Technology

Some 20 years ago most cars didn’t have infotainment displays and their dashboards were crowded with buttons and knobs. Come 2021 and almost every car out there comes with a display, usually ranging from seven to 12.3 inches (so companies offer larger screens). But things are about to go wild, as Mercedes-Benz just unveiled the Hyperscreen, a massive 56-inch infotainment display that’s basically stretches over the entire dashboard. Needless to say, Mercedes stole the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show with it, but BMW also gets a piece of the action with a new-generation iDrive system.

The leaps forward taken by technology in the past decade have brought us closer, literally, to screens. You’ve got one in your living room, one in your pocket, one on your desk, and most likely, you’ve got one inside your car, too. Almost every daily activity of the modern man - from work, to shopping, and then on to entertainment - involves a screen of sorts, be it from a smartphone, a TV, or a car’s infotainment system.

In recent years, the later has become a norm in almost every new car out there. Higher-echelon car brands in particular have been very eager to fit their cars with screens, especially of the larger, wide, or curbed variety. So we can only ask: are these big displays bleeding with top-notch graphics a mark of luxury in the automotive world?

Tesla cars are loaded with weird, unorthodox features and gimmicks. But there are some of them which are absolutely fantastic, one of them being the Sentry mode. There have been numerous instances in the past where the Sentry mode has recorded suspicious activities done to and around the car and has proved very helpful. Thanks to this post on Reddit, we’ve now come across another nifty little feature that helps keep the Sentry mode on guard even in the toughest conditions – a heater that melts away the snow on it.

The new Chevy Corvette C8 Stingray uses brake-by-wire but the feature is more common to EVs and hybrids, because it lets the car’s powertrain recuperate energy during braking, as the b-pedal controls both traditional friction braking - via the car’s discs and calipers - and regen braking. How such a system works can confuse a lot of people, so here’s a neat explanation.

Tesla’s holiday update this year includes a feature known as ‘Boombox’. It makes use of the external speaker to turn your car into a, well, boombox. While it can be used as a source of entertainment to play your media, it can also be used to create fart sounds. Well, if that kind of humor amuses you, go ahead, install the upgrade, and scare the unsuspecting folks who pass by your vehicle.

The 2021 Ford F-150 came with a whole lot of new things, like a hybrid mill, 12-inch touchscreen system, and a Pro Power Onboard Generator, amongst other things. One other impressive feature are the Max Recline Seats.

These are seats that essentially flip down almost 180 degrees so you can take a nap on work sites. Instead of just having the existing seats to fold flat, Ford worked from scratch to make sure you don’t end up with sprains and aches if you decide to have a siesta.

The BMW Vision iNEXT has become the BMW iX – a pre-production prototype that previews the brand’s upcoming electric SUV. With a year still to go before its market launch at the end of 2021, the BMW Group is providing a first look ahead to the future BMW iX, which is currently still in the series development phase. The BMW iX is the first model based on a new, modular, scalable future toolkit developed by the BMW Group and focused on a fresh interpretation of design, sustainability, driving pleasure, versatility and luxury. Check out our awesome photo gallery below!

I am sure you will agree, one of the most dreaded images, for a car owner, is when the check engine light comes on. When that happens, it could be anything from a faulty sensor, to something serious, which is why having a good scan tool may be critical, as it will help determine whether it is a cheap and simple fix or something that may cost thousands of dollars. And although an onboard diagnostics scanner will not fix everything, it will eliminate any uncertainty, as to what problem your car has. This is exactly why we have compiled a short list, in order to help you decide, which is the best OBD2 scanner for you.

In general, there are three types of transmissions – manual, automatic, and CVT. Each of them have their own pros and cons. The automatic and CVT gearboxes are similar in that they do not require driver input in order to change gears. However, where they differ is in the way they function internally. So what’s the difference? Let’s find out!

Tesla Battery Day is one of the most anticipated events in the EV world, and this year, the automaker has decided to hold it in conjunction with the annual shareholder meeting. This year was going to be all about the tech-related advancements from Tesla and not any new products per se, so there are a lot of hopes pinned on this event.

The company has been working on battery technology for quite some time now and nothing concrete is known yet. Musk’s tweets hinted that some major revelations could happen, but he made it clear it will all take time to touch “high-volume production”.

