reviews

The Volkswagen Arteon came to our attention back in 2017, during its unveil at the Geneva Motor Show. Three years into the fastback-shaped sedan’s career, Volkswagen is planning to give the Arteon a well-deserved nip and tuck which would keep customer interest fresh and address the areas that needed further improvements.

With the refreshed Arteon, however, we’re expecting Volkswagen to introduce a spicier, more performance oriented version under its notorious R badge. Our suspicions are backed up by a recent set of spy shots that show a virtually undisguised test mule that wears a lot of R-specific features. Allow us to detail, then.

Peugeot finally woke up from its slumber and decided to enter the pickup truck market. The French automaker has revealed its latest creation called the Landtrek. Peugeot isn’t a new player in the truck market and has had a fair share of haulers back in the day, such as the 504 and the 404 trucks.

Even now, it sells the Pick Up in a few African markets. Now, however, it has “returned” with a sincere effort in the form of the Landtrek. Instead of testing the waters by launching just a couple of variants, Peugeot has decided to go full throttle by introducing the truck in three different body styles and two different drive configurations.

The BMW 5 Series is in line for a mid-cycle refresh and it won’t be long before it comes to full effect. What’s more, the revamp will also affect the M5 performance sedan, as our spy photographers have spotted a heavy-camo’ed facelifted BMW M5 mule out on the open road.

BMW is tight-lipped about the revised M5 (as it is about the 5 Series as a whole) but the test prototype displays a couple of interesting changes that touch on the front and rear light clusters and bumpers. There’s no word on power upgrades yet, but let’s take a better look at what the revamped M5 might have in store for us.

Update 2/21/20200: The 2021 BMW M5 was just spotted doing some cold-weather testing and it’s starting to come together nicely. Check out the new spy shots and what we’ve learned in our “Spy Shots” section below!

The BMW 7 Series was refreshed for the 2018 model year, but it took us nearly two years to get behind the wheel. It’s been something we’ve been itching to do, since the update brought a number of improvements – the most important of which is, arguably, the new twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 under the hood of the 750i. Our tester was the exact model, along with the blissful output of 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque – a massive 80-horsepower and 74 pound-foot improvement over the 740i that it replaced. Needless to say, we were quite impressed with its performance, too, booking it to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds.

Showing the world how to do it right all this while, the folks upped their game for 2020 when they unveiled a brand new streetfighter, the SR/F. The bike features a new “Cypher III” operating system that brings in Bosch Motorcycle Stability Control and a multitude of data onto the TFT dash. USB charging ports, LED lighting, storage space, a fly screen, heated grips, and aluminum bar ends adds to the oomph factor.

Now, the same guys have taken that and slapped aerodynamic fairings, taller handlebar, lower footpegs, and a windscreen to create their exciting new entry into the sports-touring territory. This is the Zero Motorcycles SR/S, unveiled at an event in New York. And honestly, I love how it carries a hint of retro on it.

When you hear the name “Hennessey” suffixed to any vehicle, you know it’s going to be a monster in all senses. The company has been transforming SUVs, sedans, and pickup trucks from nimble creatures into absolute beasts since the early ‘90s. Let’s say Hennessey drops massive amounts of gamma radiations into every vehicle to create Hulk versions of them.

The company already deals with the Raptor, Mustang, F-150, and GT, and will soon be adding the 2020 Bronco as well to its portfolio. The company even laid its hands on the Jeep Gladiator and plonked in a Hellcat engine to create a “Maximus” version that makes 1,000 horses. This time around, Hennessey has gotten hold of the GMC Sierra Denali.The power bumps are significant and it looks mighty big with the new raised stance. The company has moniker’d it the Goliath 700. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

The 2021 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 is a naturally-aspirated version of the existing 718 Boxster. Essentially an update for the current 718 Cayman GTS, the GTS 4.0 ditches the turbocharged, 2.5-liter flat-four engine in favor of a 4.0-liter flat-six mill.

The engine is shared with the range-topping 2020 718 Boxster, but detuned in order to slot the GTS 4.0 lower in the lineup. Unveiled alongside an identical version of the 718 Cayman, the 2021 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 hits the road with 394 horsepower and various suspension components borrowed from the 911 GT3.

The GTS 4.0 also marks the return of the naturally aspirated engine in the 718 Boxster lineup (beyond the Spyder model of course), but it will probably be offered only for a limited time. Let’s find out more about it in the review below.

Nissan launched the second-generation Armada – the brand’s full-size, flagship SUV – in 2017 and, while it was a huge step forward in terms of luxury (relatively used, of course) and rigidity, it was also knocked for its lack of technology. Comfortable seating and cabin space rank high on the list of notable features, but things like the infotainment system and instrument cluster feel dated. With this kind of impression, we thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with the 2020 Nissan Armada to see just what it has to offer and if it can really compete with models like the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition. It was a long week, and this is what our experience taught us about the Nissan Armada.

