Luxury

Audi is giving the Q5 the Sportback treatment but we won’t see it on the streets earlier than mid-2021. The Q5 Sportback carries on the SUV coupe theme we’ve seen from so many carmakers, so here’s all you need to know about it.

It’s 2020 and vehicle safety is more important than ever. You would think that as advanced as we are as a civilization, we’d be able to nail something as simple – in a generalized way – as vehicle safety. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and that’s why GM has placed a recall and stop-sale on the 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette, 2021 Cadillac CT4, CT5, XT4, the 2021 Buick Encore GX, and the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer. So what’s the deal? Well, if you own any of these models, you just might go to hit your brakes, just to realize that you suddenly can’t stop.

Range Rover has refreshed the Velar for the 2021 model. While the changes on the outside are limited, the cabin comes with some new additions. The biggest update is under the hood as 2021 Velar now comes with mild and plug-in hybrid technology. The plug-in hybrid model offers up to 33 miles of electric range. With this, now the complete Range Rover lineup is electrified. The company hasn’t been at the forefront of electrification, but it doesn’t lag either. So, will the new Velar’s efficient, plug-in model become the best-selling model in the lineup?

English aftermarket company, Kahn Automobiles, is known to create ravishing examples of stock vehicles. The company has been doing it for years, and the latest model to roll out is the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Autobiography. This black beauty receives a whole lot of new equipment on the outside to make it look sportier than it already is. The example here is a 2018 pre-worshipped model and has 9,000 miles on the odometer. The asking price breaches the six-digit mark when converted to USD. Worth it?

Online trending challenges have become the rage these days. Some challenges like the Ice Bucket Challenge caught one because they were tied to a larger and very important cause. Other challenges like the Tide Pod Challenge were stupid and dangerous and should never have even started. Somewhere between those two challenges lies the “drop your car challenge.” Nothing about this challenge served a higher purpose, but there’s also nothing dangerous about it. The purpose of this challenge is simple: show off your car. That’s it. It’s an ultimately harmless exercise that revolves simply letting everyone see what your car is. Or at least that’s what we thought until we saw this photo of a Chevrolet Corvette C8, or whatever’s left of it. This is a different interpretation of the “drop_your_car_challenge,” and, unfortunately, it’s not a very pleasant one.

The M3 and M4 cats are out of the bag. Both of them get a twin-turbo inline-six first introduced by the X3 and X4 M crossovers and both can deliver up to 503 horsepower in Competition trim. Standard stuff aside, BMW is letting customers spice up its polarizing coupe and sedan with a long list of M Performance bits and bobs.

The much-awaited 2021 BMW M3 and 2021 BMW M4 are out of the bag and aimed directly at the Mercedes-AMG C63 sedan and coupe. Affalterbach’s heavy hitters offer ridiculous levels of performance thanks to a beautifully engineered V-8, but the Bavarians look ready to hit back with a souped-up inline-six mill, just like the previous generation, only with more more yet similar performance.

All-wheel drive has come a long way since its inception. In fact, it evolved to such an extent that it has become synonymous with performance, be it delivered by a supercar, sports car, or hypercar. BMW’s own stable is a good place to observe how AWD is trickling down Munich’s performance lineup. After the current M5, the new M3 and M4 also get the M xDrive treatment.

The 2021 BMW M4 Competition is a higher-performance version of the second-generation M4. A successor to the old M4 Competition, this nameplate is no longer a limited-edition model, but it has been included in the lineup alongside the regular M4. BMW is pretty adopting the same strategy as Mercedes-Benz, which offers two power versions of the C 63 S Coupe. An evolutionary design of the previous model on the outside, the 2021 M4 Competition introduces a new, massive front kidney grille and a twin-turbo inline-six engine rated at an impressive 503 horsepower. Not just the most powerful M4 ever built, surpassing the old M4 GTS, the 2021 M4 Competition is also the first M4 model to feature an all-wheel-drive system.

The 2021 BMW M3 Competition is a higher-performance version of the sixth-generation M3. Essentially a more powerful M3 with extra features inside and out, the 2021 M3 Competition is the range-topping model of the G80-generation sedan. An evolutionary design of the previous model, the 2021 M3 Competition stands out through a bigger-than-ever kidney grille and a twin-turbo inline-six engine rated at 503 horsepower. This rating makes the 2021 M3 Competition the most powerful M3 ever built.

The second-generation BMW M4, the coupe version of the M3, just debuted for the 2021 model year. As previewed by spy shots of camouflaged or even camo-free prototypes, the high-performance two-door features a pair of oversized kidney grilles in the front, a significant change compared to the outgoing model.

But the 2021 BMW M4 brings other premiers to the nameplate. It’s the first of its kind to be offered in two power stages, as well as the first M4 available with an optional xDrive all-wheel-drive system. Previously a mid-cycle update, the M4 Competition is now part of the M4 lineup as a range-topping model. Rated at 503 horsepower, it’s the most powerful M4 ever built.

A lot has been said about the Cadillac CT5-V since it first arrived in 2019 as the supposed replacement to the V Sport. Cadillac has gotten mixed reviews on every facet of the CT5-V. From its looks to its quality to its output to its performance, the CT5-V has become polarizing in so many ways. It also hasn’t been immune to a myriad of issues, including, as The Smoking Tire’s Matt Farah found out, a less-than-stellar 10-speed automatic transmission that doesn’t respond to the driver as well as we all thought it could. The CT5-V remains a solid performer in its segment, but is it really a proper replacement to the monster-engined CTS-V or is it more like the middle of the pack V-Sport model? Based on Farah’s experience, it looks, drives, and feels more like the latter.

The current Dodge Challenger is built on a really old and dated platform, but this hasn’t stopped it from competing on a solid level with the more modern Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. That’s because Dodge designed high-performance versions such as the Hellcat and the Demon. However, there’s one field where the Challenger can’t compete: the convertible market. Although the original was available as a cabriolet, Dodge didn’t not create a drop-top version of the third-gen Challenger. But if you’re dying to drive one, Fair Oaks Motors is selling an after market conversion. The good news is that it’s based on the cool SRT Hellcat and it retails for less than $100,000.

It’s been 24 years since Porsche introduced the Boxster as a smaller and more affordable version of the iconic 911. The roadster was joined by the Cayman coupe in 2005. The Cayman is now in its third generation, and enthusiasts are still debating which one is the best and which one is the purest driver’s car. The folks over at EverydayDriver set out to answer this question by comparing Caymans from all three generations. They’ve test a 987-gen Cayman R, a 981-gen Cayman GTS, and a 982-gen 718 Cayman GTS, rating their stying, performance, and handling.

The Ford F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for over four decades now, and this legacy seems sufficient to introduce it. The company has a range of pickup trucks, ranging from light-duty to heavy-duty and for varied purposes. The list is exhaustive, but the bottom line is that if you need a full-size pickup truck, no matter what the budget or usage pattern, Ford has an offering for you, right from F-150 to the F-750.

While the F-150 is the best-seller of the lot and suffices for most of the needs, people looking for a little heavy-duty work tend to hop on to the next available option – the F-250. The F-250 is the entry-level model pf the Super Duty series that also includes the F-350 and F-450. This isn’t outright expensive, comes with strong specs, and fits the bill for most people looking to use it as a work truck. It is offered even with premium features on the top trim.

Recently, the 2020 Ford F-250 arrived at the Top Speed headquarters in the mid-Lariat trim, and here are our impressions of this beast:

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.