MotorTrend May 2021

When Donald Trump was elected president four years ago, MotorTrend wrote a critical analysis of what the Trump administration would mean for our way of transport. Republican-leaning readers dared me to deliberate this issue in a similarly critical manner the next time a Democrat resided in the Oval Office. I shall not disappoint. “Corvette Joe” Biden is president of the United States, and like all new CEOs of America, he has a list of goals, including how he wants Americans to get around the country. But just like George H.W. Bush being mystified by a supermarket scanner, Biden’s four-decade Beltway residency and Amtrak commute has made him ill-equipped to navigate the realities of transportation’s future. And progressive Democrats are riding shotgun, one gaudy initiative at a time. Biden is expected to reverse…

We still have to wait a year to see Ford’s full-throated response to the Ram TRX when the special F-150 Raptor R arrives with a powerful V-8. But we’re just as excited to see the latest twin-turbo V-6 Raptor that Ford unveiled recently. You’ll be able to buy it this summer with optional 37-inch tires—a production truck first. Ford needed two new frames for the Raptor lineup, both modified to accommodate the new five-link coil-sprung rear suspension, and one further revised to accommodate a 37-inch spare tire mounted under the bed. In fact, the 37s are part of a whole system, including wheels and tires, different shock hardware, and different overall tuning. The standard Raptor will come with 35-inch tires. In the past, 35s were a big step. “To get a factory-delivered…

George W. Bush was just finishing up his first term as president of the United States when Nissan last redesigned its Frontier midsize pickup. Nearly 20 years later, the entry-level truck finally sports brand-new bodywork, albeit draped over underpinnings updated last year. That’s no bad thing, though, as Nissan has continued to massage the Frontier’s frame and powertrain lineup over the years. Notably, the Frontier welcomed a new 310-hp 3.8-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic as its sole powertrain for the 2020 model year. That carries over for this redesigned 2022, and the previous four-cylinder engine and manual transmission options remain no-shows. As such, we doubt the new Frontier’s base price will come in at less than the 2021 truck’s $28,185 starting sum. Gone is the old truck’s outdated interior. In its place…

After a single-year hiatus, the Nissan Pathfinder returns for the 2022 model year. Having shed its predecessor’s jelly-bean shape, the new Pathfinder instead wears rugged bodywork that more closely resembles the look of the larger body-on-frame 2021 Nissan Armada. Don’t let the styling fool you, though; the Pathfinder retains front-drive-based unibody underpinnings. Although the squarer shape, swollen fenders, canted C-pillar, and imposing mug make it look larger than its 2020 counterpart (at least in photos), the three-row Nissan SUV actually sees its overall length shrink by 1.5 inches, to 197.0. As before, wheelbase measures 114.2 inches. Predictably, the available cargo capacity changes a little. With 16.6, 45.0, and 80.5 cubic feet of space behind the third, second, and first rows of seats, respectively, there are gains of 0.4 and 1.0 cubic feet…

Let’s not beat around the bushings. The Honda Civic Type R LE loses all of 50 pounds compared to a standard Civic Type R Touring, according to Honda. That’s not a lot when a Type R Touring weighs more than 3,100 pounds. Where the weight came from, though, matters. Twenty-eight pounds of weight saving came from removing sound-deadening material in the roof, rear hatch, dashboard, and front fenders, all high points on the car. Also included in that total are the deletion of the rear wiper and cargo cover, also fairly high up. The real score, though, was in the reduction of unsprung weight. Unsprung weight is everything not resting on the suspension’s springs. Honda already saved 2.5 pounds per front wheel last year by switching to two-piece front brake rotors. The…

As the result of a more extensive redesign than the typical midcycle refresh, the 2021 Honda Ridgeline’s sheetmetal forward of its windshield is all-new, and it shows. A more prominent, larger grille gives the Ridgeline a bolder look and a more upright front end. The trim that crosses the upper part of the grille is chrome on the RTL and RTL-E trims, and we’ll leave judgments of its attractiveness to you. On entry-level Sport trims and the snazzier Black Edition models, this unibrow has a classier, lower-key gloss black finish. The lower front fascia is restyled, too, with big side vents that serve an aerodynamic purpose, and it recalls the controversial 2019 Silverado’s Megatron-helmet-style cheekbone garnishes. The Ridgeline’s is perhaps a more successful, if not more subtle, implementation of a similar idea.…