reviews

The 2021 Ferrari 488 GT Modificata is a track-only version of the 488 GTB. A limited-edition model dedicated to customers who like to drive Ferraris on the race track, the 488 GT Modificata features technology developed for the competition-spec 488 GT3 and 488 GTE cars.

It’s basically the third race-spec model based on the 488 GTB road car, which has been replaced by the F8 Tributo in 2020. Essentially a successor to the Ferrari 488 Challenge, the 2021 488 GT Modificata will initially be offered to customers who in recent years have participated in Competizioni GT and Club Competizioni GT events. How fast is it and what sets it apart? Find out in our review.

The current-generation Audi TT is already long in the tooth, having been around since 2014. While there are talks of a next-generation TT in the pipeline, that model isn’t expected to arrive for at least a few more years. In the meantime, Audi will continue freshening the current TT with a bevy of special edition models, including the new “bronze selection” that’s scheduled to hit European markets in the spring of 2021.

Packing visual upgrades of the burnished chestnut persuasion, the special edition model is available in the coupe and roadster versions of the TT and TTS via a bronze selection package that you can add to the cost of the sports car.

Special edition models come in all shapes and sizes. Some come in the form of tiny pocket rockets while others come in the form of luxury barges on four wheels. The BMW 745Le for Ellerman House falls closer with the latter, and it fits the bill of a legitimate special edition model that was created exclusively for the luxury boutique hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. That means the BMW 745Le for Ellerman House isn’t for sale; you can only ride it if you stay at Ellerman House. That’s a fair tradeoff for the opportunity to ride in one of the most exclusive BMW 745Le models in the world.

The automotive world is one of enormous diversity. Quite often designers are given the green light to unleash their imagination giving us some truly amazing stuff. That said, the modern-day regulations has been cracking down harder and harder on the automotive design language, and many amazing concepts remained one-offs. Those with deep enough pockets, however, have a bit more luck than the average person. The Argento Vivo is one of those extremely rare cases where a concept car has been granted production status. Here are nine interesting facts about the unique roadster.

Ram’s fourth phase in the five-installment ‘Built to Serve’ truck series is officially announced. The automaker is celebrating America’s five armed forces and has now launched the fourth edition of the series. This ‘Built to Serve’ edition offers a maritime land force-inspired theme. Ram will offer 2,000 trucks in this installment in Tank and Flame Red shades. The production for the same will begin in early 2021.

Audi is looking to keep European customers entertained with another special edition for its TT sportscar. The treatment targets the TTS, which is essentially the bridge that gaps the regular TT and the hooligan TT RS, with more power and new, albeit subtle design elements.

The 2021 Lamborghini Huracan STO is a track-prepped version of the company’s familiar, entry-level supercar. Derived from Huracan Super Trofeo EVO and Huracan GT3 EVO race cars, the 2021 Huracan STO is the most radical road-legal version of the supercar yet. It packs a V-10 engine with 631 horsepower, a carbon-fiber body, a no-nonsense interior, and an aerodynamic package that makes it insanely quick and nimble on the race track. What sets it apart from the Huracan Performante and how fast it is? Let’s find out in the review below.

The Nautilus was seemingly lost between the compact Corsair and the larger Aviator. For the 2021 model, Lincoln decided to give it a refresh and make it relevant again. It continues to be powered by the same engine and more or less looks the same from the outside – save for the three new exterior shades.

However, the biggest change comes inside the cabin, where Lincoln has put a lot of effort. It looks vastly different and is heavy on technology. The highlight is the new 13.2-inch touchscreen that runs on the SYNC 4 infotainment system. Will this help get some extra volume for Lincoln?

If we’re being honest here, the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was just a matter of when not if. So here it is in all its chrome-y flashiness, coming to satisfy the needs and desires of those who believe the regular S-Class simply won’t cut it.

Ford’s recipe for its 2020 SEMA Auto Show lineup was simple. Use popular models in the lineup, give them concept makeovers, and let everyone know about all the custom tuning possibilities that can be done to these models. It doesn’t come as a surprise that, in addition to the Ranger and the F-150 trucks, Ford chose the Bronco to its SEMA lineup and created two concepts out of the returning nameplate. One of these concepts is called the MAD Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Overland. Ford teamed with MAD Industries to create this concept, which shows the capacity of Ford’s newest SUV to be as adept in the outdoors as it is on concrete roads. It’s a dream-come-true concept for Bronco fans who have been clamoring for ways to customize the Bronco and turn it into a legitimate 4x4 off-roader.

The Blue Oval is preparing to unveil a variety of custom builds, including the Bronco Badlands Sasquatch 2-Door Concept. Created to showcase the Bronco’s modularity, the concept highlights what amounts to the Bronco Badlands’ ability to act as an urban ride on weekdays and off-road marauder on weekends through the glory of swappable components.

The Bronco Badlands Sasquatch 2-Door Concept will be revealed alongside Ford’s other SEMA offerings during the Ford Auto Nights webcast that starts at 8.PM. tonight.

On sale from December 2021, the new Toyota Mirai comes to pick up from where the first-generation left off. We already saw it take a bow at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2019 and Toyota just announced the FCEV is ready to go on sale.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new 2021 Toyota Mirai, whether you’re looking to buy one or not.

