Compact

Sam from ‘Sam CarLegion’ uploaded a video of an Audi S3 taking on a Mercedes-AMG A35 on his YouTube channel. Both the cars feature a four-pot turbo engine and an all-wheel-drive system, but the A35 is slightly more powerful on paper. Do you think this will play a role in the end result, or will the S3 be able to take down the A35?

Being the most compact VW SUV you can buy right now, we are genuinely surprised by how good the Taos is. While the Tiguan was the most compact till now, the Taos, being the smallest, is surprisingly comfy in the rear which, in our opinion, is quite rare in this segment. It is decently powerful, packs a good amount of cabin and driver assistance features while holding a cheap price tag of $22,995. So, what do you get for that price?

The folks at Carwow came up with yet another interesting mix of cars for a series of races. The contenders this time were three Porsches, namely, the 992 911 Turbo S, the 991 911 GT2 RS, and the 992 911 GT3. The Turbo S and the GT2 RS have twin turbos, unlike the naturally aspirated GT3, but only the Turbo S had an all-wheel-drive system here. With so many factors playing a role, which car do you think will come out with bragging rights?

You probably know by now Toyota’s electric vehicle (EV) plans for the future, which includes 16 new EVs in the near term. By 2030, Toyota (including Lexus) will have a total of 30 EVs, and that includes this interesting concept that looks like an electric FJ Cruiser.

A few days ago our spy photographers caught the upcoming Maserati Grecale Trofeo out for a testing session dressed in red camouflage, just in time for Christmas. Now, the car dropped the red camouflage and continues its testing session in North Europe under extremely cold conditions.

The Subaru XV/Crosstrek is arguably one of the pioneers of the small SUV segment. Back then, the Impreza-based crossover SUV was ahead of its time with barely any other vehicle competing in this segment. It eventually became one of Subaru’s best-sellers in this crossover-hungry world. Fast forward to 2021, and Subaru is already celebrating 10 years of the XV/Crosstrek nameplate by unveiling a special edition model exclusive to the Japanese market.

The first generation of the Subaru Impreza debuted in 1992, which means that the compact all-wheel drive (AWD) car will be in its 30th year in 2022. As a way to celebrate, Subaru is unveiling the new Impreza Black Accent Edition that’s limited to Japan.

You probably don’t remember the Kia Carens. It was last sold in August 2010 due to MPVs being unpopular in the United States. The Carens still went on sale as the Rondo in Canada, but only until the 2017 model year, yet again a victim of SUVs and crossovers.

If you’re a regular viewer of ‘DragTimes’, you’d be aware of how fast Brooks’ McLaren 765LT is. He’s got another really quick car in his garage – a Ferrari SF90 Stradale. We’ve seen it go up against his Model S Plaid in the past, but this time, we get to see it take on the McLaren 765LT, which has been very dominant in most of the races it has competed in. Now, finally, these two cars come face-to-face for a showdown, which Brooks says is the “closest race we’ve ever had” on the channel. Which car do you think is going to win here?

Toyota and Lexus recently unveiled 16 upcoming electric vehicles (EVs), and this includes the RZ. As a reminder, the Lexus RZ is not the company’s first EV. That would be the UX 300e, but this will be the first Lexus model to ride on a dedicated EV platform,

When you think of 1980s Mercedes-Benz cars, you probably think of the bulletproof W124-generation or maybe its smaller brother, the 190E (W201), also known as the “Baby Benz”. But what you probably didn’t know is that, in the 1990s, a tuning company called Schulz took a Mercedes 190E and turned it into the first Mercedes hatchback, way before the A-Class and BMW 1 Series. It’s called the Mercedes 190E Stadt (City).

The 2021 season of Formula 1 recently concluded with a new champion. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing Honda effectively ended the streak of Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ Lewis Hamilton, albeit in a controversial fashion. But that’s a story for another day. What we have here is a chance for you to own his Honda Civic Type R.

BMW’s slogan is “Sheer driving pleasure” and in reality, most of what has come from the brand’s M-division has managed to live up to those words. The BMW 1M Coupe, in particular, was praised by many, including Jeremy Clarkson, for being one of the best driver’s cars, ever made. However, someone decided that’s not good enough and tore out the 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six for a much bigger V-8. Is this individual insane or is he/she on to something? Mike Fernie from DriveTribe takes it for a spin to find out.

Mazda has just unveiled the 2022 MX-5 Miata in Japan, and while the upgrades for this year are quite comprehensive, none of them concern the sports car’s aesthetics.

