Car and Driver November 2022

TIME LAPSE Hey, what happened to the letter I sent about the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS? I don’t recall reading any letters about that story [“Going Nowhere Fast,” May 2022].—W. Deaver Dayton, OH I’ve been a little distracted lately, and the letters covering the May issue didn’t make it into print. As a make-good, we’re running the letters about May here in November. It might be a bit late, but your back-fires are timeless—Ed. As a subscriber for over 40 years, I have witnessed the sad and steady decline of the quantity and the quality of your magazine. As a Porsche owner, seeing the cover graced with the GT4 RS made me anxious to read the test “to find out whether it eclipsed the 911.” Neither I nor most of your readers,…

There’s an unmatched sense of freedom that comes with a first car. My second-gen Volkswagen GTI 16V, the one with the 134-hp 2.0-liter engine, Recaro seats, and BBS wheels, gave me a joy that had been long ago stored away in the corners of my mind. And then I drove a Toyota GR Corolla and was slingshotted back to my first solo drives down Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. On page 48, executive editor K.C. Colwell provides an expert and detailed evaluation of Toyota’s wild-child hot hatch. I’m just here for a nostalgic gush. My little GTI would rip into apexes and grind to its redline through very short gears. It had better moves than Ex-Lax and could not be tripped up. Quick steering moved the roughly 2500-pound box with windows into and…

Pony Up! The seventh-generation Mustang isn’t a huge departure from the previous car, but would-be cowpokes will see fun new options, fresh interiors, and the menacing Dark Horse. Ford isn’t putting its gas-fed pony car out to pasture. Instead, the 2024 Mustang is galloping into its seventh generation with a mighty V-8, brawny bodywork, and an available manual gearbox. Inside, it’s a high-tech horsey, with expanded digital displays. Don’t worry that the new breed has grown tame, though. Not only will the Mustang offer hoony gimmicks like a drift stick and a remote-rev feature, but it’s also coming out of the gate with a 500-hp version, the Mustang Dark Horse. The design is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The Mustang rides on the same platform as before, with a slightly shorter 107.0-inch wheelbase. As…

Perhaps you’ve seen a photo of an SUV with one wheel hiked high into the air and thought, “That’s cool.” Except it isn’t, at least not if you’re serious about off-roading. A locking differential might keep you moving, but a vehicle with that much daylight under one tire could suddenly tee-ter as terrain changes, with the suspension unable to fully cushion the landing. The transition can be rough and potentially dangerous. For good traction and stability, you want all four wheels on terra firma at all times. Getting through the tough stuff requires ground clearance along with good approach, departure, and break-over angles, but oft overlooked is suspension articulation. To measure articulation, we drive a test vehicle’s driver’s-side front tire up a 20-degree ramp to generate a Ramp Travel Index (RTI) score.…

On August 15, about 30 new EVs and 42 plug-in hybrids were eligible for federal income-tax credits. On August 16, those numbers fell to eight and 10. Starting January 1, 2023, the number of qualifying EVs will rise to 11. These changes are a result of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law August 16. Only one provision of the law took effect immediately, and it’s a big one. Since that date, only vehicles assembled in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico qualify for the $7500 credit, eliminating nearly three-quarters of eligible vehicles. Here’s what we’ll see at the start of 2023 and beyond: SHIFTING QUALIFICATIONS The limit of 200,000 units of qualifying EVs per automaker is lifted, making General Motors and Tesla vehicles eligible again. However, new price caps…

Carwashing is a big-money business, raking in around $30 billion annually worldwide. According to the International Carwash Association (ICA), the U.S. has more than 62,000 carwash locations—that’s one sudsy spot for every 5300 residents (or every 4400 registered vehicles). The bane of Boy Scouts and cheerleaders out to make a buck, automatic washes handle most of the world’s cars. They’re designed to move you through and spit you out shiny and chrome, all without ever having to touch a rag. SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB STEPS Most automated carwashes rely on an intricate ballet of robotic scrubbers that dance around a vehicle as it sits patiently in the center of the bay or is gently tugged down the conveyor. High-pressure water cannons like bumper blasters, turbo blasters, and side-blaster baskets precede mitter half-moon baskets and wraparound brushes…