Now that D-Day has arrived, here’s what to expect from the event that will take place following the annual shareholder meeting in Palo Alto, California.

Batteries in electric cars have come a long way. The Tesla Model S, for example, has broken the 400-mile barrier while the upcoming Lucid Air and its 113 kWh battery back will offer as much as 4.58 miles per kWh or more than 500 miles of range With that in mind, it looks like the Lucid Air’s claim to fame might be short-lived as a new battery tech has been developed and it could offer up more than double the driving range and enable fast charging to more than 80-percent in just five minutes. But, there’s a catch (as there always is), and you might not like it.

Until battery technology gets fuss-free and people stop having range anxiety, we’ll have to look at alternatives to extract the maximum EV range possible. A concept that’s been discussed for a long time is having solar panels on EVs so that they help aid the range. However, we haven’t seen anything materialize in production form yet.

Now, a company called WorkSport has come up with a tonneau cover that helps with this. But, it’s not limited to just EVs. It can also be used on fuel-powered trucks for portable on-demand power. That’s a pretty creative idea.

After years of rumors and speculation, Jeep finally revived the iconic Wagoneer though the Grand Wagoneer concept. The production model won’t arrive until 2021, but this so-called concept vehicle doesn’t seem very different from what we will get in showrooms. However, it showcases a range of cool and fancy features that most likely won’t make in on the production model, despite its luxury-oriented status. Here’s a list of items you should expect to find on the upcoming, factory-built Wagoneer.

If you strip down most modern cars on the road today, you’ll find a handful of different computer systems. You’ll find a body control module, an engine control module, and some even have smaller computers like modules that control the anti-lock brakes, airbags, or various other bits of technology. This was accurate ten years ago, and as cars have gotten more advance, these very control modules have been tasked with doing more while being interlinked together via a CANBUS system, and some are even complemented with additional control modules for smaller tasks. If one module failed, you could usually replace it and go about your life, albeit after paying a small fortune for the new computer, programming, and installation. Soon, however, Audi looks to simplify things by bringing everything together into by big supercomputer that’s being called an “Integrated Vehicle Dynamics Computer.” It sounds simple, but it’s actually far from simple. Let me explain…

Hyundai and Kia are two peas in a pod. As sister companies, they share technology, drivetrains, and platforms, among other things. So, when we broke down Hyundai’s Intelligent Manual Transmission – you know, the one with no clutch pedal – we figured Kia would be quick to follow suit. And, it has, but only to a certain extent. We’ve now learned that the mild-hybrid versions of the Kia Ceed Hatch, Xceed crossover, and the facelifted Rio will all be available with an iMT. But Kia’s version is a little different compared to Hyundai in that it still has a clutch pedal. This is getting interesting, huh?

Nissan’s family of V-6 engines falling under the VQ nameplate has an aluminum block and a DOHC setup with aluminum heads. It came to replace the VG series in 1994 and ever since, it’s been a loyal presence in Ward’s 10 Best Engines rankings.

How did Nissan manage to design and build such a terrific engine? This video will run you through every tech aspect of the VQ.

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is a beast of a car that, as of today, delivers a cool 700 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter, flat-six. It’s fast enough to get to 60 mph in a spleen splitting 2.7 seconds and tops out a respectable 211 mph. Those numbers represent an improvement of 0.8 seconds and six mph over the model it replaced. One could argue, then, that the next-gen 911 GT2 RS doesn’t need more power, but Porsche simply wouldn’t agree. This time, however, extra power and better performance aren’t coming from bigger turbos and more most. No, this time it comes, at least in part, thanks to 3D printed pistons.

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?

Porsche is one of the leading carmakers when it comes to innovation and high performance. The new Taycan stands as a more recent testament to Stuttgart’s appetite for new tricks, which is also visible in less obvious places.

Take Porsche’s fancy new tungsten-carbide brake disc, which doesn’t rust, produces little to zero brake dust, and most importantly, offers a no-fade experience.

We all know that the great Enzo Ferrari once said that aerodynamics is for people that can’t build engines. While that’s partly true, the way air flows over a surface - car’s surface, in this case - influences a lot of performance areas, from fuel consumption to high-speed stability to how fast the said car can go or how much downforce it makes to keep it glued to the ground.