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Autoweek in Review

Friday, October 25, 2019

Car Life

Autoweek in Review: Friday, Oct. 25, 2019

TOKYO NEWS AND NOTES

The 2019 Tokyo Motor Show (it takes place every other year) served as a showcase for Subaru to show off its latest Levorg. Don’t sweat it if you didn’t know there was an earlier Levorg—it’s not sold here, despite the awesome super hero-forged-in-an-atomic-accident name. What is important is the Levorg showcased a new 1.8-liter turbo flat-four that will probably arrive in North America under the hood of a new WRX.

Mazda announced its first electric vehicle, a suicide-door crossover called the MX-30. It’s got great lines, and as we can attest from current rear-openers like the BMW i3, suicide doors have a ton of utility. Mitsubishi showed off its cool Mi-Tech off-road buggy thing that might make a neat modern-day Suzuki Samurai, though again, it’s not expected here.

WHAT WE'RE DRIVING

Thinking it’s time to start seeing what all that EV fuss is about? The Audi E-Tron makes a pretty good place to start, as long as you’ve got the $76K cost of entry. This big electric ute requires no sacrifices as far as luxury and driving dynamics, but our staffers and anecdotal comments from readers suggest the real-world range isn’t quite what Audi’s quoting.

The Kia Stinger continued to impress our staff with its overall goodness, and the basic four-cylinder we had delivered a lot of driving fun for the dollar, especially compared to front-drive competitors. We’re enjoying a V6 Stinger right now and will have a writeup soon. Spoiler alert: We like it a lot, too.

Mark Vaughn took a Western road trip in the hydrogen-fueled Toyota Mirai and learned that range anxiety is a very real thing when you’re looking for the world’s most abundant element. Go figure. Finally, Robin Warner flew to New Zealand to pilot an F1 car for the … well, for the track, but at least you can buy it. The Rodin FZed surprised him with its incredible grip, balance and RIGHT NOW brakes, all for a (relatively) reasonable cost of entry.

RACING LINES

NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. merged under the NASCAR name this week, completing a $2 billion acquisition. Fans shouldn’t see much of a difference, but there are some back-room advantages around track schedules and sponsorships that should make rich folks richer.

F1’s Max Verstappen wraps up his Red Bull Racing deal after 2020 and might be looking toward a faster team for his future. At least, that’s the opinion of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, who thinks Verstappen would have his choice between as many as three teams should he decide to make a jump.

Finally, from the “oh, the irony” files, Lewis Hamilton, a motorsports superstar who takes an estimated 200 private jet flights a year, has proclaimed that veganism is the “only way to truly save our planet.” He’s helpfully opened a new vegan restaurant in London so we can all do our part.

WISH LIST

Batteries aren’t just for cars! Wes Wren reports on a new 20-volt Dewalt polisher that’ll make quick work of your fall wax job without dragging a cord all around the garage. It might be a little steep if you’re not already in the Dewalt ecosystem, but if you’ve got those battery packs lying around, it’s a great addition to your cordless tool collection.

CAR NEWS

Frankfurt show attendees, of which your author was one, walked away from BMW’s stand shaking their heads about the Concept 4’s buck-toothed fascia. Fortunately, it was just a concept, right? RIGHT? Well ... maybe not. New spy photos suggest the brand that brought you the Bangle Butt might be building its next legend as we speak. What do you think: Love it or hate it?

Corvette owners (and Chevy engineers) have been complaining for decades that America’s Sports Car has been underrated, but after a controversial dyno test reported this week it looks like C8 specs may be really out of whack. Motor Trend claims 558 hp and 515 lb-ft at the wheels from its Corvette tester, which means their car was rigged, their dyno was broken or Chevy’s lying. Maybe all three.

MOSTLY ODDS, SOME ENDS

What’s worse than a rubber-bumper MGB? If you said "a TR7" you're right, but the answer we're looking for is this MG SUV. The brand’s Chinese parent company, SAIC, is responsible, but I guess it’s nice to at least have the octagon around still. On a happier note, the also-Chinese-owned Morris is returning with a modern electric version of its classic British van.

Intrepid junkyard spelunker Murilee Martin stumbles across something that even he’s never seen in decades of scrounging: a Peugeot 505 Turbo wagon, one of the last vestiges of the French longroof available in America. Graham takes a look at a video explaining gasoline octane and how it affects your engine, along with the eternal question of whether your car needs premium (probably not).

LISTEN UP

The "Autoweek Podcast" Ep. 80 has some new voices joining the show: Autoweek's new editorial director, Patrick Carone, makes his vocal debut, your author reintroduces himself after a long podcast drought and Wesley Wren, Mike Pryson and Matt Weaver dive into the possibilities surrounding the upcoming Martinsville race.