Bengt Halvorson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Range is the new horsepower. Sustainability and charge ports are now status symbols as much as the luxury itself.
As I hustled the new plug-in hybrid version of Audi’s big extended-length A8L...
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2020 Porsche Taycan electric car: 6 more tech tidbitsPorsche's new electric car marks a go-it-alone philosophy in so many ways. We take a look at a few of the interesting details, including some obscure ones.
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2020 Porsche Taycan first ride: High-voltage power lineOne wild first ride in the fully electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S reveals that it’s more than Ludicrous.
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Preview drive: 2020 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is a stealth fighter for the familyPorsche’s most powerful SUV ever offers up a bevy of contrasts, from quiet electric commuting to track-ready snarl.
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First drive review: 2020 Ford Explorer ST dances with the family, and it's a ballThe 2020 Ford Explorer lineup has been completely redesigned and gains a 400-hp, performance-oriented ST model. We tested it out.
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Why Mazda is purging touchscreens from its vehiclesTablet-like touchscreens have become the ubiquitous interfaces of choice, and they’re seemingly everywhere in daily life, on everything from thermostats to coffee makers and refrigerators. But Mazda really doesn’t think they belong in cars—or at least anywhere near the...
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Tesla vehicles have earned a reputation, boosted by YouTube reaction videos, for their blistering, dragstrip-worthy, straight-line acceleration. Porsche is getting into the electric performance game...
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2019 Audi e-tron quattro first drive review: A new normal for electric luxuryThe Audi e-tron SUV that goes on sale next spring in the U.S. isn’t just Audi’s first fully electric vehicle. It’s the luxury brand’s way of showing how an increasingly inevitable part of the future can fit right in and be a part of four-ring identity. In our first drive...
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2018 Cadillac XTS leakedCadillac’s XTS is set to receive some significant updates, as confirmed by leaked shots that recently surfaced on Chinese website Autohome. The XTS has been with us since 2013 and Cadillac has no plans to discontinue it, even though the brand has a much better alternative in the form of the...
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4 features in the 2017 Volvo S90/V90 that could make you a safer driverVolvo’s all-new 2017 S90 sedan and upcoming 2018 V90 wagon, like the XC90 crossover introduced this past year, are packed with safety technology. If you’re familiar with Volvo’s reputation, that’s probably no surprise. Volvo has been at the forefront in occupant safety for...
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2018 Volvo V90 first drive reviewWagons have been staged for a comeback for more than a decade. Yet time after time, seemingly splendid, sporty wagons have fizzled in the American market. Is Volvo being hopelessly optimistic in bringing the V90 wagon to the U.S., where wagon sales barely break a one-percent market share year after...
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2017 Volvo S90 first drive reviewWith Volvo’s most recent products, including the 2017 Volvo S90 sedan and upcoming 2018 V90 wagon, the Swedish automaker is wholly embracing its Scandinavian roots. From the upright concave grille, the prominent brand ironmark, and the elongated hood in front, to the name proudly spelled out...
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The 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e—that’s the new plug-in hybrid version of the X5 sport-utility vehicle—is going to draw you in with its numbers: 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds; 14 miles in...
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Parking via smartphones and tablets: technology is ready, regulations aren'tIt’s been nearly ten years since Lexus introduced to the U.S. market a system through which its big luxury sedan, the LS, could park itself. Since then there have been many luxury models, and even some relatively inexpensive mainstream models, to adopt versions of such a system, which sizes...
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2016 BMW X1 first drive reviewThe new 2016 BMW X1 is, for the most part, a very good car. Yet there’s a big asterisk to this: It just doesn’t feel much like a BMW. In this age when executives and product planners wax poetic about preserving the “brand DNA”—seemingly to no end—this feels like...
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2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC first drive reviewRoadsters like the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC aren’t exactly in vogue right now. The Honda S2000 faded away a few years ago. BMW Z4 sales have fizzled to levels far below those of the more expensive 6-Series Convertible. Porsche’s pushed the Boxster upmarket. And the only bright spot on the...
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2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet first drive reviewTalk up the feel of the wind in your hair and the natural high of sunshine as you will; but in the world of convertibles, there are those that cruise the scene, and there are those that help make the scene. The 2017 S-Class Cabriolet lineup is without question in the latter group. It’s a true...
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Ahead of Tesla Model 3 reveal, pre-order frenzy begins for $35k electric carTesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]—or just Tesla, as it might now prefer to be called—has very closely guarded nearly all the details about its third mass-production all-electric car, the smaller, more affordable Model 3. Tomorrow’s when the Silicon Valley automaker will at last reveal...
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If you want to buy a new Honda Civic with the stronger 1.5-liter turbocharged engine and a manual gearbox, you’ll need to wait until the 2017 model year.
That’s when every single trim...
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2016 Scion tC goes out with tuner flair: racy final edition for New York debutScion is on its way out with the 2016 model year. But to celebrate its 14-year run, at curtain call the brand is showing off some of its raciest JDM (Japanese domestic market) tuner potential yet—via a partnership with Kei Miura, in a special 2016 Scion tC Release Series 10.0. It's to be...
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2016 BMW X4 M40i first drive reviewBMW’s current model lineup is a quagmire. Sure, to the brand’s enthusiasts it’s a nice, ordered progression of models and choices; but to others it’s a muddle of models, body styles, trim versions, and powertrain variants that can seem difficult to parse. The 2016 BMW X4...
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2017 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class first drive reviewWhat’s the best pick for a sun-drenched, cross-country luxury-car road trip for two—on a route that doesn’t shy away from challenging mountain two-laners? The set of contenders has reshuffled over the years, but the Mercedes-Benz SL holds strong on the shortlist. For 2017, this...
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2016 BMW M2 first drive reviewThe 2016 BMW M2 is, at long last, the M car that doesn’t try to please everyone—and will, because of that, end up pleasing far more driving enthusiasts in ways that matter. Get a group of longtime BMW enthusiasts together to talk cars—the ins and outs of the uncompromised...
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Lamborghini: Manuals Are History, And Dual-Clutch Looks Like The FutureThere’s no future for manual transmissions in the Lamborghini lineup. For enthusiasts who might have been out of the loop for some time, it may come as a big disappointment to learn that the old three-pedal setups have already been quietly phased out, with the last of the Gallardo and...
Bengt Halvorson