Archive for March, 2022
First Look: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla
2023 Toyota GR Corolla
Today Toyota unveiled a rally-inspired high-performance version of its Corolla compact car—the 2023 GR Corolla—at an event in Long Beach, California. When it arrives later this year, the GR Corolla will be available in a base Core model. A limited-production Circuit Edition will join it in 2023, and it will be available for the 2023 model year only. The GR branding is used globally to identify Toyota’s sports cars—the letters stand for Gazoo Racing, which is Toyota’s in-house motorsports operation.
Chrysler LeBaron Turbine Concept
This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
First Spin: 2023 Mazda CX-50
2023 Mazda CX-50
Is one of the unexpected long-term side effects of COVID-19 the public’s increased interest in outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and kayaking? The timing could be a coincidence, but it’s clear that car companies are introducing an ever-increasing array of off-road-focused SUVs—or at least off-road-flavored SUVs—to meet the market’s embrace of these more adventurous lifestyles. Even well-established outdoorsy brands like Subaru are getting more outdoorsy.
2022 Hyundai Elantra N (left) and Kona N
Ah, the factory hot-rodded compact car. It’s a genre that really came into its own during the first decade of the new millennium, influenced in part by the import-tuner craze and the unexpected blockbuster success of the 2001 movie The Fast and the Furious. Before long, several mainstream-brand manufacturers were offering snarky, youth-oriented versions of their bread-and-butter compact sedans and hatchbacks, with performance-tuned suspensions and gutsy turbocharged powerplants.
The Stellantis Hurricane engine will be available in standard (left) and H.O. (High Output) variations.
Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram in the U.S., revealed a new family of 6-cylinder engines dubbed Hurricane. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline engines are designed to match the power output of naturally aspirated V8 powerplants while being more fuel efficient and producing less pollution.
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
2020 Toyota Supra
Note: The following story was excerpted from the February 2021 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Toyota’s sport-coupe history traces back to the 1967 2000GT, a handbuilt legend that sold only 62 copies in America. Then four generations of increasingly capable Supras were available in the States between 1979 and 1998. Reports of Supra’s return surfaced way back in 2012 when Toyota and BMW announced they would jointly develop a sports vehicle. Toyota’s result of the collaboration was indeed a renewed Supra that came out for 2020 and continues with some important changes for its second season.
1998 Lincoln Town Car Touring Sedan
Note: The following story was excerpted from the February 2021 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
For decades, the prototypical American luxury automobile was a full-size sedan often utilizing body-on-frame construction. Cadillac’s last of the type was the 1996 Fleetwood. Lincoln stuck with the recipe and offered Town Cars through 2011. For a while, 1998-2002 to be exact, one of them was the warmed-up Touring Sedan.
2022 Volkswagen Taos SE in King’s Red Metallic (a $395 option)
2022 Volkswagen Taos SE
Class: Subcompact Crossover SUV
Miles driven: 441
Fuel used: 14.6 gallons
2022 Volvo XC60 B6 R-Design in Crystal White Metallic (a $695 option)
2022 Volvo XC60 B6 R-Design
Class: Premium Compact Crossover
Miles driven: 346
Fuel used: 15.6 gallons