Mercedes-AMG has finally launched the GLE 63 S Coupe, the sleeker choice if you want high-riding performance without the boxy shape of the standard GLE. This is what you need to know about it.

Harley-Davidson goes to the top shelf for the goodies on its 2020 Road Glide Special. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 powerplant carries over from the previous year, as does the well-rounded infotainment system and ABS protection. Harley’s Reflex™ Defensive Rider System (RDRS) is available as optional equipment, but if you like your paint to be a little on the wild side, the Special Edition model carries it as part of the standard equipment.

GOTRAX has a new under-$400 scooter coming to replace the very-reliable GXL V2. It’s called the Xr and you can also have it in Ultra guise, with a more potent e-motor and larger battery pack. Its main rivals are the likes of Swagtron Swagger 5 ($299), Xiaomi M365 ($349), and Segway Ninebot ES2 ($589) - as you can see, pretty rough competition. We had a go at the GOTRAX Xr and here’s what we can report.

The 2020 Audi Q7 is the facelifted version of the second-generation midsize SUV. It’s an update to the hauler that Audi launched in 2015, and although it’s not a major overhaul on the outside, it features a heavily updated interior and new engines. It also comes with new driving assist features, mostly seen on recent redesigns, and more luxury options. As usual, it’s available with both gasoline and diesel powertrains, but the oil burners aren’t offered in the United States. Let’s find out more about the premium German SUV in the review.

Tuscany Motor Company is not a new name in the aftermarket and performance equipment arena. The company has worked on the Ford Mustang and F-Series in the past, and now, it has tied up with Harley-Davidson to roll out some lip-smacking editions of these famous trucks.

Although one would’ve assumed the Ford trucks to get beautified, the collaboration surprisingly included the GMC Sierra in the mix as well. Tuscany also added the F-250 to the existing lineup of F-150 and GMC Sierra, and from the looks of it, it can be said that the best was saved for last.

Toyota made some major changes to the 2021 Toyota Supra, the most important of which come in the form of updated power output for the six-cylinder model and the introduction of the four-cylinder Supra to the U.S. market. However, there was another gem hidden in Toyota’s announcement, and that is the Supra A91 Special Edition. It doesn’t come with any extra power over the standard model, but it is based on the six-cylinder model, so it does have the extra power.

We spied the upcoming Volkswagen Golf GTI once again and this time it was the hotter TCR version.

The TCR will of course have more power than a normal GTI and it will also be more driver focused. Where the regular GTI will have 180 kW / 245 horsepower, the TCR will have a mighty 221 kW / 300 horsepower. And like the old GTI TCR, the power goes via a DSG dual clutch gearbox and a locking differential to the front wheels. No manual option is planned as for now.

The brake discs are drilled and the suspension is lower and more firm compared to a standard GTI. The intercooler hidden behind the front bumper looks slightly bigger than on the standard GTI but we are not really sure.

There will of course also be some optical changes like special wheels and oval exhaust pipes. The rear spoiler on the production ready car will be bigger than on this prototype and the interior will also be special for the TCR.

Becoming a part of the Softail range in 2018, the Fat Boy received a massive upgrade on the reinvented Softail chassis, powered by the Milwaukee-Eight engines. Celebrating 30 years of this monster, the 2020 model gets a blacked-out theme, converting the satin-chrome outlook to a sinful looking “Vivid-Black” theme. And running this evil hooligan is the thumping Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin engine.

The 2020 SSC Tuatara is the production version of a supercar that SSC North American has been developing since the late 2000s. Previewed by a concept car in 2011 and a pre-production model in 2018, the 2020 Tuatara is finally ready to go into production in 2020.

Aimed at supercars like the Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg Jesko, and the Hennessey Venom F5, the 2020 Tuatara features a V-8 engine that generates up to 1,750 horsepower and promises to hit a top speed in excess of 300 mph. The supercar costs more than $2 million and is limited to only 100 units. Let’s find out more about it in the review below.

Aston Martin is rolling out a pair of special edition models to celebrate the automaker’s historic one-two finish at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. Appropriately dubbed the “59 Edition” models, 24 units of the DBS Superleggera and 59 units of the Vantage AMR have been given the special edition treatment.

Both models take their exclusive styling cues from the race-winning DBR1 racer, which roared to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1959, beating powerhouse teams from Ferrari and Porsche on its way to victory.

The super rare Astons were commissioned by the automaker’s dealership in Gloucestershire, England. The cost of owning the DBS Superleggera 59 comes up to £325,000 — that converts to around $420,000 — while the Vantage AMR 59 is priced at $209,995. Sadly, all 24 units of the DBS Superleggera 59 are already accounted for, though there might still be available units of the Vantage AMR 59.