The Buick Encore GX is marketed as a small luxury SUV and it lives up to its name. It comes with a lot of features in the base trim and offers two engine options and drive layouts for you to choose from. The SUV looks decent on the outside, is as spacious as its rivals on the inside, and generates enough grunt to keep you happy pottering around in the city. For tasks like carrying your grocery and taking your kid to school, this urban commuter does its job well. But, expecting anything beyond it is a cardinal sin. With a fairly low starting price and heavy discounts on offer, will you choose this over the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1?

If there’s a crossover you could call balanced from a visual standpoint in Audi’s lineup that would be the Q5 and subsequently, its performance-oriented SQ5 cousin. Maybe it’s just us, but it just looks right and well-proportioned and as of now, those who love oil burners can now buy Audi’s diesel-centric take on performance.

Here’s all you need to know about the SQ5 TDI.

The Kia Seltos is the newcomer to Kia’s lineup. It’s been in production since 2019, but 2021 marks the first year that it will be available on U.S. soil. It has just recently made it into dealerships as Kia begins to roll out its 2021 crop of vehicles, and it’s poised to make quite the disruption in the subcompact crossover market. Of course, let’s be clear, this still isn’t Kia’s smallest model – it’s the model designed to sit between the Soul and the Sportage. Highlights of the Seltos include better-than-expected cargo room, a Bose audio system, and the range-topping engine that’s good for 175 horsepower. What might be even more impressive, though, is the Seltos starting point of around $22,000.

Audi wagons and SUVs are a hit among tuners. We’ve seen ABT, Lumma, and many other aftermarket tuners come up with special signature twists on these vehicles. Now, Mansory has laid its hands on the Audi RS Q8. What’s surprising is that the RS Q8 doesn’t go through a radical, bizarre aesthetic-twist, as we saw in the case of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Coastline, the Lamborghini Urus Venatus, and the Mercedes-AMG G63 Star Trooper. I mean, the changes are more than evident, but it isn’t dressed in colors that would win it a prize at a fancy-dress competition.

The McLaren 620R is one of those performance cars that look great on paper. It packs 610 horsepower and is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. But despite the numbers and its status as the road-spec version of the 570S GT4, there’s something about the 620R that makes you wonder if there’s untapped potential that can be unleashed with a few tweaks here and there.

Novitec probably had similar questions, but unlike all of us, the tuner could actually do something about it. And it did, thanks to a new program that unleashes more power from the supercar’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine.

Unlike all the random special edition trucks from various automakers, this one actually justifies the tag. Ram recently introduced the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Ram Power Wagon and comes with a significant amount of changes inside out. The Power Wagon has been on market for 75 years, stretching its heritage to World War II. The 2021 Ram Power Wagon 75th Anniversary Edition will arrive at the dealerships by the end of the year and is priced at almost $67,000.

Ducati’s Scrambler division unleashes its new-for-2021 “Nightshift” model on the world in all of its blackout glory in a sinister turn for the usually youthfully-jubilant Scrambler lineup. It carries the mid-range, 803 cc L-Twin engine wrapped in a homejob-custom package with unique components that complete the look. The ABS feature is of the corner-sensitive variety to give the Nightshift an edge on the streets.

Performance and practicality are two words that rarely go together. More often than not we talk about the perfect compromise between the two, rather than the perfect blend. That doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying to give us the best performing version of a normal car.

Station wagons, in particular, seem to be making a comeback and currently, Volkswagen is rigorously testing a more practical version of its Golf R – the Variant. Regardless of which version we talk about, the people’s car from Germany has always been a good all-rounder, but does the Golf R Variant still has what it takes to compete?

The 2022 BMW iX1 is an upcoming all-electric crossover that’s scheduled to debut sometime in the second half of 2021. As the name suggests, the 2022 iX1 will be based on the X1 subcompact SUV and will feature an all-electric drivetrain. The 2022 iX1 will be BMW’s second electric crossover after the iX3, introduced in 2020.

The 2022 BMW iX1 will be offered with at least two powertrain options, including an entry-level FWD variant and a more powerful AWD versions. Let’s find out more about it in the speculative review below.

When GMC unveiled the 2021 Canyon AT4 back in January, speculation started that a special edition model was already in the works. It probably took longer than GMC expected — blame the COVID-19 pandemic for that — but 10 months after the Canyon AT4’s arrival, the special edition model, dubbed the Off-Road Performance Edition, is finally here.

As expected, the Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition packs plenty of extra goodies, most of which are of the functional sort. There are visual upgrades, too, but this special edition truck is all about making sure that your travails on roads less travelled run smoothly and without any complications.

Sometimes, a car needs a full redesign to address a fundamental flaw. Perhaps it’s too small, or too big. Maybe its styling is stale or unappealing. Or perhaps its platform can’t support modern needs.

The 2020 Passat has revised interior and exterior styling, more standard features, and an updated engine. That’s a cheaper set of changes than a full redesign, and Volkswagen is passing those savings on to the customer. Is that enough to excuse the Passat’s old bones? Or are you better off opting for a fresher competitor? Here’s what we learned from our time behind the wheel.