MotorTrend April 2021

@markrechtin The automotive industry pundits. Analysts. Tech bloggers. Fellow car journalists. They chided, they derided, they scolded. How could MotorTrend have gotten it so wrong? The idea that Apple would outsource the manufacturing of a self-driving electric vehicle, rather than build a proper car for actual drivers? What daftness. This magazine’s June 2016 cover story, “Hello. Are You the Apple Car?” blew up the internet. In our report, we talked about an “inside-out” car with a focus on convenience rather than dynamics. In other words, the exact model every other automaker is now pursuing in developing their autonomous creations. We also forecast, “Apple will probably contract it out, outsourcing the manufacturing intricacies overseas and avoiding U.S. taxes that could take upward of a 40 percent bite from its overseas war chest.” Now this magazine’s…

Segment-straddling versatility isn’t new territory for the Sorento; the 2021 model simply presents a more effective case for itself. That’s because there’s more of almost everything (except length). Kia stuffs the slightly wider three-row Sorento with more standard safety tech, more power from the base engine, more efficiency in every configuration, more engine options, more interior space, and—as a result of all this more-ness—more money for a base model. The previous-gen Sorento’s L trim is gone, leaving the 2021 Sorento LX as the entry-level offering. Coming in at $30,560, the new Sorento LX is about $1,300 more than before. That once again makes it one of the most affordable three-rows in the industry. The SUV comes in $2,600 less than a 2021 Telluride LX, and compared to the Sedona minivan … we’re…

It’s pretty easy to dismiss the Maybach GLS 600 as just a gaudy, gussied-up Mercedes GLS. Bathed in pinstriped two-tone paint and festooned with chrome, gill-like vents, and pizza pie–sized wheels, though, this 17-foot, three-ton super-luxury SUV certainly won’t be mistaken for anything but a Maybach. A key feature unique to the Maybach GLS is its Maybach drive mode. Aside from flattening the acceleration curve, starting in second gear and reducing gearshifts, and turning off the stop/start system, it also adds E-Active Body Control air suspension. Outside of Maybach mode, the GLS 600 blends the best of the Mercedes and AMG GLS models into a new, more luxurious form factor. The AMG-built 550-hp, 538-lb-ft twin-turbo V-8 is just the kind of engine you’d want in a luxury SUV. It offers tons of…

The fifth generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been expanded—literally—by introducing a stretched seven-passenger version called the Grand Cherokee L, going on sale now. A two-row version comes later this year as a 2022 model. Why add a third row to the unibody SUV now? Customers asked for it, and three-row models make up 70 percent of sales in the segment. The unibody Grand Cherokee L is to the Ford Explorer and Chevy Traverse what the body-on-frame Wagoneer will be to the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe. It rides on a new purpose-built architecture, but execs can’t confirm the new chassis is borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which has sublime road manners. The L is 14.0 inches longer with a wheelbase that grew by 7.0 inches relative to the outgoing…

50 APRIL 1971 PRICE: $0.50 April ’71 saw us racking up airline miles as we hit auto shows worldwide in Italy, Japan, Australia, the U.K., Germany, and, of course, the U.S. Elsewhere, we also examined the impact of Mercedes’ new “anti-skid brakes” (now known as anti-lock brakes), and we checked out the products the Detroit Big Three were selling in Brazil. 30 APRIL 1991 PRICE: $2.95 If you liked future cars, our “Top Secret Spy Issue” was the one for you. Inside, we detailed the upcoming FD Mazda RX-7 Turbo, Bugatti EB110, and the 1993 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. We also ran a feature on automotive spy photographers—those responsible for catching camouflaged prototypes in action—and the tools of the trade. 10 APRIL 2011 PRICE: $4.99 Our April 2011 issue focused on five-figure supercars. Inside, the C6 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, S197…

Small changes sometimes bring big improvements. Just ask Lexus. The 2021 Lexus IS didn’t start from a blank piece of paper; instead, the sedan continues on the same platform it’s been on since 2013 but receives small upgrades to make it better. Our example came in the rear-drive configuration with a 311-hp 3.5-liter V-6 with 280 lb-ft of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is available, though you’ll get a six-speed automatic gearbox instead. It sprinted to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 100.1 mph. Compared to the last rear-drive Lexus IS 350 F Sport we tested (a 2014 model), the 2021 model was 0.1 second slower to 60 mph but 0.3 mph faster through the quarter mile. That’s not bad, but…