Etc : Car News And Reviews

One of the last cars you’d ever think about taking off-road and onto a course filled with loose dirt, mud, and rocks would be a Bentley. Sure, they make some powerful cars, but they’re way too fancy and expensive to think about risking dings, dents, and scratches.

Gearheads love to talk about their engines, suspension systems, transmissions, tires, and even brakes. But there’s a far less sexy, but just as necessary component to all vehicles – and that’s its cooling system and coolant.

While most of us would rather have an off-road truck we can actually sit in and drive, something like a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, a Ford Raptor, or a Chevy Colorado ZR2 will cost you $40K to $50K or more.

If you’re looking for truly off-road capable vehicle that also happens to be crazy fast, there aren’t too many choices. But the Nikola Zero aims to change that, with a rugged all-terrain vehicle with an all-electric drivetrain that’s as powerful as many high-end sports cars.

There are few things that automotive journalists fully agree on, but if you put 100 auto journos in a room and asked them to name the five ugliest cars ever designed, I bet the Pontiac Aztek would be in everyone’s top three.

Carbon fiber wheels have been around for a while, but until now, all of the wheels of the market have been pre-impregnated with resin, then molded into shape. Porsche has now developed the first ever production wheels to be created directly from braided carbon fiber.

If you’re an Audi fan, you’ll soon have a chance to drive some of the German automaker’s most exciting vehicles at one of America’s best race circuits. The new Audi Driving Experience will allow drivers to test out some great cars at Austin, Texas’ Circuit of the Americas.

As a brand, Infiniti has only been around since 1989, launched as the luxury spin-off of Nissan. Most of their cars are sleek and modern in styling, and loaded with modern technology, like the first production steer-by-wire system in the Q50 and Q60.

There’s a very large ocean between a Honda Civic and a Bugatti Veyron. The Civic is a sub-$30,000, front-wheel drive car, with a 4-cylinder engine, and in most incarnations, less than 200 horsepower. On the other hand, pretty much every Veyron ever sold went for more than a $1.5 million bucks, is all-wheel drive, has a massive 16-cylinder engine, that pushes out at least 1,000 horsepower.

For serious off-roading there are few vehicles that can keep up with a Jeep Wrangler. But if you don’t have the money or the room in your garage for one, you could always buy yourself one of these mini Jeeps.

We’re on the precipice of living in a world where cars that drive themselves are everyday sights. But movies and TV shows have been obsessed with the notion of cars that could make decisions on their own for decades.

I keep meaning to attend the 24 Hours of Lemons. This real-life Wacky Races features a whole bunch of modded beaters that all started life as mass-produced, street-legal production cars. This year’s most notable entry had to be the Trippy Tippy Hippy Van, a crazy customized Volkswagen van put together by Lemons legend Jeff Bloch, aka “Speedycop” and his gang of outlaws.

It takes some serious driving skill and the right car to go around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife course in less than 7 minutes. It’s a feat that’s only been achieved by a handful of production cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Radical SR8, and the Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

There’s something special in the air, and it features the fresh aroma of burnt rubber, spent high-octane fumes, and a faint waft of highbrow entitlement. For years, Infiniti has struggled to reconnect with luxury car buyers, and that time has officially come to a close.

The Lexus LC 500 is an impressive car all on its own, whether in its 471 hp V8 or more fuel-efficient hybrid edition. But with Lexus’ track record of making special “F” performance editions of cars like the RC and GS, it’s almost a sure bet that there’s an LC F in the works.