Mid-Size

In a surprising turn of events, Porsche greenlighted the production of their Mission E Cross Turismo Concept. It is a strange, almost rugged, crossover-ish Porsche that grew from the architecture of the magnificently beautiful Taycan. Or the Mission E as it was known before acquiring the new name. Preparing for the production and the final development of the all-new electric cross, Porsche plans to create 300 new jobs at its home base in Zuffenhausen. This comes in addition to 1,200 jobs the company has already created for the production of the Taycan sedan.

The production version of the Mission E Cross Turismo will be a something like a Taycan wagon with a higher ride position. Don’t expect it before 2021 or 2022, though. After all, Porsche will increase investments into developing the electromobility solutions to $6 billion by 2022. The Mission E Cross Turismo Concept is only a part of this story.

Earlier this year, Audi announced its plan to build a four-door performance electric car. This was when the automaker teased the E-Tron GT. With the E-Tron revealed already, it looks like the GT version will be equally impressive. Although nothing concrete was provided back then, we now have a few details.

The Audi E-tron GT is coming, and it will, by all accounts, be epic. Ever since Tesla made such glorious strides in the electric car fandom, the car world has been waiting for the rest of the big automakers to catch up. With the introduction of numerous expensive electric SUVs in the past couple of years, the car community as a whole gained the much needed electric car boost. But a true Tesla Model S competitor was still nowhere to be found. Until now. The Audi E-tron GT will be its competitor. And I am not the only one to say it. Siegfried Pint, Head of Development for Electric Drive at Audi, said that the new car is “steered towards performance.”

The BMW X7 has arrived, and it’s poised to take the reigns from the X5 as Bavaria’s new flagship SUV. The full-sized behemoth will have its hands full competing against the likes of the Mercedes GLS-Class and the Land Rover Range Rover. For the time being, at least, the X7 will also draw comparisons to the model it’s replacing atop the BMW SUV food chain. Fair or not, the X7 will be compared to the X5, in part to judge the merits of the X7 as Bimmer’s new flagship SUV. The latter now holds the keys to BMW’s SUV kingdom as all eyes will be on it to see if it can elevate the German automaker’s status in the market.

Skoda unveiled the Kodiaq GT, a mid-size crossover SUV with sportier styling that will only be available in China. The 7-speed DSG gearbox will be standard and, judging by the leaked interior shots, Skoda is targeting a wealthier clientele with this new model.

Czech automaker Skoda, part of the VAG Group, has been on a roll lately. They barely took the wraps off the menacing Kodiaq vRS that claims to be the fastest ever seven-seater SUV to lap the Nurburgring-Nordschleife. Now, they’re back with a new model, the Kodiaq GT, Skoda’s first Coupe SUV.

It features the same sloped rear window like the ’creator’ of this niche, BMW’s X6, but, unlike the Bimmer, you won’t be able to get it unless you live in China.

Keep reading to find out if it’s worth it to move to China for this Skoda

The first time I ever saw the Tesla Model S was sometime in 2012 or 2013 at one of the car shows in Europe. I will guess that it was in Geneva. I left the Tesla stand a bit underwhelmed by its interior, but the performance, the size, and the sheer fact that someone is buying an electric car like that was more than enough to show me its importance. After that, I drove it only once. And not for a long time at that.

Now, finally, I got my third chance with the Tesla Model S at the Continental AG organized event called the #blackchili. In Nice. Yup, the South of France. I know, I am a lucky guy.

This time I had the Tesla Model S for 40 or so miles. Not the P100D, but the one with 373 horsepower. More than enough, believe me. Considering I drove the car for less than 50 miles, it may seem like I don’t have anything to write home about. How can I call this a short test drive then!? Well, I can because I will tell you about the Tesla Model S from the perspective of a guy who drove European cars all his life, and who never really had an EV stint like this.

