I'm Pretty Sure the Volkswagen Group Makes More Types of Engines Than Any Other Carmaker

The Volkswagen Group is a colossal, car-building behemoth. Whether it’s the biggest such behemoth depends on the year and how General Motors and Toyota are doing at the time, but there’s no denying the VW Group is massive. I think it may also be number one in at least one...

Sep 13, 2025

Britain's Gatwick Airport Is Experimenting With Robot Valets to Park Cars

If there’s one driving job I think I’d be fine with giving up to a robot, it’s finding a place to park in a colossal, jam-packed parking lot or parking deck. That’s not really where driving enjoyment lives. And while autonomous cars really aren’t available yet to do the task,...

Sep 13, 2025

Mercedes Will Not Rest Until You're Ordering Options For Your Car in Perpetuity

Mercedes’s drivetrain engineers have spent the last few years busily . But now the people in charge of Mercedes’ user interface are getting in on the game, too, also offering over-the-air downloadable updates to cars. The idea is to fill out the options list on a more basic Benz you...

Sep 13, 2025

Why You Should Get Your Alignment Done Even Though You May Not Want To

Getting your alignment done on a regular basis is, for most people, an aspirational habit more than an actual one. That’s probably because the benefits aren’t necessarily tangible—sure, your car will drive straighter, but, you tell yourself, the $100 you just spent could probably go somewhere more fun, like the...

Sep 13, 2025

The Porsche Taycan Will Come With Three Years of Free Charging and Charge Faster Than Any EV

Everyone knows that every Porsche is supposed to be fast. Well, by modern standards I guess a 356 or a 914 aren’t really fast at all, but just try and play along, okay? Porsche is planning on selling their all-electric Taycan later this year, and they’re planning on that car...

Sep 13, 2025

Here's Why the 2019 Mazda 3 Doesn't Have the 'Holy Grail' Skyactiv-X Engine Yet

I was pretty impressed with the short amount of time in the . But besides wondering when we’ll get the all-wheel drive hatchback with a manual, there was one huge question on my mind: “Where’s the ‘holy grail’ SkyActiv-X engine on this car?” So I asked around. During dinner on...

Sep 13, 2025

What It Would Take to Give the 2020 Toyota Supra the Manual Gearbox It Deserves

Despite years of hype, the comes with one major crushing disappointment: It’s only only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. While we shouldn’t hold our breath for a manual Supra since , we can dig into the BMW parts catalog to see whether a manual swap would be possible. The...

Sep 13, 2025

We Might See A Tesla Pickup Truck This Summer

A new crossover! A new ! A plant in China! ! The new roadster, maybe! Tesla has a lot going on right now, but Q4 of 2018 was a nice financial win for the growing automaker. And on the earnings call just now, CEO Elon Musk just kind of casually...

Sep 13, 2025

AAA Is Sick of All These Different Driver Assistance Technology Names

If you’ve perused the features of a new car lately, chances are you’ve found something you’re not totally familiar with. What the hell is this “pedestrian protection” system? Why does this car have a “lane sway warning” but not an “alertness assist”? AAA is getting just as frustrated with all...

Sep 13, 2025

Why Modern Diesel Cars Start Easily Even in This Historic Winter

Owning a diesel car in America is definitely an unusual experience. Besides panicked gas station attendants running towards me yelling “No, miss! That pump is diesel!” and me saying “No shit, idiot,” I am most often asked if I’m worried about starting my diesel in the cold. Along with “change...

Sep 13, 2025

Testing a 3D-Printed Bugatti Brake Caliper Is Surprisingly Beautiful to Watch

Brakes are arguably the most important part of a car. , a company that makes big and fast toys for very wealthy people, is testing out its 3D-printed brake caliper for production—and it’s actually wild to watch. Last year, Bugatti that it had successfully 3D printed a brake caliper and...

Sep 13, 2025

Here's How Wind Chill Affects Your Car

Wind chill is one of those bits of information I’m never really sure what to do with. Whenever I’m even paying attention to it at all, I’m already cold as hell, so that’s that, right? But for your car, it’s a different story. Cars deal with all kinds of moving...

Sep 13, 2025

NASCAR Engine Expert Explains Why You Should Warm Your Car Up When It's Cold Outside

Recently, a reader criticized a comment I wrote a while ago in which I claimed that it harms your engine if you hoon it while cold. While I stand by the comment, I’ll admit that it was unsatisfying and devoid of detail. So I reached out to a powertrain engineer...

Sep 13, 2025

Waymo Is Likely Teaming Up With Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to Work on Driverless Taxis

Google’s Waymo is, according to people who know these things, the frontrunner in the race to develop self-driving cars that actually work, even if they still . Jaguar and Fiat Chrysler have previously announced deals with Waymo, but on Tuesday that Waymo was in talks to add Nissan, Renault, and...

Sep 13, 2025

Here's a Great Demo of How Different Drivetrains Handle the Snow

No matter what kind of car you’re driving, power likes to go to whichever drive wheels have the least traction. That’s a big part of why driving on slippery stuff can feel sketchy, and why things like limited-slip differentials and traction control were invented. This video shows exactly what different...

Sep 13, 2025