Daily Drivers : Car News And Reviews

It’s hard to believe, but the Volkswagen Golf GTI has been continuously in production since 1975, with more than 2.3 million cars made since it debuted. Now, the hot hatch is about to see its eighth generation for the 2021 model year, and the new version is looking better than ever.

When you review a lot of vehicles like I do, many start to blend together. So it’s nice when something stands out. It makes it worthy of being written about here at 95Octane, where our motto is “Cars That Don’t Suck.”

About a year ago, Audi released its first all-electric vehicle, a crossover called the e-tron. Now, expanding on the company’s promise of alternative-fuel cars, we have its little brother, the e-tron Sportback. Like its sibling, the e-tron Sportback doesn’t sip even an ounce of gasoline, instead running 100% on battery power.

Volvo’s performance EV offshoot Polestar is readying the Polestar 2 for production later this year, and it looks like the EV could definitely give Tesla a run for its money. Powered by a 408 hp all-wheel drivetrain with 487 lb-ft.

A couple of years back, Toyota released the C-HR as its main entry into the compact crossover segment. While it offers dynamic and fun handling, its rather extreme styling didn’t appeal to everyone. Now, Toyota is showing off a new, even smaller crossover that has the potential to appeal to a much broader audience.

With the recent redesign of the Hyundai Sonata, the automaker fired a shot across the bow of its competition with striking, upscale new styling, which arguably make it the best looking of today’s mid-size sedan segment.

Over the years, I’ve driven a number of vehicles based on FCA’s full-size car platform, which underpins the Dodge Challenger, Charger, and Chrysler 300. Most of the models I’ve been in have been muscular rear-wheel drive cars with giant HEMI V8s, and crazy amounts of horsepower.

Between the G70, G80, and G90, Genesis makes some very substantial and well-equipped cars. With the GV80 crossover on the way, they’re only going to expand their market appeal. Now, the Korean luxury brand is working on a big update to the mid-size car that started it all.

Volvo EV spin-off Polestar already has some production vehicles in the pipeline, including the Polestar One and Polestar Two. Now, we have a concept vehicle that looks towards the future of the brand. Like the Polestar Two, the Polestar Precept is a 5-door fastback.

We’ve been waiting for what seems like an eternity for Ford to reveal the new Bronco and its little brother, formerly known as the Baby Bronco. While the official reveal is set for later this month, undisguised pictures leaked out of both vehicles this week.

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in the beautiful, snow-capped mountains of central Colorado, where Rocky Mountain Redline assembled a variety of all-wheel drive vehicles to demonstrate their prowess in wintry conditions. Among the cars and crossovers was one of the first ever 2020 Dodge Charger GT AWDs to roll off the assembly line.

The much-derided Pontial Aztek sits atop many lists for being the ugliest car ever produced. And while it might have had some redeeming qualities, its exterior design most certainly was not one of them. But with a little nip here and a tuck there, could the Aztek have been a much better looking vehicle?

After 81 years, the Volkswagen Beetle is no longer being made. First built in 1938, the Type 1 Beetle largely unchanged until 2003, when the “New Beetle” made its debut, and then changing one final time for its third generation in 2011.

If you go back in the rewind machine to 2001, most of the SUVs on the market were rugged, body-on-frame models which drove much more like trucks than like cars. Then, Toyota came along with the Highlander and shook up the growing segment with a vehicle that rode much more like a car or a minivan than a truck, and expanding the daily driving appeal of SUVs pretty dramatically.

I’m the opposite of a trendsetter or even a trend-follower. Heck, I still wear flannel shirts as if Nirvana was about to top the charts again (if only). So, when I say that sporty SUVs and crossovers, are all the rage, you can rest assured that they still are in vogue.