The Porsche Taycan is arguably the most technologically advanced model Porsche has ever built, but it’s not going to be priced that way. In fact, the Taycan looks like it’ll be more affordable than we thought. A Porsche executive revealed that the Taycan will like carry a starting price of €80,000 or around $92,500 based on current exchange rates. That said, top-spec versions of the Taycan aren’t going to come cheap, potentially reaching €200,000, or a little over $230,000.

The BMW X7 is the company’s newest and largest SUV yet. First confirmed in 2014, the X7 arrived in 2018 as BMW’s flagship hauler. It slots above the popular X5 and competes against the Mercedes-Benz GLS, the Cadillac Escalade, and the Land Rover Range Rover. The X7 joins six other SUVs to complete a crossover lineup that ranges from subcompact to full-size models.

When BMW joined the SUV market with the X5 back in 1999, little did we know that the German manufacturer will become such an important player in this segment. But in a little more than a decade, the Bavarian brand has launched no fewer than four different crossovers. Come 2018, and a flagship X7 joins the market to allow BMW to enter the full-size market. The X7 is the fifth BMW to be produced in the company’s U.S. facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, joining the X3, X4, X5, and X6.

Continue reading to learn more about the upcoming BMW X7.

BMW has revealed that the i4 will be its third electric model, and will essentially be a 4 Series GT with an electric powertrain. The i4, which is due in 2021, will bridge the gap between the i3 and i8, as well as the 3 Series and 5 Series.

When driving the latest BMW M550d xDrive you don’t really feel that what it needs is extra power and torque, but that has never stopped tuners from turning things up to eleven. German tuner mcchip-dkr has unlocked more of everything from the quad-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six, and it now offers two stages of power.

You don’t want to mess with the Hennessy-tuned Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, not when it has 1,200 horsepower to throw at you. If there are some brave souls who are willing to try to take down this Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, let this video of the SUV getting tested by the folks at Hennessey serve as a warning on what you’re getting yourselves into. Despite weighing 5,300 pounds, this 1,200-horsepower Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds on its way to posting a quarter-mile time of 9.66 seconds at 145.9 mph. Still think you can this beast on? You’re more than welcome to try.

After revealing the pre-production model at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, Mercedes has finally revealed all the details of the GLC F-Cell’s production versions before it starts handing out deliveries. The GLC F-Cell uses a unique plug-in hybrid setup combined with fuel-cell technology. As a result of this, the GLC F-Cell can run on both, electricity and hydrogen.

Ford’s not messing around with the list of accessories available to the upcoming 2019 Ford Ranger. Leaked documents shown via the Ranger5G forum reveal an extensive list of accessories that includes bull bars, racks, carriers, tow hooks, cup holders, and different versions of roadside assistance kits. The list of accessories points to one inevitable conclusion: you’re going to have to drop a serious amount of money to get what you want.

ABT Sportsline is dialing up its aftermarket upgrade for theAudi RS5 by offering an engine upgrade program that was previously exclusive only to the limited edition RS5-R package. The new power upgrade is part of a comprehensive tuning kit that also includes changes to the RS5’s aesthetics and suspension. The result is a high-performance coupé rocking carbon fiber bits with a new 2.9-liter bi-turbo V-6 engine that now produces 510 horsepower and an improved suspension that paves the way for optimized driving dynamics.

BMW makes and sells many diesel engines in Europe and other parts of the world that are not North America, and it doesn’t plan on stopping anytime in the near future. This point was confirmed on the sidelines of the Paris motor show by a high-ranking company official who also believes that generally speaking “the discussion about electro-mobility is a little bit irrational” in the current context.

When shopping for an SUV, there is usually a checklist involved before making a purchase. Is it spacious? Check. Does it have good power? Check. Is it well-built with quality materials? Check. Does it handle well? Check. Is it reliable? Check. Is there room for the in-laws? Check. The 2019 Acura MDX checks all those boxes and more all while providing subtle hints to let you know that you are in Honda’s premium brand.