The Mercedes-AMG C43 – the entry-level AMG C-class – has been spotted yet again on public roads, but this time, it has shed almost all of its camo. This time around, only the front and rear fascia have been covered, but even with that, you can make out just about everything since all of the preliminary and concealing camo is gone. With so little camo, we can say with almost no doubt that Mercedes will be revealing it soon, maybe even before the end of 2021.

First off, let me point out that we know this is the AMG C43 based on the lower ride height and the larger yet fake air vents. That lower ride height comes courtesy of an even stiffer suspension, and there are true quad exhaust outlet sin the rear to go with the larger brakes and the lip spoiler on the rear decklid.

The real kicker here is that the C-Class lineup is ditching all large engines, with a turbocharged and hybridized four-cylinder being the only offering. In this case, the entry-level AMG will be losing the twin-turbo 3.0-liter engine and gaining a 2.0-liter. It’s the same M139 four-banger that’s found in the AMG A45 S, and in that model it’s good for 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque – an improvement of 31 horsepower over the outgoing model with a V-6 but a bit down on torque. This power output could change for the C43 (or perhaps C53 if a certain rumor is correct).

The good news is that we won’t have to wait for long as a debut could happen very soon with March of 2022 being the latest we’ll see it.

The guys at Edmunds recently had a chance to pit the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance against the popular Tesla Model Y Performance in a series of quarter-mile drag races and a roll race.

The Audi SQ5 is already a significant upgrade over the base Q5. For example, customers in the States will get a significant upgrade of an extra 100 horsepower when choosing the SQ5 over the base Q5. In Europe, though, there are a lot of tuners that will find ways to make this difference even bigger. The last one to do so is ABT Sportsline, who is offering an upgrade kit for the SQ5 TDI - both standard and Sportback versions.

Hyundai has big plans for the future: by 2025 the company wants to have 23 EVs in its lineup and the Ioniq 5 was the first model out of these 23. It was previewed by the 45 concept at the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show and, earlier this year, it finally made its world debut.

Now, Hyundai announced that the new Ioniq 5 will go on sale in late December at a starting price of $39,700. The car is also eligible for a $7,500 Federal Tax Credit.

By now, everyone out there knows that Toyota has big plans for the future: going all electric by 2035 is the company’s main focus. In fact, we’ve already seen 16 new concept cars that preview this future: SUVs, trucks, sports car, sedans, will all go electric. One concept that caught our attention though is a yellow one that is supposed to preview the long rumored MR2 successor.

A few months ago, Honda gave us a preview of the 2023 Civic Type R. Since then, the Japanese automaker has been silent on its upcoming hot hatch. To maintain its excitement, Honda has dropped a set of new photos showcasing the Civic Type R undergoing development at Suzuka Circuit.

Following a previous spotting of a jacked-up A3, a new set of spy shots has essentially confirmed that Audi is, in fact, designing an A3 Allroad. Like the previously spotted model, this one was wearing a lot of camouflage on the lower body, meaty tires, and it clearly has elevated suspension – enough for at least 2-3 inches of extra ground clearance over that standard A3. Although the camo does a good job at concealing what’s underneath, if you look closely, you can make out cladding around the wheel arches, especially in the front. The side skirts don’t appear to be any beefier, but there’s a good chance that are plastic for added protection.

Beyond this, there will likely be more hard plastic all around to protect the car on mild off-road adventures. The rear doesn’t appear to be any different, though the front will likely take on a more rugged appearance. Little else is known about this specific car. It may not even be known as an Allroad as the Citycarver name – previously found on the jacked-up A1 – could also make a comeback. The A1 Citycarver actually had a taller suspension (about two inches), larger tires, some plastic cladding, and an overall more rugged appearance. This A3 could simply be a larger version of that, leaving the Allroad name for larger models.

Buying a car is not exactly what you would call a very eco-friendly choice. After all, depending on how it’s manufactured, it will probably contribute in more ways than one to greenhouse gas emissions or material waste. In the case of the Ford Bronco Sport, buying one could mean ridding the ocean from plastic pollution.

Arriving with significant updates both to the exterior and interior, the new 2022 Kona brings hope not only to younger buyers but also enthusiasts with the newly added Kona N Line and N. While the looks and the aesthetics have taken a sharper appeal, the mechanics have stayed the same, except for the addition of a CVT to the base engine. We think that the new Kona is a breakthrough in how compact SUVs should look and feel, but, should you buy one?