.

Updated 06/14/2018: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Audi S6 out for a new testing session in the heat of the southern Europe regions.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming Audi S6.

With the BMW X5 finally making its debut, it’s time to start thinking about the next-generation of the X6, a model that is essentially the X5 but with that coupe-style roof. With the current X6 being on the market for just three years, we probably won’t see the new X6 until at least 2020, but you can bet BMW is already hard at work. And, thanks to these new renderings that fuse the X6’s coupe-like styling with the look of the new X5, we have a strong visual representation of what we can expect.

The Skoda Kodiaq RS is approaching its autumn reveal, and with a few months left, before that fateful moment arrives, the SUV has been spotted going about in the Alps in full production view. The new batch of spy shots leave little to the imagination as we can see the Kodiaq RS dressed in a flashy red color with what appears to be a set of 20-inch wheels. The performance SUV will make its debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.

It is a war out there. Not the War of the Worlds, but a war among SUVs - big ones, fast ones, mean ones and appealing ones. The escalating conflict in the world of SUVs did bring exceptional weaponry to the market playground. No one can argue with the mercenary nature that the likes of the Audi Q7, the Porsche Cayenne, the Mercedes-Benz GLE or the BMW X5 wreak upon us.

They are all good. Perhaps not in a nice or a polite way, but certainly in a firm, tenacious, and tough way. They are badass - dominating streets, embellishing house driveways, and providing a majority of that important surplus at the bottom of manufacturers’ balance sheets.

And the BMW X5 may well be the best of them all!

Since its inception back in 2000, the Bavarian giant has delivered 2.2 million units worldwide. Now, in its fourth generation, the 2019 BMW X5 faces its toughest test - the onslaught of exceptionality a whole guard of premium manufacturers unleashed to the streets.

This is how the 2019 BMW X5 prepared to fair the fight.

Introduced in 2010, the Aston Martin Rapide isn’t exactly fresh. Despite this, the British are in no hurry to replace the sedan, as no prototypes were spotted on public roads. However, Aston Martin just gave the Rapide the AMR treatment, thus creating its most extreme four-door sedan.

Previewed by a concept car displayed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the Rapide AMR made it into production with very few changes. Aston Martin describes it as a vehicle that’s "capable of comfortably transporting a team of race drivers to a circuit on the other side of a continent and then tackling the track when they get there," and needless to say, the sedan looks pretty cool in the AMR suit. As usual, the sedan also gained extra horsepower and will be built in limited numbers. Let’s find out more about that in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Aston Martin Rapide AMR.

Six months after unveiling its first electric concept at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese startup Byton is back in the headlines with its second concept vehicle, the K-Byte electric sedan. The sedan follows a similar blueprint than the SUV, which is now called the M-Byte. It’s being prepared as an all-electric vehicle that will feature, among other things, Level 4 autonomy. Byton’s goal is to have the K-Byte testing on the roads by the end of 2020 with an eye towards having them on sale by 2021.

Porsche just celebrated 70 years since its very first automobile, the 356 "No. 1," was created on June 8, 1948, and unveiled a speedster model based on the 911. But, while we were expecting a production model this year, the Germans showcased a production-ready concept car.

Developed at the Porsche Motorsport Center in Weissach, which is the birthplace of the 911 GT3, 911 GT3 RS, and the 911 GT2 RS, the Speedster Concept also celebrates the company’s long-standing tradition of making speedster-type roadsters, which don’t have folding roofs and are usually stripped of convenience features. The concept car likely previews a production model, further feeding rumors that a 911 Speedster will follow toward the end of 2018. But until that happens, let’s have a closer look at this concept car.

The European version of the Volkswagen Passat is set to get a facelift for the 2019 model year, bringing it more in line with the new look of the new Volkswagen Arteon and maybe even bring some new updated engines and technology into play as well. It was recently spotted being put through the general testing phase, so it’s time to get the speculation mill running at full speed.

It’s been almost a year since Ford gave the sixth-generation Mustang its mid-cycle upgrade, and the time has come for the Shelby GT350 to get its refresh. Despite rumors that it won’t be around for long, the GT350 continues into the 2019 model year with revisions inside and out to go with tweaked underpinnings.

As we’re waiting for the Shelby GT500 to return after a long hiatus, Ford just rolled out an upgrade for the GT350. But, while the muscle car did get some notable updates in the aerodynamics and drivetrain departments, it didn’t gain the visual changes we’ve seen on the facelifted Mustang. In short, it’s still based on the original sixth-generation Mustang. The good news is that the updated coupe was tested by Billy Johnson, a racing driver with plenty of experience in the FIA World Endurance and the IMSA championships with the Ford GT and Mustang GT4 programs. Let’s see what changed and what remained the same in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350.

Audi is currently gearing up to release its new flagship SUV. It’s called the Q8, and it was originally presented in concept form at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. In its wake will follow a go-faster version called the S Q8 and, according to a recent batch of spy photos, an even-faster RS Q8 version - the latter of which will be Audi’s take on the new Lamborghini Urus.

Update 06/12/2018: It hasn’t been that long since the RS Q8 was spotted doing an initial round of test, and it looks like Audi isn’t wasting any time as it’s already dropped some camo and taken on some production-ready features. Check out the spy shots section below to see what’s going on with the upcoming Audi RS Q8

Much has been said about the return of the Chevrolet Blazer, and a handful of new spy shots have all but confirmed the comeback of a nameplate that Chevy hasn’t used since 2005. Over the past few months, test mules of the full-sized SUV have been spotted going around sporting heavy camouflage to hide its production design. The latest set of photos sheds a bit of skin, giving us somewhat of a clearer picture of what to expect when it’s finally ready to show its face to the world.